Chapter 23 – The Silent Clearing
The report from Zhao Rui reached Elder Qiu's private chamber before the boy even stepped back into the sect gates.
Kneeling before his master, Zhao's voice carried both awe and unease. "He hid his strength, Elder. I don't think he's just some lucky outer disciple who stumbled into talent. I… I couldn't even gauge his limit."
Qiu's fingers drummed against the arm of his chair. "And yet you survived."
Zhao swallowed. "Yes, Elder."
"Good." Qiu's eyes narrowed. "Then you can still be useful." He gestured toward the shadowed corner of the hall. Four figures stepped forward, the faint gleam of inner disciple tokens at their waists. "Go with them next time. Don't confront him in the sect — too many eyes. Take him outside, far enough that no one will notice what happens to him. Elder Yao has agreed to coordinate… discreetly."
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A Convenient Mission
Three days later, Lin Xuan left the sect to complete a mission in the Stonepine Hills — a simple hunt for a third-rank beast whose core was in demand for certain defensive talismans.
He traveled alone, his spear slung casually over his shoulder. Yet his senses were stretched thin, brushing against the faint ripples of killing intent that had been trailing him since he passed the outer checkpoint.
By the time he reached a secluded clearing ringed by jagged boulders, he had counted five distinct presences shadowing him. They were good — disciplined enough not to leak their qi in waves — but not good enough to fool him completely.
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The Ambush
The trap sprung the moment he stepped into the center of the clearing.
Figures emerged from the treeline, spreading out to cut off every escape route. Zhao Rui stood among them, but this time he wasn't leading. Two senior disciples — faces Lin didn't recognize but whose cultivation signatures blazed at Foundation Establishment peak — stepped forward.
"Lin Xuan," one of them drawled, "hand over your storage items and we'll let you crawl away alive."
Lin tilted his head. "And if I refuse?"
The man smiled thinly. "Then we'll just take them from your corpse."
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The Fight
The first wave came fast — Zhao Rui and another mid-stage disciple charging together. Lin moved like water, sidestepping Zhao's opening strike and slamming the butt of his spear into the other's ribs hard enough to hear the crack.
Lightning qi flared along the weapon's shaft, lancing through the two attackers and dropping them twitching to the ground.
The senior disciples moved next, blades flashing in coordinated arcs. Lin met them head-on, spear clashing against twin swords in a blur of steel. He let them push him back, feigning strain, until one overcommitted — and then he struck.
A twist, a sweep, and the spear's tip tore across the man's chest, lightning snapping along the wound. The second senior disciple roared, flooding his blade with fire qi, but Lin's footwork carried him inside the arc, his elbow smashing into the man's jaw before the spear punched through his abdomen.
The last two underlings broke and ran. They made it three steps before arcs of lightning danced across the clearing, dropping them where they stood.
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Aftermath
Silence fell, broken only by the soft crackle of dissipating lightning. Lin Xuan stood among the bodies, his breathing steady.
He worked quickly — stripping their storage rings, wiping away tracks, and dragging the corpses into a deep crevice hidden beneath one of the larger boulders. A few quick motions set an array to mask the scent of blood.
When he stepped back onto the path toward the sect, it was as if nothing had happened.
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The Confrontation
Elder Qiu's voice carried across the courtyard as Lin returned. "Lin Xuan!"
Lin turned, expression politely blank. "Elder Qiu."
"Have you seen Zhao Rui?" Qiu's gaze was sharp, searching.
Lin shook his head slowly. "Not since our last mission. Why? Has something happened?"
Qiu's eyes narrowed further, but he forced a smile. "Perhaps not. You may go."
Lin bowed slightly and walked away, his pace calm, his heart steady. Inside, though, his thoughts were ice-cold.
So, it was you.