bookbashuk Chapter 105 The Dark Guard
Chapter 105 The Dark Guard
In a courtyard on Yuhua Mountain, the middle-aged man surnamed Zhou, who had previously had a conflict with Zhao Fan, was sitting opposite the young master of the workshop.
"You want me to kill Zhao Fan this time when we go to the Suyang Sect?"
The cultivator surnamed Zhou held a teacup in his hand, his brows furrowed.
"That's right. Since Zhang Tie disappeared, the only people who know about this are the Su family and Zhao Fan."
"Although the Su family has suspicions, they have no evidence, so we can leave it aside for now. However, Zhao Fan was able to sense Zhang Tie in the cave, so there must be something special about him. I keep thinking about it and I'm still not at ease."
"Besides, why would Zhang Tie insist on killing Zhao Fan with his own hands? We can't be sure whether what he said is true or false."
"Perhaps he wants to kill Zhao Fan himself because he has some secret."
After listening to the young master's explanation for a while, the cultivator surnamed Zhou nodded slightly and then asked another question.
"But how did you know Zhao Fan would come? And why would Su San give him such an important spot?"
Upon hearing this, the young master's eyes darkened.
"Speaking of which, this is another reason why I insist on taking action now. That kid has already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining!"
"He is very talented. If we don't make a move soon, it won't be long before neither of us will be a match for him."
Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Zhou was shocked. He hadn't expected that his carelessness that day would leave him with such a great calamity.
"But this time I'm just one of the team leaders; there are two other team leaders involved, so this isn't a easy task."
Upon hearing this, the young master immediately spoke up.
"Fellow Daoist, at this point it's no longer a question of whether it's easy or difficult to do, but rather what method you'll use to do it."
"I have a solution here, fellow Daoist, you may listen."
The cultivator surnamed Zhou looked up at the young master and immediately asked a question.
"Stop keeping me in suspense, just get to the point."
"I heard that a year ago, the Zhou family took in a Qi Refining Peak level bodyguard. This bodyguard was captured by the Zhou family and became a bodyguard because he was chasing Su San."
Upon hearing the young master's words, the cultivator surnamed Zhou's eyes lit up.
"That's a good idea."
"However, how did you know about our Zhou family recruiting secret guards?"
The young master picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
My uncle told me.
Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly, but then regained his composure.
He didn't ask any further questions, nor did he even glance at him again. The young master's uncle was a member of the Zhou family, and was the most promising cultivator of his generation to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage. Given his status, it was not surprising that he knew this at this time.
He put down his teacup, his gaze falling on the table, as if he were pondering something.
"Where is that bodyguard now?"
"You don't need to worry about that. I've already spoken to my uncle, and he'll take care of it."
The cultivator surnamed Zhou nodded slightly, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.
"That makes things easier."
He pondered for a moment.
"We must take action on the street without letting anyone else notice."
"That's natural."
The young master stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to the cultivator surnamed Zhou.
"The procession for the apprenticeship event will take several days, and I will create opportunities along the way."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the cultivator surnamed Zhou already understood.
"Su San isn't stupid; she won't be easily fooled."
"So I need your help."
The young master turned around and looked directly at him.
"You are one of the team leaders. You have the final say on arranging campsites and assigning manpower along the way. As long as you place the Su family at the end of the group, I will create opportunities for them later."
The cultivator surnamed Zhou remained silent for a moment before finally nodding.
"Okay. But after it's done, you can't forget anything you promised me."
The young master smiled slightly.
"Don't worry, I, Song, keep my word."
The two exchanged a glance, each picked up their teacups, and thus reached a tacit understanding.
……
Meanwhile, in a corner on the other side of Yuhua Mountain, Su San was meditating with her eyes closed.
Zhao Fan, Su Ziyan, and Su Zixin each found a flat rock to sit on, some to regulate their breathing, others to doze off.
Xiao Er lay prone at Zhao Fan's feet, his ears twitching occasionally, as if he were on guard against something.
As night deepened, a cool mountain breeze swept through, swirling up a few withered leaves.
It was so quiet in the corner that you could almost hear your own heartbeat.
Su Ziqiu sat cross-legged on a large rock, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing even, looking like the others meditating and regulating their breath.
He was a member of a collateral branch of the Su family. Although his cultivation level was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, he had never had much of a presence in the clan.
He had been sitting here for almost half an hour, and his legs were starting to go numb.
Just then, a small black insect silently landed on his head.
The insect was only the size of a grain of rice, completely black, and almost invisible in the night. It landed on Su Ziqiu's hair and gently fluttered its wings.
Su Ziqiu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.
He didn't open his eyes, nor did he change the rhythm of his breathing; he only twitched his fingers on his knees slightly, as if he were scratching an itch.
The little insect crawled down his finger, landed silently on the ground, and crawled towards the bushes not far away.
Su Ziqiu kept his eyes closed, as if nothing had happened.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he slowly opened his eyes, stretched, as if he needed to move his muscles and bones after sitting for a long time.
He glanced around and saw that Su San was still meditating, Zhao Fan was looking down as if studying something, Su Ziyan was leaning against a rock and had fallen asleep, and Su Zixin had her eyes closed and was regulating her breathing.
Once he was sure no one was paying attention to him, Su Ziqiu stood up and tiptoed toward the bushes not far away.
His footsteps were light, each step landing silently on the soft soil.
Behind the bushes was a path leading to a bamboo grove on the other side of the mountain gate.
In the darkness of night, the bamboo forest was deep and secluded, and the wind rustled through the bamboo leaves.
Su Ziqiu slipped into the bamboo forest, walked along the path for about several dozen feet, and finally stopped under an old pine tree.
A person was standing under the pine tree.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, illuminating the man's face; this man was none other than the young master of the workshop.
Su Ziqiu looked at him, his expression not very good.
"Didn't we agree not to contact each other recently?"
His voice was low and clearly displeased.
"Those two good-for-nothings, Su Ziyuan and Su Zicheng, have already had their cultivation crippled by Su San. Now the entire Su family is investigating the traitor. Are you trying to kill me by coming to me at this time?"
The young master was not angry; he simply smiled slightly.
"Don't worry, no one is paying attention to you."
How did you know?
Su Ziqiu's voice was somewhat hurried.
The young master waved his hand, signaling him to calm down.
"I know you're having difficulties, so this is the last time."
Su Ziqiu was taken aback and looked at him warily.
"What do you mean?"
The young master took two steps closer and spoke in a low voice.
"On this journey to the Suyang Sect, you only need to do one thing—find an opportunity to disappear halfway there."
"Missing?"
The young master nodded.
"It won't take too long, just an hour or two will do."
He didn't continue, but Su Ziqiu was clever; he had already understood what the young master meant.
"You want to kill Zhao Fan?"
His voice was even lower.
The young master did not deny it, but simply looked at him.
"This is the last time."
He finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse.
"Once it's done, we'll be even."
"Even if we are evenly matched."
The young master nodded.
"From now on, I will never look for you again."
Su Ziqiu nodded and turned to leave.
"etc."
The young master called him back, took out a small storage bag from his sleeve, and handed it over.
"Here's what I promised you: one hundred spirit stones. That should be enough for you to live on outside for a few years."
Su Ziqiu took the storage bag and walked into the bamboo forest without looking back.
The young master stood under the pine tree, watching his figure disappear into the night, the smile on his lips gradually fading.
"The last time..."
He muttered to himself, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Of course, this is the last time."