Chapter 308

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That dark light was none other than the small sword driven by Zhang Xiaohua!

Though the flying bird was indeed swift, the small sword was even faster by several degrees. In no time at all, it had already caught up. The bird seemed to sense the pursuer behind it and immediately sped up, zigzagging up, down, left, and right like a creature long trained for evasion, seemingly hoping to shake off the sword.

Unfortunately, the small sword had already been honed through battles with wild seabirds—how could it be shaken off so easily? In just a moment, it had reached the bird’s neck. With just a bit more force, it could pierce through and kill it.

But just then, the small sword suddenly pulled away, turned mid-air, and streaked back like a bolt of lightning. The bird, having escaped death by a hair’s breadth, cried out loudly, reoriented itself, and flapped its wings in haste to flee from this land of sorrow.

Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense had been enveloping the entire sea vessel all along. The plotting of Bai Yonggui and the others against him had not escaped his “eyes.” However, he was no clairaudient—he could not hear what they were saying. When he saw that Junior Brother Li had gone below deck to write something on a slip of paper, his attention was naturally drawn to it. Unfortunately, what the man wrote appeared to be a jumble of nonsense; even though Zhang Xiaohua was well-versed in the ancient characters, he could make no sense of it. Only when Junior Brother Li released the message-bearing bird did Zhang Xiaohua begin to suspect that the note might be unfavorable to him. Without hesitation, he released his flying sword to intercept the bird mid-flight.

Yet at the very moment he made his move, a trace of doubt surfaced in his heart. Who could say for certain whether the note truly concerned him? He was merely playing the role of a sea-faring youth who had chanced upon them on a deserted island. That small display of his skill on the first day aboard was more than enough to deter them. Besides, along the journey, there had been no sign of anyone drawing their weapons against him. Was he perhaps being too cautious?

Moreover, he couldn’t even decipher the contents of the message. If the note was merely about the sea vessel’s docking arrangements, and he intercepted it rashly, and the people from the Xinrong Gang never received the message, wouldn’t that delay the ship’s docking and result in an unnecessary blunder on his part?

So after weighing his options, Zhang Xiaohua ultimately chose to recall the flying sword and respond to motion with stillness.

Junior Brother Li had no idea that every movement he made—writing the note and releasing the bird—had been clearly observed by another. The messenger bird they had thought to be stealthy had nearly been intercepted, yet he still returned to the cabin in high spirits and reported to Bai Yonggui. Upon hearing that the bird had been released safely, everyone felt as though a great weight had been lifted from their hearts. They chatted cheerfully for a while, reminiscing about the hardships of their voyage and speculating about the rewards awaiting them once they returned to the sect, before finally dispersing to resume their cultivation, saying no more of the matter.

Seeing everyone laugh and talk with ease, then scatter as usual without so much as drawing a weapon, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled. Could it be that I really was being overly suspicious?

The sea vessel continued on for another three days. During this time, the ship’s speed varied—sometimes fast, sometimes slow—and at times it even changed direction repeatedly. Bai Yonggui’s heart was filled with anxiety, fearful that Zhang Xiaohua might step out of his cabin and question him. Unfortunately for him, Zhang Xiaohua was no “sea-faring youth” as he claimed to be—he was, in truth, someone who couldn’t tell directions to begin with. On the open sea, he was even more disoriented, entirely unable to tell east from west, let alone recognize that the ship was circling about. As for the ship’s irregular speed, he simply thought it normal.

These past few days, the ship had frequently passed by others exchanging signals with flags, and Zhang Xiaohua knew that they were getting closer and closer to the shore with each passing day. This made him all the more cautious. Except for when he cultivated at night, his divine sense enveloped the entire ship during the day. Seeing Bai Yonggui’s anxious face, he simply assumed the man was awaiting orders from his sect, and even felt quietly relieved that he had not slain the bird messenger.

Sure enough, one day, Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense stirred—the bird had safely returned. Upon receiving Junior Brother Li’s report, a smile appeared on Bai Yonggui’s face, and he promptly summoned all the disciples into the cabin for a meeting. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua did not hesitate—his figure rose lightly and flitted out the window. He glided down along the outer wall of the ship and landed silently to the side of the cabin, ears sharp and mind focused as he began to eavesdrop.

The meeting room used by the Xinrong Sect disciples was located at the center of the deck, and in normal times, many sailors would pass through the area. Zhang Xiaohua had once considered eavesdropping before, but fearing exposure, had abandoned the idea. Today, however, was different. First, the sailors had been toiling day and night, and their numbers on deck had noticeably decreased. Second, with his divine sense monitoring everything, Zhang Xiaohua could detect anyone approaching in time and take evasive action. Most importantly, he was genuinely curious—what exactly was written on that note? Did it concern him?

Sure enough, once all the junior brothers had gathered in the cabin, Bai Yonggui raised the slip of paper in his hand with a smile and said: “Fellow brothers, we’ve just received a message from the sect. The Sect Leader is very pleased that we successfully retrieved the item. Once we return, he intends to reward us handsomely—heh, from what he said, the reward may be beyond our expectations. Moreover, the Sect Leader expressed no dissatisfaction with us bringing someone back along with us. In fact, following our suggestion, he has already…”

Just as he spoke those words, Zhang Xiaohua’s divine sense stirred—two sailors were rounding the stern of the ship. He quickly leapt up and vanished into his cabin through the window. Only after the sailors passed did he slip back down again.

At that moment, Bai Yonggui was continuing: “…once the ship docks, we’ll coordinate with the two Elders to seize that brat. Heh, the Sect Leader said he wants absolute certainty—he even invited a master known for outstanding Qinggong. There won’t be any issues. Brothers, all we need to do is surround him. The rest will be handled by the two Elders, and we’ll receive credit without lifting a finger.”

Everyone responded: “Senior Brother Bai is a master strategist—we’re full of admiration.”

Once they had finished their praise, Bai Yonggui continued: “Brothers, we’ll be arriving at Pingning Harbor soon. The Sect Leader instructed that we dock at an abandoned pier. The two Elders should arrive right on time. For now, return and rest up—adjust your true qi. When the time comes, we strike in one swift move and fulfill our duty as part of the sect’s foundation!”

The group rose and declared: “To dedicate ourselves to the Sect’s cause is our unquestionable duty!”

Then they all dispersed. Bai Yonggui, however, called out to Junior Brother Yu, saying: “Junior Brother Yu, notify the sailors—there’s no need to detour or slow down anymore. From now on, speed up and head straight for Pingning Harbor.”

Junior Brother Yu acknowledged the order and left.

Once the cabin was empty, Zhang Xiaohua sneered to himself and was just about to return to his room when he heard more voices from inside.

He heard Chai Feng speak with concern: “Senior Brother Bai, did the Sect Leader say what to do with that Ren Xiaoyao? Are we taking him back alive, or do we silence him on the spot?”

Bai Yonggui sneered: “Junior Brother Chai, you’d best put away that conscience of yours. True, we swore an oath on that deserted island, but the vow only said we’d get him safely to land—it didn’t say what we’d do with him after we got there.”

Chai Feng was silent. After a moment, he added: “At the time, I didn’t think that far. I just felt that the boy was dragged into this mess without reason. He seems innocent.”

“Innocent? There are plenty of innocents in this world. The fact that he stumbled upon Tan Wu’s corpse proves that it was Heaven’s will. If he hadn’t brought out Tan Wu’s remains, wouldn’t he have stayed out of all this?”

“But if he hadn’t dug up the corpse, would Senior Brother Bai have let him on the boat?”

“Haha, that? Who’s to say?”

“In that case, whether he handed over the corpse or not, wouldn’t his fate have been the same?”

Bai Yonggui seemed to tacitly agree with Chai Feng’s reasoning and did not refute him. Instead, his voice grew somewhat high-pitched as he said: “Am I not doing all this for the great cause of our Xinrong Sect? If this matter spreads throughout the jianghu, wouldn’t we end up like the Tan family? We chased Tan Wen and Tan Wu for years before they finally died in a foreign land. Do you want us brothers to end up the same way?”

Chai Feng immediately shook his head and said: “Senior Brother Bai, I have no other thoughts. I just feel that the youth is somewhat wronged. He already handed over what we wanted, yet we’re still planning to silence him.”

Bai Yonggui once again sneered. “Put away that foolish compassion of yours. Do you know why the Sect Leader gave you a death-order to follow my lead this time? It’s because of your indecisiveness! If not for you back then, we would have struck Tan Wu down at Yanming Mountain. How would he have escaped overseas?”

Chai Feng let out a long sigh and fell silent. But Bai Yonggui showed no mercy and continued: “Don’t think you can wash your hands of this. Are you afraid of your vow? Don’t forget, back on that deserted island, you acted right alongside me to ambush that youth. If he bears a grudge and comes seeking vengeance, you won’t escape either!”

Chai Feng shouted angrily: “Senior Brother Bai, wasn’t it only because you forced me with the Sect Leader’s implied order?”

With that, he turned and stormed toward the door.

But Bai Yonggui stepped forward and grabbed him. “Junior Brother Chai, hear me out. The jianghu is a place of schemes and deception. There’s no room for mercy. With your kind of temperament, if you weren’t protected by the sect, you’d have died a long time ago. Do you think it was by chance that we were the ones who profited from the Tan family’s affairs?”

Hearing this, Chai Feng couldn’t help but grow curious. “I know my temperament is a flaw—too trusting, too hesitant, and reluctant to harm others. I’m not cut out for the jianghu. But we grew up in the sect. If not the jianghu, what else could we do for a living? Still, what does my nature have to do with the Tan family?”

Zhang Xiaohua’s own curiosity surged as well, and he was about to listen more closely when sailors once again passed the stern. He had no choice but to retreat into his cabin. Only after they left did he come back down. Though he silently cursed the sailors for interrupting his eavesdropping, he also knew that docking was near. Sailors were now few and far between—under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even be able to stay outside the window for a moment.

Sure enough, Bai Yonggui inside the cabin was already saying: “It was by pure chance that I learned of it from a senior brother in charge of intelligence. Our Xinrong Sect had already taken note of the Tan family’s unusual movements five or six years ago and had begun laying plans, gathering related information. But the Tan family is a major martial clan, rarely allowing outsiders in. It was nearly impossible to gather useful intel—until one of that senior brother’s disciples, posing as a jade merchant, managed to form a small connection with a young master of the Tan family who had a fondness for jade…”