The two of them left together.
The room fell silent, the surroundings quiet and devoid of people.
"Wah... wah... ehh..." From the bamboo standing crib by the bed, Feng Feng swayed against the frame, his big round eyes fixed intently on Tang Lici, as if deeply dissatisfied with his prolonged absence. Tang Lici sat up, looked at Feng Feng, and reached out to pick him up, gently stroking his head. Feng Feng immediately grabbed a handful of Tang Lici's gray hair and tugged relentlessly, his eyes brightening as if his sole purpose in life was to pull at those silver strands. Tang Lici sighed softly and remained silent for a moment. "Feng Feng, some say I'm too controlling, that I don't distinguish friend from foe... They tell me to change, to be a good person... But... I don't know how to be a good person..." He lay back on the bed with Feng Feng in his arms and murmured softly, "Not poisoning Yu Qifeng and those guests along with him... that counts as being good, doesn't it?"
A faint crunch sounded from the grass outside the door, followed by a sudden bang as the window burst open. A gust of wind rushed in, carrying with it a sword that shot straight toward Tang Lici's chest. Still holding Feng Feng, Tang Lici had just sat up at the noise—right into the path of the blade. The assailant poured more force into the strike, intending to impale both of them in one thrust. But then— clang! —a crisp metallic ring echoed as the sword abruptly snapped in half. The broken blade shot upward with a whoosh and embedded itself into the ceiling beam with a thunk , stuck fast.
The attacker recoiled in shock, trying to retreat, but his hand was seized—Tang Lici's pale fingers clamped around his wrist, trapping both his hand and the hilt of the broken sword. "Wait!" The man, horrified, swung his left hand down in a desperate chop toward Tang Lici's head. Tang Lici raised his own left hand to block, and with a sharp crack , the attacker's descending palm struck his own sword-holding wrist instead. A bone-deep pain shot through his arm, and he let out a pained cry. "Y-you... are you human or a ghost?"
"Human," Tang Lici replied, still gripping his hand, a faint smile on his lips. His delicate, refined features only made him seem more terrifying in the man's eyes. "And a good one, at that." The man instinctively took a step back, but Tang Lici stepped forward. Feng Feng, nestled in his arms, showed no fear despite the flashing steel. Instead, he sucked on his fingers and stared curiously at the intruder—a young man with a black cloth covering his face, dark hair, and a tall, athletic build. Suddenly, Feng Feng reached out and tugged at the man's mask, babbling excitedly. With a snap , the mask came loose, revealing the man's face.
Tang Lici made no move to stop Feng Feng, merely glancing at the unmasked man. "Ah, so it's Brother Li, disciple of Elder Piao. My apologies for the lack of courtesy."
The man was indeed Li Yuan, the third disciple of Piao Zhongqu. With his mask gone, his face turned ashen. He made several aborted movements to grab the broken sword and slit his own throat, but his hands trembled, slick with sweat—he lacked the courage to die just yet. Tang Lici, his gray hair cascading over his shoulders, smiled gently. "Tell me, Brother Li, did you also accept ten thousand taels from a masked client to come kill me?" Cradling the baby, his appearance serene and utterly devoid of hostility, he seemed harmless—yet cold sweat continued to bead on Li Yuan's forehead. He desperately wished he could say yes, but his voice faltered. "I... I...""So Brother Li didn't actually take someone else's ten thousand taels of silver. That makes things easier to discuss." Tang Lici sighed. "Then why did Brother Li want to kill me?" Li Yuan gaped, unable to utter a single word in response. He only heard Tang Lici continue, "If you say you killed me because you particularly dislike me, I'll break one of your arms. If you say you meant to kill someone else but entered the wrong room, I'll break your other arm. If you say—" Before he could finish, Li Yuan broke into a cold sweat and stammered, "I... someone told me to come kill you..." Tang Lici smiled faintly. "If you say you don't know who told you to kill me, I'll break your neck." Li Yuan felt the spot where Tang Lici held his hand—warm, soft, and smooth—before a sharp pain shot through him. Tang Lici had already twisted his arm around his own neck, pulling both him and the infant behind his back. With just one word of ignorance, he would first break his arm, then use it to strangle him. Li Yuan blurted out, "Young Master Tang, spare me! It was Great Hero Yu who ordered me to come back and kill you—he suspected you poisoned the wine..." Tang Lici smiled again. "Oh? Why did you obey him?"
"Because... because... my senior brother Gou and I... were both deceived by Shi Tinghe. We were poisoned with the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill." Li Yuan's face turned deathly pale. "But in the heart of the Central Plains, the only person who can sell this poison is Yu Qifeng!" At this revelation, Tang Lici seemed genuinely surprised. "Not Shi Tinghe, but Yu Qifeng?" Li Yuan fell to his knees with a thud. "Young Master Tang, spare me! My brothers and I were close friends with Feng Chuanxiang and Jiang Cheng. When Feng Chuanxiang's wife was killed by the Floating Specter, we were all furious. Shi Tinghe persuaded Feng Chuanxiang to take the pill to enhance his strength—we were all there. Jiang Cheng didn't take it, but the rest of us did... I swear to heaven... I only wanted to avenge my friend... I was... a good person..." Tang Lici said, "Is that so? Aside from buying the poison from Yu Qifeng and being forced to obey his orders, what else do you know?""In the Martial Arts World, there are many like us, compelled by the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill to obey the commands of the great hero Yu... Yu Qifeng. But I know Yu Qifeng has a master behind him. The true place where the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill can be made is called the 'Dissolute Shop.' Within the Dissolute Shop, there are the Eastern and Western Princesses, whose beauty is unparalleled. Even Yu Qifeng must treat them with utmost respect. And above the Eastern and Western Princesses, there is someone else... As for who that is, I truly don’t know..." Li Yuan spoke in terror, unable to see Tang Lici’s expression. The man stood behind him—an unpredictable, ruthless figure. Suddenly, a finger lightly traced the back of his neck. At first, he thought it was Feng Feng’s touch, but after a moment, the finger slowly circled around to his front. Someone leaned close to his neck, their warm breath palpable. Li Yuan grew even more terrified as the person exhaled softly by his ear, then traced a finger to his chest, right over his heart, and gently tapped. A soft voice murmured, "Go back and tell your master, the Sword King Yu... that you couldn’t kill Tang Lici. His martial arts are unfathomable, peerless in the world. As for the gift the Sword King sent him earlier, it’s still on you. Ask him to inspect it. If you want to live, beg him to save you... Though I suspect he won’t bother. Heh." Li Yuan was paralyzed with fear. Tang Lici leaned around from behind him, lifting his head to meet his gaze with a gentle smile. His expression remained elegant and tender, his palm smooth as jade, yet Li Yuan felt as if a venomous serpent had coiled around him—one that carried a faint, alluring charm... Despite his terror, he couldn’t help but notice what a beauty this man was...
"Go." With a flick of his sleeve, Tang Lici tossed Li Yuan out the window. Dazed, Li Yuan stumbled toward the Hua Mei Pavilion, his mind still reeling with horror... How... how could such a venomous, bewitching beauty exist? Wasn’t Tang Lici supposed to be a mild-mannered, well-read scholar? A true gentleman, a righteous figure in the martial world? How... how could he be like this?
Back in the room, Tang Lici elegantly stifled a small yawn, placed Feng Feng back on the bed, and sighed softly. "Ah..."
"You nearly scared that man to death, and now you sigh?" A voice came from a nearby tree. "Playing innocent after getting your way!"
Tang Lici lightly patted his own cheek. "I sent you to save people. Why are you back so soon?" The spectator in the tree was, of course, Chi Yun, who replied, "I’m no physician. The arsenic you slipped into their food will just give them stomachaches and some hair loss—they’ll recover on their own. What’s there for me to save?" Tang Lici smiled faintly. "And Gu Xitan?" Chi Yun leaped down from the tree, his posture tall and carefree. "He’s still busy saving people. Did Yu Qifeng plant a hidden force on you earlier?" Tang Lici glanced up at the starry sky. "A chilling Internal Force struck my meridians. Not particularly impressive." Chi Yun also looked up. "So you knew the moment you left the banquet that Yu Qifeng was the mastermind behind Gou Jia’s murder. You deliberately told him I suspected him—not to use me as bait to draw him out, but to make him avoid me and target you directly, right?" Tang Lici replied, "Well... if you choose to see it that way, I won’t disagree.""Old Man Yu's martial arts are formidable, and his reputation is immense. How could he be involved with harmful poison? Could it be that this hypocritical hero has grown tired of his act and decided to try being a villain?" Chi Yun said in astonishment. "He and Shi Tinghe both took the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill, so why did he lose to Shi Tinghe at the Central Plains Sword Association?" Tang Lici replied, "Perhaps at the time of the Sword Association, he was still innocent. The humiliation of losing to Shi Tinghe might be the very reason he became entangled with the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill."
Chi Yun snorted. "What does knowing about Yu Qifeng matter? You let that kid go back earlier, and Yu Qifeng will likely silence him. Dead men tell no tales—this whole thing might as well not exist." Tang Lici made a soft sound of acknowledgment. "Evidence?" He smiled faintly. "Given Chi Yun's nature, when have you ever cared about reasoning?" Chi Yun glared at him, then after a moment, burst into loud laughter. "Hah! I thought you’d spent so long pretending to be a turtle that you’d mostly turned into one, but a fox is still a fox, even if it’s draped in white fur!" He spat. "A poisonous fox, at that!"
"Flattery, flattery," Tang Lici said with amusement. "Yu Qifeng’s martial arts are strong. If he’s taken the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill, he’ll be even harder to deal with. If we confront him directly, we might not come out ahead." Chi Yun sneered. "So what?" Tang Lici replied, "Then we’ll need an ally." Chi Yun shot him a sidelong glance. "Didn’t you claim to be peerless in martial arts, the best under heaven? What do you need an ally for?" Tang Lici raised a finger and lightly tapped his own temple. "It’s true my martial arts are exceptional. As for being the best under heaven… I’ve never competed with anyone, so how would you know I’m not?" Chi Yun choked on his words. "I’ve never met anyone as shameless as you!" Tang Lici said, "A shameless master and an arrogant servant—truly a perfect match." He paused briefly. "Xue Xianzi would make a fine ally, but he’s too lazy, and Yu Qifeng isn’t some peerless beauty… Perhaps we could find a righteous hero with strong martial skills and a heart full of passion. Hmm, what about Gu Xitan?" Chi Yun said coldly, "Gu Xitan is good, but without proof, getting him to act against Yu Qifeng based solely on your word would be impossible." Tang Lici sighed. "Then only the least favorable option remains."
"The least favorable option? What?" Chi Yun’s eyes flickered, suddenly recalling this guy’s usual methods… Tang Lici said, "Hire someone. The Thirteenth Desolate Tower—from first-rate to ninth-rate talents, you get what you pay for." Chi Yun chuckled darkly. "You want to buy an ally? Who?" Tang Lici replied, "Fifty thousand taels of gold." Chi Yun’s expression darkened slightly. "Shen Langhun?"
In the martial world, there were many assassin organizations, but the most famous was the Vermilion Dew Tower. Years ago, it collapsed due to internal strife, and the Thirteenth Desolate Tower rose to take its place. The Thirteenth Desolate Tower boasted numerous talents, and among them, the most renowned was undoubtedly "Cold-Faced Snake Whip" Shen Langhun. His martial prowess ranked within the top ten of the jianghu. Three years ago, for reasons unknown, he had stooped to becoming an assassin—yet he adhered strictly to the rules, never failing a mission. As long as someone could pay, he could kill. Even someone as arrogant as Chi Yun felt a chill when he uttered the name "Shen Langhun." Tang Lici smiled. "Exactly.""Sounds good," Chi Yun burst into laughter upon hearing Tang Lici's "not bad" remark. "In that case, if old man like me and a demonic outsider like Shen Langhun join forces, wouldn't it be utterly shameful if we don't knock that so-called righteous hero Old Man Yu flat on his back?"
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