Payback (Part 1)
Even after the blue haze of day lifted, few stars were revealed during autumn.
The sparrows on the eaves did not budge even when someone had invaded their haven and occupied the best vantage point – the height of the tallest building in the large estate that granted a view of the entire estate. As the owner of the property was adept in qinggong, this was the only location he did not have tightly guarded despite it being the easiest place to ambush intruders.
He committed everything in the estate – including the unique points of everyone’s martial arts disciplines and their habits – to memory with each breath. His aural ability was great enough to replace his eyes if he willed it. Therefore, everything within two and a half kilometres was within his hearing range. However, he seldom listened in to that much information as the deluge of information would interrupt his daily life. This occasion was an exception.
Ming Feizhen had never loathed his overconfidence more than before. He undermined the situation after he heard of Wutong Jin Yuxuan’s wedding event, which was reinforced when Lian Zhuiyue arrived from Beiping. The possibility of his shifu coming down to the south was virtually zero since it was forbidden for Mount Daluo’s patriarch to thoughtlessly leave the mountain. If Ming Huayu was not able to travel great distances in a single day, then he would not have accomplished so much in his life. It only required a little bit of thinking to realise that Ming Huayu posing as a womaniser whilst hiding in Hangzhou was a ridiculous conjecture. Hence, learning that Hong Jiu lost an arm enraged Ming Feizhen.
Ming Feizhen chided himself for not arriving in Hangzhou sooner after Hong Jiu went missing in action. He had the medical skills to reattach a severed arm as if it was never severed as long as it was whole and only happened within the last five days. Plus, he could improve blood flow using Spring Arts Rainy Nights, which would restore function to 80% of its original. Unfortunately, according to Cha Hao, scabs had already formed. While Hong Jiu was not in tip-top form, he was now able to go about life without problems. Accounting for the suffering that one had to go through when losing an arm and Hong Jiu’s recovery progress, at least had ten days had passed since he lost his arm. Even if the arm could be replaced with a new arm now, Hong Jiu would never be the same martial artist again. These thoughts rid Ming Feizhen with indescribable guilt and spurred him on to locate Hong Jiu as soon as possible to administer treatment – as well as to kill the culprit.
There were only a few names in Hangzhou who were strong enough to take an arm from Hong Jiu, which was why even Matriarch Zi was a suspect at one point. She hated evil with a vengeance and never gave Mount Daluo any leeway, so it was possible for her to have amputated one of Hong Jiu’s arms if she found out her wedding was a joke. Nevertheless, as cold as she was, she was not heartless. Seeing as her feelings for Ming Huayu were likely genuine, Ming Feizhen could not see her going that far. That was not to mention that the wedding was still going ahead. No matter how heartless she was, she would not hurt his disciple so viciously before he abandoned her as that would only seal the deal – in a tragic way – for her. That left the ever-elusive Hua Yumeng as the only suspect.
The man known as Marquis Starhunter was a new star in Hangzhou, whose swift rise to frame was attributed to his loyalty, martial prowess and vast network of fellow martial artists. Anyone of that status would have connected with Night Fortress at some point, which was how Ming Feizhen had met him several times already and evaluated quite positively. Hua Yumeng had supposedly targeted maidens of affluent families in Hangzhou indiscriminately, yet he never showed any signs of crossing the line with them, so what was his aim? Hou Jiling, Marquis Star Plucker’s daughter, was rumoured to be one of his fangirls.
“Habits die hard” was an axiom that never changed. There were many ploys to bait a womaniser, but one that always worked was to keep tabs on his next target and wait because it was only a matter of time before he struck. That said, waiting was a dull and tiring strategy. Given how many maidens fit Hua Yumeng’s cup of tea, it was impossible to predict when he would visit again, so Ming Feizhen did not hold his breath. He simply acted as a means of appeasing the regret that was crushing him. He never expected to catch some leads so soon upon arrival, though.
Once Ming Feizhen analysed their gaits and true qis’ nature, he was sure he did not mistake the two. Eagle Broadswordsman and Wolf Swordsman were part of Night Fortress’ main fighting force, so it was weird for them to be at Hou Estate.
The two yawned as if they had gone without sleep for a few nights.
“Haven’t had any wink eye for several nights now. Hua Yumeng sure knows how to make a man suffer. If it wasn’t to keep our brothers fed, I wouldn’t have taken this darn sentry job.”
“It’s all his fault. I’ll slice him apart the next time I run into him.”
Based off the brief conversation, Ming Feizhen concluded that Hua Yumeng was the one responsible for severing Hong Jiu’s arm and drove Night Fortress’ members off the mountain. In turn, the duo below had to take the guard job to put food on the table for Night Fortress’ brethren.
“Easier said than done. When have we ever managed to stop him?” rhetorically asked Wolf Swordsman.
Ming Feizhen: They’ve met Hua Yumeng? Are they… taking this job not only for money but also to avenge Second?
Eagle Broadswordsman exhaled a big breath. “If only Fortress Master was here.”
Wolf Swordsman replied, “Yeah, if he was here, that prick wouldn’t be roaming freely right now. Plus, Second Leader would not have…”
The conversation made Ming Feizhen beat himself up even more. He was going to jump down to speak to them when he heard, “He’ll be coming tonight, too?”
He? Is that a reference to Hua Yumeng?
Ming Feizhen decided to stay put and listen in.
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