Liu Residence.
Inside the hall, Liu Dafu, who should have been seated in the place of honor, instead sat upright and proper in a lower seat.
Every so often, he cautiously raised his eyes to glance at the middle-aged man seated at the head, resting with his eyes closed.
The man possessed a profound bearing. Even his broad-sleeved robe could not conceal the fierce valor about him, making others fear him at first sight.
A saber rested at his side.
It was a heavy, broad-backed saber, its spine adorned with gilded patterns. Its edge gleamed with chilling light, its dragon-head guard held the blade, and its hilt was more than a foot long.
The moment Liu Dafu saw that saber, he subconsciously swallowed, a trace of fear flickering in his eyes.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded from outside the hall.
The man seated at the head slowly opened his eyes and turned his gaze toward the main entrance.
A lean, wiry man strode in, bowed, and saluted.
"Greetings, Gang Leader."
This middle-aged man was none other than Cheng Sihai, Gang Leader of the Divine Sand Gang.
He lightly waved a hand.
"Did you find anything?"
The wiry man shook his head.
"Nothing at all. I went to the courtyard where they were staying, but there were no traces inside.
"For the moment, we cannot determine whether they met with an accident... or left on their own."
"Hmph."
Cheng Sihai spoke coldly.
"Chu Yunfei was assassinated, and Wu Ganqi could scarcely support himself with one hand. In his fury, he sealed off Heavenly Dance City, allowing entry but forbidding exit.
"He is busy hunting the assassin who attacked Chu Yunfei. I fear he has no time to concern himself with anything else."
Just as the wiry man was about to nod, a voice came from one side of the hall.
"When something is abnormal, there must be something sinister afoot. Heavenly Dance City is now sealed as tightly as an iron barrel, and we have more important matters at hand...
"Gang Leader, the Second Boss and Third Boss would never abandon their posts without leave at such a time."
The wiry man looked up and saw that the speaker was a young man.
He wore a fitted white martial outfit, carrying himself with easy grace.
Unfortunately, he was not handsome. His face was long and his eyes small, so that even his rather ordinary mouth looked somewhat unpleasant on that face.
"Impudence."
The wiry man flew into a rage.
"Bai Yuntian, how dare you spout such nonsense before the Gang Leader?"
"Wu Sun, enough."
Cheng Sihai lightly waved his hand and looked toward Bai Yuntian.
"You mean that Wu Ganqi has already discovered our presence in Heavenly Dance City?"
Bai Yuntian nodded.
"Gang Leader, this is Heavenly Dance City, after all.
"We are hiding in Steward Liu's residence. With his cover, it is still not easy for us to be exposed.
"But the Second Boss and Third Boss were operating outside.
"They know full well what we are plotting. At this juncture, they could never give up so easily.
"Besides, Wu Sun just said there was not a single trace in that small courtyard...
"But that was where the two of them lived. How could there be no trace whatsoever?
"Someone must have cleaned the place up and concealed every last trace."
Upon hearing this, Liu Dafu immediately pulled a miserable face.
"Gentlemen, you must not say such things...
"If First Master Cheng had not saved my life before, I would not have known who you all were.
"Otherwise, even if I, Liu Dafu, had courage as vast as the sky, I would not have dared shelter you."
Cheng Sihai looked at Liu Dafu and smiled faintly. Then he suddenly reached out. Liu Dafu felt a tremendous force seize him, and his entire body involuntarily flew toward Cheng Sihai.
Cheng Sihai grabbed him by the front of his robes.
"Is Steward Liu so dissatisfied with our visit?"
"I would not dare, I would not dare."
Cold sweat the size of beans covered Steward Liu's forehead as he repeatedly shook his head.
"First Master Cheng, gentlemen, your presence in this humble residence brings glory to my poor house. How could I... how could I be dissatisfied?"
"Hmph."
With a flick of his hand, Cheng Sihai flung Liu Dafu away, then glanced at Wu Sun and Bai Yuntian.
"Where are Zhang Hua and Seventh Mistress?"
Among the Four Great Guardians of the Divine Sand Gang, Zhang Hua ranked first, followed by Seventh Mistress. Bai Yuntian ranked third, while Wu Sun occupied the lowest seat.
With two of the Four Great Guardians absent, Cheng Sihai's expression did not look good.
"Seventh Mistress went to gather information and has yet to return."
As Wu Sun spoke, he shot Bai Yuntian a glance.
Bai Yuntian gave a helpless smile.
"As for Brother Zhang... he is currently on Steward Liu's bed, exploring the ways of human relations with his two wives."
Liu Dafu's face turned as dark as iron at those words...
He was now in his forties. His first wife had died early, and afterward he had married two more.
Both were in their twenties, young and beautiful.
Zhang Hua was a starving ghost in the realm of lust. Not only had he used Liu Dafu's home as a hiding place, he had also seized the man's two wives, indulging in nightly revelry...
Though Liu Dafu knew all this perfectly well, he dared rage but not speak.
"Nonsense."
Cheng Sihai slammed a hand onto the table.
"Tell him to get over here."
"Gang Leader, Gang Leader, there is no need to call. I have already rolled over."
A voice sounded just then. A pale-faced man in his thirties approached, straightening his clothes as he walked.
Only after entering the hall did he finish arranging his belt. He bowed to Cheng Sihai and smiled.
"Have the Second Boss and Third Boss been found?"
Then, seeing Liu Dafu glaring daggers at him, he smiled again.
"What is wrong, Steward Liu? Who made you angry? Tell me. For the sake of your two wives, I will help you deal with him."
Liu Dafu trembled with rage. He pointed at Zhang Hua, yet could not squeeze out a single word.
Cheng Sihai cast him a glance.
"Say less. Seventh Mistress has not returned yet. You few, go look for her.
"Something is wrong in Heavenly Dance City, and Valley of Ten Thousand Nights has shown no movement for a long while... I fear we must make preparations early."
Hearing Cheng Sihai say this, none of them dared delay. They immediately clasped their fists and accepted the order solemnly.
They turned to leave, but Cheng Sihai suddenly looked up. An object came whistling through the night, tearing through the darkness as it shot into the hall.
A voice followed close behind.
"Gang Leader Cheng of the Divine Sand Gang has honored Heavenly Dance City with his presence, yet we failed to welcome you from afar.
"Please do not decline this trifling gift."
Cheng Sihai's expression changed. Zhang Hua spun around and stepped forward, striking the object with his palm.
It felt soft to the touch. It was clearly a person!
Zhang Hua eased his palm force, yet the momentum carried by that person drove him back three or five steps before he managed to halt.
When he looked closely, his face filled with shock.
"Seventh Mistress!?"
The person in his arms was a woman.
She appeared to be only in her twenties. Her throat had been pierced through by a sword, and she had been dead for quite some time.
Zhang Hua was overcome by grief and fury.
"Seventh Mistress... y-you, how could you die? I have not even tasted your flavor yet!!!"
Without caring how anyone else reacted, he abruptly raised his head.
"Who is it?"
The instant his words fell, a thunderous boom rang out. A figure burst straight through one side of the hall and arrived before him in a flash. A simple, unadorned fist, carrying a biting gale, was already before his face.
Zhang Hua, who had been weeping bitterly while holding Seventh Mistress moments ago, flung her corpse before the fist.
Yet the man's fist pressed against the corpse and smashed straight through.
Zhang Hua thrust out a palm to meet it, only to feel as though an entire mountain had crashed into him.
The overwhelming force sent his entire body flying.
In midair, he twisted and borrowed force, executing a Thousand-Pound Drop to steady himself. He raised his head and glared furiously.
"Who are you?"
Before him stood a spirited man, his gaze looking down upon all beneath heaven as he spoke coldly.
"Chu Fan of the Great Easy Sect."