Chapter 144: Whale Search

Breathing.

The soldiers pursuing Chen Ji were thrown far behind him. In the vast expanse of heaven and earth, it seemed only his breathing remained.

The mountain wind suddenly howled and swept past. On the dry branches in the forest, the last leaves left their stems one by one.

As Chen Ji ran, he couldn't help but glance to the side. He saw the gray dry leaves dancing all over the sky coming towards him, then rolled by the wind and brushing past him, like night rain on the rivers and lakes, and also like certain people and certain events.

He couldn't help but want to reach out and grab a dry leaf, but in the corner of his eye, another sharp black crossbow arrow shot from behind, soaring against the wind, striking and breaking the leaves piece by piece before reaching Chen Ji.

Chen Ji slightly tilted his head, letting the crossbow arrow nail into the tree trunk in front of him, emitting a "thud" sound, its fletching vibrating continuously.

He turned his head to look and saw just over ten *zhang* away, a black-clothed figure holding a repeating crossbow solemnly following, moving with extreme speed.

On the forehead of the black-clothed figure, someone had used cinnabar to write the two characters 'Yan Sheng' in seal script.

The black-clothed figure's eyes were crimson like blood, their form human-like, their spirit ghost-like.

Chen Ji thought of the yellow paper talisman the fisherman had drawn on the black awning boat earlier. It was similar in style to the 'Yan Sheng' characters this time, different works from the same tune. He hadn't expected the other side could actually draw talismans on human bodies.

Seeing Chen Ji dodge his surprise arrow, the black-clothed figure immediately took out a strange-looking hollow arrow from his waist pouch, intending to replace the mechanism on the repeating crossbow.

It was a whistling arrow.

Once a whistling arrow was shot, it would emit a sharp shriek to attract others.

This black-clothed figure must have colleagues nearby.

On the mountain, Chen Ji advanced instead of retreating. He dragged his knife and walked towards the mountain slope. The black-clothed figure also did not avoid or yield and continued to advance.

The two drew closer and closer, like two wild beasts running madly at the same time. Their footsteps splashed up the accumulated leaves on the ground, scattering them.

The black-clothed figure didn't have time to switch to the whistling arrow, so he simply held the whistling arrow in his mouth, then raised the repeating crossbow and pulled the trigger towards Chen Ji.

With a bang, the crossbow string suddenly vibrated, and the arrow shot out swiftly.

Chen Ji's dragging long knife suddenly lifted.

Time seemed to slow down.

The sharp knife edge chopped right through the middle of the arrow. The knife edge and the iron arrowhead rubbed together, producing dazzling sparks. Then, following the wood grain of the arrow shaft, the blade cut through, splitting the arrow in two.

The black-clothed figure's face did not change. While advancing, he continuously pulled the trigger, firing all five arrows inside the mechanism in one breath.

Swing knife.

Swing knife.

Swing knife.

Chen Ji's long knife in his hand collided with the arrows one by one in the air, turning into bursts of brilliant starfire.

Just as the black-clothed figure pulled the trigger for the fifth time, the stringing mechanism unexpectedly jammed. He lowered his head to check the crossbow. When he raised his head, he suddenly saw Chen Ji, having broken through the scattered dry leaves flying in the air, dragging his knife and coming right in front of him.

The youth's hair was rolled by the mountain wind, and the hem of his clothes fluttered up and down.

One glance, ten thousand *li*, killing intent long decided.

Chen Ji raised his knife diagonally upwards, the knife edge at waist height. He transferred the knife from one hand to two.

The black-clothed figure discarded the repeating crossbow and drew out his waist knife, chopping down. But his knife only touched Chen Ji's knife before it snapped with a sound.

This one slash cut from the black-clothed figure's left lower abdomen and ended at his front right chest. A smear of fresh blood was brought out by the knife edge, splashing onto the tree trunk beside him.

The black-clothed figure's body stiffened, and the whistling arrow in his mouth fell out.

He blankly lowered his head and looked at his wound: "Good knife technique, better than mine... ."

Chen Ji gasped heavily and retreated backward, planning to quickly leave the battlefield.

The black-clothed figure slowly knelt on the ground, his face pale white. He raised his head and looked at Chen Ji: "You want to help the World Son and the County Princess lure away the pursuers, right? But Mr. Feng is smarter than you. He has already sent people to the military town to search and arrest."

Chen Ji's pupils contracted, and his retreating footsteps slowly stopped.

Bluffing him?

Not right.

The other side had no reason to bluff him at this time, and even if they bluffed him, they wouldn't survive to deliver the truth.

The other side hoped to use the World Son and the County Princess to restrain him, making him unable to escape safely and ultimately forcing him to return to the military town to save them.

The black-clothed figure knelt on the ground, coughing up blood while laughing: "Mr. Feng's words I have delivered. How you decide is your matter."

Having said that, the black-clothed figure collapsed to the ground with a boom.

Just as the black-clothed figure fell to the ground, a crossbow arrow suddenly flew out from behind a tree trunk more than ten steps away.

Chen Ji subconsciously swung his knife to block.

With a clang.

This time, the crossbow arrow was not split in two. Instead, his long knife in his hand snapped with a sound.

The crossbow arrow changed direction and brushed past Chen Ji's waist, leaving a bloody mark.

Chen Ji held the broken knife in his hand and retreated down the mountain.

After several breaths, he turned around and started escaping regardless of everything.

On the way down the mountain, Chen Ji looked at the broken knife in his hand. He saw that only three inches of the knife body above the guard remained, not even as long as a handle dagger.

This knife, seized from the soldiers, was ultimately crudely made and could not withstand heavy duty.

To return or not to return to the military town?

Cannot return.

This was Chen Ji's most rational judgment.

That Mr. Feng was unfathomable and mysterious. If he went back, he would certainly face ten deaths without life.

Moreover, he had already done everything he should have.

If the World Son and the County Princess still couldn't escape, then all he could do was take revenge for them afterward, not go back to die.

Returning at this time was completely meaningless.

"Yes, completely meaningless. Any normal person wouldn't go back."

Chen Ji said to himself, as if confirming something.

He frantically escaped down the mountain, each step covering several meters.

He threw the pursuing black-clothed figures far behind.

But Chen Ji suddenly stopped.

Inertia made him slide several *zhang* down the mountain slope, raising up the accumulated leaves all over the sky before finally stopping.

He stood in his original spot and raised his head to look at the moonlit sky, his face alternating between bright and dark.

The mountain wind surged like a tide, blowing his hair and the hem of his clothes backward, making a rustling sound.

The next moment, Chen Ji stood on the mountainside, surveying the surrounding terrain. His thoughts turned urgently, calculating everything he needed to do.

Chen Ji slowly closed his eyes, collected the furnace fire within his body, and let the ice flow in his *dantian* spread throughout his body.

He brought the black luck down from the sky above, letting it fall upon the green mountain.

Before Xuanyuan could say anything, he already carried the whale knife and ran towards the rugged mountain road: "Feng Huai, come. I'm in a hurry."

Xuanyuan teased: "Got friends to save again?"

Chen Ji didn't answer.

In the mountain forest, Chen Ji carried the snow-bright whale knife and ran madly all the way.

Feng Huai wandered through the mountain, observing Chen Ji's movements from the side and looking for a chance to ambush and kill him.

"Wait!"

Feng Huai's voice suddenly stopped as he looked at Chen Ji. He discovered that this time, Chen Ji wasn't hiding his tracks as before, nor was he avoiding a siege. He was just dragging a whale knife as long as a person, rushing straight down the mountain towards the giant axe warrior, Feng Lie, to kill him.

The snow-bright knife light was like a meteor, continuously falling, falling, falling down the mountain...

Mountain lord, a tiger too!

Feng Huai was shocked in his heart.

Chen Ji wanted to break them one by one with the fastest speed this time, not giving them any opportunity for ambush or siege.

Feng Huai loudly called out urgently: "Feng Lie, run."

The burly Feng Lie carried his giant axe and turned to run, but Chen Ji suddenly had an inspiration and roared angrily: "Fen Wu, Wan Sheng."

Xuanyuan was startled.

Feng Huai was startled: "Teacher!"

Mid...