บท 22: Missing
บรรณาธิการ: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Have we escaped?" whispered Zhao Ying.
Chu Li nodded. "Looks like we are in the clear, that was such a big group!"
"Was all that just for us?"
"Mmm."
Zhao Ying furrowed her brows. "We have been away for so long. Have they been waiting like this the entire time?"
Zhao Ying felt a deep fear in her chest. One month had passed since their last encounter, so, they must have been waiting for an entire month. Moreover, with such a tight defense, these were not some random punks. They must have undergone strict training to become that disciplined.
The Raging Tiger Troupe were not a normal group. They must have been so angry at this point that they were intent on killing the two of them no matter what.
"There was probably someone important among the people we killed," whispered Chu Li.
"If that's the case..." Zhao Ying seemed to suddenly realize something and said, "Could we have possibly killed one of the heads of the troupe?"
"Quite possibly," smiled Chu Li.
He guessed that the problem probably stemmed from one of the three bald men that he had initially killed. He remembered one of them was referred to as the 'Tenth Master'. Did that mean that the man was the tenth master of the family?
"These people are just abhorrent!" Zhao Ying angrily remarked.
The number of women and men being abused killed by the Raging Tiger Troupe could not be counted. God must be blind to leave them alone to do whatever they pleased!
"Our mission this time is top secret."
"...Hmm!"
"Train well and one day, when your martial arts is good enough, we will get rid of this troupe!"
"And when will that be?" Zhao Ying begrudgingly said, "even if I eventually become an innate master, there are other innate masters in the Raging Tiger who will be able to match me!"
"There is always a way," replied Chu Li.
Zhao Ying rolled her eyes as she went into deep thought to try to figure out a way to get rid of the Raging Tiger troupe.
After they had rested, she suddenly felt the urge to go to the toilet. She looked at Chu Li, embarrassed.
Chu Li activated the Omniscient Mirror and checked in a three-mile radius. There were no signs of enemies movement, however, he knew that this was only temporary. The Raging Tiger Troupe would not just set up a one-dimensional ambush, there were probably multiple layers to their ambush. Chu Li and Zhao Ying could not afford to be careless.
Zhao Ying looked at Chu Li again.
Chu Li felt something amiss as he turned and looked at her.
Zhao Ying blushed.
"I will leave for a bit," she whispered.
Chu Li was startled but immediately understood what she meant.
"Don't go too far and don't be careless."
"Mmm." Zhao Ying nodded as she ran away.
She knew that Chu Li's senses were honed to the point that he could definitely hear her if she used the toilet too nearby. That would be too embarrassing! Because of this, she ran further away before relieving herself.
Chu Li could not help but deactivate his Omniscient Mirror. There were some things that he absolutely should not do.
However, Chu Li furrowed his brows after a few moments. What was she doing taking so long?
He stopped himself from thinking about it and did not use the Omniscient Mirror. However, after a particularly long while, he could not wait for any longer and activated the Omniscient Mirror to check on her only to immediately realize that Zhao Ying could not be found anywhere within a three-mile radius!
His heart sank and he quickly stood up.
He increased the power of the Omniscient Mirror and followed her footprints. He stopped in front of a pine tree and saw that there were footprints of another person. People with normal vision would have missed these signs, but the Omniscient Mirror definitely did not!
Chu Li estimated the level of the man's Light-body Technique. He soon saw that it was really high and that his inner energy was quite formidable. The man was definitely an innate master!
He grit his teeth.
The innate master must have been following them the entire time. Once the Mirror was deactivated, he immediately went after Zhao Ying!
Chu Li took a deep breath as he tried to control his anger. He was worried. What mattered most now was to save Zhao Ying. He could not imagine what would happen to her if he did not hurry.
His heart was beating heavily but his gaze was as cold as ice.
Chu Li activated the Omniscient Mirror and tracked the footprints left behind by the innate master. The opponent's Light-body Technique was top class. Even with Zhao Ying in tow, his footprints were almost invisible. The only reason Chu Li could make out the footprints was thanks to the Omniscient Mirror.
Chu Li was very fast, but he was unable to catch up with the perpetrator. He was simply too far behind.
Chu Li sighed to himself. The only thing he could do now was charge straight into the Raging Tiger Troupe's camp.
He was not completely confident about charging in, but in this situation, it was impossible for him to ask for help. He had to do it himself. There was no time to spare, he would probably regret it for the rest of his life if something bad were to happen.
He followed the trail for more than ten miles when his expression suddenly changed. There was a line a people blocking his path, with high cliffs looming over each side. He had no choice but to face them.
Twenty four people in total and each of them held a long knife. They looked fierce to the point that you could tell that they were experienced killers. The vibe they gave off revealed that there was no way that they had killed just a handful of people each.
"Young man..." A large man forward before pointing at Chu Li with his knife. "Stop right there."
After he said this, all the other men rushed towards him with their knives.
Chu Li, whose Omniscient Mirror was still active, could tell that these men would rather kill the wrong person than let the right one go free. They were planning on killing any man or woman that held a weapon.
His face darkened as he thought of the number of people that this troupe had actually killed. So many innocents probably died because he did not completely annihilate the troupe beforehand! Their blood was on his hands!
His anger soon turned into killing intent. He drew his sword and leaped into the crowd like a demon.
The sword flashed rapidly, with each flash signifying the ending of a life.
Soon, twenty-four large men laid on the ground, clasping at their necks. They were coughing up blood as it spurted from their throats, releasing a pungent, metallic scent.
Chu Li wiped his sword on one of their sleeves before he shook his own body to rid of the blood and entrails. After this, he continued on his journey.
The martial arts of the men were not that bad, but all of them were below innate mastery. They were nothing but large moving targets. Cutting them down was like chopping up vegetables.
Chu Li felt satisfied and held nothing back. He lightly followed the footprints for another ten miles before he arrived at a pagoda. It was a small resting place that was in bad condition. All the paint had peeled off and the stones were damaged. Moreover, it seemed to be covered in scars from the wind and the rain.
There was a man in green clothes standing in front of the pagoda. He looked attractive as his shirt billowed in the wind.
Chu Li leaped to the pagoda and looked at the middle-aged man in green. He furrowed his brows. "Are you waiting for me?"
The man stroked his beard and smiled. "Are you the little lady's lover?"
His narrow nose made him stand out and his charismatic smile was warm and welcoming, which would make people take an unusual liking towards him.a
"Are you from the Raging Tiger, sir?" Chu Li coldly asked.
"I am the fifth master." The man smiled. "However, I still do not know your name, young man. There's no need to worry, the little lady is safe. We only invited her to be our guest in the mountains, we won't hurt her."
"The fifth..."
"How many are there in charge of the troupe?" asked Chu Li.
"Ten brothers," sighed the man.
"The tenth one was useless and was killed by you guys. He had not improved at all for the past few years. He didn't even make it as an innate master. He truly was a fool for getting himself killed."
Chu Li looked at him coldly.
The man stroked his beard and sighed.
"But since we are still brothers, we have to avenge his death. I believe you understand, right?"
"Is that also why you kill the innocents?" Chu Li smirked.
"Hehe…" The man shook his head and smiled. "The world is not kind. However, please tell me, who amongst us is truly innocent?"
"Are you not afraid that you'll be put down one day with your behavior?" asked Chu Li.
The man burst into laughter as he shook his head. "What's there to be afraid of? Who's going to attack the Raging Tiger Troupe?"
"How arrogant!" sighed Chu Li.
The man smiled as he looked at Chu Li. "You are also a talented man. May I know which sect you are from?"
"I am afraid that you'd be frightened if I told you."
"Wow," The man stroked his beard and laughed again. "Then I should try harder to make both of you stay now! Why not join us, the Raging Tiger Troupe?"
Chu Li shook his head.
The man frowned when he saw this. "The Raging Tiger Troupe is the troupe with the most freedom! It's way more comfortable than staying in a sect. We have a lot of innate masters that train together as well! It's free and easy here, it's even better than the life of a god!"
"How many innate masters do you guys have?"
"Nine!"
Chu Li could tell that he was lying with the help of the Omniscient Mirror. There were a total of twelve innate masters. The tenth master did not reach the boundary of the innate masters because he pushed himself too far. He had lost all his martial arts abilities and had to relearn them. The others were genuinely innate masters.
Moreover, there was a rule in the Raging Tigers that you will be put in charge of men as long as you reached the innate master level.
"Only nine innate masters and you're already doing whatever you want?" Chu Li shook his head. "You're asking to die. Now, where's my sister!"
"In the village of our troupe." The man smiled. "If you can break into the village, then we'll leave both of you alone, sound fair?"
Chu Li furrowed his brows. The man was only honest with half of the things he said. Zhao Ying was actually with the troupe, but they were not willing to release her. They planned to kill him and keep Zhao Ying as their toy.
"If that's the case, then I'll have to get past you first, right?" Chu Li looked at him and said.
"Of course," smiled the man.
"If you can't get past me, then there's no point going after the troupe. Young man, you're still young, it would be such a waste. Are you sure you don't want to join us?"
Chu Li drew his long sword and looked at him quietly. "Let's do this."
"Ha… such a waste!" The man shook his head and sighed lazily.
Chu Li activated three layers of the Infinite Azure Sea and closed the distance between them like a demon. He planned to pierce his opponent's chest with the tip of his sword and then pull it up immediately to slice open his opponent's throat.
*CLANG*
The metals clashed. The man managed to block Chu Li's strike with his own sword.
He instantly widened his eyes and looked at Chu Li in disbelief.
Chu Li struck once more.
The man raised his sword, but he had moved a little too slowly. He watched as the longsword pierced his throat before getting pulled out. The blood gushed out of his throat as he tried to speak, but to no avail.
He wanted to berate Chu Li for mounting a sneak attack but soon found that he was totally unable to.
There was a weird inner energy that had infiltrated his body and had interrupted the channeling of his own inner energy. Due to that split second interruption, his body had slowed down long enough for the longsword to connect.
Chu Li pulled out his sword and stepped back. Then, he quietly looked at the man before remarking, "Don't worry, your brothers will be joining you soon enough!"
*COUGH, COUGH*
The man tried to raise his hand, but his body began to tilt and he fell to the ground. His body was still trembling on the floor and bleeding as he took his dying breaths. The floor of the pagoda with dyed red with blood.
Chu Li took a deep breath before leaving the pagoda, the Life and Death Scripture was truly powerful.
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