Chapter 163: Chapter 146: Ambush at the Bridgehead, Hasty Arrival, Hasty Departure
Yang Lian’Er yawned, feeling a bit drowsy.
It wasn’t her fault. The performers on stage were simply mediocre, not nearly good enough to capture her interest.
"Getting sleepy?" Wu Liangchen asked.
"Mhm!"
"Then let’s go," Wu Liangchen said, noticing his own sister was also getting tired.
"Okay!"
Since they had eaten lunch so late, none of them were hungry, so they decided to head straight home.
The three of them squeezed through the crowd and began their slow walk back along the road.
A bright moon hung in the treetops, and the scent of spring was distinct in the night breeze.
The road was sparsely populated, as most people had been drawn to the temple fair. The few who weren’t had likely already gone home to bed.
Chatting as they walked, the trio soon left the area around Longxing Temple.
Ahead of them lay a rather desolate area. Two tributaries of the Great Qing River crossed through here, and during the rainy season, the water would overflow the banks. As a result, there were no businesses, only a few scattered homes.
It didn’t seem so bad during the day, but at night, it was a bit eerie.
This was especially true on the bridge. Below, the river rushed past, and a mist hung in the air, creating a bizarre and surreal scene under the moonlight.
Yang Lian’Er, who had been laughing and chatting just moments before, now fell silent.
Even though Yang Lian’Er was now a Second Realm Martial Artist, her courage hadn’t grown along with her cultivation. She was still afraid of walking such deserted roads at night.
Thankfully, Wu Liangchen was with her, which helped calm her nerves considerably.
But as they crossed the river, someone else was waiting on the opposite bank.
Ni Jingtian stood inside a River God Temple near the head of the bridge, his arms crossed.
The River God Temple was small and dilapidated. Even its windows had been stolen, leaving only a dark, gaping hole.
He stood inside, peering through the hole at the nearby bridgehead, a cold smile playing on his lips.
The reason he was here in the middle of the night was to wait for Wu Liangchen.
Cao Juncai had goaded him into it, but the decision was mostly his own.
He still remembered the woman by Wu Liangchen’s side. He’d heard she was some Saintess of the Heartless Dao, a woman whose body could aid another’s cultivation. He wondered what she would taste like.
She probably wasn’t the first helping, but his lecherous nature made him eager to have a taste anyway.
He believed this because of a rumor circulating in the martial world of Huangpu Guard. It claimed that Wu Liangchen’s ridiculously fast progress—advancing from an ordinary person to a Third Realm Martial Artist in just one year—was all thanks to Yang Lian’Er.
The rumor was that by sacrificing her body, she had enabled Wu Liangchen’s unstoppable string of breakthroughs.
The rumor was told in such vivid detail that it was hard not to believe it.
Ni Jingtian believed it a hundred percent. He couldn’t imagine any man keeping such a prize by his side without making a move.
But it would all come to a head tonight. He had received reliable information that Wu Liangchen was at the Longxing Temple fair with Yang Lian’Er and his sister, and this was the only way for them to get back home.
It was the perfect opportunity to strike.
If he missed this chance, his only other option would be to cause trouble for Wu Liangchen at Flower Square.
That was Wu Liangchen’s home turf. Ni Jingtian considered himself arrogant, but not stupid.
So he waited patiently, even fantasizing about how he would enjoy the two women after defeating Wu Liangchen.
Just then, he saw two figures, one large and one small, appear on the road. As they drew closer, he saw it was a grandfather and his grandson.
’Probably just travelers passing through late at night,’ he thought.
At first, Ni Jingtian paid them no mind, but he soon noticed that the pair had stopped at the head of the bridge. This made him frown slightly, and he hissed in a low voice.
"Get lost! People are about to die here!"
The grandfather and grandson glanced back at Ni Jingtian. The old man started to speak, but the child, who wore his hair in a topknot, tugged on the corner of his clothes. They then left the bridgehead and disappeared into the night.
Ni Jingtian thought nothing of it and continued his wait.
This time, he didn’t have to wait long before he faintly saw figures appear on the bridge in the distance. A moment later, he saw a man and two women slowly walking across.
Ni Jingtian’s heart leaped with joy. He knew his targets had finally appeared.
But before he could leap out from the temple, Wu Liangchen suddenly stopped. He stood at the head of the bridge, the moonlight glinting in his eyes as he spoke coolly.
"I didn’t expect it to be so lively here."
Ni Jingtian was startled. ’This kid’s Perception Power is incredible,’ he thought. ’The temple is some distance from the bridge, and I was hiding in the shadows, out of the light. Yet he spotted me from so far away. He really knows a thing or two.’
But then, Ni Jingtian sneered. ’So what if he found me? He’s a dead man today, anyway.’
At that thought, he dropped all pretense. With a single leap, he shot out of the window and landed just before the bridgehead, his voice cold.
"Wu. Your Master Ni has been waiting for you for quite some time."
"To be honest, kid, you’ve got some skills. But you shouldn’t have overreached by backing the Qingxiang Gang."
"Now, if you obediently apologize and lend me these two women for a couple of days, I’ll let you live. Otherwise..."
Ni Jingtian spoke with condescending ease, only to realize that Wu Liangchen wasn’t even looking at him. Instead, he was staring into the darkness beyond. Ni Jingtian froze for a second, then flew into a rage.
"I’m fucking talking to you, you—"
"Still not coming out?" Wu Liangchen cut him off, speaking to the distant darkness.
Ni Jingtian was utterly furious.
No one had ever dared to ignore him like this. Besides, he was certain he was the only one lying in ambush at the bridge.
So Wu Liangchen was obviously doing this just to insult him.
"You’re courting death!"
Ni Jingtian brought his palms apart, and they immediately took on a grayish-black hue, emitting a thick, acrid stench.
This was the very technique that had made Ni Jingtian famous and was his pride and joy: the Five Poison Palm.
It was a palm style he had spent his life perfecting. Once unleashed, its poison was so potent that the slightest touch meant certain death or grievous injury.
This was why he dared to be so brazen and challenge Wu Liangchen directly.
With a furious roar, Ni Jingtian charged toward Wu Liangchen, a foul wind trailing in his wake.
In an instant, he was right in front of him, yet Wu Liangchen didn’t even flinch, as if he hadn’t reacted in time.
Joy surged in Ni Jingtian’s heart as he raised his palm to strike.
But just then, a fist suddenly appeared before his eyes, growing larger at an incredible speed.
THUD! Ni Jingtian had come in fast, but he went back even faster, smashing into the River God Temple like a human meteor.
RUMBLE!
The River God Temple collapsed with a thunderous crash. Amidst the rising dust and debris, Wu Liangchen lowered his fist and said coolly, "So noisy."
Only then did he look back into the distant darkness. "Are you two done watching the show?"
