Inner City, private room at Zui Xian Lou.
Incense smoke curled through the air, yet it could not dispel the oppressive atmosphere in the room.
Liu Chengfeng stood with his head lowered before the window, looking out at the street below, but there was not the slightest hint of leisure in his heart.
Opposite him, a handsome young man with an intensely aggressive air lounged lazily against a cushioned couch,
carelessly swirling the wine cup in his hand, the amber liquid within rippling along with it.
It was Li Wuhen, who had failed to break through to the third rank and was in an exceedingly foul mood!
"Young Hall Master Li, every word I said is true! That Fang Yuan... he may already suspect me, and Chen Yin has also grown much more distant lately."
Liu Chengfeng's voice was dry, carrying a barely perceptible tremor.
He had risked arranging this meeting with Li Wuhen because he felt the crisis closing in, hoping to secure a little room to maneuver or some support.
Li Wuhen raised his eyes, his gaze stabbing straight into Liu Chengfeng's heart. "So, you're afraid?"
Just three words, yet they carried undisguised contempt and chilliness. Liu Chengfeng's scalp went numb, and he hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Once you board the Black Tiger Hall's ship," Li Wuhen said as he drained the wine in his cup, his tone calm yet cruel beyond dispute,
"no one gets off easily. Either get it done, or... become bait to feed the fish in the river."
He set down his wine cup with a crisp clink.
"My terms remain unchanged." Li Wuhen leaned forward slightly, bringing an even greater sense of oppression.
"Get the Fundamental Diagram of the Five Tiger Severing Gate Saber Technique, and I'll