The giant strode out of the forest carrying an unconscious Blue-Robed Enforcer by the scruff of his neck, as easily as one might carry a chick. His body was spattered with blood, and the bright crimson spots scattered across his dark-green robe made them bloom like桃花 — vivid and startling against the fabric.
Li Feiyu drew a sharp breath.
The giant strode up to the two men and tossed the Blue-Robed figure onto the ground. Li Feiyu was hit by a sharp, acrid smell of blood.
His face paled and he involuntarily took half a step back into a defensive stance.
The giant paid no attention to Li Feiyu's posture. He took one long stride, returned to his position behind Han Li, and once again stood motionless and silent, as though he had never left at all.
Li Feiyu finally let out a long breath and dropped his guard. He looked at the Blue-Robed man on the ground, then at Han Li, who remained perfectly composed throughout, and suddenly burst into laughter.
"No wonder you were so calm! You've been hiding a real powerhouse by your side all along! Why didn't you tell me sooner? I've been worrying myself sick for nothing." Li Feiyu's tone was light on the surface, but inwardly he was mulling over the mystery of the green-robed giant's relationship with Han Li.
Han Li could see through his friend's thoughts, but had no intention of offering an explanation. With a half-smile playing on his lips, he said in an unhurried voice:
"This Blue-Robed Enforcer should know quite a bit. Which one of us should do the questioning? I figure you, Hall Master Li, are much more skilled at this sort of thing than I am. The capable should do the work — I leave it to you."
Li Feiyu saw that Han Li had deftly changed the subject with no intention of introducing him to the giant, and was not entirely pleased. But he was keenly interested in interrogating the Enforcer himself, so with Han Li's words as a convenient excuse, he readily agreed.
Li Feiyu picked up the unconscious Blue-Robed man, slipped lightly into the trees, and began his work of extraction. Han Li simply settled himself on the grass with a comfortable sigh, and rested.
Before long, Li Feiyu walked out of the woods, his face dark.
"That was quick. Anything useful?" Han Li did not stand up; instead he raised an eyebrow and asked directly.
"Hmph! The man was a coward. Before I even lifted a finger, he spilled everything. I have two pieces of news — one good and one bad. Which would you like to hear first?" Li Feiyu's voice was sour.
"Tell me the good news first — it might lift my spirits." Han Li was, as always, unperturbed.
"The good news is, your guess about the Wild Wolf Gang's strategy was exactly right. They have indeed surrounded all the other peaks without attacking, concentrating their main force at the foot of Sunset Peak, and are attacking with everything they have. Word is they have already broken through several defensive positions." Li Feiyu delivered this flatly, showing little concern for the fate of the sect's leadership.
"If the good news is like that, I can already imagine how bad the bad news must be." Han Li rubbed his nose and spoke more to himself than to Li Feiyu.
"Your crow's tongue is as accurate as ever. The bad news is, the attackers this time aren't just the Wild Wolf Gang. Iron Spear Society, Broken Water Gate, and several other mid-sized and minor gangs are all in on it. It seems our sect truly faces a mortal crisis."
Han Li froze for a moment, for this news was beyond even his expectations.
"Never mind how many enemies there are. The priority is to meet up with your sweetheart and your men. While it's still chaotic outside, let's move." Han Li did not remain shocked for long. He quickly made his judgment.
Li Feiyu nodded hastily in agreement. The suggestion was exactly what he wanted to hear.
"What about that fellow? What did you do with him?" Han Li asked suddenly.
"Eliminated him. Did you think I'd bring him along?" Li Feiyu said with complete nonchalance.
Han Li smiled faintly and pressed one hand to the ground. His body rose gracefully from the grass in a single fluid motion.
"Let's go. Try to avoid the enemy as much as possible. If we truly can't avoid them, kill every last person who sees us. Don't hold back — otherwise their numbers will only keep growing." Han Li spoke these words with the lightness of someone remarking on the weather, but the meaning was steeped in killing intent and the iron scent of blood.
Several li from Spirit Hands Valley — in Elder Li's courtyard — a dense crowd of people had gathered. Among them were men and women, old and young. They appeared to know no martial arts whatsoever, but all were speaking in hushed, anxious tones, and worry was plain on every face.
In the courtyard's vicinity, roughly twenty young men dressed in black, gripping swords and blades, kept watch on the perimeter. Compared to the defenseless people inside, their presence was starkly conspicuous.
In the hall of the residence, two men were locked in heated argument.
"I will not agree to sending anyone outside! Our defenses here are already thin. Sending men away would weaken them further. No — absolutely not!" A portly, round-bellied middle-aged man sprayed saliva as he spoke, shaking his head like a rattle drum, his voice ringing with refusal.
"But we have no idea what is happening outside. If we don't send someone to scout, we'll be completely in the dark — totally blind. That's far too passive!" The man arguing with him was none other than Ma Rong, Elder Li's most trusted disciple.
"Passive is passive. What happens out there has nothing to do with me. What matters is the safety here. Do you dare disobey orders?" The fat man blinked his beady eyes, then suddenly produced a golden command token from inside his robes and waved it before Ma Rong's face, his expression haughty.
Ma Rong looked at the fat man, then at the token, and let out a long sigh. He clasped his hands and bowed.
"I would not dare. I obey the order."