Chapter 640 - 643: Entering Uninvited

Chapter 640: Chapter 643: Entering Uninvited

They had been on the road for three days straight, and both the people and the horses were exhausted.

When they finally spotted a temple, the group decided to ask for lodging for the night.

The moment they stepped inside, Li Ji used his Mind Reading Technique and sensed something was off about the monks. He declined the temple’s offer of food, sticking to the dry rations and water he had brought with him.

「Around midnight.」

Sure enough, a faint prying sound came from the door.

Li Ji sat up, grabbed the treasure sword from the bedside, and lit the oil lamp.

Hua Manman was also awake by now.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Just as she was about to ask what was going on, the door was pushed open, and two furtive figures crept in.

The intruders were two monks dressed in black.

Gone was their benevolent daytime demeanor; now, they looked utterly shifty.

They had thought their movements were careful enough to go unnoticed, but they were caught red-handed the moment they stepped inside.

The shock made them both freeze, completely dumbfounded.

Hua Manman yawned. "It’s the middle of the night. What are you two up to?"

The slightly older of the two monks struggled to force a smile.

"I came to ask if you would like a midnight snack."

Hua Manman asked, "Then why didn’t you knock?"

"I was afraid of disturbing your rest."

"So you let yourselves in?" Hua Manman retorted.

The two monks were left speechless.

Realizing they couldn’t bluff their way out, they cast aside all pretense, drew their daggers, and charged at Li Ji and Hua Manman.

Hua Manman didn’t even flinch. She was calm enough to pull the blanket up a little higher around herself.

’Li Ji alone is more than enough to handle two petty thieves like them.’

And sure enough, in just two moves, Li Ji had them on the ground. He broke their arms and legs, leaving them unable to flee. They could only lie there, wailing pitifully like a pair of mangy dogs.

Bian Ziming soon came running to report to Li Ji. Their rooms had also been attacked, but thankfully, they were prepared and had successfully captured the intruders. They were now awaiting the Regent King’s orders.

Ordinarily, Li Ji would have had them handed over to the government to deal with such trivial matters.

But now, as a wanted fugitive, it was inconvenient to interact with the government.

Li Ji ordered his men to first interrogate the monks about their origins and motives, and then to kill them all.

Bian Ziming accepted the order and left.

Hua Manman and Li Ji went back to sleep.

The next morning, Bian Ziming came to report the results of the interrogation to Li Ji.

It turned out the "monks" were actually a group of mountain bandits who robbed travelers. Their monastic identity was just a disguise.

Countless traveling merchants had died at their hands. Today, they had the misfortune of picking a fight they couldn’t win, and would finally pay with their own lives. It was a case of karma finally catching up to them.

Two days after leaving the temple, the group entered a small county town.

They took rooms at an inn in town.

Hua Manman had an attendant bring hot water, preparing to enjoy a long, hot bath.

However, she was only halfway through her bath when a commotion erupted outside, followed by urgent knocking on her door.

Li Ji shouted from outside, "Manman, come out, quickly!"

Startled, Hua Manman quickly asked.

"What’s wrong?"

Li Ji replied, "The government is here! We have to leave immediately!"

With no time for questions, Hua Manman hastily threw on her clothes and shoes and ran to open the door.

Li Ji grabbed her hand and pulled her out.

Li Liao, Bian Ziming, Yue Niang, and the others were already outside.

They didn’t even have time to grab their luggage as they hurried out.

However, a crowd of government officers had already gathered outside the inn.

The moment Li Ji’s party stepped out of the inn, they came face-to-face with them.

The official leading them spoke.

"We received a report that you are wanted fugitives. We’ll have to ask you all to come with us to the government office."

Li Ji, of course, had no intention of going with them. He gave a sharp command, and his group began to force a breakout.

A fierce conflict erupted at the inn’s entrance. Amid the flash of blades, people fell one after another with agonized cries.

Li Ji kept Hua Manman protectively behind him, ensuring not a single scratch would touch her.

With him and Li Liao at the lead, the group broke through the encirclement with ease.

They cut through the city’s defenses like a hot knife through butter, broke through the main gate, and fled the county town.

From then on, they could no longer travel the main roads and were forced to take to the mountain paths.

Worse, in their haste to escape, they had left everything behind except for some gold, silver, and other small valuables. They didn’t even have a blanket to cover themselves at night.

Hua Manman could only sit by the fire, hugging her knees for warmth.

Li Ji took off his outer coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Hua Manman turned to look at him.

"Aren’t you cold?"

Li Ji was about to say he wasn’t, but then he changed his mind.

"I am cold. Why don’t you warm me up?"

With that, he held out his hands to her.

Hua Manman took his hands in hers and gently rubbed them.

Watching this, Yue Niang felt a pang of envy.

’I wish I had someone so considerate to be by my side, too.’

’I wonder when my Prince Charming will finally appear?’

They had no rations, but thankfully, the mountains provided game, wild fruits, and streams. They could make do and fill their stomachs.

After eating her fill, Hua Manman leaned against Li Ji and drifted into a deep sleep.

She hadn’t been asleep long, however, before Li Ji shook her awake.

She rubbed her eyes, about to ask what was wrong.

Then she saw Li Ji press a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence.

His expression was so grave it looked like something terrible had happened. A sense of foreboding washed over Hua Manman.

She clamped her mouth shut, not daring to make a sound.

She knew Li Ji had his Mind Reading Technique, so she asked him in her mind, ’What’s happening?’

Li Ji didn’t respond, his eyes fixed on the space behind Hua Manman.

It was as if something terrifying was there.

The hairs on the back of Hua Manman’s neck stood on end.

She slowly, carefully turned around. In the darkness of the forest, dozens of eerie green eyes were silently watching them.

A jolt of terror shot through Hua Manman, and she nearly screamed.

Luckily, she clapped a hand over her mouth just in time, swallowing the scream before it could escape.

It was a wolf pack!

Li Liao was already awake, every muscle in his body tensed as he stared intently at the wolves.

He quietly reached out and shook awake the others who were still asleep.

Wolves are extremely cautious and intelligent animals.

They were observing their prey, weighing the risks of the hunt and deciding on the best method of attack.

When they saw more and more of their prey waking up, they knew they couldn’t wait any longer.

To wait any longer would be to lose the element of surprise.

Thus, they hesitated no more. Led by the alpha, the pack charged ferociously toward the humans.

Li Ji pulled Hua Manman to her feet.

The others drew their swords and engaged the wolf pack in a desperate battle.