Chapter 644
Chapter 644
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 644
>Chapter Title: Goodwill
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"Why is it so hot?"
As Yang Kid was thinking this, his nose suddenly caught a familiar scent. It was the smell of burning wood—something he, as a cook, smelled every single day while preparing meals.
When the firewood scent grew thicker, laced with the aroma of roasting meat, his heart sank.
Standing on his wife's feet, Yang Kid clung to the wall and cautiously poked his head out from behind it.
The moment his head emerged, a wave of heat washed over his face, and his pupils contracted sharply.
Yang Kid saw the distant inn and shops engulfed in flames! The buildings collapsed in the firelight, igniting everything around them. They were using fire as a weapon!
No matter who had set the blaze, for Yang Kid trapped inside, it was an utter catastrophe.
If he didn't run, he'd burn to death. But if he fled, he'd be caught in the crossfire.
Yang Kid panicked, spinning in circles.
"Senior Brother Li, what do we do? Senior Brother Li!"
Only after he shouted did he realize that the near-omnipotent Senior Brother Li wasn't there this time. He had to figure this out himself.
Glancing back at the impossibly high wall behind him, Yang Kid gripped and released his withered wood ruyi repeatedly.
He pulled out the few pills he'd painstakingly refined, nodded to himself, and drew several talismans as well.
This was everything he had to rely on now. If he ran into enemies, these were his only shot at survival.
With the distant flames closing in, Yang Kid steeled himself and turned to Zhao Xiumei beside him.
"We're getting out of here. If I get held up later, you run straight out of the county—no matter what."
The original path was completely blocked by fire, so they had no choice but to keep climbing walls and flipping over gates, weaving sideways through the alleys.
The one stroke of luck was that the three monkey kids proved invaluable. Their scrawny bodies slipped easily through dog holes, unlocking every gate they needed.
After clambering over countless walls, the five of them were covered in grime. But when the firewood smell finally faded a bit, the frantic Yang Kid let out a small breath of relief. It seemed they'd veered away from the heart of the battle.
"They must be too busy fighting for their lives to bother with us. Let's keep pushing!"
When they flipped over the third courtyard and reached the fields, Yang Kid suddenly felt a shadow loom overhead.
He whipped his head around and saw a man with a yellow crest on his chest, fish-scale tattoos around his neck, hoisting a blood-smeared Wu hook sword and staring right at him.
In that instant, Yang Kid froze in place, his mind blanking out. He completely forgot to grab his weapon and fight back.
The man quickly glanced at the white headscarf on the monkey kid's head, sneered in disdain, and raised his Wu hook.
"Another remnant of the Dharma Cult, huh? You heartless bastards—why are you always out here committing arson and murder?"
Seeing the blade gleam coldly in the firelight, Yang Kid shuddered back to his senses.
"We're not with them!! My senior brother is the Emperor of Great Liang!!"
"Hahaha! The emperor's junior brother dressing like a beggar? Well, then I'm the fucking Jade Emperor!" The Wu hook swung hard toward Yang Kid's neck.
"My other senior brother is Li—"
Before Yang Kid could finish, he saw a flash of light slicing toward his throat.
Instinctively, Yang Kid squeezed his eyes shut, curled up, and braced for death. But no pain came.
When he opened his eyes again, a withered old back stood in front of him. The man had been forced back three zhang away.
"Granny!"
The monkey kids shouted excitedly at the figure.
The old woman looked just as she always had, unchanged. Yet standing there now, she gave Yang Kid a completely different impression.
"Kids, hurry and go. I'll hold this guy off."
Hearing her, Yang Kid snapped out of it. He gave the old woman one last glance and yanked the others toward the nearby rice paddies.
"Kids, may Grandpa Stone Channel protect you. Live well—don't any of you die."
The old woman's final words echoed behind them.
Yang Kid led the others in a desperate sprint, not daring to pause for even a moment, terrified of pursuit.
They ran for a full hour until the moon hung high overhead. Finally, exhausted, they collapsed by the dirt road, gasping for breath.
As Yang Kid lay sprawled on the ground, trying to gather his thoughts, the sound of hoofbeats reached his ears—clop clop clop.
Propping up his neck toward the noise, he saw it was his own carriage.
Two men drove it. One was the Wu hook wielder who'd just tried to kill him, back slung with the blade. The other he recognized too—they were all from the Bureau of Celestial Surveillance. They'd caught up after all.
Just then, Yang Kid spotted a plump man of about thirty-four or thirty-five leap down from the carriage. He wore a black floral turban and a purple floral robe, looking every bit the prosperous landowner as he approached.
Mustering all his strength, Yang Kid yanked out his withered wood ruyi and aimed it at them, then bellowed,
"Xiumei! Run!! Get as far away as you can!"
"I'm not leaving! If you don't go, neither will I!"
Zhao Xiumei's eyes blazed red as she declared it.
"Don't be such a wimp! They'll kill you! I'm a man—I have to protect my wife!"
But even as he said it, Yang Kid broke down first, tears streaming uncontrollably from his eyes.
As the man drew near, Yang Kid roared and hurled the ruyi at him with all his might.
The man folded like paper, dodging effortlessly. In two strides, he reached Yang Kid, eyes crinkling in a smile as he seized both his hands and shook them vigorously.
"Heh heh heh, my apologies, young friend. My brother here's a rough sort. I hear your senior brother is the Emperor of Great Liang? And you mentioned another senior brother too?"
The man's reaction left Yang Kid stunned, unsure how to respond.
"I also heard your other senior brother is named Li? Might I ask which sect he's from? What does he look like?"
As he spoke, Yang Kid noticed the man's squinted eyes relax slightly, revealing icy serpent pupils beneath.
The sight made Yang Kid shudder violently. He nodded frantically.
"Yes! My senior brother is the Emperor of Great Liang—his name's Gao Zhijian! And my other senior brother is Li Huowang—he's incredibly powerful! He usually wears a red Daoist robe and carries three swords on his back. You know him, right?"
The plump man paused at that, then piled on the smiles. The serpentine gleam vanished back into his squinted eyes.
"Ah~~ So it's Brother Li! Heh heh heh, of course I know him. Back in the day, his dad used to bring him over to our place every holiday."