As for the days that followed, nothing much happened.
A great many people had died at the underground arena, but for some reason, the incident caused no stir. Most people did not even know it had happened, and the occasional rumor was quickly suppressed.
Life went on as peacefully as ever.
The Eight-Treasure Arhat had put his connections to work investigating Li Zhengfa, but just as before, he found nothing. The man seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Even the Misty Rain Pavilion, renowned for its intelligence, could find no trace of him.
As for Zhou You... he spent most of his time searching for the rest of his sect.
Wang Chongming and Lin Yunshao had arrived. Only Senior Brother Li and the other scattered disciples were still missing. Unfortunately, after days of searching the city, Zhou You had yet to catch sight of them.
Thankfully, the Misty Rain Pavilion had learned that Heavenly Mechanism Valley and Myriad Dharma Mountain had not arrived yet, but neither sect had encountered further trouble on the way. Senior Brother Li and the others who had gone to them for help were probably safe too.
As for poor Yan Feidie... there was no news of her at all. But if someone had caught her, they would surely have used her as a hostage to threaten him by now. Things would not have remained so quiet. Like Senior Brother Li and the others, she was probably safe, at least.
With their safety no longer weighing on him, Zhou You set aside his last worry and focused on preparing. He worked to refine the two relics while rushing to make more talismans and paper figures, hoping to give himself a few more cards to play.
Time passed, and at last, the day of the