The Alleys of Wu'an Stir with Baleful Intent; Halberd Shadows Chill the City

Yun Miao set down her teacup, a flicker of sharpness passing through her eyes. The air around her seemed to turn several degrees colder. "If such a vicious criminal isn't eliminated, who knows how many more lives he'll claim?"

The gray-robed elder seated below her slowly raised his eyes. His hair and beard were entirely white, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes held the stillness of age. He was one of the Heaven Sect's elders.

He raised a hand to stroke the long beard hanging down to his chest. His voice was like a stone dropped into an ancient well, steady yet penetrating. "Nephew, be patient.

"Zhao Cheng is barely twenty, yet he has single-handedly conquered Han and Zhao. His Blood-Clad Army is unstoppable, and his cultivation and inheritance of wicked arts are anything but ordinary.

"There may be a great demon faction backing him.

"We descended the mountain to eliminate tyranny, but we must first find out his true origins. If we act rashly, we may lose more than we gain."

The blue-robed elder on the other side nodded in agreement as well. His gaze settled on Yun Miao, carrying a measure of concern. "Your senior brother is quite right.

"You are a rare prodigy, the likes of which the Heaven Sect sees only once in a thousand years. You bear the burden of carrying on the sect's legacy, so you must be all the more cautious in your actions.

"Zhao Cheng is so young, yet he was able to leave Xiaoyaozi gravely wounded. His methods are clearly ruthless and his foundations deep. We must not take him lightly."

Yun Miao took a deep breath. Her fingertips brushed the cool side of her teacup for a moment before she finally suppressed her surging anger and nodded.