While on Mount Hua, my mind is at peace!

Chapter 75 Never Enter the Forest

Bu Jie's eyes widened like copper bells as he looked down at Xiong Zhaozhao and said, "It's me. Could it be your father? Little girl, you wouldn't happen to have taken a fancy to my precious son-in-law, would you? If you really have your eye on him, then call your father over here, and I'll have a go with him."

Xiong Zhaozhao sneered, "Dealing with a stinking monk like you doesn't require my father's intervention. Take this!" Her sword flashed, heading straight for Bujie. Bujie, startled by her sudden attack, cried out and tried to defend himself.

Xiong Zhaozhao was only venting her anger and didn't really intend to do anything to Bujie; Bujie's martial arts skills were indeed superb. The two fought like ping-pong for over a hundred moves, evenly matched, but they destroyed countless street stalls and carts.

Many passersby were martial arts practitioners carrying knives and swords. Hearing the commotion, they all gathered around to watch, completely blocking the long street.

Seeing the situation escalating, Yue Feng darted over, grabbed Bu Jie by the collar, and threw him aside. Bu Jie didn't even see Yue Feng's move clearly before his body flew into the sky as if riding the clouds, tracing an elegant arc in mid-air before landing on the outskirts of the crowd.

Seeing that it was Yue Feng who had made the move, Xiong Zhaozhao hurriedly sheathed her sword. However, Yue Feng had already passed through the dense crowd and caught Bu Jie, who was falling from the sky. He held Bu Jie's huge body in one hand and disappeared at the end of the long street in an instant.

Everyone was stunned by Yue Feng's incredible skill and remained silent for a long time. After a while, Yue Lingshan walked over and carefully examined Xiong Zhaozhao before tentatively asking, "Is this young lady surnamed Xiong?"

Xiong Zhaozhao, still fuming, snorted, "So what if it is!"

Yue Lingshan said happily, "You're Zhao Zhao's little sister, right? I'm Yue Lingshan! Don't you remember? We used to play together a lot when we were little."

Xiong Zhaozhao stared at Yue Lingshan, stunned for a moment, then asked, "Ling...Sister Shan?"

"Mmm!" Yue Lingshan nodded repeatedly. "Zhaozhao, it's been so many years! Your swordsmanship has improved so much! I'll have to ask you for some pointers later."

Xiong Zhaozhao recalled the moments she spent with Yue Lingshan back then, and a rare gentle smile appeared on her pretty face: "Sister Lingshan, there are too many people here. Let's find a place to rest for a while and have a good chat, shall we?"

Yue Lingshan happily agreed and said to Linghu Chong, "Senior Brother, you guys go ahead and explore. I'll come find you at the South Gate later."

Linghu Chong had watched Yue Lingshan and Yue Feng grow up, and no one knew their relationship with Xiong Zhaozhao better than him. Seeing that Xiong Zhaozhao was a skilled swordswoman and the young lady of the Weihe Gang, Yue Lingshan was certain that nothing would go wrong if she went with her, so he nodded in agreement.

Yue Lingshan and Xiong Zhaozhao went to a nearby teahouse, went up to the second floor, and ordered a pot of tea, some snacks, and a few pieces of fruit. The two ate and drank while chatting about the various things that had happened over the years.

It turns out that Xiong Zhaozhao had lived in Huayin for a few years when she was young. Coincidentally, Yue Lingshan was in poor health during those years and was often taken to the city by Ning Zhongze for medical treatment. The two met by chance and, because they were of similar age, quickly became close friends.

Later, as Xiong Zhaozhao grew older, she moved back to Huazhou City and became a disciple of the Tianjian Sect's leader, which brought their relationship to an abrupt end.

As Xiong Zhaozhao recounted her experience of learning martial arts from a master at the Heavenly Sword Sect, Yue Lingshan listened with longing and sighed, "Ah, Zhaozhao, although you are a year younger than me, you have traveled all over the country and have much more experience than I do."

"I originally had another chance to go to Fujian with my second senior brother, but that kid Yue Feng stole it from me, which made me furious."

"I thought to myself, when Yue Feng comes back, I'm going to give him a good beating and show him who's older, his sister or his brother. Who knew he'd leave and still not come back. Zhao Zhao, you…"

As Yue Lingshan was speaking, she suddenly noticed that Xiong Zhaozhao's expression was off. She exclaimed "Oh dear!" and quickly said, "I'm so sorry, Zhaozhao, I shouldn't have mentioned that kid in front of you. When I see him, I'll give him a good beating for you."

Xiong Zhaozhao said, "No, look over there." Yue Lingshan looked in the direction Xiong Zhaozhao indicated and saw four men dressed in hemp clothing staring nervously at the stairwell by a table by the window, as if they were waiting for someone to come up.

Yue Lingshan whispered, "They're not coming for us."

Xiong Zhaozhao nodded: "Yeah, but I always feel like those people aren't good people, and they give me a familiar feeling, like I've seen them somewhere before."

Yue Lingshan said, "Let's wait and see what they're going to do."

The two pretended to chat while secretly observing the movements of the man in hemp clothing. After a while, a middle-aged woman with a haggard face came up from the bottom of the stairs, looked around, and walked towards the four men in hemp clothing.

Seeing the woman's unsteady gait, Xiong Zhaozhao frowned slightly, realizing she didn't seem to possess martial arts skills. The woman walked up to the man in hemp clothing, took a stack of silver notes from her sleeve, and neatly placed them on the table.

"This is the ransom you demanded. Please, release my husband..."

A man in hemp clothing picked up the silver notes, slowly counted them three times, put them into his pocket, and said to the woman, "There's still one thing missing. If you give me this, I'll release the person immediately, without a second thought."

The woman asked, "What is it?"

"Of course it's... your virginity! Hehehehehehe!"

Amidst lewd laughter, the man in hemp clothing stood up, and with a flick of his wrist, a burlap sack appeared in his hand. He covered the woman's head with the sack, sealed her pressure points, and hoisted her away. The remaining three men in hemp clothing followed him out the window, remaining on guard.

"It's a womanizer!" Xiong Zhaozhao shouted and leaped after him. Yue Lingshan reacted a little slower, but she followed closely behind.

To allow Yue Lingshan time and to find the flower thieves' accomplices, Xiong Zhaozhao was in no hurry to catch up. The four flower thieves were extremely fast, and soon they were out of the city gate and disappeared into a grove of trees.

As the saying goes, "Never enter a forest." Xiong Zhaozhao stopped at the edge of the woods, still hesitant, when Yue Lingshan rushed over and asked, "Zhaozhao, where is he?"

Xiong Zhaozhao pointed to the depths of the dense forest: "They went inside."

Yue Lingshan said urgently, "Then hurry up and chase after them! What are you waiting for?" She plunged into the woods. Xiong Zhaozhao couldn't stop her in time, so she stamped her foot and hurriedly followed her in.

The two ventured into the dense forest, where they could only make out the indistinct figures of the four flower thieves in the dim light. They gave chase with all their might, but the figures only grew further and further away, finally disappearing into the boundless darkness.

A thick fog rolled in through the woods, further reducing visibility. The two stopped and looked at each other. Xiong Zhaozhao said, "I don't feel well. Let's go back."

A charming female voice suddenly rang out: "Go back? I think you'd better not even think about it. Once you're under my 'Bewitching Mist,' you'll all have to obediently go to sleep."