Chapter 375: That's Not Me

Mist filled the air.

Lin Xi held his oil-paper umbrella, gliding lightly across the road, rushing toward Furong Bridge based on his memory.

"Zzzzt..." A faint static sound came from the walkie-talkie.

"Old Lu, Old Lu! Are you okay? What's the situation now?"

Lin Xi calculated the time; Old Lu should be fighting Chen Ling by now. He had fought Chen Ling before and knew how strong the guy was. It would be hard for Old Lu to win one-on-one, so he grew increasingly anxious.

"Cough, cough, cough..." After a long while, Old Lu's weak voice finally came through the walkie-talkie. "Damn it... his power is too strong. He shattered my defense with one punch. If I hadn't been able to fly briefly, I would have been killed by him already."

This result was about what Lin Xi had guessed. He immediately asked:

"Where is he?"

"Still nearby. He saw I was alone and is trying to hunt me down!" Old Lu's voice lowered. "I'm hiding under the bridge arch of Furong Bridge. Come quickly!"

"Wait for me! I'll be there soon!"

Lin Xi added, "What about Maple Ghost? Where is he now?"

"I'm on my way, but I'm a bit far from Furong Bridge, so I might be a little late." A moment later, Maple Ghost's voice came through.

"Good."

Lin Xi knew he couldn't count on Maple Ghost in the short term. The worst-case scenario was that he and the severely injured Old Lu would have to face Chen Ling alone. But even two-on-one, Lin Xi had no confidence in beating Chen Ling...

"I can only get to Old Lu as fast as possible, then make some preparations and try to use home-field advantage to suppress that guy," Lin Xi thought to himself.

Moving at full speed, Lin Xi arrived at Furong Bridge in about a minute.

Once near the bridge, Lin Xi slowed his movements, vigilantly scanning his surroundings, fearing Chen Ling might jump out at any moment... Fortunately, it was quiet all around; not only was there no sign of Chen Ling, but not even a bird could be seen.

Lin Xi jumped down from the bridge side with his umbrella, landing lightly under the arch. A glance was enough to see Old Lu leaning against the wall in a sorry state.

"Old Lu, how are you?" Lin Xi immediately stepped forward to check his condition.

"...I won't die." Old Lu clutched his sunken chest, his face deathly pale. "But it's only a matter of time before he finds me... My combat power is limited now. Lin Xi, are you confident?"

Lin Xi's expression was grave. He looked toward the direction outside the bridge arch and nodded slightly.

"As long as I have enough time to prepare, even if I can't beat him, I can at least stall until Maple Ghost arrives. Then, with three against one, our chances of winning will increase significantly."

A look of joy appeared on Old Lu's face. "That's best. Start preparing quickly, I'll rest for a while longer..."

Lin Xi paced back and forth under the bridge arch with his umbrella on his back, as if observing the terrain.

A moment later, his gaze locked onto the bottom of Furong Bridge above. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He took off the umbrella from his back and gave it a light shake, replicating over a dozen blank oil-paper umbrellas, each surface beginning to draw completely different patterns simultaneously.

Lin Xi held the finished umbrellas in his hand, wiped his fingertips across the surfaces, and covered the patterns with a grayish-white layer. With an upward flick, these umbrellas hung upside down from the bridge bottom one by one, appearing to blend in completely with the surroundings; they were indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Old Lu sat by the wall and asked, puzzled:

"What are you doing?"

"Doesn't that guy like setting traps? This time, I'll let him taste the flavor of a trap too." Lin Xi said in a deep voice. "These umbrellas are hidden above our heads, and each has a different function. As long as I lure him here, it'll cost him his life, or at least a layer of skin."

"Oh~"

Old Lu nodded. "Impressive."

"But once this thing is triggered, it's easy to cause collateral damage. You need to memorize the positions of these umbrellas, or you might get caught in it too." Lin Xi kindly reminded him.

Old Lu stared intently at the hidden umbrellas and nodded heavily.

"No problem, I'll memorize them... every single one."

[Audience Expectation +3]

……

Elsewhere.

"Maple Ghost, I'm almost at Furong Bridge. Where are you?"

Old Lu moved rapidly along the bluestone path, holding the walkie-talkie in one hand, speaking in a low voice.

"Zzzzt..."

After a brief static, Maple Ghost's voice came through the walkie-talkie. "Old Lu? Old Lu! Is it really you?"

Old Lu was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"I should have realized it sooner... I just ran into you!"

"Ran into me?"

"Yes, I turned a corner and saw you coming this way, so I went up to talk to you, but it was that lunatic disguised using the Theater God Path!" Maple Ghost's voice was filled with anger. "I was ambushed by him and almost died. Fortunately, the terrain here is complex, so I turned into maple leaves and escaped..."

Old Lu's face turned incredibly ugly. "Almost forgot... that guy can disguise himself as us!"

"But even if he can disguise his appearance, he can't disguise the walkie-talkie. As long as we stay in contact, we can distinguish the disguise." Maple Ghost said weakly.

"You're right. Where are you? I'm coming to find you!"

"The alley east of Furong Bridge."

"Good, coming now."

Old Lu identified the direction and headed straight toward the alley Maple Ghost mentioned.

"After you enter the alley, turn right. There's a somewhat dilapidated path; follow it straight ahead..." Maple Ghost's voice continued to guide Old Lu through the walkie-talkie.

Old Lu followed the instructions precisely. After walking for about half a minute, he saw a figure walking toward him in the distance.

At the end of the narrow road, Maple Ghost had a walkie-talkie tucked at his waist, walking while frowning and scanning his surroundings, as if searching for something intently.

"After you see a locked warehouse, climb in through the window. I'm hiding there." Maple Ghost's voice came through the walkie-talkie at the right moment.

Old Lu stopped abruptly.

"Old Lu?" The Maple Ghost walking in the distance saw Old Lu, his eyes filled with confusion. "Why are you here?"

Old Lu scanned the figure before him from head to toe. Not only was he uninjured, but there wasn't even a trace of a fight; his clothes were spotless... Most importantly, he wasn't using the walkie-talkie to stay in contact with him.

Old Lu's heart jumped to his throat. He quietly hid the walkie-talkie behind his back and pressed the button.

"I'm on the road, and I see a 'you'."

He said in a low voice.

The Maple Ghost in the distance walked straight toward him.

"Old Lu?" Seeing Old Lu frozen in place, Maple Ghost frowned involuntarily.

Just as the distance between them closed, Maple Ghost's anxious voice suddenly rang out from Old Lu's walkie-talkie:

"Old Lu, be careful! That's not me!!"

A murderous intent flashed in Old Lu's eyes, and he attacked the Maple Ghost in front of him without hesitation!