Chapter Ninety-Nine: Twin Shadows Vanish (An Extra Chapter Dedicated to the Sect Leader’s “Lifelong Devotion to It”)

The alley was dark, and the night watchman supported Xiaoyan as they ventured deeper into its shadows.

Fewer and fewer households remained around them; the moon slipped behind a veil of clouds, its light growing faint.

A fragrant scent wafted near the night watchman’s nose, his hand slowly sliding from Xiaoyan’s arm down to her waist.

Neither spoke, and the alley seemed to grow even quieter, save for the sound of their footsteps.

“Crack—bang!”

Suddenly, the night watchman tripped over a stone he hadn’t seen beneath his feet, falling to the ground and clutching his knee in pain.

“Big brother, are you alright?” Xiaoyan gently helped him to his feet, her voice soft and concerned.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he repeated hurriedly, his eyes darting around. Then he froze.

Though the moon was hidden behind clouds, a faint glow still lingered.

By this dim light, there were no people on either side of the alley—only bare, empty walls.

“Big brother, why aren’t you moving?” Xiaoyan’s voice came from the darkness, her face unseen.

The night watchman said nothing, his gaze fixed on the walls. A chilling legend whispered among the townsfolk suddenly surged into his mind, making the hairs on his neck stand on end.

It was said that late at night, if you walked alone through the streets and someone asked you for directions—or even to lead them home—you must never agree. For you cannot know if you are guiding a person... or a ghost.

He swallowed hard, cold sweat trickling down his forehead despite the cool night air.

“Big brother, my home is just ahead,” Xiaoyan said softly, pointing into the darkness. “Let’s hurry. Once we’re home, I’ll make sure to treat you well.”

He nodded instinctively, “Oh, yes… yes…”

He dared not resist and continued to support her as they pressed forward, silently reassuring himself, “It’s just a legend, nothing to fear, nothing to fear.”

Their footsteps echoed on the stone path, the sound steady but growing heavier in his heart.

The rhythm of their steps was unnervingly singular—the only footsteps in the entire alley.

The night watchman felt the world spin, trembling uncontrollably.

“Big brother, we’ve arrived,” Xiaoyan’s voice whispered.

He shifted his gaze forward and suddenly his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

Ahead, a flicker of firelight blossomed, illuminating a memorial plaque placed against the wall. On it, a small line of writing gleamed faintly.

“Xiaoyan’s... memorial plaque!”

Desperately trying to rise, the night watchman’s hands grasped what he thought were Xiaoyan’s legs—but fear gripped him anew.

Beneath the hem of her clothes was nothing but emptiness; no legs at all—no wonder she made no sound when walking.

As he struggled to get up, icy hands settled on his shoulders, a frigid chill spreading through his entire body.

“P-please... spare me,” he cried, eyes shut tight, begging for mercy.

“Big brother, let’s go home... home together...” came the faint voice.

Then the alley fell silent once more.

...

Dongfeng County.

Fang Mu rose early, enjoying breakfast prepared by A Bai before opening his shop and reclining in his chair, lost in thought.

For now, there was nothing urgent; his task was simple—to enhance his power.

After the Tiger Leap Gorge incident, Fang Mu had gained two things.

One was entry into the Fish Leap Realm, and the other was the Nine Threads of Strange Qi.

He carefully reviewed his abilities, finding they could be divided into three categories.

Offensive skills included Yin Ghost Stab, Butcher’s Knife Technique, and Tiger Force Fist.

Defensive skills featured the Double Golden Body Technique.

Movement skills encompassed Earth Walk Technique.

He also classified a special category—Green Eye Technique and Disguise Technique—because they couldn’t be neatly sorted as either offense or defense.

The Nine Threads of Strange Qi promised great advancement—not too much, not too little—and Fang Mu pondered how best to apply them.

The last time he enhanced skills, both Double Golden Body Technique, Butcher’s Knife Technique, and Green Eye Technique each consumed two threads of strange qi.

For now, he decided to focus on the Double Golden Body Technique.

Between offense and defense, Fang Mu leaned toward defense.

If he could become so resilient that enemies couldn’t harm him, he could then fight recklessly as he pleased.

With this resolve, Fang Mu injected a thread of strange qi; a prompt sounded.

[You have infused one thread of strange qi into Double Golden Body Technique. Double Golden Body Technique +1.]

The thread of qi vanished like water into sand, having no visible effect. He injected another.

[You have infused one thread of strange qi into Double Golden Body Technique. Double Golden Body Technique +1.]

“Still no change?” Fang Mu paused, feeling a pang of frustration.

Two threads were gone in the blink of an eye—such precious resources.

He gritted his teeth and continued pouring qi into the technique.

There was no turning back now; better to push forward boldly.

After the fourth thread was infused, the prompt finally changed, and Fang Mu exhaled in relief.

[You have infused strange qi into Double Golden Body Technique. Skill upgraded—Triple Golden Body Technique: Golden Body Unites, Defense Unmatched.]

A wave of information flooded his mind as thin layers of golden light enveloped his body.

From two layers to three, his defense surged dramatically. Fang Mu was pleased.

He had used four of the nine threads; five remained. After some thought, he turned his attention to the Earth Walk Technique.

Butcher’s Knife Technique was decent, so he set it aside for now.

Why not continue upgrading the Triple Golden Body Technique? Fang Mu wasn’t foolish.

The first upgrade cost two threads, the second four—would the third require eight?

He only had five left. If the upgrade didn’t trigger a qualitative leap, it would all be for nothing.

It was like knowing you could only perform five actions in a night but forcing yourself to do seven—you’d only end up hurting yourself.

Fang Mu’s shift to Earth Walk Technique was deliberate: with strong defense and decent offense, he now needed speed.

Disguise Technique could wait; it offered no highlights at present.

All other skills had been upgraded; Earth Walk remained at its initial level. Enhancing it was a wise choice.

With this in mind, Fang Mu infused strange qi into the Earth Walk Technique.

[You have infused strange qi into Earth Walk Technique. Earth Walk Technique +1.]

[You have infused strange qi into Earth Walk Technique and acquired skill—Twin Shadow Escape: creates illusions at the origin to confuse opponents.]

A wave of information entered his mind, and Fang Mu immediately grasped the brilliance of Twin Shadow Escape.

As described, it not only greatly boosts speed but also generates illusions—a rare and valuable trick.

Fang Mu picked up a cup on the table, then suddenly paused.

The “Fang Mu” holding the cup vanished, while another Fang Mu appeared on the bed.

“Worth it,” he murmured, thoroughly satisfied.

Not only was it fast, but it could deceive enemies—there was nothing better.

By now, he had used up nearly all the strange qi, with only three threads remaining.