c5 (1/2)

Chapter Five - Threatened

An hour later, Xu Yi arrived at a brook, where he dove head first into the water and gulfed like an ox. He then picked a stick up and made one end sharp pointed, like a spear. After several times of p.r.i.c.king into the water, Xu Yi harvested a dozen of red carps, which were still vibrantly jumping up and down on the dry land.

Xu Yi peeled off the scales and emptied the viscera, before he gobbled the carps raw.

It was true that once you reached the peak state of a forged body, you’d be stronger than an ox, and his appet.i.te would be comparable to a tiger. The carps, that weighed 25 kg in total, were eaten by Xu Yi raw and with the bones!

This ‘delicious’ dinner made Xu Yi too full to move around. So he just sat down and crossed his legs so that he could concentrate himself on the flowing of the qi in his body and he recharged himself to his optimal strength.

Hours before, the loss of his dog and Sifu had driven Xu Yi mad, but now he seemed much more peaceful, at least, judging from his outer appearance. Or maybe it was just the calm before the storm.

Soon, night fell and the breeze from the mountain sobered Xu Yi’s mind. While enjoying this tranquil moment, Xu Yi sensed that there was some tapping sounds, that might originate from boots or hoofs. Vigilant as he was, Xu Yi quickly rose up and he could now clearly hear the sound of neigh and shouting from afar. Based on the sound, Xu Yi believed there were probably more than ten horses running in his direction.

Xu Yi quickened his pace and within seconds, he arrived at the nearby mountain path.

A group of horses were marching forward, with Junior Zhou leading in the front. Dead wild animals were hung on each of the horses. The flags were fluttering in the air, which was an obvious indication that they were on their way back home after a successful hunt.

Everyone in this hunting group was overjoyed, which you could tell from their expressions. Even Junior Zhou couldn’t help whistling for their triumph, even though he was usually known as an indifferent guy.

The guy with the full beard merrily sang a ditty along the way, the contents of which were rather scurrilous. Others responded with a shout of applause, they were enjoying his songs on this long and dull journey back home.

The bodyguard with the hawk nose, next to Junior Zhou, was always on alert and he suddenly whispered to Zhou: “I sense danger ahead of us!”

The man with the hawk nose was the first one who had joined the Zhou Family. He was rather powerful and had even mastered a special technique. This made him become the most credible man in this group, once he warned that there might be danger ahead, everyone in the group quickly prepared for a possible fight. They took out their swords and pulled their bowstrings, ready for anything dangerous.

“It’s over there!” The man with the hawk nose shouted with a level-headed mind.

“Who is getting in our way? No one in the vicinity would dare to turn against my Zhou Family! Today shall be his doomsday!” Junior Zhou whipped the claret-red horse to make it go faster and the rest of the group followed.

Xu Yi was steadily standing in the middle of the road, quietly waiting for Junior Zhou.

The man with the full beard quickly got excited when he realised that the ‘danger’ was actually Xu Yi, as it was perfect timing for him to kill this ant and get more rewards from the Zhou Family. Compared to the man with the hawk nose, the guy with the full beard was much less favored by the Zhou Family; he had stagnated in the later periods of a forged body and still showed no signs of improvement. So he had to seize this opportunity to arrest Xu Yi ahead of anyone else.

When the group had pa.s.sed Xu Yi’s house, the man with the full beard had also been the one who had set fire to this house and he had even killed Xu Yi’s dog without Junior Zhou’s order. He did this simply out of selfishness, as he desired to get more rewards from the Zhou Family.