Ambush

The bell tolled in the twilight, marking the end of the first day of the minor tournament.

The crowd dispersed.

Li Tui followed the flow of people toward the West Courtyard.

The growth on his chest was unusually quiet, like a beast after a full meal. But Li Tui could feel it digesting. It was digesting the blood qi and baleful aura that had permeated the arena floor today.

This feeling was unpleasant. It was like having a heavy lump of ice stuffed into his stomach, the chill slowly seeping through his meridians.

Returning to the West Courtyard, Zhao Yuanchong was sitting in the side hall drinking tea.

He hadn't competed today, leaving after watching only three matches, yet he appeared focused now. The tea had gone cold, but he didn't drink it, his fingers tapping against the rim of the cup. Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

"You're back?" Zhao Yuanchong's gaze swept over Li Tui. "On the stage and off, was there anything worth noting today?"

Li Tui lowered his head, recounting several key bouts and mentioning Zhao Hao's easy victory.

"Zhao Hao..." Zhao Yuanchong repeated the name, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Zhao Yuanchong paused, then suddenly said, "Tomorrow at the hour of the dragon, go to the storehouse and fetch some medicinal salves for me, just in case."

Li Tui acknowledged the order.

"Go." Zhao Yuanchong waved his hand, picking up his teacup again, his eyes already drifting toward the darkening sky outside the window.

Li Tui exited the side hall and returned to his room.

Closing the door, he leaned against the panel for a moment and exhaled slowly. The increasingly thick blood qi on the arena stage today had made his chest feel stifled.

He took off his outer robe to inspect the growth on his chest.

The mass had swollen another circle since the morning, and the dark red patterns beneath the skin were clearer, resembling the embryonic form of some ancient script.

Li Tui frowned and put his clothes back on. He wasn't sure if this change was good or bad, but he had no choice for now.

Outside the window, it had turned completely dark.

The next day, at the first light of dawn.

Li Tui was woken by movement in the courtyard. He pushed open the window to see two servants sweeping the yard, their movements more hurried than usual. From the direction of the Martial Arts Arena in the distance came the shouts of morning practice, mixed with the sharp whistling of weapons cutting through the air.

At a quarter past the hour of the dragon, he left the West Courtyard and headed toward the storehouse.

The Zhao Mansion was quieter in the early morning than it had been yesterday. Servants along the way all kept their heads down and walked quickly, no one speaking.

The storehouse was on the west side of the mansion, requiring one to pass through two secluded corridors.

When Li Tui stepped into the first corridor, his footsteps faltered.

The growth on his chest began to pulse without warning.

Li Tui whipped his head around.

The corridor was empty, with only the morning breeze passing through, stirring a few fallen leaves.

Li Tui took a deep breath and quickened his pace. The second corridor was narrower, flanked by high walls with only a sliver of sky visible above. As he reached the middle of the corridor, the feeling of being watched suddenly intensified.

"Kid."

The voice came from behind him.

Li Tui's hair stood on end; he lunged forward without a second thought!

"Sshh."

The hem of his robe was sliced open, a cold sensation grazing his back. He rolled on the ground, sprang up, and turned around.

At the other end of the corridor, a gray shadow stood, appearing from nowhere.

Dressed in the coarse cloth of a servant, the figure was hunched, his face obscured by a layer of dusty mist. But Li Tui recognized that aura instantly.

It was the Evil Cultivator Old Man.

He actually dared to sneak into the Zhao Mansion!

"Did you really think," the gray shadow slowly raised a withered hand, "that you would be safe hiding in the Zhao Family?"

Before the words had even faded, his figure drifted forward several yards like a ghost, his five fingers curled into claws, stabbing straight for Li Tui's face! His fingernails were pitch-black and sharp, bringing a foul, bloody wind as they tore through the air.

Li Tui gritted his teeth and retreated sharply, simultaneously bringing his right hand together like a sword, striking toward the opponent's wrist.

"Trifling skill." The gray shadow sneered, his wrist twisting in an unnatural way to hook toward Li Tui's throat.

The speed was too fast.

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Li Tui only had time to tilt his head, the withered claws grazing his neck, and a searing, fiery pain exploded instantly. He stumbled backward, his spine slamming into the corridor wall.

The gray shadow clearly did not want a prolonged fight. He flipped his left hand, and a palm-sized Blood-Colored Small Banner appeared in his grasp.

The banner moved without wind, and a shrill, piercing scream suddenly erupted!

Several blood shadows lunged out from the banner, ghost-like, dragging foul-smelling red light as they pounced toward Li Tui. The corridor was narrow, leaving no room to dodge.

Blood surged in Li Tui's eyes; he had no choice but to fight for his life.

Just at this moment.

His chest suddenly burned!

The tumor trembled violently, its surface dark red patterns igniting like a red-hot branding iron. A savage suction force erupted from within it!

"Hum."

The blood shadow lunging toward him suddenly stalled.

The ghostly entities formed from essence blood and resentment began to distort and collapse, turning into wisps of blood mist that surged uncontrollably toward Li Tui's chest!

The gray shadow's pupils shrank to pinpricks.

He saw the dark red tumor at the tear in Li Tui's shirt greedily devouring the blood mist. With every wisp absorbed, the tumor swelled, its surface patterns becoming increasingly hideous.

"This is..." the gray shadow gasped.

Li Tui was stunned himself. But in this life-or-death moment, he reacted with lightning speed. Taking advantage of the opponent's shock, he kicked off the wall and lunged sharply to the left!

"You think you can leave?!" the gray shadow roared, flicking three blood-colored bone nails from his sleeves.

The sound of them piercing the air was sharp and shrill.

Li Tui didn't even look back, instead slamming his palm heavily against a wooden window on the side of the corridor!

"Crash!"

The entire window shattered, sending wooden shards flying everywhere.

The loud noise carried far through the silence of the early morning.

The gray shadow's figure stiffened.

Rapid footsteps and shouts could already be heard from afar: "The west corridor! What was that noise?!" "Go check it out!"

He stared fixedly at Li Tui, the killing intent in his eyes almost solidifying. But there were at least four or five guards approaching, their auras closing in.

"You little bastard..." the gray shadow hissed through gritted teeth, his form beginning to blur and turn into a thick, viscous plume of blood smoke. "Just you wait, I will dig you and that treasure out sooner or later!"

The blood smoke suddenly dove into a crack in the floor and vanished.

Li Tui leaned against the wall, gasping for air. The wound on the side of his neck burned with pain, and his shirt was soaked with blood. It wasn't just blood from his external wounds, but also a dark red mucus seeping out after the tumor had devoured the blood mist.

The footsteps drew closer.

Four guards rushed into the corridor. The leader was a middle-aged man with a strange face, his sharp gaze sweeping over the shattered wood and bloodstains on the ground before landing on Li Tui.

"What happened here?"

Li Tui forced himself to stand straight, wiped the blood from his neck, and said hoarsely, "Just now... someone attacked me. I was no match for them, so I had to break the window to sound the alarm."

The middle-aged guard frowned. "Did you see their face?"

"I didn't," Li Tui shook his head. "They turned into blood smoke and fled."

The guard crouched to inspect the ground, discovering dark red smoke stains in the cracks of the blue bricks, accompanied by a pungent, fishy stench.

"The methods of a demonic cultivator." The middle-aged guard's expression turned grave. "Go tend to your wounds; I will report this matter to the Deacon Hall."

Li Tui cupped his hands in thanks and dragged his injured body away at a brisk pace.

As he walked out of the corridor, he glanced back at the pool of blood, cold sweat seeping from his palms.

A demonic cultivator actually dared to strike inside the Zhao Mansion... It must be because the personnel were mixed during the small tournament, and the guards were all concentrated in the arena area, giving him an opportunity.

Li Tui touched his chest. The tumor had returned to calm, but that uncontrollable sensation of devouring still made his heart palpitate.

He didn't dare to dwell on it and quickened his pace toward the warehouse.

The old deacon at the warehouse saw Li Tui's blood-stained shirt, his eyelids twitching, but he didn't ask any questions. He simply verified Zhao Yuanchong's token and silently took out a wooden box to hand over.

"It can be applied externally or taken internally."

Li Tui took it, whispered his thanks, and gripped the wooden box tightly as he stepped into the brightening morning light. In the distance, the bronze gong of the arena rang out with a "clang."

At 8:30 AM, the second day of the small tournament officially began.