The Qi Arts Master Chapter 57
Yoo Soho's steadfast posture wavered unsteadily. He whispered to the Salmak Gate Leader.
"Sister... this is...?"
Yoo Soso gazed at the sword on the table with trembling eyes.
Tian Ailang spoke. "I've heard it's called the Twin Ghost Sword. And that you, Salmak Gate Leader, have been searching for this blade?"
"Where did you obtain it?" Yoo Soso asked, suppressing her emotional turmoil as best she could.
"You don't need to know."
At Tian Ailang's firm words, Yoo Soho let out a displeased cough. Tian Ailang sneered, twisting his lips in mockery.
"While it's true I need your help per the Haomen Leader's suggestion, it's far from absolute. Frankly, I'm not even sure you'd be useful. Above all, I have no desire to waste time on irrelevancies."
Tian Ailang stared directly into Yoo Soso's eyes visible through the gaps in her mask and continued. "First and foremost, I have a precious person I must save. For that, I need the Great Return Pill from Shaolin Temple, and the Haomen Leader's advice was to learn stealth arts from you to steal it. Do you even possess such capability?"
Yoo Soso let out a low groan as she regarded Tian Ailang's blunt words. In negotiations like this, it was customary to conceal one's information as much as possible while probing the opponent's hand. She had naturally assumed the talks would proceed that way. Yet here he was, laying out his cards openly after dangling such a sweet bait—it left her somewhat flustered. And the content was so utterly absurd that it only heightened her unease.
"Quite the fanciful tale you're spinning. Are you truly saying, Family Head, that you'll steal the Great Return Pill from inside Shaolin Temple using the stealth arts you'd learn from us? Or do you even believe that's possible? And if we refuse to teach you, what then?"
Tian Ailang flashed a sly smile at Yoo Soso's words. In that instant, a subtle yet immense aura erupted from his body, instantly filling the small building.
Yoo Soso and Yoo Soho felt a twinge of crisis from the pressure constricting them.
"Even without your stealth arts, I'll seize the Great Return Pill by force if need be."
"Ha! The madman."
As Yoo Soho scoffed incredulously, Tian Ailang's expression turned icy, and the surrounding aura churned violently.
Krrrrr.
With a fierce wave of qi, whirlwinds of energy formed around Yoo Soso and Yoo Soho from all directions.
The Haomen Leader watched as a dozen finger-sized qi vortices sprang up around the Salmak siblings, sharpening into arrowheads. The power within them rivaled at least a steel qi strike. If those qi arrows launched, the siblings wouldn't have a chance to dodge—they'd suffer massive losses for sure.
Yoo Soso and Yoo Soho sensed it too.
"Family Head, withdraw your qi and let's speak civilly. I apologize for my brother's rudeness."
Yoo Soso offered a calm, restrained apology to Tian Ailang. Though she feigned composure, cold sweat trickled down her back. Yoo Soho, too, sweated from shock, steadying his pounding heart. Trained as an assassin to maintain unmoved calm even in heart-pounding situations, such training meant nothing now. Seeing the true nature of a Transcendence Realm master firsthand, he finally understood why his sister had stopped him from pursuing the Demonic Cult's young leader before.
Tian Ailang withdrew some of his aura but left enough to constrict the Salmak siblings at any moment. Then he spoke.
"Right now, 'impossible' is not an answer I will accept. There are things I need to save my sister, and if there's a way to obtain them, I'll do whatever it takes. But if anything obstructs me, I'll smash through it all."
The Haomen Leader was deeply moved by Tian Ailang's response. He'd thought he already grasped the man's resolve through prior talks, but hearing it reaffirmed was different. It confirmed beyond doubt that his claim of severing the emperor's head for his daughter was no empty boast.
Yoo Soso carefully regulated her breathing amid the slightly eased pressure and spoke respectfully. "Understood. You've been forthright, Family Head, and seek the same in return, so I shall oblige. First, allow me to demonstrate our stealth arts' prowess."
With her words, Yoo Soso's form blurred.
Tian Ailang was astonished. He could clearly see the Salmak Gate Leader sitting before him and sense her qi, yet she was fading from his perception. Even his extended inner power's senses registered her presence vanishing. In the end, she was neither visible nor detectable.
After a brief moment, her form reappeared, seated exactly as before.
"Does that suffice as an answer?"
"Impressive."
Tian Ailang responded honestly to Yoo Soso. Any lingering doubts and prejudices about stealth arts shattered. Of course, not all stealth techniques reached this level—it was likely unique to the Salmak Gate Leader's mastery. He now understood why the Haomen Leader had specifically recommended them.
As Tian Ailang met the Haomen Leader's eyes, the man smiled faintly and nodded.
"Now that I've seen it, I trust in your stealth arts."
Yoo Soso smiled subtly beneath her mask at Tian Ailang's bold candor. Living in the shadows, they rarely had chances to have their worth acknowledged—anyone who met them ended up as corpses from assassinations. Save for one failure: attempting to kill a Demonic Cult thug, only for their subordinate to die instead. Afterward, the Cult caught wind of Salmak and pursued them relentlessly. Over ten Cult members and subordinates had died in the clashes. Through such vengeful cycles, the Cult acknowledged Salmak's prowess, leading to recent recruitment offers. But Yoo Soso didn't welcome their recognition—they were mere thugs who'd bled her people. Thus, Salmak endlessly evaded the Cult's persistent pursuits and offers.
In that context, pure praise from the famed Qi Arts Family Head—the hero of the Gwang Mountain Battle—naturally lifted the corners of her mouth.
Then Tian Ailang said, "What is it you desire?"
Yoo Soso quickly composed herself and replied. "Naturally, the sword on the table and the Qi Arts Family's inner cultivation method. Is that possible?"
She believed this would be a favorable deal for them. While the Phantom Ghost Step was Salmak's supreme stealth art, obtaining the Twin Ghost Sword—which had long been a family regret—and the ultimate inner method assassins always lacked would be an absolute win.
"Very well. But on one condition."
"Name it."
Yoo Soso had expected as much. Martial arts were branches; inner cultivation, the trunk that extended them—their value differed vastly. She waited calmly for Tian Ailang's terms, willing to accept most.
They were that enticing: the Twin Ghost Sword and the Qi Arts Family's method.
Tian Ailang spoke flatly. "Join me. Then I'll give you everything you want and protect you from the Demonic Cult."
Yoo Soso's form twitched. Yoo Soho, listening silently, couldn't hide his displeasure and reached for his sword.
"Don't act rashly."
Feeling the shifting auras around her, Yoo Soso urgently restrained her brother. She scrutinized Tian Ailang's calm yet chilling expression. Things had gone awry. This wasn't a mere transaction—it shook the very survival of their sect and lives. She'd dodged a bear only to meet a tiger. The bear had killed her kin; the tiger held the treasure she'd desperately sought. Both were beasts with gaping maws—freedom would be forfeit either way. And escape was no easy feat, especially now, trapped in the tiger's den with it blocking the entrance.
Yoo Soso sensed mortal peril. Tian Ailang's demeanor suggested refusal meant death. She'd felt uneasy since he openly revealed his hand.
As her deliberation dragged on, Tian Ailang spoke. "I have no intention of stripping your freedom. But by family rules, those who learn the Qi Arts Family's inner method must belong to the family—or pledge to do so. This is absolute; no room for negotiation."
Yoo Soso's resolve wavered slightly at his words. Tian Ailang continued. "Ah, and after saving my sister, I plan to eradicate the Demonic Cult."
"...You're serious?"
Yoo Soso was stunned yet again today. Tian Ailang nodded with an impassive face. She pondered deeply, shooting a resentful glance at the Haomen Leader who'd arranged this—yet to no avail. Even he looked shocked. Their misstep was biting the bait too eagerly. Preparation for meeting the Qi Arts Family Head had been insufficient, and it stung.
But upon reflection, it didn't seem so bad. No restrictions on freedom meant little change to their lives. Mere oaths of loyalty and affiliation to the Qi Arts Family—and for shadow-dwellers like them, emerging into the light seemed a fine option. No, if they could frame it as mutual destruction with the Cult leading to their sect's "annihilation," and bask in the prestige of the revered Qi Arts Family, it was ideal. A golden opportunity, even.
Once positive thoughts ignited, they cascaded like a lit fuse. Yoo Soso glanced at the Haomen Leader. His role in this and silent acquiescence to the Family Head suggested close ties. Tian Ailang's bearing implied he'd build a force to destroy the Cult. His monstrous martial prowess, the Haomen Leader's favor (head of the top intelligence network), close bonds with Shandong's powerhouses—even the Beggar Clan's sub-leader owed him his life and was highly favorable. The figures around him were titans one couldn't meet in a lifetime.
The Qi Arts Family Head, Tian Ailang, was a hero who drew such giants. Undoubtedly, he'd etch a new era in the martial world.
'If we become founding merits in reviving such a family...?'
Amid countless calculations, Yoo Soso nodded faintly. 'Not bad at all.'
She was glad for the mask; without it, her conflicted expressions would have been embarrassing. She transmitted her sorted thoughts to her brother Yoo Soho via inner voice.
Startled by the sudden transmission, he listened quietly and nodded. Once explained, he straightened solemnly—signaling full deference to his sister and gate leader.
Yoo Soso cleared her throat and replied respectfully to Tian Ailang. "We accept your proposal, Family Head."
Tian Ailang remained impassive at her answer, while the Haomen Leader failed to mask his shock.
"Heh, hehehe..."
Ignoring the Haomen Leader's murmur, Tian Ailang nodded. "Wise choice."
With those words, he fully dispersed the lingering aura. Yoo Soso and Yoo Soho, feeling their movements lighten, steadied their breaths, rose, and bowed deeply.
"Salmak Gate Leader Yoo Soso, on behalf of our sect and disciples, pledges eternal loyalty to the Qi Arts Family Head."
Tian Ailang stood. He placed a light hand on the bowed shoulders of Yoo Soso and Yoo Soho.
"I gladly accept your loyalty. I never abandon my own first. Henceforth, the Qi Arts Family shall be your home and shield. Harm to you is harm to us—I shall not stand idly by. Even against the Heavenly Demon or emperor, fear not. If you wish, you shall stand honorably at my forefront."
Yoo Soso and Yoo Soho trembled head to toe. His words dissolved all past frustrations and quandaries. They carried unassailable weight, banishing doubt. Faith arose that whatever he pursued would come to pass.
The attending Haomen Leader could only murmur in awe at the exceeding outcome and scene.
In the underworld's brief night, Paektu Mountain's tiger had gained secret claws.