Unexpected Meeting

"Ha ha... you worthless dog, Xin Long! You don't even know your own place… I'll watch and see how you die!..."  

As soon as Bai Luo returned to his room, he burst into loud laughter. Thinking about what he had done, he felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.  

Yes, he was pleased with himself.  

He had just witnessed Xin Long leaving his room and stepping outside the building. Seizing the opportunity, he had sneaked into Xin Long's room and secretly coated poison onto some of his weapons. Not only that, but he had also discreetly taught a few dagger techniques to two young fighters who were likely to face Xin Long in battle. Furthermore, he had applied poison to some of their weapons as well.  

Poison—yes, poison. Although combat trials allowed participants to use any weapon of their choice, poison was strictly forbidden. If anyone was found to have died from poison during the trials, the punishment was immediate execution—no questioning, no investigations. This rule existed to ensure that every warrior maintained full control over their weapons at all times.  

Even if Xin Long suspected something, he had no choice but to take all his weapons with him. If a battle broke out, he would inevitably use them. And once he suffered even the slightest wound from one of the poisoned weapons, death would be unavoidable.  

Bai Luo had essentially taken down two enemies with a single move.  

As he thought about this, a vivid image of Seductress Weiwei's beauty appeared in his mind.  

"Weiwei is mine alone, you worthless dog!..."  

Laughing to himself, he clenched his fists in excitement. Meanwhile, his mind burned with hatred as he gritted his teeth and cursed Xin Long under his breath.  

…  

As Xin Long awoke from his restful sleep, he carefully examined the damaged weapons once again. After washing up, he picked up one of the broken weapons—a long spear—and stepped out of his small training chamber, heading toward the forest, far from the sect's headquarters.  

One of the weapons in poor condition—the spear. He had decided to test it on an animal.  

As he made his way forward, he caught sight of Bai Luo sitting in the reception hall of the building, watching him intently with an amused smile. His posture was composed, steady, but his eyes held an unsettling flicker of emotion. Though it lasted only for a brief moment, Xin Long had noticed it. Their gazes met for a second before he turned away and made his way toward the exit.  

Just as he was about to step out—  

"Xin Long, where are you headed?"  

Bai Luo's voice called out from behind. Xin Long's shoulders tensed slightly before he responded in a calm tone—  

"The forest."  

With that, he stepped outside.  

The sunlight greeted him the moment he exited the building, piercing into his senses. He gave a faint, unreadable smile and instinctively glanced up at a particular tree—the one where he had once heard a mysterious voice.  

Then, without hesitation, he walked toward the dog kennels.  

"Grrrrr…"  

The moment he arrived, a few aggressive dogs growled at him from within their cages. He observed them for a moment before murmuring to himself—  

"In two days, I'll bring you something to eat."  

That thought alone filled him with a strange sense of exhilaration, causing his blood to stir with anticipation. Feeling this rising energy within him, he turned away from the kennels and continued onward, stepping into the depths of the forest.  

The forest… To him, it was a place of immeasurable value. In other words, it was the place where he regularly went to gather the herbs of the mind-controlling durg, which he relied on to sustain his own mental clarity.  

As he walked through, he suddenly heard a sound from a distance—the crack of a tree branch being stepped on. His senses were sharp. Since the time he had joined the Shadowmoon reaper sect, he had trained his hearing as one of his core skills. That was why he immediately recognized the sound of the tree branch cracking—it wasn't the sound of a wild animal.  

He knew at once that the sound came from someone tracking him.  

With a slight smile, he looked around and searched for a tree that would provide him with cover.  

After a moment, he found a large tree and sprinted toward it. Climbing the tree, he made his way up to a low branch and then slowly ascended higher, moving carefully to avoid detection. He stayed still beneath the cover of the leaves, watching the ground below. He was aware of his own limitations, but he knew the person following him would be just as aware of them as well. This was why he had chosen to climb.  

At that moment, he saw a figure emerge beneath the tree. The person had wrapped a cloth around their head and was scanning the surroundings, searching for him.  

Then, the figure looked up toward the tree.  

"Bai Luo…" Xin Long was stunned, unable to believe his eyes. Why was Bai Luo following him?  

Bai Luo had stood under the tree, looking up briefly before turning his gaze downward, not noticing Xin Long in the tree. Xin Long knew the only way to spot him would be to examine the tree more closely, which Bai Luo had failed to do. The leaves had provided the perfect cover, preventing him from being seen.  

Xin Long didn't dare to breathe too loudly. He knew that if Bai Luo moved any closer, the slightest rustling from the tree could alert him.  

After briefly glancing around, Bai Luo noticed that Xin Long had left the area beneath the tree.  

After briefly glancing around, Bai Luo noticed that Xin Long had left the area beneath the tree.   

He began to think again about the strange behavior of Bai Luo. He knew that Bai Luo, in comparison to him, was a highly skilled member of the sect. But why was he following him? He was sure that the sect leader, Murong Jing, would never have ordered Bai Luo to trail him.  

The unease in his eyes. Yes, it was there.  

When Bai Luo had seen him, his gaze had become unsettled, almost as if he had committed a grave wrongdoing. Xin Long recalled that moment.  

Seductress Wei Wei. Yes, it could only be because of her. Bai Luo must have been intrigued by her as well. Once Wei Wei became involved with him, Xin Long's thoughts became clouded and he couldn't see clearly anymore. The thoughts of wanting him dead filled his mind, and that realization startled him.  

Poisoned blood... Every sect member who ventured out of the sect's territory carried a weapon coated with poison. Whether it was in their body or in their weapon, it was always there, a constant threat. The poison, once it entered the bloodstream, would instantly cause death if not neutralized by the antidote. The antidote was always provided by the sect leader.  

The poison that Bai Luo carried was known only to the sect leader, and every member of the sect knew this.  

As Xin Long thought about all of this, a brief smile crossed his face. He had just realized that the broken weapons he had been handling were coated with poison. With his mind racing, he slowly descended, jumping to a lower branch. Grabbing the spear he had left behind, he made the decision to head back to the sect's headquarters.  

The desire to continue his test had faded.  

End - 3