Assassination Attempt?

Wu Qianhuan still returned to the City Lord's Mansion.

Chu Qing was right. The matters of Falling Rain Hall and the possible changes within the Chu Family left her with no time to continue tangling with Chu Qing here.

Especially Falling Rain Hall—an opportunity missed would never come again.

Yet before leaving, she gave Chu Qing a deep look laden with unfathomable meaning.

After she left, Chu Qing did not return to the inn either.

After winding about, he arrived outside the Chu Family's gates.

Under the curtain of night, the Chu Family was in complete chaos. People moved back and forth inside, while figures in Azure Robes entered and exited through the main gate from time to time.

Every face was grave... even sorrowful?

A bad premonition rose in Chu Qing's heart. But it was not until he heard words like "the master has been assassinated" from a group of Azure Robes that something from his memories suddenly surged up, leaving him with a dazed sense of vertigo.

"Assassinated... Chu Yunfei was assassinated?"

He abruptly looked toward the Chu Family, instinctively wanting to go in and take a look.

But after only two steps, he stopped.

"Something's wrong!"

Chu Qing took a deep breath.

"This is a trap!

"I know Bai Qi's methods. The chain of schemes during the day was already everything he had.

"Both assassins had been dealt with. How could Chu Yunfei possibly still die?

"Besides, Bai Qi had already withdrawn from Heavenly Dance City... which meant this assassination attempt had failed completely.

"Under such circumstances... this so-called assassination attempt could it be?"

At this thought, he lightly patted his cheek.

"Valley of Ten Thousand Nights hired the Mirror of Sin to assassinate Chu Yunfei, but it failed.

"Chu Yunfei wanted to fake his death and dig a pit... to bury Valley of Ten Thousand Nights."

This was the most reasonable explanation Chu Qing could think of at present.

Yet while this explanation was reasonable, it was all speculation... whether things truly were as he imagined still needed to be verified.

And the way to verify it...

Chu Qing suddenly turned around and saw a man in black standing in the rainy night not far away.

The instant their eyes met, the man in black turned and ran.

Chu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, gathered his qi, and followed close behind.

The person ahead possessed astonishing movement skills. Leaping through the rainy night, he seemed to be shrouded in a layer of azure qi, darting through the rain curtain like one chasing stars and catching the moon.

Chu Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, violet light flowing within them.

His speed, which had been just a fraction slower, suddenly surged. In nearly the blink of an eye, he had reached the black-clad man's back.

The man in black glanced back and seemed stunned. Then a flash of delight crossed his eyes.

"Such fine lightness skill!"

By now, he had reached the walls of Heavenly Dance City. Spreading both arms like a snow goose soaring into the heavens, he leaped two or three zhang into the air, then tapped the wall repeatedly with his toes, scaling it as if walking on level ground. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the top.

When he looked back again, Chu Qing had already leaped above the city wall.

Treading the empty air, he charged straight toward him.

The man in black was startled again. Turning around, he sprang up without a second thought and raced toward the outskirts.

Chu Qing tapped his feet in succession, walking thirty steps through the air as he pursued the man in black relentlessly.

Only then did the Heavenly Dance Guards atop Heavenly Dance City seem to wake from a dream.

Seeing the two vaulting over the wall, they shouted.

"Who goes there?"

But when they tried to pursue them, how could they possibly catch up?

The two left the city one after the other. After traveling another three to five li, they arrived before a dense forest.

The man in black suddenly turned around.

"With lightness skill this impressive, let me see how good your fist and foot techniques are."

As his words fell, he abruptly thrust out a palm.

With the force of that palm, it seemed as though an invisible wall of qi had risen all around them.

Tree shadows swayed, rain gathered, and a massive palm appeared amid them.

Seeing this, Chu Qing flipped his own palm, a layer of violet intent covering it.

The tree shadows swayed in the same way, the rain gathered in the same way, and another massive palm appeared within it.

Anyone who saw this scene could tell... the two were using the same martial art.

Azure Void Palm!

Bang! Bang!

With an explosive crash, the man in black swayed and could not help taking a step back. Chu Qing, meanwhile, remained utterly unmoved.

"What martial art is that? How can it be so formidable?"

The black-clad man's voice was filled with astonishment.

"What do you think..."

Chu Qing looked helplessly at the man in black before him.

"Big Brother, stop messing around."

The movement technique was Star Chasing Moon Catching Steps, and the palm technique was Azure Void Palm.

Both were secrets of the Chu Family, never passed to outsiders. Apart from Chu Yunfei, only the three Chu brothers had inherited them.

Chu Fan would never think to come see him dressed in black with his face covered... so the man before him could only be Chu Tian.

Chu Tian shot Chu Qing a glance and removed the cloth covering his face.

"Why aren't you surprised at all?"

"Ever since I rescued the old man during the day and left the Chu Family,

"you had been following behind Wu Qianhuan and me the entire time...

"Wu Qianhuan couldn't detect it, but you couldn't hide from me."

Chu Qing spoke softly.

"I thought you would show yourself after Wu Qianhuan left, but I never expected that after killing Xin Youhen, you would leave as well."

"Second Brother was nearby then. I was afraid he would recklessly try to fight you again.

"I had no choice but to go draw him away..."

At this point, Chu Tian let out a soft sigh.

"When did you realize that I recognized you?"

"Just now."

Chu Qing's answer surprised Chu Tian.

"Just now?"

Chu Qing smiled.

"Wasn't it only after I used Azure Void Palm just now that you truly confirmed it was me?"

Chu Tian froze for a moment, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter, his voice brimming with gratification.

"Good, good, good! Third Brother, after seven years apart... you've truly grown up."

Perhaps not... If I had truly grown up, how could I have been deceived by the Mirror of Sin and ultimately ended up dying together with them?

Chu Qing let out a soft breath.

"But since you're here, it means this so-called assassination attempt was indeed fake."

Chu Tian nodded.

"Valley of Ten Thousand Nights hired the Mirror of Sin to kill Father because they feared his martial arts.

"His Ruoxu Scripture is now on the verge of great completion. He had only been one step from the gate... and that step was held back because you had not returned for so long, leaving a knot in his heart and making a breakthrough difficult.

"Now that you have returned, Father's Ruoxu Scripture will reach great completion before long.

"Valley of Ten Thousand Nights fears him and wants him dead... so Father might as well die for real, at least once.

"Let it be as they wish, and we'll see how they act."

He paused here before continuing.

"Before this, although I couldn't completely confirm your identity, once news of Father's assassination spread, it would be hard to say whether you could remain calm and restrained.

"If it really was you, and you believed Valley of Ten Thousand Nights and the Mirror of Sin had succeeded,

"then without knowing the truth, I feared you would go fight them to the death. That was why I wanted to see you, at least to send you word...

"But looking at you now, it seems you had already guessed?"

"I only dared to be completely certain after seeing your face."

After hearing Chu Qing's words, Chu Tian subconsciously touched his face, then suddenly understood.

"I thought I was testing you. Who would have thought... you were testing me instead..."