Wang Hu saw that Lu Ye was distracted, so he couldn't spare the time to talk. He stuffed the fallen steamed bun into Lu Ye's hand, grabbed his arm, and pulled him toward the mountain.
Lu Ye stumbled as he was pulled, yet he still didn't forget to look back at the Daoist priest.
From a distance, the Daoist priest's figure looked small. He had no idea that someone from so far away had seen through his origin, and he continued to perform the "ritual" with those Taoist acolytes in an unhurried manner.
It wasn't until Lu Ye had walked a few steps that he came back to his senses, stuffed the hard bun into his mouth, and chewed twice.
The bun, which used to be bitter and hard to swallow, now tasted so delicious.
What had he just seen!
An old Daoist with a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years, already ninety-three years old, yet he looked like a middle-aged man of thirty or forty, with a face like polished jade, showing no signs of decay on the surface.
Moreover, while the vitality of an ordinary person only reached a maximum of one hundred, this old Daoist had a full three thousand!
And that was even in his aged and decaying state; his maximum value was a full ten thousand!
Not to mention that Summon Spirit jade root; although it was unclear how the summoning worked, it clearly exceeded the scope of Martial Dao.
If nothing else, according to the original owner's memory, the ninety-year-old village head who practiced health-preserving techniques in the village only had white hair and a youthful face.
But this Daoist could no longer be considered as having techniques to maintain a youthful appearance; judging by his appearance, he was definitely a non-human monster.
Lu Ye had also inquired from Wang Hu that while Martial Arts Masters were not rare in the secular world, immortals and strange occurrences were only legends in the marketplace; at the very least, his Martial Scholar master had never seen them.
Now it seemed that not only did this world possess the extraordinary power of Martial Dao, but it was likely that one could also practice Cultivation!
Under the reflection of the Fish Dragon Diagram, the old Daoist and his acolytes were not performing Transcendence for the Undead; that strange little banner was swallowing and absorbing all the dead. Which Daoist performed Transcendence like that?
Although he did not know how the Cultivation Realm, talent, and Root Bone were divided in this world, the Fish Dragon Diagram would not lie.
He was merely a red-tailed White Carp, while the other was a ferocious Giant Crocodile—they were worlds apart!
Lu Ye was not discouraged by the gap between them; he only felt that beyond the "Dragon Gate" of Martial Dao ahead, there was now an additional "Cultivation" barrier.
To survive in this Chaotic World, one must pass trials step by step and overcome many calamities!
Words from his past life, such as longevity and Flying Sword, appeared in his mind, and his heart surged with passion for a moment.
However, at this moment—Lu Ye swallowed the hard bun in his mouth in a few bites and turned his head to look back.
In the Wilderness, the dozens of Men and Horses chasing toward the foot of the mountain had already traveled more than half the distance, the torches in their hands jumping up and down.
He immediately quickened his pace; only by escaping tonight's killing spree would there be infinite possibilities!
Lu Ye and Wang Hu hurried their escape. With the hard bun in their stomachs and facing a Life-and-death crisis, they felt as if they had gained countless amounts of strength.
The two of them panted heavily, walking silently on the dirt road.
A moment later.
A shrill screaming sound and the roaring of Hunting dogs suddenly came from the foot of the mountain.
It turned out that those Servants of powerful families had reached the foot of the mountain, abandoned their horses, and were scattering in all directions, holding sharp blades and leading Hunting dogs.
In the gullies at the foot of the mountain, many Refugees had fortunately crossed the river and escaped the pursuit of the Cavalryman, but they were already exhausted and could only crawl reluctantly to find a place to hide.
At this time, with the Hunting dogs leading the way, the Pursuers naturally caught them one by one.
These Servants of powerful families showed no mercy as their blades drew blood; whenever they caught a Refugee, they beheaded them, leaving not a single Survivor under their blades.
Cries, pleas for mercy, the frantic barking of Hunting dogs, and the wild laughter of the servants rose one after another.
Accompanied by the cold wind at night, these sounds traveled far away, and could even be heard on the mountain.
Lu Ye and Wang Hu dared not look back and could only keep their heads down and travel.
Just then, the bright moon rose in the sky, casting silver Moonlight that draped the earth in a soft glow.
Today's moon was big and round, and there were no dark clouds in the sky to conceal it.
Lu Ye and Wang Hu immediately felt miserable.
The two dared not run wildly on the dirt road, otherwise they would be living targets, so they had to abandon the road and move along the shadows at the edge of the path.
Lu Ye only hoped that those servants would use their usual spirit of slacking off and not be so serious; otherwise, he feared the two of them would not be able to escape.
After all, the Pursuers were bringing dogs!
The two were sweating profusely, focused solely on escaping. Time passed quickly, and they only hated that the road underfoot unexpectedly had no end!
Finally, after climbing a gentle slope, the view before them suddenly opened up.
They had unexpectedly run all the way to the Mountaintop, and at this moment, a thin cloud drifted across the sky, just enough to conceal the moon, and the surrounding light immediately dimmed.
The two were almost moved to tears. Heaven had mercy, taking away most of the Moonlight. If they continued along the dirt road, the city under the hillock would no longer be visible, and those servants shouldn't be able to follow them anymore, right?
No one would be so stubborn as to climb the mountain, right?
The two turned their heads back and couldn't help but curse simultaneously.
"Damn it!"
They saw that almost all the servants were gathered halfway up the mountain with torches, scattering in all directions. It seemed the Refugees at the foot of the mountain had already been annihilated by them.
Only a few servants remained at the foot of the mountain, holding torches and guarding the Horses and Mules.
Yet, just over a dozen yards behind them, there was a stubborn one, leading a Hunting dog and holding a torch, climbing the mountain along the Official Road.
The Hunting dog seemed to have smelled something and was barking loudly. The servant chasing them freed his right hand, drew his Waist Knife, and looked around.
It looked like he would track them down sooner or later.
Lu Ye and Wang Hu looked at each other and turned to hurry away. Even if it meant fighting desperately, they had to pick a good place ahead; they couldn't stay here.
If they fought on the Mountaintop, they would likely attract more lackeys.
It was just hateful that the Mountaintop was bare and only Giant Rocks remained; it was difficult to even find a suitable place to hide and launch a sneak attack.
"Hu Zi, you deal with that guy later, and I'll deal with that dog. We'll do it like this..."
A dozen yards away.
Qi Xiao Jiu looked around cautiously, holding a torch and the rope in one hand, and a Steel knife in the other. In front of the rope, the Hunting dog was pushing its limbs against the ground, barking wildly toward the top of the Mountain Path.
The dog's body leaned forward, pulling the rope around its neck taut, its limbs exerting force.
However, Qi Xiao Jiu held the rope firmly with one hand, keeping the dog under tight control.
He was a servant born into the Qi Family of Dong Sai Prefecture, a servant for several generations, most trusted by the Main family. He had learned Martial Arts, though due to insufficient talent and a lack of nourishing Pills, he had only stopped at the Minor Martial Disciple Realm, just barely touching the threshold of Martial Dao.
But he was full of vitality, had abundant strength, and was stronger than the average person; a mere Hunting dog still couldn't break free from his palm.
Today, the Master gathered the servants in the prefecture who had learned Martial Arts, saying that by the Prefect's command, the Refugees outside the city were about to rebel and were to be annihilated today, and that all the prominent figures in the Prefecture City had to contribute.
Although Qi Xiao Jiu didn't believe that soldiers recruited from Refugees would rebel, who was he to question the Master's words?
Besides, they were just some mud-legged peasants; if they didn't starve to death at home, why run out and cause trouble for the Masters!
It caused him, Master Qi, to be unable to sleep at night. Not only did he have to go out of the city to kill kill kill, but he was also assigned by the Masters to hunt down the stragglers among the Refugees.
However, today's Opponent didn't make him feel motivated.
They were just a group of Refugees so hungry they were eating dirt, and the young and strong men had all been annihilated, leaving only the terrified old, weak, women, and children who were fleeing in panic.
Qi Xiao Jiu had the Cultivation Level of a Minor Martial Disciple; ordinary strong men couldn't even get close to him, so why would he be afraid of those weaklings?
His Steel knife was dripping with Fresh Blood, and he couldn't remember how many Heads he had chopped off today.
Ten? Or twelve?
There were a few others he was too lazy to swing his blade at, so he just let the dogs bite them to death.
He didn't want to be like his Companions, bitterly searching for people in the mountain gullies, so he decided to go straight up the mountain along the Official Road.
When he planted his torch on the mountaintop, the Master would remember him, and if he was happy, there might even be a reward.
The Hunting dog ahead was barking fiercely. Qi Xiao Jiu slowed his pace a bit, but he didn't take it to heart; it was just some fleeing Refugees, nothing more than a swing of his blade.
The Hunting dog roared and rushed up the Mountaintop with Qi Xiao Jiu, suddenly jumping up and down in a panic, barking non-stop.
They saw that under a Giant Rock.
There were two exhausted Refugees leaning back-to-back against each other.
At this moment, seeing Qi Xiao Jiu and the Hunting dog, they were panicked. The two of them used a wooden stick together, trying to stand but unable to, half-squatting and half-kneeling, in a sorry state.
Qi Xiao Jiu chuckled and loosened his hand.
The Hunting dog, like a horse without a bridle, zoomed forward.
He turned his wrist and walked slowly, his Steel knife reflecting a cold Radiance in the Moonlight.
Brothers, if you like it, please read daily. Don't hoard the chapters; it's easy for the book to be dropped...
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