Xiao Wu was under immense pressure, having to take on two cultivators of the same level as him at the same time; that too, while maintaining complete silence, just In case his secret became public.

"You will return it, you thief! Even if I have to sacrifice my cultivation base, I'll take it back with me!"

The larger and more passionate one between his two opponents, was in dire straits, both arms terribly damaged by Xiao Wu's most formidable attacks, a deep hole in one of his thighs revealing his red flesh and white bone.

"If you continue to be so obstinate about this, I'll simply go all out and scream for help, you fool! I may not be able to defeat you, but don't even dream of making a stand against my martial siblings."

Xiao Wu's threat was weak, and both of the parties were aware of that, which was why they continued to encircle each other in a tense balance, occasionally making feints to test out the waters.

"The longer you drag this out, the worse the outcome will be for you, thief. You're not the only one who can ask for help. Your sect won't defend you if we reveal everything publicly. No sect master will dare face the wrath of the most powerful sect on this planet."

The other member of his enemy party spoke up. Xiao Wu's complexion didn't change, clearly having thought of that possibility beforehand.

"Honestly, I don't get why you're being so difficult here, son of Xiao Chen. You'll never accomplish anything even if grand elder Meng were to guide you on the path of Beasthaven's legacy. Quit your useless drama and hand over what doesn't belong to you, and we will not pursue this matter. The master has promised to overlook the past transgressions of your clan as long as you agree. You're the one being unreasonable here."

Their argument was persuasive, rational and proposed a tempting solution to Xiao Wu's biggest mental turmoil. But he still was not willing to hand over the manual. The ambition of his ancestors encompassed that one scroll, the last words his father had said to him was to never let go of it, and the envious gazes of his siblings had followed the scroll when he had set out to become an immortal cultivator.

This was no longer about making a rational choice, doing what was logical and earning the insurance for himself and his family. This was a principle of his little life, and he was determined not to break it, so long as there was any single way around it.

Even a temporary solution would be enough. He was not so delusional to think he would be able to keep the manual with him forever. It would be taken away by its 'rightful owner', no doubt. Still, he could do SOMETHING, if given more time.

Xiao Wu decided not to yield. He readied himself for a brutal struggle, preparing his trump cards and going over a battle method in mind–

"HOW ARE YOU STILL NOT DONE WITH THAT TRASH?!"

The exclamation took him by surprise, while his opponents let out a relieved sigh. The injured one ran toward the source of the shout, a masked youth who had appeared from a direction that made Xiao Wu freeze the moment that detail registered in his mind.

There were more than two of them? How many of these disciples from the Beasthaven Sect had infiltrated their region? Surely, it couldn't be a high number...

And then Xiao Wu noticed four more disciples, similarly masked, appear behind the youth who seemed to be in the command of the entire team.

All of them had come from the direction Mu Ran's house was in, the area closest to an exit outside the redesigned borders of Crimson Snow Sect.

"Huh...The two of you couldn't beat this guy in combat? Is he that good? Or are you two just a pair of disappointments? I have a feeling that it's the latter because if the son of that dog Chen was so talented in combat, he would be one of our martial brothers."

The leader of the infiltrators viciously pushed the injured youth aside and stepped forward, planting his feet heavily just a dozen feet away from Xiao Wu, too close for him to relax, too far for him to attack suddenly and land hits successfully.

"Look, you oaf. We are not here to discuss jack shit with you, neither are we giving you choices to pick from. You will give back what your father has stolen, and you will be happy that this is how the drama ends. Do you have problems with doing things our way?"

Xiao Wu let him prattle on till the end and then pretended to be deep in thought.

"Yes, I do have a problem with that," he replied dryly.

"Well, now you have two," said the masked youth, lifting his left hand in the air and clenching his palm Into a fist.

"And this fist of mine is the bigger one."

Xiao Wu's feet sunk into the ground as he pushed all of his concentration on footwork, not eager to be punched too soon. Any millisecond now...

Right then, a gloomy voice re-interrupted his combative stance.

"I didn't know someone was here to retrieve stolen property! What a coincidence! I just happened to discover the distinct lack of a certain treasure in my bedroom as well!"

Mu Ran's footsteps came from behind the team of infiltrators, alarming all seven of them.

Their leader leapt sideways and entered a combative pose, tensely observing the figure making his way out of the hedges at a deliberate, slow pace.

His six underlings followed suit, fanning out around the grove methodically, their movement synchronised and experienced.

"I'll have to thank you for that good nap," Mu Ran said languidly, coming to a stop a few feet away from Xiao Wu, letting himself be surrounded by their opponents as if he didn't care about the threat they posed. "Haven't had one that deep in weeks."

The leader of their team exchanged a gloomy look with one of his teammates, saying, "Did you just fuck up the most important part of the plan?"

The one he had addressed the shook his head emphatically. "No. He must possess some sort of a skill, or an artefact that neutralized the tranquillizer. I'm sure I did my part perfectly."

All of them turned to look at Mu Ran, while Xiao Wu's thoughts began racing.

I was not these infiltrators' first priority? How could that be?

Why did they assault Mu Ran? Or was it just a coincidence?'

"You give off a familiar aura," Mu Ran suddenly said, looking at one of the youths surrounding him. His target displayed no particular reaction to Mu Ran's suspicious enquiry.

A tense second passed before Mu Ran's eyes suddenly lit up in recognition.

"Hey! You were there when that bandit Zhao robbed me of my treasured sword! I remember you barking quite a bit while I was trying to keep a low profile!"

The masked youth groaned in a resigned manner. Their leader took a few steps to block him from Mu Ran's line of sight.

"I see...so you're the rogue scum brother Zhao made a complaint about. I must admit, had I known it was you in that hut, a tranquillizer wouldn't be the substance you would have been hit with."

Mu Ran once again ignored the leader of the infiltrators as if he didn't even exist in his perception, and turned to face Xiao Wu.

"Martial brother Wu, is that the stolen property they're trying to reclaim?" he asked, his eyes surveying the scroll clenched inside Xiao Wu's palm.

Xiao Wu nodded, seeing no reason to turn down a possible helping hand. He didn't mind sharing his secret with his three martial siblings if that was what it took to keep it in his possession.

"Good. You keep that scroll in your hand," Mu Ran ordered, his voice suddenly taking a cold coating. "Stolen property, was it? Let's see who dares to repeat that claim."

The infiltrators surrounding them had a bizarre look in their eyes as they observed Mu Ran's behaviour.

"You are aware that more than half of us have a higher cultivation than you, right?" their leader asked, sounding flabbergasted.

"Hah! Another frog whose vision is limited by the view from the bottom of the well! So what if there are three of you with higher cultivation-"

"Four. More than half of seven means at least four," the masked leader interrupted Mu Ran's passionate speech.

"Hmph! Such paltry attempts at ruining my momentum– truly insidious, as expected from the brethren of that lowly Zhao Dong-"

"Zhao Huang, that's his name."

"That dog should be honoured that I remembered half of his name! That half is the only part that matters, because when I wipe out his clan, I'll not discern whether it is a Huang or a Chuang that my blade beheads."

"...You have some guts," the leader of the infiltrators said once Mu Ran finished his war cry.

THUUUMP!

"Guts that are very pleasing to punch," he finished as Mu Ran went flying, smacking into a thick tree ten feet away and half-uprooting it with the force behind the collision.

A trickle of blood coloured the ground where he had fallen, his face purple and veins standing out on his neck as he tried to get up.

Xiao Wu's expression stiffened.

What in the world had happened in that fraction of a second?

Xiao Wu himself was at the peak of the fifth layer, not so weak that he wouldn't be able to discern the actions made in a fight between two cultivators who were just a few layers above him. Even if both of them were at the peak of physique transformation realm, he would be able to track their movements so long as there were no unusual, rare techniques involved. As someone who hailed from a family of cultivators, he had that much confidence in himself and yet...

He couldn't understand how the leader of the infiltrators had punched Mu Ran so hard, so fast.

While his thoughts were in a disarray, Mu Ran got back up on his feet, his face the very image of someone about to lose all rationality.

"Well, since you've memorised the surname Zhao, I'll tell you mine as well. When you go to wipe off clans, visit mine first; it'll save the time we'd have to waste to avenge the Zhao clan. I'm Meng Shan, core disciple of the Beasthaven Sect's Nightblood Faction. If you're afraid that you might forget it, don't worry– I have carved the surname on your back."

Mu Ran's expression turned unsightly as his hand automatically felt out his back. The clothes there had been torn apart by his brutal collision with the tree. From where Xiao Wu stood, he could see some vague lines of gashes crisscrossing Mu Ran's back.

He didn't need to see the whole character to understand what was 'written' in there.