Volume 2, Chapter 111 – The Culprit Is Indeed You

Deep in the dense forest, Hu Bing leaned against a large tree, his body covered in wounds so deep the bones were visible. His left forearm had been severed, and three fingers were missing from his right hand. Yet, he still gripped his sword with unwavering determination, his bloodshot eyes fixed fiercely on the masked assassins slowly closing in on him.

“Why are you trying to kill me?”

Hu Bing clenched his teeth, his voice thick with defiance.

None of the five remaining assassins answered. They moved forward like emotionless killing machines.

“Even if you won’t say it, I know—it must be some guilty coward from the Honghua Sect who hired you, right? Pah!”

Hu Bing spat viciously before forcing himself upright, his entire body drenched in blood.

The assassins hesitated for a moment, momentarily stunned by his unyielding aura.

“Come on then! My blood hasn’t run dry yet—you won’t be able to report success!”

Though his grip on the sword trembled with only two fingers left, his gaze remained unshakable.

The assassins exchanged glances before lunging forward.

“My disciple… this master was useless in the end. I couldn’t even avenge you properly.”

Hu Bing muttered bitterly, his face hardening with resolve. Instead of retreating, he staggered forward to meet them.

Just as the two sides were about to clash, something bizarre happened—four of the five assassins, who had been charging at him moments ago, suddenly stiffened like zombies and collapsed face-first onto the ground. They clutched their heads, writhing in agony, their mouths letting out tortured groans.

The lead assassin froze at the sight, his courage evaporating. He brandished his blade, eyes darting warily around as he barked, “Who’s there?! Who dares ambush us?!”

Before his voice faded, a slender figure descended from above, accompanied by a faint floral fragrance. The moment the assassin caught the scent, he felt as though a mountain had crashed onto him, slamming him face-first into the dirt.

“Divine Sense suppression… an Incarnation Realm expert?!”

The terror in the assassin’s exposed eyes was absolute—he didn’t even dare struggle.

“Hongling… Disciple Hongling?!”

Hu Bing stared in shock at the woman who had landed gracefully before him. Even with her face veiled, he recognized her instantly—Cheng Hongling, the Honghua Sect’s peerless genius.

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‘Why… why is she here?’

Hu Bing had imagined countless desperate scenarios in his final moments, but never this—why would the Honghua Sect’s prodigy appear out of nowhere to save him?

His confusion was cut short as exhaustion overwhelmed him. The moment his nerves relaxed, his legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed.

Qi Huang—disguised as Cheng Hongling—hurried forward, limping slightly as she supported her master. Her lips trembled as she spoke, “Elder… Elder Hu, you’ve suffered greatly.”

“Disciple Hongling, why… why are you here?” Hu Bing asked weakly, his voice hoarse.

Qi Huang had so much she wanted to say, but her current identity forbade it. Tears welled in her eyes as she replied, “I… I happened to pass by and saw you surrounded, so… so I intervened.”

“Thank you. Without you, I’d be dead today.”

Hu Bing could no longer stand and slumped to the ground.

“Elder Hu… does it hurt?”

Qi Huang’s tears finally spilled over as she took in her master’s mutilated body.

‘She’s crying… for me? Were we ever this close?’

Hu Bing was baffled, but touched nonetheless. He shook his head slightly—he didn’t feel much pain anymore. His wounds were so numerous and severe that he had gone numb. The only sensation left was exhaustion from blood loss.

“But you—”

Qi Huang bit her lip, her sobs choking her words.

“It’s fine. I have some pills in my pocket that can stop the bleeding. I won’t die.”

Hu Bing reassured her before weakly reaching into his pocket with his maimed hand.

Qi Huang swiftly took the bottle and poured out a pill for him.

Swallowing the pill seemed to drain the last of Hu Bing’s strength. His chest heaved violently.

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Seeing her master in such a state, Qi Huang’s fury blazed. With a flick of her Divine Sense, a nearby blade shot forward like lightning, slicing cleanly beneath the lead assassin.

The man only felt a chill on his left arm before it abruptly separated from his shoulder—the cut so smooth it seemed made by a divine blade. Agony followed a heartbeat later.

“Aaaah!!”

The assassin’s scream was inhuman as he collapsed, writhing.

Qi Huang exhaled slightly, her rage marginally appeased. She then gathered herbs to dress Hu Bing’s wounds. His severed left arm was bleeding heavily—without immediate treatment, he’d bleed out before the pill took effect.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Do you know why I left the Honghua Sect three years ago?”

Hu Bing forced a weak smile before asking with effort.

“I know… it was for your disciple.”

Qi Huang bowed her head, guilt weighing heavily on her.

“Good. These men came out of nowhere to kill me—I suspect the one who harmed my disciple hired them. If you interrogate them, you’ll find the mastermind. This is crucial for the Honghua Sect as well.”

Hu Bing urged her urgently.

Though worried for him, Qi Huang didn’t dare refuse. She turned and limped toward the assassin, looming over him.

“Speak. Who sent you?”

The assassin only groaned, unwilling to talk.

Qi Huang’s Divine Sense moved again—another blade flashed past the man’s foot.

His toes, along with the front of his shoe, slid off cleanly. A fresh wave of agony wrenched another scream from him.

“Mercy! P-Please, Fairy! I’ll talk! I swear! I don’t know who hired us!”

“Liar!”

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Qi Huang’s brows furrowed as three more blades levitated around her, ready to flay him alive.

“I’m telling the truth! We’re just hired blades! We never ask who our employers are!”

The assassin bawled, snot and tears mixing on his face.

“Then how do I find him?” Qi Huang demanded through gritted teeth.

“H-He… he only paid a deposit. I-If you want to find him, take our ‘Viper Assassins’ token to the Lishui Liufang Inn. Tell the owner ‘Mission Five is complete’—he’ll contact the employer with a Thousand-Mile Communication Tube. The client will come to pay the rest.”

The assassin panted in pain.

“Where’s the token?”

Too terrified to resist, the man shakily pulled a waist token from his pocket with his remaining hand.

Qi Huang took it—a plain token engraved only with a red-eyed viper.

“Thank you. Let me end your suffering.”

With a thought, a blade flashed across the assassin’s throat.

Without delay, Qi Huang wrapped Hu Bing in her Divine Sense and flew toward the nearest town, Changming County.

“Disciple Hongling… you’ve reached the Incarnation Realm? You can fly?!”

Hu Bing’s voice was thick with disbelief.

Unable to explain, Qi Huang only nodded vaguely.

“A fifteen- or sixteen-year-old Incarnation Realm expert… such talent is unmatched in the entire Western Radiance Dynasty. Heaven truly blesses our Honghua Sect.”

Despite his pallor, Hu Bing’s spirits lifted momentarily before he frowned at Qi Huang’s leg.

“If you’re already at the Incarnation Realm, how were you injured?”

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“It’s nothing. Just a powerful demon.”

Qi Huang lied again.

“What demon could injure an Incarnation Realm expert? Was it… the source of the cursed land in Meng County?”

Hu Bing’s expression darkened as he muttered to himself.

Upon reaching the town, Qi Huang helped Hu Bing into a clinic, ensuring he received proper treatment while she tended to her own wounds.

Given Hu Bing’s critical state, the physician advised him to stay for observation.

Qi Huang lodged at a nearby inn, washing up before taking out the Tongming Comb to restore her depleted Divine Sense. The strain had left her drowsy.

Though the comb could no longer enhance her Divine Sense’s capacity after several uses with ghost tomatoes, it still effectively replenished her reserves.

Days later, once Hu Bing stabilized, Qi Huang disguised herself as a man and headed alone to Lishui Prefecture to unmask the employer.

If her suspicions were correct, this person—or their accomplice—was the one who had poisoned her years ago.

At the Liufang Inn, she presented the assassin’s token and informed the owner that “Mission Five” was complete.

The owner, unsuspecting, retreated to a back room before returning to confirm the employer would arrive in two days to settle payment.

Overjoyed, Qi Huang lodged nearby, enduring two agonizing days of waiting.

At noon on the third day, the employer finally arrived—face masked, but such a barrier was meaningless against Divine Sense.

“As I thought… it’s really you.”

The moment Qi Huang “saw” the person’s true face, her long-held suspicions were confirmed at last.