"Someone is coming!"
Ying Chen, who had been hurrying along, suddenly stopped and said.
He Chongxu did not react immediately, thinking Ying Chen was talking about pedestrians appearing ahead. He smiled and replied, "It's dawn, so laborers and those going to work naturally appear. Xiangjiang is a small place; although we were just in Datiancuo, a deserted area, we've actually approached another region in no time. That area can be considered prosperous and bustling with people..."
Seeing that He Chongxu had misunderstood, Ying Chen simply stopped bothering to explain.
Instead, he slowly turned around and looked behind him.
Behind them, although the rising sun had already illuminated a large area, there was still a shadow that seemed impervious to light, existing eternally.
This shadow lay between the foot of the mountain and the road. At first glance, it wouldn't seem out of place, and one might even subconsciously think it was normal.
After all, the foot of a mountain is naturally somewhat dim due to the obstruction of the peaks, right?
However, Ying Chen's gaze remained fixed on that shadow, as if it were utterly abnormal.
"Master Ying?"
"What's wrong?"
He Chongxu finally sensed something was amiss and quickly asked.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he immediately shut his mouth.
Because Ying Chen had already told him the answer!
Someone was coming!
So, what Master Ying was referring to wasn't normal pedestrians, but enemies!
It was just that He Chongxu couldn't figure out why anyone would be foolish enough or tired of living to dare to court death at this point, having already reached the territory of Xiangjiang.
If they had been targeting Ying Chen since the Sand Sea Ghost Market, why wouldn't they have made a move during the long journey, and instead choose to strike now?
"It's not an enemy from the Ghost Market!" He Chongxu immediately ruled out the possibility of enemies from the Sand Sea Ghost Market.
"Could it be enemies from Xiangjiang? But all enemies in Xiangjiang have been eliminated, the Li family is completely overthrown, and the Huo family is on the verge of collapse. Who else would dare to attack Master Ying?"
"Strange, truly strange..."
He Chongxu felt his head aching from trying to figure it out, but he couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer.
"Could it be..."
He Chongxu suddenly thought of a candidate.
"That confidant of Officer Lin!"
In fact, He Chongxu had already received news when Officer Lin's confidant had previously tried to win over the Huo family.
However, the Huo family had decisively rejected him, and the Xiangjiang capital had promptly dismissed him, leaving the confidant toothless and clawless.
Even if he wanted to do something, he wouldn't be able to stir up any significant trouble.
He Chongxu was not worried about him at all.
If it were him, He Chongxu would even wish he would jump out quickly so he could slap him to death and then hurry on their way.
Little did He Chongxu know, Officer Lin's confidant had indeed come.
However, he had not revealed himself.
Instead, he had been hiding in a roadside civilian house, his expression tense and panicked.
He held an old-fashioned rifle he had procured from somewhere.
The muzzle of the rifle was crudely camouflaged and extended through a gap in the window, aimed outwards.
"Hoo!"
"Hoo!"
"Hoo!"
Officer Lin's confidant took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.
This was his first assassination attempt, and it would be his last.
He had originally believed that with his fervent loyalty to Officer Lin, he could absolutely complete this assassination mission perfectly.
By sending Ying Chen on his way, he would also bring this feud to a close.
But when he had actually ambushed Ying Chen at his expected route, and when his finger had touched the trigger, he found that things were not as simple as he had imagined!
He... actually became flustered and trembled, breaking out in a cold sweat, unable to pull the trigger!
Even though Ying Chen and the other person had appeared in his binoculars, and it would only take a few more minutes for Ying Chen to come within his rifle's range, he just didn't dare to act!
"Damn it!"
*Crack!*
Officer Lin's confidant slapped himself hard, trying to regain his composure.
But in the next second, he discovered: Ying Chen had inexplicably stopped moving!
It was as if Ying Chen already knew of the danger hidden ahead!
He had halted in his tracks!
"What's going on?"
"Did the word leak? But from beginning to end, only I knew about this matter!"
"Even this old-fashioned rifle, I bought it after passing through several hands."
"There's no reason for the word to have leaked!"
The slight confidence Officer Lin's confidant had gained from slapping himself instantly collapsed, and he fell back into deep self-doubt.
Meanwhile, on the road.
Ying Chen looked at the shadow at the foot of the mountain and suddenly let out a sneer.
Then, he stomped his foot!
*Rumble!*
The earth trembled, and the foot of the mountain shook.
The next moment, the shadow that the sun couldn't even reach suddenly spread out like ink.
Then, two figures shot out from the shadow, like figures leaping out of an ink painting into this world!
Seeing this, He Chongxu froze.
So it wasn't Officer Lin's confidant!
Officer Lin's confidant didn't possess such skills!
But then, who could it be?
He couldn't recall any individuals in Xiangjiang with such capabilities!
Judging by the manner of their appearance, they seemed to exude a dark and bizarre aura, as if they were disciples of some dark, esoteric sect.
"Interesting."
"No wonder they dared to steal our treasures."
Two figures resembling mountain goblins appeared before Ying Chen and He Chongxu. Both grinned simultaneously and said.
With these words, Ying Chen and He Chongxu instantly understood their intentions.
They had been attracted by the commotion of the Cheng Ying Dragon Breath Arrow and had followed them all the way!
Greed for treasure!
*Pfft...*
He Chongxu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He had racked his brains and pondered for a long time without understanding the identity of the enemies, only to find out they were just two petty thieves intending to rob them!
Most importantly, they were trying to rob Ying Chen.
Wasn't that like looking for death in a toilet by punching—courting disaster?
Didn't they know that Ying Chen was the biggest robber in all of Xiangjiang?
He had plundered the Li family, the Huo family, and other families in Xiangjiang.
And the most crucial part was that these families had been grateful for it.
"Old man, what are you laughing at? You're uglier than us, yet you dare to laugh at us! I think you're tired of living!"
"Look at your eyebrows, they've grown down to your mouth. You don't even look human, yet you're laughing at us brothers? Believe it or not, I'll smash your skull open and drink it like coconut water?"
As soon as the two heard He Chongxu's scoff, they became agitated.
At the same time, one of them swung his fist and took a step forward, looking eager to start a meal.
Seeing their unruly demeanor, He Chongxu frowned. "Why are these two acting so mad? They don't seem like normal people."
"In that case, Master Ying, please hold back for now. Let me test their skills first."
"I have a feeling things aren't as simple as they appear, and these two might just be cannon fodder, with the real boss still behind them."
He Chongxu volunteered.
Ying Chen's divine sense had already enveloped the surroundings, confirming that no other masters were present.
However, since He Chongxu was so enthusiastic, he would let He Chongxu take the lead.
It was a good opportunity to test the gourd treasure He Chongxu had recently acquired.