Chapter 50: Why?

Seeing the man suddenly standing atop the pear-blossom ridge, sword clasped in his arms, Xu Jin’s face turned pale, and the other disciples were equally stunned.

Just this ability to stand steady atop the pear-blossom ridge, swaying with the wind, meant he was at least a Star Refining cultivator.

He might be a Star Refining expert, or even a Star Condensation powerhouse.

Just now, Yue Chong, the Star Refining Second Layer, was killed by Xu Jin using his Three-Star Rank insignia—what about this one?

We haven’t even divided the spoils yet, and another one shows up.

At that same moment, Xu Jin’s mind flickered, and he immediately pulled out the Spiral Blade Insignia nurtured beneath the Can Dou Star Lamp, clutching it in his hand.

Counting from when it was first nurtured before midnight yesterday, it had been nurtured for half a day already—how much had its power increased?

Twenty percent? Thirty percent? Or more?

If the Spiral Blade Insignia can’t kill him, then use the Dawn Insignia given by the man in blue.

Though Xu Jin didn’t know the rank of the Dawn Insignia the man in blue had given him, even if it were only a Two-Star Rank insignia, it was far stronger than his current basic Star Art.

Just as everyone was in panic, the man standing atop the pear-blossom ridge suddenly leapt lightly, dropping from over ten meters high—his descent was swift, but when he landed, a faint burst of starlight beneath his feet cushioned his fall.

The instant he touched ground, as Xu Jin hesitated whether to strike him first with the Spiral Blade Insignia, the sword-clutching man suddenly threw down a blood-dripping head.

Everyone stared, momentarily stunned.

The head looked familiar.

Upon closer inspection, wasn’t this Xiong Tiegun, who had fled earlier?

Killed by this man.

Xu Jin glanced at the sword-clutching man, then turned sharply to look behind him at Niu Gui, who wore a beaming smile.

“Flag Master Ji, what are you doing here?” Niu Gui had already dropped his long knife and strode forward, intending to embrace the man named Ji.

The man named Ji glanced at Niu Gui and quickly recoiled. “No, no, no—look at you, covered in blood!”

“Hahaha!” Niu Gui laughed loudly and forcibly hugged the man named Ji anyway, smearing blood on him.

“Come on, let me introduce you all—he’s Ji Bochang, one of the five Flag Masters of Jinshan Dao Academy. He’s been on external missions hunting demonic cultists lately; you probably haven’t met him.”

At these words, everyone—including Xu Jin—breathed a sigh of relief.

He was one of us.

Just now, they had all been terrified.

“By the way, Lao Ji, why are you here?” Niu Gui asked.

At this, Ji Bochang’s expression turned solemn. “Several Flag Masters from Tianyang Branch who were assigned alongside us ignored military orders and deserted—two were killed on the spot, one captured alive, and the other two escaped successfully and are now missing.”

After contacting the Duzhu, he and Lu Junwei coordinated to tie down Tianyang Branch forces, allowing me and Lao Cui to leave the unit and pursue the deserters. We didn’t find them, so we followed the Duzhu’s orders to first locate your six squads and help resolve your troubles.”

After all, the deserters Jin Chi and Lin Lang are definitely heading for you.”

“You old Ji, why didn’t you show up sooner? We were just about done for!” Niu Gui punched Ji Bochang lightly.

Ji Bochang chuckled bitterly. “I only just arrived after cutting through the mountains. I happened to run into Xiong Tiegun, slashed him with one sword, then climbed to the ridge and saw you all dividing the spoils—so I made a joke.”

“Thank goodness.”

“By the way, are all your men here? No casualties or stragglers?” Ji Bochang continued, scanning the squad as he spoke.

“No one’s missing—we’re all here. Thanks to Xu Jin, or we might’ve been wiped out entirely.”

Niu Gui laughed and pulled Xu Jin forward. “Let me tell you—if not for this young brother, when you get back, you’ll be eating my funeral feast.”

“Xu Jin, good, good.”

Ji Bochang looked at Xu Jin and nodded repeatedly, then suddenly fixed his gaze on Xu Jin’s left hand. “Why are you still clutching that Star Insignia? I’m not your enemy.”

Xu Jin looked embarrassed. “Flag Master Ji, I was just nervous and forgot.”

“Put it away.”

Ji Bochang patted Xu Jin’s shoulder. “The Blade Wheel Insignia made by Yuchan has slightly greater power than a standard Three-Star Rank insignia—it’s very effective against those below late Star Refining, but useless against those above. Use it carefully; don’t waste it. It’s precious.”

Xu Jin nodded with a smile, tucked the Blade Wheel Insignia into his robe, then turned to organize the squad to continue dividing the spoils.

But the instant he turned, his eyes turned dark and grim.

Something’s wrong.

This Ji Bochang is suspicious.

Earlier, Xu Jin hadn’t thought much of it—he was a Flag Master of Jinshan Dao Academy’s Star Patrol, and Niu Gui knew him, seemed close to him.

But one thing Ji Bochang just said made Xu Jin instantly alert.

The Blade Wheel Insignia made by Yuchan?

Ji Bochang claimed he had just arrived, killed Xiong Tiegun who fled into the ridge, then came here.

But before Xiong Tiegun fled, Xu Jin had already used the Blade Wheel Insignia to kill Yue Chong.

Now, this Three-Star Rank Blade Wheel Insignia was still tightly clutched in Xu Jin’s hand—never revealed.

If he could sense the aura to identify the insignia’s rank and type, then why didn’t he sense the Dawn Insignia in Xu Jin’s pouch?

Xu Jin believed that even if one could sense aura, the maximum one could detect was the insignia’s rank—but the specific Star Art inscribed within? Impossible to sense from afar. And yet he named it as made by Ning Yuchan.

That meant only one possibility—that Ji Bochang had arrived much earlier.

He had been here since the moment they encountered Yue Chong’s group, watching everything clearly.

So why reveal himself now?

Suddenly, Xu Jin’s heart lurched—he thought of something!

At that moment, Ji Bochang spoke again. “Lao Niu, since you’re safe, I’ll hurry to rescue the other squads. Give me two of your One-Star warhorses—I must ride fast.”

“No problem.”

“Xu Jin, pick out two horses for Flag Master Ji. The rest of us will squeeze together,” Niu Gui said.

Xu Jin responded and hurried to the farthest warhorse, then suddenly called out, “Niu Ge, come look at this horse—I think it’s injured.”

“Injured? Let me see.” Niu Gui rushed over, crouching beside Xu Jin near the horse’s neck. He was puzzled—no wound—when suddenly Xu Jin’s whisper reached his ear.

“Niu Ge, how did he know I used Ning Jiaotou’s Blade Wheel Insignia earlier?”

Xu Jin’s words struck Niu Gui like lightning!

Yes—how did Ji Bochang know?

Niu Gui knew far more about insignias than Xu Jin.

Insignia auras were extremely subtle; without activation, even face-to-face, you couldn’t detect them, let alone identify the Star Art inscribed within.

Even if handed directly to someone, without inputting divine soul energy, you couldn’t tell what Star Art was engraved.

So how did Ji Bochang know?

Only one answer—he saw it.

He saw it—meaning Ji Bochang had been here a long time.

He had witnessed their entire battle.

Ji Bochang is lying.

Then why is Ji Bochang lying?

Niu Gui was a veteran.

A veteran who had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood under Duzhu Tian Zhang—his mind was beyond ordinary.

In an instant, he grasped a terrifying possibility.

A flicker of pain surfaced in his eyes.

After all these years as brothers… how could he…

“Get ready. I still have one last Star Burst Insignia. He’s Star Refining Seventh Layer.”

After whispering this, Niu Gui turned from behind the horse, his expression now calm. “This horse is indeed injured. I’ll pick two better ones for you.”

As he spoke, Niu Gui led two horses over and handed them to Ji Bochang.

“Brother, if you’re going to rescue others, hurry. Not every squad has Three-Star Rank insignias. Delay, and they might be wiped out.”

“Indeed.”

Taking the horses, Ji Bochang glanced at the group. “By the way, the confessions—hand them over to me. Though it’s unlikely anyone else will ambush you now, I’ll carry them—it’s safer.”

“Here!”

Niu Gui handed them over without hesitation, pulling out a sealed parchment wrapped in oil paper and giving it to Ji Bochang. “You carry it—it’s safer. With you, this mission will succeed and won’t betray Duzhu’s trust.”

Xu Jin heard the hidden meaning in Niu Gui’s words—but Ji Bochang didn’t catch it.

Ji Bochang’s attention was entirely elsewhere.

Taking the confession, Ji Bochang frowned. “Just one? Lao Niu, you wouldn’t make such a careless mistake, would you? Normally, you’d make two or three copies for safety.”

“Of course not—three copies total,” Niu Gui forced a smile, but Xu Jin saw that his smile was worse than crying.

“Oh? Who holds the other two?”

After asking, Ji Bochang realized it might be inappropriate and added, “I’m just confirming.”

Niu Gui smiled and pointed to the captive on the horse. “One’s on the captive. One’s sewn under the horse’s belly.”

“Sewn under the horse’s belly?” Ji Bochang blinked. “You’re clever—thought of that.”

“Old horses know the way! Even if we die, these One-Star warhorses will find their way back to Jinshan County City.”

“True.”

“Which horse? Let me see.”

At this, Ji Bochang instinctively bent down to inspect the horses’ bellies, searching for the one with the confession sewn beneath.

Seeing this, Niu Gui’s eyes filled with tears.

“Lao Ji… why?”

Answer me… why?

The first sentence was Niu Gui, suppressing his anger and grief, asking calmly; the second was a thunderous roar!

(End of Chapter)