A Leisurely Talk of Distant Affairs

As Chen Chuan and Hu Kan headed back, the mutated creature guarding the Rift split the passage open before they even drew near, letting them through.

Every opening and closing cost it some of its own strength, yet it acted with remarkable speed.

Hu Kan gave a chuckle. The thing had learned its lesson from the scare earlier and was much more cooperative now. He had been ready to give it a whack if it was even a little slow, but with it behaving so well, he could hardly bring himself to do it.

Once they returned through the passage to Empty Mountain Island, the two retraced their steps. Passing the site of the earlier fight, Chen Chuan pulled the Horse Chopping Saber from the wall, gathered it with the other saber, and wiped them both down. Only then did he retrieve the Snow Monarch Blade from where he had left it.

It was a pity the Snow Monarch Blade had missed the fight that followed, but time had been tight, and he had had no chance to come back for it. He would keep it in mind the next time a fight arose.

Hu Kan found the armor and travel bag he had left there. He took a flare gun from the bag and fired it into the sky with a crack. A signal flare soared high overhead.

The people waiting aboard the warship would know the operation had succeeded. They would soon send people to meet them and take control of the entire island.

After tidying up, the two headed for the beach. Landing craft had already come ashore. They spoke briefly with the personnel sent over, then, with nothing more for them to do, boarded a motorboat and left Empty Mountain Island for the warship.

The liaison