6pm. The workday was over.
Li Hao packed up his things, the third gen vortex gun still on him. Although Liu Yan said that he could pick whatever weapon he set his eyes on, he didnât choose any for the time being. The more formidable a weapon was, the less convenient it was to carry around.
Hand grenades, on the other hand, werenât too bulky. They fit in a pocket, so long as they didnât also explode in the pocket.
He glanced at the skyâit was another day of clear weather. Rain didnât seem likely on the forecast tonight.
âThe Demon Huntersâ¦â Li Hao flung his leg over his bike and turned back to look at the Law Enforcement building in the distance. It felt like there was a pair of eyes, or several pairs of eyes, on him.
Was it Liu Long? Was the team already keeping a watch on him and commencing the plan with him as bait?
âItâs not that I canât trust Liu Long, but that I canât fully trust him!â Li Hao held his own standards of judgment. He wouldnât immediately be close friends with Liu Long since he wasnât familiar with the man. The captain wouldnât intentionally hurt Li Hao if he truly stood on the side of justice. At the same time, however, he wouldnât do anything if the scarlet shadow killed the young man!
Sacrificing Li Hao for a dead supernatural might be a trade that Liu Long made without blinking. Not even Yuan Shuo could say anything about that! There was nothing his teacher could do so long as Liu Long didnât personally kill the young man.
Based on Li Haoâs current train of thought, his teacher was possibly the reason why Liu Long refrained from asking about the stone blade and sword. The position of captain of the law enforcement team still hobbled the man.
After all, Liu Long wasnât on the side of evil and wrongdoing. He was one of the Inspectorate and overseen by the Night Watchers.
âEven if teacher does nothing at all⦠he is still a silent factor in saving me.â Li Hao was well aware that without the greatness of his teacher, Liu Long would absolutely ask about the treasures, if not outright kill him. He might even force Li Hao to hand them over in the name of bait.
This purposeful ignorance was plainly out of reservation for Yuan Shuo.
âWhen it comes down to it, itâs all because Iâm too weak!â Li Haoâs bike creaked as he rode on. He didnât know whether the scarlet shadow faction was watching him or whether Liu Long and the others were following him. It was very difficult to locate those whoâd made up their minds to stay out of sight.
âThe only thing I can do is to get stronger!â he murmured. He didnât trust even the enthusiastic Liu Yan. She might not save him when real danger was at hand. âI hope I can grow stronger before they make their move!â
He hadnât dared drink too much sword water before because digestion was slow and he was worried about exhausting the mysterious power. But now that he looked at it, all the energy in the world would do him no good if he died. Therefore, he was going to steep the sword to drink as much as possible!
Not only that, but he was even considering whether he should destroy the jade sword to release more energy. At this point in time, it didnât matter whether or not it was a family heirloom. And if the jade sword wasnât the solution to his problems, there was another stone blade at home!
â¦â¦
The bike slowly trundled forward as Li Hao stared off into space, uncaring of anything he saw. Openlight quickly appeared in his line of vision.
#302 of Building 6.
Panther darted out of a corner like a shadow before the young man set foot inside. The little black dog was noticeably faster than before.
âArf!â Panther wagged its tail happily, as if saying all had been well today. No one paid attention to the house after Li Hao left for work and no one came sniffing around.
Meanwhile, the young man looked at a dog that seemed a little bigger than yesterday and gently patted its head. He pushed open the front door, took off his outer clothes, and turned on the light. It threw off dim illumination as the curtains were pulled tight.
Li Hao sat on the couch and contemplated the events of the past two days. So much had happened so quickly that he was having a hard time digesting everything. Properly analyzing all of the various clues was a tall task.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âThe Demon Hunters, scarlet shadow faction, Night Watchers, eight families⦠I might be the only survivor out of the eight families!
âThe scarlet shadowâs target is me, the Demon Hunters want their supernatural, the Night Watchers are busy elsewhere and might not come, but someone from their side should be here because teacher is about to go into the field.
"Was the shadow last night and the person behind it just one part of their faction, or was that everyone?â
How many supernaturals are we talking about?
Li Hao had no idea! However, probably more than one as the one from last night was very possibly a scout. It wasnât likely to be their entire contingent.
âHas Liu Long thought about this? Can the Demon Hunters handle the situation if thereâs more than one supernatural on their side, maybe even three or four?â Li Hao gently knocked on the table. While the team was of some help, they didnât offer a sense of security. A multitude of thoughts ran through his mind, but there was no one who could help him.
No, no wait. Li Hao struggled for a moment before taking out his communicator. He needed his teacherâs helpâmere consolation, if nothing more concrete.
â¦â¦
The Veteris Institute of Silver City.
Yuan Shuo practiced an extremely ugly boxing method in his yard. Itâd be more accurate to call him a squawking hen as opposed to a training cultivator. Rather than the technique known as Chicken Fists, it was the fowl style of the New Book of Five Styles!
Tiger, deer, bear, ape, and fowl. The ape style was suited for escape and the fowl for speedâwhich actually made it even more appropriate for escape than the ape style. A killing technique was also embedded within each style!
Whether it was the ape or fowl style, all contained their ways to kill. Li Hao didnât know because he hadnât studied the styles in sufficient breadth or detail. Heâd always thought of the ape style as just a way to ensure safety.
Humm!
Yuan Shuo moved slowly without force. He looked like a flapping hen when he swung his fists around. Despite the complete lack of elegance, explosive sounds rang through the air.
A Sunderer of Hundreds! One who used to be at the peak of martial dao!
Sadly, his stamina had declined with age. The appearance of supernatural abilities and popularization of hot weapons also gradually phased out this kind of person. In the eyes of outsiders, he was pure literati and a premier expert of ancient civilizations.
Ring ring ring!
The interruption shook Yuan Shuo out of his ungainly motions. He flicked a sideways glance at the communicator off to the side and picked it up.
âSo youâve decided to go to the law enforcement team?â
âYes!â
Yuan Shuo wasnât surprised. If his final disciple said he was going to do something, then he would do so without hesitation. The esteemed professor also seemed to know that Li Hao had called because he needed something.
âWhat is it?â Yuan Shuo chuckled. âAre you doubting yourself? Did Liu Long take you down a peg today? Do you think you havenât anything to your name and canât hack it in the outside world?â
âA little,â Li Hao admitted with a sigh. âTeacher, do you think thereâs still a future for academic studying after an entire new world has appeared in our society?â
The young man felt that future prospects for the scholastic field were dim after witnessing the might of supernaturals. Would this world be the domain of supernaturals in the future? Could mundane folks such as his teacher and himself live in peace and enjoy life?
âThere is naturally no way forward for pure academia! But thereâs even less of a way forward for sheer violence!â Yuan Shuo responded firmly. âIâve never heard of anyone conquering everything through pure military might. Human intelligence is the key to uniting the world and becoming the master of all!
âThose who walk the path of martial dao might see half the result with twice the effort if they try to learn our knowledge, but we see twice the result with half the effort if we pursue martial dao! Donât think that youâve wasted your time up till nowâit was all in preparation and a foundation!
âIf you do end up making the crossover, youâll find that wisdom and intelligence are priceless treasures. They ensure that the road ahead is much less broken!â
It was his task to shine a light when a student was lost. Such was to propagate dao, disseminate learning, and resolve confusion! To Yuan Shuo, it was normal that self doubt would circulate after Li Hao came in contact with the supernatural field for the first time. It was also imperative that his studentâs faith didnât waver at this time.
âWhile I wonât go so far as to say that I was invincible beneath the heavens, I was one of the few at the top of the pyramid before the dawn of the occult. However, I was known not for my fighting capabilities, but my research efforts in the field of ancient civilizations. That is why I am renowned throughout the land!
âThose in my generation who only knew martial might naturally didnât meet with good ends after hot weapons grew in popularity. The more famous one was, the faster one died! But me? Here I am, still alive and well. I am an honored guest to those supernaturalsâwhile there are certain restrictions placed on me, I go where I wish and do what I want.
âThe supernaturals may be strong for the moment, but that doesnât mean there is no one who can keep them in check or pass judgment on themâ¦â
Li Hao listened quietly as his teacher rambled on, the knot in his heart easing slightly. After a while, Yuan Shuo laughed heartily.
âDonât think too much when it comes to the law enforcement team. Liu Long and his guys may not be able to take care of real trouble when it comes knocking, so I leave you with what I said beforeâyou can hide out with me anytime.â
âTeacher, are the Night Watchers aware of the situation in Silver City?â Li Hao asked after some thought.
âI donât know. They might be, but they wonât be first on the scene even if they are. Liu Long and his men are the canaries in the mine and cannon fodder!â Yuan Shuo responded without an ounce of mercy. The true status of the Demon Hunters induced bone-piercing horror!
âThere arenât that many Night Watchers, which means each supernatural is incredibly precious and not to be easily sacrificed. As the current situation in Silver City is vague, cannon fodder like Liu Long will be sent out first.
âItâs fantastic if theyâre successful and not a huge loss if theyâre not. The Night Watchers will gain a general understanding of their opponentâs capabilities. To know oneself and the enemyâs strength is the path to victoryâthey will know what level of strength to deploy for the latest trouble plaguing Silver City. This is why the Night Watchers so rarely appear.â
The organization maintained their sense of mystery so that outsiders were unaware of their particulars. Fringe groups like Liu Longâs team were lookouts. It didnât matter if they died. But if they managed to kill a supernatural and cross over, they would add to Night Watcher strength if they joined the shadowy faction.
This was the true cloud looming over Silver City and Yuan Shuo had long seen through it!
Li Hao exhaled softly, how mercenary! His teacherâs words parted some of the fog and helped him understand that the Demon Hunters were likely in contact with the Night Watchers. Perhaps Liu Long was a peripheral member?
It was impossible!
âDonât think too much,â Yuan Shuo suddenly said. âI canât force you to come to me if youâre unwilling. Since you understand more of the situation, Iâll give you a brief overview so you are better able to protect yourself.â
What? Li Hao had thought his teacher would give him some treasure, but that plainly wasnât the case.
Yuan Shuo suddenly switched to a secret languageâa unique mode of communication between him and his students. For an expert like the esteemed professor, crafting a special way of transmitting messages was very easy.
âThe sword of the Lis, blade of the Zhangs⦠They are families in the folk song and even specific supernatural items. They would be jokes in times before, but that may not be the case now!â
Li Hao started, then quickly regained his calm. If even Liu Long could guess the truth, why not his teacher? In the young manâs eyes, Yuan Shuo was the smartest and wisest man he knew.
âIt is both a blessing and a curse if you have them! Zhang Yuanâs death is possibly related to this. Plainly, supernaturals have you in their sights and this is likely what they want. The folk song of the eight families has circulated for countless years. Iâve heard of it, but I donât know where it comes from. Perhaps it was never recorded anywhere and just passed on through word of mouth from generation to generationâ¦
âAccording to my research, the song may have something to do with the ancient civilizations. Being my student, you know a bit about them and how I discovered the New Book of Five Styles in a ruin. I simply modified the method a bit.â
Li Hao listened silently to his teacher.