From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

While I was lost in thought.

Zhu Hong's ears suddenly twitched as he caught several chaotic footsteps.

He instantly concealed his presence, slipped behind the jagged rocks, and used the hanging withered vines for cover, peering out through the cracks in the rocks.

Three figures were walking along the mountain path.

The direction they chose was exactly where Zhu Hong was hiding.

The leader was a middle-aged man dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a heavy horse-slaying saber held horizontally at his waist. The blade was half a foot longer than ordinary swords, and its weight alone was enough to make one's heart tremble. Behind him were two men, one tall and thin, the other short and stout, both carrying weapons and looking around as if searching for something.

"Are these people also here to slay demons in the Rift Valley?"

Zhu Hong's gaze sharpened slightly as he scanned the three men's attire and appearance, pondering to himself.

In the past few days, he has encountered many warriors in the Rift Valley who came together specifically to slay demons. In any case, they each went their own way and did not interfere with each other.

but:

The road to construction is fraught with danger; we must not slacken our efforts.

After all, being in a rift valley, far from any village or shop, one can encounter all sorts of people and things, from those who try to ambush others to those who want to steal treasures. Such encounters are not uncommon in this rift valley.

Before the thought had even formed...

Zhu Hong's pupils suddenly contracted, his fingertips already pressed against the hilt of the broadsword at his waist. A few anxious voices were carried by the wind to his ears:

"Instructor Zhang, it's been several days, and we haven't seen a single person." The tall, thin man suddenly spoke up: "What if the master has finished his business and returned to the academy..." He paused:

"How are we going to explain this when we go back?"

Zhang Chengyou paused slightly, waved his hand casually, and a look of frustration and helplessness flashed across his face: "Explanation? What's the point of talking about explanation now!" He sighed deeply, his tone ruthless: "At this point, there's no point in saying more. If we can capture Zhu Hong and kill him with one stroke, with the Jiang clan backing us up, we can still go back and give an account."

"If we can't find them..."

Zhang Chengyou stopped mid-sentence and abruptly raised his hand behind him.

"Instructor Zhang?"

The short, stout disciple stood there, looking completely bewildered.

"There's someone there."

Zhang Chengyou's expression was grim. He subtly gave a wary look to those behind him, then turned his gaze to the jagged rocks and called out loudly, "Which friend is seeking peace and quiet? Why not come out and show yourself?"

He then changed the subject and said:

"We're all just like-minded people who hunt demons for a living."

Why hide your true colors?

Behind the rock, Zhu Hong's expression was solemn.

Having overheard those few words, he knew he was being watched by that纨绔公子 (playboy) Jiang Chengzhi. "They've even sent people to the Rift Valley. Very well," he said, a cold sneer playing on his lips.

"Then let us see who is the sparrow in the net, and who is the bowman!"

Thinking of this, Zhu Hong shrank even more into the shadow of the rocks, one hand already on the hilt of his knife, waiting for those people to approach.

Get started first!

……

On the mountain path, there was no response for a long time.

The tall, thin man, Chen Fang, couldn't hold back any longer: "Instructor, could you have misheard?" He subconsciously loosened his grip on the ghost-head knife, clearly not realizing anyone was there.

Zhang Chengyou seemed not to hear, staring intently at the jagged rocks, his brows furrowed in worry.

He spent half his life fighting amidst swords and shadows.

What he trusted most was the intuition he had developed from licking blood off the blade, which had saved him from the brink of death several times.

"Chen Fang, Sun Ping."

Zhang Chengyou slowly drew the heavy horse-slaying saber from his waist, nodded to the two men, and said in a low voice, "Go and take a look behind that rock."

The two men exchanged a glance, and without hesitation, drew their weapons with a clang, one on the left and one on the right, slowly advancing towards the pile of rocks.

Ten steps.

seven steps.

Five steps...

They're getting closer and closer.

Zhu Hong hid behind the rock, his eyes narrowed to slits, staring at the two figures that were getting closer and closer.

Thoughts raced through my mind, and I made up my mind:

First eliminate the two flanks, then fight the main culprit, to avoid being attacked from both sides.

Three steps.

Chen Fang had already stepped to the edge of the rock, holding his sword horizontally in front of his chest, and peering into the crevice of the rock.

At that moment:

A clear laugh suddenly came from behind the rock: "Gentlemen, what are you looking for?"

Before he could finish speaking, a dazzling blade of light flashed out from behind the rock like lightning! The speed of this strike was unbelievable, without any warning, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, aimed straight for Chen Fang's carotid artery.

"you……"

Startled, Chen Fang hurriedly raised his knife to parry.

But the ghost-headed knife had only been raised half an inch when the cold blade had already swept to his neck.

He felt a chill on his neck, and before he could even scream, he heard a soft "plop" and blood splattered. The ghost-headed knife was still frozen in mid-air when he collapsed to the ground, dead on the spot.

"Chen Fang!!"

On the right, Sun Ping witnessed his companion being killed in one blow, blood gushing from his neck. He retreated several steps, bracing himself for battle.

Zhu Hong, having landed a fatal blow, didn't even glance at the fallen Chen Fang. He lightly touched the stone with his left foot, leaped up like a cat, twisted his waist, and chased after Sun Ping like a wisp of black smoke.

"Yes, it's you!"

Sun Ping shouted, "Instructor, it's Zhu Hong!" He brandished his double whips and swept them forward like a madman.

"clang--"

The clang of metal rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.

Zhu Hong's goose feather saber had been worn down by days of fighting, and the blade was already chipped and worn. When they clashed head-on, there was a crisp "crack" sound, and the blade broke in two.

When Sun Ping saw that his weapon was broken, he was overjoyed and thought to himself, "Heaven is helping me!" He swung his double whips, ready to seize the opportunity to counterattack.

Little did he know that Zhu Hong possessed more than one knife.

The moment the goose-feather blade broke, his left hand reached for his waist.

Draw the knife!

"Zheng—"

Another cold glint appeared, even more ruthless than before.

Sun Ping had only thrust his double whips halfway out when the blade was already three inches from his throat. His pupils contracted sharply, his eyes filled with that white, cold glint, so fast that he didn't even have time to think.

The blade swept past.

Sun Ping felt a chill in his throat.

He looked down and saw his blood gushing from his neck, a glaring crimson.

"What...?"

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

The two whips slipped from his hands and clattered to the ground.

Sun Ping swayed, then fell straight backward, his eyes wide open, never understanding what had happened until his death.

The young master's words:

"That Zhu Hong is nothing special."

"Jianba won that time entirely because he used underhanded tactics to launch a sneak attack..."

But this cut...

Even compared to the coach, he is probably no less capable.

"you!"

The rabbit leaps and the falcon swoops.

But it was only a fleeting moment.

Zhang Chengyou was about to move, but before he could even take a step, two martial arts school disciples were already lying dead on the ground. His pupils contracted sharply, but he didn't immediately attack. Instead, he sized up the young man.

Not very old.

He had already become a martial artist who had achieved minor success in meat refining.

"My friend, what is your intention?"

Knowing he couldn't defeat Zhu Hong alone, Zhang Chengyou suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "I am the head instructor of Zhenyuan Martial Arts School. I have no grudge against you, so why did you resort to such a ruthless attack the moment we met?"

He was talking, but his hands were busy.

He quietly reached for half of the charcoal-like object, secretly exerted his strength, and rolled it in his palm. Suddenly, a wisp of light blue smoke rose from the top of the object. The smoke didn't rise; instead, it slithered along the ground like a snake towards the southeast.

"Why are you pretending to be confused?"

Zhu Hong witnessed this scene, a knowing grin spreading across his face. "You've been searching for me all over the mountains, haven't you? You're here for me, aren't you?" he said, brandishing his knife, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, and proclaiming loudly:

"now……

The knife is here, and so is the man.

Stop grinding your teeth there, even though the outcome will be decided on the battlefield!