A dull thunder exploded in the gloomy sky, seemingly heralding the arrival of a thunderstorm.
at a desolate mountain on the border of Xingzhou, a dilapidated temple was revealed under the flash of lightning.
"Cough cough!" A weak cough echoed from a corner of the temple.
Zhao Ge, who was seriously injured, groggily regained consciousness, his face pale and his expression withered. His hair, once partly white, had now completely whitened. Compared to last month, he seemed to have aged more than twenty years in an instant, and his wrinkled face even began to show age spots.
"Master, you’ve awakened," said a slightly weak man who hurried over when he heard the sound.
Zhao Ge struggled to sit up from the ground, his gaze dim. A sense of despair and grief welled up within him. He glanced outside at the sky and estimated the time, his voice hoarse, "Shou Hou, you and Rong Niang need to run for your lives. Continuing with me will only lead to certain death. As long as you can escape from Xingzhou, you might be able to find a way to survive."
"Master, I won’t leave. I’ve been an orphan since I was young, with no parents. Master kindly took me in, let me join the martial arts hall, gave me food, allowed me to live, and taught me boxing. Now that the martial hall is facing such a disaster, how can I abandon master and flee alone?" The weak man’s eyes showed resolute determination. "If they want to kill the master, they’ll have to step over my corpse first."
"Good boy." Zhao Ge extended his rough hand and patted him, a tear twinkling in his eye.
Adversity reveals true character.
It was only after this catastrophe that he truly understood who among his disciples were sincere and who were not... It was just a pity for those disciples who had followed him through life and death, casualties of misfortune.
"Master, what I’m most worried about now is junior sister. Is she really okay going to Ghost Street alone? And Master, is it reliable for you to ask junior sister to seek out that fellow disciple named Li Yi? After all, junior sister is our Zhao’s Martial Arts Hall’s last hope. The martial hall’s legacy is in her hands. I’m not afraid of death, but I fear that the martial hall will be lost, along with master’s lifetime of effort," said Shou Hou.
Shou Hou’s face showed concern.
Zhao Ge couldn’t help coughing again; fresh blood surged from his chest. He forcefully swallowed the blood back, then took a few deep breaths and said, "Li Yi is loyal and righteous. Master is very reassured to entrust Zhao Qian to him... Also, this senior brother, whom you’ve never met, has a supernatural birth, not an ordinary person. As long as he is here, Zhao’s Martial Arts Hall will forever exist."
As he spoke, memories of teaching Li Yi martial arts in Ghost Street came to mind, and he couldn’t help but softly add, "Yi’s divine bravery is unmatched in all ages... It’s just unfortunate, it seems I won’t witness that moment. But sooner or later, his name will spread across the Four Seas and Eight Continents, and all the martial artists will bow their heads in his presence."
"Yi’s divine bravery, unmatched in all ages."
Upon hearing these words, Shou Hou was suddenly invigorated.
This unseen senior brother, just what kind of man was he to deserve such high praise from master? Moreover, recently, whenever master felt down, he would mention Li Yi’s name, which made him even more curious.
Zhao Ge didn’t continue the conversation and fell into silence again, his mind possibly wandering.
Seeing the master’s soulful and dispirited demeanor, Shou Hou merely stayed by his side without speaking further.
The dilapidated temple then fell into silence.
After a while, a figure suddenly hurried in.
It was a woman in her late twenties, dressed in a tight outfit, her face covered with dust and slightly disheveled, but she exuded a heroic aura. However, as she approached, there was a sparkle of worry and anxiety in her eyes.
"Rong Niang, how is the situation?" Shou Hou quickly asked the newcomer.
Rong Niang’s voice was also somewhat hoarse,"Those who are hunting us have already appeared at the foot of the mountain... They are well-prepared, each with two horses. Our horses have already died of exhaustion during our escape. If we rely on our legs, we will be caught before we can get out of these mountains."
"Since we can’t escape, let’s fight here." Shou Hou said indignantly, "They’ve killed so many of our brothers and sisters; even if I die, I will take one or two with me."
Rong Niang said nothing, only silently looked at Master Zhao Ge, then said, "Let me and Shou Hou stay behind to cover our retreat. Master, you take the back mountain path. With luck, maybe..."
Zhao Ge immediately rebuked, "At my old age, with a wounded spirit and having suffered a palm strike from Han Tianbao, I am probably at my end. You go. I’ll stay behind to stall them. If you scatter and flee in both east and west directions, perhaps one or two of you may survive."
"I won’t leave. I’ve lost my own family, and Zhao’s Martial Arts Hall is my home. I will not abandon my home to flee," Rong Niang said as she shook her head, a stubborn woman who would have fled alone long ago if she were willing to leave her master at all, but she had stayed by his side till now.
"You are still young, still have a long road ahead of you, there’s no need to accompany this old man to die here," Zhao Ge said again, hoping the two disciples would flee on their own.
Rong Niang remained unmoved. Shou Hou, too, was silent beside her.
Clearly, both of them had long been prepared to die alongside Zhao Ge.