Dense Smoke Above the Mountains
After exiting Liu Shan Men, Ming Feizhen tracked down Ling Jialan using a mark he placed on her. Upon arrival, he heard the wind whistle followed by the sound of two airborne chairs splitting apart.
âWitch, kill me if you can. I canât stand you!â Lian Hua roared.
In spite of Lian Huaâs volume, he wasnât audible from any meaningful distance, it shouldâve been enough to disturb oneâs heart rate, yet the maiden who used to meditate under a waterfall wasnât bothered in the least. As a swordswoman, she only ever communicated through her sword in combat.
After a lightning-fast draw, Ling Jialan had sword qi firing from her sword at the speed of an arrow before the blade even made contact. If her opponent wasnât strong enough, that wouldâve been enough to make them a filled pin cushion, yet Lian Hua charged straight in, relying on his physical attributes to deflect all the strikes.
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Fu Dalong watched from the sidelines, unsure which side to take.
Ming Feizhen hurriedly sought a table, chair, melon seeds and alcohol. The place had all the items. Sadly, sharp-eyed Fu Dalong caught sight of him. Ming Feizhen, to the ordinary person, was tall, large and intimidating, but he didnât seem muscular, looked mindless, lacked an aura, didnât look wealthy, and didnât seem to be an official, so it was easy to get over the intimidation of his size. Martial arts practitioners came in all sorts of shapes and sizes. If an ordinary practitioner were to evaluate Ming Feizhen, nine out of ten of them wouldâve called him clumsy and a waste of a physique apt for martial arts. Advanced practitioners, particularly those who possessed vast knowledge and experience, had consolidated their internal discipline, and were chasing the realm of dreams wouldâve discerned that he was a dangerous man underneath his undiscerning appearance.
Fu Dalong remembered Ling Jialan introduced Ming Feizhen as her âfriendâ when they first showed up together. Fu Dalong wouldnât and knew that he shouldnât have brushed off Ming Feizhen based on all the information stacked up. Hence, at the same time he attacked Ling Jialan with his left hand swiftly, he spared the remaining 80% of his output for his other hand to slowly strike Ming Feizhen. It was no easy feat to attack at two different paces simultaneously, but Fu Dalong missed.
Ming Feizhen sat down in a chair at the same time Fu Dalongâs palm strikeâs force reached the end of its journey, effectively dodging the attack. If Fu Dalong wanted to press the attack on Ming Feizhen, then he wouldnât have been able to deflect Ling Jialanâs counter, so he retreated.
Lian Hua threw a timed punch at Ming Feizhen, using a vacuum force from his fist to pull Ming Feizhenâs table aside. However, despite being able to somewhat replicate Wutong Jin Yuxuanâs might, he, too, failed to land. The vacuum dragged Ming Feizhen into Ling Jialan, forcing her off course, which nearly made Lian Hua walk into her sword.
Ling Jialan didnât actually care for Ming Feizhenâs wellbeing. She was merely forced to go all out to avoid getting court in a pincer attack.
Spinning back onto the ground, Fu Dalong praised, âImpressive. Please stay your hands.â
It wouldâve been in appropriate for Lian Hua and Ling Jialan to continue fighting after Fu Dalongâs ceasefire declaration; however, the both of them still stayed in their stances, ready to continue at any moment. Although Fu Dalong did sneak attack them, he didnât attack with lethal intention. Therefore, Ling Jialan still considered only Lian Hua the enemy.
âYeah, yeah, what he said. Think about whatâs under the ground,â urged Ming Feizhen. âBy the way, arenât the three of you here for a thief? Why are you fighting each other?â
Pointing her sword at Lian Hua, Ling Jialan replied, âAsk him.â
âAsk me? I should be asking you. Youâre the one who doesnât want to let anyone leave. Isnât that the same as letting my brothers take their last breaths?â
âIdiot,â insulted Ling Jialan.
âIâm not your servant! Iâm going to capture you and ride you tonight. Letâs see if you can keep up that attitude.â
Ling Jialan expressed all the hostility needed through her gaze.
It took many questions for Ming Feizhen to learn that Bu Xusan was responsible for the casualties, that Lian Hua had a doctor come, but the doctor couldnât treat so many people at once, not to mention the lack of equipment, and so Lian Hua wanted to escort the injured personnel to the clinic. Ling Jialan objected, suspecting that it was an inside job, which angered Lian Hua, eventually leading to the physical altercation.
After a few nods, Ming Feizhen offered Fu Dalong a palm-fist salute. âSo, Elder benefited without having to lift a finger? You have this oneâs respect.â
âYou flatter me.â Fu Dalong was all smiles.
âI am Liu Shan Menâs Mingming. To speak more accurately, I am just collecting paycheques from them. I am not certain if I will continue being allies with Miss Ling. Mr. Lian, Miss Ling has a point. Why do you refuse to listen?â
âI know she has a point. Didnât I hear her out? But is that any reason to risk so many lives?â
âLet me take a look.â Ming Feizhen cordially approached a man groaning on the ground. He reattached the manâs broken bone effortlessly, took the box of items from the doctor hiding under the table, picked out a few patches and synthesised drugs. In a matter of moments following Ming Feizhenâs treatment, the man was sound asleep.
Lian Hua, Fu Dalong, and Ling Jialan were all astounded. No matter what manner of injuries they had or how severe they were, Ming Feizhen was able put them to sleep so sound that they couldnât be woken. Having said that, there was a stink the trio caught every once in a while that made their hairs stand up.
Smiling, Ming Feizhen conveyed, âDone. Let the doctor handle the rest. Can we move onto business now? I think Bu Xusan is still nearby. How about we go search for him?â