A Little Courage

"Why should Sect Leader Wan refuse? If you hadn't set aside sectarian differences and taught my husband the Evil-Slaying Sword Art, how could he have severely injured the Beast King? This is what is meant by 'every sip and every bite is preordained, and every cause and effect has its reason.'"

The two exchanged a smile, but Wan Yebai seemed to have aggravated his injuries, as his laughter was tinged with a cough.

"Is Sect Leader Wan injured?" Si Jingyu asked with concern.

"How could I possibly escape unscathed from a decisive battle against such a formidable foe as the Beast King? I was only slightly injured, and the fact that no one else perished is a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune. In almost every battle to slay the Beast King throughout history, someone has fallen in each one. This is a precedent we can be proud of."

"It seems I've been too naive. The Evil-Slaying Sword School has achieved its current status through bloodshed and sacrifice. The sacrifices you've made for the martial world are forever etched in our memories."

After both sides deferred credit to each other, Wan Yebai finally asked about the matter that concerned him, "Speaking of which, why didn't the Alliance Leader come along?"

Si Jingyu did not answer directly, but instead asked, "I wonder if Sect Leader Wan has ever heard of the name 'Son of the Dragon Devil'?"

"Well... not really," Wan Yebai thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Judging from the name, it should be the Dragon Devil Lineage of the Devil Race. Could it be that the Alliance Leader's absence is related to it?"

"Does Sect Leader Wan know that the Six Paths Temple in the Western Martial World is actually a branch temple of another major sect?"

Wan Yebai nodded slightly and said, "I have indeed heard of it. I remember it being called... the Six Paths Sect, a very famous sect in all the heavens and myriad realms. Could this matter be related to them?"

"That's right. The Son of the Dragon Devil fled all the way to the Barbarian Continent to escape the Six Paths Sect's pursuit. In the Barbarian Continent, outsiders like him cannot easily use force, especially not to harm other living beings. Once they violate this rule, they will be plagued by endless calamities and misfortunes. The Son of the Dragon Devil intends to use this to make his pursuers hesitate to act."

Si Jingyu paused here, picked up a cup from the coffee table and took a sip of fragrant tea. Looking around, she saw that not only Wan Yebai was listening intently, but also his son Wan Ziqiu, as well as the other Grandmaster Zheng Jingyuan and Zhou Anping, were listening with great interest and were very interested in what was to come.

"But how could the Six Paths Sect be without a way to deal with this? They already had a past relationship with the Glazed Temple, and through this connection, they contacted my husband, offering him a scripture as payment to eliminate the Son of the Dragon Devil. My husband agreed out of respect for the Glazed Temple."

It is said that nine parts truth and one part falsehood are the easiest to deceive people, but Si Jingyu is telling the truth now. It is hard not to believe that the people of the Evil-Slaying Sword School. Given the information transmission efficiency of the Barbarian Continent, this kind of misunderstanding based on time difference is impossible to verify unless they send a spy to lie next to Si Ming for a long time.

Nine truths and one concealment is a more sophisticated form of deception than nine truths and one lie. Because no lies are told, even if the whole truth is known, the other party cannot be blamed, since the other party has not made a mistake. Even after being exposed, the deceiver can easily gloss over the matter with a simple "I accidentally overlooked it" or "I didn't notice it." In a sense, this is a way of speaking that will not make a mistake.

"For Alliance Leader Sima to agree to take action, the scriptures he presented must be peerless treasures," Wan Yebai remarked. "With Alliance Leader Sima's strength, dealing with a hesitant enemy should be a piece of cake."

"Thank you for your kind words, Sect Leader Cheng Wan. I hope..."

At this moment, Ke Chajing and Hu Jixian rushed in, their faces full of panic. The former even shouted, "Something bad has happened!" and ran to Si Jingyu's side, whispering in her ear.

Si Jingyu's expression changed drastically after hearing this.

The members of the Evil-Slaying Sword School exchanged glances, all harboring the same suspicion. Then, they all turned their gazes to their sect leader, thinking how incredibly accurate his jinx had been.

Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, Wan Yebai asked with concern, "Could it be that Alliance Leader Sima's operation has encountered a problem?"

Si Jingyu nodded solemnly and said, "The Son of the Dragon Devil has also asked for help. Alas, I should have thought of that earlier. Since the Six Paths Sect can ask for help, the Son of the Dragon Devil certainly won't sit idly by and wait to die." His tone was full of regret and anxiety.

"Who did the Son of the Dragon Devil ask for help? With the reputation of Alliance Leader Sima, there are probably very few people in the martial arts world who dare to oppose him, especially after Alliance Leader Sima single-handedly thwarted the Evil Path Alliance's conspiracy and took the opportunity to kill Li Ban, the sect leader of the Blood Abyss Sect. Everyone in the Evil Dao is silent at the mere mention of his name."

"He's not from the Evil Dao. He's said to be a Devil Race known as the 'Moon Devil King,' who wreaked havoc in the Barbarian Continent hundreds of years ago. He was sealed away by the righteous martial arts sects at the time, but now the seal has been broken by someone. He's hiding in the shadows, assisting the Son of the Dragon Devil. My husband, due to his carelessness, has been trapped inside a giant Demon Beast by the two demons, and his situation is extremely precarious!"

After saying that, Si Jingyu got up and was about to leave.

"Wait!"

A flicker of joy flashed through Wan Yebai's heart. He knew this was a golden opportunity to kick someone when they were down. If he could eliminate the Heavenly Martial Alliance in one fell swoop, he would no longer need to hide and use Wan Yebai's identity to conceal himself. Even if he openly abandoned his disguise and walked in broad daylight, no one could do anything to him. He didn't believe that a second peerless Human Race expert like the Heavenly Martial Alliance could emerge in such a short time.

He didn't believe Si Jingyu was lying. He had personally released the Moon Devil King, and the Son of the Dragon Devil was the one who had taught him the method of possession. He knew both of these demons, which could completely corroborate Si Jingyu's words. The clues were perfectly logically sound.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and Wan Yebai slowly said, "Alliance Leader Sima has been very kind to our sect. How could we be ungrateful? Now that he is in trouble, our sect should do everything in its power to help him!" His words were firm and righteous.

Wan Ziqiu, his heart stirred with righteous indignation, chimed in, "That's right! Even a drop of kindness deserves a spring in return, let alone a life-saving grace!"

Although Zheng Jingyuan and Zhou Anping weren't as agitated, they still stated, "Slaying demons and eliminating evil, upholding justice on behalf of Heaven, is the duty of our sect. Even setting aside gratitude, we will not let the Devil Race who dare to stir up trouble in the Barbarian Continent go unpunished."

"Truly... On behalf of my husband, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to you all."

Si Jingyu spoke with deep emotion, tears welling in her eyes. It was clear she was extremely worried about her husband's safety. Overwhelmed with emotion, she even bowed to the crowd.

"No, no, no!" Wan Yebai quickly reached out to support the person. "We are here to repay a debt of gratitude, there's no need for thanks. As Madam just said, every drink and every bite is preordained. Alliance Leader Sima has sown good seeds, and now is the time for him to reap the good fruit."

Wan Ziqiu eagerly drew his sword and said, "Saving lives is the priority, let's set off now!"

Si Jingyu nodded and was about to leave when Si Shuiyun suddenly came to her side and whispered a few words in her ear. Then Si Jingyu showed a troubled expression and glanced at Wan Yebai unintentionally.

Everyone immediately understood that the two were discussing something related to Wan Yebai, but they were puzzled as to why they were discussing it at this crucial moment. Wan Yebai himself was also full of doubts and didn't understand. However, he didn't believe that the other party had seen through his true form. At least so far, he hadn't revealed any decisive flaws. If he could be seen through like this, it could only prove that the other party had Mind-Reading Technique.

Si Jingyu and Si Shuiyun argued for a few moments, but in the end, the former was persuaded. After hesitating for a moment, she turned around and said, "Well... since Sect Leader Wan is still injured, let's not risk it. Let's stay and recover. I can't let you risk your own safety for my husband's sake. Otherwise, even if we can save him, he will blame me for acting rashly."

Wan Yebai was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "More people mean more strength. My injuries are nothing to worry about, Madam. Besides, it was the Alliance Leader who saved my life back then, so what's wrong with returning the favor to him?"

But Si Jingyu insisted, "My husband is merely trapped and unable to break free; his life is not in danger. The enemy can't do anything to him, but they might be planning to ambush reinforcements. There's no need for Master Wan to take such a risk."

Wan Yebai finally understood. It turned out that the other party disliked his injuries and thought he would be a burden if he went, so it was better for him to stay.

After figuring this out, Wan Yebai was both amused and exasperated. He had now trapped himself in his own web of troubles. He couldn't very well argue that the injury was fake, that he had deliberately faked it to prove how difficult it was to kill the Beast King Anye. Otherwise, if the mighty King of Monsters was easily killed, even if he was injured and his Cultivation Body were incomplete, no one would believe it. They would only suspect that the one killed was actually a fake Beast King.

Well, my initial idea was to deceive everyone, so there was no need to be greedy. Since I had set a plan, I should stick to it to the end. Changing it at will would only make things more chaotic. Besides, I already had the key to the Unity of the Sacred and Evil. I was only one step away from pushing open the door and stepping into a realm beyond the King of Monsters. There was really no need to be greedy for a bargain.

Once I obtain this unprecedented power, it won't matter whether that Alliance Leader Sima lives or dies. If he obediently returns and never comes to the Barbarian Continent again, I'll spare his life. Otherwise, I'll let him taste the pain of Evil-Slaying Sword Art.

There's a main road to take; there's no need to choose a side road.

Wan Yebai immediately made a decision. Given Si Jingyu's clear refusal, if he insisted on going, it would only arouse suspicion. So he said, "Since Madam has said so, then I will accept your kindness."

"Thank you for your understanding, Sect Leader Wan. I'm truly sorry, and I hope you won't take it to heart."

Si Jingyu apologized, then hurriedly led his people down the mountain and left.

Chapter 604 A Little Courage

At daybreak, Si Ming and his group returned to the inn. Before they even entered, the waiter informed them that someone claiming to be his friend was waiting for him in a private room on the second floor of the lobby.