8mi Chapter 119 Using one tiger to devour another
Chapter 119 Using one tiger to devour another
Lin Mu lay prone on a hilltop not far from the Zou family, observing their every move under the cover of night.
The night was thick and dark, the moonlight completely obscured by the clouds, with only a few lanterns in the backyard of the Zou residence casting a faint, soft, warm yellow glow in the darkness.
Auntie was sitting on the porch, holding Zou Wanruo's hand, chatting about everyday things. The lantern light shone on their faces, making their expressions flicker.
Liu Qing could only guard from afar, fulfilling his duties diligently.
Zou Wanruo nodded occasionally, and smiled slightly at other times.
My aunt's rambling voice drifted over from across the courtyard, as if she were talking about my cousin's wedding.
Zou Qingshan practiced his boxing in the training ground. His bare upper body was glistening with sweat. The force of his Qingshan boxing was powerful and fierce. Every punch he threw made the sycamore leaves on the sidelines rustle.
The light in Zou Qingshu's study was on, and his figure, bent over his studies, was reflected in the paper window.
But the shadow would occasionally tilt its head, as if talking to someone nearby, in a light and cloying tone, exactly like the teasing tone of the girls at the Drunken Spring Pavilion.
The candlelight stretched his arm, making it appear longer and shorter, swaying back and forth on the window paper.
Everything seemed normal, at least on the surface.
Until midnight.
In the distance, the night watchman's clapper struck the third watch, its sound echoing through the quiet alley for several breaths before dissipating.
A dark figure silently scaled the high wall of the Zou family's backyard and landed beside the artificial hill, its footsteps as light as a cat's.
The man crouched in the shadow of the artificial hill, completely concealing his body in the gap between the rocks and the corner of the wall, only revealing his eyes. He scanned left and right twice to make sure no one noticed him before reaching out and feeling around at the bottom of the artificial hill for a while.
When the mechanism was activated, it emitted a very low and deep thud, and the artificial rock wall silently slid open a crack.
The dark figure slipped inside, and the stone wall closed behind him again.
Lin Mu narrowed his eyes, staring at the figure that disappeared into the crevice of the artificial rockery.
It must be someone from the Xuanmen sect who came looking for Zou Zhentian.
A moment later, a dozen faint, dark golden lights suddenly appeared in the night outside the Zou residence.
It was the cold light emanating from the seven-star demonic eye pattern embroidered on the robe under the moonlight.
The points of light were initially scattered in various places—a pair lit up in the shadows at the alley entrance, two pairs lit up behind the roof tiles, and three pairs lit up among the branches of the old locust tree.
Then they began to gather silently, surrounding the Zou residence from all directions, forming a very loose semi-circular arc of light in mid-air.
Each figure's footsteps were extremely light and steady, making only a very faint and brief rustling sound on the tiles, their breaths long and deep.
To begin with the Core Formation stage, at least ten people need to reach the Core Formation stage.
The robes remained motionless in the night wind, only the seven demonic eyes on the chest flickered uncertainly in the moonlight, like a dozen cold snake eyes opening simultaneously in the darkness.
They waited quietly, perhaps for the figure to emerge from the dungeon, or perhaps for a signal.
Lin Mu lay prone on the hilltop, the hairs on the back of his head standing on end.
A mountain wind blew in from behind, making his clothes flutter. He pressed his elbow down on his clothes to keep the sound from getting out.
He had no intention of sacrificing himself for a cause.
However, the Xuanmen's forces had already reached the outskirts of the Zou residence, with more than a dozen Core Formation cultivators surrounding the courtyard like an iron barrel. How could he possibly disrupt the Xuanmen's operation?
He stroked his chin, his fingertips gently caressing his stubble, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the Zou residence and the Xuanmen encirclement several times, when suddenly his eyes lit up.
I've got an idea.
He silently stood up, bracing himself against the rocks, and pushed his Golden Wings Technique to its limit. The two dew-covered calluses on the soles of his feet were activated at the same time, and his whole body drew a very faint golden arc in the darkness, soaring towards the direction of the Quan Mansion.
The speed of the Golden Wing Technique is the fastest among all the beast patterns in the Quan family. The night wind whistles past his ears, and the rooftops and tree shadows on both sides are stretched into blurry gray lines.
He stopped at an old locust tree half a street away from the Quan residence.
He took out a secret letter from his pocket containing the golden-winged phoenix pattern and the original mark that had been stolen by the Xuanmen, and wrapped it in a square cloth that he had casually picked up from the Xuanmen stronghold.
Pick up a pebble from the ground, wrap a cloth around it, take a deep breath, and flick your wrist.
The pebble shot through the air and struck the lintel above the main gate of the Quan residence with a thud, causing a commotion.
Seeing that the deed was done, Lin Mu did not linger. He activated his Golden Wings Technique again, and his entire body transformed into a golden streak of light, disappearing around the street corner.
Behind them, a very low and deep bell rang from deep within the Quan Mansion.
Clang, clang, clang, three sounds, each one deeper and more urgent than the last.
Then, golden animal patterns lit up one after another in the night sky, first one, then three, five, ten, more and more, brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire street as if it were daytime.
The Quan family is known for its speed, and they were indeed fast in pursuit. Lin Mu could see the night sky illuminated by golden beast patterns from three streets away, and the light trails of the Golden Wings Technique left streaks of fire like shooting stars on the rooftops.
He pushed his Golden Wings Technique to its limit, covering ten zhang in an instant, his figure bouncing and turning between the rooftops and alleyways, leaving even the Wind Steps behind.
After circling most of Qingzhou Prefecture and confirming that there were no pursuers behind him, he returned to the hills near Zou Mansion.
He crouched back behind the rock, panting heavily.
His chest heaved violently for a while before calming down, and beads of sweat trickled down his temples.
He took out another piece of cloth from his pocket, wrote the words "Xuanmen Qingzhou Prefecture Branch was wiped out" with charcoal, wrapped it with a random pebble, and threw it out with the technique of a Soul-Suppressing Nail.
The pebble, wrapped in a piece of cloth, traced a faint arc across the night sky before landing precisely in a clump of weeds on the outer edge of the Xuanmen's encirclement, making a very soft, muffled sound.
A martial artist who had just reached the Core Formation stage looked down and saw a pebble still covered in dirt in the grass. He bent down, picked it up, and unfolded a piece of cloth to examine it.
The moonlight shone on his face, and his expression changed from doubt to solemnity.
He strode up to the dark figure who had just emerged from the Zou family dungeon and whispered a few words of report.
The dark figure took the piece of cloth and glanced at it in the moonlight. His face was clearly revealed in the moonlight.
He was about forty years old, with high cheekbones, very thin lips, and deep-set eyes. He wore a dark blue robe with an exquisitely crafted seven-star demonic eye embroidered on his chest.
The moonlight shone on those demonic eyes, and the serpentine curves within the pupil gleamed with a cold, dark golden luster.
Yu Qiubai, the leader of the Qingzhou branch of the Xuanmen sect.
Yu Qiubai glanced at the piece of cloth, his brow twitched slightly, but he didn't panic.
He crumpled the cloth into a ball and stuffed it into his sleeve pocket, then turned around and gestured with his chin toward a lean, Core Formation martial artist beside him.
"Lin Qi, go back to the branch and check the situation. Be careful and don't get too close."
The Core Formation cultivator named Lin Qi nodded, then leaped away towards the Xuanmen branch, quickly disappearing into the night.
Lin Mu, lying behind the rocks, saw the whole scene clearly.
His solution was to use one enemy to devour another.
He will use the Quan family's wrath to devour the evil wolf that is Xuanmen, and then seize the opportunity to reap the benefits.
But Yu Qiubai was not fooled; this man was extremely calm and collected.
But is sending only one Core Formation cultivator too much of a underestimate?
The Golden Wings Technique was activated again, and Lin Mu silently emerged from behind the rocks, chasing after the direction where Lin Qi had disappeared.