Chapter 72
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Fifteenth Chapter: The Frame-Up (2)
They walked out alive from a place where death was a given.
No one had dared to imagine survival when the Zhuge clan's ropes bound their bodies. The only question had been when and how they would die—there had been no doubt about the dying itself.
Yet here they were, stepping out on their own two feet.
'This feels all kinds of fishy.'
'Can't even guess what scheme they're up to.'
Their footsteps leaving the Thunder Prison felt as heavy as a thousand tons.
Lady Zhuge Soso was an extraordinarily cunning woman. She never made a deal that left her at a loss.
She had declared that Four Thousand Four had killed the Zhuge family head.
That was as good as announcing it to the entire martial world. It meant proclaiming that the Heavenly Annihilation Division had succeeded in a public assassination.
The Heavenly Annihilation Division's prestige would soar even higher, while the Zhuge clan would suffer the humiliating disgrace of their family head falling to a mere assassin. And yet, Lady Zhuge Soso was fabricating an event that never happened and declaring it publicly.
What was Lady Zhuge Soso after?
If there was no ulterior motive, she wouldn't orchestrate something like this.
She had to be aiming for something far greater than the temporary shame inflicted on the Zhuge clan—and without knowing what it was, even walking toward the outside brought no joy whatsoever.
Thud! Thud!
Their footsteps echoed through the pitch-black tunnel.
Then, a strange thought struck them.
When they'd been thrown into the Thunder Prison... hadn't the tunnel seemed this long? And the floor hadn't been this flat stone either?
They weren't taking the same path they'd entered by.
They'd been walking for nearly half a shichen. Time sense dulled in the tunnel, so they couldn't measure precisely, but it felt like half a shichen at least.
Yet the end was nowhere in sight.
The man called Mian Xiaosal hadn't just walked straight. He'd walk, pause, walk again, pause once more... veering right at times, left at others.
It was some kind of labyrinth formation. If it had been a straight path, they would've escaped the vast Zhuge estate long ago... but the longer they walked, the more intricate the maze proved to be.
'Infiltrating this way was a bust.'
At some point, he gave up trying to memorize the maze.
Without a guide who knew it well, no one could navigate these tunnels.
Clang!
A sound came from ahead, followed by a rush of cool wind.
'Outside.'
They knew without being told. With the fresh breeze came stars twinkling like grains of sand across the sky.
It was deep into the night.
He had no idea how many days had passed since being captured by the Zhuge clan.
Vanguard was the first to emerge from the tunnel, following right behind Mian Xiaosal.
But!
"Whoa!"
Vanguard let out a startled yelp of surprise.
The place where he stood... where he'd emerged... was the very mountain from which they'd overlooked the Zhuge estate. The position was different, but the elevation was about the same.
Gazing down at the Zhuge estate in the dead of night felt oddly familiar.
"Aren't you calling that guy?"
Mian Xiaosal grinned at Vanguard.
Vanguard glanced at Four Thousand Four instead of answering.
Four Thousand Four was the last to exit the tunnel, his expression as impassive as ever.
Sensing Vanguard's gaze, Four Thousand Four looked up and met his eyes.
Vanguard winked.
'What do we do with this bastard?'
Four Thousand Four didn't respond, turning his head away as if he hadn't seen the gesture.
Even Four Thousand Four was at a loss.
'Well...'
Vanguard chuckled inwardly.
Mian Xiaosal was a renowned master. An absolute one. No one knew who had bestowed his arts at such a young age, but he was a sword genius who had vaulted straight to the pinnacle of the martial world.
Mian Xiaosal had over twenty recorded duels to his name—and not a single defeat. Of course, none of his opponents had survived.
These were fights against peak-level warriors.
Killing Heavenly Annihilation Division assassins didn't count toward his record. That was just hunting.
What if he faced the Martial Camp's top three elites?
The outcome would be the same. If he could kill one, dispatching the other three would be child's play. At least for a swift-blade master like Mian Xiaosal.
Much less Four Thousand Four trying to take him on.
Still, his eyes drifted to Four Thousand Four. Maybe he had some trick up his sleeve?
Mian Xiaosal spoke.
"Call that guy out. We need him to guide us."
"You're really letting us go?"
"I said I would. What, you don't believe me?"
"You're not planning to cut us all down once Fox shows up?"
"What? Hahaha! Haha! Is a rat still just a rat at the end of the day? I thought the Martial Camp's top elites might be different, but no such luck. Forget it. I just wanted a look at that Fox or whatever. Never mind. Hahaha!"
Mian Xiaosal burst into mocking laughter as he started down the mountain.
"If we call Fox... you think he'll cut us all down?"
"Maybe."
Jaja and Hanbi murmured to each other.
Their voices weren't quiet. In the still, silent night, they rippled softly through the air.
It was a signal for Fox not to show himself and to stay put.
Sure enough, Fox made no appearance. He was probably watching them right now.
"You think they'd let us go just to kill one Fox?"
"Who knows? Fox did kill Golden-Eye Black Response. To the Zhuge clan, he's one of the must-kill targets now."
"Even so, let all of us go?"
While the two talked, Vanguard deployed his Heaven-Hearing Earth-Listening Technique, tracking any traces of Mian Xiaosal.
Had Mian Xiaosal truly left completely? Were there Zhuge warriors lying in ambush nearby?
Vanguard found no signs at all. Then,
"Vanguard, seems safe to move out."
Four Thousand Four stood first and spoke.
Mian Xiaosal had vanished entirely. He'd guided them as promised and left. No—not quite. Lady Zhuge Soso had said Mian Xiaosal would tail them closely from here on.
The pursuit would begin the moment they met Fox!
Yet Mian Xiaosal was gone. Without even knowing if they'd meet Fox.
Somehow, they were still being watched.
Vanguard found himself looking up at the sky without realizing it. Hanbi and Jaja did the same. Could Golden-Eye Black Response be tailing them again like before?
The sky glittered only with stars.
"Fox, don't come out."
Four Thousand Four muttered to himself.
Vanguard tilted his head. There was no one around... and Four Thousand Four had just said it was safe to go.
Four Thousand Four continued.
"The pursuit starts the instant you and we meet. The pursuer is Mian Xiaosal... not sure if you've heard of him, but he's an incredible master. Heh! The kind that chokes you with his presence. He'll be the one on our tail."
At those words, Vanguard broke into a wide grin.
Ah! Got it! As long as they didn't meet Fox, the pursuit wouldn't begin! Wait, wasn't this cheating? If Fox could hear Four Thousand Four, it was as good as meeting already?
Four Thousand Four was providing plausible deniability.
We haven't met yet—what are you talking about? We haven't even seen his face. So no pursuit yet.
If Mian Xiaosal started chasing now, and a fight broke out... the outcome was obvious. Fox and the rest would be wiped out in an instant. No doubt.
Four Thousand Four went on.
"Fox, our lives are in your hands. If Mian Xiaosal finds you, we're done for. So run smart. You don't have to guide us if you don't want to. Go far away if you need to. Just don't get caught by that Mian Xiaosal."
Four Thousand Four finished his soliloquy.
Fox didn't reply. Or rather, he did.
Whoosh!
Fifty paces away, a tree burst into flames as if struck by lightning.
The tree burned fiercely, but the fire didn't spread sideways.
Someone had deliberately cleared the surroundings before setting it alight. And only one person could pull that off.
"He's following us?"
"He's behind us."
"How come I don't hear a thing?"
"Don't listen with your ears. Don't try to see with your eyes. You have to sense it."
"You sensed him?"
"Yes."
"You're one weird guy. Your martial arts don't seem like much, but in other ways, I wonder what kind of freak you are."
"Mian Xiaosal can't even brush your sleeve."
"Think he's hearing this?"
"No. He's following from far away."
"How far?"
"Nearly a hundred paces."
"A hundred paces! You sensed someone tailing us from a hundred paces away?"
"I told you. Don't listen with ears, don't look with eyes. Sense it purely."
"Hah!"
Vanguard let out an exclamation of awe.
Hanbi, Jaja, and Wild Boar remained sunk in deep silence.
Through this ordeal, they'd realized anew just how powerless they were—how utterly incompetent they could be.
They hadn't accomplished a thing.
Couldn't infiltrate, couldn't resist when the enemies closed in... They'd planned to get captured from the start, so they'd discarded their swords easily enough... but even Wild Boar, who'd fought head-on, had been apprehended like it was a game.
How could they be this helpless?
"Hey, on the way, can't you ambush us or something?"
Hanbi said to Four Thousand Four.
"..."
Four Thousand Four stared at him as if to say, What are you talking about?
"You're a master at ambushes. So hit us your way. Like when you broke Wild Boar's leg back in the Nineteen Hells."
"Heh heh heh!"
"Laughing? We're serious."
"Your current martial arts are plenty."
"..."
Hanbi stared blankly, not grasping Four Thousand Four's meaning.
"They had the Heavenly Annihilation Division's techniques all figured out. The reason I seemed stronger than you all... Ah! Sorry!"
"No need to apologize—it's the truth. Keep going."
Vanguard urged him on.
"I stood out in the Zhuge clan because my movements aren't based on Heavenly Annihilation Division arts. They didn't know mine, but they knew theirs inside out."
"How do you know? You didn't even fight."
"Forgot? I killed the Zhuge family head myself."
"Right! That!"
"Back then, the family head was thrown off by my movements. He was slashing wildly at empty air. That's what you do when you can't read your opponent at all. He had no clue about me."
"Hm! They know our arts inside out... So we'd lose every fight. This is demoralizing..."
Four Thousand Four added,
"One more thing—they don't know Fox either."
"Huh? Well... Ah!"
Vanguard's eyes lit up.
There was a way to shake off Mian Xiaosal. Fox had to find it.
Four Thousand Four had just tasked him with exactly that.
Shake off the guy leisurely trailing a hundred paces back. Can't do it with martial arts—use tricks and schemes. Find a way. Lucky for you, they don't know you.
'Got it! I'll find a way.'
Fox's eyes sparkled.
Four Thousand Four had just bet everything on him—staked his life on him.
Those words hit too good.
For some reason, Four Thousand Four trusting him felt great. Him entrusting the job felt good. Even shaking off a once-in-a-generation sword master like Mian Xiaosal—it only excited him.
In the darkness, Fox flashed his white teeth in a bright smile.