Payback (Part 2)
Every detail of the male and female pair in the building to the east, from their appearances to their internal states came through to Ming Feizhen’s ears. The man was quite older than her and an impressively trained warrior. He did not converse in a distant tone, but it could not be classified as intimate, either. In light of all the details, Ming Feizhen could not make sense of what their relationship was.
“We should be thankful he helped us so much. A hero as elusive as him is hard to meet, but I would like to offer him my sincerest gratitude.”
“He will not be back,” lamented Hou Jiling. Despite sounding heartbroken over the fact that she would not get to see Hua Yumeng again, she then added with a breath of relief, “Dad has called off my marriage. I will not have to marry into Xie Clan now. He is unlikely to return seeing as our destinies have been untwined.”
Taking into account the duo was in the most guarded building, the maiden mentioning “dad”, “wedding” and whatnot, it was not hard to identify her as Hou Jiling.
“Uncle, do you think he’ll come back?”
Hou Jiling’s uncle was considerably older than her, so there were no issues with just the two of them being in the room.
“He is one of the few rare true heroes left in this world. He carries himself differently to us. When he first visited me, I thought he was a player and was going to fight him, but he shut me down with just his gaze. It’s rare to find someone as skilled, yet as willing to lend a hand to others, like him. He helps all women without ever taking advantage of them. I have nothing but praise and respect for him.”
A smile came to Hou Jiling’s lips after hearing her uncle’s evaluation of the man she thought she would never meet again. “You make him sound like a playboy, though. He performs deeds of chivalry to… If his intents were not noble, you would not have aided him, would you?”
“Hahaha, that’s true. What do you think of my work as a mole? I deserve half of the credit for this plan, right?”
The conversation enlightened Ming Feizhen. Outsiders did not comprehend the secret to Marquis Starhunter’s qinggong prowess. Eagle Broadswordsman rose to infamy in Hangzhou owing to his ruthlessness and precision. Expecting to get pass the two guards at the main doors with little resistance was possible. However, sneaking through the back door without them even sensing a presence would require Ming Feizhen to be at his best, let alone get Hou Jiling out of the estate and then escort her back without the two noticing. One would need power of mythical proportions to have achieved that. The only person who could perform something as unimaginable as that was Ming Huayu. However, it was now abundantly clear that people were simply unaware it was an inside job.
While it would have been a stretch to claim it was easy to dig an underground tunnel leading in and out of the manor, it was possible for Hou Jiling’s uncle to find unpatrolled routes for Hua Yumeng to enter and leave. Every time he left, Hua Yumeng brazenly showed himself to them as a means of creating the impression that his qinggong was otherworldly enough to be as elusive as they assumed. Even though he now understood the secret to Hua Yumeng’s elusiveness, Ming Feizhen still evaluated Hua Yumeng highly. After all, taking an arm from Hong Jiu required Divine Realm power, and being able to vanish before Eagle Broadswordsman and Wolf Swordsman’s eyes required qinggong surpassing that of Abels and Luo Ming. To be strategic when he was that proficient in martial arts was a clear indication that he had skin thicker than a city wall or was awfully villainous.
What was the difference between Hua Yumeng and Ming Huayu, then? One was a target for elimination.
Hou Jiling’s uncle sighed. “I would like to see you two tie the knot. Who would be complain about having such an outstanding son-in-law? Sadly, we can’t force our desires on someone as unpredictable as him.”
Cheeks and ears rosy, Hou Jiling replied, “I never said I wanted to… I was just asking where he is.”
“Right, right, not you, I do. I want to tie the knot with him, yeah? Hahaha.” Once he was done joking, he lowered his tone. “We don’t know where he is, either. All we know is that he has a big job in Hangzhou and has gathered a team, a team in which I’m part of.”
There were rumours that Hua Yumeng was plotting something in Hangzhou, but they were just rumours, and it was quite bizarre that Wutong Jin Yuxuan’s disciples had not yet hacked him to pieces.
“A big job? When? Where?” queried Hou Jiling.
“Haha, I can’t tell you that due to the gravity of the job.”
“You do not have a say in the matter.”
Hou Jiling and her uncle looked at each other, startled. As he went to spin around, he lost control of his body and the ability to resist.
“Where is Hua Yumeng?”
Being immobilised, yet being able to hear clearly, was an acupoint sealing method he had never encountered in his life. He could mobilise his qi and blood, but his muscles and their strength source felt as if they were severed; he could feel his limbs but were unable to move them. He saw a human silhouette take form. However, he was unable to determine when the intruder entered and how. Nobody outside responded to Hou Jiling’s scream, either, as she dropped onto her bottom.
“Where is he?”
Hou Jiling’s uncle autonomy was returned to him, which was something to celebrate, except his blood flow was disrupted in a manner that was painful enough for him to squirm. “You have no honour! Where is the glory in sneak attacks?! You think someone like you deserves to know where he is?! I can tell you that you’re a coward!”
Since it was unlikely for them to both escape, all the cursing was to make the intruder focus on him rather than his niece. Due to the distortion applied to his voice, the intruder’s voice sounded strange and unclear if it actually came from him. That said, the tone suggested that he was on the younger side, particularly the condescending tone he used when mentioning Hua Yumeng.
“He subdued you with just one gaze, did he? Okay, get up. Grab this.”
Before he knew it, he was standing and holding a broadsword against his will. Following that, he felt a surge of qi rise from his dantian, erasing the agony from before and replacing it was a newfound strength that felt as natural as being born with it.
“What is the meaning of this? I may not be anyone important, but I’m not going to accept any favours from an enemy. If you think you can exchange this for his whereabouts, you’re going to be disappointed. If you don’t like it, cripple me, sell me, whatever you please.“
“You’re mistaken. I restored your abilities so that you have the opportunity to run a test. If Hua Yumeng can subdue you, why can’t I? Swing at me as you did against him. Using one’s gaze to crush another’s spirit is an advanced internal discipline. It’s not hard to achieve without being significantly more advanced than you as long as your method is correct. How about this? I’ll make you kneel without lifting a finger or looking at you.”
Having pursued broadsword mastery for decades, Gao Muya won more matches than he had lost and was able to last dozens of exchanges against his brother-in-law, so he was not about to believe that was possible, but…
“Fine. Try…”
He had swung at Ming Feizhen’s neck before he finished. Following his encounter with Hua Mengyu, his standard of what was possible for humans had risen, so he deemed seizing the initiative to be paramount. In saying that, he was not sure where Ming Feizhen’s neck was. He just wanted to avenge Hua Yumeng.
“Kneel.”
After seeing the world rapidly spin, Gao Muya heard Hou Jiling wail as if he just died as he dropped lifelessly onto his knees.
“It should be abundantly clear to you now that I’m not asking but demanding. I don’t care what price you have to pay to find him. It’s your family’s lives, not mine. How about I start with your adorable niece? I suppose Hua Yumeng would be upset even if you won’t be upset to see a bodiless flower.”
“Even if you kill me, my uncle won’t tell you!”
“… Mount Night.”
“… What?” questioned Ming Feizhen.
“Mount Night… Brother Hua Yumeng asked us to assemble on Mount Night.”
No wonder why my brothers have to work as guards. You want to take my mountain without even greeting me? Fine, I’ll entertain you.
“Don’t worry. Your uncle is fine. He’ll soon recover from the shock I gave his meridians. Your family is safe. I just erected a qi barrier that’s almost soundproof.”
“Please don’t,” pleaded the maiden, watching Ming Feizhen walk off. “Having witnessed your skills, you must be a hero. He did not actually harm me or any other woman in any way. He merely helped us from the shadows and asked us some questions. He is a good person.”
“… That’s not why I’m seeking him out. I don’t care for him seeing as he never harmed any innocent women. However, our grudge isn’t over something so simple; it’ll only be settled once there’s only one of us left standing. I bet it won’t be me who goes down. If you want to save him, don’t talk to me; talk to him.”
With that, Ming Feizhen seemingly disappeared from existence.
A good amount of time passed before Gao Muya was able to sit up, and that was not without panting. “… Brother Hua has a tough fight heading his way. Did he ask everyone to gather and wait to take him on? He truly was overpowering…”
Hou Jiling, sniffling, asked, “What do we do?”
“Hmph, your uncle isn’t some useless fool. I lied… Do you know what sort of place Night Fortress is? If he runs into Night Fortress’ master, he’s as good as done for.”
“He’s waiting for me, did you say?”
Gao Muya turned ghastly pale as he saw Ming Feizhen suddenly reappear.
“I don’t care if he’s not at Night Fortress, but let’s start from the top again.”
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