Chapter Thirty-Six: Seizing the Invisible Between Two Fingers; the Assassins of the Robe-Sweeping Tower

"Senior Brother!"
"Watch out!"
"Daoist!"

Xuantong, Xuanyu, and Chu Yunfei were all struck by terror. The turn of events was far too sudden; no one had anticipated that a Qi-Refining expert was lying in wait, lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

From a distance of only three feet, the murderous intent was absolute, aimed directly at the throat. The man in black had eyes full of cruelty, utterly confident in this strike; even a Master of the same rank would have a high probability of perishing.

In the blink of an eye, Xuanming reached out two fingers, unhurried yet arriving before the strike. With a surge of powerful energy, the space two feet from him seemed to freeze. An object was caught between his fingers, forced to reveal its form—it was an invisible awl, concealed within the assassin's fist.

Xuantong gasped. Xuanyu broke into a cold sweat. Chu Yunfei’s body tensed. To launch an ambush while hiding a weapon—truly insidious and vicious.

Xuanming, however, remained composed. As the man in black looked on in shock, he gave a light flick of his horsetail whisk, sending the attacker flying. Blood surged up into the assassin’s throat, spraying into the air as he was heavily wounded in an instant.

Before Chu Yunfei could even let out a breath, he tensed up once more. The man in black had performed an abrupt flip in mid-air, ignoring his injuries, and was now hurtling toward him with desperate bloodlust.

The pressure of a Qi-Refining expert descended. Cold, murderous intent pressed in on him. Though startled, Chu Yunfei was not cowed. He let out a roar, gathering his resolve, and threw a punch. He had never fought a Qi-Refining expert before; this was the perfect opportunity to test the gap between them.

His blood burned, and his fighting spirit boiled. Chu Yunfei’s intent was fierce, his massive momentum erupting instantly. As he threw his punch, the air itself shrieked. The spiritual energy of the world and his own invisible force gathered into that single blow, carrying the weight of a storm as it surged forward.

The momentum was vast, like a torrential gale. The punch was tyrannical, the force of it violent. "One Unbeatable Punch"—as the name implied, Chu Yunfei always gave his all, throwing only one strike. When the punch was thrown, life and death were decided. When the punch arrived, the outcome of the battle was clear.

Had the man in black been unscathed, he might not have feared this blow. But now, with his strength compromised, he logically should have dodged. Yet, he did not retreat. Letting the gale of the punch hit his face, he intended to take it head-on, trading life for life, desperate to kill Chu Yunfei at any cost.

Xuantong and Xuanyu’s expressions changed as they realized the identity of the attacker; this demeanor was clearly that of a professional killer.

"Senior Brother!" Xuantong shouted urgently. Chu Yunfei could not die on Mount Fuyun, or the Qiuzhen Temple would face grave trouble.

Xuanming saw it too. He had already moved the moment the man in black turned his aim toward Chu Yunfei.

He gave his horsetail whisk a light wave, and three thousand silver threads wrapped around the assassin. His Hunyuan mana flowed through the threads into the assassin’s body, forcibly sealing his power and leaving him without the strength to resist.

Under the assassin’s incredulous gaze, Chu Yunfei’s punch landed, striking him directly in the face. A crack echoed through the air. The skull of the Qi-Refining expert shattered, and blood gushed from his seven orifices. As he died, his eyes remained fixed on Xuanming, the light slowly fading from them—he died with his eyes wide open in resentment.

Recalling his whisk and ignoring Chu Yunfei’s complex, aggrieved look, Xuanming stroked his beard and gazed at the sky, feigning ignorance.

***

Silence fell upon the mountain peak.

Until the rain began to fall again, Chu Yunfei moved his lips, cupped his hands, and bowed. "Many thanks to the Master for saving my life."

He was not an ungrateful man. Just moments ago, had Master Xuanming not intervened, he might have been able to fight a Qi-Refining expert, but the result would have been mutual destruction or his own death. Though he did not fear death, he did not wish to die. His actions had been a primal instinct for survival and defense: the best defense is a good offense. Even though the Master’s intervention made him feel as if he had fought a "fake" expert, leaving him with no sense of achievement, the fact remained that his life had been saved.

Turning to face him, Xuanming stepped aside to avoid the full weight of the bow. "Young friend, though you arrived uninvited, your conduct is upright, making you a guest. To protect you is the duty of our Qiuzhen Temple, especially since this man committed murder within our grounds; I could not simply sit by."

"Whether you acknowledge it or not, I, Chu Yunfei, accept this debt of saving my life," Chu Yunfei said candidly.

Xuanming did not decline again. *I have already explained; I will not repeat myself. If you wish to acknowledge it, do so. To refuse again would seem pretentious.* The gratitude of a direct descendant of the Chu family—if offered, he would accept.

Looking at the one-foot-long awl in his hand, Xuanming pondered, "Could this be the legendary Invisible Awl?"

Xuantong and Xuanyu stepped forward. Xuantong, being clever, recalled the assassin’s suicidal ferocity and agreed, "Senior Brother is likely correct."

"It is said that the rules of the Fuyun Pavilion are such that once a blade is drawn, it must draw blood. Once their killers are dispatched, they never stop until the objective is dead or they themselves have perished."

"This man fits that description perfectly."

"This Invisible Awl is one of the seven great weapons of the Fuyun Pavilion."

Xuantong and Xuanyu turned their gazes to Chu Yunfei. The Fuyun Pavilion had never targeted the Qiuzhen Temple before; this assassin must have been brought here by this young aristocrat. The fact that the man in black had been willing to die just to kill Chu Yunfei was proof enough. He had only attacked Senior Brother Xuanming because he was the greatest threat and had discovered his location.

Chu Yunfei realized this as well, his expression darkening. The Fuyun Pavilion was not to be trifled with; once they set their sights on someone, they clung to them like sticky taffy.

Putting away the Invisible Awl, Xuanming spoke, "Perhaps he did not come only for you, Master Chu. The person behind this may have intended to kill two birds with one stone."

Seeing Chu Yunfei lost in thought, and signaled by a look from Xuanming, Xuantong understood and began to explain the complications surrounding the Qiuzhen Temple’s request for a "Kill Order" and the history between the Chen family and the Wang family of Zhoushan.

"Does the Master suspect that the Wang family orchestrated this trap to lure me here, and that they are the ones who hired the assassin?" Chu Yunfei asked in a deep voice.

Xuanming analyzed the situation rationally. "The Wang family is merely a suspect. It may not be them; perhaps someone else is pulling the strings."

Though he suspected the Wang family, he did not rule out other possibilities. This matter was too significant for him to act on impulse.

Seeing Chu Yunfei nod, Xuanming continued, "And it wasn't just two birds with one stone."

"If I had not attained the rank of Master, young friend, think: what would have happened during our duel?"

***

Though Chu Yunfei was a martial arts fanatic, he was not a simpleton. Raised with the orthodox education of a great family, he was astute. Otherwise, he would not have suspected that someone had set a trap to lure him here.

Chu Yunfei had chosen to come to Mount Fuyun not only out of his desire to test his mettle against a worthy opponent like Xuanming but also to play along, using himself as bait to draw the snake out of its hole and see who was plotting behind the scenes.

Following Xuanming’s line of thought, Chu Yunfei’s expression grew even grimmer.

If Master Xuanming had not broken through to his current realm, a full-force duel between them would have ended in either a mutual loss, or he would have injured the Daoist, damaging his foundations and ending any hope of reaching the Qi-Refining stage. Or, if he had defeated him, it could have been used to build Xuanming up only to destroy him—in the world of martial arts, there is no second place, and challengers would have come one after another.

A pitcher that goes to the well often will eventually break; even a great general eventually dies on the battlefield. No matter how strong Xuanming was, he would eventually meet his end.

And if he, Chu Yunfei, had died on the way down the mountain after challenging Xuanming, it would not only have broken the heart of the Chu family by losing a promising successor, but it would have also caused the Chu family to vent their wrath upon the Qiuzhen Temple, leading to the destruction of this Daoist lineage.

Looking at it from another angle, if the Fuyun Pavilion assassin had been ordered to kill both him and Xuanming, it would have been a perfect way to cut off the hopes of both the Qiuzhen Temple and the Chu family.

What a vicious and brilliant scheme!

After the realization, Chu Yunfei felt a deep sense of caution toward the mastermind. He said solemnly, "Thank you for your guidance, Master. When I return, I will report this to my elders and investigate thoroughly. I will drag the one behind this into the light and force them to answer to me and to the Qiuzhen Temple."

Xuanming said gratefully, "Thank you, Master Chu."

"The Qiuzhen Temple focuses on cultivating the Dao and the heart; we rarely involve ourselves in the affairs of the mortal world and are indeed not skilled at investigations. I leave this matter to you."

Cupping his hands, Chu Yunfei replied sternly, "Master, you are too kind. This is not just for the Qiuzhen Temple, but for my own family as well."

"Open arrows are easy to dodge, but hidden ones are hard to guard against. It is best to drag these rats out of the shadows."

Xuantong and Xuanyu were delighted.

Xuanming beamed, looking at Chu Yunfei, and asked, "Does my young friend still wish to challenge me?"

Chu Yunfei asked, "Earlier, you wounded the assassin with such ease. I dare to guess: have you forged a Superior Dao Foundation?"

Waving a hand to stop Xuantong from speaking, Xuanming openly admitted, "You guessed correctly."

Receiving confirmation, Chu Yunfei’s expression became resolute. "In that case, I must challenge you even more. The Tyrant Fist of my Chu family grows stronger against stronger opponents. My ambition is to refine the spirit, and I challenge experts from all sides to deepen my own foundations. Regardless of success or failure, this battle will be a tempering for me."

"Very well! Since you have considered it, I will certainly fulfill your wish. But I have one request."

"Please, Master."

"If I am fortunate enough to win, please keep the news of my breakthrough a secret for now. I am getting old and have become cautious; while one should not harbor thoughts of harming others, one must never be without thoughts of defense. The fewer people who know of my breakthrough, the more of an advantage the Qiuzhen Temple will have if a real crisis occurs."

"Rest assured, Master. I am not a loose-lipped man. However, I fear I cannot lie to my father."

"That is fine. To have raised a man like you, I trust that the Head of the Chu family is an upright person himself."

With those words, Xuanming raised his hand in an inviting gesture, suppressing his cultivation to match that of his opponent.

Chu Yunfei gathered his strength, ready for the fray.