Chapter Thirty-Two: The Corpse-Seeker of Mount Hatred

“See? What did I just say?” The old man pointed at Chubby with an air of triumph.

“You just got lucky,” Tang Fei retorted, unconvinced.

“Lucky? Why don’t you try getting lucky for me? Let me tell you, these eyes of mine are like the Fiery Eyes of Sun Wukong—able to see through appearances to the truth.” The old man patted Chubby on the shoulder. “Don’t be fooled by how simple he seems—he’s not stupid at all. Chubby, did you throw that hammer on purpose?”

Chubby nodded, a little embarrassed. “I was too tired, felt like I could barely lift the hammer anymore. I knew if things kept going like that, I’d definitely lose...”

“So I thought I’d sell a flaw, see if I could find a chance for a decisive blow. That’s what I’ve seen you do in fights, big bro...”

Tang Fei ruffled Chubby’s hair and wiped a handful of sweat from his brow. Chubby had exerted himself so much that his hair was soaked and sticky.

Wiping his hand on Chubby’s shirt in mild distaste, Tang Fei said, “Nicely done. What do I always tell you? In a fight to the death, it’s either you die, or I find a way to make you die...”

“To stay alive, there’s nothing you can’t do. Only the victor receives praise—if you’re the one lying on the ground, what good is a noble character to you?”

“Got it, I’ll listen to you, big bro,” Chubby nodded.

“Is everyone alright?” the old man asked.

“We’ve been standing in front of you for ages, and you’re only asking now?” Tang Fei shot back.

“I was busy keeping an eye on Chubby, wasn’t I? Didn’t have time for anything else,” the old man replied. “These assassins should all be dead by now, right?”

“We haven’t found anyone else for now,” Tang Fei said, then kicked the body of the knife-thrower lying on the ground with disdain. “What kind of assassin team is this? More like a suicide squad.”

The old man shook his head. “These were all top-notch professionals—each with real skills. They just underestimated us, didn’t expect to run into a group like ours.”

Phoenix nodded, knowing the old man was right.

If everyone you ran into on the Old Earth had their strength, the Old Earth would have risen long ago. With a bit of luck, their tech could have reached the New Star by now...

But alas, they were always a rare breed, one in a million.

If she’d been found by anyone other than Tang Fei, some other Old Earth refugee... she feared she’d have been killed long ago.

Thinking of this, she glanced at Tang Fei.

Tang Fei happened to have the same thought, and looked at Phoenix—just as their eyes met.

He quickly looked away, then realized that seemed too guilty, so he turned back again, meeting Phoenix’s gaze head-on.

This time, Phoenix was the one to blush and look away.

Only then did Tang Fei feel content.

I can be shameless, but I can’t lose.

The old man watched the two young people’s silent exchange and chuckled to himself.

Chubby was completely bewildered—what was so funny about that?

“The main thing is, they came to the wrong place,” Tang Fei said.

This was Hate Mountain—his territory.

He knew every inch of it, with countless things to take advantage of, countless traps to set.

That row of arrow traps, for instance, had originally been set up to hunt steel-boar, just modified a bit for this occasion.

And that Hell’s Gate—he used to rely on it time and again, no matter what animal followed Tang Fei in, only the flesh ever came out—the soul was always left behind. He hadn’t expected it to almost backfire this time...

“That’s true. You’ve been running circles in these mountains since you were a kid—no one knows them better than you. For them, coming in here was a death sentence,” the old man finally praised Tang Fei. “But what was with that Hell’s Gate? How did you let yourself get cornered like that? If Phoenix hadn’t shown up in time, you’d have lost your life. You didn’t even do as well as Chubby this time.”

“How is that my fault? How was I supposed to know they had a shape-shifting aircraft? All I’ve got are these two hands, what else?”

“Dead men can’t explain themselves,” the old man said seriously.

“...” Tang Fei realized the old man made sense, so he simply didn’t want to talk to him anymore.

He turned to Phoenix. “They must have come by ship or star-disc. If we can find it, you can go home.”

“Yes.” Phoenix nodded, delighted. “At least I can use their comms to contact my family on New Star.”

“Right.” Tang Fei brightened too—if Phoenix returned, she’d probably send him a ton of weapons and supplies. Good days were surely ahead. “Too bad we didn’t leave anyone alive... we could have asked where the ship was parked.”

“Use your brain.” The old man tapped his own head. “Think about where they’d most likely park it.”

Tang Fei looked at him. “Any ideas?”

“What ideas could I have at my age? I’m telling you to think—where would you hide a ship if you were them?”

Tang Fei scanned the area. “If I were them, I’d park it at the highest point around here—the top of Hate Mountain. That way, you can see everything at a glance. And if anything happens, you can escape quickly, right?”

As he finished speaking, a blinding flare shot up from the mountain’s summit.

In a flash, the light soared into the sky and vanished from view.

They all looked at each other.

Chubby gazed at Tang Fei in awe. “Big bro, you’re amazing, guessed it in one shot.”

“What good is guessing?” the old man exploded. “They got away... How could you let them get away? That was a star-disc! If we’d managed to keep it...”

“Could you fly it?” Tang Fei asked.

“What do you know? Star-disc tech is cutting-edge now. You just use voice commands and input coordinates—nothing else to it,” the old man grumbled.

What should have been his spoils had flown right out from under his nose.

For someone like him, anything not brought home was lost. It was infuriating.

Tang Fei felt so heartsick he could hardly breathe; he stared at the sky for a good long while before turning to Phoenix, looking glum. “Looks like you can’t leave after all...”

“Yes, what a shame,” Phoenix replied, but her voice sounded almost cheerful.

She did want to go home, but if she couldn’t for now, it wasn’t the end of the world.

Tang Fei found her tone odd, but didn’t dwell on it.

He glanced at Phoenix thoughtfully and asked, “Were those people the ones searching for the King’s Tomb with you?”

“No,” Phoenix shook her head.

“I didn’t think so. You’re a student at that academy on New Star... these people don’t look like students at all. Who ever saw students that old, or that vicious?”

“Exactly,” Phoenix agreed.

“They’re all professional killers...” Tang Fei grinned at Phoenix, watching her face closely. “What did you do that was so unforgivable, you’ve got people spending a fortune to send assassins after you?”

Phoenix knew they were starting to doubt her, but kept her composure. “There’s someone in our group with a powerful background who wanted to claim the King’s Tomb for himself, so he ordered the killings—even murdered classmates and teachers...”

“They’re worried I’ll go back to New Star and expose his crimes, so they sent assassins to silence me...”

Tang Fei looked at the old man, who grunted, “Believe it if you want, don’t if you don’t. Why are you looking at me?”

“I want to see if you believe her.”

“I don’t,” the old man replied bluntly. “Didn’t I always tell you both? Women are all liars—the prettier they are, the better they lie.”

“You talk like you’ve had your heart broken a thousand times,” Tang Fei said irritably.

“Sigh, the number of young women I’ve disappointed... if not a thousand, then at least eight hundred,” the old man intoned gravely, mourning his misspent youth.

“What, did you sell them fake face masks?”

“...”

“Pfft!”

Phoenix knew she shouldn’t laugh at a time like this, but couldn’t help herself and burst out giggling.

Seeing the strange looks Tang Fei and the old man gave her, she forced herself to stop and apologized, “Sorry, Uncle, I didn’t mean to...”

“Forget it.” The old man waved it off magnanimously. “Laugh if you want. That story you made up might fool these two blockheads, but me? No chance.”

“Uncle...”

“If you don’t want to talk, we won’t press you,” the old man said, but his tone was threatening. “But if you harm them, don’t blame me for being merciless.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle. They’re my friends—I’d never hurt them.”

The old man stretched, arms wide, and said, “Let’s go home, let’s go. After running around all night, I’m dead tired.”

He turned to Tang Fei. “Go search the bodies, see if there’s anything useful.”

“Already did,” Tang Fei replied.

He was an expert at this—never killed without searching, and never came back empty-handed.

“Good.” The old man was very pleased with Tang Fei. This kid handled things just the way he did.

Nothing like his father.

Night had deepened, the forest lush and silent.

It took Tang Fei, Phoenix, Chubby, the old man, and the others more than an hour to make their way home over hills and streams. Fleeing hadn’t felt so far, but heading back, the distance caught up with them.

The yard was just as they’d left it; even the meat Chubby had hidden was untouched.

Tang Fei looked at Phoenix and Chubby. “You all go sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

Though they’d dealt with several assassins, there was no guarantee there weren’t more lurking in the dark. Caution was necessary.

“Bro, let me stay up with you?” Chubby offered.

“No need.” Tang Fei declined. “Go get some sleep.”

Chubby wasn’t a cultivator. After fighting nearly all day, he was surely exhausted.

“I’ll stay with you,” Phoenix said to Tang Fei. “I’m a cultivator—I can use yin and yang energy to restore myself even while sitting. Besides, I can keep you company.”

“That’s settled, then.” The old man yawned, dragging Chubby away. “Why are you fighting over this? Give your brother a chance to find you a sister-in-law.”

(Ps: All firepower support appreciated!)