13. Struggling for Survival

These people seemed to have come prepared, and among them was the bald man who had used the Tortoise Breath Technique. It appeared he had gone back to fetch reinforcements. At that moment, Xie Wuji suddenly recalled the greedy smile on Qian Duoduo's face when they had been crawling through the tunnel. Even after getting the gold-inlaid jade dagger, Qian had looked at him with that lecherous gleam in his eyes.

At first, Xie Wuji had thought Qian Duoduo had some peculiar predilection, but upon reflection, a chill ran down his spine. That fat man, whose mind was consumed by thoughts of money, surely placed wealth above all else. If, after receiving Song Xiaoyu’s dagger, he turned around and claimed the bounty from Azure Cloud Sect by betraying Wuji and Xiaoyu, wouldn’t he stand to gain double the reward?

Just thinking of this made Xie Wuji break out in a cold sweat.

"Wuji, what's wrong?" Song Xiaoyu noticed his unease.

Xie Wuji took off his bracelet, seized Xiaoyu’s hand, and said, "Xiaoyu, if I live through this, I will come find you."

Song Xiaoyu was no fool; she understood his words at once. "Wuji, what are you planning?"

Suddenly, she too saw the approaching group in the distance. The two of them were hidden behind a haystack, so the others hadn't spotted them yet—this place was shrouded in darkness, the moonlight unable to reach them.

Xie Wuji pressed the bracelet into Xiaoyu’s hand, but she tried to refuse. "I—I can't—"

Before she could finish, Xie Wuji struck lightly at the back of her neck—precisely at the pressure point for unconsciousness, a trick Uncle Song Xiao had taught him.

Under the moonlight, Wuji gazed at Xiaoyu's delicate face and sighed. "If only I had come a couple of years earlier… What a pity, what a shame..."

Clenching his teeth, he hid Song Xiaoyu inside the haystack, covering her face with a few stalks of straw so she wouldn’t suffocate.

The enemy was already dangerously close.

Xie Wuji could have used the ancient mirror now, but if he did, the pursuers would surely search the area, and Song Xiaoyu would be discovered—putting her in grave danger.

So, Xie Wuji stepped out, feigning ignorance, and walked toward the open. The bald disciple spotted him at once. "Catch him!"

With a shout, the disciples surged forward, chasing after him.

Xie Wuji gritted his teeth and ran. The bald man reacted as though a mouse had seen a cat—ever since the young sect master’s death, he’d barely escaped execution, and now, unless he found the real culprit, he was a dead man himself. Seeing Wuji, he no longer cared for anything else, cursing, "Bastard! Stop right there!"

As he ran, Xie Wuji taunted, waving at them, "Come on, grandsons! If you’ve got guts, catch me!"

Hearing his brazen mockery, the bald man’s fury grew; his eyes bulged, and he shook with rage. "If I catch you, I’ll tear you to pieces! You wretch, you’re dead!"

Seeing that the chase had drawn them away from the city gates and toward a stretch of forest ahead, Xie Wuji was delighted. He slipped his hand into his pocket, preparing to use the ancient mirror and vanish.

As he ran, he shouted gleefully, "How’s the chase, grandsons? Having fun? Hahaha!"

Bang!

He crashed headlong into something solid and tumbled to the ground. Raising his head with difficulty, he saw a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and a thick beard. The man’s eyes glowed red as blood, and a single golden lock fell over his forehead. At this sight, Xie Wuji recalled what Song Xiaoyu had told him: the sect master of Azure Cloud Sect, Golden Dragon, was a striking figure with a golden forelock. Golden Dragon was both his name and his moniker.

"Not good!" Xie Wuji’s heart skipped a beat. He'd unwittingly run straight into the lion’s den. He had harmed this man’s son; with those bloodshot eyes, Golden Dragon was out for blood. If he were caught, he wouldn’t survive.

Growing up in the modern world, Xie Wuji had never truly faced mortal danger—at most, he’d been roughed up by older kids in elementary school during the heyday of Hong Kong gangster films.

He quickly reached for his pocket, intending to grab the mirror. But before he could, Golden Dragon’s fist shot out like lightning, slamming into Wuji’s abdomen and sending him flying like a stone, crashing hard against a tree.

Falling from two meters up, Wuji landed squarely on his back, striking a rock with his spine, sending numbing pain through his whole body.

Yet he knew that to lose consciousness now meant certain death. Forcing himself to turn over, he tried to crawl toward the forest, but Golden Dragon seized him by the hair and smashed his head into the ground, carving a deep pit.

"You killed my son! My only son!" Golden Dragon roared, his voice cracking with grief.

The bald man said, "Sect master, the one who killed the young sect master was a woman with this guy. We only saw him running away."

Golden Dragon’s eyes blazed. "No matter. This boy is useless to me. The woman can't have gone far. I’ll kill you first!"

With a metallic ring, he drew a broad-bladed sword from his back.

Xie Wuji’s body was numb, his hands trembling—he could barely reach for the mirror. But his mind was clear: he wasn’t the killer, but Golden Dragon would kill him anyway. He had to think of something, fast.

Suddenly, Wuji recalled the look on Qian Duoduo’s face when he saw the gold-inlaid jade dagger. He remembered clearly that, when they left the village, Song Xiaoyu had said her sword was nothing special, just an ordinary dagger.

If so, then things weren’t so simple. The dagger bore the words “Above the Clouds”—the name of their own kingdom. If it wasn’t a magical weapon, and Qian Duoduo was that worked up about it, then the dagger must have a significant background.

This, Wuji realized, was his only hope. He could expect no rescue—he had to save himself.

Just as Golden Dragon raised his sword to strike, Xie Wuji burst out laughing. "You’re all doomed and don’t even know it!"

"This brat’s still spouting nonsense!" the bald man swore, approaching to torment Wuji.

But Golden Dragon frowned. There was no fear on Wuji’s face—only a look of schadenfreude.

"Wait!" Golden Dragon stopped the bald man. He turned to Wuji. "What are you laughing at?"

"I’m laughing because disaster is about to befall you all—the entire Azure Cloud Sect will be wiped out! Do you know who you’ve offended?" Wuji shot Golden Dragon a sidelong glance.

Golden Dragon barked, "You can’t frighten me with empty threats!"

"Ask Qian Duoduo, your informant! Our young lady gave him a broken sword, letting him go. She’s been gone for half an hour now; we had a fast horse waiting nearby. Even if you try to catch her now, it’s too late. Do you know who our young lady is?" Wuji shouted furiously.

Golden Dragon ground his teeth. "I don’t care who she is! I’ll kill you first!"

"I regret nothing! I protected my lady, and she will avenge me. She’ll wipe out everyone in Azure Cloud Sect!" Xie Wuji roared.

Golden Dragon was shaken by Wuji’s expression; there was not a trace of fear, only a piercing, righteous glare. Could he really have gotten something wrong?

"Akui, bring Qian Duoduo here at once!" Golden Dragon commanded.

The bald man, Akui, protested, "Sect master, don’t fall for his tricks!"

"Are you giving me orders?!" Golden Dragon snapped. His mind settled—after all, sons could be fathered anew, and as a cultivator, he could live a century or two. He’d built Azure Cloud Sect with his life’s work; if he provoked the wrong person and lost it all, he’d regret it forever.