Chapter 56: I Shall Return

Zhu Wen flicked the headwrap off Lan Suting’s head and affectionately ruffled her hair.

He did not believe that in a desolate place like Mount Tai, he would encounter a formidable enemy like Wang Jian, whose growth rivals that of the Four Marshals.

However, Lan Suting’s cautious stance also pleased him greatly.

When a team makes decisions, someone must always hold a prudent opinion; it can never consist entirely of radical individuals.

"I will be careful," Zhu Wen said. "Zhizhen, where do you think this secret passage leads?"

"I read a story once that featured a similar secret passage. When the master exited through the secret passage, everyone guarding the exit was forced to commit suicide by the entire family to prevent the master’s whereabouts from being exposed."

Lan Suting shifted the topic: "But Suting believes this approach is not only cruel, but also meaningless."

Zhu Wen nodded in agreement: "Therefore, if we go straight to the exit, we should encounter a secret unit loyal to Real Person Cao. Even with Real Person Cao in our hands, fighting them might not guarantee absolute safety."

Lan Suting said: "This force was originally Real Person Cao’s fallback plan, meant to be used for a comeback in case he was ever betrayed."

"Then, if we don't take the exit, where else can we go?"

The outside of the entrance was swarming with enemies, but fortunately, the boulder had sealed the entrance tightly, and the enemies, ignorant of the mechanism to open it, could not get in at all.

Zhu Wen smiled, unwrapped the black cloth encasing the Great Xia Longque precious saber, and removed the inner layer of oiled cloth.

"Zhizhen, do you hear the sound of water?"

Lan Suting asked in surprise: "There is an underground river..."

"Yes," Zhu Wen nodded. "And it is likely a hot spring. This is the desolate Mount Tai, a place far superior to Yangzhou in the misty third month of spring."

"But it's surrounded by stone walls..." Lan Suting hesitated.

"It's completely normal for it to be all stone walls right at the entrance, so enemies wouldn't be able to quickly dig their way in through the earth. But based on my observation of the mountain's topography on my way up, if we walk forward for a bit, we will encounter soil."

Zhu Wen and Lan Suting lit pine torches to illuminate the path ahead and marched forward, escorting Cao Zixiu. Sure enough, the walls of the tunnel ahead turned to soil.

Zhu Wen plunged the Great Xia Longque precious saber into the earthen wall of the tunnel, leveraged his strength, and carved out a large chunk of dirt.

"The legend of a precious saber cutting through iron like mud does not exist," Zhu Wen said. "But digging through dirt requires very little effort, and it won't roll the edge."

He wondered if Helian Bobo, the creator of this precious saber, had a spirit in the afterlife, would he be displeased to know that his legendary saber of the ages was being used to dig tunnels?

Yet it proved exceptionally useful. After digging for a long while, the blade was only slightly dulled. Zhu Wen took out a whetstone from his bundle, gave it a quick sharpen, and it was as sharp as new once more.

Zhu Wen crawled out from the passage and then returned: "The underground river has no walkable banks; it flows right against the rock wall, and the current is extremely swift."

"Zhizhen, can you swim?"

Lan Suting shook her head: "No."

"Then we'll leave this fat man here for now," Zhu Wen said calmly. "Later, I will tie you to my body, and we will rush out together with the current."

Lan Suting nodded without the slightest hesitation: "Okay."

She always trusted Zhu Wen's judgment and wisdom without reservation.

Seeing that Cao Zixiu was about to start shouting again, Zhu Wen impatiently flicked his hand and shoved a hemp ball into Cao's mouth, reducing his voice to muffled groans.

"I'll get you out later, but by then, public execution might be the only option left."

Zhu Wen said with certainty, holding Lan Suting as he squeezed into the narrow opening. As for the precious saber, he wrapped it in cloth again and strapped it to his back.

The closer they got to the underground river, the hotter the cave became, and steam could be felt hitting their faces.

"It will be a bit hot later, just bear with it," Zhu Wen instructed.

He had already tested the heat with his hand; this level of warmth fell within the range of human tolerance.

Lan Suting obediently uttered an acknowledgment.

Before jumping down, Zhu Wen used a long rope to carefully bind himself and Lan Suting together, and then leaped down without a single glance back.

The swift current, coupled with intense heat, instantly rose to their shoulders. Swept along by the fierce torrent, the two of them sped downstream.

The pine torch left at the cave entrance faded further and further from view until it vanished into pitch darkness. They could only let the river push them forward amidst the scorching water.

Zhu Wen floated sideways on the water, exposing only his mouth and nose to breathe, while Lan Suting was held tightly against his front, allowing her entire head to remain above the surface.

The young girl's delicate skin was quickly turned red by the hot water, yet she never uttered a single groan.

Light gradually appeared ahead.

Zhu Wen felt a surge of excitement and let out a cheerful shout. The pure white foam ahead splashed into a sky full of shattered jade, blending with the billowing steam into one indistinguishable mist.

Only then did Lan Suting feel a lingering sense of fear. She panted and asked, "Camp Commander, what if there is a waterfall ahead?"

If the exit of the underground river was a waterfall, they would surely be smashed to pieces.

"Before coming here, I asked a regular guest and learned of a warm river that flows even in winter. Taoist priestesses and guests come here in autumn and winter to bathe and boat. Moreover, within a ten-li radius around White Cloud Taoist Temple, there are no waterfalls."

When acquiring such intelligence, one might not know whether it would be useful in the future, but collecting more of it greatly improves the prudence of one's actions.

Lan Suting thought for a moment and nodded thoughtfully, learning yet another clever way of thinking from him.

When the river current gradually slowed down, Zhu Wen carried Lan Suting ashore and untied the rope connecting them. Their clothes were already thoroughly soaked.

Dusk had fallen, and the two could only vaguely make out each other's faces by the starlight.

"Do you want to rest for a while?" Lan Suting asked softly, reaching out a small hand to wipe the water from Zhu Wen's face.

"Quick victory." Despite saying that, Zhu Wen still retrieved tinder from a sealed fire-starter canister, struck it with a flint, and gathered pine branches to build a fire in a wind-sheltered spot, drying his and Lan Suting's clothes as much as possible.

Late autumn on Mount Tai brought biting mountain winds; if not dried, Lan Suting's slender frame would certainly not be able to endure it.

The drying process required removing their outer garments. After Lan Suting unbuttoned her outer robe, her damp undergarments clung tightly to her skin, accentuating her slender figure.

She turned away from Zhu Wen's gaze with a hint of shyness.

Actually, there wasn't really much to look at regarding her figure.

No matter how pleasant her temper was, her figure had always been a sore spot for Lan Suting, so Zhu Wen cooperated by turning his back and not looking at her.

He did not notice that this action made Lan Suting blush even more. In the glow of the fire, her jade face possessed the vivid beauty of a pomegranate.

Lan Suting briskly wrapped their damp clothes around tree branches, roasting them like meat over a fire. Assisted by the gentle mountain breeze, the clothes dried very quickly.

"Let's go," Zhu Wen turned around, draped his clothes over his shoulders, and gently pressed his palm onto Lan Suting's shoulder.

If conditions permitted, Zhu Wen was the type of person who sought revenge without delaying until the next day.

Therefore, he naturally intended to resolve the issue within the day.

As for the fact that Zhu Wen had not sent out any signal and seemed intent on seeking retribution alongside her—someone who lacked the strength to truss a chicken—Lan Suting raised no objections whatsoever.

She understood that Zhu Wen must already have a plan in mind.

The two quickly found the path back to White Cloud Taoist Temple.

This time they did not take the main entrance. Zhu Wen directly carried Lan Suting in a leap over a low hill, arriving at the side of the Moon Hall.

Shadow Fairy stood gracefully outside the hall, holding a long sword, her gaze calm as she watched the two approach hand in hand.

"Zhu Wen, hand over my master," she appeared extremely composed and calm.

"How do you know he is still alive?" Zhu Wen asked.

Before Shadow Fairy could reply, a cold gleam suddenly flashed from behind her.

In response, Shadow Fairy's reaction was by no means slow.

Her long sword swept in a circle, instantly intercepting the oncoming blade.

However, blood also began to stream down her thigh.

She had blocked Shipu's sneak attack from behind, but failed to guard against a covert strike from another direction.

Shipu, dressed as a servant, wore an eerie smile and pinched Shadow Fairy's chin with slender fingers: "Fairy, this humble one has missed you for a very long time."

Shadow Fairy forced herself to stay calm: "Is the gentleman truly so devoid of pity for jade and appreciation for flowers?"

"Why should a hunter show pity to his prey?" As Shipu smiled, his face, resembling a white ghost of impermanence, turned even paler, making one wonder if he had applied powder.

"I, Shipu, operate by two principles: first, I only enjoy my prey when the game is won; second, I treat others according to their own methods."

A fine steel crossbow bolt was conspicuously embedded in Shadow Fairy's thigh.

And the method she had previously used to ambush her master, Cao Zixiu, was precisely a crossbow bolt.

Shipu said softly: "Do you know where you went wrong?"

His voice at that moment was truly quite gentle, turning soft like a woman's.

Yet Shadow Fairy felt an overwhelming sense of suffocation wash over her.

In the other's cold gaze, there was an unmasked desire for her body.

This was a true demon, taking utter delight in toying with human hearts.

Shadow Fairy could no longer speak, but Zhu Wen spoke up from across them: "Let me say it for Shadow Fairy. When she shot and wounded Real Person Cao with an arrow, she was far too obvious."

"The person capable of ambushing Real Person Cao from that position must be someone extremely familiar with him, which immediately eliminates most people."

"And since Shadow Fairy had previously interacted with me—though she attempted to use entanglement with Zhizhen as a cover to advance secretly—it was all seen by Gentleman Shipu."

"Am I right or wrong?"

Shipu suddenly burst into hearty laughter and gently clapped his hands.

His laughter still carried a bone-chilling coldness.

"Correct, dead on. As expected of the strategist of Huang Chao's army, the contemporary hero who defeated Snow Marshal Qi Kelang. Fighting a gratifying battle to the death with you is truly the most correct decision I, Shipu, have made thus far."

"It is time to reveal the dagger from the map."

Zhu Wen beckoned with a hand. Immediately, figures wearing hoods and night-traveler clothes emerged densely from the bizarre rocks, low hills, and bushes surrounding the Moon Hall.

Every single one of them exuded a chilling murderous intent, yet none of them had previously sensed the presence of such hostility.

Undoubtedly, they were all rare elites under Huang Chao's command.

"Camp Commander Zhu Wen not going through Tening Commandery does not mean the men you brought couldn't take Tening Commandery. You can certainly come here with only two or three people, but that doesn't prevent others from secretly infiltrating the Mount Tai area via different routes. Am I right again?"

Shipu knew full well that Zhu Wen had brought many elites from Huang Chao's army this time.

And his own actions had not received the explicit approval of Ganhua Commandery Military Governor Zhi Xiang, limiting the manpower he could deploy.

The one currently surrounded was actually his own side.

Yet Shipu did not show a shred of panic.

Suddenly, he beckoned and let out a sharp whistle through pursed lips.

Right after, dark blood bloomed from the throats of two figures in black.

Cries of alarm rose and fell in quick succession.

Shipu stroked his fingers triumphantly while using his other hand to caress the snow-white cheek of Shadow Fairy, who was now bound hand and foot.

"Look, Zhu Wen, many of the men you brought are famous wanted criminals, right? To avoid them being recognized, you could only have them all wear night-traveler clothes and hoods."

"But because of this, as long as I quietly kill a few of them and swap them out, your men will fall into utter chaos! They won't know if the comrade beside them is friend or foe, they won't know if the partner they live and work with is still trustworthy, and they won't know who has already been replaced!" Shipu wore a cozy expression, licking his lips with a crimson tongue, as if savoring the fear seeping from the hearts of Zhu Wen's ambushers.

The disciples of the Mount Tai Sect and the forces of the Martial Judge had already charged forward, engaging the chaotic figures in black in a chaotic melee. Blades danced wildly, casting a chilling glare.

The enemy's actions were so swift that Zhu Wen's ambushers didn't even have time to remove their hoods to verify their companions.

Faced with such a turn of events, neither the bound Shadow Fairy nor Lan Suting by Zhu Wen's side could help changing their expressions drastically.

Yet Zhu Wen remained exceedingly calm.

"A very good scheme. To the best of my knowledge, when Snow Marshal Qi Kelang led his troops through Xuzhou and opened the armory, you, Shipu, didn't dare make a peep, which is why I never got to hear your name."

"Such an insidious and base strategy. It must have been a friend named Wang Jian who poured his wicked ideas into your foolish brain."

Shipu's expression finally flickered slightly.

He said coldly: "Believe whatever you like."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Shipu realized he had made a huge mistake.

Although he had tried to lead Zhu Wen to believe that person was Wang Jian, he had inadvertently admitted in public that someone else had given him pointers. Regardless of who that person was, he could no longer be considered a peerless strategist capable of matching Zhu Wen.

Always priding himself on being brilliant and stalwart, he never expected to be outdone by a mere grass-thief.

"I truly never imagined that such childish trickery could cause someone as shrewd as a ghost, General Shipu, to give himself away."

Zhu Wen wore a thoroughly gratified expression, slowly clapping his hands.

"Your friend is certainly not here right now, so I only need to deal with you."

The Great Xia Longque precious saber suddenly leapt from its scabbard, and a surge of crimson light soared into the sky!