"Master Ge!"
Lu Chen shouted, but it was already too late to stop him.
The man in black had used that last slash to force Lu Chen back. In one stride, he reached the bed.
Ge Ye still seemed fast asleep, half his face buried in shadow, showing no reaction.
Moonlight caught the short blade in the man's hand, flashing cold and sharp.
A smile tugged at his lips, and his eyes gleamed with excitement at the thought of completing his task.
But suddenly, a fierce gust swept past. A large hand struck the man in black on the head, shattering it on the spot.
He was dead.
"Hm?"
Lu Chen was stunned.
"Who's there?"
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
Something about his silhouette seemed strangely familiar to Lu Chen.
Only after Lu Chen relit the lamp did he see clearly: it was Qiao Yuan.
"Senior Qiao?!"
"What are you doing here?"
Lu Chen's face was full of confusion.
Qiao Yuan withdrew his hand and glanced down at the corpse. His expression was as calm as if he had swatted a fly that had wandered into the room.
He sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea.
He took a sip, frowned slightly, and set the cup down.
"I can't get used to Gao Manor's tea."
Then he looked at the baffled Lu Chen and explained, "I've been here all along. You just didn't notice me."
"..." Lu Chen had no answer to that.
Qiao Yuan was in a good mood, so he patiently told Lu Chen, "Ge Ye has long been a thorn in the Huang Family's eye. They've wanted to be rid of him for ages."
"If I weren't nearby to protect him, he'd have died countless times over!"
"Ge Ye's stubborn, though, and I can't be bothered to argue with him. I just protect him from the shadows."
"I see." Understanding dawned on Lu Chen.
Ge Ye was vital to Yam Herb Shop. He could refine Foundation-Stabilizing Pills, precious medicines that could help martial artists at the great achievement stage of the Blood-Moving Realm break through to its peak.
With him there, Yam Herb Shop could attract and recruit martial artists at that stage.
Qiao Yuan's quarters at Yam Herb Shop were right next door to Ge Ye's.
That way, he could protect Ge Ye at all times.
Then Lu Chen recalled the brush with death moments earlier, and a lingering chill rose in his heart.
He looked at Qiao Yuan, nursing some resentment but not daring to show it. "If Senior Qiao had acted sooner, Master Ge wouldn't have been put in danger."
Qiao Yuan heard the hint of reproach in Lu Chen's words.
After all, the man in black had nearly taken Lu Chen's head off with a single slash.
Qiao Yuan looked at Lu Chen with a glint of appreciation in his eyes. "I was going to act at once."
"But then I saw you could hold that man off."
"So I waited a little to see whether he had any accomplices. If they showed themselves, I could kill them together."
Lu Chen paused. Qiao Yuan had been trying to bait out more enemies.
Wanting to ease Lu Chen's feelings, Qiao Yuan praised him. "You're only a martial artist at the initial stage, yet you held off that man in black for three breaths. Impressive. I see you in a whole new light!"
Lu Chen cupped his fists. "You flatter me, Senior. I only did my best."
The more Qiao Yuan looked at Lu Chen, the more pleased he became. He asked, "How old are you this year?"
Lu Chen had not expected the sudden question. "Sixteen," he answered honestly.
"You're a disciple of Hidden Dragon Martial Hall, if I recall correctly. You haven't been at Yam Herb Shop long, have you?" Qiao Yuan asked.
Lu Chen nodded. "Just over a month."
"Good!" Qiao Yuan said, a knowing smile spreading across his face.
The next morning.
Lu Chen handed the man in black's corpse over to Gao Manor.
Han Lie, the head of the guards, examined the corpse. He first apologized to the group from Yam Herb Shop, then began investigating the man's identity.
Before long, Han Lie had identified him.
"He was an assassin from Dark Hall."
Lu Chen asked, "What kind of outfit is Dark Hall?"
Han Lie glanced at him. "An underground organization in the black market. They have people around Gaolin County and Scarlet Cloud County. They take jobs involving assassination, cargo theft, and silencing witnesses. They care about silver, not who hires them."
"Pay them enough, and they'd kill the emperor himself."
Zhou Li cursed. "So someone paid for Master Ge's life?"
Han Lie said, "This man had reached Blood-Moving Minor Achievement. An assassin of that caliber wouldn't come cheap."
Wang Qinian asked, "Can you find out who hired him?"
Han Lie fell silent for a moment.
The atmosphere in the courtyard turned cold.
Ge Ye narrowed his eyes. "What? You can't find out, or you can't say?"
Han Lie replied slowly, "Dark Hall has always cared only about silver, not names. They leave no information about their employers."
Wang Qinian's expression darkened further. "So there's no way to trace them?"
Han Lie nodded.
There were no leads or evidence concerning the employer. There was nowhere to begin.
But some things needed no evidence.
Ge Ye and Yam Herb Shop had no grudges with anyone in Gaolin County. No one else had reason to hire an assassin to kill him.
He gave a cold laugh, anger surging in his eyes. "Who else could it be but the Huang Family?"
But without evidence, Gao Manor would not take Ge Ye's word alone and arrest the Huang Family's people.
Wang Qinian knew that accusing the Huang Family now would accomplish nothing.
The Huang Family had chosen Dark Hall precisely because, if the attempt failed, no evidence would lead back to them. Gao Manor would have no grounds to act against them.
Arguing further would only put Gao Manor in a difficult position, and it would not solve the problem at hand.
So he said to Han Lie, "We purchased a large quantity of medicinal herbs from your manor and are about to head home."
"After what happened last night, we're especially worried that something might happen on the road."
"If someone dared strike inside Gao Manor, then once we leave, there's no telling what they'll do..."
He paused, his tone growing more earnest. "Could Gao Manor send guards to escort us for part of the journey?"
Han Lie readily agreed. "We failed to keep watch at Gao Manor and gave you all a fright."
"Since the Wang Firm bought its herbs at Gao Manor's herb fair, we naturally can't stand by and do nothing."
"We'll escort you all the way back to Scarlet Cloud County and make sure you arrive safely."
At Han Lie's promise, Wang Qinian breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Chief Han."
Han Lie waved a hand. "No need to thank me. It's what Gao Manor ought to do."
Then he added a solemn warning. "Everyone, be careful from now on. Something like this may happen again."
Everyone from Yam Herb Shop nodded.
The attempt on Master Ge's life had sounded a warning bell for them all.
None of them knew whether they might have offended someone without realizing it, or whether someone might hire an assassin to kill them.
After Han Lie and the others left, Zhou Li muttered a curse. "One day, I'll wipe out those beasts from the Huang Family."
Wang Qinian sighed. "Without evidence, you could curse until the heavens cracked and it still wouldn't help."
Then some of the gloom lifted from his face. "Still, having Gao Manor's protection on the way back isn't bad."
"At least it'll save the Wang Firm a hefty escort fee."
They had bought a large quantity of medicinal herbs on this trip to Gaolin County. Their original plan had been to hire a team of escorts there to help transport the herbs back to Scarlet Cloud County.
Those escort fees would not have been cheap.
Now that Gao Manor was sending guards with them, they would save silver and have an added layer of protection.
Before you continue