Chapter 36: I Broke My Promise

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: I Broke My Promise

"Yes." Zhou Yi struggled to spit out the word.

"Li Lie betrayed us to join you. What did he get out of it?"

"I don’t know the specifics."

Zhou Yi gasped for breath. "But it’s just the usual—Cultivation Techniques, Elixirs, resources... things to help him advance his Cultivation. If you’re willing to join our Divine Flame Cult, with your strength and Alchemy Skill, you’d certainly get much more, far more than you’d ever get with the Chen Family... AARGH!"

Before he could finish, Chen Yue’s blade sank into him again, deeper this time. The searing pain made him howl, and the rest of his words caught in his throat.

"How do you and Li Lie normally communicate? Any secret codes, tokens, or fixed meeting spots?" Chen Yue ignored his screams and pressed with the crucial question.

Zhou Yi convulsed in pain. "I don’t know... I’m not the one who deals with Li Lie. Gu Bei handles him personally."

Chen Yue stared at him for a moment before speaking slowly. "Is there anything else you’d like to say?"

At these words, a glimmer of hope flared in Zhou Yi’s eyes. He spoke in a rush, "N-nothing! I’ve told you everything I know! You have to keep your promise! Cripple my Martial Arts, but spare my life!"

"Promise?" Chen Yue looked at him, a flicker of confusion on his face. "What promise?"

"You!!"

Zhou Yi’s eyes flew wide, his pupils reflecting Chen Yue’s cold, merciless face. The boundless terror and rage at being deceived had yet to erupt.

A glint of the blade, like a flash of cold lightning in the dark, was there and gone.

"SHLICK!"

With a soft tearing sound, Zhou Yi’s body went rigid. He instinctively raised his uninjured left hand, clamping it desperately against his neck as warm liquid gushed between his fingers.

Zhou Yi’s mouth gaped open. He seemed to want to scream, to curse, to demand an answer, but all that came out was a gurgle of bloody foam and a wet, rasping sound.

He glared at Chen Yue, his eyes shot through with blood, filled with venomous resentment, indignation, and a sliver of despair as understanding finally dawned.

Chen Yue calmly sheathed his longsword, watching the light of life fade from Zhou Yi’s eyes until his body went still.

"I broke my word," Chen Yue said softly to Zhou Yi’s unfocusing eyes. "But he who kills will be killed in turn. You, of all people, should understand that better than I do."

’Showing any mercy to those who want me dead—who would feed me to ghosts—is just being irresponsible with my own life.’

Chen Yue knelt and began to search Zhou Yi’s body carefully. Aside from a few taels of Broken Silver and some miscellaneous trinkets, there was nothing of value.

Chen Yue rose, activated his Body Technique, and returned to the previous alley. The bodies of Yuan Shi and Jia Pavilion lay where he had left them. He searched them quickly as well, but his findings were just as meager: only a few silver taels.

However, as he turned over Jia Pavilion’s body and rolled up his sleeve, Chen Yue’s gaze narrowed. On the inside of Jia Pavilion’s left forearm, a strange, thumb-sized symbol was branded into the skin.

The symbol was a dark, angry red. Its lines twisted and intertwined, resembling both a rising flame and a distorted rune, giving off a sinister aura. It looked as if it had been seared on with a red-hot iron, the edges starkly defined against the surrounding skin.

Chen Yue immediately checked the arms of Yuan Shi and Zhou Yi. Sure enough, he found the exact same dark red brand in the same location on both of them.

’Divine Flame Cult...’

Chen Yue repeated the name in his mind. ’Having lost three members of the Flesh Refining Realm in a row, they’ll never let this go. Their retaliation will be even more ferocious.’

’The only option is the main Chen Family estate...’ Chen Yue’s mind raced.

’The Chen Family are the local powerhouse in Youlin County. They have a Bone Forging Realm expert watching over them and are heavily guarded. It’s relatively safe.’

’But before that, there’s one more thing I have to take care of.’

Chen Yue moved again, flitting silently across the crisscrossing network of alleys and rooftops. He knew the layout of Youlin County by heart, especially the main routes between the apothecary and the Chen Family estate.

’The apothecary was attacked, and I’ve disappeared. The guards who stayed behind would have discovered the scene by now and immediately sent someone to the main Chen Family estate with an urgent report.’

’Chen Yuqing and Li Lie, who are at the estate right now, will surely rush back to the apothecary as soon as they hear the news.’

’As the captain of the guards, Li Lie will likely use the urgency of the situation as an excuse to scout ahead, returning alone.’

’And this alley—the most direct route from the Chen Family estate back to Huichun Hall—is one of the paths he’s most likely to take.’

Time ticked by. The faint sound of a Night Watchman’s clapper and the sporadic barking of dogs drifted from the distance.

"TAP, TAP, TAP..."

The sound of footsteps approached from the mouth of the alley, unnervingly clear in the quiet night. Chen Yue slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing the gaps in a pile of junk to watch the entrance.

A familiar figure strode briskly into the alley. It was Li Lie.

Just as Li Lie reached the middle of the alley, he seemed to sense something. He stopped dead in his tracks without warning, head snapping up. His sharp, hawk-like gaze instantly swept over the dark corner where Chen Yue was hiding.

Chen Yue slowly emerged from the shadows of the junk pile, allowing half of his body to be illuminated by the faint starlight. His face, however, was no longer his own.

They stood more than ten paces apart, facing each other down the length of the alley.

Li Lie’s right hand instinctively went to the hilt of the sword at his waist. He narrowed his eyes, carefully sizing up the stranger who had so abruptly appeared on his route.

Li Lie didn’t draw his sword, but kept his eyes locked on the other man.

The air in the alley seemed to solidify.

"Guard Li,"

A somewhat raspy voice echoed faintly in the silent alley. "I’ve been waiting a long time for you."

Li Lie’s brow furrowed, and his fingers tightened on the hilt of his sword.

"Who might you be?" Li Lie’s voice was low, laced with caution and scrutiny. "We don’t seem to have met."

At his words, Chen Yue’s lips twisted into a somewhat stiff smile, and he took half a step forward.

"We went to grab that Chen Yue kid, but your intel was garbage. The boy’s not in the Skin Refining Realm at all! His Martial Arts are freaky as hell—he took down two of our best guys! The boss sent me to ask you what the hell is going on!"

’Chen Yue? They were injured? They didn’t catch him?’

Li Lie’s eyes narrowed. He stared intently at the man’s expression, trying to tell if he was lying.

’The anger in his voice doesn’t sound fake. Did Gu Bei and his men fail? And take a beating? Is that why they sent this guy to question me?’

"So... you’re the ones who took Chen Yue?" Li Lie said in a cold voice.

"I’m not your usual contact. I don’t know your codes."

Chen Yue waved his hand impatiently and deliberately yanked up his left sleeve, revealing a blurred, twisted symbol.

"The boss is right behind me. You can either come with me and explain yourself now, or you can deal with him on your own later. Your call."

With that, Chen Yue turned and walked deeper into the alley.

Li Lie’s gaze was glued to the blurry brand on Chen Yue’s arm, then shifted to the man’s unhesitating back as he walked away. His expression flickered, and his mind raced.

In the instant that Li Lie hesitated, weighing his options, Chen Yue—who was already several paces away—stopped without warning.

Then, the figure with his back to him slowly, deliberately, turned around. He wore a completely different smile now.

"You know, for a moment there, I was actually worried I might have misjudged you."

Chen Yue spoke, his voice returning to its original clarity. "After all, we’ve only ever exchanged a few harsh words. It wouldn’t be right to kill a man out of mere suspicion."

As he spoke, Chen Yue began to walk, step by step, toward the motionless Li Lie.