Wandering Swordsman |

With his agile skills and a deadly finishing move, Luo Wangchen quickly killed all the black-clad men who were trying to escape. Only the black-clad leader remained, cornered against the wall by Luo Wangchen.

Luo Wangchen pointed his sword at the man in black and said in a deep voice, "Speak! How did you know my whereabouts?"

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the leader of the men in black flashed a hint of despair in his eyes, which quickly turned cunning. He laughed loudly, "Hahaha, Qu Yifan is still in our hands. If you dare to kill me, Qu Yifan will surely die!"

The middle-aged swordsman sneered and said, "Is that so?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Luo Wangchen pierced the chest of the last surviving leader of the black-clad men with his sword. The leader stared in disbelief at the sword piercing his chest, blood streaming down his face.

With his last ounce of strength, the leader of the men in black said, "Luo Wangchen, you will die a horrible death..."

Luo Wangchen sheathed his sword, turned to look at Shen Mo standing to the side, and asked, "Shen Mo, after seeing your master kill these people, are you afraid?"

Shen Mo was slightly taken aback. He looked at the leader of the men in black lying on the ground, feeling both fear and awe. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his voice, and said, "Master, I'm not afraid. I know this is for self-preservation."

Luo Wangchen nodded, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Shen Mo: "Shen Mo, people in the martial world have different stances, and sometimes they have no choice but to make such decisions. But remember, don't take lives lightly unless absolutely necessary."

Shen Mo nodded earnestly and said, "Master, I will remember."

Then, Luo Wangchen reached into his robes and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a book and handing it to Shen Mo, who was standing nearby. Shen Mo, of course, had no idea what the purpose of this was, and his heart was filled with doubt.

Luo Wangchen handed the book to Shen Mo and said solemnly, "Keep this book with you. I have some matters to attend to in Yunnan and cannot go to Changbai Mountain, our destination. Take this book to Jingtian Pavilion in Changbai Mountain and find Situ Dengfeng. If he asks about my whereabouts, just tell him the four words 'Qu Duan Hei Feng'."

After saying that, Luo Wangchen added a word of caution: "Remember, you must not let anyone know that you have this book along the way. If you encounter any unavoidable danger, you must remember to destroy this book and not let it fall into anyone's hands."

After taking the book, Shen Mo nodded firmly, then looked at the three characters on the cover and murmured, "The Sutra of No Form..."

Luo Wangchen then took out a book and a bag of silver, handing them to Shen Mo and saying, "I also have a copy of the 'Heavenly Gang Sword Manual' here. Practice the moves in it along the way. Return this book to me when we meet again."

Shen Mo accepted the "Heavenly Gang Sword Manual," his heart pounding with excitement: "Master, when shall I set off?"

After pondering for a moment, the middle-aged swordsman said, "Delay may lead to complications. You should set off now. I will come to Jingtian Pavilion to find you after I have finished my business."

Shen Mo asked with some concern, "Master, what are you going to do?"

Luo Wangchen's expression suddenly turned serious: "This concerns the great hero Qu Yifan. The less you know, the safer you will be. Now, before dawn, remember what I said and hurry to Changbai Mountain."

Shen Mo didn't dare to ask any more questions after hearing this, so he turned around and went back to his room. He quickly tidied himself up and then bid farewell to Luo Wangchen. He climbed out of the window and left the inn.

The night remained deep. Shen Mo stood outside the inn, gazing up at the still-dark eastern sky. His heart was filled with both anticipation for the future and worry for his master. Shen Mo took a deep breath, carefully concealed the two books on his person, and then resolutely strode out of the inn.

Luo Wangchen stood by the window, watching Shen Mo leave before turning and walking out of the second-floor room, slowly descending to the first floor of the inn. Seeing Luo Wangchen come down unharmed, the innkeeper, who had been anxiously waiting in the lobby, felt his heart leap into his throat.

As Luo Wangchen approached, the waiter, flustered and without a second thought, immediately knelt down, remaining silent like a child who had made a mistake. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, his hands were clenched tightly, and his body trembled slightly.

Luo Wangchen concealed the sharpness in his eyes, but instead of stepping forward to help, he asked in a calm tone, "Tell me, what happened?"

......

The next day, before dawn, the waiter closed the doors of "Qingzhuju" and locked them before disappearing at the end of the alley. Also disappearing was the figure of Luo Wangchen, who had been secretly following the waiter in the shadows.

......

Three days later, Shen Mo arrived at a dense forest. In this desolate forest, if it weren't for the clear weather and the sun as a reference point, Shen Mo would have gotten lost countless times.

As Shen Mo hurried along, eager to get out of the woods as soon as possible, he suddenly heard a frantic shout from not far away: "Help! Someone help me!"

Upon hearing the shouts, Shen Mo determined that the sound was coming from not far away in the woods. Driven by curiosity, Shen Mo cautiously made his way towards the direction of the sound, using the tree trunks as cover.

After walking for a while, they spotted three bandits dragging a girl of about twelve or thirteen years old deeper into the woods. The girl was tightly bound with rope. Her mouth was also gagged, likely because of the shouts they had heard earlier.

One of the bandits, holding a knife, made a terrifying expression and said, "Little girl, why are you so upset? If we hadn't snatched you from that human trafficker, you would have been sold to a brothel long ago."

Another bandit said, "Brother, this girl is alright-looking. Are we going to capture her and offer her to the chieftain?"

Upon hearing this, the unarmed bandit at the back shouted, "Nonsense! Such a beautiful young girl. Should we give her back to you instead of sending her to the chief? Besides, the chief has a particular fondness for young women. If we offer her to the chief, wouldn't that be a great achievement?"

The bandit holding a knife grinned sinisterly, "Brothers, I have an idea. How about we first... and then sell her to a brothel?"

The other two bandits said with terrified expressions, "This won't do. If the chieftain finds out, we wouldn't have enough lives to survive!"

The bandit with the knife said again, "If we just find a secluded spot, no one will know, right?"

After a brief moment of thought, the other two bandits also agreed with malicious smiles.

Upon hearing this conversation, the bound girl was filled with terror. She struggled frantically, trying to break free of her bonds and escape.

Seeing this, the bandit with the knife walked up to the girl and said with a malicious smile, "Hey~ little girl, don't worry, we'll take you to a secluded place right away."

After saying that, he struck the girl on the back of the neck. The girl instantly fainted from the sudden blow. Having successfully knocked the girl unconscious, the bandit with the knife ordered another bandit to carry her and continue forward. This entire scene was witnessed by Shen Mo, who was hiding behind the bushes.

Seeing this, Shen Mo was amazed. "Such astonishing palm power, his skill is truly remarkable. I reckon I won't last three moves before I die under his palm."

At this moment, Shen Mo began to weigh the options in his mind: to save or not to save?

If he intervened, he might not only fail to save the person but also risk his own life; however, he couldn't bear to stand idly by. After much internal struggle, Shen Mo finally decided not to rush in to save the person but to follow them and look for an opportunity to do so.