Chương 227: Tian Heng

Qinghe City, night. Leading the top experts of the Moon-Lacking Pavilion to track down Tian Heng, they quickly dashed all the way to the North District. The trail of the culprit was lost right here. Looking at the pitch-black streets and alleys surrounding them, Master Song cursed angrily:"Damn it, let him escape."

"Pavilion Master, he probably couldn't have hidden far from here. Why don't I summon our men to search house by house?" – Cao Lang suggested.

"No need, that would only stir up panic among the commoners. I've heard his disguise technique is top-notch, so searching like that might not yield any results. You guys go check over there; I'll take Xiong Ba and Nie Feng to check this side. Try to do one more thorough sweep." Hearing Master Song's analysis, the others raised no objections and immediately set off to execute the order.

Once Shen Ziming and the others had moved some distance away, Song Que began signaling with his eyes, quietly motioning for Nie Feng and Xiong Ba to surround a small courtyard nearby. That bastard Tian Heng was probably hiding behind a door right now, feeling quite smug listening to them talk. Grandee Song didn't mind giving him a moment of joy. With the detective skills of Sherlock-Song, he could have easily pinpointed the exact location of the culprit simply by following the scent he left in the air.

His intentional words just now were merely meant to prevent outsiders from witnessing what was about to happen.

"Seeing" every movement and stillness of the people inside the room through his Domain, once everything was properly set up, Song Que gave a low shout:"Move!" Before his voice even faded, the three of them struck with the speed of a thunderbolt leaving no time to cover one's ears, smashing through the walls from three different directions to charge inside.

"Bam!"

"It's a trap!"...

"Bam... Ah!" Aside from his movement techniques, Tian Heng's martial arts were mediocre at best. Caught completely off guard, how could he possibly withstand a joint assault from three people? Before he could even put up a resistance, and before he could squeeze out more than a few words, Master Song solidly landed a punch on him, followed swiftly by a palm-chop to the back of his neck that knocked him gloriously unconscious.

"Who's there?" Such a massive commotion here could hardly be concealed from anyone. Not having gone very far, Shen Ziming and the others rushed back in a flurry, and all around, plenty of covert gazes were eyeing this direction....... Inside the room, no one answered. Just as the members of the Moon-Lacking Pavilion were growing anxious and eager to rush in, Nie Feng slowly walked out.

"Stop!"

"Sworn brother, what happened?" Seeing it was one of their own, Old Shen let out a breath of relief.

"Big Brother, nothing happened. It's just that the culprit's movement techniques were too superb, and he managed to escape again. The Young Master was also sneak-attacked by him and sustained some minor injuries. Could you please call the brothers to bring a carriage over here for me?"

"Young Master was injured? Is it serious?" Everyone turned pale with fright.

"Nothing serious, just some poisonous residue. You all don't need to worry." At this moment, Grandee Song's steady voice rang out from inside the room, and the group finally let out sighs of relief. Shen Ziming immediately ordered his men to turn back and fetch a carriage. A moment later, after telling everyone to wait outside, Nie Feng personally drove the carriage into the courtyard.

"Return to the Pavilion!" As the carriage slowly rolled out, following the command issued by Song Que from within, the group rapidly headed back to the Moon-Lacking Pavilion. There were quite a few foreign martial artists who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, but seeing there was nothing left to gawk at, they quickly dispersed, though more than a few harbored unusual thoughts in their minds....... Moon-Lacking Pavilion.

Driving the carriage straight into the Training Hall, Xiong Ba and Nie Feng personally had people stand guard all around to prevent anyone from prying. After Lightning officially confirmed it was safe, Song Que briskly hoisted the unfortunate Tian Heng and slipped into the secret chamber. Every time he came to this place, past memories suddenly flooded back, leaving Grandee Song unable to resist a sigh of emotion. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road.

Support the author by reading it there. Hopefully, this auspicious feng shui spot would bring him a pleasant surprise today. Tying this fellow Tian securely to the rack, Song Que leisurely went about waking him up:"Brother Tian, wake up, wake up!" His hands were as gentle as petting a lover, leaving several bright red marks across Tian Heng's face.

"Cough... cough... Damn it, who are you?" Awakened so barbarically, Brother Tian only felt a burning pain across both cheeks, and he drew in a cold breath as he angrily demanded an answer. He was so used to being arrogant and domineering that even at this moment, he still lacked any sense of awareness regarding how dire his current situation was.

In this big brother's mind, as long as he wasn't ambushed and murdered by someone in a desolate wilderness, he could basically consider himself truly carefree in these small county towns. Relying on his old man's prestige, these local officials and bumpkin-like gangs would definitely not dare to harm him. Otherwise, what awaited them would be the slaughter of their entire families—for his own sake, his old man could definitely pull that off.

On several previous occasions, he had fallen into similar predicaments, but didn't the other parties end up apologizing and seeking peace? Gradually, this bastard stopped feeling any fear. The soft fear the hard, the hard fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who risk their lives—the elders' words were never wrong. Aside from those who risked their lives, the Tian family feared no one, especially bumpkins in these local gangs with hair ready to be grabbed.

For this very reason, he deliberately avoided places with major sects and powerful factions, choosing his targets exclusively in remote regions. This bastard was exceedingly clever. Unfortunately, today he had run into a freak who feared neither the soft nor the hard.

"Crack!" Before Grandee Song's hand had its fill, he dealt him another slap. Only after waiting for this Brother Tian to spit out a mouthful of bloody foam did he leisurely begin to speak:"Brother Tian, we are civilized people, let's refrain from spitting curses at every turn."

A man under the eaves must lower his head; Tian Heng still understood the profound logic that while the green mountains remain, one needn't worry about firewood, so he obediently nodded:"Right, right, it was this junior who spoke out of turn. May I ask if this honorable brother is the Pavilion Master of the Moon-Lacking Pavilion, Master Song Que?"

"Brother Tian has a good eye, it is indeed yours truly." Every time he arrived at a new location, Tian Heng would thoroughly do his homework and investigate the city first. Therefore, he had a slight understanding of Qinghe's overlord, Grandee Song. Now, after a calm moment of analysis, he recognized the person.

"Brother Song, I wonder if there has been some misunderstanding between us? It seems I have never offended your Moon-Lacking Pavilion, have I?"

"Heh heh, Brother Tian just graced my courtyard earlier. Do you call that a misunderstanding?" Song Que asked with an unfriendly gaze.

"So that's how it is. Brother Song, please forgive me; it's all because this younger brother was blind and failed to investigate thoroughly. I almost brought disaster upon your family members, and this younger brother apologizes to you right here." Though he had already cursed this kid in front of him to death in his heart, Tian Heng still put on the appearance of an obedient child, sincerely admitting his mistake. His attitude was so upright that it couldn't help but evoke a bit of sympathy.

However, Grandee Song remained completely indifferent:"Heh heh, you almost killed my little brother, and a mere apology settles it?" Originally, Tian Heng thought that little girl was this guy's woman, but hearing this now, he realized he had guessed wrong. Recalling that the unlucky brat from earlier looked at least 80 percent similar to the person in front of him—aside from the facial features, even the hairstyle and skin tone were an exact match—it seemed his itchy hands had caused trouble just moments ago.

Still, hearing the implication that the fellow wasn't dead yet, and figuring this kid wouldn't be crazy enough to risk his life over it, Tian Heng's mood settled somewhat as he hurriedly squeezed out an ingratiating, flattering smile:"It was this junior's fault, I will definitely compensate you. I wonder what demands Brother Song has before you're willing to let this junior go?"

"Hmph, you know you're wrong? How dare you lay a hand on this Young Master's little brother." Grandee Song puffed out his chest in triumph, tilting his head back toward the sky.

"Yes, yes, yes, it's all this junior's fault." Tian Heng's attitude couldn't possibly be more obedient.

"Hmph, but I heard your father is an 8th Grade Meridian Opening Realm powerhouse. If I let you go today, once you bring your father back to exact revenge, wouldn't we brothers be dead for sure?"

"Brother Song, why would you say such a thing? Though this junior is a flower-plucking bandit, our Tian family holds the code of righteousness in the martial world in the highest regard. Everything that happened today was entirely my fault, and this junior is already regretting it to the core. When my father finds out about this back home, he'll definitely chew me out. How could there be any talk of revenge? You can rest completely assured.

This junior can swear an oath: if I ever return to exact revenge, may I be struck by five lightning bolts and die a miserable death. Do you believe me now?"

"This... swearing such a terrible oath... aren't you afraid?" The Pavilion Master softened his tone, beginning to hesitate.

"Brother Song, you jest. This junior stands tall and walks straight with a clear conscience. I have no intention of harming you, so why fear the backlash of an oath? You can put a hundred, no, a thousand minds at rest." Tian Heng spoke with righteous indignation; if his limbs weren't bound, this bastard would have surely been slapping his own chest to seal the promise.

His expression shifting and hesitating as he weighed the options, Grandee Song finally gritted his teeth and nodded:"Alright, I'll remember your words. With such a heavy oath, you surely wouldn't dare to easily break your word. Let's talk about compensation then." Kekeke, what a gullible idiot. Hearing that this kid was only in his teens, he truly was still wet behind the ears and hadn't seen enough of the world.

In a few days when his old man arrived, the Tian family would teach him how to behave like a human being. Seeing his scheme succeed and that he was about to regain his freedom, Tian Heng felt flowers blooming in his heart, already plotting how he would torture this kid in the future to avenge today's humiliation. Outwardly, however, he maintained an extremely sincere and flattering smile:"As it should be! Big Brother, just state whatever requests you have.

As long as this junior has it, I will present it with both hands without the slightest hesitation." Seeing how adaptable this fellow was, knowing when to bow and when to flex, Grandee Song couldn't help but nod inwardly. No wonder he could survive until today; it wasn't entirely based on luck. Judging him to be around thirty years old, twice the age of Grandee Song, yet calling him Big Brother right off the bat and addressing him as 'junior' without missing a beat, his delivery was smoother than silk.

Even knowing the guy hated him to the bone in his heart, his outward demeanor was so impeccably proper that one couldn't pick out a single flaw. A barking dog doesn't bite; this kind of person who chanted Buddha's name outwardly while harboring a dagger in his heart was the most dangerous kind of all.