Chapter 98: Your Best Quality

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Patriarch Wong’s reaction to the news is predictable. Worry and fear with perhaps a little more fear than worry. The possibility of Liu Jin and Bei Hong being attacked had never once crossed Patriarch Wong’s mind. In fact, he had probably hoped the attacks would stop once Feng Zhi arrived, that the presence of the Eternal Flame Clan would be more than enough to calm things down.

The words spoken by Bei Hong in the Night Forest had not been wrong. The Bright Phantasm Sect has been content to rely on the Eternal Flame Clan for years.

Why change that now?

“We are clearly dealing with a pack of fools,” Patriarch Wong says after Liu Jin and Bei Hong finish their tale. “To think they dared attack Lord Feng Zhi’s companions! They will soon learn the price of their folly!”

It would have been easy to agree with Patriarch Wong.

There is not a single faction within the Night Forest Nation with the power to challenge the Eternal Flame Clan. Certainly, there are powerful Sects in other nations that could be trying to move into the area, but why would they bother? The Night Forest may be valuable, but it is far from priceless. There are places with better resources and even higher concentrations of Yin Qi.

Challenging the Eternal Flame Clan over something so insignificant would be foolish to the extreme.

That is why there is merit to Patriarch Wong’s words. Their foes must clearly be a pack of fools! Who else but fools would dare challenge the Eternal Flame Clan?

It would have been fine if Feng Zhi had smiled confidently and agreed with him.

He doesn’t do that.

“We will not take this lightly,” he says.

Instead of boasting about their foes’ inevitable demise, Feng Zhi spends two hours asking Patriarch Wong multiple questions about the Bright Phantasm Sect’s enemies, allies, as well as any noteworthy event that had happened within the past six months.

For someone so strongly fire-aligned, Feng Zhi is surprisingly methodical.

Only when Feng Zhi has gathered information to his satisfaction does he decide their next course of action. He takes Huang Shing and Bei Hong with him to the Night Forest the following day. They are to keep investigating the damaged areas, hoping to find more clues. At least, that is the official reason. Liu Jin is positive Feng Zhi wants to bait another attack.

As for Liu Jin and Lu Mei, well, he gives them a different task.

“This was a fine waste of a morning.”

The two are walking down the streets of Night Phantasm City. A small procession of servants follows after them. It is already well into the afternoon, so the streets are full of people. There should be much talking and laughing and arguing. Wares being sold. People greeting each other and such. Hundreds of footsteps every second adding up to a noise that can only be produced by civilization.

There are no such things.

On both sides of the road, people kneel down and bow their heads, not daring to utter a sound as Liu Jin and Lu Mei pass by.

Even they understand the Eternal Flame Clan must be shown respect.

“I would not go that far.” Unlike Lu Mei, who does not even acknowledge the presence of the people around them, Liu Jin has to make a conscious effort to ignore them. “Visiting the Moon River Sect was an unavoidable step. We still do not know whether they are involved or not, but they are the most likely suspects right now.”

The Night Forest Nation does not have a king or an emperor. Rather, it is an alliance of the many Sects and Clans located within the Night Forest. Within that coalition, the Bright Phantasm Sect is actually one of the more influential factions. Few Sects have the power to challenge them.

The Moon River Sect is one of them.

It is also the only one of those Sects with a branch in Night Phantasm City, making it an obvious starting point for their investigation. Liu Jin and Lu Mei had shown up unannounced and uninvited to the Moon River Sect’s local branch. A normal person would have been thrown out, but since they are of the Eternal Flame Clan, the branch master had no choice but to welcome them and spend hours entertaining them.

It was all fairly boring.

“It wasn’t them,” Lu Mei says, surprising Liu Jin with the certainty in her voice.

“You sound certain.”

Liu Jin has no strong thoughts about the potential culpability of the Moon River Sect. However, that Lu Mei can dismiss them so easily is a bit of a surprise. As one of the strongest Sects in the country, the weakening of the Bright Phantasm Sect would be to their advantage.

“Did you not see how nervous that man was?” Lu Mei snorts in a decidedly unladylike way. “He was desperately trying to please us at every turn. How gutless. Patriarch Wong is not stellar, but even his performance was better. A man should be able to show respect while keeping his spine.”

“I’ll admit he was nervous, but the same can be said of everyone here.” Liu Jin gestures to the people kneeling on both sides of the road to make his point.

“They are common people,” Lu Mei points out as if she were explaining something obvious. “This level of respect is only to be expected. He was a branch master. If our presence was enough to cause that sort of reaction, he’d have never dared to strike us in the Night Forest.”

“He could have been feigning weakness in front of us.”

“Perhaps. However, if he is a good enough actor to fool both of us, then further meetings with him are pointless until we have more evidence.” Lu Mei stretches her arms over her head and arches her back. It has an interesting effect on her robes. Liu Jin quickly averts his eyes. “In the first place, the idea of looking into the known rivals of the Bright Phantasm Sect was misguided. Common wisdom may indicate the Moon River Sect is one of the most likely suspects, but common wisdom is for common people.”

The two are already talking in low tones, but Liu Jin leans in and lowers his voice further to ask his next question. “If not a known entity, then who?”

“Anyone. Everyone. Unclaimed children of powerful bloodlines appear every now and then. Stories of nobodies finding unique treasures and achieving fame are as common as dirt. We are assuming these people belong to an established faction, but they could have easily been mere beggars weeks ago.”

Liu Jin frowns. It is a possibility he doesn’t like thinking about, but unfortunately, not one he can dismiss. It would even make some sense. Someone completely new would have less reason to respect the status quo.

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“Let us assume that is true,” Liu Jin says. “That does not necessarily make this a waste of time.”

In fact, Feng Zhi had probably already counted on something like that.

“Perhaps what Young Master Feng Zhi was really after was this.”

Lu Mei’s face goes from confused to thoughtful as Liu Jin gestures at the people bowing all around them.

“He wants the Eternal Flame Clan to be seen investigating the matter?”

Liu Jin nods. “Most likely. If we find something, that’s good. However, the mere act of us moving about and doing things will put some pressure on the culprits.”

“And that pressure will compel them to act.” Lu Mei hums, stepping closer to Liu Jin. “They may even choose to attack us now that we are divided.”

“Precisely.”

“You do realize that makes us bait, right? “

“I am certain that occurred to Feng Zhi.”

He had just decided not to tell them about it.

“In that case, don’t you think we should do our best to make the Young Master’s plans succeed?”

As Lu Mei’s lips curl into a smile, Liu Jin feels a tinge of worry, worry that intensifies as she turns around and orders the servants to go back to the Bright Phantasm Sect’s compound.

“What are you doing?”

“Making us a more tempting target, obviously.” Her arm wraps around his and pulls him closer. “Two people surrounded by servants in the middle of the city or a young couple that has sneaked away from their duties. Which do you think would make a better target?”

“I think I am impressed at how reasonable you can sound while making excuses to get your way.”

“Excuses? Perish the thought.” Lu Mei places her free hand over her heart. “I am nothing but a devoted servant of the Eternal Flame.”