Chapter Thirty-Four: Exposure!

Tang Fei pushed Phoenix away, as if afraid that holding her too long would somehow make her pregnant.

Phoenix felt another sharp pain in her chest, this time from Tang Fei’s push.

He pressed the wrong spot...

Tang Fei leapt from the wicker chair and ran to the courtyard gate, peering through the narrow gap between the two door panels.

Sure enough, the crowd surged—grey-robed men gathering in droves.

“Could we be exposed?” Tang Fei glanced at the old man, who shook his head.

“If we haven’t been exposed, then why are so many people suddenly here?” Tang Fei pressed.

“I shook my head not to say we aren’t exposed, but to say I don’t know what’s happening,” the old man replied.

“Next time, be clear with your words. Don’t let people misunderstand you.” Tang Fei’s tone was irritable.

Little Fatty awoke as well, rubbing his eyes as he came out. “Something happened? Why is it so noisy outside?”

Tang Fei gestured for silence, addressing Little Fatty and Phoenix, “Get ready—be prepared to run at any moment…”

“And you?” Phoenix blurted out.

Tang Fei looked at her. “Someone has to stay behind to cover the escape, or you won’t get far.”

“If we leave, we leave together.” Phoenix’s voice was resolute. “This all started because of me. How can I leave you alone? I’m a Qi Master too—I can fight by your side.”

She looked at Little Fatty and the old man. “You two go first. When Tang Fei and I break through the siege, we’ll find you.”

She hadn’t witnessed the old man strangling Shanhe with one hand, but since he’d managed to kill Shanhe, that proved his strength.

So Phoenix thought it wise to have him escort Little Fatty, who knew nothing of cultivation, to safety first.

The old man chuckled, “Loyal and righteous—not like those from New Star. I find myself liking you more and more, girl.”

“Thank you,” Phoenix said, thinking to herself that his compliments would be better without that strange chuckle and meaningful look.

The old man turned to Tang Fei. “The outside is sealed tight by the Flame Shrine’s grey-robed men; leaving won’t be easy… Let’s first clarify the situation. If they really are after us…”

His gaze grew fierce, voice cold. “Then we’ll kill them all. The Flame Shrine isn’t full of good people anyway.”

“Alright.” Tang Fei nodded. “I’ll go see what’s happening.”

He watched the gate for a while and spotted Wang Tianlong, the big brother who had eaten barbecue at their house yesterday.

Tang Fei opened the courtyard gate at once, greeting Wang Tianlong warmly. “Brother Long!”

Wang Tianlong saw Tang Fei and waved him back. “Quick, get inside… Close the door and stay in.”

“Brother Long, what’s going on?” Tang Fei asked.

“Not sure yet,” Wang Tianlong replied. “We’ve been ordered to surround the village… Why worry about this? Hurry back. You have our Flame Talisman on your door—just don’t come out and you’ll be fine.”

“Alright, thank you, Brother Long.” Tang Fei was grateful. “Are you looking for someone? Need my help?”

Wang Tianlong waved him off. “No, no. Your family’s old and young—what help could you give?”

He lowered his voice, speaking quietly. “We’re after a Qi Master—word is, they’ve brought in experts from Lingyang District… Even the Flame Army is here…”

“The Flame Army?” Tang Fei asked.

He’d never dealt with them and knew nothing of their strength. Of course, the Flame Army rarely ventured to remote human settlements like Hate Mountain.

If the victim hadn’t been a Black Robe, and that Black Robe happened to be the son of Lingyang District’s chief, Bian Feng, the Flame Army wouldn’t be here.

“Never seen them, right? Heh, this is my first time dealing with them too. They usually operate in Lingyang District—their gear is top-notch, plenty of guns. Much more impressive than us grey robes.” Wang Tianlong grinned.

“Anyway, why am I telling you this? Hurry home—if our Flame Shrine brothers accidentally hurt you, that’d be bad.”

“Thanks for your concern, Brother Long. Take care yourself. Once you’re free, come over for barbecue.” Tang Fei invited warmly. “I’ll hunt on the mountain soon—see if I can bring you a wild boar. Roasted boar is delicious.”

Wang Tianlong nodded. “Don’t go up the mountain—the whole village is sealed, you couldn’t leave if you tried. When I’m free, I’ll have someone bring over some wild boar meat… You just handle the roasting.”

The Flame Shrine and the Predators are similar; we don’t hunt, but we can be food couriers.

Though the Flame Shrine does it more discreetly and less often. The Predators live by it, taking whatever they find.

“Alright, I’ll follow Brother Long’s arrangement,” Tang Fei agreed obediently.

Wang Tianlong waved Tang Fei off and went about his business.

Tang Fei closed the courtyard gate. The old man and Little Fatty gathered, Phoenix emerged from her hiding place.

“What’s going on?” the old man asked.

“They must have found a suspicious target—otherwise, they wouldn’t seal the whole village,” Tang Fei explained.

From his brief exchange with Wang Tianlong, Tang Fei had pieced together the situation.

“But they haven’t pinpointed us… That means they don’t know we’re involved. Otherwise, Wang Tianlong wouldn’t be so friendly.”

“Is it possible Wang Tianlong’s information is limited?” Phoenix asked.

“That’s possible,” Tang Fei replied. “Still, this situation is dangerous. They’ve mobilized all the grey robes from Hate Mountain and brought experts and Flame Army from Lingyang District. I don’t know how strong those experts are, but if the Flame Army is as Wang Tianlong says, all equipped with firearms, they’re a big threat to us.”

“When soldiers come, we’ll face them; when water floods, we’ll block it.” The old man stretched lazily. “Plan for the worst, then wait and see.”

Tang Fei nodded. “I’ll go sharpen my blade.”

Tang Fei’s machete had stopped a bullet for him, shattering into pieces.

He needed to forge a new one—he was used to that kind of blade.

Amidst the throng of grey robes and Flame Army, Bian Feng rode into the center of the village. At his left was Chen Hu, deputy of Hate Mountain’s settlement; at his right, Bloodhand, chairman of the Predators’ Bloodhand Society.

Bian Feng surveyed the crowd and asked, “Is the area surrounded?”

“All surrounded,” Chen Hu reported quickly—he was chiefly responsible for this operation. “We started with a large perimeter, then a smaller, tightening from the outside in. Not even a fly can escape.”

Bian Feng glanced at Chen Hu. “Good work—this is a great achievement. If you do poorly, you’ll tend spirit beasts in Lingyang District.”

“Yes.” Chen Hu bowed.

He turned to a grey-robed captain. “Cheng Gang, bring the person to me.”

Soon, the grey robes brought a young man, thin and shifty in his step.

Bian Feng’s gaze fell on the young man’s face; after scrutinizing him, he asked, “You said you saw someone else searching for a cultivator?”

“Yes, sir.” The young man dared not meet Bian Feng’s gaze, bowing low. “Yesterday afternoon, while I was working at home, two outsiders came and asked if I’d seen an injured woman…”

“Outsiders? An injured woman?” Bian Feng looked down at the young man’s messy, yellow grass-like hair, knowing he was closing in on the truth.

Locals from Hate Mountain’s settlement wouldn’t dare provoke the Flame Shrine; but outsiders from New Star were another matter.

“So, did you see her?”

“Yes, many of us did.” The young man replied.

“Where is this woman?” Bian Feng asked.

“At Tang Fei’s house,” the young man answered. “A few days ago, we saw Tang Fei carrying a woman home…”

“Tang Fei? Who is he?”

“He’s a hunter,” the young man replied.

After a pause, he added, “A very skilled hunter—every time he goes up the mountain, he brings something back. So, when he returns, everyone watches to see what he’s brought. Didn’t expect him to bring a person…”

The yellow-haired youth thought for a moment. “That woman is clearly an outsider—her skin’s pale and soft, her clothes aren’t like ours… She wore… very strange clothes…”

“Tang Fei.” Bian Feng chewed the name over and spoke to Chen Hu, “Bring Tang Fei here.”

“Yes, sir,” Chen Hu replied.