Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Wutian, you finally made it! I have already taken a nap.”
The little girl sat on the edge of the bed with her legs dangling down on the side. She was enjoying a yellow pear in her hand. She looked so adorable and likeable.
“Zhao Kuang gave me this. I didn’t invite him in, telling him you were practicing cultivation.” The little girl was smart.
“It is still too early to say anything. All I have got is just the surface. I need more time to understand its essence.”
Wutian let out a smile, picked up a fruit from the basket and took a bite. It tasted as good as its smell. He went to the doorway. There were no stars in the sky tonight. The moon was hiding behind the clouds. It was dark outside, with only a few lanterns giving out spots of dim illumination.
“Tonight is the best time to do something convert.”
Wutian mumbled to himself. The Zhao family was very efficient. They had rebuilt the damaged buildings and cleaned up the debris floating in the lake. The mess that they created in the day earlier was gone.
“It is getting cold, Shishi. Go take a rest!” Wutian closed the door back and smiled.
The little girl pouted. “I just woke up. Can you play with me for a while?”
“Leave that until tomorrow.”
“All right, you have promised. Keep your word that you will play with me tomorrow. Pinky swear it! And wait until I fall asleep, only then you could leave.”
“All right.” Wutian smiled and made a pinky swear to her. He was doing it reluctantly, but he would do it as long as Shishi asked.
“Tell me a story, Wutian!” The little girl did not feel like sleeping, her big round eyes wide open, looking like the dew.
Wutian scratched his head. It was killing him. He had never read a story to anyone before. After much thought, he finally got started.
“A long time ago, a child was born without parents. His grandpa who loved him dearly lied to him that his parents had something important to do in some faraway place…”
“Who was that child, Wutian? It sounds like me,” asked the little girl.
“Don’t interrupt. Close your eyes and get to sleep. Otherwise, I will stop here.” Wutian pretended to be angry. The little girl poked out her tongue, then closed her eyes.
“The child finally grew up and became a handsome young man. His grandpa finally told him about his parents. But they had a deal. Because the young man had to leave home to some faraway place, his grandpa would only tell him when he got home. At last, the young man came home, but his grandpa was dead.”
The little girl opened her eyes. “He sounds like a pitiful child. He has no parents, and now his grandpa has died. I am so much better off than him. I still have my father and you, my brother.”
“Huh?” Wutian glared at her.
“I am going to sleep for real this time,” said the little girl.
Wutian shook his head and continued. “His grandpa who loved him the most had died, and he became an orphan. He wanted to search for his parents and ask them why they abandoned him. So off he went. During the journey, he met an adorable girl…”
Zzzzzz
Shishi was sleeping soundly with a smile on her face. It was a smile of happiness. Wutian let go of her hand, pulled the blanket over her, picked up Little Tian and tiptoed out.
“Caw!” Little Tian was not too happy. It could almost not open its eyes. Apparently it was sleepy, too.
“Don’t make a noise. I am bringing you to look for treasure,” said Wutian.
Little Tian was wide-eyed at hearing that. It became instantly alert, excited like a cat on hot bricks. It gestured something in the air, asking what treasure it was, where and whether it was valuable.
“Of course!”
Wutian nodded and went up to the terrace on the upper floor.
“You are handsome, brother. Even heaven and earth look pale in comparison. Hey, brother, I have been waiting.” A familiar yet disgusting voice came as soon as Wutian was up at the terrace.
“Caw!” Little Tian bared its fangs and gnashed its teeth, its body glowing in black light, steel teeth glinting menacingly.
“Easy! I’m not here looking for a fight,” said the young man in purple quickly.
“Then what is it about?” Wutian could not smile in front of this young man.
“Let’s discuss how not to get discovered while doing recce.” The young man grinned with an elusive look in his eyes.
Wutian seemed unconcerned. “I don’t know what you are talking about. If nothing else, please leave me alone.”
“Don’t give me your cold shoulder just yet. My name is Han Tian. You?” Han Tian smiled and was unruffled.
“Silly!” replied Wutian coldly as he turned to leave.
“Heck, a person who has a Gobbler in hand and could defeat me, yet is afraid of revealing your name. How ironic! Am I right, Wutian?”
Wutian halted, his anger rising. He turned around and looked at the young man. “Who are you? How did you get my name?”
“Who am I? Haven’t I told you?” Han Tian sneered.
“You know that is not what I mean!” Wutian’s eyes were cold, a murderous intent rising within him. Little Tian cawed in a low voice, its fangs glinting.
“Don’t get so worked up. As the saying goes, your enemy’s enemy is your friend. Let us cooperate. Don’t worry, I come in peace,” said Han Tian with a smile.
Wutian’s face stiffened, and he remained silent. After determining that Han Tian seemed to be not lying, he calmed down and asked Little Tian to do so. “What can we cooperate between you and me?”
“I hope you can help me get rid of the Zhaos, the traitors.”
“Get rid of the Zhaos?”
“To be honest, I am the direct disciple of the sect leader of the Yan Clan. I come here in disguise under the order of my master to kill the Zhaos.”
“Isn’t the head of the Zhao family the censor elder of the Yan Clan?” Wutian was perplexed.
“You’re right. He is a censor elder of the Yan Clan, but he has betrayed the clan and works for the Fire Cloud Clan. I seek your help simply because you are a traitor of the Fire Cloud Clan and should have a deep knowledge about them. Again, as the saying goes, know your enemy and victory will be yours.”
“Traitor?” Wutian was struck dumb.
“I am really curious. With your strength, what’s the big deal, even if you have stolen the secret manual and hurt the elder? Yet they expelled you from the clan and issued an order to arrest you for this. The leader of the Fire Cloud Clan must have hit his head somewhere. He is a dotard.”
“Stole the secret manual? Hurt the elder?” Wutian was even more perplexed.
“Didn’t you know?”
Wutian shook his head.
“How could it be? Everyone in Greendragon knows this. How could you, being the person directly implicated, not know this? I couldn’t believe it.” Han Tian looked at him with a strange expression, then took out the purple emblem and threw it to him.
“Take a look!”
Wutian took the emblem and examined it. “What is this?”
“Oh, gosh!” Han Tian had no word for it. How could such a powerful fighter not know what the Plenary Emblem was? He put his hand to his forehead to give himself a little massage. “This is the Plenary Emblem. You will know once you infuse your consciousness or the Qi of Essence into it.”
Wutian was transfixed. As soon as his consciousness was infused into it, an image of a few words appeared in his mind. He did not know whether to laugh or cry, and his hatred toward the Fire Cloud Clan deepened.
“Nonsense!” Wutian threw the emblem back to him.
“Is there something else that I don’t know yet? Did you ruin the life of someone’s daughter? The way I see it, they couldn’t have expelled a genius like you from the clan unless you have done something unpardonable,” said Han Tian.
“I can help you. But you have got to tell me what is going on,” said Wutian with a frown.
“You really lack a sense of humor.”
Han Tian pouted and his expression turned serious. “Every time the clan ran a recruitment campaign for the past few years, the Zhao family had procured no recruits. I heard that someone killed them while they were on the way. None of them survived. At first, my master suspected nothing. He didn’t really look into it. But when the same thing happened year after year, he started to become suspicious.
At last, after much investigation, he found out that the Zhaos had sent those recruits who passed the test over the Fire Cloud Clan. But my master did not have the proof. The Zhaos had been loyal for the past decades, and they have a good relationship with others in the clan. If action is taken against them now, it would cause discontentment in the clan. So my master asks me to come here to look for evidence.”
“You found clues already?” asked Wutian.
“Why ask the obvious, Brother Wutian? You were there last night.”
Wutian finally understood what the plan that Zhao Kuang mentioned was about.
“Besides, I have found out who is the one staying in the First Heaven House. He is Huoshi, young master of the Fire Cloud Clan, and Liuyan, direct disciple of the great elder.”
“It is them!” Wutian banged his hand on the guardrail, smashing a section into pieces.
“What’s going on? You have grudges against them?”
“Of course, not just grudges but blood debts.” Wutian smiled. He never had this broad smile on his face, even in front of Shishi. But in Han Tian’s eyes, it looked as if a devil’s smile.
A chill ran up his spine. “That is all the more the reason we should work together. I will surely help you kill Huoshi and Liuyan to quench your thirst for revenge,” said Han Tian.
“When transferring so many people, the Fire Cloud Clan will surely send their powerful ones as escorts. Coupled with the Zhao family, no way you two could kill them. Don’t you think you are too optimistic?”
Wutian wanted to seek vengeance, for sure. But at the same time, he was keeping a level head.
“Don’t you worry, Wutian. With this thing in hand, and as long as I have got the evidence, I am going to make mincemeat of them, no matter how many people they send.” Han Tian ran his hand over the emblem with a cold look in his eyes.
“I can help you. But you must help me capture Huoshi and Liuyan alive. They are for me. I am going to make them suffer worse than death,” said Wutian after keeping silent for a moment.
Han Tian’s heart skipped a beat as a chill ran up his spine again. He could sense the deep hatred in Wutian. It was written all over his face.
“I know I have found the right person.” Han Tian held out his hand as a sign of friendship.
They slapped hands. “We are just working together this time. About how you treated Shishi, I am not done yet with you.”
“Come on, don’t be such a petty man! Besides, I have never thought of hurting her. It was you who were to blame for not accepting my challenge. I am forced into this.”
“Be quiet.”
Wutian pressed him down, crouching on the terrace as they kept their eyes on the shadow that rapidly moved across the bridge toward them.