Chapter 39: Great Master

Su Tang slowly opened his eyes in the secret room. At first, he felt confused. Had I not died? Where was this place? In the next moment, the changes occurring in his brain caught his attention.

He had absorbed different consciousnesses. In the past, when he encountered something and made a judgment, he could vaguely tell which consciousness that judgment came from, and he knew those consciousnesses floated within his brain.

But now, he could find no traces of other consciousnesses, as if they had never existed.

“You’re awake?” a raspy voice sounded beside him. “Your body is much stronger than I thought. You regained consciousness after only half a day; it is truly unexpected.”

Su Tang slowly turned his neck, and a tall figure entered his sight. It was Wen Xiang. However, Wen Xiang’s complexion had changed drastically. Her skin was dull, completely lacking the glow of youth, and her eyes were full of fatigue. The hair on her forehead seemed to be wet and clung to her skin, looking somewhat funny.

He remembered seeing Wen Xiang last night. Compared to that, Wen Xiang seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.

“Did you save me?” Su Tang smiled, but he spoke too quickly and felt a tightness in his chest, unable to stop himself from coughing a few times. Streams of fresh, vibrant warmth flowed through his limbs and bones. This was definitely not the power of the Spirit Soul. There was only one explanation: Wen Xiang had saved him using her unique method.

“Yes,” Wen Xiang said with a giggle. “Tell me, how do you want to thank me? Usually, the gratitude for saving a life is repaid by marrying the savior.”

“Please, next time before you try to seduce me… cough cough… could you dress up a bit first?” Su Tang said.

“You heartless man! Was this not all to save your little life?!”

Just then, Long Qi pushed open the door and walked in, saying with a mix of surprise and joy, “You’re awake?”

“Brother Long…” Su Tang wanted to say more, but he had already spoken too much. His physical condition did not allow it, and he let out a strained cough.

“Don’t talk. Just focus on recovering your injuries. People have already been sent to Penglai Residence, so you don’t need to worry,” Long Qi said hurriedly. “We have already identified the mastermind behind the attack on you, but we will not move against him. Hehe… I guess you definitely want to take your revenge with your own hands.”

Su Tang smiled, then slowly closed his eyes.

Long Qi gave Wen Xiang a look, and the two quietly walked toward the door.

…

In the following days, Su Tang continued to recover from his injuries. Wen Xiang’s medical skills could be described as miraculous. Such severe injuries had mostly healed in less than two days. However, Su Tang’s body was still very weak, and he still needed someone to support him when walking.

One day, Su Tang leaned against the bed flipping through documents. When a maid pushed open the door and entered the secret room, Su Tang caught a glimpse of Mo Xiaobai pacing back and forth outside. His face showed hesitation, as if there was something he found difficult to decide.

“Let him in,” Su Tang said to the maid, putting down the documents.

Soon, Mo Xiaobai walked into the room with a bitter smile and first bowed. “Greetings, Mr. Su.”

“How are things with Guiming?” Su Tang asked.

“Guiming died in the hotel the night before yesterday,” Mo Xiaobai said.

“How could this happen? Hadn’t the arrangements been made?” Su Tang was stunned. “Did you catch the killer?”

Mo Xiaobai shook his head with a bitter smile. “Mr. Su, after you were attacked, several Enshrined Experts returned to the pavilion, and most of the manpower outside was also recalled. However… it seems the Enshrined Expert left a warning for Guiming. The fight in the hotel that night was very intense. Although Guiming was eventually defeated and died, he left behind five people. Four of them were people we had never seen before; they didn’t seem to be from Changshan County. As for the last one, we are still investigating his background.”

Su Tang remained silent. Long Qi’s response was reasonable. The Pavilion Master of Miaodao Pavilion had suddenly been attacked, and no one knew if this was an isolated incident or the first step in a series of plans. Therefore, they had to withdraw all their strength. If he were in that position, he would have done the same, and Guiming naturally could not be looked after.

“Did you come to find me just for this?” Su Tang asked.

“No.” Mo Xiaobai shook his head, then lowered his voice. “The Great Master has arrived, and the several Enshrined Experts are also here. Their conversation… seems to be somewhat unpleasant.”

“What are they talking about?”

“I don’t know, Mr. Su. I don’t have the qualification to go in,” Mo Xiaobai said.

“Let’s go. Take me to have a look,” Su Tang said.

Mo Xiaobai supported Su Tang as he walked out of the secret room, through the outer hall, and gradually approached the backyard. Su Tang’s senses were exceptionally sharp, and he could clearly hear the voice coming from inside the building: “Long Qi, you have already left Miaodao Pavilion. Rationally… I do not need to seek your opinion, but seeing your contributions over the years, that is why I am advising you this way!”

The speaker’s tone was cold, suppressing anger. It was indeed as Mo Xiaobai had said; the atmosphere was not very pleasant.

Su Tang pushed open the door and saw an old man over sixty sitting opposite Long Qi. He had a pair of extremely long eyebrows that hung down by his cheeks, his forehead was covered in wrinkles, and although his eyes were somewhat small, they were very spirited.

Finding that someone had entered without permission, the old man showed a look of displeasure. After he saw Su Tang clearly, he paused, then broke into a smile. “Mr. Su? No wonder Long Qi recommended you exceptionally. You are indeed a talented youth. The battle at Xiangshui Street has truly made your name known everywhere, hahaha…”

The old man did not exaggerate. Over the past few days, the people living in Changshan County and the Wandering Martial Artists had been talking about the events at Xiangshui Street all day. On one hand, it was because they knew Miaodao Pavilion would not let the matter go and must have a follow-up move. On the other hand, it was because Su Tang’s counterattack had been too brutal. The entire battle had broken out quickly and ended even faster. Furthermore, one of the assassins who was killed was somewhat famous; he usually bragged that he had no rivals below the rank of Battle Fighter, implying he should be number one among all Martial Artists. Yet, upon meeting Su Tang, he did not last even a second.

The more critical point was that Su Tang was absolutely not a Battle Fighter. While severely injured, he had fought four enemies alone and ended the battle instantly. When this news first spread, many Wandering Martial Artists simply did not believe it.

“Greetings, Great Master Wen,” Su Tang said.

“You are currently injured, so there is no need for formalities.” The old man pointed to the side. “Sit, let’s talk while sitting.”

However, there were no empty seats beside the old man. Long Qi occupied one, and four people wearing cloaks sat next to him. They were the four Enshrined Experts of Miaodao Pavilion. Clearly, he wanted Long Qi to give up his seat.

Long Qi did not speak. He stood up and silently walked to the side. He truly did not care whether he sat or stood, nor did he long for a position in Miaodao Pavilion. If not for the fact that Su Tang was too heavily injured to move, he would never have returned to Miaodao Pavilion to handle these matters.

“Thank you, Great Master,” Su Tang smiled and slowly walked to the seat, sitting down with Mo Xiaobai’s help.