Chapter 278: 278: Volume 2 Side Story: Between A Rock And A Dark Place

Crimson Snow Sect, Salted Fish Mountain Peak. A shallow layer of fog obscured the night sky. Only the brightest of stars occasionally surfaced amidst the dark expanse above, their weak light unable to penetrate the depths of these mountains.

Lamp lights were visible on many parts of these massive mountains, as many disciples were spending the night without sleep. Small and large groups could be seen in the dark, walking to and fro on numerous mountain roads, engaged in furious discussions.

The entire outer court has been gripped by a tense atmosphere since the conclusion of the public duel this morning. While the duel itself had produced a story worth chronicling in the sect's history, the undercurrents of the contest, now slowly circulating through rumors and hearsay, were proving to be even more significant.

It was unknown from which mountain peak the word had spread, but almost every outer court disciple of the Crimson Snow Sect had come to learn a shocking piece of information.

The higher-ups of the sect were about to begin an open war amongst themselves.

Old grudges and new feuds, half-truths and suspect fictions, all meshed into an invisible conflict that had the ominous momentum of a tribulation cloud and the quiet heaviness of a mountain breath.

Some disciples were frightened, some wore thinly hidden looks of anticipation, and a select few, like Xiao Mei, had already chosen to make their moves in preparation for the upcoming upheaval.

Under the shroud of the night, Xiao Mei circled around the Salted Fish Mountain Peak and snuck into an inconveniently built uphill path that few disciples used. Overgrown weeds and vines made it a difficult journey in the dark, but her steps remained steady.

She was certain that he would be waiting for her at the end of the path.

Soon, the nearly vertical road dipped into a flat clearing. At first glance, it looked empty, but Xiao Mei wasn't so easily fooled. She could sense that person's existence nearby. He was like a warm beacon calling out to the blood in her veins.

She walked to a corner of the clearing, coming to a stop in front of a small mound of leaves. She kicked the leaves into the air, revealing a human head underneath. As if disturbed by the rustling leaves and floating dust, the head cursed in a low voice.

To anyone else, finding a lively head on the ground at night might be a horrific sight. But Xiao Mei knew what to expect. It wasn't just a head, the body connected to it was there too, buried inside the earth as the cultivation method demanded.

Kneeling till their faces were level, she said in a gentle tone, "Brother Xiao Wu, we haven't been keeping up with each other these days, have we? You've ignored so many of my secret summons that I'm starting to consider the possibility of a betrayal!"

Xiao Wu cursed under his breath again before retorting, "You have some nerve, woman! I was already going against my conscience when you forced me to spy on my good brother Xuhan and give you his information. Do you think I couldn't guess what the next step would be? I'm not setting him up for a trap. No way!"

Xiao Mei's smile didn't falter. "I didn't take Brother Wu to harbor such loyal sentiments, of all people! After what your family has experienced, you still treat your shallow friendships with such care... Admirable, it's truly admirable!"

"I doubt you're here to express your admiration for me," Xiao Wu said with squinted eyes. "What do you want? Be honest!"

Xiao Mei laughed softly. Extending a finger, she poked Xiao Wu in the forehead, forcefully pushing his head back.

"Xiao Wu, you carry my clan's surname, your family survives solely because my clan protects it, and your cultivation progresses only when I guide you through the steps.

Yet, you dare act so brazen in front of me? Even your father has to bow and scrape when he meets me; did you forget it all?"

Xiao Wu gritted his teeth, but he couldn't retort this time. Xiao Mei seemed to find his silent struggle delightful, her grin growing wider.

"When your family was being pursued by the Beasthaven Sect, it was my Xiao Clan that gave you a lifeline.

To hide you completely from their eyes and ears, you were sent to this sect with me, because Sect Master Xuan Zi has a treasure that can lock karmic traces and shield his disciples from being tracked and harmed by powerful cultivators.

Even that precious Bloodline Cultivation Manual you stole from the Beasthaven Sect, the one you're cultivating right now, it was us who taught you its intricacies-"

"We stole nothing," Xiao Wu grunted. "That manual belonged to my-"

"Do I care? Not really," Xiao Mei interrupted him.

"What I care about is the fact that you're biting the hands that feed you and shield you. Does that not pain your conscience? How come the Xiao Clan is less important to you than a months-old friendship?"

Xiao Wu opened his mouth to speak, but Xiao Mei suddenly grasped his neck, crushing his windpipe. Her countenance turned as dark as the night sky behind her.

"Did you think I wouldn't be able to tell? That Han Xuhan trains with you whenever you're free. You were the one who guided his martial combat skills, weren't you? Otherwise, how could he adapt to my Xiao Clan's private martial arts with such ease?"

Struggling to breathe, Xiao Wu spat out, "I can explain!"

Xiao Mei slightly loosened her clenched palm, and words flooded out of Xiao Wu's mouth in a frenzy.

"He would've found it suspicious if I suddenly stopped helping him train his martial skills after his feud with your mountain peak came to light. We had been training together long before it started!"

"How does that explain why you went out of your way to teach him the weaknesses of my clan's martial arts?" Xiao Mei hissed.

"...Miss Mei, I grew up learning only your clan's martial arts, remember? I don't know how to fight in a different way. How else could I have trained with him?

I tried not to give away our techniques, but the weaknesses of the moves are something that even the most skilled practitioner can't hide! That's why, having adapted to my weaknesses and having collected information on you, he was able to counter you easily!

"...."

For a moment, Xiao Mei sat there in silence, dumbfounded. This explanation...

Uhh, it didn't seem wrong.

"Wait, if you didn't actively teach that stuff to him, he'd still notice the resemblance between our martial arts, wouldn't he?" She muttered, suddenly finding the gentle wind chilling.

"Someone as suspicious as that guy would definitely figure out that you and I have some connections. Didn't he try to dig that secret out of you?"

Xiao Wu did not answer her question. But the sound of footsteps from behind told her enough.

Xiao Mei took a deep breath, stood up, and turned around to face the newcomer. That silhouette, that gait, even in the dark, he was all too familiar.

"Sister Mei, regarding Senior Brother Yan, please accept my condolences," Han Xuhan said from a distance.

Despite the darkness enveloping the plateau, Xiao Mei was certain that he had a smile on his face, and his happy gaze was like a cat watching a cornered mouse. Her palms instinctively clenched into fists.

She silently prepared to unleash her most deadly offensive technique, only to hear him say, "Brother Wu didn't betray you the way you're thinking. Don't be so quick to resort to violence. It's not like you're going to win, hahaha!"

She hated that laugh. She hated that smug bastard. But there was no way she could call his words a boast. Especially after witnessing him dueling Chen Yan to a tie, she had lost all confidence in being able to face him in a proper battle.

Her techniques and cultivation might be superior by a margin, but in terms of tactics and trickery, defeating Han Xuhan was a prospect daunting enough to cool her spirits down.

Seeing her stillness, Han Xuhan sighed in relief. "Sister Mei, you've been putting my martial brother Wu in a tough spot for quite some time now. I only learned about his ties with your clan today, and thinking back, this situation feels quite unfair to that poor guy."

Pointing at Xiao Wu's head sticking out of the ground, he continued, "Betraying you means he'd jeopardize his family's safety. Betraying me means he'd jeopardize his own life as a disciple of this sect. What can he do except to arrange for a meeting between both sides and hope for the best?"

"What exactly are you proposing?" Xiao Mei asked in a gloomy voice.

Unable to see his face in the dark, she couldn't be sure what this guy was getting at. Not a word coming out of his mouth could be trusted.

What was he scheming now? Was this a move to finish her completely? Reduce her to the same helpless state Chen Yan was in right now?

Unbeknownst to her, Han Xuhan's attention was elsewhere tonight.

He was fully focused on a semi-transparent screen that only he could see, flickering dimly right before his eyes.

On it floated two lines, revealing an exhilarating development.

[ Quest: Xiao Wu's Secret ]

[ Quest Progress: 60% ]