Chapter 47: Cultivation

News arrived at Miaodao Pavilion one after another. Among Madam Red’s followers, there was indeed a man nicknamed Gu Qijue. He was Madam Red’s personal attendant and was highly trusted by her. Furthermore, Madam Red had gone out at night and did not return for a long time. More importantly, after her return, Madam Red appeared somewhat frantic, laughing loudly from time to time, which terrified some of the Cheng Family’s servants.

This was puzzling. Madam Red came to Changshan County to help the Cheng Family, but there was no reason for her to do all the hard work herself. She overestimated the Cheng Family too much.

But regardless, Miaodao Pavilion was now in grave danger! The Cheng Family had gone to great lengths to invite Madam Red, and their goal was definitely not just a single Long Qi. Other actions would surely follow.

Whether they should scatter like monkeys when a tree falls and go their separate ways, or concentrate their strength for a grand revenge, was a decision for Su Tang to make.

After returning to Miaodao Pavilion, Su Tang locked himself in a secret room. He only called for Mo Xiaobai once to ask him to find some materials. Other than that, there was no sound, and no one knew what he was doing in the secret room.

Wen Xiang, Xiao Buhui, Tong Fei, and others sat in the back building, looking at each other in silence. As long as Miaodao Pavilion existed, their safety was guaranteed. If Miaodao Pavilion collapsed, their situation would become dangerous. To put it simply, if Mo Xiaobai was controlled, it would not be hard to find their hiding place. However, should they kill Mo Xiaobai now to silence him? Moreover, more than just Mo Xiaobai had seen them at Miaodao Pavilion. Just today, the sudden death of Long Qi had thrown them into chaos, and many Martial Artists at the scene already recognized them.

The expressions of the three of them were all melancholy, and they were all thinking about their own futures.

It was not until daybreak that Su Tang walked out of the secret room with a tired face. Mo Xiaobai bought breakfast for everyone, but no one was in the mood to eat; the food tasted like wax.

“I want to avenge Big Brother Long,” Su Tang said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of several people immediately became vivid. They looked at one another, and after a long while, Xiao Buhui said slowly, “I want revenge too, but Madam Red is at the Cheng Family…”

“The one I want to kill is her,” Su Tang interrupted.

“Who?” Xiao Buhui was stunned, then horrified. “Mr. Su, you mean… Madam Red?”

“Yes,” Su Tang nodded.

Wen Xiang and the others were stunned. They had always viewed the Cheng Family as the enemy, but because Madam Red was there and they feared the power of the Xia Family, they did not dare to act. Su Tang, however, was straightforward and immediately locked onto Madam Red as the target.

To kill the rider, one must first shoot the horse; to catch the thief, one must first capture the king. While this saying was correct, it depended on the situation. Logic was not rigid, and the consequences of opposing the Xia Family were unimaginable.

“If we really want to kill Madam Red… even with Gu Qijue protecting her, we aren’t completely without a chance,” Xiao Buhui said with a bitter smile. “But… Mr. Su, have you thought about it? We will have to flee everywhere in the future. The Xia Family will surely use the power of their entire clan to avenge Madam Red!”

“Even if we do nothing, do you think we can continue to stay in Changshan County?” Su Tang asked back.

“That’s different…” Xiao Buhui said in a dry voice. Killing Madam Red meant wandering the world forever, whereas leaving on one’s own was just moving to another place to start a new life. The concepts were naturally different.

“Why kill Madam Red?” Wen Xiang suddenly asked.

“Enshrined Expert Xiao, you have been to Shangjing, right?” Su Tang did not answer, instead turning his gaze to Xiao Buhui.

“I stayed in Shangjing for a few years,” Xiao Buhui said.

“What is the name of the third young master of the Qi Family?”

“The third young master of the Qi Family?” Xiao Buhui frowned and thought hard for a moment. “I believe his name was… Qi Wenlong.”

“What if you remove the word ‘Wen’?”

“Qi Long.” Xiao Buhui rolled his eyes; this was a purely idiotic question.

“What if you reverse the two words?” Su Tang asked again.

“Long Qi…” Xiao Buhui suddenly froze. After a long while, he murmured, “This… this must be a coincidence…”

“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence. Unfortunately, there is no chance to ask Big Brother Long, and no time to investigate,” Su Tang said. “Actually… whether Big Brother Long was the third young master of the Qi Family is not important. Madam Red left the Cheng Family at night and took Gu Qijue with her. Big Brother Long’s death is absolutely related to her. That is enough! Will you help me? If you are unwilling, you should leave Changshan County early, or you will be implicated.”

“You can risk everything to avenge Mr. Long, so… if one of us died, you would surely persist as well…” A trace of sorrow faintly appeared in Wen Xiang’s eyes, though it was unclear what she was thinking.

Su Tang remained silent. He was unwilling to answer such hypothetical questions; they were meaningless.

“I will help you,” Wen Xiang said softly.

“Enshrined Expert Wen, you only knew Long Qi for a few years, and as for Mr. Su, it has only been a few days… even you are willing… fine, fine, count me in.” Xiao Buhui shook his head with a bitter smile. He felt as if he had been kidnapped.

Tong Fei sat there quietly, his face showing a look of struggle. He did not speak much, but that did not mean he was stupid. Whether he participated or not, the risk he faced far exceeded that of the others. If Su Tang, Wen Xiang, and the others would face a slim chance of survival during the Xia Family’s pursuit, he didn’t even have that slim chance; he faced certain death.

Tong Fei knew very well where his greatest advantage and disadvantage lay: his stature. When approaching a target during an operation, as long as he could hide his killing intent, the target usually ignored his existence because he was simply too short. People usually did not pay attention to characters they could only see by looking down. But once his identity was exposed, his greatest advantage became a disadvantage. Su Tang, Wen Xiang, and the others could blend into a crowd using makeup, but he could not. No matter how much makeup he used, he would be recognized at a glance.

“Okay,” Tong Fei said in a hoarse voice.

“Enshrined Expert Tong does not need to participate in the operation. You only need to help me with one thing in advance, and then leave Changshan County immediately,” Su Tang said.

Tong Fei was somewhat surprised and glanced at Su Tang.

“You have a plan?” Wen Xiang asked.

“Yes.”

“We have essentially handed our lives over to you. Now, can you be a bit more honest?” Wen Xiang said softly. “Tell us, what are you truly doing this for?”

“Two reasons,” Su Tang smiled. “Big Brother Long was kind to me. This… you wouldn’t understand even if I told you. Secondly, I remembered some things Big Brother Long said. That person decided to push through the entire way; she wanted to defeat all opponents and destroy all hardships and obstacles, because that was her Cultivation. Therefore, she would never retreat.”

“Cultivation?” Wen Xiang was stunned. “Do you mean… you view this as your Cultivation?!”