Surprise Attack!

The medicine warehouse was packed with herbs—if he took everything, he'd need at least ten large chests.

Too many chests; he couldn't haul them alone.

So he picked out all sixteen ingredients for brewing the "Startling Blood Soup," filling three large chests.

Then he found a horse-drawn cart in the estate, led the sturdiest horse from the stable, and hitched it to the cart.

He grabbed some thick hemp ropes and tied up Zhao Tashan.

He tossed the three chests and Zhao Tashan onto the cart, covered them with a black cloth, and climbed aboard.

Su Que was about to drive off when something struck him. He leaped down and headed for a room.

Though he'd pocketed plenty of valuables from the corpses, these White Lotus Sect members might have stashed more in their quarters.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Su Que emerged from a guest room.

He'd searched every room; his robe bulged at the chest, stuffed with silver and loot.

He found no secret manuals or Prescriptions in the estate, but he did dig up over three hundred taels in banknotes and coins.

Su Que donned a black cloak he'd taken from the mansion, jumped onto the cart, cracked the whip, and drove out of the estate toward the city gates.

At the gate, the guards saw Su Que in his black cloak, the cart's load covered with black cloth, and meant to inspect it.

But as they drew near, they caught a whiff of blood. They stopped in their tracks and let Su Que pass right out of the city.

Once outside, Su Que lashed the horse's rump furiously. The beast, stung by pain, bolted ahead at a wild gallop.

Su Que drove while keeping an eye on his rear, watching for any followers.

In about a quarter-hour, he reached Qinghua Mountain.

He whipped the horse up the slope, but the load was too heavy. No matter how hard he beat its rump, the horse could only drag the cart to the mountainside before giving out.

So Su Que untied the harness, tied the horse to a tree, and hauled the cart up the mountain himself.

He stashed the cart, medicine chests, Zhao Tashan, and the hefty pile of silver deep inside the cave where he usually hid his herbs.

From the cave, he grabbed a large bundle full of Animal Traps, descended the mountain, and returned to where he'd tied the horse.

He shortened the tether, binding the horse tightly to the tree.

Then he laid several rings of Animal Traps around it.

This was to keep other beasts from eating the horse—he planned to eat it himself tomorrow.

Su Que figured that with one White Lotus Sect stronghold wiped out tonight, the sect would surely stir.

He intended to strike before they could prepare, hitting Jing Sha and Luo You's bases tonight to capture them and seize the "Crimson Fiend Skill" and "Dark Yin Finger."

As for Bai Wuji, the top dog of the White Lotus Sect in Jade Water City—if Su Que openly slaughtered sect members in the streets, Bai Wuji would almost certainly show up to protect the sect's reputation. No need to hunt him down.

Su Que retraced the cart's path, gliding swiftly while using his true qi to smooth over the wheel tracks.

In less than a quarter-hour, he was back in Jade Water City, heading for Jing Sha's base.

Outside the estate where Zhao Tashan had been, corpses littered the ground and blood pooled in puddles.

But any residents passing by quickly gave it a wide berth, not daring to look or report it to the authorities.

So the other White Lotus Sect members remained unaware that one of their strongholds had been destroyed.

Jing Sha's base was a lavish seven-courtyard mansion.

His fifty-odd underlings occupied the first five courtyards.

He alone claimed the deepest two.

At this hour of night, it was time for him to practice the "Crimson Fiend Skill."

Cultivating the Crimson Fiend Skill infused one's true qi with a fiery force.

But it also built up fire poison in the body, damaging the blood, flesh, and meridians.

During the day, when yang energy was strong, more fire poison would accumulate, worsening the harm.

So Jing Sha usually trained at night.

On top of that, he brewed a medicinal powder called "Yin Nourishing Powder."

This powder replenished the body's yin energy, clearing some fire poison and reducing its danger.

Right now, two of his underlings were in the courtyard outside his room, brewing the Yin Nourishing Powder for him.

He sat cross-legged on his bed, cultivating the Crimson Fiend Skill, when he caught a faint burnt smell drifting in from outside.

"Damn it!"

He instinctively thought his two useless underlings had scorched his Yin Nourishing Powder. He cursed, jumped off the bed, and shoved the door open.

Creak—

After pushing it open, he saw his two men fanning the flames. His Yin Nourishing Powder wasn't burnt.

"Huh, then where's that burnt smell coming from?"

Jing Sha pondered for a moment, then asked his men, "Do you smell something burning?"

"N-No, not at all!"

The two subordinates exchanged glances. They leaned close to the medicine pot, their noses filled with the scent of herbs—how could they smell any burning?

"Damn it, where's the fire?"

Jing Sha furrowed his brows. The thought had barely crossed his mind when he saw thick black smoke rising from beyond a few walls.

By then, several sections of the outer estate were ablaze, and members of the White Lotus Sect were scrambling to put out the fires.

The fire had been set by Su Que.

When he first arrived at the estate, he had lurked atop the wall, observing.

On one hand, he was stunned by the sheer size of the place—he had no idea where Jing Sha might be staying.

On the other, he was surprised by the number of White Lotus Sect members inside—he couldn't even tell which one was Jing Sha.

So he decided to start a fire in the estate to lure Jing Sha out.

He first dropped a firelighter into the stable.

The stable was full of dry hay, and the flames quickly grew fierce.

The fire caught the horses. In pain, they let out long, piercing neighs.

Soon, the flames burned through their reins. The scorched horses burst out of the stable, scattering in all directions.

While the White Lotus Sect members were distracted by the burning stable, Su Que slipped into the estate and set fires in several other spots.

As expected, it wasn't long before Jing Sha was drawn out.

"Hall Master Jing!"

"Hall Master Jing!"

Su Que hid behind a rockery and watched. Though the White Lotus Sect members looked frantic as they fought the flames, the moment they saw Jing Sha, their expressions shifted, and they greeted him with fawning smiles.

"What the hell is going on?" Jing Sha asked, his brows tightly knit.

"Hall Master Jing, we don't know what happened tonight—fires suddenly broke out in several places!" the White Lotus Sect members replied.

Jing Sha's frown deepened. This is definitely arson. Did someone break into the estate?

At that thought, his heart tightened, and he instinctively looked around.

But he saw nothing.

"Hurry up and put out the fires!"

Jing Sha barked the order, then walked toward the outer sections of the estate to check the other burning areas.

Just as he passed through a corridor—

Suddenly.

From the shadows of a building to his left and rear, a dark figure darted out.

Jing Sha heard a faint sound and began to turn his head.

But then—

A heavy blow struck the back of his skull. He felt a searing pain in his head, a roar in his ears, and in an instant, his vision went black. He lost consciousness.

Just as Jing Sha was about to crumple to the ground, Su Que—who had pulled back his fist—caught him, swung him around, and hoisted him over his shoulder.

Then, with a single leap, he vaulted out of the estate.