Chương 38: I Have To Inform the Elders!

"Dammit!" Xiao Xuan arrived at Commander Su Ming's quarters, stepping past the doorway only to find the room completely empty. The doubt gnawing at his mind flared into certainty. Could the letter really be telling the truth? Who had even written it and left it at his door? And why was Su Ming missing from his quarters?

The first time he had met Su Ming during the public Clan Screening, he had initially assumed that the young commander was working under the First Elder to humiliate him in front of everyone, but had soon realized otherwise and came to believe that the man was simply an honorable martial arts nerd. Was that all a facade? He had even sparred with Su Ming in his dream.

Given how different visions from his dreams had already come true, was it possible they were destined to clash in the real world, and as enemies, no less? He knew Su Luoyao had visited him earlier in the day to offer her gratitude. Su Ming had subsequently left the quarters, claiming urgent matters despite suffering fractured ribs from the ambush. He should have been back by now. Could Su Ming truly be behind Luoyao's abduction? Were the ambush and his injuries staged as well?

"Young Master?" Wei Tu rushed up from behind.

"So… he really isn't here…" Wei Tu's eyes widened in dismay. He paused, clutching the crumpled paper with trembling fingers.

"B-But… it doesn't necessarily mean the letter is telling the truth, right, Young Master? Commander Su Ming nearly died defending our consignment from bandits yesterday! Why would he betray us?"

"I have reason to believe the letter is true," Xiao Xuan said flatly, staring out the window.

"What?" Wei Tu was startled.

"Then… then we have to inform the elders immediately!"

"But what if Su Ming is working for one of the elders?" Xiao Xuan interjected.

"The First Elder already has the Jade Token. What if this was his plan all along…?"

"... Th-That…" Wei Tu was speechless.

"Of course, it is only an assumption," Xiao Xuan reasoned.

"The First Elder hasn't done anything suspicious until now. But even if we go and inform him, would he believe the two of us? We don't have any proof. This is a grave accusation against a capable soldier."

"What do we do then…?" Wei Tu asked. Receiving the anonymous letter was suspicious enough, but now they couldn't even safely act on it.

"We can't just stand here overthinking," Xiao Xuan said, turning to face Wei Tu.

"Until Su Luoyao is safe, neither Su Luoyang nor the First Elder will be able to act against the bandits and the Gu Clan. Luoyao is their only leverage right now, so I am certain that they won't hurt her yet. But they can use the misdirection to pressure Su Luoyang. If Luoyang walks into their ambush and gets captured, even if the First Elder is innocent, he will be forced to surrender to save the sisters, or risk their lives to protect the clan. We will be doomed either way.

We must find a way to support Luoyang and bring her back first."

"I have a plan," Xiao Xuan continued.

"It's not perfect, but since we need to act fast, this will do."

"Anything you say, Young Master," Wei Tu responded, bracing himself.

"I will first go to scout the hut in the South, since we don't know if the letter is telling the truth yet. If the tip is false, all is well and good. But if Luoyao is truly held there, I can confirm it and return, and then we can safely direct the elders. Meanwhile, you must go to the First Elder and report that I received intelligence from the Tang Auction House stating the bandit leader is a Qi Wang (Qi King), that the eastern ridge is a trap meant to eliminate Su Luoyang, and that I ran off to warn her.

If the First Elder is loyal to the clan, he will rush reinforcements to the eastern ridge immediately. With his intervention, Luoyang should be able to rescue her sister without issue. At the very least, she can return safely and join the elders at the southern hut." Xiao Xuan explained in a low voice.

"This might work! But—" Wei Tu hesitated.

"What if your suspicion is right and the First Elder is the one behind all of this?"

"We don't have time to worry about that now," Xiao Xuan replied firmly.

"Su Luoyang told me herself that she trusts him, and she willingly handed him the Jade Command Token. For now, we must place our trust in her judgment… We can figure out how to deal with him later. I hope it doesn't come to that…" If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. … Darkness had covered the eastern border ridge. The mountain winds howled through the barren trees, casting twisting shadows across the ground.

Su Luoyang stood in the center of the deserted clearing, waiting for the bandits to arrive. Her white and silver robes fluttered in the gale, her posture unyielding and straight as a sword. Soon, the shadows shifted and the branches shook as six figures emerged from the treeline. Each had their faces concealed behind identical black iron masks and held curved blades. None of them uttered a word.

"Let's see if you are really a prodigy!" a harsh voice echoed from the depths of the forest, bouncing across the rocks. Without warning, one of the masked bandits lunged forward, swinging his curved blade in a vicious arc toward her neck. But before the charging bandit could even reach her, he was thrown off his feet, soaring twenty paces through the air before smashing violently into an ancient tree, snapping the trunk in half as he collapsed unconscious beneath the timber.

"Not bad," the phantom voice remarked lazily from the shadows. The remaining five masked bandits shifted into an offensive formation, yet their execution was rough and disjointed, riddled with obvious openings. Su Luoyang stood unmoving, her gaze freezing cold. As the five bandits advanced together, a radiant blue light manifested in the air before them. A blast of condensed Qi struck their front with crushing force, shattering their formation and hurling all five across the dirt, coughing up blood. Clap. Clap.

Clap.

"Very good. Now we are even. What do you say?" the voice mocked. Su Luoyang finally reacted, her brows furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"I hit your men yesterday; you hit mine tonight," the voice replied matter-of-factly.

"We're even."

"Where is Su Luoyao?" Su Luoyang demanded, raising her voice, her aura flaring with chilling pressure.

"Oh! That? I actually don't know—" the voice answered flatly.

"I brought the hundred million silver coins," Su Luoyang stated coldly, resting a hand over her spatial ring.

"Let Su Luoyao go."

"Did you not hear me? I do not know where she is," the voice chuckled.

"But sure, I will gladly accept the hundred million silver coins. Thank you for your generosity." Su Luoyang clenched her fists tightly. Heavy footsteps crushed the debris as a black-robed, bulky man walked out from the dense forest, a featureless iron mask concealing his face. He simply exhaled. Boom! A wave of Qi exploded from the man's core. The ambient air grew suffocatingly dense.

"I won't hold back just because you are a girl," he chuckled as he stepped toward Su Luoyang. … Back at the Su Clan compound, Xiao Xuan and Wei Tu snuck through the dim side corridors toward the secondary carriage grounds. The majority of the clan's martial guards had already been mobilized to the outer gates by the elders, leaving the stables quiet. Approaching the stalls, Xiao Xuan found a sturdy spirit horse standing quietly in the dark.

The beast let out a low snort and shifted restlessly on its hooves as he drew near.

"Shush," Xiao Xuan whispered, placing a steady hand on the creature's muzzle before vaulting smoothly into the saddle.

"Young Master, how about I go to the southern hut instead?" Wei Tu suggested urgently, stepping forward.

"I am stronger, and if there is danger, I can fight, so—""No," Xiao Xuan corrected.

"Only if I am the one who flees will the First Elder believe the report and rush to reinforce Su Luoyang. Once I leave, go and inform him as planned. Besides, even you can't fight Su Ming and that may put Su Luoyao in danger too. Don't worry, I will retreat and alert the elders the moment I confirm she is there."

"Understood," Wei Tu replied, then quickly added, "Then I have a contingency plan too, Young Master!"

"What is it?" Xiao Xuan asked.

"If everything turns out well, I'll wait for you at the southern gate. But if the First Elder is indeed the one behind this, then I will likely be captured. If you don't find me here, you must escape to the Tang House!" Wei Tu said solemnly. Xiao Xuan paused for a second before nodding.

"Okay." With that, he spurred the spirit beast into a sprint, slipping silently through the southern gate and vanishing into the wilderness. Wei Tu turned back toward the main Council Hall to deliver the urgent message. But as he rounded the corner of the courtyard, he stopped dead in his tracks. Standing under the lantern light of the corridor was a furious Xinyue.

"Where the hell is he going?! Has he lost his mind?" she yelled.

"Xinyue, be quiet—!" Wei Tu panicked, waving his hands frantically to hush her.

"I have to inform the elders…" she muttered, turning on her heel and sprinting away.

"No! Xinyue, wait—!" Wei Tu cried, desperately giving chase down the corridor.