The Masked Man's Identity Revealed

The clash of blades tore through the sky like the mournful cry of a night owl.

Neither side gained an advantage from that exchange.

Zhou An had no intention of stopping. That had merely been a probe.

The long saber in his hand cast afterimages through the air, each strike faster than the last.

Blinding saber light illuminated the entire alley.

The black-clad masked man stopped speaking as well.

When true experts fought, talking would distract them.

Between life and death, there was only an instant.

Distraction was followed by death.

Their movements were remarkably similar. Both swung their sabers in an unbroken stream, the clashes of steel rising and falling without end.

Zhou An could feel the qi within him draining rapidly.

But ever since the qi in his body had grown to the thickness of two thumbs, both its recovery and consumption had changed drastically.

For now, he could still hold on.

The black-clad masked man was different. Blood slowly appeared in his exposed eyes.

He cursed Zhou An viciously in his heart.

He had used his ultimate technique against those five men earlier, expending far too much energy.

Now he had to deal with Zhou An as well, and he was already nearing exhaustion.

The bloodshot veins in his eyes grew denser. The masked man knew he would not be able to endure much longer if this continued.

I can't keep going!

Zhou An had clearly decided not to stop until he crippled him.

This was not the time for talking, and his current condition was not suitable for continuing the fight.

In an instant, the black-clad masked man made his decision.

If this continued, he would truly be finished.

Perhaps he could have fought Zhou An at his peak, but he was not at his peak now.

Having made up his mind, the black-clad masked man lowered his saber. With his left hand, he grabbed the cloth covering his face and tore it off.

In that instant, the black-clad masked man revealed his true face.

An aged face, a head full of gray-white hair, and bloodshot eyes.

Zhou An's saber continued forward, but this time it did not unleash any saber light. Instead, it stopped at the black-clad masked man's throat.

"I thought your voice sounded familiar. So it was you."

"Even though we get along well, and you've taught me quite a few things, there's no room for compromise in this matter."

"Old Liu, I'll still give you a chance to explain."

The man standing before him was none other than Chef Liu, who had taken leave to return home.

Zhou An recalled going to the kitchen that day and not seeing Chef Liu there.

Chef Liu had only rushed over afterward.

Then they had discovered the male corpse from the Blood Shadow Gate.

Clearly, Chef Liu had also dealt with that corpse.

Feeling the coldness at his throat, Chef Liu smiled bitterly. "I never expected it to be you. A mere constable who's actually a Third-Rate Expert—and a saber user at that. If I'm not mistaken, you're the mysterious expert, aren't you?"

Chef Liu was even more shocked than Zhou An.

He had spent quite a lot of time with Zhou An.

Ever since Zhou An had come to help out in the kitchen, they had spoken more often.

And Chef Liu had actually thought highly of Zhou An.

Not for any other reason, but because of Zhou An's patience and diligence.

When Zhou An was learning Knife Skills, Chef Liu had only given him a few casual pointers, yet Zhou An came every day to carve over and over again.

That kind of dedication was already rare among young people these days.

He had thought Zhou An was merely diligent, but he had never expected him to have already entered the Third-Rate realm.

Thinking of the mysterious expert who had recently appeared, whose saber techniques were equally exquisite—

Zhou An's image overlapped with that mysterious expert's.

Chef Liu was no fool. Naturally, he connected the dots.

"The yamen and the Demon Suppression Division searched every day, yet they never imagined that the mysterious expert was a mere constable!"

"What was he after? Hiding in a tiny place like An Ding County—could there be some secret here?"

Without realizing it, Chef Liu found Zhou An increasingly mysterious.

Zhou An could see the changes in Chef Liu's expression.

He understood. That reaction was perfectly normal.

Just imagine it: an ordinary person suddenly turning out to be the mysterious expert who had recently become the talk of the town. Anyone would react like that.

But this was not the time for Chef Liu to be surprised.

"Old Liu, tell me." Zhou An spoke blandly.

Chef Liu opened his mouth, about to say something.

Just then, footsteps sounded.

There were countless footsteps, clearly not from a single person.

Zhou An knew that Yu Hang had probably brought the people from the Demon Suppression Division over.

Chef Liu was also an expert, so he heard them clearly. He hurriedly said, "Zhou An, come with me. Let's find somewhere to talk slowly. Neither of our identities can be exposed."

Zhou An considered it, then moved his saber away. "Lead the way."

Chef Liu did not waste another word. He vaulted over the wall, and Zhou An followed him over.

The two circled around the alley, traveled a long distance, and entered a secluded street.

Along the way, Chef Liu skillfully cleaned up the traces behind them, making sure the Demon Suppression Division could not follow.

Only after everything had been properly cleared did they stop in this quiet alley.

"Can you talk now?" Zhou An laid his saber against Chef Liu's throat.

Feeling the chill against his neck, Chef Liu said helplessly, "Zhou An, do we really need this? We can just talk. There's no need to hold a saber to my throat."

"Doesn't it set the mood? Besides, you're an expert. I can't just talk to you without holding a saber on you." Zhou An smiled.

The helplessness in Chef Liu's eyes deepened.

He felt that this kid simply would not yield to either soft or hard tactics.

But things had already been set up this way, so he could only speak.

"Do you have a grudge against the Blood Shadow Gate too?"

Before explaining, Chef Liu still asked that question.

Zhou An shook his head. "I don't have any grudge against the Blood Shadow Gate. I only want to know about the Beast Cult. There should be people from the Blood Shadow Gate within the Beast Cult as well."

Chef Liu froze briefly before quickly realizing what he meant. He said in shock, "You want to deal with the Beast Cult?"

"More or less." Zhou An said, "Stop asking me questions. Tell me what you know."

He had a conflict with the Beast Cult.

Although he had concealed his identity, there was no wall that did not let wind through.

If the Beast Cult found even the slightest clue, they might ambush him. That was why Zhou An chose to strike first.

If the roots were not pulled out, they would sprout again with the spring breeze.

The prerequisite for lying low and growing stronger was eliminating every hidden danger.

This was the process of removing those dangers.

Chef Liu thought for a moment. "That makes sense. You killed several of their people, and their style has always been to repay every grievance. As for me, didn't you hear it earlier? I'm an elder of the Blood Shadow Gate."

"I stole one of the Blood Shadow Gate's treasures, so I ended up in this state. I've been hunted ever since. Even after fleeing to a small place like this and hiding my identity, they still hunt me."

"If your target is the Beast Cult, then we share the same goal."

"Go on." Zhou An was interested now.

He had no interest in the Blood Shadow Gate's treasure, but if it involved dealing with the Beast Cult, then he was interested.