Main Text, Volume Two, Chapter Ninety-Two: Ambushed

After thinking it over, Yu Mu came to understand it.

Because Meng Fang had made a misjudgment, Lu Zihao had ended his tomb expedition far too early; one could say that this trip had brought him no benefit at all.

Old Qu, however, had fought alongside them all the way, and had even obtained the spirit-treasure collar. It was only natural that he should advance as well.

Having learned the news of his brothers, Yu Mu’s heart was finally at ease, and he began drinking with Gu Yuan. The other two, Ye Yu and Yan Xiaosan, did not drink, and their company soon became rather dull.

Yu Mu and Gu Yuan, however, only grew merrier the more they drank. They kept raising their cups and talking at length, drinking through the entire night. In the end they drank Gu Yuan into utter ruin before the three of them finally took their leave.

Though they had talked all night, Yu Mu still did not mention Qing Yu’s affairs. Qing Yu had already chosen another path; he no longer belonged to Feather-Eagle Ridge.

...

In the transmission hall of Free City, the three of them took form.

Yu Mu glanced around, but did not see Aunt Goose. It seemed she was not here today. Yu Mu did not wish to disturb her, so the three of them walked straight out of the hall.

Outside, they stood in silence. The hour of parting had finally arrived.

Ye Yu need not even speak; she would naturally return to the Dao Gate to refine medicine and save her mother. Yan Xiaosan also had to return and report his mission. Yu Mu, meanwhile, was leaving this place.

The three had come here together, yet now they must each go their separate ways.

What needed to be said had long since been said. They looked at one another in silence, exchanged words of care, and parted with sorrow. The tears that shimmered at the corner of Ye Yu’s eyes as she turned away fell into Yu Mu’s heart like knives.

Watching the two of them disappear from sight, Yu Mu turned quietly down a side street, but he did not go far. He still had some matters to attend to here.

The first was to find Old Six Qiao and buy that Great Art of Spatial Escape. He also wanted to visit the grand marketplace and purchase a few techniques.

Up to now, he still possessed only one art, the Unified Origin Staff Technique, which could be used in direct combat. Its power was truly limited, and it was far too one-dimensional.

There were also the dao artifacts and other spoils he had acquired this time, which he needed to trade here.

Because three Saints existed in this region at the same time, there were no other major powers within a radius of several thousand miles around Free City. As a result, Free City had become the largest city in this entire range, and also the most prosperous place.

Precisely because it was so far from other forces, no teleportation array had been set up from here to elsewhere; otherwise Meng Fang would never have come on foot.

So if he missed this place, who knew how long it would be before he found another trading ground like it?

Yu Mu made up his mind and first headed for the market. The market was as lively as ever, but there was no sign of Old Six Qiao. Yu Mu was greatly disappointed, and had no idea where that old swindler had gone to cheat people now.

The two incantations within the Great Art of Spatial Escape had once saved Yu Mu’s life; it seemed to truly be an excellent dao art. This time he had come intending to buy it.

Unfortunately, some things, once missed, can perhaps never be recovered in this lifetime.

He strolled around the market for a while, but found nothing to his liking. With regret, Yu Mu left the market.

By now it was nearly noon, and Yu Mu was feeling somewhat hungry, so he stepped toward the tavern called Heaven Drunk. This time the tavern was open for business as usual, and it was at the height of the lunch rush. Voices roared from both upstairs and down, and by the time Yu Mu entered, every seat was already taken.

Yu Mu went straight to the counter and called out to the manager, “Bring me those jars of Heaven Drunk. I’m taking them away.”

The manager was busy enough to be running in circles. When he looked up suddenly, he cried out in surprise, “You again?!”

This manager has a good memory, Yu Mu thought. After all this time, he still remembers me.

What Yu Mu did not know was that a monster who could drain an entire vat of wine in one sitting would probably be unforgettable to anyone.

Yu Mu did not waste words. He took out several spirit crystals and tossed them onto the counter. “I’m buying all the wine.”

The moment the manager saw the spirit crystals, his face broke into a broad grin. “All right, all right. But sir, you’ll have to wait a moment. There isn’t enough wine here at the moment. I’ll send the waiters to fetch more right away.”

After a brief thought, the manager added, “How about this: I’ll arrange a private room for you and have a few of our specialties stir-fried as well. There’s still some wine here, so you can eat and wait at your leisure. Consider it this old fellow’s treat. What do you say?”

Yu Mu was indeed somewhat hungry, so he nodded. “Fine. Then thank you. But the bill must be counted in my name. Just bring the wine and food. And remember, I eat vegetarian.”

“Of course, of course!” the manager agreed at once, and personally led him into a secluded room.

When Yu Mu entered, he found that this was clearly the manager’s private reception room, lavishly decorated. He did not stand on ceremony and sat down with the ease of a grand lord.

Soon wine and dishes were laid out before him. It was truly a bountiful spread, though it had taken a bit of time. But this was the busiest period of the day, and Yu Mu could understand that.

“The shop is so busy. Won’t keeping you here delay your business?” Yu Mu asked, seeing that the manager was actually preparing to keep him company in person.

The manager chuckled. “Today it is rare indeed to meet an old acquaintance. This old fellow has also found his appetite for wine. So I shall steal a little leisure and keep sir company with a couple of cups.”

Yu Mu laughed. “Good. I was just troubled by the loneliness of drinking alone. Come, let me toast you first.”

The manager hurried to his feet. “I would not dare, I would not dare. How could this old fellow bear such an honor? It should be this old fellow toasting sir first.”

After a round of polite refusals, the two of them began drinking cup after cup. Though the manager’s liquor capacity was limited, he was well traveled and quick-witted, and proved to be an excellent drinking companion.

The conversation flowed so happily that, before they knew it, nearly an hour had passed.

Yu Mu had eaten and drunk his fill, and rose to settle the bill. The manager still wanted to keep drinking, but Yu Mu had matters to attend to and could not linger. The manager had no choice but to let it go.

By then the servants had already brought over the wine. Yu Mu stored it all in his gourd; this was one of the purposes of his trip. The honey wine of the old bee was truly limited in quantity, and though he could call in a favor from Gu Yuan, Yu Mu still felt awkward taking too much, so he had come here to make up the rest.

The gourd had another benefit: its interior formed separate spaces, so even if several kinds of things were put inside, they would not mix together.

After putting away the gourd and leaving the tavern, it was already afternoon. Yu Mu shook his head and smiled wryly. Drinking truly caused trouble. He had better hurry to the grand marketplace, or there would not even be enough time left to browse.

Yu Mu had barely turned the corner when several people blocked his path. The man at their head gave a cold smile and said, “You must be Yu Mu. Boy, we’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.”

“Fire Poison Dao?” Yu Mu took one look at the group and knew immediately that something was wrong.

Where had I gone wrong? And how did they expose my trail?

At first Yu Mu ruled out the possibility that Ye Yu had betrayed him. Not for any special reason, only because he trusted her from the bottom of his heart, without needing any reason at all.

Besides Ye Yu, only Yan Xiaosan knew that he had come here. But Yu Mu immediately dismissed that possibility as well, for the same reason: trust.

So who else could it be?

Yu Mu thought carefully over what had happened after entering the city, and his gaze turned instantly cold. It was that manager. It had to be him. No wonder he had been so kind as to send wine and dishes and even keep him company in drinking. It had all been to buy time.

Yu Mu flew into a rage, and at the same time cursed himself for being stupid. Given the servile way that man had behaved toward Ye Yun the last time, even if he were not a subordinate of Fire Poison Dao, he had to be one of their informants.

Damn it.

At this point, there was no path left except to carve one open by force. And the longer he delayed, the more reinforcements would arrive.

“What’s wrong, boy? Too scared to move? Hah. If only you’d known better, you wouldn’t be in this mess now. Offending the Young Alliance Master and still thinking you can live—ouch! This brat actually dared to launch a sneak attack!”

The leader had not even finished speaking when Yu Mu suddenly swung the staff in his hand and brought it crashing down over his head. The man had never expected Yu Mu to strike so abruptly, without the slightest warning, and nearly took the blow squarely on the skull.

Enraged, he shouted, “Damn it all, what are you all standing there for? Charge!”

At his command, the others rushed forward and spread out in a fan formation to surround Yu Mu. Yu Mu let out a roar and struck first, engaging them in battle.

Among the attackers, aside from their leader who was in the middle stage of Core Formation, the others were roughly at the same level as Yu Mu. But in terms of overall strength, they were far inferior.

Just the green-wood staff in Yu Mu’s hand was not something the common weapons in their hands could compare to. Much less the bamboo hat on his head, which was a spirit artifact; even the leather belt at his waist was of a far higher grade than the magic tools wielded by these men.

Thus, though they greatly outnumbered him, it would not be easy for them to defeat Yu Mu in a short time.

Seeing this, the leader shouted, “There are too many eyes and ears here. Finish him quickly to avoid any mishap. Prepare the concentrated fire technique—attack!”