In front of the Qifeng Temple gate.
Pei Yong jumped off the Blood-sucking Tarantula, looking at the broken lock on the mottled wooden door, his eyes showed a hint of struggle.
He knew that as long as he stepped through this door today and completed the mission assigned by the organization, there would be no turning back. From the day he started lurking in Su City, he was clear about his identity. Someone like him, posing as an ordinary person, was a pawn and a disposable one at that.
Taking a deep breath, Pei Yong looked at the Blood-sucking Tarantula with an expressionless face, signaling it to go in first. The Blood-sucking Tarantula affectionately nudged Pei Yong's side with its ferocious head, then entered the courtyard first, its eight cold spider eyes scanning the courtyard carefully.
Nothing was found, scanned again.
"Alright, stop looking. Don't you realize how nearsighted you are?" Pei Yong rubbed his forehead in frustration. Despite having eight eyes, the spider was notoriously nearsighted.
"Ji~" The Blood-sucking Tarantula scratched its head with its front leg in embarrassment and retreated to Pei Yong's side, pulling out near-transparent silk threads between its two front legs, spreading them around Pei Yong. Its eight sharp claws occasionally tapped on the silk threads to guard against sneak attacks.
After the Blood-sucking Tarantula finished setting up the web, Pei Yong squatted down, observing the messy footprints on the ground. He dipped his fingers in some powder, rubbed it, and sniffed it with his nose.
"The scent in the footprints hasn't dissipated. It seems they haven't gone far." Pei Yong clapped the powder off his hands and stood up, scrutinizing the chaotic footprints, trying to find the direction in which Shao Zifeng had left.
"Huh?"
Pei Yong's gaze swept over the withered sycamore tree in the middle of the courtyard and saw the foot holds chopped out by a knife. He stepped forward to inspect, and the Blood-sucking Tarantula quickly followed, occasionally spreading its silk around Pei Yong.
Stretching out his hand to touch the fresh marks hacked out, Pei Yong looked up along the foot holds, feeling a bit puzzled.
"Little spider, climb up..."
"Crack!"
Before Pei Yong could finish his sentence, the sycamore tree before him made a crisp sound and split from the middle, flashing a red flame.
A shadow sprang out from the withered tree, holding a crimson kitchen knife. The crimson knife drew a red line in the night, bringing waves of scorching heat as it came slashing at him. His pupils contracted rapidly, staring dumbfoundedly at the rapidly enlarging red light in his eyes.
"Bang!"
"Ji!!!"
...
Shao Zifeng held the knife with both hands, maintaining the downward slashing posture, while a black spider leg blocked the nearly fatal blow.
The part of the Blood-sucking Tarantula struck by the knife was corroded by the fire element wrapped around the blade, making a hissing sound as wisps of smoke rose, emitting a foul stench.
The Blood-sucking Tarantula's sharp screeches continued, irritating and disturbing.
"Shao! Zi! Feng!" A drop of cold sweat rolled down Pei Yong's pale face. He staggered back, his heart filled with lingering fears. It had been so close. Just a bit closer, and he would have died. Protected behind the Blood-sucking Tarantula, his expression gradually turned hideous.
"You do know me after all."
A smile appeared on Shao Zifeng's handsome face, though he inwardly sighed at the missed opportunity. He had planned to capture the leader first by taking down the attacking Combat Training Master, thinking it would make dealing with his pet beast simpler afterward. Still, he wasn't too discouraged.
He had decided to stay behind and ambush because, here, his chances of survival were higher.
"Little spider, kill him for me." Pei Yong didn't answer. The smile on Shao Zifeng's face brought back some bad memories.
Why smile? Why do you smile when you're ambushed? Do you look down on me too?!
Shao Zifeng's smile was like the final straw that broke the camel's back. The sensitive nerve was provoked, and all the accumulated negative emotions burst out instantly. Those painful, humiliating, and unbearable memories nearly drove him mad. His distorted face contorted even more.
"Ji!!" Upon hearing its master's command, the Blood-sucking Tarantula screeched, exerting sudden force to knock Shao Zifeng's knife away. Its two knife-like front legs pressed together, aiming at Shao Zifeng's chest.
Shao Zifeng's expression remained unchanged. He stepped back quickly, flipping the knife to block the Blood-sucking Tarantula's front limbs with the flat side.
"Clang~"
"Ji!!"
The sound of metal striking metal rang out. The spider's forelimb striking the knife's surface produced a burst of white smoke. Though it caused no real damage, the pain infuriated the spider. Its eight slightly bloodshot eyes locked onto Shao Zifeng, who slid back four or five meters.
"Is that it?" Shao Zifeng struggled to keep himself from falling, leaving two long drag marks on the powder-covered ground. He shook his hand, still tingling from the massive force, looking at Pei Yong with a smile.
The bright moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, making the courtyard even darker. The raised powder floated in the air, slightly obscuring both their figures.
"Mocking me! You still dare mock me! Kill! Kill! Kill, I will kill you!" Pei Yong roared in madness, his demeanor frenzied. The Blood-sucking Tarantula seemed agitated too. Its eight long, hairy legs sprang like a spring, leaping toward Shao Zifeng.
Seeing the spider's assault, Shao Zifeng prepared to dodge but noticed the Blood-sucking Tarantula's landing point wasn't aimed at him at all.
After all, visual perception was a weakness for spider-type pet beasts. The absence of moonlight and the floating dust in the courtyard further hindered its position judgment.
"Bang!"
The aggressive Blood-sucking Tarantula crashed heavily onto the ground, missing its target entirely. The violent impact scattered more dust, reducing visibility further in the courtyard.
Shao Zifeng sighed in relief but didn't plan to sit idly by. Holding the kitchen knife protectively to his chest, he covered his mouth and nose with one hand and quickly ran towards the mountain gate. The dust concentration in the air had reached his goal; he must leave as soon as possible.
"Little spider, prepare to sense and use Tearing Claw Strike towards the fluctuating position." Pei Yong realized Shao Zifeng's intention and commanded the Blood-sucking Tarantula with a sinister smile, not planning to engage in combat himself.
Though stimulated by Shao Zifeng, he hadn't entirely lost his sanity. Facing a Combat Training Master with the elemental power of "Bonding reaction," engaging without equal strength was suicide.
The closer Shao Zifeng got to the mountain gate, the crueler Pei Yong's smile became.
Following Pei Yong's command, the rampaging Blood-sucking Tarantula ceased searching for Shao Zifeng, standing still and quietly. Its eight legs intermittently tapped on the silk threads. Each tap created an invisible wave, capturing the trapped prey's movement.
"Hiss~"
Just as Shao Zifeng reached the gate, he stopped suddenly. Looking down, he saw his shoes caught by some nearly transparent silk threads. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free. Realizing the dire situation, Shao Zifeng urgently turned around, shielding his chest with the kitchen knife.
As soon as he did this, the dust before him began to swirl violently. Suddenly, a pair of black spider claws, gleaming with white light, ripped through the dust towards his chest with a whoosh.
"Hiss!"
The kitchen knife provided slight resistance but was broken in half. The immense force hurled Shao Zifeng away, leaving a claw mark on his chest, with blood bursting forth, instantly staining his clothes red.
"Bang!"
"Cough, cough!"
Shao Zifeng was flung out of the mountain gate, sliding far on the ground, leaving a striking blood trail, and crashing into a mountain peach tree. His mouth filled with the taste of iron, fresh blood spewing from his slightly open mouth.
"Escape, keep escaping!"
Pei Yong, with a mocking smile, stood at the temple gate, looking down at Shao Zifeng. Revengeful pleasure gleamed in his eyes, seeing Shao Zifeng as those who had scorned him in the past.
The night wind whistled through the withered mountain peach forest, making a wailing sound as the dark clouds scattered, allowing the bright moonlight to shine once more upon the earth.
Shao Zifeng coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He stood up slowly, supporting himself on the mountain peach tree, wiping the blood from his mouth. He looked up at Pei Yong, a smile tugging at his lips.
He raised his right hand, a fireball the size of a fist floating above his palm. Shao Zifeng smiled, moving his lips as if wanting to say something to Pei Yong, then threw the fireball towards him.
The fireball, trailing a flame tail, flew out, quickly dissipating as if running out of fuel outside Shao Zifeng's range. By the time it reached Pei Yong, it was the size of a marble, emitting a weak glow.
Pei Yong, knowing the mechanics of the "Bonding reaction" elemental power, showed a sardonic smile, neither dodging nor evading, allowing the fireball to fly at him.
"Swish"
The fireball flew past Pei Yong's head, emitting a faint warmth, disappearing into the dust behind.
Suddenly, his expression changed as if he remembered something, his eyes filled with intense terror, slowly turning his head.
The previously settled dust now tumultuously rolled and expanded. Reaching a critical point, an explosive flame occupied his entire vision. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. His mind cleared as he realized what Shao Zifeng's lip movements said, "Goodbye."
"Boom!!"