With a wail of grief,Guo Xu Yang,who had been limping with Huang Yi Rong's support,broke free from her grasp and rushed out.
"Xiao Zhi,Xiao Zhi!Master Xu!"Guo Xu Yang shook the bodies of the two,utterly devastated."Why didn't they even spare the child?"
Huang Yi Rong was also deeply moved and thought to herself,"So the'Xiao Zhi'he mentioned is actually a child of four or five years old.Xiao Zhi and Master Xu are dead;who are the rest of these people...?"
She moved around,examining the corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.Judging by their attire,six of them were dressed in various expensive fabrics,likely the leaders;the rest wore coarse,uniform clothing,probably followers of some gang.
Huang Yi Rong took a closer look at the six bodies.All were men,aged between twenty-five and forty.Two had relatively normal appearances,while the other four were extremely ugly.Their weapons,either still clutched in their hands or scattered around them,included a knife,sword,spear,axe,hammer,and club.
"Six people wielding these six types of weapons in this place...Could they be the'Seven Kill Ghost Kings'from the'Seven Kill Sect'?But where's the body of the seventh female ghost,Zhong Ruodu?"Huang Yi Rong pondered."Two of these men died from palm strikes,and four were killed by a sword."She squatted down and turned over the bodies."The palm force is soft and yin,while the sword technique is domineering and yang;they don't seem to belong to the same person..."
She stopped beside the body of the"Big Ghost"Shen Qingying."The nine-ringed blade made of black iron was cleanly severed in half,and the sword energy penetrated the victim's internal organs,shattering the liver and gallbladder.However,judging by the break in the nine-ringed blade,it was merely a common long sword that cut it."She looked at Guo Xu Yang,who was kneeling in front of Master Xu and Xiao Zhi,and felt a chill run through her."The sword must have been taken from one of the gang members.Is this his true strength...?"
"The ones who killed them were from the'Seven Kill Sect,'right?"Huang Yi Rong asked,walking behind Guo Xu Yang.
Guo Xu Yang nodded.
He was not surprised that the woman behind him could identify the"Seven Kill Ghost Kings."When she had stopped his bleeding at the foot of the mountain,he had already sensed her deep martial arts skills from the inner strength in her acupoint-sealing technique.She was far from an ordinary girl.Otherwise,he would never have allowed his savior to help him up the mountain into such a dangerous place.However,he was somewhat puzzled that a young woman could possess such power.
"What do you plan to do next?"
Guo Xu Yang sighed deeply and stood up."Master Xu is the second-in-command of the'Quanqing Taoist Temple,'and Xiao Zhi is his own grandson before he entered the Taoist path.I can't leave them to be exposed in the wilderness."
"Are you going to take them back?"Huang Yi Rong's delicate brows furrowed.She thought,"The'Quanqing Taoist Temple'is about three hundred li away.If he were not injured,it would take half a day's journey to get there.But in his current state...and with two bodies to carry,it's not as simple as just taking them back."
"Indeed.I won't trouble you with this matter,Miss Huang,"Guo Xu Yang said,as if he could read her thoughts."You've already gone through so much trouble bringing me up here..."
"Another favor you'll repay me for in the future?"Huang Yi Rong's thin lips curved into a faint smile,reminding him,"We didn't see Zhong Ruodu."
"The Seven Ghosts are cunning;she must have escaped,"Guo Xu Yang said,looking at the chaotic,uneven footprints extending eastward in the mud."But she's been injured by me and probably won't be able to harm anyone for a while."
"I thought you were too grief-stricken to notice anything just now,but I didn't expect..."Huang Yi Rong paused."I'll go find a cart for you.Wait for me here."With that,she turned and left.
"Miss Huang!"
Guo Xu Yang called out loudly,but Huang Yi Rong had already used her lightness skill to head back down the mountain path.
She had heard him,of course,but she didn't stop.She figured that since Zhong Ruodu had been injured by Guo Xu Yang,she was either dead or severely wounded and wouldn't return to the scene.But if someone else came along after she left and killed the half-dead Guo Xu Yang,that wouldn't be her fault.She had done her best for him.After quickly finding a cart for him,she would leave and never see him again.
About an hour later,Guo Xu Yang heard the sound of wheels rolling in the distance.He opened his eyes and saw Huang Yi Rong pushing a wooden cart towards him.
He had originally planned to find a way to take Master Xu and his grandson back to the Quanqing Taoist Temple for burial.But after Huang Yi Rong said she would find a cart for him and left without listening to his calls,he had come to understand her personality.Once she made up her mind to do something,he couldn't stop her.Moreover,if he left without her,she might get worried when she couldn't find him on the mountain.So he sat cross-legged on the spot,cultivating his energy to heal his injuries while waiting for her.
Huang Yi Rong pushed the cart towards Guo Xu Yang and thought,"He hasn't run around recklessly;he's quite obedient.I didn't expect that after cultivating his energy for a while,his complexion has improved significantly."
She felt a bit frustrated.She had intended to find a horse-drawn carriage but ended up with a wooden cart.She had hoped to at least find an ox,but she was the only one pushing the cart.
She wasn't very familiar with this area.In this desolate and remote place,the only place she had seen people was the teahouse where she had previously stopped for tea.She had planned to take a couple of horses from that lecherous"prince,"but he and his men had already left.Reluctantly,she had to buy a wooden cart from the teahouse owner...
Huang Yi Rong stopped in front of Guo Xu Yang and said with a pout,"All I could find was a wooden cart."
Guo Xu Yang nodded slightly."A wooden cart will do."
Together,they placed the bodies of Master Xu and his grandson onto the cart.
"Miss Huang,thank you for your help!I feel much better now,"Guo Xu Yang said.
"I'm going to the Quanqing Taoist Temple too,"Huang Yi Rong interjected,seemingly enjoying interrupting Guo Xu Yang.
Guo Xu Yang looked at the beautiful woman in front of him and chuckled."Why would a young lady like you go to a Taoist temple?"
Huang Yi Rong gave him a disdainful glance and didn't respond further.Instead,she began to push the wooden cart carrying the two bodies.
"Let me do it,"Guo Xu Yang quickly offered,stepping forward to take over the cart.
Huang Yi Rong frowned."I know you have high martial arts skills,but I have some medical knowledge.Although you just cultivated your energy,we both know how severe your injuries really are.There's no need to pretend in front of me."Sensing that her words might have been too harsh,she softened her tone slightly."Sigh,we are strangers,and I didn't really want to get involved in your affairs.But since Hong Hong sacrificed her life to save you,I don't want you to die foolishly either.If you feel bad about it,you can push the other side."
The wooden cart had two handles,and Huang Yi Rong moved aside to the left,allowing Guo Xu Yang to take the right handle.
Guo Xu Yang knew that the death of the red fox had upset Huang Yi Rong.Feeling indebted to her,he didn't say much more.Moreover,his body was indeed not in good shape,as Huang Yi Rong had said.Her martial arts skills were not weak,and if she insisted,he had no way of stopping her at the moment.So he placed his left hand on the right handle.
Huang Yi Rong knew that Guo Xu Yang's right arm was severely injured and couldn't exert much force,so she deliberately moved to the left,creating some distance between them while pushing the cart.
Considering Guo Xu Yang's condition,Huang Yi Rong didn't walk too fast.She remained silent,and Guo Xu Yang didn't dare to start a conversation,fearing that he might upset the young lady again.
The two of them walked in silence for over two hours,each pushing the cart from one side.Night had long fallen,and aside from the sounds of birds and beasts,all that could be heard was the creaking of the cart wheels rolling over the ground.
"Stop,"a clear and melodious voice suddenly said.
Guo Xu Yang obediently came to a halt.
"Make a fire,and I'll find something to eat,"Huang Yi Rong said.
Guo Xu Yang took out his fire flint as instructed.
In a short while,Huang Yi Rong returned with several wild fruits.She handed three of them to Guo Xu Yang,saying,"Eat these to tide over your hunger."
Guo Xu Yang shook his head."No,thank you,"he said,his eyes fixed on the bodies of Master Xu and Xiao Zhi on the cart.
"Are you keeping vigil for them?"Huang Yi Rong asked,retracting the fruits.Though she knew that traveling on an empty stomach would aggravate Guo Xu Yang's injuries,she didn't press the matter further.
Huang Yi Rong ate two sour wild fruits casually,leaned against a tree trunk,and closed her eyes."You're a good person,quite different from what I've heard about you in the jianghu,"she said.
Guo Xu Yang glanced at her,sitting across from him,quite unexpectedly.After keeping silent all day,this was the last thing he anticipated her to say.
Moonlight filtered through the tree branches,casting a soft glow on Huang Yi Rong's fair face and her white robe.Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she kept her eyes closed.Guo Xu Yang inwardly marveled at her beauty,feeling increasingly indebted to her as the day unfolded.He vowed to repay her kindness when the opportunity arose.
"Get some rest.We need to travel tomorrow,"Huang Yi Rong said gently.Guo Xu Yang,caught偷 looking at her,felt a twinge of guilt and quickly averted his gaze to meditate.
At the break of dawn,the two set off.To prevent the bodies from decaying,they needed to reach their destination as soon as possible for burial.
After a night of meditation,Guo Xu Yang had regained much of his strength.They quickened their pace that day and finally arrived at the Quanqing Taoist Temple before sunset.