No one had expected Chen Li to be so forthcoming. He agreed to release them without any conditions.
Linglong, despite a flicker of confusion, executed Chen Li’s command without hesitation.
With a gentle wave of her fair hand, the pristine White Silk binding the seven captives seemed to come to life. It uncoiled on its own, flying silently back into her wide sleeve and vanishing from sight.
The seven felt their bonds vanish. They scrambled to their feet, stretching their sore limbs. Their eyes, still burning with hatred for Li Weikun, dared not act rashly. They quickly gathered behind the Moon Fairy, heads bowed, awaiting her command.
The Moon Fairy’s cold gaze swept over the seven. Her voice was just as frigid. "The seven of you acted on your own for personal revenge, nearly ruining our sect’s grand plan. I’ll spare you for now, considering your meritorious undercover work. But if this mission ends in failure because of you, then you can wait to face punishment."
"Yes."
Cowed by the Moon Fairy’s aura, the seven broke out in a cold sweat, too terrified to even breathe.
The Moon Fairy gave Chen Li a long look and nodded slightly. "Thank you."
She said no more, turning and vanishing like moonlight dissolving into the dense forest.
The seven hastily followed.
In the blink of an eye, the wilderness fell silent once more, leaving only the cold moonlight to illuminate the ravaged clearing.
Even after the seven had departed, Li Weikun remained lost in a daze, standing rooted to the spot like a soulless statue.
His face was deathly pale, his eyes vacant. His lips trembled, opening and closing silently as if chewing on a bitter pill he couldn’t swallow.
"Master..."
Chen Shouye couldn’t help but step forward to prompt him.
"Why... why is this happening?"
Li Weikun snapped his head up, his gaze sweeping over the others as if seeking an impossible answer. "Why are they so sure I’m a traitor? What else... what else happened back then?"
His voice was fraught with an agony that teetered on the edge of collapse.
Just then...
BANG!
BANG!
Suddenly, the sound of fireworks erupted from all directions.
In the pitch-black sky, countless crimson lights shot upward, forming into small, sword-shaped patterns several feet long. They hung high against the night, their light dazzling.
The Celestial Sword Sect’s signal!
Everyone’s heart went cold. ’What are they planning to do?’
’Are they going to attack Hidden Emperor Castle?’
"Master, this is no place to linger," Chen Shouye urged. "Let’s discuss all of this once we’re safely back at Mirror Mountain."
Li Weikun snapped back to his senses, his voice still hoarse. "You’re right, Shouye... I... I lost my composure."
"Let’s go."
Chen Li said nothing more and turned to lead the way.
...
「Lingxi.」
What was once the grand estate of Wang Shiming’s family was now nothing but a dilapidated, silent ruin.
The tall gatehouse leaned precariously, its vermilion paint peeling away. The door panels were torn and tattered.
The courtyard within was even more desolate.
The once-manicured flowerbeds were now choked with knee-high weeds.
Beneath the eaves, only the bare bamboo skeletons of lanterns remained. They swayed in the night breeze, letting out a mournful CREAK.
Other members of the Wang Family had long since looted any valuable furniture during the chaos. All that remained were heavy, broken beams and planks, toppled and scattered about, thick with dust and cobwebs.
Beside the main hall, a faint light flickered from within a side room that was still barely intact.
Inside the room, a makeshift stove of stacked bricks burned with wood splintered from the abandoned beams.
The leaping flames illuminated three faces, their features distinct and etched with a thick, vicious air.
The three men huddled around a black iron pot, its edges flecked with rust, which they had clearly unearthed from some forgotten corner.
A murky broth bubbled in the pot, where a scrawny, plucked chicken bobbed up and down. A strange odor, a mix of rust and raw meat, filled the air.
At the head of the group sat a grim-faced, middle-aged man.
He wore a set of coarse, washed-out martial arts clothing, the elbows worn shiny. He was silently poking the fire with a stick.
He was the eldest of the three brothers.
The second brother was lean, with lips that naturally curled downwards, giving him a mean and impatient look.
He was currently squatting by the pot, impatiently prodding the pathetic piece of chicken with a chopstick.
The third brother sat against the wall without a word, his head bowed as he meticulously sharpened a foot-long dagger on a whetstone.
He was more solidly built than the second brother. A faint scar crossed his face, and his numb eyes held a vicious glint. His movements were focused and steady as he sharpened the blade.
"Dammit, can’t even find a decent fat chicken in this shithole. Nothing but goddamn stringy meat, no fat at all."
The second brother spat, snapped a plank in two, and tossed it into the fire, sending sparks flying.
The third brother didn’t even look up. He just kept sharpening his blade, his voice raspy. "We’re lucky to have anything to eat."
Just then, the faint sound of rustling footsteps came from the courtyard.
The eldest brother’s fire-poking paused, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The second and third brothers instantly tensed up. The third silently switched to a reverse grip on his dagger.
A small, scrawny figure slipped in furtively, cowering in the shadows by the door, not daring to approach.
The newcomer was none other than Wang Chuanbao.
He wore a filthy short coat, his hair a tangled mess. His face wore a complex expression, a mixture of fawning and fear, and his darting eyes avoided looking directly at the three men.
"Th-three sirs..."
Wang Chuanbao swallowed, his voice trembling. "I... I found out..."
"Spit it out!" the second brother growled impatiently.
Wang Chuanbao flinched and quickly stammered, "Yes, yes! Chen... Chen Li, the Patriarch of the Chen Family, left a few days ago with his second son, Chen Shouye. They haven’t returned. Now, the one at home is... is his eldest son, Chen Shouheng."
"Chen Shouheng?"
The second brother’s brow furrowed, and he shot to his feet. "You mean the kid who became a Martial Scholar and broke through to the Spirit Realm?"
Stunned and uncertain, he suddenly burst out cursing. "Dammit! Why isn’t a rich landlord like Chen Li at home counting his money instead of running around? I’ve wasted days squatting here for nothing! Big Brother, what do we do now? Do we make our move or not?"
"Even though... we’re both at the Meridian Passage stage, I’m not confident I can take him,"
The eldest brother mused for a moment before slowly looking up, his voice low and calm.
"Then what’s the plan?"
The second brother paced anxiously. "We can’t just give up, can we? Who knows how the Chen Family offended the higher-ups, but the reward for this is way better than killing some other local landowner. A chance to break through to the Spirit Realm... Big Brother, I don’t want to pass this up."
The eldest brother’s brow furrowed deeply. "This requires more planning. A direct assault would be a life-or-death battle. The risk is too great for you two. Besides, who knows what kind of traps or Hidden Weapons they have in that Chen Family estate."
Seeing his older brother’s hesitation, the second brother grew even more agitated. "The higher-ups really botched this. Weren’t they supposed to use the Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall to lure him out? Why is that son of a bitch hiding like a turtle in its shell? And Chen Li—he’s just a country landlord. What’s he doing getting involved in the affairs of the Jianghu? Is he an idiot? Does he have a death wish?"
"It’d be for the best if he died. Would save us the trouble," the eldest brother sneered, then lowered his head and fell into silent contemplation.