The Advantage Is Ours

Feng Qi had stood resolutely in front of him to take a knife for him, then thrown himself over him without hesitation to serve as a human shield...

Scenes from the battle played through Wang San's mind. He looked at Feng Qi, his feelings complicated. He knew Feng Qi's keyword was protection, but in that situation, one mishap was all it would have taken for Feng Qi to die!

By his count, Feng Qi had saved him at least three times...

He'd risked his life to protect him!

Suppose he really used the secret signal to find his companions, and their keyword was also protection. Could they go that far for him?

Wang San looked at Du Ge's back and sighed quietly. Feng Qi could be overbearing, but he had genuinely worked with him in good faith. Trusting a stranger so quickly in the Simulation Field—Wang San couldn't tell whether Feng Qi was smart or foolish.

Perhaps he really could set aside his misgivings and work with Feng Qi to get through this Simulation Field. Their keywords complemented each other perfectly. If they cooperated well, they might both make the top ten.

What a shame.

Feng Qi had turned the table too soon. If he hadn't made himself a sitting duck, Feng Zhong wouldn't have lured the Iron Palm Sect into attacking them...

Well.

If Feng Qi hadn't turned the table, Wang San would've been eliminated by Feng Zhong before he knew what was happening.

After mulling it over, Wang San sighed again. He'd go as far as he could. Having such an uncomplicated partner was a stroke of luck. Even if he didn't make the Simulation Field's top ten, at least the trip wouldn't have been for nothing.

Feng Shiyi said nothing and ignored the direct disciple kneeling on the ground. He knew the man couldn't be blamed. Feng Shiyi himself hadn't been wary of Feng Zhong, either. Feng Zhong had disguised himself too well; there hadn't been a single flaw to spot.

Another direct disciple went to Feng Zhong's room to check on things.

Amid the bodies strewn across the floor, Feng Yunjie remained huddled in a corner, trembling. He had even forgotten to tend to his wounds, helpless as a child.

For a moment,

silence fell over the corridor.

A little while later,

the direct disciple who had gone to check on Feng Zhong returned. He looked at Feng Shiyi and shook his head. "Second Master, Feng Zhong has escaped."

Though he had known this would happen, Feng Shiyi's ramrod-straight back still sagged in an instant. He looked at Du Ge, dazed. "Seventh Master, the Feng Family is finished."

"Not necessarily." Du Ge shook his head. "Second Master, we still have a chance."

"What chance?" Feng Shiyi's voice was hoarse, but his eyes had brightened. As if he'd grasped a lifeline, he stared straight at Du Ge, his face full of hope.

"The Iron Palm Sect might not raid the Feng Family tonight," Du Ge said. "First, the journey there is relatively long. Second, they'd need to confirm that a Heavenly Demon really exists before sending people to the Feng Family. They've received a bizarre report and don't know if it's true. If Qiu Yuanlang were foolish enough to wipe out an entire family on that basis, the Iron Palm Sect wouldn't have grown so powerful."

"So if we hurry back now, we'll still have time to evacuate the Feng Family?" Feng Shiyi's voice trembled with excitement.

"Why go back?" Du Ge smiled. "It's only polite to return a visit. It's a fine night. If the Iron Palm Sect can raid us, why can't we raid them?"

"..." Feng Shiyi froze. He held back his anger. "Seventh Master, now's not the time for jokes."

"Second Master, I'm not joking." Du Ge's expression turned serious. "Do you remember our Righteous Peacekeeping League? A scourge like the Iron Palm Sect, willing to wipe out an entire family for its own selfish gain, deserves to be eradicated. We should restore peace to the martial world! Never mind that we're the victims. Even if we weren't, just hearing about this would be enough reason to step forward, stand up for the victims, and uphold justice!"

"..." Feng Shiyi was stunned by the outrageous declaration. He stared blankly at Du Ge, at a loss for words.

Holy crap!

Wang San's breath caught. What was wrong with this guy? You couldn't go looking for death more effectively if you tried. Shouldn't they be hiding, keeping a low profile, and waiting for a chance to rise again?

The little trust and goodwill Wang San had just built up vanished in an instant. Any thought of cooperating went right out the window. He still needed to run.

Even if Feng Qi was a god-tier support, working with a reckless fool like him was just asking to die sooner.

"Seventh Master, you may not understand the Iron Palm Sect. Qiu Yuanlang is a top-tier expert, second only to the heads of the five sects and three schools. He has at least three thousand men under his command. Even one of his hall masters is about as powerful as I am, and the Iron Palm Sect has ten of them. Each hall master also has a deputy and four incense masters."

Afraid Du Ge might not understand, Feng Shiyi added, "The incense masters are as skilled as Yunjie..."

"Are all these people usually at the Iron Palm Sect's headquarters?" Du Ge interrupted.

Feng Shiyi paused. "The Iron Palm Sect controls the grain transport routes, so there's a lot to manage. The hall masters and incense masters each oversee their own territories. There should be two or three hall masters stationed in Luyang City."

"One of them is already dead." Du Ge pointed at the hall master sprawled on the ground.

"..." Feng Shiyi.

"Everything happened so suddenly. Qiu Yuanlang won't recall most of his people, and there's no need for him to. Even if there were originally three hall masters in Luyang City, one is dead, so at most two remain," Du Ge reasoned. "He certainly won't publicize a matter like capturing a Heavenly Demon. And considering he sent only one hall master to raid us, he clearly doesn't take the Feng Family seriously. There's a good chance he won't take any further precautions. The other two hall masters might not even know what happened here. They could be dreaming away in some woman's bed right now. If we strike when they're unprepared, our chances of taking down Qiu Yuanlang are high..."

Feng Shiyi had thought raiding the Iron Palm Sect was just Feng Qi raving. But after hearing his analysis, he suddenly felt it might actually be possible.

Wang San looked at Du Ge in surprise. In just a short time, he'd figured out so much. The guy wasn't stupid after all. So why did he keep doing stupid things?

Du Ge saw Feng Shiyi wavering and spoke with confidence. "Second Master, the advantage is ours."

"Seventh Master, even if we can infiltrate the Iron Palm Sect, Qiu Yuanlang himself is an extraordinarily skilled martial artist. Even I wouldn't last three moves against him," Feng Shiyi said, then shook his head. "Besides, we're all injured, and Yunjie..."

"Second Master, we have Wang San." Du Ge put an arm around Wang San's shoulders. "A quarter of an hour ago, you wouldn't have imagined we'd wipe out every enemy who came to attack us. The times have changed, Second Master. With the Heavenly Demons' descent, we need to rethink how we fight."

Feng Shiyi looked from Du Ge to Wang San, uncertain. "Seventh Master, if we fail, the Feng Family will be doomed. Why don't we play it safe? If we hurry back now, we still have time to flee..."

"We can escape for a while, but not forever." Du Ge frowned. "Are we just going to abandon the Feng Family's vast estate? Whatever the reason, we've already killed one of the Iron Palm Sect's hall masters. After such a heavy loss, do you think Qiu Yuanlang will let us go? He'll gather the other nine hall masters. How will the Feng Family stand against them? Besides, the Feng Family has been weakened because of me. I failed to protect it, and my strength will surely suffer. Who'll protect you then? Wang San and Feng Jiu?"

Feng Shiyi fell silent. Wang San had only just joined them, and without Feng Qi protecting him, the Iron Palm Sect's hall master would have killed him already. Who knew what Feng Jiu was suffering at the Feng Family's hands? It was already fortunate that he wasn't an enemy of the Feng Family; expecting him to help them was pure wishful thinking.

After thinking it over,

Feng Shiyi realized that Du Ge's proposal really was their best option: to fight for life in the face of death!

Du Ge asked, "Have you made up your mind?"

Feng Shiyi took a deep breath. "All right. Let's do it."

"Good. We'll set out after a brief rest." Du Ge was full of confidence. "We'll catch them by surprise. But, Second Master, find me a sturdier sword this time. I don't want the other side snapping it so easily again."

Wang San chimed in. "Find me a weapon that suits me, too."

"Mm." Feng Shiyi looked at the two of them, took a deep breath, then suddenly said, "If things go wrong, Seventh Master, you should take Wang San and escape first. I'll do everything I can to cover your retreat."

Du Ge looked at Feng Shiyi in surprise. "Second Master, that's a slap in the face. My nature is to protect. I'm the one who protects others—how could I let someone else protect me?"

"Seventh Master, this isn't about who protects whom." Feng Shiyi let out a bitter sigh. "It doesn't matter if I die. As long as you survive, the Feng Family will have a chance to carry on!"