Chapter 369: Enjoyment

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Wang Yang is the leader of the Black Scarves, a group of spies and informants who will sell information to the highest bidder. In certain circles, his name is only spoken in whispers. Many are those who have tried to cross him and failed. Entire families have disappeared at his command.

Now, his grand mansion lies in ruins, and his ferocious guards have all been defeated. Wang Yang can only raise his hands in defeat as he backs away from his attacker. His small brown eyes are wide with fear, and his pointy chin trembles as he tries to speak.

“Plea-please! I-I swear I don’t know anything!”

A hand grabs him by the throat.

“You are the leader of the largest group of informants in the area,” Xiao Fang says, casually tightening his grip on Wang Yang’s neck. “Do you really expect me to believe you know nothing about a group of thieves so prominent even Emperor Xiang has taken notice of them?”

“It’s the truth! I swear!” Wang Yang yells.

Xiao Fang smiles and lets go of the man’s throat. Wang Yang falls to the ground, breathing heavily. However, those breaths immediately turn to screams as Xiao Fang’s foot stomps on his hand and breaks it. Anger blossoms in him, but Xiao Fang’s Qi smothers it before Wang Yang can do anything.

Faced with the power of the Young Master of the Xiao Sect, there is nothing Wang Yang can do but cower.

“You were allowed to flourish due to the kindness of the Xiao Sect,” Xiao Fang says coldly. “Understand that you are only alive out of consideration for your past services. Lie to me again, and I will break your other hand. Lie more, and I will start cutting limbs.”

“I-I understand! I understand!” Wang Yang shouts, clutching his broken hand. “It’s just…It is not what you think!”

“Oh? What is it then?”

“I…Young Master… you…you have to understand…. Organizations don’t just suddenly appear out of nowhere. Whenever something new arises, it’s usually a collection of people who were already known. Disgruntled soldiers, disgraced disciples, banished family members. If a small town is suffering due to a bad harvest, it’s not uncommon for them to turn to banditry. That is how it works. There are always signs.”

Xiao Fang frowns.

“You are saying there weren’t any signs this time?”

“None,” Wang Yang says, shaking his head wildly. “This group…The Howling Claws…There were no warning signs. No recruitment…but.. But that’s not the weirdest part! You call them bandits. Everyone does, but if you look at what they’ve done…It doesn’t fit.”

The pressure of Xiao Fang’s aura decreases.

“Explain.”

“Small towns and villages,” Wang Yang says, rushing to get his words out. “That’s what they have been attacking, but there’s no money there. They are good targets if you want to go unnoticed, but this group attacked the Xiao Sect! Young Master, does that make sense?”

Xiao Fang puts a hand on his chin. If they are strong enough to defeat a branch of the Xiao Sect, even a small one, there are countless other targets they could have stolen from without needing to worry about the consequences. Xiao Fang’s initial assumption had been that someone had hired the bandits to do their bidding, but if he understands this correctly…

“They didn’t attack the Xiao Sect because they were a bandit group. They became known as a bandit group so they could attack the Xiao Sect,” Xiao Fang realizes.

“Yes! That’s right! The Young Master understands!” Wang Yang says, nodding rapidly. “This is not a bandit group at all! It’s a group made to attack your Xiao Sect!”

“I see,” Xiao Fang says. “You have my thanks, Wang Yang. Now, I understand things a little better.”

“Of course, Young Master! I am your humble servant!” Wang Yang says, bowing his head low. “This one would never turn down the opportunity to help the Xiao Sect.”

“Then why did you?”

Wang Yang goes very still. A drop of sweat falls from his forehead.

“Do you think I am stupid? That I didn’t do any research before coming here?” Xiao Fang asks. “All the places this group attacked draw a line straight to the Yellow Grass Branch of the Xiao Sect. They were announcing their intent. The Xiao Sect would have never thought to pay attention to some bandits, but you knew better. It should have been your job to warn them. You did not.”

“I-I…The Young Master is overestimating me! I could not possibly–”

Xiao Fang reaches into his robes. Wang Yang pales. Held between Xiao Fang’s fingers is a small purple crystal that gives off a dim glow.

“Did you think I wouldn’t go through your coffers? A Purple-Veined Empyrean Crystal, even one this small, must be worth a fortune.”

“Y-Young Master…This isn’t! I didn’t…”

“Normally, you’d have already used it or traded it,” Xiao Fang continues, glaring at him with cold eyes. “You didn’t, which means you only received this recently and didn’t want to draw attention to yourself. It would have been too suspicious if you acquired this as the Xiao Sect fell. People might start making connections.”

“I didn’t know it would happen like this!” Wang Yang says, desperately, holding onto Xiao Fang’s robes. “Please! They just came one day and offered it to me! They said I just had to refrain from mentioning them to Xiao Sect, so they could continue their activities! The deal was too good!”

“I want everything you have on them,” Xiao Fang orders him. “Don’t even bother to pretend you didn’t look into them.”

“I tried!” Wang Yang says. “They were covering their faces the entire time! I had my men follow them in secret, but they lost them! The best I can say is that they were heading for Falling Leaf Valley! That’s all I know! Please, Young Master! Believe me!”

Xiao Fang’s cold blue eyes judge him in silence.

“You know what? I do.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you, Young Master!’

The Void Fist strikes a second later.

~~~

“Nicely done,” Bai Wen praises him as he comes out of the wreckage of Wang Yang’s mansion. Big Nose Li is several steps behind her. His friend waves at him, but does not dare get closer to the woman of the Divine Frozen Palace. “You seemed used to it.”

“It is not the first time I have had to punish traitors to the Xiao Sect,” Xiao Fang says. He frowns at her. “I thought you’d caution me about giving in to anger.”

“Anger, properly channeled, becomes passion. Improperly, an early grave. You have not reached either end yet, so I will refrain from telling you what you already know,” Bai Wen replies. “For now, a traitor has been punished. Justice is satisfied.”

Xiao Fang sighs. Of course, she’d only see it through the eyes of her Dao. He wonders if that’s going to happen to him as he rises in power.

Maybe it already has, and he just hasn’t realized it.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“You look very happy, Young Master!” Big Nose praises him from far away. Xiao Fang blinks.

“Do I?”

“Very much so,” Bai Wen answers. “Odd considering the circumstances, but maybe this sort of thing suits you best.”

Does it?

Why is he even asking? Of course, it does. Being with his sister and Liu Jin felt good, but ultimately, he could never truly relax under someone else’s roof. Seeing Liu Jin progress with his goals while he stayed the same made him restless and uneasy. This journey might be dangerous, but it has given him an enemy he can strike and actions he can take to realize that goal.

“It doesn’t matter if it does or not,” Xiao Fang says. “I have obtained a location. First, we’ll meet up with Elder Gang, then we’ll go to Falling Leaf Valley. These bandits will not roam free for much longer.”

He wonders if Liu Jin is enjoying himself as much.

~~~

Liu Jin is not enjoying himself at all.

Though no Emperor has shown itself since that first night, the puppets of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows continue to attack the border at irregular intervals. The attacks give his soldiers something to sharpen themselves with, but they are also a constant drain on the empire’s resources. They cannot be allowed to continue.

Several scouting parties have been sent to find the disciples controlling the puppets, but they have had no success. The disciples of the Divine Frozen Palace and the Eternal Flame Clan have even made a competition out of who will be the first to find and kill a disciple of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows.

Liu Jin has also started doing some reconnaissance on his own. While he cannot leave the palace, sending a soul fragment–a normal one without a body–is a simple enough matter. The white snake slithers across the border unnoticed by anyone. Its small red eyes capture everything yet find nothing.