Northwest.
The jeep raced along the highway like a wild wolf for several hours.
As dusk approached, the last rays of the setting sun glimmered on the barren mountaintops, as if a layer of blood had been spilled. The deep blue night gradually descended from the depths of the clouds.
Ye Qiu opened his eyes, looked at the scenery outside, and suddenly asked, “Have we left the northwest yet?”
“Almost,” Tang Fei replied. “We’re about fifty kilometers away from Taiyuan.”
Taiyuan was the necessary passage from the northwest to the capital.
Long Ye, sitting in the back seat, said, “We’ve been driving for hours since we left the service station. Why haven’t we encountered any enemies? Do you think Bai Yujing found out that Sabre and those two assassins are dead, so he doesn’t dare send anyone else?”
Tang Fei said gravely, “Don’t underestimate Bai Yujing. He’s not someone who gives up easily.”
Ye Qiu remained silent, his eyes fixed on the road outside.
“Ye Qiu, what are you looking at?” Long Ye asked.
“Have you noticed that there are fewer cars on the road?” Ye Qiu said.
Long Ye laughed. “This is the northwest. There are always fewer cars here. No need to make a fuss.”
Tang Fei also felt something was off. “There were some trucks on the road earlier, but now there’s not a single one in sight.”
The unusual situation put Ye Qiu on high alert.
The car continued for another ten minutes.
“Stop the car!”
Ye Qiu suddenly shouted.
Screech—
Tang Fei slammed on the brakes and turned to Ye Qiu. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a killing intent,” Ye Qiu said, staring out the window.
Tang Fei and Long Ye immediately looked outside, drawing their guns from their waists, their faces tense.
However, they saw nothing.
After thirty seconds.
Ye Qiu looked ahead and said, “They’re here.”
Tang Fei and Long Ye followed his gaze and saw two men walking leisurely toward them on the road.
They appeared to be around thirty years old.
The man on the left was nearly two meters tall, with a large head and ears, and an exceptionally fat build, weighing at least three hundred pounds. He wore a white robe, his big belly protruding like a Buddha.
The man on the right was less than 1.4 meters tall, even shorter than the bald dwarf Ye Qiu had encountered earlier. He wore a black robe, with a sharp, monkey-like face and thick white powder on his cheeks, resembling a skinny monkey.
One fat, one thin.
One in white, one in black.
The two men stood together, forming a stark contrast.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that their facial features bore some resemblance.
Ye Qiu noticed that the fat man was holding a whole braised pig’s trotter, gnawing on it as he walked, his mouth dripping with grease.
The skinny man, on the other hand, carried a thick iron rod on his shoulder. The rod was as thick as a bowl and weighed at least a hundred pounds, yet the skinny man walked without breaking a sweat, looking completely at ease.
“Experts!”
Ye Qiu narrowed his eyes.
“Old Tang, do you recognize these two?” Long Ye whispered.
Tang Fei shook his head.
“Didn’t you say the Underworld Palace has a list of all the top experts? If they’re experts, how come you don’t know them?”
“There are so many experts on the list. I can’t possibly know all of them.”
“Ye Qiu, can you tell how strong they are?” Long Ye asked Ye Qiu.
“I can’t gauge their strength, but one thing’s for sure—they’re definitely stronger than Sabre. You two stay in the car. I’ll go meet them.”
Ye Qiu grabbed his sword, opened the car door, and walked forward a short distance before stopping, his eyes fixed on the two men.
He noticed that as the two men approached, a chilling aura enveloped the area, sending shivers down his spine.
When they were about ten meters away, the two men also stopped.
Ye Qiu looked at them, and they looked back at him.
“Big brother, why is he staring at us?” the fat man asked, still gnawing on the pig’s trotter.
“Maybe he thinks we’re handsome,” the skinny man said seriously.
“What should we do? Kill him, or…”
“Let him stare a bit longer. After all, it’s an honor for him to see such handsome men before he dies.”
“Alright then, let him stare.”
The fat man continued to gnaw on the pig’s trotter.
“These two seem a bit… dim-witted,” Ye Qiu thought to himself.
Time passed quietly.
Three minutes went by.
Ye Qiu stood still, his eyes still fixed on the two men.
“Big brother, he’s still staring at us.”
“Let him stare.”
“But I hate his eyes.”
“It’s fine. After we kill him, I’ll dig out his eyeballs for you to eat.”
“That’s more like it.” The fat man grinned, then frowned again. “Big brother, what if he keeps staring at us?”
“Then let him stare to his heart’s content.”
“That works. I’ll finish eating first, then I’ll have the strength to deal with him.”
The fat man sat down on the ground and continued to gnaw on the pig’s trotter.
Ye Qiu was puzzled.
What’s going on?
Did Bai Yujing send two idiots to kill me?
Another five minutes passed.
The fat man finally finished the pig’s trotter, leaving only a bone. He seemed still hungry, licking the bone repeatedly.
Ye Qiu couldn’t help but wonder:
“Who are these two?”
“Especially that fat guy. Why does he act like a starving ghost?”
The fat man stood up and shouted, “Big brother, I’m still hungry. Let’s kill him! Look at him—he’s so tender. He’d probably taste great roasted.”
The skinny man agreed immediately. “Fine. After we kill him, you can eat the meat, and I’ll drink the blood.”
“Great, great!”
The fat man was overjoyed.
Then, the two of them stepped forward, closing in on Ye Qiu.
“Who are you?” Ye Qiu couldn’t help but ask.
“We are the Two Ghosts of Tianchi, here to send you to the afterlife,” the fat man said proudly. “Now you know who we are, right?”
Ye Qiu shook his head. “Never heard of you.”
“You bastard! You don’t even know the name of the Two Ghosts of Tianchi? You must have a death wish!” The fat man was furious, then added, “Before you die, let me introduce us.”
“I am the Starving Ghost.”
“And this is my big brother, the Hanging Ghost.”
Ye Qiu was stunned.
He had never heard such bizarre names before. It seemed these two really were idiots.
“Enough talk. Time to send you on your way.”
The two charged at Ye Qiu.
The skinny man swung his iron rod at Ye Qiu’s head from the left, while the fat man swung the bone in his hand straight at Ye Qiu’s chest.
Ye Qiu blocked the bone with his left elbow and grabbed the iron rod with his right hand.
Both his hands were occupied, but at that moment, a cold glint shot out from the darkness like lightning, aiming straight for Ye Qiu’s throat, arriving in an instant.
