Chapter 29: 29

woman and an old man walked down a forest road .

She was tall, mesmerizing and emanating a perfume that drew in butterflies . The wizen old man had a white goatee, yet his eyes flashed with vigilance now and then .

The two arrived at the foot of a mountain and looked to the summit . The beauty eyed the elder but her tone was laced with anger, “Zhuo Fan, you better behave . If I find you have any evil intentions towards Blackwind Mountain, I won’t let you off . ”

“Ha-ha-ha, relax miss . This old man only came to investigate . Moreover, what could a lone man possibly do?” The old man’s laughter reached the heavens above .

Snorting, Lei Yuting ignored him, “Furthermore, if you harm even a hair of Xiao Cui, I will end you . ”

“Relax, I took her hostage because we don’t trust each other . On one hand, I needed some insurance . On the other…” Zhuo Fan spoke in a mysterious voice, “It is for your own good . ”

“For my own good?”

Lei Yuting didn’t understand, but the only response she got was Zhuo Fan shaking his head .

The two climbed in silence . Halfway up, they got to the first checkpoint .

“Who’s there?”

A strong man jumped out in their path . But when he saw Lei Yuting, he bowed, “Ah, so it’s Young miss . Weren’t you in Windgaze City, why…”

“I had to return!”

Lei Yuting jutted out her chin, walking without sparing the man a glance .

“He is on Yang Ming’s side . ”

Zhuo Fan whispered, “Tell me, if your task in Windgaze City was so secret, why is it that a common bandit knows of it?”

Lei Yuting frowned .

Her previous unshakable trust in Yang Ming was gnawed by Zhuo Fan these past few days . She, herself, started to notice many more inconsistencies in Yang Ming’s behavior . The same could be said about the man they just met . He was watching her every movement, but what she used to take it as normal before, now it felt like a warning .

“You’ll see . Once we arrive, Yang Ming will welcome you . ” Zhuo Fan smiled as he sped up . Lei Yuting watched his figure with a heart filled with doubts .

They passed several more checkpoints before reaching the summit, they now stood in front of the Blackwind Mountain camp’s gate . Since Zhuo Fan was impersonating an old man and was led by Lei Yuting, no one questioned him .

But just as they stepped foot across the gate, a man appeared .

He was tall and majestic, just that a wicked smile smeared his handsome face . Zhuo Fan knew in a flash he was Yang Ming .

“See, all your actions were reported back . ” Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow at Lei Yuting, like a child who won the bet .

But Lei Yuting didn’t humor him by playing his game, and instead had a solemn face .

Zhuo Fan had been feeding her doubts every step of the way, particularly regarding Yang Ming, who might’ve been a spy from the Hell Valley .

She didn’t want to believe it since he was the fiancée her godfather arranged for her . It was hard for her to change her perception of a man who had the trust of everyone, her godfather included .

But these doubts were the fruit of Zhuo Fan’s careful wording along the way .

Biting her lip, Lei Yuting saw Yang Ming with a complicated gaze and braced herself for what was to come .

“Sister Yuting, shouldn’t you be in Windgaze City? Why the sudden return?” Yang Ming approached her with a smile and turned to Zhuo Fan, “And this is…”

Lei Yuting hesitated a moment, “Senior brother, Veiled Dragon Pavilion isn’t someone we can provoke, while Hell Valley’s men aren’t worthy of trust . This operation has too many dangers so I’ve put the men on stand by to observe for now . ”

Yang Ming’s face changed, not much but enough for Zhuo Fan to notice the killing intent in his eyes .

“Sister Yuting, Master’s kindness is as heavy as a mountain . How can we not give our lives for such a man? How can we be so selfish? Furthermore, aren’t we supposed to avenge Master?”

“I am aware, however…” Lei Yuting frowned, “We cannot disregard the lives of our brothers . This is a 2nd ranked alchemist I have found to save godfather . We will settle this vengeance once he recovers . ”

Sensing his cue, Zhuo Fan cupped his hands, “Ha-ha-ha, this old man has wandered the pugilistic world and cured countless illnesses . No injury or disease can escape my trained eye…”

“Humph, if you were so great, we’d have known about you . Who are you trying to deceive?”

Yang Ming interrupted Zhuo Fan bragging, “Junior sister, only Returning Dragon Palm can heal wounds this martial art caused . Don’t you trust me?”

Lei Yuting recalled the times she spent with Yang Ming and her heart was in chaos .

Zhuo Fan stood between the two and asked Yang Ming, “Little brother, give me a chance . I’m an expert healer . ”

“Get lost!”

Yang Ming was furious and sent a palm attack . Zhuo Fan felt the power behind it but didn’t dodge, opting to take the strike with clenched teeth .

Bam!

Despite not using a martial art, the palm backed up by the power of an early Bone Tempering cultivator struck Zhuo Fan’s chest and sent him sprawling while coughing blood .

“Why did you attack if you refused him entry?” Lei Yuting yelled .

Zhuo Fan staggered to his feet after puking another mouthful of blood, “This old man can’t take too many hits . Miss, I’m sorry but I will have to refuse this deal . I should’ve known no good comes from dealing with bandits . ”

“What did you say?”

Yang Ming was enraged and slapped again, but Lei Yuting stopped him .

“I invited him . If you want to hit him, you’ll have to go through me . ”

“Humph, let him try for all I care . But if this healer makes the Master worse, he won’t leave this place alive . ” Yang Ming flung his sleeve and walked out in anger .

Lei Yuting felt wronged and glared at Zhuo Fan, “It’s all your fault senior brother ignores me . I was a fool for believing you . There’s no way my caring senior brother could harm godfather . ”

“Miss, didn’t your godfather teach you how to judge people?” Zhuo Fan wiped the blood from his mouth with a smile, “But this is perfect since he bought it . ”

Lei Yuting was shocked, then doubtful .

“When you talk to someone, you don’t pay attention to what they speak but how they act . ”

Zhuo Fan’s grinned evilly, “The reason he stopped me before was because he didn’t know of my level . Thanks to his palm strike, he gauged my strength was negligible and let me pass . You tell me if he’s caring or not . ”

Lei Yuting replayed the early scene while leaving out Yang Ming’s words . All of his actions went according to Zhuo Fan’s conjecture . To the point that when he left, Yang Ming showed a faint smile to her .

[Can it be…]

Lei Yuting didn’t dare finish . If she did, her heart would be in too much pain and wouldn’t be able to stop herself from confronting Yang Ming . At that time, the two would break all relations .

Zhuo Fan patted her shoulder, “Come, take me to your godfather . ”

“Damn swindler! It’s fine if you want to act but there’s no point in seeing him . ” Lei Yuting could hardly reign her emotions .

Zhuo Fan smiled while shrugging nonplussed, “When you act, you need to be thorough . Moreover, the act hasn’t reached its climax . ”

With the final word, Zhuo Fan walked forward and Lei Yuting followed .

As they passed, hundreds of eyes focused on them .

Lei Yuting felt uneasy from so many stares . What used to be eyes filled with respect, now held only wariness .

The two entered the Mountain Lord’s room and saw Yang Ming inside . He held a bowl of gruel, feeding the old man on the bed .

“Hack, I will hold you responsible for anything that happens to Master . ”

Yang Ming smacked the bowl on the table and glared, then took a seat to the side to observe .

Zhuo Fan laughed inside as he inspected the patient .

When his fingers touched the old man’s wrist, he injected his Yuan Qi and what he saw stunned him . It was all clear to him now .

“He has no external wounds . ” Zhuo Fan shook his head .

Yang Ming rolled his eyes and snorted, “Is there a need to even say it?”

“But neither… internal ones . ”

Yang Ming’s eyes squinted and his hands tightened .

He judged the 4th layer Qi Condensation Zhuo Fan as having no skill to speak of, but reality proved him wrong .

Yang Ming’s killing intent spiked!

“If godfather isn’t injured, why can’t he move or speak?” Lei Yuting doubted Zhuo Fan’s diagnosis, thinking he was just putting on a show . [When you put up an act, try to make it believable . ]

[How are you going to explain an immobilized Bone Tempering expert having no injuries?]

Zhuo Fan scratched his nose as he smiled, “This old man has concluded he has something foreign inside . ”

Bam!

Yang Ming snapped the corner of the table while the old man on the bed glared at Zhuo Fan . He wanted to speak with such ardor but he was powerless to do so .

Yet his emotional gaze said it all…