The Heavenly Fire Sect

Li Batian's face darkened in an instant.

Why was Jiang Tian asking about his elder brother?

Could it be that Li Kun had already learned Jiang Tian was a genius who'd broken through to Hidden Energy in less than ten days and wanted to recruit him before anyone else?

"Yes." Li Batian's expression shifted between light and dark. His gaze swept over Jiang Tian's face several times, suspicion creeping into his voice.

"How do you know my elder brother? What... are you trying to do?"

Jiang Tian's eyes flickered slightly.

Judging by Li Batian's reaction, his relationship with his elder brother, Li Kun, didn't seem very good.

"I learned by chance that he's your elder brother. I admire him greatly." Jiang Tian's expression didn't change, and his voice remained calm. "I thought I'd use the opportunity to learn a little more about him."

"Hmph!" Li Batian snorted, his lips curling in disdain.

"What's there to admire about him? Our family doesn't know how many resources they've poured into him, but what has he done? He still can't break through to Transformation Energy..."

Li Batian spilled all of Li Kun's secrets in one go, as if he had no sense at all.

But every single thing he said was laced with scorn, as though he were berating an enemy rather than his own elder brother.

So he really was at Manifest Energy, Jiang Tian thought, a cold glint flashing through his eyes before vanishing.

If Li Kun were a Transformation Energy expert, Jiang Tian might not be able to do anything to him within these five days.

But if he was only at Manifest Energy, that made things much easier.

Never fight a battle unprepared.

After the meal, Yuan Manzhi came over.

"Jiang Tian, my father wants to see you."

"Sure." Jiang Tian nodded and headed for Yuan Long's study.

As he pushed open the door, a strong herbal smell hit him, mixed with a faint scent of blood.

Yuan Long sat upright in his chair, fully dressed. Nothing seemed amiss at first glance, but his somewhat pale face gave him away.

"Master Yuan, are you injured?" Jiang Tian was startled.

Yuan Long was a Transformation Energy expert. Who could have hurt him?

Thinking back to what Li Kun had said at their home yesterday, Jiang Tian's heart sank.

With the soldiers outside Blackwater County, the Patrol Inspection Office in town, and several Martial Arts Hall masters, even if they couldn't deal with the Poison Wolf Gang, surely things wouldn't have gone this badly.

Could it be that, as Yuan Manzhi had said, a great upheaval was coming?

He was about to speak when Yuan Long's words sent his heart plummeting.

"Manzhi told me you've already become a Hidden Energy martial artist." Yuan Long raised his head, his gaze heavy as he looked at him.

"Have you considered going to the Prefecture City?"

"The Prefecture City?" Jiang Tian's heart tightened. "Why would I go there all of a sudden?"

"Alas..."

Yuan Long sighed heavily. His breath carried an exhaustion and worry that were hard to put into words.

"The Poison Wolf Gang took in a large number of refugees and grew considerably stronger. Blackwater County lost many men in this campaign against the bandits."

He paused, as if weighing his words, but finally spoke. "More than a thousand soldiers, several hundred from the City Patrol Division, and seven Martial Arts Hall masters—you know how it all turned out?"

Jiang Tian shook his head.

"The Poison Wolf Gang certainly wasn't that powerful on its own." Yuan Long gave a cold laugh, his face full of contempt.

"Most of the blame lies with our Thousand-Household Official, who's far too scheming. And there's something else: the White Lotus Sect has gotten involved with the Poison Wolf Gang. A lot of unfamiliar faces have appeared."

"The White Lotus Sect?" Jiang Tian furrowed his brows.

"The White Lotus Sect is the foremost demonic cult in the northwest. Its ranks are full of experts, and its influence stretches across all four prefectures of the northwest." Yuan Long lowered his voice.

"They used to stay hidden in the shadows, but lately their newly appointed leader seems to have gone mad. They're trying to step into the open, recruiting bandits and refugees everywhere. It looks very much like they're preparing to raise the banner of rebellion."

"In short, Blackwater County certainly won't be peaceful for much longer."

Yuan Long's gaze settled on Jiang Tian, filled with earnest hope. "I hope you'll go to the Prefecture City with Manzhi and me. The Heavenly Fire Sect is stationed there, along with twenty thousand soldiers. The White Lotus Sect can't reach its claws that far."

"In a little while, the Heavenly Fire Sect will hold its annual recruitment. With your talent and Manzhi's, you'll definitely get in."

"The Heavenly Fire Sect..."

Jiang Tian's eyes flickered as he silently repeated the name.

Everyone throughout Qingyuan Prefecture knew the Heavenly Fire Sect's reputation. Ordinary people called it the "Immortal Sect."

That showed how highly people regarded it.

"Think it over carefully." Yuan Long leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "I hope you'll go to Qingyuan Prefecture."

"All right."

Jiang Tian nodded.

He naturally wanted to go to the Prefecture City. He didn't want to keep staying in Blackwater County, but he needed to discuss it with his elder brother and sister-in-law first.

As for before then...

There were still a few things he needed to take care of.

Three days later.

Late at night, in the courtyard of Jiang Tian's home.

Jiang Tian sat cross-legged on the stone paving in the courtyard. Moonlight flowed like water, spilling over his gently rising and falling shoulders.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. It came out long and even, forming a white ribbon in the chilly night breeze that lingered without dispersing.

The bones and sinews throughout his body gave off faint, crackling pops, as if an invisible little hammer were tapping his bones, one joint at a time.

His body suddenly sank, like a brown bear curled up in a cave to hibernate. His breathing grew deep and steady, each breath carrying enough force to shake the surroundings, as though even the stone paving beneath his feet trembled faintly.

His energy no longer remained hidden inside him as before. It rose to the surface, visible to the naked eye. A faint, almost imperceptible halo seemed to flow over his skin, and the air around him twisted ever so slightly.

With a thought, Jiang Tian brought up the panel before him.

[Host: Jiang Tian]

[Lifespan: 16/20]

[Realm: Manifest Energy]

[Martial Arts Mastered: Five Animals Creation Play (Subtle)(1+/1500)]

[Traits: Innate Martial Bone (Purple)(446+/5000), Superb Comprehension (Purple)(1+/5000)]

[Momentum: Tiger in a Cage, Deer in the Snow, Bear in the Cave]

Breaking through to Manifest Energy had added three years to his lifespan, bringing it from seventeen years to twenty.

At the same time, he had gained two new forms of momentum: Deer in the Snow and Bear in the Cave.

Together with Tiger in a Cage, he now had three forms of momentum.

Jiang Tian slowly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

"Everything's ready... all I need is a gust of wind."

Over the past few days, he had trained during the day and secretly slipped out at night to track Li Kun.

Fortunately, Li Kun hadn't returned to the soldiers' camp outside the city. He had stayed in town the whole time.

His movements were also very regular, following the same route between the Li Family and Yihua Pavilion. Four Hidden Energy bodyguards were always with him, never leaving his side.

At this hour, Li Kun should be about to leave Yihua Pavilion.

Yihua Pavilion was the biggest pleasure quarter in Blackwater County.

The sounds of strings and flutes and the wanton laughter carried over several walls, faint and intermittent.

Li Kun walked out as he fastened his belt, surrounded by several heavily made-up women and a madam with a broad smile.

He had an unshakable habit: he never spent the night away from home.

He either returned to the Li Family or went to the soldiers' camp outside the city.

The Li Family was one of the Three Great Families of Blackwater County, but everyone knew they had climbed to the top over countless piles of bones. Their enemies were everywhere.

He had survived many assassination attempts as a child. Though things had been much more peaceful in recent years, he never dared let down his guard.

"Master Li, come again next time~" one of the women beside him cooed, drawing out her words.

"Heh!"

Li Kun leered and gave the woman's plump backside a hard pinch. It felt soft and springy, drawing a coquettish cry of "Oh!" from her.

He grinned, showing two rows of yellow teeth. "Next time, your Master Li will leave you unable to get out of bed!"

"Let's go!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, he gave the woman another hard slap on the backside. The sharp crack rang out against the night.

As soon as he left the bustling market quarter, Blackwater County fell abruptly silent.

The shops on either side had long since closed for the night, their doors shut tight. Only the lanterns under the eaves remained lit, swaying in the night breeze and scattering flecks of gold across the ground.

Li Kun suddenly felt an urge to piss. He walked to the roadside, undid his belt, and relieved himself against the wall.

A warm stream splashed onto the gray bricks with a steady hiss.

Though he'd just left the arms of beautiful women, an inexplicable heat stirred in his chest again. Bai Zhiruo's figure surfaced in his mind: her fair face, her curvaceous body, her eyes rippling like water...

"Hiss..." He licked his dry lips and narrowed his eyes, muttering to himself.

"That wasn't any fun at all. As they say, it's always the one you can't have who keeps you burning."

The night breeze swept by, and the lantern at the mouth of the alley swayed.

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