What Are You Pretending to Be?

The people inside the room held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

The knocking continued.

"He really isn't here?" Wei Xian asked the soldier beside him coldly.

The surviving soldier hurriedly replied, "Captain, I truly saw him leave the Patrol Guard Station with my own eyes."

Wei Xian pondered. Then he heard movement behind him.

"Brother Wei."

"Captain Wei."

Su Yuan and Chai Nian had arrived behind them.

"Su Yuan, you ran off again, you bastard!" Seeing Su Yuan safe and sound, Wei Xian thought of his cousin, whose body had vanished without a trace. Rage surged through him, and he lunged forward to seize Su Yuan by the collar.

Chai Nian opened his folding fan and stepped between them. "Brother Wei, calm down. This has nothing to do with Su Yuan. If he'd been there, he might not have escaped the same fate. If you want someone to blame, blame the Xingyun remnants and the Jiguang Society."

"Those damned rats! They've been hiding so deep! We might as well plow through Ji City and slaughter everyone. Let's see where they hide then!" Wei Xian said through gritted teeth.

Not only had he lost his cousin, but a Savage Strength martial warrior from the Wei Family had also fallen.

At those words, the atmosphere in the room froze.

The three people listening in held their breath, their breathing growing heavier.

Chai Nian's expression stiffened slightly. "Brother Wei, don't joke about that."

At the beginning of the war, perhaps a massacre would have been of little consequence.

But after years of building a foothold in Ji City, their foundations were established. How could they simply slaughter the city?

Still, the Jiguang Society was a persistent thorn in their side, like a rat's dropping spoiling a pot of porridge. Its members were scattered everywhere, with people lurking in the shadows and supporters out in the open. It was difficult to eradicate them.

"Brother Wei, you should still listen to our superiors. If the people under our rule live better than they did under Great Jing, they won't want to return. That takes time to build up; we can't afford too much bloodshed. If I'm not mistaken, the different peoples under your command still act with plenty of arrogance, don't they? Perhaps this is their comeuppance." Chai Nian waved his fan.

"Hmph, Chai Nian, you sure know how to talk the talk. Who doesn't know what you're like in private? You really are a master of putting on airs." Wei Xian showed no mercy.

Chai Nian's eye twitched, but he maintained his smile and waved his fan with an air of refinement. "If you want to vent your anger, Brother Wei, why not wait for the martial contest between the two nations? You can let loose then."

Su Yuan stole a glance at Chai Nian, wondering what this young master was really like in private.

But Wei Xian was right. Chai Nian loved putting on airs more than anyone.

Ever since he'd won the championship, Chai Nian had practically wanted Su Yuan to drive his carriage every day so he could parade through the streets.

Su Yuan then asked, "What's this contest between the two nations?"

"The Jiguang Society has been going around claiming that Great Jing's martial arts are superior to Great Liang's. We'll settle it with strength. Those rats won't dare show their faces, but the martial arts schools and great clans in the city that surrendered are still here. When the time comes, contestants from Blood Condensing to Vein Splitting can take the stage. We'll crush their pride and keep those turncoats from being persuaded to switch sides." Chai Nian spoke casually, as though victory were already assured.

Su Yuan could figure out with his toes that those surrendered martial arts schools and great clans wouldn't dare win.

Great Liang was certain to win this contest.

"Then I don't have to compete, right?" Su Yuan truly didn't want to stand out again. There was already too much trouble.

"You won't be needed. I'll take the stage myself. Ah, it's been so long since I last fought that my hands are itching." Chai Nian clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking softly.

Wei Xian sneered, "What could you possibly do up there? This is a stage for us Liang People. Take a good look at yourself—you're a coward. What makes you think you belong up there?"

"Good." Su Yuan secretly let out a breath of relief, unaffected by Wei Xian's words.

At that moment, a man appeared silently at Wei Xian's side.

He was around fifty, his temples already streaked with white. His face was hard as iron, and an aura of battle-hardened bloodlust lingered around him.

He gave Chai Hong a slight nod.

"Uncle Shi, did you find anything?" Wei Xian asked.

"The attacker was careful and left no traces. But according to the survivors, he wore a ghost-face mask, stood nearly two meters tall, and had a hulking build. It could have been a disguise. The palm technique he used was likely Cloud-Striding Palm. His cultivation was at least mid-stage External Force. Wei Han had been an early-stage Savage Strength warrior for a long time and was close to reaching the middle stage, yet he didn't last long. He was nearly killed in a single blow." Shi Guanlin spoke in a low voice.

"Mid-stage External Force, a ghost-face mask, Cloud-Striding Palm... We've never heard of anyone like him before. Never mind. For now, we'll have a portrait drawn based on the descriptions and put out a warrant." After pondering for a moment, Wei Xian looked at Su Yuan.

Su Yuan understood and went to recreate the portrait.

As he listened to the witnesses talk over one another, he suppressed his laughter and sketched the figure according to their descriptions, giving him broad shoulders, a thick back, and a fearsome mask.

He revised the picture repeatedly at their direction. The finished portrait looked quite imposing, though it still differed considerably from the man himself.

By the time he finished, Chai Nian had reached an agreement with Wei Xian and secured Su Yuan's release. He wouldn't have to return to the army.

But Wei Xian insisted on collecting the fine for four months' pay.

Chai Nian left Su Yuan to handle it himself, so he had no choice but to fork over one hundred and twenty taels.

"My money!" Su Yuan winced.

Back at the old house, Ji Haoyang confirmed that the outsiders had left and whispered excitedly, "Senior Green Ghost has appeared again!"

For the past month, he'd desperately wanted to find the man again and prove that he wasn't Su Yuan, but he'd found no trace of him.

Unfortunately, the man hadn't appeared again.

"Senior Sister, the attacker was at mid-stage External Force, according to the Vein Splitting warrior's assessment. He killed an early-stage Savage Strength warrior in one blow. Even if Su Yuan has superior roots, there's no way he could have advanced so quickly. Besides, he only has inferior roots." Ji Haoyang grew even more certain that his judgment was correct.

He'd even begun to feel a trace of admiration for Green Ghost.

To slaughter everyone at the South City Patrol Station—what a feat!

He could never have done that.

"Could I really have been wrong?" Yun Xu looked uncertain too.

Zhou Xing reminded them, "If Su Yuan isn't Green Ghost, he'll expose our whereabouts when he returns home and finds us. We need to leave quickly."

Ji Haoyang sneered. "Su Yuan is only at Blood Condensing. If he dares come, we'll capture him. There's still a Vein Splitting warrior outside, so we need to hide a little longer."

Hearing this from the shadows beside the door, Su Yuan was speechless.

Does this guy really hate me that much?

He had already climbed over the wall and slipped quietly up to the door.

Hearing that, the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile. Fine, he'd scare them a little.

Creak—

The three inside the room held their breath again and instantly fell silent.

But then they realized it hadn't been the courtyard gate. It was the outer door of the room where they were hiding!

The door began to open a crack, a scene that seemed strangely familiar.

But after opening a little, it stopped.

The sound cut off abruptly too.

What was going on?

The three exchanged glances and cautiously crept toward the door.

They waited quietly for a while, but there was still no movement.

As the only man, Ji Haoyang mustered his courage and pushed the door open a little farther.

The courtyard was empty. There wasn't a soul in sight.

"Nothing here? Was it the wind? Or did we see a ghost?" Ji Haoyang muttered, then gave a bitter laugh. They'd been hunted for days; perhaps he was just too tense.

But the next moment, he stopped smiling.

A ghastly face dropped into view upside down without warning. The blood on the mask was still wet.

"Damn! A ghost!" Though Ji Haoyang had seen plenty of fighting, the sudden sight still made him cry out in terror. He stumbled back several steps and shrank behind the two women.

Yun Xu stepped in front of him protectively and lunged forward, chopping a palm straight at the ghostly face!

Su Yuan met her with a punch.

Bang!

Fist met palm. Su Yuan felt a soft yet surging force rush at him, numbing his arm and knocking him down from the roof beam.

He twisted in midair, landed on his feet, and staggered back two steps before dispelling the force.

"She's this strong?"

He was secretly astonished. He'd used only Flying Star Strength just now, and had nearly failed to block her. In the split second before impact, he'd poured in Vajra Strength, barely managing to withstand the blow.

He looked up at her.

Yun Xu still had that lovely, refined face, but she was pale, her illness and exhaustion hard to hide. Her eyes remained deep, but they glistened with moisture. The corners were faintly red, like cold stars veiled by a thin sheen of water.

She wore a black martial outfit that didn't fit her well, so she'd had to cinch it tightly at the waist. The tight cord accentuated her slender waist and the curves of her chest, her figure perfectly balanced in every proportion.

Yet her brows were full of wariness, and she had a spirited, valiant air about her.

It was hard for Su Yuan to connect her with the pitiful captive beneath the roof beam back then.

Then Su Yuan froze. Why was she wearing his clothes?

In that moment of distraction, Yun Xu lunged at him again, the shadow of her palm striking for his face.

"Senior Sister, stop!" Ji Haoyang cried. "He's Senior Green Ghost!"

Yun Xu's palm stopped just short.

Su Yuan clasped his hands behind his back and put on a calm front, changing the subject. "Little Ji, you're awfully jumpy."

Ji Haoyang gave an embarrassed smile. "Anyone would've jumped at that just now, Senior. But I truly admire you. You lay low for a month, then when you finally strike, you wipe out the entire South City Patrol Station. You're truly a role model for us all!"

Su Yuan appreciated the praise and gave a slight nod.

Just then, Yun Xu spoke. Her voice was cool, yet it crashed like thunder:

"Su Yuan, what are you pretending to be?"