No. 67: Shadow's Counterattack (6)

  "Shh!" He whispered very softly, nodding his head downwards with a jerk of his chin.

  I took a closer look and found that we had arrived at a higher point in the cave, where I could see the lower passageway by lowering my head. On the lower level, there was a wide open space with over a dozen black-clad men binding three men dressed as monks. Not far away, a masked man and woman stood facing each other, the woman holding a long sword, and the man holding a strangely-shaped curved knife.

  Although both of them were masked, judging from their physical characteristics, they were undoubtedly Qinglong Envoy Ren Pingsheng and Baitu Envoy Ruoyanjuan of the Tiangong Sect.

  The man hummed a cold sound, and with a light flick of his wrist, he bent the hilt of the curved knife 90 degrees, then slowly pulled it open. It turned out that the shape of the hilt was peculiar, and it could actually be extended. After opening it, it became a slender handle about two meters long, emitting a dark luster. Together with the curved knife's blade, this weapon had transformed into the kind used by the Grim Reaper in picture books - a long scythe.

  Ren Ping was born with a large black hooded cloak, a black scarf covering his face, holding a long scythe, I saw it for the first time, and it really looked like the Grim Reaper who harvested lives in picture books, with an intimidating aura around him.

  I was pressed down by the night, crouching behind a rock, quietly looking down. We were not close to the people below, but holding our breath, we could still roughly make out the conversation between the two people below. All I heard was Ren Ping's voice, which was no longer as warm and hypocritical as before, but instead carried a chill that seeped into my bones:

  "White Tiger, I don't think it's necessary for us to fight, nor do I understand what you're doing here. However, if you're really bored out of your mind, having a match won't hurt either. Swords and knives are blind, so you'd better have some self-awareness."

  Ruoyan also said coldly, "Qinglong, you are too arrogant. You think your plans are flawless, but a mere concubine can easily see through them and expose your schemes. It's not that I'm gloating over your misfortune, but do you think you can escape your father's punishment when you return?"

  Ren Pingsheng's voice was not tense, but rather disdainful: "What of it?"

  He waved his hand and more than a dozen black-clad men beside him dragged three monks away, leaving only the two of them in the empty space.

  "It's no wonder Father doesn't trust you. That vile woman with the surname Ye is a scourge, and yet you went out of your way to save her, leaving a menace by your side. What are your true intentions? I've come here specifically to help you eradicate that wicked woman, to eliminate future troubles."

  Ren Ping Sheng sneered and laughed: "What is my intention? I'd like to ask you instead. You want to kill that girl, is it really for the sake of avenging your father and eliminating the root of evil? From what I see, it's just a jealous woman throwing a tantrum, not making sense."

  "Hmph, everyone says that Qing Long Shai is the most ruthless man in the world, but it turns out he's just a weirdo with strange tastes." Yu Ruoyuan's tone was full of disdain.

  Ren Ping said, "Bai Hu, you're not here to kill A Ruo, are you? You might be too late. I just saw that the woman didn't listen and ran out of the stone room alone, who knows where she went. With her two moves, it's likely she'll definitely die now. If she hadn't run wildly, I wasn't planning on taking her life either. That guy had something special in his head, and if he dies like this, it's still a bit of a pity."

  Yu Wanjuan let out a soft "huh", as if Ren Ping's words were beyond her expectation.

  "But White Tiger, since you're here, I'll invite you to watch a good show. Just thinking about your expression at that moment, it must be quite spectacular."

  In an instant, I suddenly felt a chill run up my spine and couldn't help but shudder all over. The Young Master of the Night beside me made a swift move, pulling me into his arms and covering my mouth and nose with a cloth that smelled of medicine.

  I raised my eyes to look at him, but saw his eyes under the mask were unusually serious.

  It's not just us who suffered a strong shock, Yu Rou must have been the first to bear the brunt. Because a giant beast with a huge body and all over fiery red suddenly appeared behind her, and such a master actually had no awareness of it.

  "This is a lion," Ren Pingsheng said calmly, "named Mirage Lion. This beast was raised on medicine from an early age, with great strength and ferocity, moving silently, and its entire body is highly toxic."

  I finally understand why I need to cover my mouth and nose. Although the distance between us is far, I don't have internal energy, making it difficult for me to resist the poisonous gas that's drifting over. Ruoyan's figure flickered, and she covered her forehead with her hand.

  "Green Dragon! What are you doing!" She suddenly shouted in shock, her beautiful eyes behind the veil widening abruptly.

  Ren Ping's hand lightly plucked a finger, and half a grain of medicine popped into Ruoyan's hand. Ruoyan calmed down, raised her hand to take the medicine, and was still frightened for half a day before she barely returned to calmness.

  "So, do you know why it's called a Mirage? Because the aura on its body is a deadly poison that induces hallucinations. What you see before your eyes is like a mirage over the sea. I don't know what you saw just now, but even if you're a top-notch expert, you can't escape its pursuit without any defense."

  Ruoyan frowned. I also felt strange, since she was given an antidote to eat, the good show she saw, couldn't be a lion's performance? That's simply ridiculous.

  "The mirage had already eaten a person several hours ago, so it won't kill you now." Ren Pingsheng's words became more and more inexplicable. "This lion has a characteristic, every twelve hours it will have a violent outbreak once, at that time it will pursue the first person it sees to the death. Even if it's the number one master in the world, they would find it very troublesome."

  "What do you want?" Yu Wanjuan's voice was noticeably weaker, probably due to the insufficient dose of antidote.

  "So you think I caught Ah Ying for nothing? I've already sent a message to Xuanwu, asking him to come alone to the forest north of this mountain at midnight. Since Ah Ying is gone, he's sure to come. And tonight at midnight, it just so happens that the Mirage Lion's belly starts to get hungry. White Tiger, don't you think this is going to be a great show?"

  "You're going after him!" Yu Wanjuan exclaimed in surprise.

  "Hmph, don't even think about running off to report back, because you can't leave now. You're an audience member, so stay by my side and watch the show properly." Ren Pingsheng's voice was quite cold, "Xuanwu has his heart set on Aying, but you're thinking of Xuanwu - doesn't that make the show even more interesting?"

  Ruò Yuè suddenly shouted hoarsely: "Yè Liú Yuè, you cheap person! The man is already dead, Xuán Wǔ won't come! Don't dream!"

  Ren Ping sneered coldly: "A Yun is dead, it's just you and me who know, will he find out? Anyway, it's boring, whether Xuan Wu comes or not, let's make a bet to relieve the boredom."

  I was stunned, actually, I was scared stiff. It turned out that this fearsome lion was used to deal with Nie Qiuyuan, and it was in my name that he was lured into the trap. This lion, I saw it with my own eyes, I understand, under unprepared circumstances, Nie Qiuyuan will die, Nie Qiuyuan will be killed by him!

  But it's too late, even if we hurry, we won't make it back in time to send a message. Even if we go at night, it's still too late, because Autumn must have already set off. We can't calculate how he'll come, and if he misses the way, he'll die. How is it that this era doesn't have mobile phones?! How is it that there are no mobile phones?! Not having a mobile phone is simply a sin!

  But Nie Qiuyuan will definitely come to save me.

  That's right, I don't have that special place in Nie Qiu Yuan's heart now. But we've been together for several months, and one of his characteristics is that he values relationships. I'm his sworn sister, and since our father passed away at the hands of Tian Jing Men, he feels indebted to me. Even if he knows there's danger, he'll still come.

  What should I do?

  The night quietly released me. It turned out that Ren Pingsheng and Ruo Yujuan had already left without my knowledge, and the lion's head was also gone.

  I turned around and grasped Ye's hand, I had something to say to him. After some thought, I felt that I had no other choice...