I Can Devour Spirits

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: The Ruined Temple

At the crack of dawn the next day, the sky was still dark, and not a single shadow could be seen in the small town. The inn’s entrance was already lit with torches, and Porter Tang Dejin and Ren Tiewa had harnessed the horses to the escort vehicles and led them out!

The group mounted their horses one by one, and the sound of hooves clattered promptly in the haze of the nighttime.

This path had been tread countless times by Sun Huang and the others; the resting points along the journey were well mapped out. Once the escort team moved out of Chang’an Town, they would proceed along the official road into the territory of Ruyang Prefecture.

Upon entering Ruyang Prefecture, the first county town they could rest in was Sheqi County.

However, that Sheqi County was more than a hundred miles from here, and at the marching speed of the escort team, it would take two days to reach.

In between, there would be a night’s rest at a dilapidated temple, so we have to hasten our journey.

The escort team hurried on until they finally saw a crumbling temple not far from the official road by dusk.

Though the temple wasn’t small, one corner had collapsed.

In the depths of twilight, an owl perched atop the eaves of the temple suddenly shot out like an arrow, flipped through the air, and clamped down on a bat that was catching insects at low altitude. The owl flapped its wings, holding onto the bat, and flew toward the nearby wilderness...

Sun Huang called out to the Escort Masters to lead the escort vehicles into the temple, then untied the horses and tethered them to the large tree outside the temple doors. It was the juncture of spring and summer, and the wild grass was lush—just right for the horses to feast on...

After completing this task, Tang Dejin squatted at the temple entrance, guarding the grazing horses.

The rest of the Escort Masters were inside the temple, finding spots to sit and rest...

Meanwhile, Lu Feng and Ren Tiewa retrieved cooking utensils, a water bag, and dried meat from an inverted net under one escort vehicle, preparing to cook a meal.

Lu Feng glanced at Duan Rong but hesitated before calling him over.

Duan Rong, though an Intern Escort Master, possessed Inner Breath Realm Second Level cultivation. The Escort Masters were blooded men who lived off the Jianghu, speaking through martial prowess. Inner Breath Realm Second Level cultivation was formidable even among Escort Masters.

Moreover, Duan Rong’s master was Xiao Yu.

Seeing Lu Feng and Ren Tiewa busying themselves in the temple’s central open space, Duan Rong rose, moved over, and joined in to help without saying anything.

Duan Rong had thrived in the workplace in his past life; one needed to know how to act here.

While Duan Rong, Lu Feng, and Ren Tiewa were cooking a meal, suddenly a voice said, ”Leader, there’s someone lying in the shadows there!”

The speaker was Yao Liangrong, Lu Feng’s mentor when he first joined the escort team.

Upon hearing him, everyone turned to Yao Liangrong, who raised his hand and pointed to a dark corner behind him in the dilapidated temple.

In the torchlight, a person was indeed lying there, clothes tattered, face caked with mud, hair matted in clumps with dirt, lying motionless on a ragged mat, unclear if dead or alive.

Sun Huang glanced at the person and said, ”Probably a vagrant... When the meal is ready, check if he still has breath left? If he does, fix him a bowl too.”

Outdoor cooking didn’t involve much fuss—just some dried meat, dry crackers, and spices boiled into a hearty broth.

With kindling ablaze, the aroma of the meal soon spread, and the Escort Masters, having traveled all day, were already feeling famished. At the scent of food, their mouths watered.

Once the meal was ready, Lu Feng and Ren Tiewa first brought bowls to Sun Huang, Liu Ao, Xiao Yu, while the rest of the Escort Masters each grabbed a bowl and gathered around the large iron pot. Duan Rong held the large ladle and started serving everyone.

The Escort Masters, with their bowls at hand, found a spot either squatting or seated, to eat.

The last one to come for food was Li Yuliang. Unlike the Escort Masters, he lacked martial arts skills; the first day went relatively smoothly, but by the second day, he was already feeling worn-out, bones seemingly falling apart, his face ashen.

Just as Duan Rong served a bowl and was about to hand it to Li Yuliang, a shadow suddenly leaped from the dim corner of the temple, like a bat in the night. Mid-air, there was a flash of cold light in his hand—a dagger aimed at Li Yuliang’s throat.

The shadow was none other than the seemingly lifeless vagrant who had been lying on the ragged mat in the temple corner...

At that moment, with Escort Masters busy with bowls, they couldn’t react in time, and Li Yuliang, devoid of martial prowess, was about to have his throat slashed by the dagger.

Duan Rong’s heart trembled; he suddenly splashed the thick, hot soup in his hand. The steaming, sticky soup showered the man in mid-air.

As Duan Rong splashed the soup, he lifted his right leg, kicking Li Yuliang in the abdomen.

With his toes infused with Inner Breath, Duan Rong kicked Li Yuliang into the air, and the man mid-air suddenly found his view blurred by the soup. Just as his dagger pierced through the soup toward Li Yuliang’s throat, Li Yuliang had flown away, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike!

The man reacted swiftly, not yet landing when he flung his dagger mid-air with a whizz. It streaked toward Li Yuliang’s face, creating a whooshing sound.

In mid-air, witnessing the dagger shooting at him, Li Yuliang felt as though time stood still, except for the dagger flying towards him...

”Am I going to die?” Li Yuliang pondered.

At that moment, a shadow flitted by with a crisp ”ding,” as Xiao Yu drew his blade and struck away the incoming dagger!

”Master Level Cloud Serpent Step! So fast!” Duan Rong marveled inwardly. He had only glimpsed a shadow flashing, and Xiao Yu had knocked the dagger away.

Realizing his double attack failed, with the Escort Masters all alert now, he no longer had the chance to kill Li Yuliang, so he retreated violently, kicking Tang Dejin at the temple entrance, and darted into the darkness outside.

Sun Huang suddenly sprinted to the temple entrance, but outside, the night was deep, and the attacker, possessing excellent Lightweight Skills, had disappeared without a trace.

Standing at the temple door, Sun Huang turned his head just as a thud sounded—a moment later, Li Yuliang landed heavily on the ground, raising dust all around.

The attacker and Xiao Yu both possessed Lightweight Skills, with flashes and rapid movements; Sun Huang, though lacking Lightweight Skills, was already at Inner Breath Realm Fourth Level with Great Success Realm—his speed was powered purely by strength, crossing to the temple door with a single bound. Their actions all happened in mere second!

Li Yuliang lay on the ground, retching violently, face pale. Though Duan Rong controlled his strength, the kick had infused Inner Breath, and was not something Li Yuliang, never trained in martial arts, could endure; for that split second, his organs trembled intensely...

Yet Li Yuliang knew, had it not been for Duan Rong’s emergency kick, his throat would have been slashed by the dagger...

Sun Huang glanced at Li Yuliang, who was vomiting heavily but clearly unharmed.

Sun Huang’s gaze crossed over Duan Rong and Xiao Yu’s faces. Without this pair of master and apprentice, that mere moment would have resulted in a fatality in the escort team!