Just as Wuming was hugging his master's corpse and weeping bitterly, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.
"You little rascal, that old man is already dead, why are you still crying here? I think you're just a spineless little wretch."
Hearing someone speak, Wuming immediately turned around, and sure enough, he saw the Man in Black leading a fat, pig-like young man approaching once again.
Knowing that they meant no good, Wuming hurriedly put his master down, stood up, and said, "Senior, why is it you again? Could it be that my master's death was your doing?"
"You little rascal, I won't beat around the bush. Let's keep things clear and straight—a real man takes responsibility for what he does. The ones who killed your master just now were the Black and White Fiends, so don't try to pin it on us."
"Since you didn't kill him, what are you two doing back here now?"
"Hahaha, do you even need to ask? We're here to kill, of course."
"My master has already been murdered by villains like you. Who else could you possibly want to kill right now?"
"Stop cross-examining us. The person we came here to kill today is you," the Man in Black said aggressively.
Hearing these villains speak so arrogantly, Wuming felt his anger flare up. He glared at them and demanded, "Why do you want to kill me? Can you tell me the reason?"
"You have no right to ask. The reason we are going to kill you today is to make you an unjust ghost—you'll figure it out naturally when you reach the underworld."
Hearing this, Wuming was so furious his lungs felt ready to burst. It seemed like trying to reason with thugs was like an educated man trying to reason with soldiers—there was simply no talking sense to them.
Since reasoning was impossible, Wuming hesitated no longer. He gripped his sword and charged straight at them.
The Man in Black had no desire to waste words and immediately called out, "Junior brother, get in here! We must kill this little brat today so we don't leave any regrets behind."
Just like that, a two-on-one battle was formed.
The Man in Black arranged it this way because he knew how formidable this little brat was; otherwise, taking him down wouldn't be easy.
Such a setup was certainly not good news for Wuming. After all, he was still a newcomer whose martial arts had not yet reached their peak.
Even so, Wuming was not afraid of the two villains before him. Since they wanted him dead, he would no longer hold back, and instead swung his precious sword with all his might to meet the enemy.
Now that his master was dead, he couldn't just let himself be unjustly killed under the villains' poisoned swords!
You have to hand it to them—the two villains coordinated their moves remarkably well. In particular, that fat fellow possessed the strength of an ox, and his sword techniques descended like Mount Tai pressing down from above, leaving Wuming gasping for breath.
Things had reached this point, and Wuming was determined never to surrender. He had to fight to the very end to defeat the two villains before him.
By now, the sky had completely darkened, and only a few figures could still be seen fighting fiercely within the valley, growing bolder with every clash.
Just then, two whistling arrows shot out from the woods and struck the arms of the two villains respectively. Judging by the technique, it was steady, accurate, and ruthless.
Struck by the arrows, both villains let out an involuntary cry of "Ouch!" and their swords almost slipped from their hands.
Seeing that the situation was turning against them and unwilling to press the fight, the Man in Black immediately shouted, "Junior brother, let's go!"
The two villains hurriedly leaped out of the combat circle and vanished in a flash without a trace.
By this time, Wuming was utterly exhausted. Had the fight continued any longer, his life truly would have been in peril. He felt that his own death wouldn't be a great pity, but who would avenge his master?
Wuming had no idea which deity had saved him, but he knew he needed to show his gratitude properly.
Without delay, he cupped his fists and asked, "Which high expert intervened to save me? Please show yourself so that I, Wuming, can thank you in person."
"Hahaha, no need to thank me. I just happened to see an injustice on the road and drew my sword to help—nothing more," came a laughing voice as two figures leaped out.
Using his eyesight, Wuming could tell that the newcomers were two youths, both dressed as hunters. In the blink of an eye, they were standing right before him.
Daring not to be discourteous, Wuming hurriedly bowed deeply and asked, "May I ask the honorable names of my benefactors?"
"Ah, you can just call me Young Master Jin, and the one standing beside me is my servant, Yuner," Young Master Jin replied readily.
"Thank you, Young Master Jin, for your tremendous help. Please come with me to the temple to rest for a moment!" Wuming immediately invited.
"There's no need. You should attend to your master's funeral arrangements first. We'll take our leave now." With that, Young Master Jin hesitated no longer, and with a flash, led Yuner away from the scene.
Watching them leave, Wuming finally turned around, walked back to his master's side, and sat down to cradle his upper body once more, weeping bitterly.
At this moment, he felt a profound sorrow, never imagining his fate could be so agonizing.
Wuming had been abandoned by his biological parents the moment he was born, and now his master had also left this world, abandoning him to fend for himself.
Just as Wuming was weeping in utter despair, he suddenly sensed that his master had regained his breath.
Overwhelmed with surprise and ecstatic joy, he cried out, "Master, have you come back to life?"
"Ouch..." Kaishan Zhenren really had revived, though his voice was faint and barely audible.
"I knew Master wouldn't die so easily! Master, I'll carry you back to the temple right now so you can rest and recover from your injuries," Wuming said happily.
"Don't... go back. Carry... me... to the top of the cliff," Kaishan Zhenren whispered with great difficulty.
Wuming listened quietly and finally caught his meaning. Eager to fulfill his master's wish, he quickly replied, "All right, Master, I'll carry you to the top of the cliff right away."
Daring not to delay, Wuming flew up, carrying his master to the summit, and settled him into an upright, seated position.
Only then did he offer comfort: "Master, I will treat your wounds right now."
"No, you... go to... the tem—ple—" Kaishan Zhenren could no longer finish his sentence.
Puzzled and full of doubt, Wuming guessed, "Master, do you want some water?"
After waiting for a long time without receiving an answer, Wuming decided he could wait no longer. He quickly flew down the cliff—no matter what, he had to fulfill his master's final wish.
When Wuming returned to the top of the cliff holding a cup of water, he suddenly felt something was amiss. Peering down through the night, he looked closely and discovered that his master had turned to stone.
Wuming was struck dumb with astonishment. How in the blink of an eye had his master transformed into a stone statue?
It took him a long time to snap out of his daze, realizing that his master had truly departed for another world.
At this moment, Wuming was engulfed in an even deeper despair. It was clear that this time, his master was truly and forever gone.