The Advantage Is Ours

Feng Qi stood before him, unwavering, blocking the blade for him, and then selflessly shielded him with his body...

Scenes from the battle flickered through Wang San's mind. He looked at Feng Qi, his emotions complex. He knew Feng Qi's keyword was Maintenance/Protect, but in that situation, one wrong move and Feng Qi would have been gone!

Counting it up, Feng Qi had saved him at least three times...

Risking his life to protect him!

Hypothetically, if he had found his companions using the secret code, their keyword would also be Maintenance/Protect. Could he have achieved this?

Wang San watched Du Ge's retreating back and sighed silently. Although Feng Qi was a bit overbearing, he was genuinely cooperating with him. To trust a stranger so quickly in the simulation, was he smart or foolish?

Perhaps, he could truly put aside his prejudices and cooperate with him to get through this simulation. Their keywords were a perfect match. If they cooperated well, breaking into the top ten together might not be impossible.

What a pity.

Feng Qi had flipped the table too early. If he hadn't made himself a target, Feng Zhong wouldn't have drawn the Iron Palm Sect to attack them...

Fine.

If he hadn't flipped the table, he would have been eliminated by Feng Zhong without any defense.

After much thought, Wang San sighed again. He'd go as far as he could. Meeting such a straightforward partner was his good fortune. Even if he didn't make it into the top ten of the simulation, it wouldn't have been a wasted trip.

Feng Shiyi remained silent, ignoring the direct disciples kneeling on the ground. He knew he couldn't be blamed. He himself had been unguarded against Feng Zhong, who had disguised himself too well, showing no flaws.

Another direct disciple went to Feng Zhong's room to investigate.

Amidst a pile of corpses, Feng Yunjie continued to tremble in the corner, even forgetting to bandage his own wounds, helpless like a child.

For a moment.

The corridor fell silent.

A moment 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."

Even though he had already known this outcome, Feng Shiyi's straight posture instantly collapsed. He looked at Du Ge in despair, "Seventh Master, the Feng Family is finished."

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

"What chance?" Feng Shiyi's voice was hoarse, but his eyes lit up. He seemed to have grasped a lifeline, staring intently at Du Ge, his face full of anticipation.

"The Iron Palm Sect might not necessarily launch a night raid on the Feng Family," Du Ge said. "Firstly, the Feng Family is relatively far away. Secondly, wouldn't they need to first verify if the Celestial Demon truly exists before sending people to the Feng Family? To receive bizarre intelligence, unsure of its truth, and then go and wipe out a family? If Qiu Yuanlang were that foolish, the Iron Palm Sect wouldn't have become so powerful."

"So, if we rush back now, there's still time for the Feng Family to escape?" Feng Shiyi's voice trembled with excitement.

"Why go back?" Du Ge smiled. "It's impolite not to reciprocate. On such a fine night, if the Iron Palm Sect can raid us, why can't we raid them?"

"..." Feng Shiyi was stunned. He suppressed the anger in his heart. "Seventh Master, at a time like this, please don't tell jokes anymore."

"Second Boss, I'm not joking," Du Ge said seriously. "Do you remember our Peacekeeping Justice Corps? Sects like the Iron Palm Sect, who wipe out entire families for their own selfish gain—shouldn't such poisons in the martial world be eradicated to restore peace? Not to mention we're victims, but even if we weren't, hearing about this, shouldn't we step forward to uphold justice for the victims and maintain righteousness!"

"..." Feng Shiyi was stunned by this earth-shattering statement, staring blankly at Du Ge, not knowing what to say.

Holy crap!

Wang San's breath hitched. What kind of guts did this guy have? He was practically looking for death. Shouldn't he be hiding now, biding his time, and then seeking an opportunity to make a comeback?

The little trust and goodwill he had just built vanished in an instant. Any thoughts of cooperation were once again thrown to the winds by Wang San. He still had to run.

Even if Feng Qi was a divine support, cooperating with such a reckless fool was just asking for a faster death.

"Seventh Master, you might not understand the Iron Palm Sect. Qiu Yuanlang is a top expert second only to the sect leaders of the Five Sects and Three Clans. His followers number at least three thousand. A mere hall master is comparable to my strength. The Iron Palm Sect has ten such hall masters, and each hall master also has a deputy hall master and four incense masters."

Fearing Du Ge wouldn't understand, Feng Shiyi added, "The martial arts of an incense master are comparable to Yun Jie's..."

"Are these people usually at the Iron Palm Sect headquarters?" Du Ge interrupted, asking.

Feng Shiyi was taken aback and said, "The Iron Palm Sect controls the grain transport and has many daily affairs. The hall masters and incense masters each have their own territories to manage. There should be two or three hall masters stationed in Luyang City."

"One is already dead," Du Ge pointed to the fallen hall master.

"..." Feng Shiyi.

"Given the suddenness of the event, Qiu Yuanlang definitely wouldn't, and it wouldn't be worth it for him to recall most of his personnel. Even if there were originally three hall masters in Luyang City, with one dead, there would be at most two left," Du Ge analyzed. "He wouldn't publicize something like capturing the Celestial Demon. Moreover, judging by the fact that he only sent one hall master to raid us, he doesn't take the Feng Family seriously at all. Most likely, the other two hall masters are unaware of what's happening here and are currently dreaming in some woman's bed. With us being prepared and them being caught off guard, our chances of counter-killing Qiu Yuanlang are very high..."

Feng Shiyi originally thought that raiding the Iron Palm Sect was Feng Qi having a delusion, but after his analysis, he suddenly felt that the matter had great potential.

Wang San looked at Du Ge in surprise. In such a short time, he had analyzed so much. This guy wasn't stupid, so why did he only do foolish things?

Du Ge looked at the interested Feng Shiyi and said confidently, "Second Boss, the advantage is on our side."

"Seventh Master, even if we can infiltrate the Iron Palm Sect, Qiu Yuanlang's own Martial Arts are incredibly high. Even I probably couldn't last three moves against him," Feng Shiyi thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Moreover, we are all injured, and Yun Jie, he..."

"Second Boss, we have Wang San," Du Ge said, putting his arm around Wang San's shoulders. "Fifteen minutes ago, you wouldn't have thought we could annihilate all the attackers, would you? Second Boss, times have changed. With the Celestial Demon's descent, our previous combat concepts need to be revised."

Feng Shiyi looked at Du Ge, then at Wang San, hesitating. "Seventh Master, if we fail, the Feng Family will likely be doomed. Why don't we play it safe and rush back now? There's still time to escape..."

"You can escape for a while, but not forever," Du Ge frowned. "Don't you want the Feng Family's vast assets? Regardless of the reason, we've already killed a hall master of the Iron Palm Sect, and suffered such heavy losses. Do you think Qiu Yuanlang will let us off? When he gathers the other nine hall masters, how will the Feng Family cope? Moreover, the Feng Family has weakened because of me. My Maintenance/Protect has been inadequate, and my strength will surely decrease. Who will protect you then? Rely on Wang San and Feng Jiu?"

Feng Shiyi fell silent. Wang San had just joined and, without Feng Qi's protection, had already been killed by the Iron Palm Sect's hall master. Feng Jiu was likely suffering who knows what torture in the Feng Family. It would be good enough if they weren't enemies with the Feng Family, let alone expecting him to help the Feng Family – that was wishful thinking.

After much consideration.

Feng Shiyi found that Du Ge's proposal was the best option – seeking life from death!

"Have you thought it through?" Du Ge asked.

Feng Shiyi took a deep breath. "Alright, let's do it."

"Good. We'll set off after a short rest," Du Ge declared, full of spirit. "We'll catch them by surprise. But, Second Boss, you need to find me a sturdier longsword this time. Don't let them break it so easily again."

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

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

Du Ge looked at Feng Shiyi in surprise. "Second Boss, those words are an insult to me. My nature is to Maintenance/Protect. I protect others; there's no reason for others to protect me."

"Seventh Master, this isn't about who protects whom," Feng Shiyi sighed bitterly. "It doesn't matter if I die. If you two live, the Feng Family has hope of continuing!"