Chapter 99. The Lawless One of the New Sect (3)

That night.

Xueliang returned to his quarters and looked around.

"Hmm, I wonder if Anghua is having fun."

He had sent Anghua to the Joyful Pavilion for a four-day vacation.

Anghua was also a member of the Joyful Pavilion, so she would have been extremely busy if things were normal, but the high-ranking maids of the nobility could fully enjoy the Fashun Festival.

Xueliang smiled.

'Now that I think about it, I've been too indifferent to Anghua lately.'

He had been too busy with martial arts training and other matters, so they hadn't had much of a conversation.

'Should I teach Anghua some martial arts? Nothing serious, but it would be good for her to have some skills to protect herself.'

He looked up at the sky.

The sky seen from his quarters was as beautiful as always. Although it was dark, the stars twinkling like they were about to pour down and the moon casting a cool light were very enchanting.

Xueliang's face gradually twisted as he smiled at the sky.

"Anyway."

Perhaps because there was no one around, he suddenly felt a sense of self-pity.

"You're too meddlesome. The other successors could have handled it just fine."

He suddenly remembered the Hongweimen he had destroyed.

If the Hongweimen were still intact, Gaoju might have entrusted this matter to them first.

While his martial arts and quick thinking were undoubtedly the best, he was far behind the other successors in understanding and knowing the New Sect. Xueliang thought so.

'Maybe it would have been better to look for a way out of here during that time?'

No, if he thought about his dream, it would definitely be more efficient.

Xueliang shook his head.

"Don't say ridiculous things. If I didn't know, it would be one thing, but ignoring it when I do know is not right."

It was funny for an assassin to talk about principles, but this issue was different.

'I don't want to be a righteous hero, but I want to be a decent person.'

This was exactly such a matter. A decent person, when asked for help in such a situation, should at least share the anger even if they can't help.

Xueliang had the power to help, so he naturally should have.

Xueliang's face turned bitter.

"Idiot, how will your dream come true if you keep acting like this?"

At that moment, a gruff voice came from behind him.

"What is the Third Young Master's dream?"

Xueliang shrugged as if he had known for a long time.

"Who knows? If you're really curious, try guessing."

The moonlight slanted down on the left side of Gaoju's face, which was crossed with his arms.

"When I first met the Third Young Master, I thought—"

"What?"

"The Third Young Master has no attachment to the New Sect."

"..."

"I don't know what your dream is. It's none of my business. But it was strange. How could someone chosen as a disciple by the Sect Leader have no ambition at all?"

"You're overestimating me."

"You sound like a righteous person. Why is having no ambition overestimating you?"

"Having ambition makes life tough. Just eating well, sleeping well, and living well is the best."

"But you didn't refuse my request. You could have avoided all this trouble by just saying no."

Xueliang chuckled.

"Just out of boredom."

"Do you know? The Third Young Master shows when he's lying."

"Thanks for the good information."

"That's why I said it."

"What?"

Gaoju's eyes sank deeply.

"I thought the Third Young Master was dangerous."

"That's ridiculous."

"Because of your strong martial arts and unpredictable nature? No. I only realized now why I thought the Third Young Master was dangerous and why I felt an inexplicable sense of unease."

"..."

"The Third Young Master doesn't fit in with the sect."

Xueliang's eyes wavered.

"Like a drop of ink in a clear pond, it will pollute the entire pond. People are the same.

No matter how good a person is, if they come to a place as extreme as this sect, they will change."

"Near ink, one turns black (近墨者黑)?"

"But the Third Young Master was different. Despite being the most prestigious member of the sect, he never tried to mix with it."

Sharp.

Indeed, the position of the Criminal Law Hall Master was not something just anyone could handle. He realized that not only did one need unwavering principles, but also an excellent ability to read people.

"So, are you dissatisfied?"

"The Third Young Master's dream and who the Third Young Master is are none of my business.

I just do what I need to do in my position. So, I have no complaints."

"You've thought it through. If you meddle unnecessarily, you'll just make more enemies."

Xueliang plopped down in the training ground.

"Didn't you forget what I said earlier? Dongfei is waiting, so keep an eye out. I'll move when the time comes."

"..."

"Go back now. I want to be alone."

"You might not know, but tomorrow is the day when the high-ranking figures of the demonic martial world pay their respects to the Sect Leader.

After the ceremony, a grand assembly for the future of the demonic martial world will also take place."

"So what?"

"Of course, detailed reports of the recent unpleasant incidents will also be submitted."

"..."

"The death of the Great Elder of the Righteous Heaven Alliance will also be discussed."

Xueliang's eyes flashed.

"Did you know?"

"Yes."

"If you knew, why didn't you arrest me earlier? Isn't leaving the sect without permission a serious crime?"

"Because the Sect Leader didn't want it."

"..."

"The Sect Leader values the Third Young Master. He wouldn't like to see you locked up in the Criminal Law Hall because of this situation."

"But he wouldn't tell me not to do it either."

"That's also true."

The two were silent for a moment.

Gaoju broke the strange silence.

"Since I turned a blind eye to the Third Young Master's departure from the sect, can I also turn a blind eye to my own mistake?"

"What did you do?"

"I haven't done it yet."

Flash!

A terrifying light shone from Gaoju's eyes.

"I'm about to do it."

Whoosh!

Xueliang's eyes wavered.

Despite the considerable distance, Gaoju was already right in front of him.

'Fast!'

It was an incredible speed. Unlike when the Criminal Law Hall simply tried to take away Xueliang's martial arts, Gaoju's movements, with his martial arts fully unleashed, were terrifying.

Xueliang instinctively grabbed the Dragon Lurking Sword.

Boom!

A huge sword mark was engraved in the training ground.

Although it was something no one could easily avoid, Gaoju dodged it very lightly. He moved to the right and struck with a palm.

Xueliang raised the back of the Dragon Lurking Sword.

Whoosh!

His body wavered.

'Strong!'

Although he could have easily avoided it, Xueliang chose to defend.

Swoosh!

Gaoju, floating in the air, swung his leg at Xueliang's head.

It was a sharp kick that made one's hair stand on end. It seemed more like a blade than a leg.

Xueliang's wrist holding the Dragon Lurking Sword rotated.

Swoosh!

Gaoju's body soared higher into the air. The rebound force from the Dragon Lurking Sword was beyond imagination, and it was impossible to disperse the force with just a simple defense.

Boom!

Although he had never seen I Chien's martial arts in full, at least in terms of lightness and agility, Xueliang was undoubtedly the best in the world.

Xueliang, who had flown into the air in an instant, swung the Dragon Lurking Sword again.

It was the first move of the Nine Hellfire Sword Technique, the Sixfold Hell Wind.

Rumble!

A storm of sword energy raged, and thunder roared. Gaoju's clothes were cut in many places.

Gaoju, covering his face with his arms, his eyes shone through the gaps. He realized that Xueliang's sword technique had advanced significantly since then.

Boom!

Xueliang's body fell. Although he blocked Gaoju's fist, which had taken advantage of the opening, his time in the air was significantly reduced.

But Xueliang didn't just take it.

Whoosh!

Gaoju's body fell in a curve. While blocking the fist, he also delivered a strike from the Heaven Piercing Palm, one of the Jinla Divine Palm techniques.

Thud!

The two landed on the ground almost simultaneously.

And almost simultaneously, they rushed at each other.

Whoosh!

The speed of their movements was so fast that it was impossible to follow with the naked eye. The two, who had closed the distance to close range, unleashed their techniques without reservation.

Boom! Rumble!

The explosions echoed in all directions, and the scattered energy spread in all directions.

And at some point.

Clang!

The heavy Dragon Lurking Sword was blocked by a flexible sword.

A flexible sword, which was less than half the weight of the heavy sword, blocked a sword that was thirty times heavier. It was an unbelievable feat.

Xueliang smiled.

"Finally decided to show it?"

"Did you know?"

"Your eyes were sharper than usual."

"The Third Young Master also didn't show his true martial arts."

"I told you, it's better not to know too much about me."

Gaoju, looking at Xueliang with a hard-to-read expression, suddenly infused power into the flexible sword.

Clang!

The two retreated a yard apart.

Xueliang frowned.

"By the way, why the sudden swordplay in the middle of the night? Did you want to boost morale before the mission?"

"..."

"Anyway, I want to stop the swordplay. I'll turn a blind eye, so go and be on edge."

Xueliang put the Dragon Lurking Sword on his back.

Gaoju looked down at the flexible sword he held.

'A straight sword...?'

Hum.

Without infusing energy, the flexible sword would bend in all directions.

But now, even with energy infused, his flexible sword was losing its strength and bending. It meant that the sword pressure from the Dragon Lurking Sword was overwhelming.

Gaoju sheathed the flexible sword at his waist.

"I understand why the Sect Leader is interested in you."

"What do you know?"

"Third Young Master."

"What?"

"Be careful of the Sect Leader."

Xueliang hesitated.

Gaoju's low voice echoed in his ears like a ripple.

"Someone so dark that you can't see the end, yet so bright that you can't look at them with human eyes.

Someone whose anger and resentment have reached the extreme and turned cold, yet who can erupt like a volcano at any moment."

"..."

"Someone who sees everything as a game, yet fears everything.

Someone who, after stepping into hell and looking up at the sky, has already ascended to the clouds and looks down at the bottom of hell."

Gaoju clenched his fist.

"The Sect Leader is such a person."

"I don't understand at all."

"I didn't expect you to understand. I just hope that if such a moment comes, you will remember my words."

Gaoju turned around.

"The captain is the Third Young Master. I hope you will lead us in this matter."

With those words, Gaoju left Xueliang's quarters.

Xueliang sighed.

"I'm already feeling so down, and you're making me even more anxious."

* * *

Swish.

A slight movement. And the sound it made.

Madongfei, who had been sitting in a lotus position, opened his eyes.

"You've come."

He raised his head.

A strange figure was standing in the bright moonlight, looking down at him.

Madongfei's eyes sank deeply.

"Master was right. It really was you."

The strange figure, emitting a green light from its eyes, slowly raised one hand.

Hum!!

A powerful energy wave resonated from the fingertips.

Madongfei gripped the hilt of the Mowang Sword.

Swoosh!