The turning thrust

"He didn't come?" The square-faced young man, dressed in a thin green robe with an ink-black sword at his waist, exclaimed softly in surprise, then frowned. "Did he say why?"

"No. He just said, 'I'm not coming,' and left. I couldn't even catch up with him."

The square-faced young man looked even more astonished. "Did you say or do something that gave you away?"

"Absolutely not, sir!"

"How strange. Is he really that wary?" the young man muttered. He waved the servant away, then turned and hurried into a small pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, Feng Shuhu sat astride a stool in a commanding posture, his long halberd standing beside him, its tip polished until it gleamed. On his other side stood a burly man with a full beard, his back ramrod straight.

"Sir, he didn't come. Based on Xiao Wu's report, he most likely noticed something."

Feng Shuhu's tigerlike eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

The bearded man beside him said, "Something probably went wrong somewhere, sir. Either that old man isn't as close to Song Qu as we thought, or something else gave us away and alerted him to the danger."

"Speak plainly," Feng Shuhu said in a low voice.

"Oh. I still think that old fellow at the Holy Academy isn't on our side. He's probably eager for us and Zhou Xiaoxian's teacher to fight to the death so he can profit from it. This time, he may well have deliberately let something slip!"

Without a word, Feng Shuhu straightened and headed directly for the tea garden's back gate. "Ma Chen, make sure your people keep their mouths shut. I'm supposed to still be bedridden, recovering from my injuries."

"Yes, sir," the square-faced young man replied.

The bearded man hurried after him, still talking. "Sir, why go to all this trouble? In my opinion, we don't need any arrangements or traps at all. If the three of us attack together, surely we have nothing to fear from one injured old man?"

As their voices faded into the distance, Ma Chen looked at the untouched teapot and cups on the table and sighed softly. "Two boors. What a waste of my fine tea."

He sat down on the stool and poured himself some tea.

"Green Leaf Valley Fragrance?"

Standing at the tea garden's entrance, Xia Yi looked up at the sign and murmured, "Quite elegant."

Looking around, he stopped a passing young man and asked, "Young fellow, this is a tea garden, isn't it? Do you know if they sell tea leaves inside?"

"No idea."

Only after stopping several people did he get an answer.

"Tea leaves? No, no, they don't sell those. The owner of this tea estate is quite a personage—Lord Ma Chen, the military commander of our Lieyang City. He's a cultivator of the Five-Star Jade Balance Rank. He can live for two hundred years!"

For ordinary people, what interested them most about cultivators was not whether someone could smash a house with one punch, but how long cultivators lived.

"Lots of people know Lord Ma Chen loves tea. Only the important people of Lieyang City have ever been inside this tea estate. Sir, if you want to buy tea leaves, I recommend..."

"All right, thank you."

"You're welcome."

After seeing the middle-aged man off, Xia Yi lingered at the tea garden's entrance for a moment, then stepped inside and called, "Anyone here?"

There was no one at the entrance, so Xia Yi followed a secluded path, calling out as he walked. Only after several dozen steps did a figure appear ahead.

"Who goes..." The man had barely uttered two words before he froze. Staring at Xia Yi, he gaped in astonishment, momentarily at a loss!

It was the very servant who had gone to invite Xia Yi earlier!

At the sight of him, however, Xia Yi broke into a broad smile.

"Found you! Good, good, I didn't come to the wrong place. You left far too quickly earlier. I was only having a little joke with you. How could I refuse an invitation from the Xiyuan Marquis? He's still here, isn't he? I watched the main gate, and no one left. Wait, this tea estate wouldn't happen to have a back gate, would it?"

You were the one who left too quickly!

Slightly panicked, the servant hesitated and glanced behind him. The military governor had already left, yet now this old man had come. What should he do?

"What, has he left? Then why are you still here? Were you deceiving me?"

"...No!" The servant thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and replied, "His lordship is still in the tea estate."

"Good. Lead the way, then."

"Yes!"

Xia Yi followed the green-clad servant, stopping now and then to admire the flowers and plants beside the path. The servant was sweating profusely with anxiety, but dared not urge him on.

"Why haven't we seen anyone along the way?"

Xia Yi's sudden question made him shudder again. Only after a long pause did he answer, "Oh, this tea estate isn't open to the public. It only receives a few guests, such as his lordship. And it isn't time for the gardeners and maids to work, so there aren't many people around."

"I see."

Xia Yi said nothing more and followed in silence. The green-clad servant endured the most agonizing, nerve-racking hundred-meter walk of his life, until they finally approached a bend.

He gestured ahead and said extremely loudly, "Senior! Turn right up ahead, then walk a few dozen meters, and you'll find a tea pavilion. Please wait there while I fetch my lord! The Xiyuan Marquis!!"

"Ahem-" In the tea pavilion, Ma Chen nearly spat out a mouthful of tea. His eyes widened in shock. "Xiao Wu, are you fucking trying to get me killed?!"

He quickly flung the tea in his cup into a nearby shrub, then turned the cup upside down. After a moment's hesitation, he opened the teapot, drew a packet of powder from his sleeve, and emptied it inside. Setting it securely back in place, he leaped away and vanished into a distant stand of trees.

Elsewhere.

"Wait!"

Xia Yi's sudden shout brought the servant's hurried departure to an abrupt halt. He stiffened briefly, then turned back. "Senior, is there something else?"

Xia Yi smiled. "Nothing. Look at you, what are you so nervous about? I don't eat people. Wipe off that sweat before you catch a chill."

The servant hurriedly wiped away his sweat.

"Thank you for your concern, senior."

Watching the servant flee into the distance, Xia Yi smiled. He turned back and followed the servant's directions, taking a right at the junction ahead. Sure enough, a tea pavilion soon came into view.

A short while later, he entered the pavilion. On a wooden table, two teacups stood upside down on either side, while wisps of steam rose from an exquisite teapot in the middle.

He looked around. Dense shrubs, flowers, and plants grew all around, and the faint sound of water drifted from farther away. What a secluded spot... for killing someone and burying the body!

Looking about, he sat down on a wooden chair, casually turned over the cup in front of him, and poured himself some tea. Slowly, he raised the cup to his lips.

In the distance, behind a tree, Ma Chen clung silently to the trunk like a gecko. His eyes brightened slightly at the sight. He drank it. He actually dared to drink it...

Pfft!!

At the sound of spitting, Ma Chen's expression instantly tightened. He noticed!

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in that instant. Xiao Wu must have gone after the military governor already, but now that the old man had discovered it, he might leave immediately. If that happened... I won't be able to explain myself to the military governor at all!

At that moment, he felt as though he were being roasted over a fire. There seemed to be nothing left to debate or choose. He could only attack. He had to stop Xia Yi!

With a clang, he drew his sword and sprang from behind the tree like a roaming dragon, his blade pointed straight at Xia Yi as he lunged forward!

"Pah, pah, pah! This tastes awful!"

Ma Chen abruptly stopped in his tracks!

Tastes awful? He didn't notice I poisoned it?

A second later, however, he abandoned that hope.

For Xia Yi was raising his teacup toward him as though offering a toast, watching him with a smile. The composure in those eyes made Ma Chen feel as though he had plunged into an abyss!