The towering pine tree loomed above them like a silent guardian, its roots twisted into the bloodstained earth, sheltering the nine disciples of Li Wu Bei beneath its gnarled canopy.
Though their battle had ended, its toll was far from over.
Their Sixth Brother lay unmoving near the base of the tree, his chest rising faintly, each breath a struggle. He wasn't dead yet, but unconscious and teetering on the edge. His aura was faint, flickering like the last ember of a dying flame. Though he had survived the confrontation with the Solitary Falcon, it had pushed him far beyond his limits.
The rest of the disciples had gathered around him, crouched low with weapons still in hand. Six of the ten bore visible wounds. Some only received shallow wounds, while others received deep and bleeding wounds through their robes.
Despite their injuries, they remained on guard. One hand was always tending to a comrade or securing a bandage, while the other gripped steel, eyes darting across the tree line, unwilling to lower their defenses just yet.
None of them spoke for a long moment.
Then, Lei Jian Hong exhaled heavily, the sigh rattling from his chest. His face was grim, blood smeared along his cheek, and his robe was torn at the shoulder. He stared ahead at nothing in particular as he muttered, "The Xuan Core is gone… So what's the plan now? Young Li will be very disappointed."
The words hung in the air like smoke from a dying fire.
"Who could have thought," He went on, "that even using our full strength in that battle would turn out to be completely useless..."
"No one could have expected it," A soft voice came from behind him.
A young woman, her long black hair tied hastily back and her robe spattered with dirt and blood, stood a short distance away. Despite the grime on her face and the fatigue in her posture, her tone remained composed.
"Since even one of the 'Eight Great Masters' was unable to do anything," She continued, "I believe that even our own Master would have come out empty-handed in this battle. So please, don't take this to heart, Big Brother."
Her words struck gently but firmly, a soothing balm against the bitterness that weighed them down.
"Moreover," She added, casting a glance at their wounded comrades and then toward the distance where the battle had once raged, "even the Three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City were rendered useless. So what are we worth in such a fight?"
Her honest resignation caused several heads to nod in quiet agreement. Though harsh, her words helped ease the tension.
Lei Jian Hong looked down at their fallen brother and frowned deeply.
"The Sixth Brother is now..." He began, but trailed off. There was no need to finish that sentence as the implication was clear.
"Young Li would have wanted to use him to keep an eye on Jun Mo Xie," He finally said, his voice low with restrained anger. "So what about that now?"
"Young Li hails from the Imperial Tutor's household," The woman responded confidently. "He's clever and resourceful. He'll surely find someone else to carry out this task."
She paused, then added firmly, "And if he isn't able to find any suitable candidates... then I'll take over that responsibility."
Lei Jian Hong looked over at her, silent for a moment, before giving a faint nod. He turned his gaze back to the forest's edge.
"I'm more interested in knowing who those two black-clad people were," He said slowly. "How could they have been so powerful?"
He shook his head.
"There are only a handful of people in this world with such strength, but I didn't recognize either of them. What's even more surprising is that even though they were weaker than Shi Chang Xiao he still isn't chasing after them. That's... very surprising."
"You're right," She agreed, her brows drawing together in thought. "I believe that even though the strength of those two people was less than the Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao, they have surely reached the Spirit Xuan realm."
She looked down for a moment, the weight of the unknown heavy in her thoughts.
"We don't know who these mysterious experts are," She murmured. "Therefore, I can only conclude that their origin must lie beyond the scope of our knowledge."
Her brows furrowed further, her voice lowering into something more uncertain. "But what's bothering me even more is this... Why do Shi Chang Xiao and the others seem afraid of them?"
She looked up, eyes searching the canopy above. "Is there a force in this world that even these two masters are afraid of provoking?"
"Could there really be a force in this world that even the 'Eight Great Masters' are afraid to provoke?" Lei Jian Hong echoed, his frown deepening.
No one had an answer.
Yet, somewhere nearby, beyond their sight and senses, someone had been listening.
A shadow hidden in the underbrush, and that someone was already moving.
As the sky shifted into deeper shades of twilight, Shi Chang Xiao passed through their group silently, leaving behind a small jade vial by Lei Jian Hong's side.
It gleamed faintly with medicinal light, its contents swirling with pale golden liquid.
Lei Jian Hong looked up instinctively to thank him, but the man had already vanished, moving like a phantom into the trees.
Grateful, he picked up the vial and uncorked it, the scent of potent healing herbs flooding his nostrils.
"Pick him up carefully," He said.
Two disciples moved toward the Sixth Brother.
But at that moment, Lei Jian Hong's instincts screamed with a flicker of danger.
He didn't think as his body moved on reflex. He twisted and ducked just as a whisper of wind passed over his shoulder.
Several screams sounded almost simultaneously!
Four men around the Sixth Brother crumpled at once, blood spurting from their mouths, their eyes wide with shock.
Small throwing knives had embedded themselves cleanly into their chests so precisely that the hilts barely stuck out. Each blade had pierced the heart.
It was an instant, clean, and silent death.
Each knife demanded a life.
Lei Jian Hong's hand trembled.
"Young—!" He began, but the words caught in his throat.
His eyes turned bloodshot. He sprang up, drawing his sword as he shouted into the trees.
"Who are you?! Come out and stand in front of me! Don't hide in the dark and attack us from behind... come out, you son of a bitch! Come out! You… you… Where are you?!"
His voice cracked as rage overtook him.
The remaining four disciples, stunned and horrified, began to move. They searched, called out, and scrambled to detect even the faintest trace of their attacker.
But there was nothing.
They had survived a brutal clash with Sky Xuan and Spirit Xuan experts with only one man down. Yet now, after the battle had ended, four more of their own had been taken in an instant, like lambs dragged into the abyss.
Lei Jian Hong knelt beside the Ninth Brother and pulled out the throwing knife. The metal was unlike any he had seen.
It was dark, almost black, with a strange shimmer.
"I've never seen anything like this before..." He said through clenched teeth. "Our enemy clearly designed this specially to avoid detection."
He stood, holding the knife like a vow. "As long as you're able to spot the origin of this weapon, attack without hesitation. We'll show no mercy."
His jaw tightened.
"We must avenge our brothers."
"They won't die in vain," The others said together, voices trembling with fury. "We vow to avenge each fallen man!"
Suddenly, the woman's eyes widened.
"Wait... where are the other three knives?" She gasped.
The group turned, following her gaze And then they froze.
The knives… were gone.
The three knives that had been lodged in their brothers' bodies were missing.
But that wasn't the worst part.
Their throatswere slit cleanly open cruelly.
The blood flowed freely across their robes and soaked into the dirt. The corpses, once still and peaceful in death, now appeared violated.
Someone had removed the knives and returned.
And as if to mock them, the killer had ensured each man was unmistakably, permanently dead.
And it all had happened within seconds.
Everyone stared with cold sweat clung to their backs. Their breathing grew ragged and their hearts pounded in their ears.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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