Chapter 226: The One Who Acted

Of course, it was impossible for them to re-enter the hundred-forged city they had barely escaped.

“Let’s not meddle in what happened in the hundred-forged city—it might draw unnecessary trouble.”

The girl in pink spoke with a solemn little face; she had no desire whatsoever to be entangled with that hateful man.

After all, she didn’t want her grandfather used as a pawn again, and besides, they carried a blood feud—they had no reason to drag him into it.

Hearing this, the man in hemp robes shook his head, gazing down at the hundred-forged city and frowning:

“We lack the power to intervene now. If we wish to seek revenge, we must find an opportunity to sneak into Hundred-Forged Peak.”

At that moment, the gates of the hundred-forged city suddenly opened once more.

Amidst a rapid clatter of hooves, nine elite disciples of Hundred-Forged Peak galloped out one after another.

The man in hemp robes and the girl on the small hill both showed expressions of surprise, gazing down toward the hundred-forged city.

Through the hazy night, the two could see the nine Hundred-Forged Peak experts, after leaving the gates, swiftly dispersing in multiple directions.

Of the nine, only one rider headed toward the road where they stood—clearly bound for Hundred-Forged Peak.

“What’s going on? These people just entered the city—why are they rushing out again so soon?”

The man in hemp robes frowned, a look of confusion on his face.

The girl in pink watched the direction the Hundred-Forged Peak experts had taken, studying them for a moment, then suddenly spoke:

“The directions they’re heading seem to be toward the other peaks of Luoshen Peak.”

Hearing this, the man in hemp robes’ gaze shifted, following her line of sight, and his frown deepened:

“It does seem so—but why would they suddenly do this?”

The girl in pink turned her head, lifted her chin, and rolled her eyes:

“You’re asking me? How should I know?”

The man in hemp robes stroked his beard, his expression thoughtful; after a moment, he shook his head:

“This is clearly suspicious. Nothing major has happened in the hundred-forged city—why send men to the other peaks?”

At this moment, the Hundred-Forged Peak expert galloping toward Hundred-Forged Peak drew ever closer to the two.

The man in hemp robes’ eyes flashed with sharp light as he stared directly at the rider; seeing this, the girl in pink’s expression changed instantly, and she cried out:

“What are you planning?”

“I want to find out what happened in the hundred-forged city.”

The man in hemp robes suddenly narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice:

“The more I think about it, the more wrong it feels. I have a gut feeling something major has occurred in the hundred-forged city that we don’t know about.”

“Otherwise, why would Zheng Yunfeng’s own wife have come personally to the hundred-forged city—and now it seems even the other eight peaks are involved?”

Hearing this, the girl in pink fell silent. She too knew all this was abnormal, but deep inside, she had no desire to stir up more trouble.

At this moment, the man in hemp robes spoke slowly:

“Don’t worry—I won’t let this man see my true face.”

With that, as the hooves grew louder, the man in hemp robes moved—vanishing from his spot, then heading down the mountain path.

Not long after, the Hundred-Forged Peak expert suddenly looked up to see a massive boulder rolling abruptly from the forest beside the road, crashing down onto the path ahead.

Forced to act, he yanked the reins tight and brought his horse to an immediate stop.

Yet just then, his spirit suddenly warned him—but it was already too late.

He felt a hand quietly rest on his back, followed by his meridians and acupoints being sealed one by one by an immensely powerful martial qi.

“Answer my questions, and I’ll let you go. Otherwise, you die now.”

A deep, artificially disguised voice came from behind; the Hundred-Forged Peak martial expert offered no resistance whatsoever and hurriedly replied:

“Master, ask anything you wish—as long as you spare my life, I’ll answer everything!”

The Hundred-Forged Peak expert was now utterly helpless, like fish on a chopping block—his loyalty to the sect meant nothing.

His only thought now was survival—even survival was secondary; all he wanted was to complete Li Muxian’s orders immediately.

He simply could not endure the agony of the Death Mark again—it was worse than death itself!

Hearing this, the man in hemp robes standing behind the Hundred-Forged Peak martial expert nodded in satisfaction.

…

Not long after, the man in hemp robes stood in a shadow among the mountains, his aged face shifting rapidly with emotion—he was visibly agitated.

Meanwhile, having confirmed his attacker had departed, the Hundred-Forged Peak expert made no further move, immediately turning his horse and galloping onward toward Hundred-Forged Peak without looking back.

“Did you find out what happened in the hundred-forged city?”

At that moment, a small figure leapt swiftly through the night mountains and arrived beside the man in hemp robes, asking curiously:

Hearing this, the man in hemp robes remained silent for a long while, his expression complex.

After a moment, he drew a deep breath and suddenly turned to the girl in pink beside him:

“Zheng Zi is dead. His older brother, Zheng Shangzong, the city lord of the hundred-forged city, has also been killed—and…”

Here, the man in hemp robes paused.

Upon hearing of the deaths of the Zheng brothers, the girl in pink’s face filled with shock; her expression changed, and she quickly asked:

“And what? Why didn’t you finish?”

Hearing this, the man in hemp robes sighed softly:

“And even… the senior lady who had just arrived in the hundred-forged city, along with two elders from the Hundred-Forged Peak Enforcement Hall, were all killed.”

“What?!”

The girl in pink froze completely, her delicate eyebrows knitting tightly, her face filled with disbelief; she hurriedly asked:

“When did this happen? Who did it? Why was there no sign of anything amiss in the hundred-forged city before?”

Hearing her rapid-fire questions, the man in hemp robes fell silent, his expression strangely altered.

After a moment, he finally spoke slowly:

“It was that young master Li who did it.”

At these words, the girl in pink stood utterly stunned, her small face filled with disbelief.

At this moment, the man in hemp robes gently closed his eyes, steadying his emotions, then continued:

“According to the Hundred-Forged Peak disciple I just questioned, after we left, that young master Li not only killed Zheng Zi and his brother, but also eliminated Zheng Shangzong when he arrived at Baixiang Pavilion, as well as the two Luoshen Peak elders who had pursued us and failed.”

“Moreover, he personally sent messengers to Hundred-Forged Peak, and after our previous encounter with the senior lady and her group arrived, he personally killed them too.”

(End of Chapter)