Chapter 11

Shinma's Selection (11)

The special banquet hall located on the fourth floor of Xiangyan Tower.

A person was sitting in front of a table laden with all kinds of delicacies.

He was probably in his mid-forties. The man had a sharp gaze that stood out despite his gaunt appearance. However, he did not even glance at the food.

He was merely drinking wine with a bored expression.

At that moment, the door opened, and a person entered the banquet hall.

It was a courtesan in her early twenties, holding a seven-stringed zither.

Her delicate beauty, which could not be hidden even by heavy makeup, was particularly striking.

The man's listless eyes changed.

As she performed a graceful bow, the man swallowed hard.

His sticky gaze roamed over her body.

His eyes moved from her long, slender neck to her provocatively raised chest, then down to her slender and full hips.

A sensuous figure and an equally alluring atmosphere.

Yet, she possessed an indescribable grace.

'Really a killer!'

Neng Suomi couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.

That was the reason she had come to Xiangyan Tower.

As if sensing Neng Suomi's gaze, the woman gave a slight smile.

Just that smile made Neng Suomi feel a jolt in his chest.

'Truly a seductress!'

Neng Suomi, trying to hide his expression, let out a short cough.

"Finally, today is the hundredth cup for you. The promise to spend the night together after a hundred cups is still valid, right?"

The courtesan, Yue Xiang, blushed slightly.

"Of course. Tomorrow, I will be returning to my hometown. I will gladly spend my last night here with you, sir."

Yue Xiang sat down beside Neng Suomi. Neng Suomi's hand naturally wrapped around her waist.

"Don't rush, sir."

Yue Xiang, seemingly embarrassed, pushed his hand away.

But even this act seemed to melt his heart.

Then Yue Xiang let out an exclamation.

"Ah!"

She took something out of her bosom and extended it to Neng Suomi.

"Our manager asked me to deliver this letter to you, sir."

"Suddenly?"

"A street urchin brought it, reciting your name accurately."

"I don't think a letter like this will catch my eye..."

Neng Suomi couldn't finish his sentence.

It was because of the character written on the letter.

Blood (血).

The letter contained only one character, written as if it had been slashed, but the handwriting was familiar.

'Damn it!'

Neng Suomi's pupils dilated sharply.

'I heard he was dead.'

Yue Xiang tilted her head, noticing Neng Suomi's visibly stiffened expression.

"Sir?"

"Ah, this is driving me crazy."

After much hesitation, Neng Suomi finally let out a deep sigh.

While romance and love were good, life came first.

"Wait here. I'll be back soon. Ah! Damn it! It's not a place I can just pop in and out of."

Recalling the rendezvous location, Neng Suomi cursed.

He briefly considered ignoring the letter. However, that thought didn't last long.

"Come on. That madman won't wait..."

If things went wrong, his Xinshaofang would be in ruins, and he himself would not survive.

Neng Suomi left the brothel and immediately used his lightness skill. However, he couldn't control the frustration welling up inside him.

"Why today of all days!"

After running for two hours without stopping, he arrived at an abandoned temple far from Nanzhou.

Panting heavily, Neng Suomi entered the temple.

The temple was shrouded in deep darkness, and there was no sign of anyone.

Neng Suomi looked around with a puzzled expression.

At that moment, a person opened their eyes in the darkness.

"......!"

Neng Suomi felt a chill run down his spine.

Eyes as cold as ice.

That icy gaze pierced through the darkness.

Just that gaze alone made the seemingly empty temple feel full.

An overwhelming presence that dominated the surrounding space.

It was the kind of overwhelming presence that only someone who had the world at their feet could possess.

'Damn it!'

Neng Suomi closed his eyes in despair.

Deep in his heart.

A gaze that stirred primal fear.

Despite his efforts, he could never erase that gaze from his memory.

Neng Suomi tried to suppress the rising fear.

Then he forced a smile and spoke.

"Indeed, rumors in the martial world are unreliable."

Neng Suomi, who had opened the conversation, carefully observed Chao Elyang.

"I heard that you perished with the martial alliance's experts."

Chao Elyang remained silent.

Neng Suomi's heart burned with anxiety. Chao Elyang's silence felt ominous.

'How did he escape?'

It was the martial alliance's all-encompassing net.

Including the elder of the Nangong family, the head of Shaolin's Arhat Hall, and the master of the Thousand Hands Temple of the Sitian Hall...

It was as if the martial alliance had committed a third of its total strength.

The martial alliance's announcement of mutual destruction was believed because of this. Yet, there was no sign of any injury on Chao Elyang.

'It's unbelievable.'

He didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't help it.

There was no other way to explain the presence he felt now.

Neng Suomi glanced outside the temple. It was already beginning to dawn.

His heart grew more anxious.

"Why did you seek me out?"

Chao Elyang's continued silence frustrated Neng Suomi.

"Perhaps you want to ask about information related to the martial alliance's hunt for the Ten Great Evils?"

There was still no response.

Neng Suomi clenched his teeth.

If this continued, he would be up all night.

'Forget it, whatever happens, happens.'

With a resigned attitude, Neng Suomi spoke.

"I still want to help you, but please understand that I am responsible for the brothel."

He continued, carefully gauging Chao Elyang's reaction.

"Moreover, since this matter involves the martial alliance, the risk to the brothel is very high. Therefore, providing information is..."

At that moment.

Chao Elyang spoke for the first time.

"Is that all?"

"......?"

Confused by the cryptic words, Neng Suomi hesitated, and Chao Elyang continued.

"I would have left a more impressive message."

"Excuse me?"

"As a final testament, it's too insignificant."

With that, Chao Elyang smiled coldly.

Neng Suomi's heart sank.

'Damn it!'

The warrior's intuition, which had helped him navigate countless crises, was now screaming at him.

Sure enough.

The air around him suddenly froze, and a suffocating pressure pressed down on his chest.

At that moment, he saw Chao Elyang slowly raise his hand.

"......!"

Neng Suomi was stunned.

Chao Elyang merely pointed at him with his hand, but a sense of despair overwhelmed him.

Neng Suomi, trembling on his feet, fell to the ground.

"Please spare me!"

But there was no response.

Even after a long time, Neng Suomi didn't dare to lift his head, still feeling the piercing gaze on the back of his head.

Thud.

Cold sweat dripped from his nose and fell to the ground.

How much time had passed?

"How many have been killed?"

"Excuse me?"

Neng Suomi, who had reflexively responded, quickly answered.

"Six!"

Chao Elyang frowned at Neng Suomi's answer.

If what he said was true, the martial alliance had announced the elimination of seven of the Ten Great Evils.

Since he was still alive, that meant six had been killed.

The numbers didn't add up. There should be one more survivor.

"One surrendered to the martial alliance."

Chao Elyang's frown deepened at Neng Suomi's answer.

Among the survivors of the Ten Great Evils, excluding himself, there were only three: Fan Jiewei, the leader of the Green Forest's Eighteen Forts, E Huojun, and the old man known as the Seven-Section Demon Lord, Lao Duanyang.

Fan Jiewei was an exception.

The leader of the Green Forest's Eighteen Forts was also not the one.

That greedy man would never hand over the Green Forest's Eighteen Forts to the martial alliance.

That left only one person.

'Seven-Section Demon Lord.'

It was hard to believe that the stubborn man had surrendered to the righteous sects.

Neng Suomi nodded.

"He is said to be leading the Poshadan himself."

Poshadan, one of the four major organizations supporting the martial alliance, was a specialized extermination team that pursued and eliminated the remnants of the enemy.

Chao Elyang fell into thought.

After a moment,

Chao Elyang looked at Neng Suomi.

"I am more decisive than anyone else."

Neng Suomi swallowed hard.

He wasn't foolish enough to miss the meaning behind those words.

"Only I will remember today's encounter with the Blood Venerable. No, I will erase it from my memory."

Chao Elyang smiled slightly.

"See you again."

Chao Elyang passed by Neng Suomi and disappeared into the rising sunlight.

Alone, Neng Suomi clenched his eyes shut.

"Phew."

Relieved to be alive, Neng Suomi lay on the ground and looked up at the sky.

It was already daytime, and the sun was directly overhead. As he felt the relief of being alive, a forgotten fact came to mind.

"Yue Xiang!"

Neng Suomi called out pitifully.

The time and effort he had invested for a dreamlike night had all vanished like a summer night's dream.

* * *

Duan Aoxian enjoyed a rare moment of peace.

However, loneliness soon set in.

He thought he was used to being alone, but he already missed the lively atmosphere.

The absence of the two people was felt even more strongly.

'Should I visit the village?'

It was just the right time, as the herbs he had prepared for the herbalist were ready. Duan Aoxian loaded the dried herbs onto a cart and left Shinmagu.

Walking the quiet mountain path, he thought of Fan Jiewei.

'If Uncle were here, we would have arrived long ago.'

Fan Jiewei, who had always shown off his lightness skill.

Thinking of him, Duan Aoxian couldn't help but smile.

Meanwhile, he was also worried about Chao Elyang, who had yet to recover his martial arts.

'I hope he's alright.'

The martial alliance's warriors he had encountered at the herbalist's shop kept bothering him.

Lost in thought, he arrived at the village, half a day later.

"Hello, uh?"

Duan Aoxian's eyes widened as he entered the herbalist's shop.

He had encountered an unexpected person.

He was probably in his late forties. A middle-aged man with a neat appearance and a calm gaze.

The middle-aged man smiled gently at Duan Aoxian.

In contrast, Duan Aoxian turned to look at the herbalist.

The herbalist jumped at the reproachful gaze.

"No, no! I really don't know! How this person knew about this place and came here..."

The middle-aged man.

Feng Zhencheng, the head of the Jin Cheng Clan, smiled and approached Duan Aoxian.

"Have you been well? Lord of the Small Valley."

Duan Aoxian let out a soft sigh at the courteous greeting.