Chapter 82
Flipping himself off the horse, the young master strolled into the village .
"Why don’t you come out? Haven’t you been trying to draw us out?" His voice rang out as he surveyed his surroundings .
"Now, I’ve come . "
As his voice fell, a figure appeared in front of the old well in the middle of the village .
It was a person clad in black robes, with long unkempt hair falling all over its shoulders, its arms hanging limply by its side .
The figure’s head was bowed, preventing a clear view of its face . It simply stood facing the Young Master . Aside, the horse Lu Quanan had left behind had vanished into thin air . Only a bag of rations lay beside the well .
"We’ve long laid down an agreement not to cross over into each other’s affairs . What’s the meaning behind your attacks?" The Young Master demanded coldly .
"SWISH!"
All that came in reply was an iron ax shooting towards him, heading straight for his flank .
Spinning rapidly, the ax split the air apart, producing the sharp sound of friction against the air . Then, lightning-quick, it slashed right across the Young Master’s temple .
"CHI . "
Blood splattered into the air .
The Young Master’s brains were split open by the ax . A finger-deep gash appeared on his head . He stood still on his spot without a flinch .
"Is that an attempt at intimidation?" Shockingly, the Young Master remained staring at the strange figure before him, emotionless . The palm-length wound on his head began to close up and heal rapidly on its own, just like the closing of a flower that had just blossomed . In a matter of seconds, the wound on his temple had vanished without a trace, as if no injury had been there before .
The ax fell to the ground on the side, dust and mud sticking to it . Peculiarly, not a drop of blood stuck to its head . [ED/N: An ax's head is its metal part—as opposed to its wooden shaft]
The Young Master’s face was composed as he strode towards the figure at the well .
About half a mile’s distance away from the village, along the mountain path…
Leading twenty of his subordinates on horses, Lu Sheng stood silently on the winding mountain path, peering towards the direction of the village .
Presently, he was halfway up the mountain and could see the plateau on which the deserted village sat . For the ordinary person, perhaps the distance would have been too far for clear sight . But Lu Sheng was different .
He gazed intently at the Young Master at the mouth of the village . He, too, had witnessed that bizarre scene .
‘His brain was hacked in two and yet he could recover . Is he even human…?’ his brows locked together into a tight knot, frustration rising in his heart .
He had seen ghosts and even Anomalies . But this was the first time he had seen a Nobleman in action . It was completely different from what he had expected .
'Or perhaps that isn’t a Nobleman? Maybe that young man is also a supernatural being that’s part of the forbidden grounds…' Lu Sheng surmised . Yet, right before his departure, old Sect Master had taken special effort to remind him that if he were to see a smiley young man dressed in green walk alone into a forbidden zone as if it were nothing, that must be someone from the Zhen Family .
'Are all from the Zhen Family that bizarre?' Lu Sheng’s brows scrunched up further .
Atop his horse, one hand gripped onto his saber hilt while the other held onto the reins .
'Noble Families are the only existence that can battle supernatural beings… that’s what Duanmu Wan told me . So what makes them powerful enough to resist such mighty beings?' Lu Sheng was reminded of Duanmu Wan as well as Daoist Yan Kai, whom he suspected was also a Nobleman . But he could not tell what extraordinarily powerful methods or skills they had .
Yan Kai, for example, merely relied on his own blood to kill ghosts . His performance back then in the temple was not even as impressive as what Lu Sheng was presently capable of .
"Aren’t we going over, External Head?" Someone from Soaring Eagle Squad asked softly . Their ocular powers could not hold a candle to that of Lu Sheng and thus they were unable to see what was going on in the village . Needless to say, they had no idea why Lu Sheng had stopped in the middle of the road .
Lu Sheng stared at the Young Master who was entering the village until the mud houses hid him from view . Only then did he take a deep breath .
"Let’s go take a look . "
"Yes, sir!"
The company of men slowly went down the mountain, drawing closer to the deserted village .
They had traveled using a shortcut and so were much faster than ordinary travelers . However, this shortcut was very narrow . Only experts with good hand-eye coordination dared to walk that route by the cliff .
Following the mountain path, they descended the mountain . Lu Sheng brought the men to the mouth of the village without entering it . They all alighted from their horses .
"Pssst…"
The horses seemed uneasy, breathing out heavily, trying to turn around and get away from this place . But the men held them tight by the reins and tied them to a thick tree by the path .
Apart from Lu Sheng, the rest of them actually had no idea what kind of mission they were here to accomplish . All they knew was that it was Lu Sheng’s orders and that this mission carried some danger and needed caution .
"Are we going in?" The Soaring Eagle Squad’s leading expert, Duan Hongying, asked Lu Sheng .
"No hurry . Someone’s already inside . We just need to wait outside and lock down this area . Don’t let anyone enter or exit," Lu Sheng instructed .
"Understood!" They dispersed, setting up sentries all around the village .
The twenty of them spread themselves apart and surrounded the village, each remaining within sight of the other .
Lu Sheng fell into a moment of thought as he stood outside the village, listening intently for the commotion within .
Some people seemed to be battling in one of the mud houses . Though not much noise reached outside, it was clearly discernible to him .
'Noble Families… what kind of power do they possess…?' Lu Sheng was gripped by curiosity .
In reality, he was now the number one expert of Crimson Whale Sect . Even if the old Sect Master were to fight against him with his life, Lu Sheng would still emerge the victor .
Including the ghosts that he had previously encountered, Lu Sheng had honestly never run into mortal danger . Hence, a compelling urge arose within Lu Sheng to figure out where he stood in the eyes of the Noblemen .
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