Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 175: Chapter 149: Moment of Decision

Xie Yuan saw Mu Chaoyun lying face down on the couch, her long hair fanned out around her. Her breathing was faint; she seemed to have fallen unconscious.

A huge gash had been torn in the back of her black robe, revealing a sliver of her snow-white, delicate skin. Beneath it was a ghastly blade wound that ran diagonally across her entire upper body, a mangled ruin of flesh and blood that stained her black robe an even deeper color.

Xie Yuan’s pupils contracted. He rushed to the couch, took hold of Mu Chaoyun’s hand dangling over the edge, and his heart sank.

The small hand felt soft, as if boneless, and was incredibly smooth to the touch, yet it was ice-cold.

’A martial Grandmaster has lost all warmth even in her hands. Just how severe are her injuries?’

If Xie Yuan couldn’t still hear her faint breathing, he would have thought...

He channeled his own Inner Strength through his palm and into Mu Chaoyun’s body, then called out softly:

"Miss Mu, Miss Mu?"

A continuous stream of Inner Strength flowed into her. After a long moment, just as Xie Yuan was starting to feel the strain, Mu Chaoyun let out a soft moan. A trace of color returned to her face, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Xie Yuan was overjoyed and squeezed her hand tightly:

"Miss Mu, are you awake?"

Mu Chaoyun’s beautiful eyes were vacant and unfocused. She whispered, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz:

"Am I... home?"

Xie Yuan didn’t know how to answer and could only say vaguely:

"You could say that. Miss Mu, I’m Xie Yuan. Do you remember me?"

"Xie Yuan?"

Mu Chaoyun’s brow furrowed. Her eyes found their focus, and as she looked at Xie Yuan, she seemed to finally come to her senses.

Her gaze shifted slightly, and upon seeing she was in the small hut she had stayed in for so long, her tense spirit relaxed a little.

’Thank goodness I made it back...’

Mu Chaoyun coughed twice and said in a faint voice:

"The black bottle..."

Xie Yuan reacted instantly. He quickly untied the pack from her back, but before he could even open it, he heard her say softly:

"Not in there... inside my robe..."

Xie Yuan froze for a moment. He glanced at Mu Chaoyun, only to see her looking away.

He hesitated for a second, then carefully turned Mu Chaoyun from her stomach onto her side, doing his best not to touch her wound. He said in a low voice:

"Pardon my rudeness."

Disregarding the strict propriety between men and women, Xie Yuan untied Mu Chaoyun’s black outer robe. He fumbled around the lining near her chest for a moment and, sure enough, felt several porcelain vials in a hidden pocket. He quickly pulled them out.

The color in Mu Chaoyun’s face deepened, as if her spirits had recovered significantly without even taking the medicine. Xie Yuan, for his part, focused his mind and didn’t dwell on the sensation his hand had just felt. He set down the other vials, took the black one, uncorked the red stopper, and tipped out one of the only two pills inside.

He brought the pill to Mu Chaoyun’s lips and helped her take it, then gave her some water to drink. He then heard her whisper with her eyes closed:

"Help me sit up... cross-legged."

Xie Yuan helped her sit up and arranged her into the "five hearts facing heaven" cultivation posture. Only when he saw her begin to circulate her energy to heal her wounds did his task feel complete.

He let out a breath and watched from the side, his brow deeply furrowed.

Mu Chaoyun’s injuries were almost unimaginably severe. She didn’t even have the strength to lift a hand and could only rely on his help.

’How did she get hurt so badly?’

Frowning, Xie Yuan stood guard beside her.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Mu Chaoyun’s face flushed red. With a SPIT, she coughed up a mouthful of dark, clotted blood. She then opened her eyes, her spirits seemingly much improved.

She saw Xie Yuan holding a basin of fresh water and a handkerchief, as if about to clean her up. Looking slightly uncomfortable, she reached out to take them and gave a small nod.

"Thank you for your trouble. Could you... bandage my back for me?"

Seeing she had regained some strength, Xie Yuan moved behind her and began applying the Golden Sore Medicine.

The small patches of exposed, snow-white skin were dazzlingly fair, smooth, and delicate. However, most of her back was a mangled ruin of flesh and blood, the blade wound a ghastly sight. As he treated the injury, Xie Yuan couldn’t help but ask through a frown:

"Miss Mu, who did this to you? Lu the Third?"

Mu Chaoyun’s expression was grim. She slowly nodded.

"It was him, and also the Grandmaster from the Golden Dragon Firm, Deng Wan."

"He actually recovered and joined up with Lu the Third. They’ve been lying in ambush near Yunzhao City all this time..."

"I slipped into Yunzhao and used the hustle and bustle of mortal life to hide. They made no move for so long that I thought they had gone elsewhere. Who would have known that shortly after I left the city, the two of them would give chase? I could have handled one of them, but together, I was no match for them."

Xie Yuan’s brows locked tightly together. He said:

"That Lu the Third is that persistent? Even your Celestial Concealment Skill couldn’t fool him?"

"He must have had a fortuitous encounter... He used to be just an ordinary horse bandit. The story goes that he stumbled upon an inheritance in a tomb buried beneath the West Desert, which allowed him to become a Grandmaster. He also has a unique tracking Cultivation Technique, or perhaps a rare treasure. Once he locks onto a target, no one has ever escaped him in all these years."

"If my Celestial Concealment Skill were one level higher, I might have been able to shake him off. But as it is now, I can only use the crowds in the city to mask my presence and keep him from finding me. The moment I step outside the city, he can always catch up... I just didn’t expect them to still be lying in wait outside Yunzhao after all this time."

Mu Chaoyun’s expression was also grave, her elegant brows knitting together slightly.

Xie Yuan drew in a sharp breath. ’Being targeted by an enemy like that is real trouble.’

He asked:

"Miss Mu, how are your injuries? If you hide within the city, they shouldn’t be able to find you, right?"

Mu Chaoyun slowly shook her head, her expression heavy.

"I’ve taken a life-saving pill, so I’m not in immediate danger. But it will take more than three to five days to recover. Before, they were probably uncertain of my location and were just wandering around Yunzhao and the neighboring counties. Now they know I’ve entered Yunzhao, and I’m afraid they’ll come in to search very soon..."

"This..."

Xie Yuan’s expression was grim. If two Grandmasters came in and found this place, with Mu Chaoyun’s injuries, there would be no escape.

"Miss Mu, do you have a plan?"

he asked in a low voice, his own mind racing.

But with his level of strength, he was too far removed from their realm. He couldn’t think of any good solution.

Mu Chaoyun didn’t answer. She just looked at Xie Yuan in silence, making him feel strange.

"Miss Mu, why are you staring at me? You’re not going to ask me to get rid of them, are you?"

The corner of Mu Chaoyun’s mouth twitched. It seemed she found it remarkable that Xie Yuan could still try to lighten the mood at a time like this.

But her expression quickly turned serious again, and she said slowly:

"If we don’t want to just sit here and wait for death, there’s only one solution I can think of. The only one."

Hearing her say this, Xie Yuan felt a sense of foreboding and asked in a low voice:

"Tell me."

"Have the Escort Agency take items carrying my scent and leave the city in four different directions. We’ll use the diversion to escape."

Mu Chaoyun said calmly.

!

Xie Yuan’s expression changed drastically.

’Aren’t those just Yin Yang Darts?’

The problem was, normal Yin Yang Darts were just a precautionary measure for when an important delivery might encounter powerful enemies.

But this time, the overt escort would be facing Grandmasters. It was a suicide mission!

Xie Yuan instinctively wanted to refuse, but when the words reached his lips, he couldn’t bring himself to say them.

If he didn’t agree to this plan, there seemed to be no other way.

Once the two Grandmasters slowly searched their way into the city and found the Escort Agency, the agency would face disaster all the same.

Unless he threw Mu Chaoyun out right now and let her fend for herself... but he could never bring himself to do that.

Looking at Mu Chaoyun’s calm expression, her lake-like eyes just watched him quietly, as if leaving the decision entirely up to him. Xie Yuan was caught in a dilemma.

He asked with difficulty:

"Even if we manage to slip away from Yunzhao by muddying the waters, how do we escape their pursuit afterward?"

"With other scents to create confusion, if we leave here, there’s a sliver of hope. If we stay here and wait to be trapped like a turtle in a jar, death is certain."

Mu Chaoyun ruthlessly shattered Xie Yuan’s hesitation.

She looked at Xie Yuan and said coolly:

"If you can’t make a decision, give me back the two petals of the Eight Trigrams Lotus, and I’ll leave on my own."

"In your condition, how far could you possibly get?"

"That’s none of your concern."

Mu Chaoyun just shook her head.

Xie Yuan let out a long sigh.

He frowned, his mind racing. After thinking it over and over, he realized it was the only way.

However, an idea occurred to him that might just work and reduce unnecessary casualties.

He clenched his fists and said:

"Then I’ll go inform the others."

"Bring Shen Longteng here first."

Mu Chaoyun said coolly.

Xie Yuan was slightly surprised but did as she asked.

「A moment later.」

Inside the room, Shen Longteng looked at Mu Chaoyun with surprise, then turned to Xie Yuan with a strange, knowing smile.

"You rascal, hah, you rascal..."

Xie Yuan couldn’t manage a smile.

"Chief, I don’t know how to explain this."

Shen Longteng could also tell the atmosphere was off. He just waved his hand and said to Mu Chaoyun in a deep voice:

"Miss, you summoned me... What is this?!"

He stared at the yin-yang fish Jade Pendant that Mu Chaoyun held out, his face draining of all color.

"Chief Shen, the time has come to repay your debt."

Mu Chaoyun said quietly.

Shen Longteng’s brow furrowed. He took a deep breath and cupped his fists with force.

"I am at my benefactor’s command. I would go through fire and water and not shrink from it."

Xie Yuan watched this scene, utterly astonished, and asked:

"Miss Mu, no, Chief, what is...?"

"Xie Yuan, do you remember the Escort Agency’s great benefactor I told you about a couple of days ago? The one who saved my life, helped me establish the agency, and then passed on a technique that allowed me to break through to the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm."

"That person also held this Jade Pendant. They only said that a day might come when my assistance would be needed, and we made an agreement..."

Shen Longteng said it all in one breath and then let out a long sigh, as if a great weight had finally been lifted from his heart. It was as if he had been faintly waiting for this day all along.

He looked at Mu Chaoyun.

"May I ask where my benefactor hails from?"

"The Mu family of Beidu Mountain."

Seeing Shen Longteng’s blank look, Mu Chaoyun didn’t explain. She turned her head to Xie Yuan and said:

"My family has pieces scattered all around Beidu Mountain; there’s no need to be so surprised. In the past, many of the goods you’ve escorted have ended up on Beidu Mountain as well."

Never mind Xie Yuan, even Shen Longteng himself didn’t know much about this. He didn’t even know the true reason the Escort Agency was founded.

It turned out that the Longteng Escort Agency had its own mission from the very beginning.

’I just wonder if today’s events were also part of the calculation?’

Xie Yuan was speechless. He could only marvel that a reclusive family—and a reclusive family skilled in divination, at that—was truly extraordinary.

At the same time, he looked at Mu Chaoyun with complicated feelings.

If it weren’t for him, she probably would have treated the Longteng Escort Agency just like the Lin family estate—something to be sacrificed without a second thought.

’And because of what I said before, she offered a choice, which in turn put her in danger? Or rather, if it weren’t for me, would she have even come to the Escort Agency in the first place?’

Xie Yuan couldn’t sort out the tangled mess of cause and effect. He just let out a long sigh and explained to Shen Longteng that they would have to carry out an unprecedented Yin Yang Darts mission.

And the enemy consisted of two Grandmasters.

After listening, Shen Longteng just raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

"Xie Yuan, that long face of yours doesn’t look like it belongs to a Darts Master of our Longteng Escort Agency."

"We opened our doors to be an Escort Agency. What sense does it make to turn down a job? We’ll take this one. Go on and call everyone over!"

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