Chapter 31: Storm

The summer heat was intense, and the chirping of birds could be heard intermittently.

Huh!

Huh!

Li Rui moved like an old ape, his knife an extension of his arm, whirling the thirty-seven-pound blade so swiftly that the wind it stirred flattened the grass in the courtyard.

Half an hour later.

He sheathed his knife and exhaled slowly.

Just then—

A knock came at the door.

“Is Master Li inside?”

Li Rui frowned slightly.

It was Zhao Wei’s voice.

“Why would Zhao Wei come looking for him at this hour?”

Though puzzled, he still walked to the door—after all, Zhao Wei was his superior, and he couldn’t afford to offend him lightly.

The moment he opened the door—

He saw Zhao Wei’s broad face, and beside him, two others.

One of them Li Rui recognized: Liu the Constable, who had once joined Zhu Yue and three other Huaqing Sect disciples in hunting down the outlaw at the abandoned temple; the other was a middle-aged man adorned with jade rings and radiating an air of nobility.

“Deputy Commander Zhao, what do you want?”

Seeing their hostile intent, Li Rui’s heart turned cold.

The fact that these two others had entered the Heaven and Earth Alliance’s compound and come to his door meant Zhao Wei had arranged it.

Zhao Wei grinned: “Old Li, you know Liu the Constable—he’s got some questions for you.”

Liu the Constable stepped forward: “Brother Li, long time no see.”

He stared at Li Rui—his aura deep, his posture agile, as if reborn.

He was stunned.

At first, he hadn’t believed it when he heard the old stablehand had become a Hall Master of the Heaven and Earth Alliance; now, seeing Li Rui, he was certain.

“Do you still remember that night when we, along with the four esteemed Huaqing Sect disciples, hunted down the outlaw in the temple?”

Li Rui corrected him:

“Constable Liu, I was just a stablehand—I didn’t take part in anything.”

Liu didn’t press the point; his gaze sharpened: “Brother Li, nearly everyone involved in that incident is dead now. Aside from the four Huaqing Sect disciples who returned, only you and I remain.”

Li Rui feigned panic: “Constable Liu, what exactly happened?”

Liu fixed his eyes on Li Rui, refusing to miss a single flicker of expression.

Then he sighed softly.

“Brother Li, you don’t know—the man we hunted that night was originally a Huaqing Sect disciple. He killed his senior brother, stole a martial scripture, and fled the sect. After extensive searches, we confirmed he’s hiding in the city, seeking to recover the lost Huaqing secret technique—the White Ape’s Cloak Blade.”

Li Rui was startled: “If the scripture was in the traitor’s hands, how could it be lost?”

Liu shook his head: “I don’t know the details.”

“But now he’s gone mad, obsessed with recovering the secret technique, and has allied with demons from the Ghost Ming Cult—he’s extremely dangerous.”

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly: “Constable Liu, are you suggesting I took the scripture?”

Suddenly—

The middle-aged man, who had been smiling quietly beside them, stepped forward abruptly.

In an impossibly gentle tone, he spoke:

“Brother Li, you took the White Ape’s Cloak Blade, didn’t you?”

Li Rui felt his mind grow foggy; the middle-aged man seemed like a long-lost friend, someone he wanted to confide everything to.

But quickly—

A coolness rose from his dantian, surging straight to the crown of his head.

His spiritual awareness cleared again.

“Illusion Art!”

Li Rui’s heart tightened.

“Illusion Art can strike without warning—mild cases force the victim to blurt out truths; severe ones turn them into mindless slaves.”

“I’ve heard that powerful brothels in Anning Prefecture use this trick to drag noblewomen into the abyss.”

He feigned dizziness and shook his head.

“I don’t know what the White Ape’s Cloak Blade is.”

Hearing Li Rui’s answer, the middle-aged man and Zhao Wei exchanged glances, both seeing disappointment in each other’s eyes.

The next instant—

Li Rui’s eyes flashed with sudden clarity, his face darkening: “You—”

He was about to strike, but Zhao Wei cut in: “Old Li, this is Master Kong Xianian of the Huaqing Sect—he’s here specifically to capture the traitor and purge the Ghost Ming Cult demons.”

Huaqing Sect?

Li Rui’s heart jolted.

Even the Huaqing Sect would resort to such low, despicable tricks.

Kong Xianian smiled faintly, his expression serene as moonlight: “Brother Li, I just used the Huaqing Sect’s secret True Word Technique—you’re innocent.”

He was utterly confident in his method.

It had never failed him.

Thanks to this trick, he’d gained countless opportunities and blessings.

Unless one was a martial expert with ironclad willpower, resistance was impossible.

Li Rui’s expression softened suddenly.

“Then that’s good.”

Zhao Wei said a few more words of reassurance, then left with the two men.

Watching their figures vanish,

Li Rui’s face turned icy.

“You bastard, Zhao Wei.”

If Zhao Wei hadn’t stormed his door with armed men, he wouldn’t have fallen for the Huaqing Sect man’s trick so easily.

A sect that prides itself on orthodoxy resorts to the tricks of lowlife kidnappers.

Clearly, the Huaqing Sect isn’t all upright gentlemen.

Li Rui had lived this long.

He long ago saw through the illusions of great sects—their filth and corruption were no less than that of the demonic paths.

If he hadn’t glimpsed the Xuanqing Qi and strengthened his spiritual will severalfold, he might have truly fallen for Kong Xianian’s trick.

Misfortune and fortune are intertwined.

His suspicion was temporarily lifted—he’d gain a few more days of peace.

But Zhao Wei, allying with outsiders against him—did he really think he was the Huaqing Sect’s lapdog?

Elsewhere.

In a grand mansion.

Zhao Wei and Kong Xianian were inside the room, occasional feminine giggles echoing.

“Brother Kong, is that old Li really clean?”

Li Rui was officially under Zhao Wei’s command, but he had been recommended by Wu Tu—meaning Li Rui could never be trusted.

As for why the Commander had placed Li Rui under Zhao Wei, it was clearly to maintain balance.

If Li Rui had taken the scripture, Zhao Wei would gain great merit and eliminate a spy at his side—perfect.

Kong Xianian nodded firmly: “He didn’t take it.”

He was utterly confident in his method.

“Then it’s troublesome.”

Zhao Wei shook his head in disappointment.

If it wasn’t with Li Rui, it was almost certainly with those four Huaqing Sect disciples—getting it back would be far harder.

His eagerness stemmed from the promise that if he secured the scripture, Kong Xianian would share it with him—and he intended to keep it all for himself.

Kong Xianian: “Brother Zhao, let’s set the scripture aside for now. If we capture the traitor, that’s still a great achievement.”

Zhao Wei burst into loud laughter, his whole body swaying, making the woman on his lap bounce.

“Brother Kong, with a high master of the Huaqing Sect here, it’s child’s play.”

Kong Xianian smiled contentedly, eyes half-closed.

His hand wandered up and down.

Where in the Huaqing Sect could one enjoy such pleasures?

(End of Chapter)