One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

As the sun gradually rose higher, it dispelled the last wisps of morning mist in the forests of Longhu Mountain.

Less than half an hour remains before the start of the competition for Group B, the White Tiger.

The noise was a little further away in the woods surrounding the training ground.

Zhang Taichu leaned against an old camphor tree that was as thick as a person's embrace, a blade of grass he had somehow acquired dangling from his mouth, his hands behind his head, and his eyelids drooping slightly.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns on his faded Taoist robe.

"call……"

He let out a satisfied sigh, preparing to take a nap during this brief respite.

suddenly.

The sunlight in front of me was blocked.

Three long shadows were cast directly onto his face.

Zhang Taichu frowned, but didn't open his eyes. He simply turned over and mumbled:

"Don't block the light, or it won't dry."

"sun?"

A mocking, cold laugh came from above:

"I think you just want to find a place with good feng shui and sunbathe yourself until you look like a salted fish, right?"

Zhang Taichu sighed.

He slowly opened one eye and looked at the three "gatekeepers" standing in front of him with some helplessness.

It was those three guys who were in the same group as him, the White Tiger Group.

Zhao Dalong, the Iron Palm Master of Liaodong; Li San, who wields throwing knives; and Wang Ergou, who practices Tan Tui (a style of martial arts).

The three men stood in a triangular formation, blocking Zhang Taichu under the tree, each with a malicious smile on their face.

Zhao Dalong stood at the front, his hands, which were a size larger than normal, clenched together, his knuckles cracking like popping beans.

"Hey kid, let's get acquainted."

Zhao Dalong looked down at Zhang Taichu, his fleshy face twitching slightly.

"I am Zhao Dalong from Liaodong, and these two are the Li brothers, Li San and Er Gou."

"The three of us came here for no other reason than to discuss something with you."

Zhang Taichu spat out the foxtail grass from his mouth, sat up with some difficulty, leaned against the tree trunk, and looked at them with a bewildered expression:

"No money, no life."

"If you need directions, turn right after you go out and walk straight; there are signs there."

Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Li San's eyes as he played with throwing knives.

Swish.

A willow-leaf throwing knife twirled nimbly between his fingers, its blade reflecting a cold glint in the sunlight.

"Stop playing dumb with us."

Li Sanyin spoke cautiously, his voice like two rusty iron plates rubbing together:

"What we need to discuss with you is your escape route later."

"I think you're just a menial servant sweeping the floors at the Celestial Master's Mansion. Those kinds of fighting scenes aren't suitable for you."

"So that you don't lose an arm or a leg and bring shame to the Celestial Master's Mansion..."

Li San stepped forward, his throwing knife almost touching Zhang Taichu's nose:

"When you get on stage later, just admit defeat and get off the stage."

"That way, everyone's inconvenienced, and you'll avoid any physical pain, how about it?"

Wang Ergou, standing nearby, chimed in, cracking his ankles as he said in a sarcastic tone:

"That's right, young Taoist priest, you should know your place."

"My Twelve-Road Tan Kick isn't forgiving. What if I accidentally kick your pretty face and disfigure you? How will you ever be able to pick up pilgrims on the mountain again?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The three of them burst into unrestrained laughter.

In their eyes, this lazy young Taoist priest was a lamb to the slaughter.

A little scare and he'll run away in terror.

Zhang Taichu watched quietly as the three men, spitting as they spoke, continued their spittle flying.

He even had the leisure to stick out his little finger and pick at his ear.

Then, he blew a breath onto his fingertips.

"Are you done talking?"

Zhang Taichu raised his eyelids, his dark eyes as calm as a stagnant pool.

That look made the three people, who were still laughing, stop laughing abruptly.

A strange sense of unease rose in Zhao Dalong's heart.

"Kid, what kind of look is that?"

Zhao Dalong stepped forward and slammed his large, fan-like hand onto the tree trunk behind Zhang Taichu.

boom!

The bark cracked, and sawdust flew everywhere.

The old camphor tree, as thick as a person's embrace, trembled violently and a few withered leaves fell.

"I'm talking to you!"

Zhao Dalong's eyes widened in anger, and he was about to spit on Zhang Taichu's face:

"Are you fucking deaf?"

Zhang Taichu slightly turned his head to avoid the spittle flying everywhere.

He slowly raised his hand and patted the sawdust that had fallen on his shoulder.

"roll."

This one word.

It was as light as a breeze.

But to Zhao Dalong and his two companions, it was no less than a resounding slap in the face.

Zhao Dalong's face twitched violently a few times, and his already fierce face turned even more liver-colored.

"Okay, okay..."

Zhao Dalong laughed in fury, his eyes flashing with murderous intent:

"So, you're going to refuse a polite toast only to suffer the consequences?"

"Since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish right now!"

"Don't even bother going on stage, right here, I'll cripple your eyes!"

Before he could finish speaking...

Zhao Dalong suddenly raised his calloused hand, which whistled through the air, and grabbed at Zhang Taichu's neck.

Li San and Wang Ergou also scattered instantly, blocking all of Zhang Taichu's escape routes.

"Kid, you asked for this!"

At this tense moment, when swords were about to be drawn and war was imminent.

rustling...

A strange sound suddenly came from the bushes nearby.

Followed by.

With a whoosh.

A girl wearing baggy overalls and with messy hair like a bird's nest emerged expressionlessly, carrying a shovel that was still dripping with mud.

She was like a passerby who suddenly wandered onto the film set, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere.

Those empty, large eyes first glanced at Zhao Dalong's hand, which was suspended in mid-air.

Then, he looked at Zhang Taichu, who was surrounded in the middle.

"only."

Feng Baobao slammed the shovel into the ground, making a dull thud.

She spoke with a heavy Sichuan accent, tilting her head as she looked at Zhang Taichu:

"Taoist priest, are these three fools looking for trouble?"

The sudden turn of events froze Zhao Dalong and his two companions in their tracks.

They turned their heads and looked at this crazy woman who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"Where did this wild girl come from?"

Wang Ergou frowned and cursed:

"Can't you see the old men are doing their business? Go play in the mud!"

Feng Baobao completely ignored him.

She simply stared at Zhang Taichu, her face expressionless, and asked with utmost seriousness:

"Do you need me to bury them for you?"

"I think the soil here is okay, a little loose, so it won't be difficult to dig."

At this point, Feng Baobao even stomped her foot on the ground, seemingly testing the soil's hardness:

"Besides, this forest is dense, and generally no one comes here. If we bury it deep and plant a few trees on top, we'll ensure that no one will know."

"I'm very skilled at burying things, I don't care about digging them up. Would you like to give it a try?"

These words were spoken.

The atmosphere in the once menacing forest suddenly became... eerie.

Zhao Dalong and the other two looked at Feng Baobao as if she were an idiot.

"Buried?"

Li San couldn't help but chuckle.

"You little brat, you haven't even grown your hair yet, but you've got quite the big mouth."

"You want to bury us too? Aren't you afraid of biting your tongue?"

however.

Before his laughter could even subside...

An indescribable chill instantly erupted from that seemingly innocent girl.

That wasn't the pressure of Qi.

It wasn't the aura of a master either.

That was pure, unadulterated...killing intent.

It's like a lone wolf that's been starving for three days, eyeing three juicy pieces of meat.

Feng Baobao slowly turned her head to look at Li San.

Her eyes remained empty, devoid of any emotion.

But it was this deathly stillness that made Li San feel as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an icy hand.

"I don't talk to dead people."

Feng Baobao tightened her grip on the shovel, leaned forward slightly, and assumed a perfectly executed sprinting posture:

"Since you're going to bury me, let's start with you."

In that instant.

Li San even experienced a hallucination.

He could almost see a mud-covered shovel slamming into his forehead.

The real threat of death caused his body to react instinctively.

"Holy crap!"

Li San let out a strange cry and subconsciously took several steps back, almost tripping over the tree roots.

Zhao Dalong and Wang Ergou's expressions changed drastically, and the hairs on their bodies stood on end in an instant.

They were江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and江湖义气, a code of honor among ...) people, and were extremely sensitive to murderous intent.

This seemingly foolish and crazy woman in front of me... she really wants to kill them!

And she really can do it!

"This...this guy is insane!"

Zhao Dalong swallowed hard, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He glanced at Zhang Taichu, who was still leaning against the tree and hadn't moved, and then at Feng Baobao, who was picking up a shovel and preparing to start.

An unfathomable monster.

A madman who wants to bury people.

Just what kind of den of dragons and tigers is this Celestial Master's Mansion?

"Um..."

Zhao Dalong coughed dryly, withdrew his hand which was still frozen in mid-air, and roared, his voice trembling with fear:

"A good man doesn't argue with a woman!"

"And you, Zhang, don't think you can get away with just having a crazy woman backing you up!"

"Let's meet on the training ground! Then we'll see who can protect you!"

Done.

Zhao Dalong winked at his two companions.

"Walk!"

The three of them, as if their backsides were on fire, scrambled and crawled into the depths of the woods, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

They didn't even dare to turn their heads.

Silence returned to the woods.

Only a few fallen leaves were swirled around by the wind they stirred up as they fled.

Feng Baobao looked in the direction the three had fled, sighed with some regret, and hoisted the shovel back onto her shoulder.

"Why did you run away?"

"I've already found a good spot."

She turned around, looked at Zhang Taichu, and suggested earnestly:

"Should I go and bring them back? While it's not too far off."

Zhang Taichu leaned against the tree, watching this farce unfold.

Upon hearing this, he finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Hehehe..."

Zhang Taichu reached out and patted the dust off his Taoist robe, then straightened up.

He looked at the somewhat disheveled girl in front of him with great interest.

Those eyes, as pure as a clear spring, reminded him of certain people and events from many years ago.

"No."

Zhang Taichu shook his head, a playful smile curving his lips:

"Burying someone in broad daylight would be too noisy and attract flies."

"and……"

He stretched, and his joints crackled and popped, like a sleeping beast awakening.

"I'm quite familiar with burying people."

Zhang Taichu glanced in the direction of the martial arts arena, where the referee's loud shouts could already be heard.

"Group B, White Tiger! Please enter!"

"Let's go."

Zhang Taichu put the foxtail grass back in his mouth, started walking unsteadily towards the edge of the woods:

"Since they're so eager to die..."

"Then I'll do them a favor and give them a ride."

Feng Baobao, carrying a shovel, tilted her head and looked at Zhang Taichu's back.

I don't know why.

She felt that the aura emanating from the Taoist priest had changed.

It used to be like a stagnant pool.

just now……

It looked like it was about to boil over.

"That's interesting."

Feng Baobao blinked, and a rare hint of curiosity appeared on her usually expressionless face.

She tightened her grip on the shovel and strode after him.