Chapter 149: All Suspicious

The knife truly had a connection with him; even when casually thrown, it would automatically correct its trajectory. What a pity he had thrown it away and lost it. To be honest, he really wanted to enter the dream world again. Besides, when Lu Yao shot at him with the Ghost-Eye Bow earlier, the broken knife had even warned him. It truly was a good knife.

He Lingchuan sighed inwardly. As he ran, his fist brushed past his waist, and he suddenly felt something off about his scabbard. He looked down—the broken knife was still there, lying quietly in its sheath. Overjoyed, He Lingchuan touched the hilt several times before remembering that Sun Fuping's short cudgel also flew back to its owner automatically. This meant that these two items were at least treasures of the same grade! Since the broken knife had flown back automatically, did that mean this treasure had recognized him as its master? He was overjoyed! But when had this recognition of mastery taken place? He didn't seem to have performed any blood-binding ritual.

The situation didn't allow him to ponder, as He Lingchuan suddenly noticed that the bandit army below had split into two groups, each heading in a different direction. This wasn't an internal conflict; Lu Yao and Pei Xinyong hadn't argued. They simply exchanged a few words and separated, more like a division of labor. Pei Xinyong, for one, was taking the wrong path. Ahead was a three-tiered slope, like terraced fields—He Lingchuan couldn't understand why that fellow insisted on going that way, and with such confidence. Little did he know, this was a result of the mist array laid by Shanze, which caused sound displacement. Pei Xinyong truly believed that the pebbles were falling from there and footsteps were coming from that direction. Lu Yao's direction, on the other hand, was correct. The broken knife's spinning attack on the falcon made Lu Yao think the knife had come from that direction, and he naturally assumed the scout who threw it was also there. The mist then twisted his perception of direction. As a result, two wrongs made a right. He led his subordinates, accelerating towards the mountain ridge.

Seeing this clearly, He Lingchuan couldn't help but say, "Lu Yao is chasing this way—what a good opportunity!" Lian Deng gave a wry smile. "Brother Chuan, could you please speak like a normal person? Lu Yao chasing us is a 'good opportunity'? A good opportunity to be killed?" "Without the falcon to guide him, he'll soon get disoriented," He Lingchuan remained optimistic. "But he's already separated from Pei Xinyong, so we can go find Pei Xinyong now."

"Find Pei Xinyong?" Lian Deng was unsure. "General Wu already sent him a message via a mechanical bird earlier. Since he's with Lu Yao, those two have probably made peace or formed an alliance. It would be too dangerous for us to show ourselves rashly." "Who said we were going to show ourselves?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "Don't forget, I can see them, but they can't see me."

"Watch out!" Lian Deng suddenly grabbed him and pulled him back. With a whoosh, a flying axe grazed He Lingchuan's waist, snapping two small trees, each about the thickness of a bowl, before embedding itself in a bluestone. Cold sweat trickled down He Lingchuan's back. Damn it! If not for Lian Deng's quick reflexes, he would have been sliced in half by that axe! This axe belonged to Lu Yao. Had the bandit Lu already discovered him? He Lingchuan turned his head and indeed saw Lu Yao standing ten *zhang* behind him, muttering curses: "That rogue! If I find him, I'll chop him into seventeen or eighteen pieces and serve him with wine!" He was in a bad mood and wasn't bothering to come up with more elaborate ways to cook people.

He Lingchuan and Lian Deng exchanged glances and let out a quiet breath. Sure enough, Lu Yao beckoned, and the axe embedded in the stone flew back to him automatically. Good, good. That fellow was merely venting his anger by throwing his axe, relying on its ability to return automatically; he hadn't actually seen them. Indiscriminate attacks were the most terrifying. He Lingchuan ran faster than a rabbit, and in a flash, he was far from Lu Yao's army.

Footsteps and the sound of falling pebbles were very close. Pei Xinyong judged that the opponent was no more than five or six *zhang* away, so he turned his horse and gave chase. He knew very well that the only way to catch an enemy here was to be fast—to expose them before they could escape. Naturally, the main force followed him around the bend.

After only running ten *zhang*, two riders on the far left suddenly screamed and fell down the mountain. Cold sweat immediately trickled down the backs of the others: that area had clearly looked like a patch of low bushes! Just then, two arrows shot out of the thick mist, whizzing to embed themselves two *zhang* in front of Pei Xinyong's horse's hooves. Pei Xinyong sharply reined in his horse, which neighed and reared up, stopping instantly. "Who's there?" He could tell that these two arrows were a strong warning, but without hostility.

"Lian Deng, vanguard of General Wu Shaoyi's left flank!" a voice called from the white mist. This time, Pei Xinyong dared not move without authorization. Lian Deng continued, "Move forward any further, and you'll face a bottomless abyss!" He Lingchuan, standing beside him, grinned silently: *This kid is quite the bluffer.* There was no abyss between them and Pei Xinyong. It was all clear ground, without even a single turn. Of course, Lian Deng himself couldn't see either; he was simply shooting arrows at the ground five *zhang* away, according to He Lingchuan's instructions. This threat, like a magic spell, instantly froze Pei Xinyong's troops in place, unable to move an inch. Unseen threats were the most terrifying.

Lian Deng then added, "General Wu wants me to ask you: why are you colluding with the bandit Lu? Why are you traveling with the murderer who killed the Saint Master?" These two veiled accusations struck Pei Xinyong like thunderbolts, making him gasp, "What did you say?" "Wu Shaoyi is still alive?" "The Saint Master was really killed by Lu Yao?" The pitch of these two questions rose with each word. He Lingchuan sensed his surging emotions and nodded to Lian Deng.

Wu Shaoyi had sent Lian Deng because he was eloquent and could explain things clearly in a few words. Now he showed his skill: "Didn't General Pei receive the message General Wu sent via the mechanical bird?" "Mechanical bird?" Pei Xinyong was confused. "I only received mechanical birds sent by Lu Yao. Wasn't Wu Shaoyi killed by the Crocodile God? You're saying he's still alive?" "General Wu is alive and well, and has even ridden the Crocodile God here by water!" Lian Deng said. "General Wu sent me first to ask you: will you join us, or will you side with the bandit Lu?"

The Crocodile God didn't eat Wu Shaoyi, but became his mount instead? That was too exaggerated; Pei Xinyong couldn't believe it. "Lu Yao killed the Saint Master—do you have evidence?" "The Saint Master's Ghost-Eye Bow is in Lu Yao's hands, and there are countless witnesses. Lu Yao used the Black Dragon's essence blood, a treasure of the Saint Master, as bait to lure the Crocodile God into Xianling Lake, waiting for an opportunity to ambush you and General Wu, planning to seize power when the three armies met!" Lian Deng sneered. "When Woling Pass fell, there were rumors that Lu Yao had killed the Saint Master. How can there be smoke without fire? Now that you've heard all this, do you believe that the Saint Master's death has nothing to do with him?"

Pei Xinyong's eyes flickered. He had always been troubled by the Crocodile God entering Xianling Lake with Lu Yao, and he had already sensed that Lu Yao hadn't told the full truth. The Black Dragon's essence blood—was this the truth? "You're hiding in the mist; how can I confirm you're truly Lian Deng?" he said in a deep voice. "Also, why can you move freely within the mist? Is this Wu Shaoyi's doing?" If Wu Shaoyi had cast the mist, it wouldn't be strange for his subordinates to move freely within it. However, if the mist was created by the government troops, and the person before him was truly Lian Deng, then the implications behind this were very profound. Could it be?

"Of course, it's General Wu's doing." Lian Deng emerged from the mist, with a marten perched on his shoulder. He stopped, but the marten lightly leaped to the ground and sauntered towards Pei Xinyong. With a nimble jump, it landed on the horse's head, standing there and wagging its tail at him. The marten was Wu Shaoyi's spirit beast. Pei Xinyong had played with it many times and was even familiar with the small tuft of stray fur on its forehead, so he recognized it at a glance. Most importantly, people could lie, but spirit beasts rarely betrayed their masters. Pei Xinyong asked the marten, "Is he truly Lian Deng?" The marten nodded. "Is everything he said true?" The marten twitched its whiskers. "Yes!" "Then, where is Wu Shaoyi?" "On his way here," the marten replied. "My master says: 'He who can harm me can also harm you.' Before our forces arrive, be wary of sudden attacks and pincer movements!" "Oh, and during wartime, raise the blue flag, just like before!"

At that moment, the thick mist to Pei Xinyong's left suddenly stirred, and a group of people and horses came rushing over. It was Lu Yao, who had gone out searching for someone but found no one, now rushing back to rendezvous with Pei Xinyong. In the mist, if their connecting strips were cut, they would likely be separated from their teammates. In such an unstable environment, numbers meant strength, and unity meant safety. The moment the marten spoke, Lian Deng retreated into the mist. As soon as Lu Yao appeared, the marten jumped off the horse and quickly darted onto a nearby tree branch. With Pei Xinyong and others blocking his view, Lu Yao couldn't originally see clearly, but the marten paused as soon as it got on the branch, glared at him, bared its teeth, and then darted into the mist, disappearing from sight. This brief pause allowed Lu Yao to get a clear look at it, and his heart skipped a beat: *Wasn't that Wu Shaoyi's spirit beast? If the marten is here, could Wu Shaoyi have arrived too?* The thought of Wu Shaoyi made his scalp tingle. *A man whom even the Crocodile God couldn't kill, who even made it his mount—how did this Wu fellow suddenly become so uncanny? No, that's not right. They don't have horses; they couldn't possibly be that fast!*

Filled with unease, Lu Yao asked, "What's going on?" "Two of my men fell down!" Pei Xinyong pointed at the thick mist not far away. "What about you? Did you catch the scout?" Lu Yao shook his head, his face grim; he had also returned empty-handed. Pei Xinyong let out a breath, clearly annoyed. Lu Yao noticed that he didn't mention the marten at all, making him even more suspicious. He asked, "What was that just now...?" Before he could utter the word "thing," he suddenly jolted: *I can't ask!* Behind him were crowds of bandits, with Wu Shaoyi's former subordinates making up the majority. If he asked now and Pei Xinyong answered truthfully, what would his new subordinates think? Would they continue to follow him, or would they return to their former master? Human loyalty couldn't withstand such a test; he couldn't let them choose!

Pei Xinyong looked bewildered. "What did you say?" "No, nothing," Lu Yao said, forcing himself to swallow his question. The more he looked at Pei Xinyong, the more he felt the man's gaze was shifty. He must have said something to the marten just now. This meant Pei Xinyong most likely knew Wu Shaoyi was not dead, and the two sides had already made contact! Were they plotting how to assassinate him? Trapped in this mist, which felt both like a paradise and a deadly trap, Lu Yao's entire back was drenched in cold sweat.