Elders Xu and Hu were originally filled with confidence, thinking that there would not be any problems. Since the two of them were at the epitome of the martial arts world and were even disguising themselves. They did not enter any cities, only rested in the wilderness, and even took short detours. They barely even saw anyone on their journey here.
They let their guard down after the first ambush, thinking that they could just breeze through. The a.s.sailants were not strong, they were definitely not from any of the top sects of forces.
In Lu Guangdi's time in Fairy's Capital, other than Chu Li, he made little to no enemies. Chu Li wanted to let everything be water under the bridge, most likely in response to Lu Guangdi's affiliation with the Green Deer Cliff. Naturally, he would not send someone to a.s.sa.s.sinate this kid.
No matter how Lu Guangdi was hated, there would only be a small bunch of people out for his blood. There should not be a big number of them.
Never could they have imagined that the a.s.sa.s.sins this time would be so skillful, that they would actually succeed.
"Bam bam bam bam…" As loud explosions rang out in the distance, it felt like thunder repeatedly struck out. The two finally regained their senses as they hurriedly looked around to a.s.sess the situation.
These sounds came from the deepest parts of the woods. It was a battle between great masters.
Elder Xu took a deep breath as he pulled out a jade bottle, stuffing a Spirit Pill into Lu Guangdi's mouth and pat the boy's chest whilst channeling energy in his palm.
This was the Spirit Pill that Lu Yurong gave them before they departed - the Spirit Blessing Pill. It was a Spirit Pill unique to the Yi Public House. It could even bring back the dead, literally rejuvenating flesh from bones.
After Lu Guangdi was. .h.i.t with that palm strike, though his vision had already faded to black, he still had a slither of feeling left. It felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness, his entire body losing warmth. As time pa.s.sed, he lost track of how long had pa.s.sed. He slowly started to feel lighter and lighter as he saw a light appear in front of him. From reading ancient literature, he knew that this was a symptom that his soul was leaving his corpse's husk. He knew that he had died.
He was filled with regret and his entire life flashed in front of his eyes. They flashed past at high speeds but it felt like nothing was left out. He suddenly felt a weird feeling of acceptance in his heart, as he finally let out one last sigh, slowly calming down. He suddenly felt happy, almost as if he had finally escaped.
Right at this moment, a Spirit Pill was stuffed down his throat.
A scorching aura suddenly burst out from his stomach and the light feeling started to fade away. His cheerfulness also suddenly vanished, instantly followed by an overload of senses bombarding his entire body. He felt the pain of his body, the coolness of his skin, and the absolute agony his internal organs were feeling.
"Cough cough cough cough!" Lu Guangdi suddenly started coughing severely as his heart started to convulse rapidly.
He immediately sat up before puking out a huge ball of coagulated black blood.
Along with the burning sensation from his stomach, the feeling of immeasurable strength surged through his entire body. Immediately, his entire body was filled with energy as he stared wide-eyed at the two elders.
"Thank G.o.d!" Elder Xu and Elder Hu clasped their palms together as they prayed in the direction of Fairy's City.
"Elder Xu, Elder Hu, I'm back alive?" Lu Guangdi asked.
"Haha…" Elder Xu laughed heartily. "Young Master Lu, it was not your time, so of course, you're back alive!"
"Thank you, seniors!" Lu Guangdi immediately made a fist salute.
After he had died once, it felt like his mind was clear. He now knew the preciousness of life as he started to fear death. Admittedly, it was because they failed to protect him that he died, but he was still extremely grateful for these two elders for saving his life.
However, he made a mental note to report to the Crown Prince's Residence about this. He thought that these two were not suited to be escorts at all.
"No need to thank us." Elder Xu quickly waved his hand as he smiled. "If you had to thank someone, show your grat.i.tude to Miss Lu. She was the one who gave us this miraculous Spirit Pill that can revive people before we left."
Of course, he did not know Lu Guangdi's true thoughts. He actually thought that Lu Guangdi was being grateful to them.
"Sigh…" Lu Guangdi just sighed. "Looks like I owe Miss Lu a life, I need to spend the rest of my life trying to repay this favor!"
He secretly felt quite ecstatic at the fact. Using this as an excuse, he could spend all the time he wants being by Lu Yurong's side, caring for her and getting her.
"Miss Lu has truly thought of it all!" Elder Xu and Elder Hu nodded in admiration.
They have experienced Lu Yurong's high-level tactics more than once. At this point, it actually felt normal.
A short distance away, a loud boom suddenly rang out. The two frowned as they glanced at each other.
They did not know which masters they were, or even if they were the a.s.sa.s.sins from before.
They stopped themselves from a.n.a.lyzing this further, they knew it was not the time to be curious. They were better off just minding their own business, they only had one Spirit Blessing Pill after all. If Lu Guangdi died once more, their hands would be tied.
"Bam bam bam bam…" Repeated thuds continued to ring out.
Lu Guangdi could not hold back his curiosity. "Seniors, let's head over and take a look."
"We should really be making a move right now." Elder Xu suggested.
Lu Guangdi countered, "Maybe there might be someone we know."
"...Then, let's take a look." Elder Hu compromised.
"Alright." Elder Xu had no choice but to agree. Supporting Lu Guangdi on his shoulder, they moved swiftly. Soon, they arrived at the deepest parts of the woods.
There were a total of eleven people battling it out. It seemed to be a five versus six.
The five were the a.s.sa.s.sins who tried to kill Lu Guangdi just now - the four grey-robed men and the black-robed figure. On the other hand, the other six were clad in green. The two parties were at a stalemate.
"Those are our people!" Elder Xu turned over to Elder Hu.
Elder Hu nodded, "It looks like Miss Lu sent some hidden backup."
"Heh, these fools!" Elder Xu was every displeased.
These b*stards were really too unreliable. If they had been following them, why did they not provide backup in time, letting Lu Guangdi die? Luckily, it was only Lu Guangdi, if this was the Crown Prince, heads would roll.
"Let's lend them a hand." Elder Hu proposed.
After frowning slightly, Elder Xu spat, "It can't be helped!"
After Lu Guangdi was secured to a safe spot on top of a tree branch, the two charged over.
These two were top-level masters, once they joined the fray, the tides instantly turned. With their combined powers, they heavily injured one of the grey-robed men as the rest of the enemies escaped.
The six green-robed men greeted the two elders.
"Where were you guys?" Elder Xu questioned in a harsh tone.
The six green-robed men helplessly shook their heads.
One of the square-faced men sighed, "We've managed to repel a group of people earlier, but by the time we caught up with you guys, we were too late… Elder Xu, Young Master Lu died, right?"
"He died and came back to life." Elder Xu spat, "Luckily for us, Miss Lu gave as a special Spirit Pill, otherwise, we would've been a disgrace to the Crown Prince's Residence!"
The six green-robed men bitterly nodded.
Their misfortune this time round was a flaw in their preparation. If it was not for the Spirit Pill reviving Lu Guangdi, they would at the very least be fired. Once they got back, their lives would already be ruined.
After this failure, they chose not to lurk in the shadows anymore. They joined forces with Elder Xu and Eder Hu and moved together, forming a stronger formation.
At the peak of a mountain ten miles away, Chu Li was hugging Xiao Qi as they sat under a lush pine tree, enjoying the scenery.
The cl.u.s.ter of mountains they were on looked almost like a huge dragon guarding its territory.
As winter fell, all the gra.s.s and trees have wilted, only the pine woods remained lush.
As he was enjoying this picturesque scenery, his brain was focused on Lu Guangdi's every move, every word, and every thought.
After his "death", the protective facade in Lu Guangdi's head had finally dissipated. Chu Li could finally see through his every thought.
He was quite satisfied, this Spirit Blessing Pill was not wasted.
Xiao Qi said, "Since we left so suddenly, I bet Gu Yu is probably going crazy right now."
Chu Li laughed. "Escaping is always the best strategy, getting him mad is just a bonus."
Xiao Qi smirked as she continued, "I don't think anyone would've expected that you would retreat."
Chu Li nodded. "Since I already left the Imperial Residence, I doubt our dear Crown Prince would continue pursuing me so closely, let's not destroy our images here."
"What if he actually continues to pursue you closely?" Xiao Qi asked, "He might actually send his men from the Secret Guardians Hall to the Public House."
"Then I'll just fight back head-on." Chu Li casually answered.
His sudden departure could also be considered as a compromise with Lu Yurong.