Chapter 233: Countdown

There was no such thing as a secret that stayed hidden forever. That was especially true when someone like Mr. No-Fun had infiltrated deep behind enemy lines and was constantly relaying firsthand intelligence.

Ji Jue had been captured alive by Jian Yuan the previous night. Before dawn, an encrypted message had reached the outpost and was personally delivered to Ye Xian by Lü Yingyue. She had even prepared a whole speech to comfort her.

Unfortunately, none of it proved necessary. Ye Xian remained completely unmoved, showing no reaction whatsoever.

“Oh. I see.” Ye Xian kept her eyes fixed on the furnace and waved without looking up. “Leave it there.”

Her indifference was too genuine to be an act. In fact, it seemed more like a rare display of her true feelings. For a moment, even Lü Yingyue was taken aback and wondered whether Yu Hanguang had taken that beating somewhat unjustly.

“You’re not worried at all?” she asked, puzzled.

Ye Xian glanced back. “Even if I were worried or upset, you’d only be here to enjoy the spectacle, wouldn’t you?”

The helpless smile at the corners of Lü Yingyue’s mouth deepened. “I’m not that kind of person.”

“He brought this on himself, so he can deal with the consequences. I’m his teacher, not his nanny,” Ye Xian replied coldly. “Besides, I might have paid attention if it were anyone else. But since it’s Jian Yuan, forget it. There’s no need to organize a rescue either.”

Lü Yingyue pressed her. “He infiltrated Jian Yuan’s workshop alone and rescued young Yanyue. Tide City and the Lou family aren’t the only ones who owe him for that, the Security Bureau does too. Now that he’s been captured, there’s no telling what kind of torture they might put him through.”

“Torture him?” Ye Xian sneered. “He’s probably having such a wonderful time that he never wants to leave. You’ve looked into my background before, haven’t you? Surely you know.”

Lü Yingyue gave a small shrug, wearing an expression that said, Why would I ever do such a thing?

Yet somehow, she also looked rather pleased that Ye Xian understood her so well.

Ye Xian rubbed her brow and let out a weary sigh. “You came here just to laugh at me, didn’t you? Good thing I left the school when I did. Otherwise, if I met that old bastard Jian Yuan, I might have had to call him Senior Uncle.”

Within the Association, Ye Xian’s name had inspired dread among the upper ranks. At the mere mention of her, countless craftsmen who had suffered at her hands could be frightened into silence. The speed, brutality, and sheer force with which she had risen were virtually unprecedented. Looking back over the previous seventy years, there had been no one else quite like her.

Unfortunately, seventy years ago... there had been Jian Yuan.

He had completed his apprenticeship at twenty-four, became a master at thirty-one, and founded his own school at forty-five before carving out a fearsome reputation across the Thousand Islands, located between the Empire and the Federation. The blades and swords forged under his hand had been unmatched, and many had even attained the rank of Divine Creation. Duskbane, the weapon Wen Wen had snapped in two, had been one of his early works.

Then, at the age of fifty-six, he had pledged himself to Putrefaction overnight. Now, he ruled over the Depths and had gone from one of the Association’s most trusted figures to an outright menace.

In theory, although the Ember Path and the Depths were irreconcilable enemies, their shared lineage should have counted for something. Jian Yuan might have shown a little mercy rather than acting so ruthlessly. Unfortunately, belonging to the same lineage meant absolutely nothing. Even Ye Xian’s departure from the school couldn’t erase the blood feud between them.

Fellow brothers turning on one another was hardly uncommon. Besides, harmony and brotherly affection were easy enough to preach, but once tempers flared, even a father and his son could beat each other’s brains out, let alone senior and junior apprentices. They were divided by pride, conflicting principles, and the need to prove who stood above the other.

Back then, Jian Yuan had fought Ye Xian’s teacher three times over those very differences. He had failed to gain the slightest advantage in any of those encounters, and on the final occasion, his opponent had even shown mercy and spared his life.

A broad-minded and magnanimous person could have recognized the error of his ways, but they were craftsmen, for fuck’s sake. Craftsmen were hardly known for being that broad-minded. And even if he was broad-minded, how could a mere defeat and brush with death shake the convictions he had built his entire life upon?

Anyone who could be swayed by outside influences would have never made it this far.

“It might have been different with someone else, but if he learns that Ji Jue is my student, he definitely won’t pass up the opportunity,” Ye Xian said, shaking her head. “He’d love nothing more than to use this chance to slap my teacher across the face a few times and prove that his path was the correct one all along.”

Back then, you accused me of relying on cheap tricks and clinging to stagnant, outdated ways. But now my disciples are everywhere, while your most prized student abandoned your school and even her student has joined mine. So whose path was truly the right one?

Besides, talent alone guaranteed that Jian Yuan would never let such a promising prospect slip through his fingers after Ji Jue had practically been delivered to his doorstep. As for whether Ji Jue could withstand the corruption of Putrefaction and Jian Yuan’s temptation, what did that have to do with her?! After putting up with his endless antics for so long, it was only fair that someone else got to experience the joy of being Ji Jue’s teacher.

Besides, did she not know better than anyone just how troublesome her student was? In some respects, killing him would be easy, but making him willingly bow his head was another matter entirely. Even Ye Xian, his actual teacher, couldn’t manage that.

If Jian Yuan thought his life had been going far too smoothly and wanted to invite some misery upon himself, then all she could do was wish him the best. This would also give that bastard Ji Jue a chance to suffer a little more. Otherwise, even if he survived this time, sooner or later he would get himself killed by being too reckless.

“So you’re just going to leave him there?” Lü Yingyue asked, puzzled.

“I’m a little busy right now.” Ye Xian looked up expressionlessly toward the furnace. A myriad of spirit circuits flickered above it like stars, intertwined with many layers of blessings. Bathed in their brilliant radiance, her solemn face seemed to take on a fierce glow of its own. “I’ll settle my own affairs myself. As for my student, once I’ve crossed hands with that Senior Uncle of mine, I’ll bring him back while I’m at it.”

Lü Yingyue didn’t reply. She had not seen this old friend of hers look so serious in many years.

“That’s the Ember Path for you,” she murmured.

That was when she realized that Jian Yuan wasn’t the only one nursing a grudge. Ye Xian could also be planning to seize this opportunity to prove something to her own teacher.

Poor Ji Jue was likely about to become a pawn in a contest between two practitioners of the Ember Path. Ever since joining the school, he had essentially been left to fend for himself and had never enjoyed a single benefit of belonging to it. Yet somehow, every debt and burden left behind by the school had ended up falling squarely on his shoulders.

Lü Yingyue could only sigh from the bottom of her heart. “Ji Jue really drew the short straw when he became your student.”

At that, Ye Xian merely looked away with perfect composure. “Right back at you.”

***

Meanwhile, the argument in the outpost conference room had finally come to an end. The meeting adjourned, and the attendees dispersed.

The white-haired woman glanced at the empty seat. “Hmm? Where’s Yingyue? She didn’t come today?”

Tong Ting smiled faintly. “She’s probably tired of all the arguing. These guys are only going around in circles over the same old issues. Mrs. Lü has more important matters to consider and naturally couldn’t be bothered squabbling with the others, so she asked me to attend in her place.

“Still, that boy Shan really made his uncle proud this time. Those people from Ship City usually speak as though everyone else is beneath them, but today they had nothing to say. Even Madam Lou was unusually cordial with me.”

Madam Lou glanced at him. “Shan deserves some of the credit, but wasn’t most of it owed to Master Ye’s distinguished student? Besides, a lazybones like you never shows his face until disaster is right at the door. Since when did you care whether an old woman like me was nice to you?”

“The old man drilled into me from childhood that taking a step back opens up a world of possibilities. Always rushing to be first rarely ends well. Unless the situation is really dire, who wouldn’t rather stay home and live a quiet, peaceful life?”

Tong Ting sighed miserably. “This is no longer about the gains and losses of a single family or region. Haizhou and the entire Federation have been dragged into it, and this may well become another conflict between Benevolence and Abomination. Acting as their public representative has left me constantly on edge. All I can do is nod along with whatever they say. A formidable woman like you, Madam Lou, often puts me to shame.”

“With no capable young person at home to take the helm, an old woman like me had no choice but to step forward. I may act forcefully and put on an imposing front, but compared with the Tong family, it only proves that our household is strong on the outside and hollow within. So spare me the flattery.” Madam Lou sighed before saying in a grave tone, “I only arrived today, so I’m not fully aware of the situation. Since you’re here on behalf of Old Master Tong, you ought to give me a clear answer.”

Tong Ting relayed the words of the family elder. “At this point, there’s nothing more to discuss. The distinction between Benevolence and Abomination cannot be blurred. Sooner or later, we’ll have to fight. Isn’t Old Master Lou of the same opinion?”

Madam Lou’s expression remained calm when she heard this. There wasn’t a single trace of agitation. If anything, she seemed relieved.

So they only had to fight. What was the big deal? At worst, they would die. At most, a few more members of the family would die with them. It wasn’t as though their family was the only one that had ever lost people.

Conflict among Chosen Ones had always been brutal. For great and powerful families, casualties were unavoidable. Now that Haizhou itself was involved, none of the major families had any room left to retreat, so they had already mobilized their finest people. What they feared wasn’t having to fight, but being forced to remain in this endless standoff. How were they supposed to carry on with their lives if this dragged on indefinitely?

Besides, who in their right mind planted a bomb on someone else’s doorstep for fun? Who knew when Lu Changsheng would lose his mind, pull out the remote, and press the button just to see what happened?

Before this, the various factions still had reservations about Spring City, but Lu Changsheng’s actions had completely unified them. They had to fight, and they had to beat the Heretic Cult into the ground. No matter how incompetent the Federation was, it couldn’t allow Lu Changsheng to establish a base right on its doorstep.

The real problem was...

“How is Mr. Tao?”

Tong Ting fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. “He was full of energy and perfectly lucid. When I saw him yesterday, he seemed even more talkative than before.”

Madam Lou said nothing. Their eyes met, and both of them sighed.

The major families had all contributed to Mr. Tao’s appointment as Governor of Haizhou. It was rare enough to have a governor who didn’t strip the province bare, let alone one who genuinely wanted to solve Haizhou’s problems. His arrival had felt like a cause for celebration.

Everyone wished he could remain in office for many years to come, preferably for another century, or even a millennium. Unfortunately, from the way things looked now, he didn’t have much time left. After suffering grievous injuries and enduring the corruption of Spring City, Mr. Tao had spent years unconscious. Even after awakening, he had usually seemed senile and slow-witted whenever circumstances did not demand otherwise.

His consciousness was the flame, and his humanity the oil that sustained it. Mr. Tao had long since become a fire without fuel. A faint ember could linger for a long time, but the brighter and fiercer the flame burned now, the sooner it would be extinguished.

At the same time, he was drawing ever closer to Origin. The weaker he became, the stronger he grew!

Tong Ting slowly rose to his feet. “Prepare yourself, Madam Lou. Mr. Tao isn’t the kind of man who will tolerate being held at the mercy of monsters. They’ve been testing each other for long enough. It should happen within the next day or two.”

His footsteps faded into the distance.

Madam Lou let out a quiet sound. After a long while, she looked down. For some reason, she suddenly recalled a meeting she had had with Mr. Tao several years earlier. The old man had told her...

“For the sake of all that is under heaven, why should I hesitate to sacrifice myself?!”