Zhao Youdao's figure darted out from behind the ruined temple wall, his robes leaving a white streak through the bushes, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Tian Wu and Zuo Qingqing followed closely behind.
Chen Anshun stood in place, not moving an inch.
Chase? Chase what?
An outlander capable of killing two second-rate martial artists — what good would a peak third-rate like him do by joining the chase? Just get in the way?
Besides, he was paid to lead the horses, not to risk his life for a bounty.
He turned around and took a few steps toward the old locust tree where the horses were tied, then stopped.
His gaze fell on the entrance of the ruined temple.
The temple door was half-open, dark inside. The man in white had been sitting under the porch pillar earlier, and when he left, he only took a knife, carrying nothing else.
Something was off.
When he was sitting, wasn't there something in the shadow behind that porch pillar?
Chen Anshun changed his direction.
He walked to the temple entrance and peeked inside. The clay Buddha on the altar had half its face collapsed, cobwebs densely woven. A thick layer of dust covered the floor, with broken bricks and tiles piled in the corner.
At the base of the porch pillar, a dusty coarse cloth bundle lay shrunken in the corner.
The bundle wasn't large, about the size of two fists, tied with a yellowed hemp rope. A layer of dust had settled on top, making it blend in with the surrounding debris unless one looked closely.
The man in white had escaped through the back of the temple. Zhao Youdao and the others were standing twenty steps away in front of the temple, with a dirt wall in between. The angle was wrong; they couldn't see what was inside the temple at all.
Chen Anshun glanced back.
The valley was so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained. In the distance, the smoke from Old Well Village was thin, with no sign of people. The three had been chasing for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and even the sound of footsteps was no longer audible from the depths of the bushes.
He crouched down, placing his hand on the bundle.
The knot in the hemp rope was tied casually, loosening with a pull. The coarse cloth unfolded, revealing the contents inside.
Gold.
Ten small gold ingots, each weighing ten taels, neatly stacked at the bottom of the bundle. The gold was smooth and of excellent quality, official pure gold.
One hundred taels of gold.
At the current gold-to-silver exchange rate, it was equivalent to just over a thousand taels of silver.
Chen Anshun's breathing remained steady, but his fingertips tingled slightly.
A thousand taels. Enough to buy him half a year's worth of beef and Qi Replenishing Powder.
There was something else pressed beneath the gold.
Two thin booklets.
Not ordinary paper books, the covers were made of a yellowed animal hide, with heavily worn edges, but the writing on them was still clear.
"White Tiger Evil-Breaking Diagram," "White Tiger Frenzy Saber."
Chen Anshun's hand trembled.
Manuals.
These were manuals.
He opened the first page of the "White Tiger Evil-Breaking Diagram," which was densely filled with diagrams of meridian pathways and skeletal cross-sections, annotated with small script detailing cultivation formulas. He skimmed a few lines and saw crucial terms — "Qi penetrating bones," "tendons and membranes connected," "from inside to outside."
This was a technique to break through to second-rate.
He had been pondering how to obtain a manual from the Zhao Residence, even considering whether to ask Zhao Guangfeng at the right moment. Find the original chapter at g.com.
Now, the manual was right in his hands.
He flipped through two pages of "White Tiger Frenzy Saber" as well. It was a saber technique, meant to be used in conjunction with the "White Tiger Evil-Breaking Diagram," following a path of fierce and aggressive power.
Chen Anshun closed the two booklets and tucked them into the hidden pocket on the left side of his inner garment.
The pocket had a concealed button, making it impossible to see anything from the outside.
After completing this step, he didn't hurry to stand up.
His hand returned to the bundle, rearranging the gold neatly. He tied the hemp rope back as it was, replicating the direction and tightness of the original knot. Finally, he placed the bundle back in the corner at the base of the porch pillar, covering it with a layer of dust.
Just like it hadn't been touched.
He didn't take the gold.
Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.
One hundred taels of gold was heavy, and carrying it would make a clattering sound, sure to be noticed by Zhao Youdao and the others. The manuals were different; as long as they were snug, they wouldn't make any noise.
Greed knows no bounds, and he wasn't about to engage in such a losing trade.
Chen Anshun stood up, exited the ruined temple, and walked back to the old locust tree.
The four horses were quietly munching on the wild grass sprouting near the tree roots. He checked the reins and patted the neck of one of the chestnut horses.
His heartbeat gradually steadied, the two thin booklets in the hidden pocket pressed against his ribs, providing a sense of security.
That feeling was a hundred times more reassuring than a hundred taels of gold.
About a quarter of an hour later, a roar echoed from deep within the valley.
Though distant, the sound bounced off the mountain walls, each word clear as day.
"Guzhu remnants! You won't survive much longer!"
The roar abruptly ceased.
The valley returned to silence, even the birds paused their chirping for a few breaths.
After another half-cup of tea's time, footsteps rustled through the bushes.
Zhao Youdao walked at the forefront, his moon-white outfit splattered with a few dark red bloodstains, his left hand holding a human head.
The hair was disheveled, eyes wide open, mouth still in the shape of a roar.
Zhao Youdao held the head with casual ease, as if carrying a freshly slaughtered chicken.
Tian Wu followed behind, not a speck of dust on him.
He rubbed his hands, grinning:
"Brother Zhao, that sword strike was clean and swift. This man, after all, had stepped into the first-rate threshold, yet he couldn't withstand even three exchanges with you."
He wiggled three fingers.
"No wonder you're the most outstanding disciple under Grandmaster Zuo, living up to your reputation."
Zuo Qingqing walked last, her steps leisurely. She hadn't even needed to make a move.
"Senior Brother Tian is right. Brother Zhao, not only is your breakthrough rapid, but your swordsmanship is also exceptional. If Father knew, he'd be gratified."
Zhao Youdao placed the head on the ground, wiping his hands with the corner of his garment.
"Just lucky. The man's right shoulder was injured, his inner force diminished by at least thirty percent, otherwise it wouldn't have been so easy."
A first-rate martial artist.
Even injured, with thirty percent of his inner force lost, he was still first-rate.
Dead in three exchanges.
Zhao Youdao's strength far exceeded first-rate. Zuo Qingqing's claim that he might reach Grandmaster within ten years seemed conservative.
By then, Tian Wu was already crouching, searching the severed neck of the man in white.
"No identity token, no keepsake." He stood up, dusting his hands, "Just a bare head, but it's enough to report back."
Zuo Qingqing didn't respond. She turned her head, glancing toward the ruined temple.
Then she walked over.
Her steps were unhurried. She entered the temple, circled inside, and within ten breaths, bent down to retrieve the bundle from the base of the porch pillar.
"This gentleman left in a hurry, forgot his luggage."
She placed the bundle on the stone steps at the temple entrance, untied the hemp rope, and unfolded the coarse cloth.
The ten gold ingots gleamed softly in the sunlight.
Tian Wu came over, whistling low.
"One hundred taels of gold. This outlander was quite generous."
Zhao Youdao glanced over, showing little reaction.
"A dead man's belongings, leaving them would only benefit others. You two can split it."
Zuo Qingqing gathered the gold, then suddenly turned her head, smiling at Chen Anshun.
"Everyone gets a share."
She deftly divided the ten ingots into four piles, each with two and a half ingots.
"Brother Zhao gets one share, Senior Brother Tian gets one share, I get one share." She picked up the last pile, extending it to Chen Anshun. "Old man, yours."
Twenty-five taels of gold.
Equivalent to over two hundred and fifty taels of silver.
Chen Anshun was stunned. This trip, he had earned a hundred taels of silver for leading the horses, and now he had unexpectedly gained another two hundred and fifty taels. Altogether, three hundred and fifty taels, equivalent to ten years of work at the Zhao Residence.
He stepped back half a step, his mouth opening.
"This... this is too much, I'm just an old horse handler..."
His hand had already reached out.
The moment the two and a half ingots fell into his palm, his five fingers reflexively closed, gripping them firmly.
Tian Wu watched his mouth refuse while his hands moved faster than anyone else's, and burst into laughter.
Zhao Youdao shook his head, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
Zuo Qingqing tilted her head, her smile deepening.
Chen Anshun tucked the gold into his bosom, his old face slightly flushed.
No shame. In this world, one can never have too much silver.
He lowered his head, pretending to adjust his collar, while his mind spun with a single thought.
What was Zuo Qingqing after?
Twenty-five taels of gold, given away just like that. Zuo Qingqing, an outsider, why was she so generous to an old man like him?
Surely she couldn't have taken a fancy to him?