"Fei Wu and I were ambushed at Free Trade Street! These b.a.s.t.a.r.ds were trying to kill us!"

She jabbed a finger at the sullen Gray Shadow, who was being ferried on a gurney by the Blood Blades. Obviously they didn"t intend to carry him all the way home, but instead loaded him into the armored transport they arrived in. An armored personnel carrier, to be exact, which could load up to 12 infantry in addition to the driver and an extra pa.s.senger up front.

Tang Qi Hong"s eyes burned with anger as she elaborated on the details. Earlier, we didn"t have the chance to go into the details, roughly summing up our account into a few sentences so as not to take advantage of Wu Tuo"s hospitality for too long. After we exchanged information, we headed to the armored personnel carrier, Elder Zhao asked for a more detailed account (probably because he needed to write up a report for his superiors), and Tang Qi Hong was only too happy to oblige. I stayed quiet, allowing her to tell the tale.

From experience, the more modest I appeared, the more impressed people would be, and they would be convinced more than ever that I was some sort of hero.

"To think there would be people so audacious as to attack an inner sect disciple in Tushan City!" Elder Zhao was also furious. "Don"t worry, Qi Hong. I will thoroughly investigate this matter!"

"Yeah." One of the accompanying Blood Blades turned to glare at Gray Shadow and kicked him. The middle-aged man didn"t even flinch, despite the large bruise appearing on his leg. "Spill it. Who sent you, and why are you aiming for Senior Tang?"

Gray Shadow said nothing. As much as I resented him for trying to kill us, I couldn"t help but admire his tenacity.

"From what Master Wu Tuo and Tong Xue said, Liang Shao Yang must be the one who ordered them." Tang Qi Hong glared at Gray Shadow as well. "They are the direct subordinats of Liang Shao Yang, are they not? Who else would they be carrying out orders for then?"

Gray Shadow neither denied nor confirmed her accusation. He merely sat there, staring coldly at the metallic floor of the APC.

"He is the one with the most to gain from your death," Elder Zhao agreed carefully. "And he does have a motive for it. But until we get hard, concrete evidence, it will be hard to move against him. I will need to get a warrant from not just Sect Leader but also the Great Elders for his arrest. I think Sect Leader will agree, but it"s the Great Elders I"m worried about."

Gray Shadow smirked, and his expression was not lost on all the other pa.s.sengers sharing the s.p.a.ce with him.

"So it is Liang Shao Yang after all," another Blood Blade growled icily. "I won"t forgive that b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Brothers, let"s go hunt him down when we return to the sect!"

"Yeah!"

"That guy has been getting on my nerves all this while!"

"Yeah! He"s always acting arrogant and looking down on the rest of us!"

"But…would he really try and murder a fellow sect disciple?" one of the Blood Blades, a thin, timid-looking guy asked nervously. "I mean…no matter how rude and arrogant he acts, has he actually done anything as drastic as this before?"

"Have you not told them?" Tang Qi Hong asked Elder Zhao, who inclined his head quizzically. She sighed. "Fei Wu here has been attacked by Liang Shao Yang before. He used Venomous Scarabs to attack Fei Wu, and then killed Senior Hao Ying after that."

"Now that you mention it…" the thin Blood Blade fella nodded, his doubts evaporating. "I remember that farcical trial last year. Even though Junior Fei testified that he saw Liang Shao Yang throwing the Venomous Scarabs at him, the Great Elders judged his eyewitness account unreliable and acquitted Liang Shao Yang. Not to mention, they ordered us to stop investigating the cause of Senior Hao Ying"s death shortly after the trial…"

"That man is practically the scourge of everyone as long as he stays in the sect!" Tang Qi Hong snarled coldly. "Elder Zhao, if you arrest him, and search his room, I"m sure you"ll definitely find some clues or evidence!"

Elder Zhao fell silent for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. After half a minute, he opened his eyes and nodded.

"I know how you feel. I will definitely investigate this matter seriously, and if I find evidence that proves Liang Shao Yang"s guilt beyond a doubt, I believe I will be able to convince even those stubborn Great Elders. However, as I said earlier, I will need a warrant to search his personal villa. I do not think it will be possible for me to get that warrant, especially given Liang Shao Yang"s current status." He then turned to give a warning look to his Blood Blade subordinates, including me for some reason. "All of you, do not be reckless. Do not take matters into your own hands and attack Liang Shao Yang. Do not hunt him down. Do not approach him unless I tell you to do so. You are to leave him alone for now. This is a direct order from me. Understand?"

The Blood Blades looked unhappy, but none of them could go against Elder Zhao"s instructions. They merely nodded obediently.

"I understand how you all feel, and I"m just as furious," Elder Zhao continued, his eyes blazing. "But with Liang Shao Yang"s current status, even I cannot act against him carelessly, never mind you all. If something was to happen to him, then the whole organization of Blood Blades will be punished. Don"t forget, we are subservient to the sect. We fight for the good of the sect. the moment we decide that we are above the law and resort to military might…we will end up destroying ourselves."

"Yes, Elder Zhao."

"We understand."

"We promise."

The Blood Blades chorused reluctantly, seeing the sense in their commander"s words. I nodded quietly as well.

"Just because he also triggered a reaction from the Spirit Engraved Pillars?" Tang Qi Hong demanded, dissatisfied.

"That"s right," Elder Zhao admitted softly. "He is the same as you. You are both the sect"s treasures, and the candidates in line to be the future sect leader. You are both the future of the sect, essentially. That"s why he"s different from the other inner sect disciples. Even if he did commit atrocities, the great elders will turn a blind eye to it. Even if the Sect Leader wants to punish him, he will be pressured by the Great Elders to let him off." he glanced at me. "You all remember what happened at the trial last year, right?"

"He tried to kill me!" Tang Qi Hong yelled furiously.

"Yes, but we need cold, hard evidence for that." Elder Zhao looked helpless. "Without any solid evidence, the Great Elders will not take our accusations seriously. Even Sect Leader"s hands will be tied. But you will want to stay close to your parents. They will be able to protect you if Liang Shao Yang tries to move against you in the sect grounds."

"So I can"t leave the main sect grounds in future, as long as Liang Shao Yang remains in the sect?" Tang Qi Hong snapped bitterly. "I"m supposed to seclude myself at home and fend off all his a.s.sa.s.sination attempts?"

"Well, sooner or later he"ll slip up and we"ll find the evidence," I pointed out. Pushing my gla.s.ses up thoughtfully, I continued, "I think what we need now is patience…and we"ll be able to capitalize on the moment he slips up."

Gray Shadow snorted. The Blood Blade sitting next to him kicked him harshly, almost knocking him out of his gurney, but the b.a.s.t.a.r.d was strapped tight. Even so, we had the satisfaction of hearing him grunt in pain for the first time.

A few minutes later, the armored transport pulled up in the main sect grounds, rolling into the parking lot. The hatch slammed down, and the Blood Blades poured out in a disciplined formation, covering each other. The sentries responsible for guarding Gray Shadow hauled him out in a rough manner, but credit to the a.s.sa.s.sin, he did not complain.

"Fei Wu, you escort Qi Hong home. Make sure n.o.body harms her." Elder Zhao turned to me and issued an order. I nodded, and he lowered his voice. "Keep her out of trouble as well."

"Yes, sir." I comprehended the hidden meaning behind his words. Tang Qi Hong was known for having quite the short temper and being impulsive.

Tang Qi Hong was sulking as she headed straight up Flame Volcano. I noticed that she was taking Elder Zhao"s advice and heading for her adopted family"s manor at the peak instead of her personal villa. I hurried to catch up with her, and even though she was still simmering in rage, she nodded gratefully at me.

"Did Senior Tang trip on the road? It appears that you have a lot of dust on you, and you seem like you"re in a bad mood. You don"t look as beautiful as before."

Liang Shao Yang seemed to appear out of nowhere, standing in the path. A cool breeze drifted along the mountain, causing his majestic-looking clothes to flutter. His lips curled up in a sneer as he taunted Tang Qi Hong, his voice clearly filled with scorn.

The h.e.l.l? Was this idiot seriously trying to provoke Tang Qi Hong?

For her part, Tang Qi Hong was so angry that she wasn"t paying attention to her surroundings. When she suddenly heard Liang Shao Yang speak, she abruptly looked up and glared at him hatefully, her eyes blazing.

"Are you looking for trouble, Junior Liang?"

Her spatial ring glowed and the Nether Ghost Claw materialized, hovering above her head. Already it was bursting with ominous, bloodthirsty qi, which was taking the form of ghostly, cyan will"o wisps.

"What do you think you are doing, Senior Tang? Are you going to attack me?" Liang Shao Yang laughed coldly, showing no trace of fear at all. "Certainly, if you attack anyone else in the sect without any reason, then maybe Sect Leader and the six Great Elders will cover for you. But if you attack me, then even the Sect Leader will not be able to shield you from punishment!"

Even as he said that, dark, shadowy qi surged inside both of his sleeves. Liang Shao Yang was taking no chances, steeling himself for an attack just in case Tang Qi Hong went beserk. He was secretly activating his martial art technique.

"Qi Hong! What are you doing?" Upon hearing their argument, Lian Rou hurried out of her villa and frantically stopped her. "This is Flame Volcano! You must not be reckless, or Sect Leader will punish you!"

"Senior Tang, Junior Liang, what are you guys doing?" Pang Yun also appeared, looking at the situation in astonishment.

More inner sect disciples were emerging from their apartments and dormitories, watching the commotion curiously. They were all surprised by the sight of Tang Qi Hong angrily confronting Liang Shao Yang.

Tang Qi Hong and Liang Shao Yang were both prodigies who had attained enlightenment from the Spirit Engraved Pillars, and were the hope and future of the sect, as well as the beloved children of the sect leader and the six Great Elders. This inevitably stirred up plenty of jealousy within their hearts.

Now that they got to see these two prodigies confront each other and getting ready to clash, the inner sect disciples immediately became excited. Not only did most of them not stop them, some of them were pouring fuel to the fire.

"Hmm, Senior Tang is currently better at blacksmithing and Spirit Engraving, but I don"t know if she"s better in combat?"

"Junior Liang is from the Divine Shadow Sect. He must have learned a.s.sa.s.sination techniques and is definitely proficient in combat. This will be an interesting battle!"

They were a.s.suming that Tang Qi Hong and Liang Shao Yang were arguing over a trivial matter.

"Qi Hong!" Lian Rou pulled her back, trying to persuade her to back off. She was using brute strength to forcibly drag her best friend away from the confrontation. She turned to me. "Fei Wu! What are you doing? Help me!"

"I will when the time is right," I a.s.sured her. "Don"t worry, Qi Hong won"t do anything stupid…"

"Senior Tang, be more careful when you leave for another shopping trip next time. Don"t trip and come back dusty again!" Liang Shao Yang yelled coldly.

"You"re asking for it, aren"t you?!"

Tang Qi Hong was originally going to withdraw, but she snapped the moment she heard his provocation. As she boiled in fury, the Nether Ghost Claw responded to her raging emotions and streaked toward Liang Shao Yang.

Bang!

Before the Nether Ghost Claw could reach Liang Shao Yang, I had intercepted it with my bare hand. Grabbing it and ignoring the ghostly flames that scorched my right hand, I forcibly shoved it down and handed it back to a stunned Tang Qi Hong.

"Qi Hong, careful. Your Spirit Weapon went berserk for some reason. Try to regain control of it."

"…eh?" Tang Qi Hong blinked, but then she suddenly understood what I was doing. She quickly nodded and packed the Nether Ghost Claw into her spatial ring. "Uh, yeah. That"s weird. Sorry about that, I"ll be more careful in future."

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Everyone turned toward the screaming Liang Shao Yang. His chest had crumpled and he fell backward for some reason, plunging straight off a cliff and into the mountain creek below, which was filled with stones.

His extremely shrill shrieks pierced the air, causing all the surrounding inner sect disciples to cover their ears.

Tang Qi Hong"s beautiful expression suddenly turned dumbfounded. "But the Nether Ghost Claw didn"t hit him at all?" she stared at me, and I was shaking my burned hand and grimacing in slight pain. I shrugged and glanced at the other inner sect disciples.

"Did you guys see who attacked him? Sorry, I was so busily trying to save Liang Shao Yang from the berserk Nether Ghost Claw that I didn"t realize there was an a.s.sailant from somewhere else."

"Uh…I didn"t see anyone else." Lian Rou looked puzzled for a moment, and then she frowned. "This is bad! You fell for his trap!"

More like he fell for my trap, actually, but obviously I couldn"t say that out loud.

The faces of the other inner sect disciples also turned strange. They knew something was off, especially since they had clearly seen me block the Nether Ghost Claw. In other words, something else must have hit Liang Shao Yang, but they didn"t see any other attack from elsewhere. And if I could withstand the direct hit from the Nether Ghost Claw and even return it to Tang Qi Hong calmly, how could a prodigy like Liang Shao Yang crumple and collapse despite being so far away? Something was definitely not right here.

"It"s Liang Shao Yang!"

"Liang Shao Yang is screaming!"

Despite being all the way in the mountain peak, Sect Leader Zi Shou De and the Chief Great Elder Luo Zhi Chang overheard the commotion and practically flew all the way down to the mountainside to see what was going on.

Meanwhile, Liang Shao Yang lay at the heap of gravel at the foot of the mountain. He looked like he was in pretty bad shape, with cuts and wounds all over his body. Wiping the blood across his body to smear it everywhere, he yelled in fury.

"Senior Tang! What have I done to offend you? I"ve simply reminded you to be careful in future. You would kill me over just that?!"

"Are you r.e.t.a.r.ded?" I scoffed. "Qi Hong didn"t attack you. Everyone saw it, didn"t they?"

"Yeah…it seems more like you…hit yourself with your own technique," Pang Yun remarked, puzzled. "Why would you do that?"

"Aha! Maybe it"s a demonic technique! He"s from the Divine Shadow Sect, after all!" one of the more vicious inner sect disciples suggested enthusiastically. "He tried to use a demonic technique to counter the Nether Ghost Claw and it backfired on him!"

"That must be it…"

"Yeah, there"s no other explanation."

"Who ask him to practice demonic techniques?"

"What the f.u.c.k are you all talking about?!" Liang Shao Yang shouted, but he realized that his schemes had failed. He didn"t expect me to step in and stop the Nether Ghost Claw, and it was too late for him to withhold his technique. Unfortunately, it backfired and everyone saw him for the phony that he was. Perspiration began pouring down his face when he realized that nothing was going according to plan. "Senior Tang attacked me!"

"I protected you," I pointed out. "And even though I"m supposed to be weaker than you, I only got off with little more than slight burns. How the heck did you fall off the cliff when I blocked the attack? Did you panic or something? I thought the Divine Shadow Sect was supposed to be a sect of a.s.sa.s.sins, not weak cowards."

Liang Shao Yang blanched. "Why, you…!"

"What"s going on here?"

Even though Sect Leader Zi Shou De had overheard everything and had a good idea of what had happened, he still asked the question when he descended into the center of the crowd. He glanced down at Liang Shao Yang sprawled over the heap of stones, his expression equally stony.

"Uh, it"s like this." An inner sect disciple spoke up timidly and softly. "Junior Liang and Senior Tang were arguing. Then Senior Tang took out her Nether Ghost Claw…"

"…she somewhat lost control over it, but I stopped it and returned it to her." I quickly cut into the conversation and showed Sect Leader Zi my burned hand. "But for some reason, Senior Liang panicked, slipped and fell over the cliff and down the mountain. Didn"t even conjure his protective aura to protect himself from the fall, for some reason."

"He must have been panicking really badly," Sect Leader Zi remarked with a straight face. "Well, he wasn"t supposed to be a martial artist in the first place. Or his own demonic technique backfired on him when he used it."

Liang Shao Yang was growing paler when he heard those indirect insults, and he bristled with fury.

"I wouldn"t have slipped and fallen if Senior Tang didn"t draw her Nether Ghost Claw in the first place!" he hollered. I snorted at that.

"You called me trash and weak, and yet I was the one who protected you from the beserk Nether Ghost Claw and suffered minimal injuries at worst. In contrast, you panicked and are whining like a big baby despite being stupid enough to forget about your protective qi aura when you fell off the cliff. So are you admitting that you"re worse than trash? That you"re weaker than me?"

"You f.u.c.king trash!" Liang Shao Yang roared and leaped up, landing on the cliff and striding toward me. "Are you really that deluded to believe that you"re stronger than me?"

"What the…?" I shook my head. "You"re not as hurt as you made yourself out to be, after all. Why were you whining and bawling like a big baby earlier?"

"T…that…"

Liang Shao Yang trailed off and was suddenly aware that he was being watched intently by Sect Leader Zi and Chief Elder Luo. It was too late to collapse on the ground and start rolling about now, especially since he jumped all the way up the cliff in a single bound.

"Shao Yang…" Chief Elder Luo sighed and shook his head. "Even if you want to frame Qi Hong, don"t you think you"re going overboard with your mischief?"

"Well, it can"t be helped. He"s not a martial artist, he"s a blacksmith." Sect Leader Zi was enjoying himself tremendously. He then put on a stern expression. "Shao Yang, I don"t know where you learned that demonic technique from – perhaps from your Divine Shadow Sect? But I strongly advise you to stop practicing it. Look at what happened, it backfired on you and you ended up so badly hurt. Let this be a lesson for you. Don"t use demonic techniques in future, okay? If you need to learn martial arts, let me know. I"ll arrange for Elder Zhao to teach you our Nine-Tailed Fox Sect"s combat techniques. Just don"t get desperate enough to resort to these demonic techniques. They"re banned for a good reason."

"You…you got it wrong," Liang Shao Yang spluttered. "I wasn"t using a demonic technique. I…"

But Sect Leader Zi was no longer paying any attention to him. He was turning to the other inner sect disciples with a kind smile and a gentle request.

"Someone please escort him to the infirmary to get his wounds treated. And maybe get a psychiatrist to make sure he didn"t suffer any post-traumatic stress disorder from falling off the cliff." He pretended to wince. "From the way you were screaming, I thought your sanity had snapped from the fear or something."

"I…I…" Liang Shao Yang stammered, but he found himself cornered. While a couple of inner sect disciples hurried over, trying not to snicker, he ignored them and glared at me, pure hatred blazing in his eyes. If he hadn"t borne a grudge against me before, he definitely did now. "You"ll pay for this, you trash," he growled in a low voice as he walked past me, his "injuries" suddenly forgotten.

I couldn"t help but grin. "By the way, how is Black Shadow? The last time I saw him, he was in pretty bad shape."

Liang Shao Yang froze for the briefest of moments, but he recovered quickly and turned to glare at me, his eyes as cold as ice.

"I have no idea what you"re talking about."

"Really? Strange. I thought he was your direct subordinate. Shouldn"t he be reporting to you about his failure?"

"Careful," Liang Shao Yang warned dangerously. "Don"t you dare make false accusations against me."

"False accusations?" I feigned ignorance. "I didn"t accuse you of anything, did I? Unless you"re saying that Black Shadow is not your subordinate. If he"s not, then I apologize. I thought you were both from the Divine Shadow Sect."

There was a tic in his jaw as Liang Shao Yang continued glaring at me, not knowing how to respond to that. It was pointless denying that they were both from the Divine Shadow Sect. Any sect intelligence would be able to find that out.

"I have no idea what you"re talking about," he finally repeated. I nodded sagely at that.

"That"s fine. I was just expressing my concern for your fellow sect member, but if you don"t know him, then too bad. I"ll ask him himself when he shows up again."

"Why would he show up again?!" Liang Shao Yang snapped, his patience fraying. "What are you trying to say?"

Pretending to be shocked, I raised both hands. "That was the impression I got when Qi Hong and I met him. That he wanted to meet us again. Especially if he wants to inquire about Grey Shadow."

The horror on Liang Shao Yang"s face almost made me laugh, but credit to him, it was only a slight flicker before he clamped down on it with his frosty façade. He turned away icily, making it look like he didn"t care, and stomped off.

"What"s this about?" Sect Leader Zi asked me curiously. I shrugged and bowed apologetically.

"Sorry, but you"ll have to ask Elder Zhao for the details. I"m sure he"ll be reporting to you shortly."

"I will make sure I hear about every detail," Sect Leader Zi said grimly, already guessing what had happened. He turned to Tang Qi Hong. "Qi Hong, you should visit your mother, sister and me once in a while."

"Um, I"m actually going over to stay there right now," Tang Qi Hong confessed. Sect Leader Zi beamed in delight, totally not expecting this good news.

"Excellent! How long has it been since you"ve come home? Good, very good. I"ll get Chu Shi to whip up a feast tonight!"

"Geez, Father, please don"t make a big deal out of it!"

While father and daughter conversed, I glanced at the withdrawing Liang Shao Yang, who was now obediently heading toward the infirmary with a sour expression. He turned to glare at me with a murderous expression, and I was left without a doubt who his new primary target was.

That was fine with me. I was looking forward to the next stunt he pulled. The idiot hadn"t realized that he had already walked into my trap, and that the noose I had dangled over him was gradually tightening around his neck.