I smell conspiracy

It seems something has been bothering your mind ever since we left. I also understand how you feel when someone mentions the name of your deceased father. However, I have something to say... "If you dwell too much on the matter, we will die before even getting close to our goal," Xiao Xiao said, looking straight into his eyes. Though he could sense Xuan Ping's lingering desire for revenge, they needed to prioritize leaving first.

"Do you care to know who that person is?" Xuan Ping asked with a serious and neutral expression.

"Who is he?"

"Ye Fan. He is the son of the great emperor whom we seek to avenge."

"What?! Wow!"

Xuan Ping was not expecting this reaction, but it changed the way he had always viewed Xiao Xiao.

"I wondered what technique he used to conceal or reconstruct his body, but isn't he supposed to be older than that?"

"In any case, I can't fathom how strong that bastard will be. Merely wanting to trade blows with him is making every inch of my body tense."

"When he was here, weren't you overly cautious of him? Now that he's gone, your battle mode is being activated... Thank God he turned out to be an ally instead of an enemy," said Xuan Ping.

"I think you are mistaken about something here. It wasn't me being overly cautious; it was just the feeling of excitement," refuted Xiao Xiao.

"If it were the Xiao Feng without Xuan Ping, my body would have moved before I even had time to think... What a drag! Now I have a junior brother and sister to take care of. I'm not in a situation where I can just give in to my body."

Mu Tianxing was present, but it felt as though his presence was nullified for a while.

"Brothers, I think we should get going before it gets dark."

"Okay, I yield."

It was already dark outside, so the three decided to stay overnight at a small inn in the deserted area. The inn was usually peaceful, with only long-distance travelers visiting.

However, an unknown figure with a large build entered the inn. His body was covered, and his broadsword was visibly displayed.

The three came down from their room to have a meal before resting. Mu Tianxing yawned deeply, realizing he was about to sleep without eating.

"At least you're going to eat now, so stop complaining," said Xiao Feng.

Xuan Ping, Xiao Feng, and Mu Fenshang sat around a table meant for three people and ordered their meals. Xuan Ping also requested the inn's best wine.

"I had my eyes on this table already, so you three should stand up and find your way to other tables," said the mysterious man.

"Oh, I never knew someone's voice could be that thick and resounding," Mu Tianxing thought.

"Sir, my brothers and I were seated here first. If you don't mind, could you please settle down at another table?" said Mu Tianxing politely.

The figure didn't take them seriously; all he wanted was that specific table.

"Mu Tianxing, that wasn't necessary. Just continue with your meal," said Xiao Feng, his attention focused on his food.

"If he wants to fight, then he'll get it. Disciples of the Pure Jade Sect do not back down from fights," Xiao Feng said softly.

"What?! A fight... Wait, that isn't what I should be asking. You guys are from the Pure Jade Sect?" whispered Mu Tianxing.

"Brother Mu, did you hear what he said? Eat your food before it gets cold," said Xuan Ping.

The figure, increasingly frustrated by not being taken seriously, drew his sword and aimed it at Mu Tianxing's head. Before it could reach Mu Tianxing, Xiao Feng's sword intercepted it in midair.

"I almost lost my head there," Mu Tianxing said, trembling.

"Hey, you should know what it means to draw your sword at someone and the consequences that follow," Xiao Feng warned.

"You know, Xiao Xiao, I've been pondering something lately. Considering what Ye Fan told us, are we weak?" Xuan Ping asked.

"Well, we are about to find out, aren't we?" Xiao Feng replied, looking at his opponent. He withdrew his sword and aimed for the hand holding the sword. The mysterious man partially parried the attack, but he couldn't block most of it, which pushed him backward and destroyed the inn's entrance with his large build.

Xiao Feng released a bit of his Qi as he dashed towards the man, not giving him a chance to stand. However, just before Xiao could strike him, he abruptly halted.

The man was surprised by this unexpected pause.

“What? Are you surprised at why I stopped? Well, if I had dashed towards you like that, the fight would have ended much quicker, so I'm giving you a chance,” said Xiao as he grinned.

“Yes! Brother Xiao has succeeded in totally pissing him off,” said Mu Tianxing, almost on the verge of tears.

[Opening the inn today was the best mistake I have ever made since birth. The innkeeper began to get teary-eyed.]

The figure rose from where he was lying, releasing his Qi and making his surroundings tense. His clothes were torn, but he held his sword tightly. "Seeing as you are a worthy opponent, I'll fight you with all I've got."

He charged towards Xiao Feng with all the strength he could muster. Every muscle in his body was hardened, veins bulging out from every part of him.

They traded sword patterns, dashing towards each other from every direction. But the mister was surprised as Xiao Feng easily parried all of his attacks. "Damn! I can't believe I'm using all my trump cards on some unknown kid," he shouted, his eyes turning red. "Ten Swords of Hell!"

"Wow, you are no fun at all, already using your trump card when the fight just started...I knew it would be hard to find a worthy opponent," said Xiao Feng.

As the fight continued, three things were also happening. The innkeeper cursed his luck, Mu Tianxing was fixated on the fight, hoping to learn something, and Xuan Ping gulped down his wine.

"Brother Xiao, finish this quickly. We still need to sleep so we'll be in our best condition for tomorrow," Xuan Ping said, pouring another drink.

"I guess I'll have to take this attack seriously, seeing as he's emptied his bag of tricks. But I still can't believe we're fighting over a table," Xiao Feng thought. "Well, all that matters is winning the fight and getting stronger."

The figure suddenly disappeared from Xiao Feng's view. Startled, Xiao Feng turned around but couldn't find him.

Closing his eyes, Xiao Feng spread his Qi and tried to feel his surroundings. "There you are..." He dashed towards the figure.

"Finally, I'm going to catch you," the figure said with a smile.

"Is he smiling? What?" Xiao Feng saw the huge sword in front of him. He barely managed to raise his sword and stop it, but unfortunately, Xiao feng's sword broke.

"I'd rather not interfere because you learn more at the verge of death," Xuan Ping said, taking another sip of his drink.

Xiao Feng saw the giant sword slowly descending toward his head. Infusing his hand with Qi, he took the full force of the sword with just his two fingers and twisted it.

"What! He just broke a sword worth 2000 pounds with his bare hands..." the figure knelt, his face looking down at the ground.

"I would rather not do this, but I don't have a choice," Xiao Feng mused, preparing to chop off the figure's head. But then he chuckled, "Do you really think I would take your life just for a table? All I wanted was a good fight, and you gave me one."

He walked back into the inn. "Brother Xuan, brother Mu, let's get some rest. I also need to recover my Qi. It will be a long night."

"Don't worry, old man. We'll pay enough money to fix your inn," Mu Tianxing said as he rushed back into their room.

The figure stood there, still perplexed at how well he was defeated by someone younger than him. "I can't believe I, a core disciple of the Netherworld sect, would be at the mercy of someone so young... There really are hidden monsters everywhere you go."

He stood up and headed back to his sect, motivated to become stronger.

Next morning

The night felt shorter than Xiao Feng had anticipated. They all emerged from their rooms.

"This inn is really nice. I can't believe I had a good night's sleep after leaving the sect," Xuan Ping yawned as he descended the stairs.

"Yeah, I completely agree," Xiao Feng said, adjusting his clothes.

They expected Mu Tianxing to come down from his room, but to their surprise, he had a black swollen eye.

"What? You didn't sleep? Damn! Are you planning on being a burden during our journey?" Xiao said, hitting his forehead with his hand.

"Sorry, brother, I just couldn't sleep after yesterday's incident. What if he comes back with reinforcements?" Mu Tianxing said.

"We've told you already, leave all that to us. I don't know how you're going to do it, but we'll handle things as we are now," Xiao Feng said firmly.

"Good morning, young masters. I urge you to be careful during your journey because the young man you had a fight with yesterday is a disciple of the Netherworld sect," the innkeeper warned them cautiously.

"What? A disciple of the Netherworld sect? How do you expect us to believe that?" Xuan Ping looked at Xiao Feng and Mu Tianxing skeptically.

"His emblem, I recognize the emblem he tied around his waist... The emblem is a black rose, and the number of petals inscribed on it indicates the position in the sect," the innkeeper explained.

"His emblem had five petals, what does that mean?" Xiao Feng asked, his gaze fixed on the innkeeper.

"A core disciple," the innkeeper replied, looking down, hoping his inn wouldn't get involved in any trouble.

"Definitely an elder's emblem has six petals, then I don't think we have much work to do then," Xuan Ping said confidently. "Let us get going."

They left the inn and headed straight for the city.

MU CLAN

"Mother, it has been long since you let me in on what is going on," Mu Kun said impatiently to his mother.

"Mmm, and why do you think I should? You have become such a clueless fool," Mu Fengsha replied coldly.

"I'm asking because I don't know, mother," Mu Kun retorted, annoyance evident in his voice.

"What a foolish son you have become. I'm doing my best so you can sit in the patriarch's exclusive chair, but here you are, totally clueless about what is going on. Anyway, we are to meet with the elder today," Mu Fengsha said, her disappointment palpable.

"Hmm, but we are yet to find the whereabouts of the divine manual. Why would he want to meet, mother?" Mu Kun questioned.

"That, I won't know until we meet. And I've figured out something," Mu Fengsha replied cryptically.

"What is that, mother?" Mu Kun inquired eagerly.

"Nobody knows the fact that the Elder of the Netherworld sect has locked onto a divine manual," Mu Fengsha revealed.

...

Xu Qing, who had been bored during her stay at the Mu clan, refining pills, had tired herself out. None of her senior brothers were there to hike with. She decided to go out for a walk and explore the beauty of the Mu clan.

"I guess I'm done for today. Why don't I go out for a walk and see how beautiful the Mu clan is? Hmm, good idea," Xu Qing muttered to herself.

As she walked past the clan's ancestral hall, she kept moving around each building, enjoying the scenery. Eventually, she found herself lost and decided to lean against a wall, exhausted from going in circles.

To her surprise, she began to overhear a conversation nearby. "Wait, isn't that the rich guy's stepmother's voice?" Xu Qing thought to herself. Curiosity piqued, she enhanced her hearing to listen more closely.

"Things have been going smoothly, and the whereabouts of the divine manual has been found, but I won't release it to the elder that easily," Mu Fengsha stated to her son.

Xu Qing quickly caught wind of everything that was going on—the meeting with the elder, the location, the time, and even the weakness that Mu Fengsha planned to exploit against the elder.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Xu Qing hurried back to the alchemy room. Finally, she had something important to share with Senior Brother Xiao Feng and Xuan ping.

"I need to inform Senior Brother Xiao Feng and Xuan Ping," Xu Qing said determinedly.