"I hear the Huang family's eldest son succeeded in drawing qi. Not bad at all."
At a secluded tea stall outside the Martial Restraint Guard's Baoqing Ward Company Office, a burly, bald man with sinewy, knotty muscles spoke in a leisurely tone.
Sitting opposite the bald man, Nie Kun took a sip of his tea. "Hardly surprising. Huang Qian had decent talent to begin with, and with a Qi Gathering Pill to help him, succeeding in drawing qi was only natural. It would have been more surprising if he'd failed."
The bald man shook his head. "A shame he ran into Huang Tian. Otherwise, the Huang family would have flourished for decades on his back."
Nie Kun chuckled. "Brother Tie, you spent over ten years as a monk at Mingzhong Temple. Don't you know that every cause inevitably bears its fruit? Whether the Huang family could prosper was a seed sown back when Huang Xunjiu governed his household."
This bald man was none other than Tie Qi, who had been ordered along with Nie Kun to secretly protect Huang Tian.
He nodded slightly. "Indeed. Today's fruit is yesterday's cause. The root of the Huang Manor's current woes stems entirely from how Huang Xunjiu mistreated Huang Tian and his mother in the past. If Huang Tian's birth mother hadn't died from accumulated grief and illness, perhaps there might have been some room to mend things. But now..."
He shook his head and did not finish.
Nie Kun said cheerfully, "Speaking of which, Huang Tian didn't show the slightest reaction upon hearing the news that Huang Qian had drawn qi. Whatever he used to do, he still does now, wholeheartedly devoting himself to cultivation. That composure of his is truly admirable."
"Unflinching even if the sky were to fall—he has the mindset of a powerhouse," Tie Qi said. "With such resolve paired with his talent, he is destined to go far on the martial path. A third-rank Grandmaster is a given, and even reaching the first rank, the peak of the mortal realm, is well within reach."
Nie Kun smiled. "You hold quite high hopes for him, Brother Tie."
"I simply see the shadows of many great figures in him," Tie Qi said. "He endured hardship in his youth, broke free from his cage in one leap, and possesses extraordinary comprehension and constitution. If someone like that doesn't become a master, who can?"
Nie Kun laughed heartily and joked, "Put that way, Huang Tian really does sound like a character out of a popular storybook."
The Five Directions Realm revered martial arts, yet not everyone possessed decent talent and constitution, nor did everyone have ample resources to practice martial arts. Consequently, popular storybooks flourished across the market, catering to people's yearnings for the martial path.
In those tales, the protagonist would often endure immense suffering and bullying during childhood.
Upon growing up, they would either fall off a cliff to uncover ancient treasures or catch the eye of an eccentric master wandering the mortal world, who would take them as a disciple. From then on, they would sweep aside all opposition, attaining high rank and wealth, surrounded by beauties and noble steeds, living a life of unbridled freedom.
In the end, they would achieve the status of a supreme first-rank Grandmaster, revered by millions.
Naturally, there were even wilder flights of fancy, where the protagonist stumbled upon a legendary Void Realm divine armament and, with its aid, saw their cultivation soar at breakneck speed—showing off, slapping faces, ascending to Celestial Being, and suppressing Yin Fenghai...
Well, storytellers didn't quite dare write Yin Fenghai by name, but they certainly dared to drop sly hints about being "unrivaled under heaven."
Tie Qi shook his head. "Those storybooks are only good for passing the time; they're fiction after all. When it comes to a true peerless genius, one must still look to Yin Fenghai. He is a living hidden dragon rising from the abyss, sweeping through the mortal realm without an equal!"
Yearning stirred within Nie Kun. "Snow lower than the brow, a thousand peaks in solitude—Yin Fenghai's realm is far beyond anything we could ever fathom..."
As martial artists, who wouldn't yearn for and revere the world's greatest?
Above all, Yin Fenghai's invincibility was not mere empty talk; he had forged it punch by punch. On the Celestial Being Ranking, who among the top five hadn't crossed hands with him? Yet in the end, every single one had tasted defeat beneath his fists!
Not only that, he had traversed thousands of mountains and rivers, seeking out reclusive masters who had hidden themselves away from the world. Yet over decades of searching, he had come to the sorrowful realization that not a soul under heaven could match him.
To be unrivaled in the mortal realm was also to be utterly alone.
From then on, he sat alone among the mountain peaks, entirely devoted to seeking the mysteries of the Void Realm, rarely showing himself to the world.
Nie Kun and Tie Qi exchanged a glance, their expressions tinged with both longing and wistful regret.
***
Four more days passed since Huang Qian had drawn qi.
At dusk on this day, the sect reinforcements Zhang Yu had been anxiously awaiting finally arrived.
Two fifth-rank external affairs deacons—one surnamed Wu, the other Liu—accompanied by four sixth-rank martial artists.
"Greetings, Deacons."
Inside a secluded courtyard in Baoqing Ward, Zhang Yu courteously exchanged salutations with Wu and Liu.
The two returned the courtesy just as politely, showing none of the arrogance typical of those with higher cultivation. Though they carried the title of deacons, they knew deep down that Feihong Sect did not truly view them as its own. Zhang Yu, despite being an "abandoned disciple," enjoyed far more trust and favor from the sect.
After exchanging pleasantries, Deacon Wu asked, "Brother Zhang, have you managed to get a clear picture of Huang Tian's situation over these past days? Do we have a chance to strike and kill him?"
Zhang Yu shook his head helplessly. "I can't tell whether he sensed something and grew cautious, or if he's genuinely devoted solely to cultivation without caring for outside matters. Ever since taking office, he has never personally led men on patrol through the ward's alleys. He spends his entire day cultivating within the Company Office, and once he goes off duty, he heads straight back home. His residence is very close to the Martial Restraint Guard government office. If we make our move, escaping in time will be extremely difficult. Within just a few breaths, the experts from the office could leap out to reinforce him and cut us off."
Deacon Liu furrowed his brows. "Do you think he noticed anything?"
"Likely not."
Zhang Yu considered for a moment before making his judgment. "If he had sensed anything, the Martial Restraint Guard would have assigned men to protect him at his side long ago and launched a sweeping manhunt across the city for us."
One didn't need to guess to know that Huang Tian was currently the commandery's Martial Restraint Guard's prized treasure. If news of Feihong Sect's plan to assassinate him had leaked in advance, the commandery seat would hardly be this peaceful.
Deacon Wu said, "As long as he hasn't discovered anything, that's fine. Otherwise, we'd have no choice but to abandon this mission."
For the hefty rewards promised by Feihong Sect, they were willing to take on risky tasks, but they naturally steered well clear of missions that meant certain death. No spirit pill or precious weapon was worth more than their lives.
Deacon Liu asked, "Brother Zhang, do you have any ideas or plans?"
Zhang Yu replied, "Two options. First, we wait it out. Wait for the day he leads men on patrol through the alleys, then seize the opportunity to strike, kill him, and leave swiftly."
Deacon Wu pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "I think we should strike early rather than wait aimlessly. Who knows which day Huang Tian will actually go out on patrol? If he never comes out, do we just keep waiting forever? The longer this drags on, the more that could go wrong."
Deacon Liu chimed in, "I also think it's better to act sooner. Staying in Baoqing Ward makes me feel uneasy all over."
Having heard their thoughts, Zhang Yu continued, "The other method is far simpler and more straightforward: we lie in ambush along the path he takes from the Company Office back to his residence, launching a sudden strike when he passes by. However, that stretch of road isn't very far from the Martial Restraint Guard government office, so the window of time we have to kill him and make our escape will be exceedingly tight."
Deacon Wu thought it over and gritted his teeth. "No matter, let's go with the second method. The simpler and cruder it is, the more effective. Trying to be clever with intricate schemes only tends to backfire."
Deacon Liu also gave a slow nod. "We are in the dark, and he is in the open. He won't be on high alert. The chances of ambushing him by the roadside and killing him in a single strike are very good..."
Chapter 82