Eternal Saber-Chapter 312 - 36: I’m Back!

Chen Tang strolled along the street, while observing each person in the city, attentively noting their behavior.

Qianzhu City wasn’t as prosperous as the Qian State Capital, but there were plenty of passersby, a mix of various professions and social strata.

A coachman might just be a coachman, or they might be a Hermit.

The beggar by the roadside, the monk seeking alms, the street performer at the corner, the shop vendor, the samurai and wanderers in the crowd, all could potentially be Hermits.

This was the terrifying aspect of the Hermit Realm.

Once inside, danger was omnipresent; even the seemingly most innocent passerby could suddenly turn deadly!

A constant state of vigilance was required; a momentary lapse could mean a fatal separation of body and soul.

The shouts from vendors along the street, the noise from the crowd, the sounds of quarrels—all these could obscure many things and affect the judgment of the Wind Listening Technique.

The number of pedestrians clearly increased.

It seemed the news of his departure from the Shadow Tower had already spread throughout Qianzhu City.

A gray tarpaulin from the second floor suddenly fell, blocking out the sunlight.

Chen Tang felt a dimness above him, as a foreboding shadow descended, signaling the arrival of a murderous threat!

The assassination came not only from the shadow behind the tarpaulin overhead but from all directions!

A passerby, who had just brushed past Chen Tang, suddenly unsheathed a broken blade, and with a backhand slash, aimed at Chen Tang’s back.

The street performer not far away turned his head and gave Chen Tang an eerie smile, opening his mouth to unleash a flame, surging forth with a heat wave!

The roadside beggar, the monk seeking alms, the shop vendor, and the samurai in the crowd, all transformed into Hermits at that moment, revealing their fangs and attacking together.

A dazzling blade light erupted.

It sliced through the shadow of the tarpaulin, cleaving through the fiery heat wave.

Not many people saw how Chen Tang made his move.

In the eyes of the crowd, there remained only that unparalleled, breathtaking blade light.

Everything transpired in an instant, with blades flashing and blood surging.

In less than ten breaths, the assassination had ended.

Only a tall figure remained standing at the street corner, surrounded by corpses sprawled in disarray, the bright red blood flowing along the stone crevices.

Without waiting for the Corpse Collector to arrive, Chen Tang quickly searched the bodies, tucking some Hidden Coins into his robe before getting up to leave.

The Corpse Collector followed closely, carrying away the bodies.

The street corner soon returned to tranquility, the flow of people filled the space again, as if nothing had happened.

Chen Tang continued to wander leisurely nearby.

He wasn’t taking any unnecessary risks, only moving within a mile’s radius around the Shadow Tower.

If any unforeseen event occurred or he was injured and in danger, he could retreat to the Shadow Tower at any moment.

It wasn’t long before Chen Tang spotted that fortune-telling blind man in a corner.

Without the help of this fortune-telling blind man the night before last, he might not have made it back to the Shadow Tower alive.

Remembering this, Chen Tang stood before the fortune-telling blind man and tossed another Hidden Coin into the empty bowl before him.

"Fortune telling?"

The blind fortune-teller asked.

"No."

Chen Tang said, "I don’t believe in such things."

"Then I won’t take it."

The blind fortune-teller’s cane gently tapped the broken bowl, the Hidden Coin jumped out and flew towards Chen Tang.

Chen Tang chuckled silently.

This fortune-teller sure had a temper.

Chen Tang tossed the Hidden Coin back and said, "Then let’s have a fortune told, for today’s luck at least."

The blind fortune-teller took the Hidden Coin, calculated for a while, and said, "No blame."

"What does ’no blame’ mean?"

Chen Tang asked.

The blind fortune-teller said, "In fortune-telling, outcomes are generally divided into great luck, upper luck, luck; no blame, regret, restraint as neutral; danger, blame, misfortune as bad."

Chen Tang said, "So ’no blame’ means it’s just ordinary, neither good nor bad?"

"Exactly."

The blind fortune-teller nodded slightly.

Chen Tang smiled, paid it no mind, and walked away.

This fortune from the blind man was as good as not telling.

...

After waking up, Ye Yushi meditated for a while in her room, yet there was no movement from Chen Tang’s side.

Thinking it over, she decided to go and knock on Chen Tang’s door.

There was no response from inside.

Recalling what Chen Tang had said yesterday, she realized he might have already gone out.

In her current state, she couldn’t be of any help and could only wait idly.

She went back to her room, intending to cultivate her Inner Qi, but after sitting quietly for a long time, she couldn’t calm her mind.

This was unprecedented in her past cultivation experience.

She was worried about Chen Tang.

This feeling was new to her, even to the point of being so unsettled that she couldn’t cultivate.

Two days ago, she had been poisoned and gravely injured, in an Exotic Realm, isolated and without aid, facing the constant threat of capture by the enemy.

She didn’t dare to think about what she might endure if she fell into their hands.

Even in that perilous environment, she could always enter meditation.

But since arriving on the Hermit Continent, after getting injured, she fell unconscious numerous times, waking repeatedly in the night, drenched in sweat, feeling overwhelmingly weak inside.

During those days, she never slept peacefully, physically and mentally drained, nearing collapse.

In truth, the day she came downstairs, she already harbored a desire for death.

Then Chen Tang appeared.

At that moment, excitement, joy, mixed with grievances, fatigue, and all sorts of complex emotions surged within her.

Soon, Ye Yushi calmed down again.

She knew that with Chen Tang’s cultivation, he couldn’t resolve her predicament.

But at least she wasn’t alone and helpless anymore.

Having someone by her side rekindled a sliver of hope for survival.

Later, Chen Tang left the Shadow Tower, fought a fierce battle, and then set off to the port to get medicine for her, fighting all the way back with wounds all over his body, limping and hobbling...

These past two days, she slept more soundly than ever before.

Because Chen Tang was next door, someone she could entrust her life to.

She didn’t want anything to happen to Chen Tang.

She finally understood the four words her master once spoke: ’care leads to chaos.’

Ye Yushi paced back and forth in the room, trying several times to return to bed and meditate, but she simply couldn’t enter a meditative state.

Forcing herself to meditate might lead to going astray.

She pondered for a moment, then left the room, heading downstairs to the lobby.

Ye Yushi’s expression was indifferent, saying nothing as she sat in the lobby.

"Why has the Jade Flute Fairy come down?"

Liu Shou asked curiously in a low voice.

Lady Yun glanced up, understood immediately, shook her head with a smile, and said, "The Fairy is anxious."

By noon.

More Hermits gathered in the lobby, occasionally bringing news of Chen Tang.

Some said Chen Tang was injured again.

Rumor had it that while Chen Tang was searching bodies, a Hermit pretending to be dead tricked him, injuring him.

Some said Chen Tang had fled, his fate unknown.

Listening to the various news in the lobby, Ye Yushi appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was in turmoil.

Every time the door to the Shadow Tower was pushed open from outside, she would look up, only to lower her gaze in disappointment.

Bam!

Once again, the door was slammed open.

A tall figure staggered in, still covered in blood, appearing stronger than the previous day.

"Ha ha!"

The figure stood at the Shadow Tower entrance, first waving provocatively at the Hermits chasing him outside.

Then he turned around, face covered in blood, yet his spirit was high, greeting Lady Yun and the others at the counter, "I’m back!"