Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Chapter 177: Chapter 151: Choosing a Path

Dust billowed and rolled.

Watching the vast procession of the Escort Agency’s men on the long street and the bustling crowd of onlookers, Xie Yuan and Mu Chaoyun stood at the agency’s entrance and exchanged a glance.

"Miss Mu, which way do we go?"

Xie Yuan asked calmly.

Mu Chaoyun glanced at him, then lowered her gaze slightly and said,

"From the riverbank. We’ll travel by water."

"By water?"

Xie Yuan was slightly surprised. Mu Chaoyun explained,

"This will conceal our auras to the greatest extent. Even if Lu the Third eventually makes it into the city and to this spot, he’ll have a hard time finding us."

Xie Yuan nodded. He then crouched down in front of Mu Chaoyun and gestured.

"Get on."

Mu Chaoyun froze for a moment, hesitating instinctively.

"This..."

"Right now, you walk slower than my grandmother. By the time you shuffle your way to the river, those two will have caught up. Hurry."

Xie Yuan urged.

Mu Chaoyun pressed her lips together, her cheeks burning slightly, but she decisively settled onto Xie Yuan’s broad back.

After training for so long, Xie Yuan had transformed from a skinny village boy into a seasoned Martial Artist with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. However, because of his natural build, he didn’t appear overly muscular. His frame was lean and his muscles well-proportioned—just right—but he was brimming with inner power.

As Xie Yuan straightened up, a strange feeling stirred in both their hearts.

Mu Chaoyun had never been so close to a man before, so her discomfort was natural. Even with Xie Yuan, she felt a little awkward. When she had been instructing him in his training a while back, it had been for a legitimate reason, and it was nowhere near as intimate as being pressed against each other like this.

As for Xie Yuan, he felt a weightless sensation on his back. Mu Chaoyun was indeed very thin, but a little fuller than he had imagined... Fearing she might slip, he unskillfully gave her a slight lift to adjust her position. He tightened his grip to secure her and heard a soft grunt from behind him.

"Sorry."

He had forgotten she was injured; his hands had just felt something so soft.

Mu Chaoyun’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she clamped her mouth shut.

In truth, he hadn’t touched her wound at all.

But this was hardly the time for romantic thoughts. Xie Yuan activated his Celestial Concealment Skill, and the two of them sped toward the riverbank, completely unnoticed.

Resting on Xie Yuan’s back, Mu Chaoyun could faintly see his silent profile.

She opened her mouth to speak several times, but in the end, she just shook her head. She closed her eyes, quietly circulating her Profound Skill to heal her injuries as quickly as possible.

Xie Yuan was swift on his feet. He took a roundabout path through the city and reached the area near the Chunjiang Building in no time at all.

This was where two rivers met. There were many boats, making it the best place to enter the water.

"Find a boat heading east. We’ll get on it."

Mu Chaoyun’s voice came from behind him. At the same time, Xie Yuan felt a mysterious sensation envelop him, and their figures blurred, becoming invisible to the average person.

The Celestial Concealment Skill was truly wondrous. It consumed neither Blood Qi nor inner breath. The only side effect was that prolonged use gave Xie Yuan a throbbing headache, much like when he tried to comprehend too much of the Black Celestial Book. Mu Chaoyun had told him it used the power of the Primordial Spirit, something one only truly began to access upon reaching the Grandmaster Realm. In Xie Yuan’s understanding, it was probably something like Spiritual Power or mental energy.

Mu Chaoyun’s Celestial Concealment Skill was more than a major realm higher than Xie Yuan’s. Now that she had recovered a little, she could help hide them both. Xie Yuan spotted a passenger boat heading east from the riverbank. With a few leaps between the various vessels, he landed on the stern of the boat, which had already set off.

The boatman felt his vessel dip slightly. He paused, scanned his surroundings, but saw nothing. Puzzled and uncertain, he muttered to himself,

"Water ghosts in broad daylight?"

However, the boat wasn’t particularly large or small, and the two of them didn’t add much to the draft. The boatman was merely a bit perplexed and continued steering his boat downstream, leaving Yunzhao City behind.

The two sat quietly at the stern. Not long after they left the city, Mu Chaoyun took out an Eight Trigrams Plate, made some calculations with it, and then said in a low voice,

"Can you swim?"

"A little."

Although Xie Yuan had grown up in a mountain village in this life, he had known how to swim in his previous one. Plus, now that he was a Fourth Training Martial Artist, brute force worked wonders—even his doggy paddle was lightning fast.

"Then let’s get in the water here, head for the south bank, and go southeast."

Mu Chaoyun gave the directions.

Xie Yuan once again hoisted her onto his back and slipped quietly into the water from the stern.

The boatman felt the vessel lighten again. He let out a surprised "Huh?" and thought to himself,

’Was that a passing crab?’

He casually glanced at the river’s surface, and his eyes suddenly fixed on something. He muttered,

"What a huge fish!"

A white wake cut across the river. There was clearly nothing in it, yet it kicked up a ten-foot spray as it rushed straight for the south bank.

The boatman paid little mind to this strange sight. He instinctively assumed it was a large fish underwater, turned his head, and continued steering his passenger boat downriver.

Xie Yuan carried Mu Chaoyun ashore. Their clothes were soaked through, but since she was on his back, they avoided any awkward wardrobe malfunctions.

Xie Yuan didn’t yet have the Inner Strength to steam his clothes dry. He asked in a low voice,

"Miss Mu, your injuries?"

"It’s fine. You... bandaged it properly. And with the pill I took, my Inner Strength is recovering. I’m not so weak as to be bothered by water or cold right now."

Mu Chaoyun shook her head and pointed forward.

"We’re heading for those hills up ahead. Into the mountains."

Xie Yuan did as she said, asking curiously,

"Miss Mu, where are we going?"

"I don’t know either."

Mu Chaoyun shook her head, much to his surprise.

"It’s just that every other direction is a path to death. This is the only gate of life."

Xie Yuan didn’t normally believe in such superstitions, but considering this world likely had its own rules, he just shook his head and followed her directions.

They went from the riverside plains into the mountains, then wound through the hilly terrain for half a day. A full day and night had passed since they left the Escort Agency, and the sky was now filled with stars.

Carrying Mu Chaoyun on his back, Xie Yuan had nearly reached the summit of this mountainous area. He sat down behind a large, wind-sheltered rock, took out some dry rations and clean water, and built a campfire to rest for a bit.

Mu Chaoyun gazed at Xie Yuan’s exhausted face, a soft expression appearing on her own stunningly beautiful features.

She silently accepted the warm, toasted flatbread and waterskin from him. After chewing slowly for a moment, she suddenly asked,

"Do you blame me?"

"Why would I blame you?"

Xie Yuan shook his head.

"It’s not your fault."

"If it weren’t for me, the Longteng Escort Agency wouldn’t have had to face such a powerful enemy."

Mu Chaoyun continued.

Xie Yuan fell silent, then sighed.

"Perhaps... But with a powerful enemy before us, you shouldn’t be dwelling on this. I don’t hold it against you."

Mu Chaoyun nodded lightly.

"Ordinarily, I wouldn’t. If it weren’t for you, faced with this predicament, I would have just found Shen Longteng and had him send out all his men to confuse the enemy. They would never have known they were up against a Grandmaster."

Xie Yuan’s brow furrowed at her words, but then he gave a wry smile.

"So, this is better, isn’t it? At least we had some preparation, some chance."

"It’s still my lack of strength..."

He gazed out over the cliff and shook his head.

Mu Chaoyun pressed her lips together, about to say more, but then she saw Xie Yuan abruptly stand up.

While she was still stunned, Xie Yuan took two steps to the cliff’s edge. In the faint light of the eastern dawn, he looked down at the vast plain by the river.

"Miss Mu, that looks like... a Grandmaster?"

Hearing this, Mu Chaoyun quickly got up, walked to Xie Yuan’s side, and fixed her gaze on the scene below.

On the plain, a portly, wealthy-looking merchant was running toward the mountains, a large cleaver in one hand and a box in the other, which he glanced down at from time to time.

Her eyes narrowed.

"It’s Deng Wan... How did he catch up to us?"

Just then, Deng Wan abruptly looked up toward their mountain peak, clearly having spotted the two of them.

He grinned, raised his cleaver high, and waved it as if giving a warm greeting.

Xie Yuan’s expression darkened.

The blade was spattered with blood.

He spun around and instantly hoisted Mu Chaoyun onto his back.

"Let’s go!"

...

「One day and one night earlier. North of Yunzhao City, at a long pavilion.」

After listening to the middle-aged man in front of them who claimed to be the County Captain, Lu the Third and Deng Wan exchanged a glance.

"An Escort Agency sending out four teams in four different directions at once. That’s certainly unusual."

Deng Wan mused for a moment, then chuckled.

"She might be hiding in one of them. Mmm, or maybe she’s in none of them."

Lu the Third said calmly,

"No matter. We’ll have to check them all. That woman... as expected of someone from the Mu family. She’s quite cunning."

Deng Wan chuckled and looked at Lu the Third.

"Leader Lu, what’s the plan now? Still keeping an eye on me?"

"We each pick two directions. May the best man win."

Lu the Third said flatly.

Deng Wan tucked his hands into his sleeves, seeming to ponder for a moment before breaking into a wide grin.

"Then I won’t trouble you, Leader Lu. I’ll wait at the south gate. I’ll watch the southeast and south directions."

Lu the Third gave him a quiet look but didn’t stop him, smiling faintly.

"Then I’ll leave it to you, Boss Deng."

The two men looked at each other, their gazes filled with hidden meaning.

’He didn’t even fight me for it... Heh. You may have your methods, Lu the Third, and you may think I can’t escape your control, but did you really think I came unprepared? I invited you here, but it certainly wasn’t to let the wolf into my house.’

Deng Wan gave a beaming smile and a cupped-fist salute, then turned and vanished in a flash.

Lu the Third watched him go, his eyes narrowing and his expression turning grave.

Yu Chunsheng was stunned by this display.

’He really is a Grandmaster! That speed, those skills... it’s a real eye-opener.’

His expression was one of excitement, and he felt so thrilled he wanted to let out a long howl.

’I bet on the right horse! The Longteng Escort Agency is done for this time...’

Lu the Third turned his gaze back to him and raised an eyebrow.

"It seems you have a grudge against this Escort Agency."

"To be honest, I..."

"I’m not interested."

Lu the Third looked at him and said flatly,

"You’re the County Captain here, right? I’ll remember that. If your information is false, your entire family can die."

A chill went down Yu Chunsheng’s spine. How was he supposed to know who they were looking for? He had only come to report this on a gamble.

"But if it’s true, I’ll consider you a man of talent and grant you one request."

Hearing this, countless thoughts flashed through Yu Chunsheng’s mind.

’Staying in Yunzhao is a dead end. Now I have a connection to a Grandmaster. Maybe if I go somewhere else, I’ll find new opportunities, a path to improvement...’

He asked tentatively,

"May I ask where you hail from, sir? If possible, after you’re finished here, could you take me with you and offer some guidance?"

Lu the Third glanced at him, a strange, unsmiling grin on his face.

"Are you sure? I come from the West Desert."

"The West Desert?"

Yu Chunsheng’s brow furrowed. He of course knew what kind of place the West Desert was.

But after thinking for a long time, he figured staying in Yunzhao was also a death sentence. He gritted his teeth and nodded firmly.

"The roads of the West Desert are hard to travel. When the time comes, I’ll ask for your instruction, sir!"

Lu the Third looked him up and down a few times and chuckled.

"A little interesting. Fine. If this works out, I’ll come get you. If it doesn’t... Hmph. For now, you can scram. Don’t get in my way."

He waved his hand as if shooing a fly. Yu Chunsheng bowed hastily and left. Once his back was turned, his eyes shone with light.

’I wonder if my bet paid off... The Escort Agency... Their dead end is my new beginning. Heheheh...’

After Yu Chunsheng left, Lu the Third sat in the pavilion, legs spread wide and imperiously, his eyes closed in meditation. Passersby gave him a wide berth, not daring to approach.

After sitting for a long time, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the north city gate.

A massive Escort Team was slowly emerging.

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