RPDPHW Chapter 43

It happened in a flash.

In the blink of an eye, Zhong Shujin had already pulled off the cloak draped over Gu Qingyin, spread it out, and flung it upwards. It spun smoothly, directly colliding with the “heavenly net.”

In the next instant, she had drawn the Yanling Dao from beside the saddle, spun around, and charged upwards after the cloak.

At the same time, Lin Ziyan had already summoned her silver spear, leaped from her horse, and attacked the net-wielder closest to her.

After the two men dismounted, Gu Qingyin immediately leaped onto the nearby horse, held the unarmed Shan Wenshu, and jumped off. She quickly moved to the side, retreating from the battle zone.

Several flashes of cold light passed, and the two women had just stabilized when pieces of cloth began to flutter down from above.

Those pieces of cloth were the cloak that Zhong Shujin had thrown up earlier.

Along with the cloth fell the severed strands of celestial silk, as well as the barbs entangled in the silk.

Before they could see how Zhong Shujin had moved, she had already broken through the cloak, burst out of the “heavenly net,” and stood firmly on the net. She stepped on the net and moved freely, helping Lin Ziyan to kill the net-wielders.

In just a few breaths, with their combined efforts, three of the black-clothed men had fallen to the ground.

Shan Wenshu was still recovering from her astonishment and couldn’t help but murmur, “Strange, this heavenly net is made of celestial silk. How could ordinary swords cut through it so easily?”

“Her sword is made of a thousand-year-old Xuan iron, not something ordinary,” Gu Qingyin gazed at the figure on the net through the opening of the heavenly net, a slight smile playing on her lips. She said casually, “I didn’t expect Sister Shu to be so knowledgeable. You even recognize the Tang Sect’s heavenly net.”

Hearing this, Shan Wenshu paused for a moment, but only for a fleeting second. She immediately lowered her eyes and explained, “I happened to hear a storyteller mention it while I was out shopping once.”

It’s not unusual to know about the Tang Sect’s Heavenly Net, nor is it unusual to know about its inner workings.

After all, it’s not exactly a secret in the martial arts world.

What’s unusual is that in such a dim environment within the forest, and with the urgency of the situation, Shan Wenshu, who has no internal energy or martial arts skills, could recognize it as the Heavenly Net at a glance and calmly warn Lin Ziyan to be careful.

Clearly, such courage and insight are not something that ordinary women from wealthy families would possess.

“Oh, I see,”

Gu Qingyin curled her lips into a smile that held an ambiguous meaning. However, she only said that much and didn’t say anything else.

In just a few short exchanges, Zhong Shujin had already stepped on the Heavenly Net and fallen to the ground, taking the net-wielders who had attacked them down with her.

Five of the eight black-clothed men had perished. The remaining three, seeing how fierce Zhong Shujin and Lin Ziyan were, quickly abandoned the broken net before they landed and retreated a few steps to the side.

Zhong Shujin and Lin Ziyan didn’t press their advantage but retreated to stand in front of Gu Qingyin and Shan Wenshu, protecting them. They coldly watched the remaining men.

“Good! Good! Good!”

A hearty voice of praise, accompanied by applause, rang out.

“Grandmaster Zhong’s swordsmanship is truly legendary. That move just now, the Soaring Slash, truly embodies the essence of Old Grandmaster Ji’s teachings!”

A tall, thin man with a long beard stepped out from the shadows. Behind him was Zhu Junzhe, dressed in mourning clothes.

Meanwhile, some Tang Sect disciples hidden in the surrounding area revealed themselves, slowly closing in from the outer perimeter.

“Heh, I wonder who it is. Isn’t this the Fourth Elder?” Zhong Shujin sneered, scanning the surrounding Tang Sect disciples before finally resting her gaze on the Fourth Elder, Lian He. “What, Fourth Elder, are you guarding this place with so many people? Are you here to see me off?”

Zhu Junzhe, dressed in mourning clothes, gave a cold smile and said, “Yes, we are here to see you off, to ensure your journey to the West is smooth.”

“With you?” Zhong Shujin scoffed. “Go back and train for a few more years. Stop wasting your time running around to die!”

There were about thirty people in total. Aside from Lian He and Zhu Junzhe, the others weren’t top-tier masters, but they were all notable figures within the sect. Seeing Zhong Shujin’s arrogant and dismissive attitude, they were all filled with resentment. Knowing that she was the one responsible for the death of their Grand Elder, their gaze towards her was filled with even more hatred.

The Fourth Elder simply raised his hand and made a gesture, stopping the others from getting agitated and moving closer. When they all stopped and stood at attention with their weapons, he said to Zhong Shujin, “Grandmaster Zhong, your martial arts are formidable. You can easily take on ten opponents at once. I know that. But, Grandmaster, don’t forget that we Tang Sect disciples are not known for our fists and feet like you. We are known for our poisons. It’s unwise to fight your enemy’s strengths with your own weaknesses. Grandmaster, you wouldn’t think that we’ve been waiting here for so long just to die, would you?”

Zhong Shujin narrowed her eyes and asked, “Waiting for a long time? But I’m curious. You’ve already drawn away the Tang Sect’s main forces. How did you know where we were?”

The Fourth Elder was happy to explain, as he could make the proud and arrogant Zhong Shujin ask a question.

“Yes, our Sect Master did fall for your trick. But if your subordinates all had the intelligence of Miss Lin, how could they have exposed your whereabouts? To tell you the truth, not only this Black Wind Forest, but every entrance to Black Wind Town has been guarded by our men. Whoever finds your trail will send a signal. Now, our Sect Master should be able to see the signal we sent and turn back.”

Hearing this, the four of them couldn’t help but frown.

This wasn’t looking good.

Seeing their expressions, Zhu Junzhe couldn’t help but sneer.

“You people from the Blood Flame Sect are quite good at disguise and are very cautious. But you have too many flaws. That hunched old man could actually dodge a runaway carriage with such agility? The ordinary mother and daughter walked with such steady steps, clearly trained martial artists. That’s not strange. What is strange is that they would pretend to be weak and frail women. And that ordinary newlywed couple, shouldn’t newlyweds be lovey-dovey? But their eyes weren’t on each other, they were looking around the city gate, searching for us. It’s a coincidence that we had people secretly following them. We discovered that although they left from different city gates, they all ended up here in Black Wind Town. Thankfully, Grandmaster didn’t disappoint us and came here too. We didn’t wait in vain.”

Zhong Shujin: “…”

Alright, she had overestimated the intelligence of her subordinates.

However, at this moment, she was actually distracted, wondering who between Ju Yuze and Li Ziming was the one in disguise…

“Miss Lin, we have no grievances with you, nor do we intend to be your enemy. Although we are not good people, we still uphold the principles of the martial arts world. If you leave quietly, we will not make things difficult for you.”

The Fourth Elder said he would let Lin Ziyan go, so the others naturally didn’t dare to make things difficult for her.

After all, their main targets were Zhong Shujin and Gu Qingyin.

“Heh, a friend in need, if I abandon them at this time, am I even human?”

With just this one sentence, Lin Ziyan made her stance clear.

The Fourth Elder, on the other hand, continued to persuade Lin Ziyan earnestly, which was rather unusual.

“Ajing,” Gu Qingyin stepped forward, tugging at Zhong Shujin’s sleeve and whispering in her ear, “He’s stalling for time.”

Zhong Shujin frowned, turning her head to reply, “Is he waiting for Tang Shifeng and the others to arrive?”

“Probably not,” Gu Qingyin sniffed the scent of Zhong Shujin’s hair, confirming her guess. “Are you afraid of… well… those things from the other night…”

Those things from the other night…

Zhong Shujin’s eyes widened suddenly.

Alright, her pale face clearly showed her fear.

Remembering Zhong Shujin’s tearful breakdown that night, Gu Qingyin felt a little guilty and stammered, “When that net came down… maybe… it carried some of the medicine I sprinkled on you that night… maybe… those things will come soon…”

If those venomous snakes and insects came, Zhong Shujin would probably collapse before she could even make a move.

Zhong Shujin: “…”

So, the net wasn’t just meant to trap them?

She gritted her teeth in anger. These people were truly despicable!

Zhong Shujin touched the pouch at her waist and asked, “This pouch… will it work…?”

“Maybe a little… Don’t be too scared… While those things haven’t arrived yet, let’s fight our way out.”

Gu Qingyin didn’t dare to say too much, afraid of scaring Zhong Shujin.

But she knew the truth in her heart.

This Black Wind Forest was too vast. The things in the forest would surely be far more numerous than the ones she had summoned that night.

There was a reason why they hadn’t heard any birds or animals along the way.

When there are too many poisonous creatures, even birds and animals dare not approach.

This was not something that the few medicines Gu Qingyin carried could stop.

After hearing Gu Qingyin’s words, Zhong Shujin felt slightly reassured.

Not daring to let the Fourth Elder continue to stall for time, Zhong Shujin gathered her strength and unleashed a wave of blade energy towards the front.

It’s easy to train sword energy for sword users, but blade energy is not something that ordinary people can train.

For Zhong Shujin to be able to do this at such a young age was truly rare.

Where the blade energy passed, dust rose, carrying a gust of wind towards the people at the front.

Before they could react, Zhong Shujin had already leaped into the air, wielding her sword.

With her first strike, she successfully severed the head of one of the men from a distance.

Lin Ziyan was stunned for only a moment before she also raised her silver spear, following closely behind Zhong Shujin, and together they slaughtered the Tang Sect disciples.