Chapter 100: Is That What I Am Hearing?

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Feng Zhi comes back about an hour after the attack. He says nothing as they tell him what transpired in his absence, yet the way his knuckles whiten tells the whole story.

“It seems we missed quite a bit,” Feng Zhi says once all five members of the Eternal Flame Clan have gathered in a room along with Patriarch Wong and his son. There are no servants, disciples, or even Elders with them.

The words about to be spoken here are not for their ears to hear.

“It shames me to say this, but we were lucky,” Patriarch Wong says, wiping some sweat from his brow. The room’s temperature is oddly high. “We do not keep all our treasures in the storehouse, but its loss would have been a debilitating blow regardless. Had the attack proceeded as planned…”

Patriarch Wong shudders, unwilling to finish the sentence.

“I was under the impression there were barriers around your compound,” Feng Zhi notes, his tone unnaturally even. It is a far cry from the Feng Zhi that had threatened Liu Jin and the others in the Summer Forest, but that is not necessarily a good thing.

The current Feng Zhi is almost certainly angrier now than he was back then. While he was out investigating, the Bright Phantasm Sect was attacked. Worst of all, this was the most blatant attack yet. Previous attacks had targeted the Bright Phantasm Sect’s holdings in the Night Forest. This time, it was the Bright Phantasm Sect’s compound itself that was attacked.

“Around the compound and around the city,” Wong Shou replies before his father can. “It is why we do not have to worry about the mists here. They also help us detect intruders. As for how the shades were able to bypass our security, I am afraid I do not know.”

Bei Hong snorts. “Well, isn’t it obvious? If they showed up without triggering any alarms, that means either the barriers are useless—”

“Those barriers have served us faithfully for over four hundred years!”

“Or they never crossed any barrier to begin with,” Bei Hong finishes, meeting Patriarch Wong’s glare with an even stare.

“Never crossed any barrier?” Huang Shing echoes, blinking in obvious confusion as his eyes move from one side to the other.

“It is certainly something worth considering.” Before tonight, Feng Zhi would have probably tried to smooth over Bei Hong’s words. However, the attack has chipped away some of his patience with the Bright Phantasm Sect. “If the barriers surrounding the Bright Phantasm Sect are truly not something easily overcome, then we must contemplate the possibility that they never were.”

Not for the first time tonight, Liu Jin and Lu Mei share a look. As expected, Feng Zhi thinks so as well.

“I am afraid I must ask Lord Feng Zhi to explain himself further.”

Despite his words, Patriarch Wong fully understands what Feng Zhi is getting at. The implication is far too obvious for him to miss it.

He just doesn’t want to acknowledge the possibility.

“When the shades attacked, I could not sense anything until the moment they appeared.” Instead of Feng Zhi, it is Liu Jin who decides to explain. “I am not bragging when I say my sensory skills are quite good. When we were in the Night Forest, I was able to detect the shades following us, even if I could not discern their exact number. This time, however, I could not sense anything until the moment the attack happened.”

Liu Jin makes sure to meet Patriarch Wong’s eyes for the next part.

“That is why I feel it is safe to say the shades did not exist before that moment. In other words, they were created right here, inside the compound.”

“But that’d mean… A traitor?” Patriarch Wong pales. “No. Surely, not. How could that be the case?”

“Father, I… also thought that may have been the case.” Wong Shou fidgets a little. “From the moment Lord Qing and Lord Bei were attacked in the Night Forest, I began suspecting something was off. It was only our people who’d have known the two were going to be in the forest that day, after all.”

“So that was the reason you increased the number of guards,” Feng Zhi notes.

Wong Shou nods. “Yes, that is why I did it. People have been praising my foresight, but I’d have preferred to be wrong.”

After all, only members of the Bright Phantasm Sect would have known for sure all five members of the Eternal Flame Clan would be away from the Bright Phantasm Sect’s compound today. Since Wong Shou’s preparations ended up paying off, it is just another sign that the culprit behind the attacks may be from the Bright Phantasm Sect.

“Wong Yuan,” Patriarch Wong grows, his meekness and nervousness suddenly gone. His fist slams into the table and cracks it. “That worm! I truly thought he intended to make amends! What a fool I was!”

“Father, no!” Wong Shou looks at him with wide eyes. “It couldn’t have been Uncle! He was attacked as well.”

“We can verify that,” Lu Mei says, “We happened to be near Elder Wong’s study when the explosion happened. He was attacked by several shades as he rushed to help, not that they were any threat to him.”

She doesn’t say that the only reason they were with Elder Wong is that they suspected him as well, but that is for the best. The last thing they need right now is for Patriarch Wong to act rashly and publicly accuse Elder Wong. Such a thing would only cause needless panic.

That said, judging by the look on Feng Zhi’s face, he’ll definitely be asking them about this later.

“See!” Wong Shou says. “Uncle was with others when the shades were created! He even helped us deal with them!”

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“You are too soft, son! That could have easily been a ploy of his! My cousin is not so witless that he’d give himself away easily.”

“I find it curious you are so quick to conclude it was this Wong Yuan who betrayed you,” Feng Zhi says, one hand on his chin and the other tapping away at the table in a deliberately slow rhythm. “Is there a reason for it?”

“I… That is…”

“Uncle did not consider me fit to inherit control of the Sect,” Wong Shou says when his father proves too nervous to reply right away. “Due to my weakness, Father and Uncle argued several times. In time, the feud between them escalated to the point it threatened to tear the Sect apart. It was only once I was able to prove myself to Uncle that things de-escalated.”

“Interesting,” Feng Zhi’s gaze flicks over to Patriarch Wong. The temperature rises once more. “You did not mention this yesterday.”