"I even added a new defensive mechanic," Tang Qi Hong told me proudly. When she saw the hurt shock on my face, she quickly rectified her mistake. "No, no…your qi barriers and defensive mechanics are perfect. They are impervious to most physical and qi attacks. Nothing short of an actual meteor can break through them, or someone with overwhelming brute force, but there"s nothing I can do to improve that aspect. What I did was add in spiritual defense."

"Spiritual defense? Is that different from qi defense?" I asked, confused. Tang Qi Hong nodded eagerly.

"Of course it"s different! Even though the spirit is related to qi, it"s more mental. Like a psychic attack. You know, like illusions? Or attacks that go straight to the mind and spirit? That sort of thing. It"s different from conjuring fire or lightning or creating ice!"

"Oh…" I nodded in comprehension. Wait, that meant…!

My eyes widened as I held my newly completed Snow Aegis, I ran through the possibilities in my head.

"Thank you so much!" I cried out, grabbing hold of a stunned Tang Qi Hong"s hands. She blushed a little, and yanked her hands out of my grip.

"Um, you"re welcome."

"No, seriously! Thank you so much!"

"I got it, I got it!" Tang Qi Hong sighed and then shook her head. "Now let"s go see Father and the Great Elders. If they learn what you"ve created…"

"Hey, you deserve credit as well," I reminded her. My partner giggled, feeling delighted.

"Okay. If they learn what we have created, they"ll definitely kick up a fuss!"

"Right." I hardly thought they would do so, but whatever. I had could just imagine Sect Leader Zi and the Great Elders looked nonplussed and unimpressed as Tang Qi Hong bragged to them what we had produced while I stood back and cringed, wondering where I should hide myself. "Um, you want to show them right now?"

"Then when?" Tang Qi Hong placed her hands on her nicely curved hips.

"Tomorrow?" I suggested. Tang Qi Hong looked a little annoyed, and she sighed and shook her head impatiently.

"Fine, tomorrow then." She brightened up. "I guess it"s better to surprise Father and the rest early in the day instead of this late at night. They"ll be fresher tomorrow. Right now they might be too tired to appreciate the wonder of your invention."

Again, I honestly doubted that they would be impressed by something as insignificant as a gun or the DRAGOON system – which Tang Qi Hong had a huge hand in finishing, but I didn"t want to burst her bubble.

"I"ll escort you home tonight," I told her as I packed everything up in the workshop and locked the door. Tang Qi Hong was practically skipping as I accompanied her back to her home. Or to be more precise, her parents" home.

"Oh, hey, Fei Wu." Sect Leader Zi was waiting on the porch, and he stood up when he caught sight of us. "Thanks for looking after Qi Hong again today. Care to join us for dinner?"

"I"m afraid I have to pa.s.s," I refused politely. "I have Blood Blades duty. I need to report to Elder Zhao."

Sect Leader Zi smiled and shook his head. "Another time then. I"ll ask Elder Zhao to let you off so that you can join us for a meal someday."

"Uh, please don"t trouble yourself…"

"It"s no trouble at all."

Sometimes, I felt as if the sect leader was just as stubborn as his adopted daughter. Forcing a smile, I merely nodded humbly.

"Speaking of which, Father, you"ll be in for a surprise tomorrow!"

Tang Qi Hong was unable to contain her excitement and almost let the cat out of the bag. Sect Leader Zi raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm?"

"You"ll see! Fei Wu will tell you tomorrow!" Tang Qi Hong was beaming. "He"ll show you what he has been working on all this while! You and the Great Elders will be in for a big surprise!"

"Ugh…you"re not supposed to tell him that…" I groaned. Sect Leader Zi burst out laughing, but to my relief, he merely nodded without pressing for further details.

"I"ll look forward to it tomorrow then," he said. I nodded and cupped my hands reverently.

"I"ll take my leave then."

Then I hurriedly left Sect Leader Zi"s manor and hurried down Flame Volcano, heading right for the base where Elder Zhao resided in.

"Any news regarding the Divine Shadow Sect?" I asked when I stepped through the door. Elder Zhao raised his head and glanced at me before shaking his head.

"Nope. Despite employing our best interrogation techniques, Gray Shadow refused to utter even a word." There was a note of grudging admiration in his voice. "He is really tenacious."

"He"ll crack soon enough, though."

One of the Blood Blades walked out, wiping his hand on a stained cloth that was dyed crimson in blood. He shook his hands and smiled bitterly. Even though this wasn"t a job he enjoyed, he excelled in it, and knew it was necessary.

"I"ve removed another couple of his molars today, and I can see the fear in his eyes. Just a little more, one more slight push, and he"ll spill everything he knows."

"Good." Elder Zhao nodded. "Keep working on it."

I couldn"t help but curiously peer behind the door. Despite having been a victim before, I felt my stomach drop a little when I saw the horrendous sight of a bloodied Gray Shadow hanging from his arms. Manacles bounded his wrists and he hung helplessly a few inches above the ground, his arms clearly dislocated out of their sockets. His fingers were bent the wrong way, and fingernails were gone, leaving delicate, pink flesh exposed to the air. His chest and torso were bare, revealing freshly clotting scars and a myriad of other wounds that made me a little sick. It was especially because I had suffered through a similar torture session before that I was almost unable to stand the sight, unwanted memories of my suffering under Ba Yun of the Chinese Parasol Tree Sect drifting to mind. I swear, that was a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. And to be honest, Gray Shadow wasn"t that much worse off than I was. His head lolled on his chest limply, blood dribbling from his mouth and other wounds, and his eyes were blank.

The Blood Blades senior was right. Gray Shadow was not far from cracking. The defiant glint in his eyes were gone, leaving hollow, gray, lifeless...o...b.. that stared blankly at the dried pool of blood below him.

Trying not to throw up as the horrifying sight and excruciating memories combined to make me sick, I shut the door and turned back to Elder Zhao.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Not unless you want to torture the guy, but I know you don"t have the stomach for it." Elder Zhao regarded me grimly, noting the pallor of my face. I sighed and nodded, and he smiled gently. "Just remain on standby. We"ll be raiding the Divine Shadow Sect base in Tushan City soon enough."

Apparently, the Divine Shadow Sect had moved once Gray Shadow had been captured, as a precaution. They didn"t know we already knew of their base in Water Margin Town, but they were smart enough to know that it wouldn"t be a good idea to remain there when one of their own had been captured and could potentially spill their whereabouts.

Fortunately, Senior Shen Cha had been keeping an eye on them and tracking their movements. He had followed them to another dilapidated warehouse in Tushan City itself, and was watching them as we spoke.

"We"ll need your strength when we launch an attack on the Divine Shadow Sect members there. We"re just waiting for evidence." He narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the torture chamber where Gray Shadow hung out. "I also have Du Yan keeping an eye on Liang Shao Yang, but so far he hasn"t made any suspicious moves."

The senior responsible for torturing burst out laughing. "Yeah, after that stunt Junior Liang pulled when he tried to frame Elder Tang for attacking him the other day, he ended up embarra.s.sing himself. After that, he has shut himself mostly inside his apartment, only coming out for training and stuff. He"s been avoiding Senior Tang ever since."

"That"s good." I sighed in relief. Elder Zhao nodded toward my direction.

"Great job looking after Qi Hong all this while. Keep it up."

"I will!" I saluted. Elder Zhao chuckled.

"For now, just go home and take a rest. I"ll call you when there"s anything."

*

"You"re too reckless!"

Hu Mei Er crossed her arms as she glared at Liang Shao Yang. He merely stared at his feet as he sat on the edge of the bed they shared.

"I came back after a few days from a mission on collecting Spirit Materials, and what do I hear? You shooting yourself in the foot when you tried to frame Junior Tang? What are you trying to do?"

"I"m trying to secure the position of future sect leader," Liang Shao Yang retorted coldly. Hu Mei Er hesitated when she heard that.

"Even so, you have to be more patient," she said, her tone softening. "Right now you"re being suspected of ordering an a.s.sa.s.sination attempt on her and the Blood Blades are keeping an eye on you. Some of the Great Elders are even reevaluating their opinion of you."

"There"s still a few of them on my side," Liang Shao Yang replied confidently. "They"ve spoken up against Sect Leader on my behalf."

"Only because you"re a male and they"re misogynistic old b.a.s.t.a.r.ds who cling to their patriarchal ways and believe the sect should only be run by men." Hu Mei Er shook her head bitterly. "But if you keep this up, you"ll cause more trouble for them."

The way she said it, it was obvious she didn"t think it was a bad thing. Of course, as a woman, she wasn"t pleased with those misogynistic Great Elders. She was one of those more liberal girls who fought for the feminist cause.

"I know what I"m doing," Liang Shao Yang said shortly. Hu Mei Er shook her head in disgust.

"I"m sure you do."

"I"m serious." Liang Shao Yang reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her down onto the bed next to him. Hugging her, he whispered into her ear. "I"m going to need a favor from you."

"What is it?" Hu Mei Er couldn"t resist him when he was like this. She obediently pressed her beautiful head into his chest, listening to his pounding heart. It was slow, methodical and regulated. Despite the current setbacks, Liang Shao Yang hadn"t panicked. He was still scheming in that cold, calculative, methodological manner of his.

"There is a Blood Blades member watching over me right now."

"You mean Du Yan?" Hu Mei Er raised her head and glanced outside the window. "What about him?"

"I need you to distract him for me. A minute…no, just thirty seconds. I need you to distract him for half a minute." Liang Shao Yang gently held Hu Mei Er at arm"s length, gazing seriously into her blue eyes. "Can you do that for me?"

"That…" Hu Mei Er swallowed for a moment, and then she nodded. "Yeah, that"s a piece of cake."

Du Yan, who was monitoring Liang Shao Yang"s villa from outside, couldn"t hear what they were saying. Even though the Blood Blades were allowed to monitor him, bugging his house and setting up listening devices had been prohibited. That would be a blatant violation of Liang Shao Yang"s privacy, and even the sect leader couldn"t allow that.

Even so, Du Yan doubted that the couple would be discussing anything important. Most likely they were having pillow talk. Liang Shao Yang and Hu Mei Er had an active s.e.x life, often engaging in Dual Cultivation.

This was most likely going to be another of those nights. Obviously, he wasn"t privy to that. That same protection of individual privacy applied now, and he didn"t have security recorders or close-circuit video cameras filming whatever the two did in their room. He couldn"t even see anything through the window, just sense their presences inside their houses. For almost a week now, Liang Shao Yang hadn"t done anything, and Du Yan doubted he would do anything tonight.

However, he hadn"t become a Blood Blade by being careless. Elder Zhao had personally a.s.signed him to do this job, and he would carry it out to the letter.

"?"

Du Yan tensed when he saw the door open, but it was just Hu Mei Er leaving. Apparently the couple didn"t plan on having s.e.x tonight, which meant Hu Mei Er wasn"t going to stay over at Liang Shao Yang"s villa as she usually did.

Well, whatever Senior Hu wanted to do or whoever she slept with was none of his business. Du Yan"s job was to watch Liang Shao Yang and he intended to do just that.

"Du Yan?"

"?!"

Du Yan almost jumped out when Hu Mei Er called out his name. In the few minutes that she took to leave Liang Shao Yang"s villa, she had made her way toward his position, surprising him. Evidently he hadn"t hidden himself well enough.

"Can I help you, Senior Hu?" He asked without turning around and still keeping his eyes on Liang Shao Yang"s villa. Even though Hu Mei Er had left the villa, Liang Shao Yang had remained inside. Du Yan could still sense the inner sect disciple"s presence within the house.

"Oh…just feeling a bit lonely tonight. Shao Yang has been aloof these few days…probably because I spent too long on a mission outside. I was wondering if you can accompany me instead?"

"I"m busy right now. Go ask someone else."

Even though Du Yan found Hu Mei Er beautiful, he was under no illusions that she would be attracted to him. Everyone knew that Hu Mei Er was Liang Shao Yang"s girl, and the b.a.s.t.a.r.d did not hesitate in attacking anyone he thought was getting too close to his lover, even if the other party was also an inner sect disciple.

"How cold…"

"!!!"

Du Yan jumped up when he felt Hu Mei Er leaning against him, pressing her soft b.r.e.a.s.t.s against his arm. He whirled around in shock and tried to back away, but Hu Mei Er was clinging to him, her head upturned.

"Don"t be so cold…I was already dumped by Shao Yang. Are you going to cruelly reject me as well?"

"P…please, Senior Hu. Don"t talk nonsense." Du Yan didn"t get into the Blood Blades by being undisciplined. He took a deep breath and pushed her away. "Honestly, you should ask someone else. There are plenty of other guys who will be happy to accompany you. I can"t right now. I"m on a mission."

"So after your mission is over, will you accompany me?"

Du Yan"s mind went blank as he studied her expression. Even though he was one of the fearsome Blood Blades, in the end he was still a guy and he couldn"t help but be attracted to her beautiful expression.

"N…no," he managed. "I"m sorry, but…I really think you should ask someone else."

Du Yan knew that this was too good to be true. There was no way that Hu Mei Er would approach someone as nondescript as him. Not even if Liang Shao Yang…

"That"s good then." Hu Mei Er sighed dramatically. "I appreciate your kindness, all the same, but I will take your advice for now."

"…eh?"

Du Yan blinked, not expecting Hu Mei Er to give up so easily. She smiled sweetly and did a curtsy, pulling up the hem of her short, pink skirt slightly.

"I"ll take my leave then, Junior Du."

With that, she vanished. Du Yan stared after the place where she stood, absolutely baffled. He exhaled and shook his head, turning his attention back toward Liang Shao Yang"s villa.

Then he froze.

Liang Shao Yang was no longer in his villa. He was…gone.

Panicking, Du Yan reached for his combead. "Elder Zhao! Liang Shao Yang…he has disappeared!"

*

However, Elder Zhao was no longer inside the Blood Blades headquarters. At this time of the night, he had left it to his subordinate, and returned to his villa near the top of the Flame Volcano.

That subordinate in question, the guy who was responsible for interrogating Gray Shadow and the one I just conversed with after his torture session only a couple of hours earlier that evening, was lying on the ground, his throat slit. He clutched his bleeding neck desperately for a few seconds before the light went out of his eyes and he slumped on the floor.

Liang Shao Yang watched him coldly, the Spirit Dagger gleaming in his hands.

After a few seconds, Liang Shao Yang confirmed that his victim was dead, and then turned toward the torture chamber. Holding his Spirit Dagger out cautiously, he kicked the door open and strode to the front of the broken and battered Gray Shadow.

"Young Master…"

Some of the light returned to Gray Shadow"s eyes and he looked at Liang Shao Yang weakly. He then bowed his head apologetically.

"Forgive this servant…for allowing himself to get captured and be reduced to a pathetic state. I am very sorry for failing you, Young Master."

Liang Shao Yang shook his head.

"No. you did well, Gray Shadow. From what I heard, you stayed true to the very end, refusing to give these weaklings any information regarding our Divine Shadow Sect. Your courage and tenacity are admirable. I"ll make sure the sect remembers and honors you."

Gray Shadow cracked a smile with his bleeding lips.

"I…am honored…by your words, Young Master."

Liang Shao Yang inclined his head for a moment, and then closed his eyes.

"You know that rescue is impossible. Any time now, when they learn that I"ve disappeared, the Blood Blades will come to check this place out."

"…I know. I was prepared to die the moment I was captured."

Gray Shadow sighed and closed his eyes. He hung his hand determinedly, as if offering his neck for Liang Shao Yang.

"I"ll make sure the sect honors your memory," Liang Shao Yang promised, and then his Spirit Dagger glinted as it swept toward Gray Shadow"s neck.

*

That morning, I woke up extremely early and went out for my usual physical training, which included a fifty-kilometer run.

Once I completed it, I headed back toward my apartment. Along the way, I pa.s.sed by the plaza with the Spirit Engraved Pillars.

That"s right…Qi Hong added a spiritual defense function for my Snow Aegis. I wonder how it"ll work?

Retrieving my Snow Aegis, I approached the plaza cautiously while watching out for the dark, ominous presence that inhabited the abyssal depths underneath the Spirit Engraved Pillars. Fortunately, with my Snow Aegis constructing a defense around me, I was able to protect myself from the psychic and spiritual probing of the dark presence.

It works!

I couldn"t help but be excited when I discovered the effectiveness of the psychic and spiritual barrier. I really had to thank Tang Qi Hong again when I saw her. Thanks to her, I could walk into the plaza and try contemplating the Spirit Engraved Pillars without worrying about that spirit b.a.s.t.a.r.d dwelling at their bottom!

The sun had just only recently risen, and thus there weren"t very many disciples on the plaza at this early hour. Only Yin Jing Jing from Snow Valley Sect was present, sitting below one of the Spirit Engraved Pillars and hoping that she would be able to comprehend the mysteries on that particular pillar.

Following her example, I sat in the very center of the plaza.

For the first time, shielded by my Snow Aegis from the demonic presence, I could finally take my time to a.n.a.lyze the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars, using my gla.s.ses to record visuals of the arcane diagrams and mystical patterns inscribed upon them. There were also what looked like an ancient language engraced into the pillars, which appeared to possess some sort of profound meaning that I couldn"t decipher.

Unfortunately, as much as I tried, I couldn"t make much sense of the diagrams. If readers were expecting me to suddenly comprehend the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars and trigger a response immediately upon my first time sitting down here, they would be ma.s.sively disappointed. I wasn"t a Mary Sue protagonist who could do everything. It would take me some time to a.n.a.lyze the various diagrams and patterns.

With my literature background, I was sure I would be able to make out some meaning eventually, but that would take some time.

"Hmm, that looks interesting."

I glanced at the Spirit Engraved Pillar where Yin Jing Jing was seated at, I suddenly noted some interesting parallels that reminded me of a literature lesson on a historical text that I studied back in graduate school. The relationship between signs and language, and to decipher meaning from a visual text. It was more of art history, to be honest, and I was glad I took that art history cla.s.s as part of my literature curriculum.

Yin Jing Jing suddenly became dazed when she observed the pillar, noting that the long rivers that were part of the Spirit Diagram engraved into it suddenly seem to begin flowing. Her jaw dropped when she realized she could faintly hear the sounds of flowing water and observe the currents in the rivers.

"This…!"

Trembling in excitement, Yin Jing Jing leaped to her feet and stepped closer to observe the Spirit Engraved Pillar. She rubbed her eyes, not believing what she was seeing.

At that moment, I turned my gaze away to study the other Spirit Engraved Pillars in hopes of finding a similar pattern. To my disappointment, I couldn"t. That sucked. Coincidentally, Yin Jing Jing stopped rubbing her eyes and she studied the Spirit Engraved Pillar closely. To her ma.s.sive disappointment, there was no change on the surface of the Spirit Engraved Pillar. The long rivers were no longer animated, remaining as still as the stone they were carved upon.

Needless to say, she no longer heard any sounds of running water either.

"I think I"ve been working too hard…" Yin Jing Jing sighed and shook her head. "Was I hallucinating or something? Maybe I should rest for today."

Ignoring me, who was nearby, she headed for the cafeteria for some breakfast. I couldn"t be bothered to look at her either. I was trying to a.n.a.lyze the other eight Spirit Engraved Pillars, but it seemed that the single Spirit Engraved Pillar was the only one I could make some sense of, and it was because of the rivers.

Rivers equal water, and water was the closest element to ice, which I had the best affinity with. I guessed if I wanted to trigger a response eventually, I could only rely on that. Glancing at the other Spirit Engraved Pillars, I caught another three that had water motifs, but unlike the first one, I wasn"t able to animate the water inside them.

Even so, this was enough to get me excited. Trying to contain my exhilaration, I forced myself to calm down and focus on that Spirit Engraved Pillar alone. One thing at a time. After I comprehended the wonders of this Pillar, I could move on to the others. Or so I hoped.

However, before I could do any further in-depth a.n.a.lysis, my smartphone rang. Startled, I almost toppled over, and I hurried retrieved it and hit the green b.u.t.ton, looking around in embarra.s.sment and feeling relieved that there was no one else around in the plaza.

It would be rude to disrupt the concentration of all the other disciples who had gathered in the plaza in hopes of gaining enlightenment of the Spirit Engraved Pillars…fortunately, as I said, there was no one to glare or yell at me.

"h.e.l.lo," I said as I hurried out of the plaza to speak on my phone. Having seen the number on my screen, I knew who had called me. "Elder Zhao? What"s up?"

"Fei Wu," Elder Zhao greeted me without preamble. "Glad to see you"re already awake. Come to headquarters at once. All Blood Blades are to a.s.semble right away."