Ke Zhen'e brought his iron staff slamming hard against the ground.
“Jing'er!”
“What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and give chase!”
The old blind man was nearly bursting with anxiety.
Ouyang Feng had finally shown himself.
Seeing him flee again, he wished he could grow a pair of wings to chase after him.
Guo Jing stood in front of the pit of rubble, not moving half a step.
“First Master, we cannot act recklessly.”
Ke Zhen'e's beard trembled with rage.
“Our great vengeance is yet unavenged, and now you're afraid of this madman?”
Guo Jing looked at the people beside him.
Ke Zhen'e, Guo Fu, Da Wu, and Xiao Wu.
He felt that among First Master and the children, not a single one could withstand a single move from Ouyang Feng.
Guo Jing answered honestly:
“First Master, Ouyang Feng's mind is muddled right now, and he acts entirely on instinct.”
“If I give chase, what if he was only feigning flight just now, intending to circle around the hill and pull off a surprise counterattack?”
“I'm worried you would be in danger.”
Ke Zhen'e instantly snapped, “This old man doesn't need your concern!”
Huang Rong spoke up from the side:
“First Master.”
“Brother Jing is right to be worried.”
Just as Ke Zhen'e was about to retort,
Huang Rong added:
“You certainly aren't afraid of Old Venom.”
“But what about Fu'er and the three children?”
Ke Zhen'e opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Guo Fu immediately tilted her head up and said:
“I'm not afraid either!”
Huang Rong did not even look at her.
“Keep quiet.”
“Oh.” Guo Fu behaved herself.
Ke Zhen'e swallowed back a breath stuck in his throat and let out a heavy snort.
“Still, we can't just stand by and watch him escape!”
Guo Jing said:
“First Master, he won't get far.”
Ke Zhen'e sneered:
“Old Venom's qinggong is hardly weak.”
“If you chase him now, you've already fallen far behind!”
Guo Jing pointed at the ground and said:
“He just fought with Rong'er and me.”
“He consumed a great deal of inner force.”
“And that final palm strike of his forcibly blasted open the ground for his escape.”
“In the short term, he won't be able to run at full speed for long.”
“I want to escort you to the ferry first so you can return to Peach Blossom Island, while I chase after him alone.”
Ke Zhen'e still frowned:
“But delaying for so long like this...”
“How will you find him then?”
Guo Jing nodded and said:
“First Master, Ouyang Feng is confused in his mind right now.”
“He only thinks of fleeing, but won't deliberately hide his tracks. There will still be clues to follow.”
Ke Zhen'e snorted coldly:
“Even if there aren't many pedestrians on this suburban main road, even a few people walking through leave behind jumbled footprints.”
“How are you going to find him?”
Guo Jing continued:
“Rest assured, First Master. That Old Venom walks upside down on his hands, head pointing down.”
“Aside from the deep hoofprints all over the ground, his palm prints are the most conspicuous of all, even leaving behind the pits gouged out by his fingers.”
“Following the palm prints will lead straight to him without fail.”
The scene fell quiet for a moment.
Ke Zhen'e said nothing.
Beside them, Huang Rong covered her mouth with a light chuckle, the corners of her eyes curling like crescent moons:
“Oh, Brother Jing, your brain is really working fast today.”
“After being with you for so many years,”
“I suddenly realized today,”
“you've gotten smart.”
Guo Jing: “...”
“Was I very foolish before?”
Huang Rong thought for a moment:
“Not really.”
“It's just that most of the time,”
“you don't use your head before your fists.”
“It seems the walnut and pig brain soup I often stewed for you on Peach Blossom Island wasn't wasted after all.”
Guo Jing looked utterly helpless:
“Rong'er.”
“Let's stick to serious matters.”
Huang Rong suppressed her laughter:
“Alright, serious business.”
...
The group delayed no longer, heading straight toward the ferry outside the city.
Guo Jing's thoughts were simple.
First send Ke Zhen'e, Huang Rong, and the three children away.
Peach Blossom Island was the safest.
No matter how crazy Ouyang Feng was, he could not possibly find his way to an island out at sea now.
Guo Jing tucked Da Wu and Xiao Wu under his arms, one on each side, while Huang Rong carried Guo Fu in her arms.
The group moved at a swift pace, reaching the ferry outside Jiaxing City in less than half an incense stick's time.
Huang Rong took out two taels of silver scraps and hired a sturdy black-awning boat on the spot.
The boatman steadied the gangplank, and Ke Zhen'e led the three children aboard.
However, Huang Rong suddenly reached back to grab Guo Jing's sleeve, unwilling to board:
“First Master, please take Fu'er, Da Wu, and Xiao Wu back to Peach Blossom Island first.”
“Ouyang Feng is wildly crazed now, and all his moves are bizarre.”
“If Brother Jing goes alone, I won't be able to rest easy.”
Guo Jing grew anxious at once:
“Rong'er, you must not! Old Venom's inner force is domineering and perilous.”
“If you come with me, I'm actually afraid that you...”
Before Guo Jing could finish, Huang Rong glared at him:
“Afraid I'll be a drag on you?”
Guo Jing hastily shook his head:
“No!”
“I'm afraid you'll get hurt.”
Huang Rong said:
“Isn't that the exact same thing?”
Guo Jing could not win the argument with her and could only frown.
Huang Rong stepped closer:
“Brother Jing, it is precisely because Old Venom is mad now that I must go with you all the more.”
“Your martial arts can block him.”
“But who knows what is going on in his head?”
Huang Rong tapped Guo Jing's chest:
“Your martial arts are stronger than mine.”
She then tapped her own head.
“But as for this,”
“mine works better than yours.”
Guo Jing had nothing left to say.
At the bow of the boat, Ke Zhen'e slammed his iron staff hard against the deck planks, making its iron rings clatter loudly:
“Jing'er, cut the nonsense! Let Rong'er go with you!”
“When it comes to bare fists and feet, Rong'er is indeed no match for you.”
“But when it comes to wits, add a few more of your solid-block heads together and they still wouldn't be enough to match a flick of your wife's little finger!”
“These three brats have this old man watching over them, so rest easy!”
The black-awning boat was unmoored and drifted gently down the river.
Guo Jing stood on the bank, still feeling a bit uneasy:
“First Master.”
“Be careful on the road.”
Ke Zhen'e waved his hand impatiently:
“Got it.”
“Hurry up and go.”
Guo Jing looked toward Guo Fu again:
“Fu'er, listen to First Master.”
“Don't run around.”
Guo Fu stuck out her mouth and said:
“I know.”
Standing at the bow of the boat, she waved at the two of them:
“Father! Mother!”
“Come back early!”
Guo Jing shouted again:
“And Da Wu, Xiao Wu.”
“You two take good care of—”
Ke Zhen'e could not take it anymore:
“Jing'er!”
“Are you going to chase him or not?!”
Only then did Guo Jing shut his mouth, while Huang Rong chuckled beside him.
Guo Jing watched the small boat row into the deep misty waves until it was out of sight, only then setting the heavy stone in his heart down.
Holding Huang Rong's slightly cool hand in his, he left the ferry.
...
Amid the wild grass along the main road,
Ouyang Feng ran hand over hand upside down for several li straight.
His head of white hair whipped in the wind like a horsetail whisk, while his two large palms slapped against the hard, gravelly ground with dull, heavy thuds.
He kept muttering and cursing continuously under his breath:
“Two against one... sneaking a strike at my armpit...”
“Youths nowadays... really have no sense of rules at all!!”
As he ran, both his arms began to ache. With a flip and a leap, his two feet finally touched down on the ground.
Before he could take a step,
Goo—
A muffled, drawn-out strange noise rang out abruptly in the surroundings.
Ouyang Feng's body shrank back violently, his arms crossing over his chest as his eyes darted around erratically:
“Who is it?”
“Which bastard is trying to ambush me? Get out here!!”
All around was a vast expanse of wild grass. Apart from two startled sparrows flying about frantically, there was not even half a ghost in sight.
Gurgle-gurgle—
This time the sound lasted even longer.
Ouyang Feng lowered his head.
His hands subconsciously pressed against his shrivelled belly.
Through the tattered rags of his clothes, he could even feel two protruding rows of ribs.
Ouyang Feng was stunned for a moment:
“So... it was you little brat making that noise.”
Scratching his messy hair, he tilted his head and fell into thought once more:
“How long... has it been since I've chewed on food?”
“Yesterday? The day before yesterday? Or last month? Or was it back on that big snow mountain?”
The more he thought, the muddled chaos in his head churned even harder, a wave of dark fury surging straight to the crown of his head.
Fuming with rage, Ouyang Feng delivered a vicious backhand palm strike toward the large willow tree beside him.
Crack!
The willow tree, as thick as a bowl, was snapped clean in half at the trunk.
Just then, another muffled rumble came from his belly:
“Goo...”
Ouyang Feng's lips twitched, his temper deflating completely.
With an empty stomach, even the strongest Toad Stance could not withstand a starving ghost reincarnating within him.
Drooping his head, he shuffled forward, intending to forage for a couple of passing field mice to satisfy his hunger.
He had barely taken seven or eight steps when his dirt-covered nostrils twitched twice.
A scent wafted over on the wind.
The aroma of crispy roasted goose skin, mixed with the refreshing scent of lotus-leaf stewed chicken and the rich, savory smell of meat buns!
The potent fragrance surged straight through his nostrils into his lungs, making his mouth water intensely.
“It smells so good!”
The messy ledger of chaotic thoughts in his head was instantly cast beyond the ninth heaven.
His two legs scampered rapidly, letting his nose lead the way forward.
Passing through a pile of broken rubble and cutting across the wild thickets of grass,
a dilapidated ruined temple lay across the dirt ridge behind.
Ouyang Feng took a deep breath and chuckled foolishly:
“Found it... it's all inside!”
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