Xie Fanhua was sent flying dozens of feet away by that sword strike. He barely managed to halt his momentum by planting his twin blades into the ground before rising to speak, only to vomit a mouthful of blood. He gave a bitter smile: "Truly worthy of The Head."
"Scram!" A furious roar came from within the carriage.
"Let's go!" Xie Fanhua waved his hand, and without hesitation, his followers swiftly retreated.
Chou Niu hurriedly turned, reaching to lift the carriage curtain: "The Head—"
"The Head is fine!" Bai Hehuai grabbed the curtain, stopping him. "Chou Niu, find four people to carry the carriage into the courtyard!"
Chou Niu paused, then nodded: "Understood!"
Bai Hehuai exhaled softly before turning to The Head. The Sleeping Dragon Sword had already been sheathed, the slumbering dragon on its hilt closing its eyes once more. The Head's face was deathly pale, his lips trembling slightly: "Xie Fanhua couldn't have obtained the Soul-Guiding Incense on his own. The Mu Family gave it to him."
Bai Hehuai froze. She recalled The Head once telling her of his origins—that he was originally from the Mu Family. Yet she never imagined the Mu Family's shadow loomed behind this ambush. With a flick of her wrist, she planted a silver needle at The Head's brow: "Soul-Guiding Incense isn't difficult to counteract. Don't recklessly use your inner energy, The Head!"
The Head took a deep breath, then extended a finger. A wisp of purple qi flowed from his fingertip, spreading an eerie fragrance through the carriage.
Bai Hehuai immediately pulled out a vial of pills, swallowing one herself before tossing another into The Head's mouth. She marveled: "Your inner energy is so formidable, you can forcibly expel the Soul-Guiding Incense's toxins."
"Having come from the Mu Family, I'm familiar with this incense. Expelling it isn't difficult, but I won't be able to use my energy for twelve hours. That was likely the Mu Family's goal." The Head's complexion eased slightly as he leaned back against the seat.
Outside, Chou Niu scanned the surroundings. Confirming the assassins had retreated, he approached the courtyard gate and knocked heavily three times, lightly three more, then delivered one final heavy strike. The gate slowly creaked open, revealing a hunched, wrinkled old man who eyed Chou Niu and demanded gruffly: "Key?"
The Sleeping Dragon Sword flew from the carriage, embedding itself in the gate.
The hunched old man startled, stepping back: "Enter. Once inside, remain silent."
"Understood!" Chou Niu nodded, then signaled. Four Spider Shadows lifted the carriage from its corners, slowly carrying it into the courtyard.
The old man leaped up, pulling the Sleeping Dragon Sword from the gate before raising it reverently.
"A'Luo, how many years have you been here?" The Head's voice drifted from the carriage.
The hunched elder bowed, voice trembling with emotion: "Thirty years. Never thought I'd live to see The Head's arrival in my lifetime. I have no regrets."
"You should be enjoying retirement here. My coming has troubled you." The Head extended a hand, retrieving the sword from outside the carriage. "My apologies."
"People like us have no right to speak of retirement." The old man stepped aside, clearing the path."Silence!" Chou Niu hissed, and everyone immediately stopped speaking. Even the four Spider Shadow members carrying the carriage employed a mysterious technique, making their footsteps instantly inaudible. Only after they passed through a massive courtyard and reached the main residence did the hunchbacked old man finally say, "You may speak now."
Everyone exhaled heavily, their backs already drenched in cold sweat. Turning around, they happened to see a sparrow fluttering its wings as it flew across the courtyard. The moment it made the slightest sound, an arrow shot out from a corner, piercing straight through the sparrow's body.
"This is the Silent Formation," Chou Niu said gravely.
"Indeed. This is the Silent Formation," echoed The Head as he stepped down from the carriage. Bai Hehuai stood beside him, carrying her medicine chest, her eyes curiously scanning the courtyard.
"The Head!" everyone bowed in greeting.
The hunchbacked old man approached. "The Head, let me escort you to your room to rest."
The Head nodded and walked forward slowly. Everyone except Bai Hehuai remained where they were, not following.
"And this young lady is...?" the old man asked, glancing at Bai Hehuai as they walked.
"My name is Bai Hehuai," she replied. "If you'd met me fifty years earlier, I could've cured your hunchback."
"This young lady is the Miracle Healer from Medicine King Valley," The Head chuckled. "Her words might not be an exaggeration."
"Absolutely not an exaggeration. Your hunchback isn't congenital—it's from poisoning that softened your bones. If the poison had been neutralized in time and combined with bone-setting techniques, it wouldn't have come to this. Pity it's been too long," Bai Hehuai shook her head.
The old man's eyes briefly lit up before dimming again. "Thank you, Miracle Healer, but I've grown accustomed to this."
"It's not entirely untreatable. It's just... the price would be rather steep," Bai Hehuai rubbed three fingers together meaningfully.
"How steep?" The Head asked.
"Give me this estate," Bai Hehuai said with a playful grin.
The old man narrowed his eyes, his tone turning icy. "You jest, Miracle Healer."
"Hahahahaha!" The Head suddenly laughed. "The Miracle Healer is quite the greedy one."
"That's why I left Medicine King Valley," Bai Hehuai said airily, whistling a tune and dropping the subject of the hunchback treatment.
As they bantered, the old man led them to an innermost chamber. "If you need anything, Miracle Healer, release the Wooden Bird on the door. I'll come as quickly as possible."
"Wooden Bird?" Bai Hehuai looked up to see a yellow wooden bird perched on the door, a wooden cord hanging from it.
"Pull that cord, and I'll appear," the old man said before stepping back and vanishing.
Once he was gone, The Head finally let his strength drain away. He planted the Sleeping Dragon Sword heavily into the ground, staggered to the bed, and collapsed onto it.
"Such a stubborn old man," Bai Hehuai sighed softly, moving to check his pulse.
"I haven't fainted yet, Miracle Healer. No need to mock me so soon," The Head managed to say with difficulty."I just think that old gentleman earlier was loyal to you, Head. Why did you have to force yourself to appear unaffected in front of him?" Bai Hehuai shook her head.
"If you had seen how he kills, you would understand," the Head said coldly. "I do trust him, but after all, it has been thirty years since we last met."
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