Chapter 16 Crane Call

As dusk approached, Qing Yu finally neared Yang City.

He had set out early in the morning and waited by the tea stand for his prey. Yang City is the essential passageway from Qing Province to Ling Province. A normal person, who didn't possess any martial arts skills and intended to flee, would never escape into the perilous Southern Border Secret Forest. Instead, they would seek refuge in the peaceful Central Plains.

Therefore, Qing Yu was confident that he only needed to wait on this official road leading to Yang City for his prey to leap into the trap. Little did he imagine that Qing Yuan and his group, in their pursuit of certainty, had spent half the day making inquiries in Qingshui Town. Before returning, their horses had been running for an entire day, and in their rush, they hadn't even bothered to change horses and just whipped their steeds toward Yang City.

The horses were exhausted, and this haste had ultimately resulted in even more wasted time.

Qing Yu had waited from morning till afternoon and finally spotted someone before engaging in a one-sided battle. Then he had to walk back to Yang City; the majority of the day had been spent on travel and waiting.

"After this matter is settled, I must learn to ride a horse," Qing Yu swore, looking heavenward at a forty-five-degree angle.

However, right now the most pressing matter was to hurry back to the inn to rest, ideally with a bath. Recalling the feeling of full-body relaxation, his weary legs somehow mustered a new strength.

However, things don't always go as one wishes; just as Yang City came into view and Qing Yu contemplated running back using qinggong, a dark figure silently emerged on the right side of the road.

That was—Black-faced Brother.

Seeing him, Qing Yu felt his tired nerves further strained.

Indeed, Black-faced Brother, also known as Xiao Gao, looked at Qing Yu somberly, saying, "The Lord is waiting for you." His tone was cold and his gaze chilling, making Qing Yu feel his exhaustion recede somewhat due to the icy sting.

Although he was very reluctant, Qing Yu had no choice but to concede to the fist-that-speaks-louder-than-words principle and said without backbone, "Please, lead the way."

Black-faced Brother didn't respond, simply turning and leaping into the nearby woods. Qing Yu followed, using his Golden Wild Goose Skill to keep up.

Black-faced Brother forged ahead with swift leaps, not slow by any means. However, what Qing Yu was now best at was speed, and keeping up with him was not a problem at all.

Feeling Qing Yu's breath not far behind, and knowing his own current speed was not fast for him but nevertheless was beyond the capability of an ordinary Postnatal Realm martial artist, Black-faced Brother, with a thought of testing him, sped up again.

"Damn it, what trickery are you up to..." As the figure ahead swiftly pulled away, Qing Yu inwardly cursed. It wasn't impossible to catch up again, but doing so would expose his speed that far exceeded the norm for the Postnatal Realm—this was absolutely unacceptable. Resolved, Qing Yu slightly increased his pace, feigning an urgent expression.

Black-faced Brother quickly vanished from Qing Yu's sight. Maintaining his pace, Qing Yu's forehead began to sweat.

Further ahead, Qing Yu saw Black-faced Brother waiting on a tree branch. Qing Yu hurried a few leaps and landed on a solid, slightly behind branch.

"I say... Black-faced... Brother, could you slow down a bit, I... really can't keep up," Qing Yu supported himself on his knees, heaving deeply for breath.

Black-faced Brother silently nodded, then set off again at the pace he had initially maintained.

"Hey, wait for me..." Qing Yu called out from behind. For the following part, Qing Yu deliberately kept his inner strength erratic, imitating the appearance of disordered breathing, even a tad slower than before. In acting out this play, he couldn't suddenly appear fine after being so exhausted.

Black-faced Brother felt like he had trapped himself and, without any other choice, slowed down again to let Qing Yu catch up.

The two arrived at a nearby small mountain peak.

The mountain was not high, and standing on top, one could only see Yang City's towering walls. A clear view of the entire city, however, was hard to obtain.

Mr. Mo was still dressed in a black robe, with a black cloth hat covering his face, his back to Qing Yu, standing at the edge of the peak, with a cliff before him.

A light breeze blew, lifting the veil under the hat, revealing a very classic image of a mysterious figure.

"You've arrived," Mr. Mo said still facing away, addressing Qing Yu who had just arrived.

I've arrived, Qing Yu would like to respond similarly in keeping with the atmosphere, but lacking the qualifications to do so, he could only bow and fist his hands in etiquette, saying, "Yes, Master."

He paused, then continued, "The younger generation has already eliminated those two disciples of the True Martial Dao Sect. May I ask, when do we begin our actions against the Four Great Families?"

"No rush, you... Hmm!" Hearing Qing Yu's vigorous reply, Mr. Mo quickly turned around; his eyes, beneath the veil, staring intently at Qing Yu. 'I had just sensed his erratic breath and thought he might be injured. Who would have thought, he actually killed a Postnatal Sixth Realm and a Postnatal Seventh Realm without any harm. Moreover, in two to three days, he has reached the Postnatal Sixth Realm, and his breath suggests he has unblocked more than one of the Twelve Meridians. Even with the aid of elixirs, this young man's talent is extremely astonishing.' Thinking thus, Mr. Mo couldn't help but feel a sense of killing intent stir within him.

Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense, and Qing Yu felt a silent pressure bearing down on his back, causing his skin to prickle.

"He wants to kill me!" Qing Yu's instincts were sharp, sensing Mr. Mo's killing intent. Despite being cornered with no means of resistance, like a fish on the chopping board, even with one foot already in the Ghost Gate, he could only maintain his bowing gesture, the sweat on his forehead now streaming into his eyes; he dared not move rashly.

"It seems you've progressed remarkably fast. I imagine if your master has a spirit in heaven, he would also find solace in having such an outstanding disciple," Mr. Mo finally spoke, as the tension eased.