Martial Peak

Chapter 6124, Escape (8)

Author: Silavin

The voice laughed manically, “Good. Good. Good.”

It actually took a while for it to calm down before speaking once more. “Kid, I like you. It is quite unfair for me to actually charge you with two favours considering that I ended up asking you for another favour. So, I’ll help you this one time.”

The voice only said as much before Yang Ji and Hong Jun felt a force surrounding them. For the former, it was gentle, like a breeze caressing him, while the latter simply for swooped off his feet like he had been flung. The two got ejected out of the store at that very moment, and before Yang Ji made it out the door, the voice rang in his head, “Oh, I got. Once you complete my task, you’ll naturally be given the shelf. So go without worries.”

The very next moment, Yang Ji was already facing the entrance of the store. This time, however, there seemed to be a force preventing him from re-entering.

“Wu Lun, do you know who he is?” Yang Ji could not help but wonder.

“I do, but you don’t need to know his name right now. You have more important things to settle.” Wu Lun sighed and said. 

Yang Ji turned around and noticed that unlike him, who was still staring at the entrance, Hong Jun and Xing Ting had already turned around and were in poses that suggested they were ready for battle. 

[Huh? What’s going–] Yang Ji wondered and he quickly noticed a familiar presence approaching from a distance. The two must have noticed before he did, considering how much higher their cultivation realm was. 

The figure that approached moved with marked ease, as though unfettered by the killing intent radiating from Hong Jun and Xing Ting. In less than ten breathes, the figure suddenly appeared before their eyes, completely relaxed and calm, with a smile on his face that seemed to mock the situation itself.

This figure was none other than Liu Sang Hu, the same man who had set that trap for them at Revitalisation Inn. 

Unlike before, Yang Ji could now clearly see Liu Sang Hu face to face. He bore features of a middle-aged man, but there were aspects of him that still seemed youthful. His eyes, for example, radiated a glow that suggested youthful energy while profound intellect. The man dressed unassumingly, just a simple robe, like any other ordinary bystander. However, the way his long silky hair flowed along with that hand he held up made him seem like a noble scholar.

The man did not have a beard nor a moustache, which made his calm smile all the more noticeable. He spoke with both arms slightly raised, as though surrendering, with his fan loosely held in one hand, “I’m not here to cause trouble.”

Hong Jun’s eyes narrowed but he did not say anything. He mainly waited for Liu Sang Hu to explain himself.

“I’m here because of that Senior’s request. You three wish to board a ship out of the city, right? I am here to help with that.” Liu Sang Hu said as he took scrolls out from his Space Ring. Even with both hands up, he tossed the scrolls to Hong Jun and stayed put. 

Hong Jun caught the scrolls and looked through them. They were naturally a map and the ship schedules. However, strangely enough, the schedules did not include any public transportation and only private ones. Furthermore, their routes all seem to cross sections of this map.

On guard, Hong Jun asked, “And why would you be willing to do this?”

Liu Sang Hu’s gaze moved away from Hong Jun and towards Yang Ji before settling back to Hong Jun, “Why bother asking me? I’m just here to fulfill the Senior’s request. As for why the Senior had asked for my aid, you need to ask those involved instead.”

Hong Jun, spurred by this, now turns to look at Yang Ji, the source of all this. He questioned, with a voice that could only be heard through the Rune, “What did you do?”

Yang Ji, feigning calm, reiterates what Wu Lun had taught him to say, “The Senior owes me favours. I used up one for a map and the travel schedule of private ships.”

Hong Jun naturally did not believe that, so he further questioned, “And what have you done to gain his favour?”

“He said something along the lines of fate, that my Father had once helped him so he is returning the favour. But, I don’t even know who my Parents are, so I don’t know how he recognised me.” Yang Ji said while trying to be calm. However, he could not hide the nervousness, which strangely made this story more believable. 

“You Father, huh…” Hong Jun, on guard, was not one to believe a stranger’s words so easily. Thus, he looked at Liu Sang Hu to try and verify it. However, how could that old fox possibly expose anything useful?

In fact, seeing Hong Jun turn towards him, Liu Sang Hu spoke up to quickly move to the main topic. “Though I appreciate gazes on me, we do not have much time playing mind games here. I’ve been tasked to escort you on board a ship. It would be best to make our move now before your opponents start to gather in earnest.”

“And how do you suggest we move when it can be a trap? You are aware of how little we trust you.” Hong Jun said with narrowed eyes.

“Of course. I’m not truly your ally after all. But a request is a request. You should know how I work by now, right? I always accomplish my tasks.” Liu Sang Hu nonchalantly stated, confident that this was enough. However, he still added, “But if you are that worried of betrayal, I can swear to Heaven that I will properly escort you onboard one of those ships.”

Hong Jun took a deep breath and lowered his stance. If a man were to swear to Heaven, that was basically an oath that could cost them their life if they went against it. Few would dare swear to Heaven for that very reason. Therefore, Hong Jun had little reason to doubt him at this point.

There might be Artifacts that could negate divine punishment from Heaven but from what Hong Jun knew, he had never heard of Liu Sang Hu not fulfilling a request he had received. He might play tricks, but the man would always complete them without falling beneath the bottomline.

Then, he turned to Yang Ji, who quickly also said, “I swear to Heaven that the Senior is really aiding us due to those favours…”

“…”

“Good job kid.”  Liu Sang Hu praised Yang Ji through his Divine Sense, placing down his arms and opening his fan. With a wave, an entire map of Defiance City was made clear using just Qi in the space between the two groups.

Yang Ji saw this and was astonished. Qi and Divine Sense were different. It was far harder to control Qi, and manoeuvre it to create intricate details. In fact, this was why for most Alchemists, they used their Divine Sense instead of Qi. However, it was not to say that Qi was inferior to Divine Sense. Qi in general was far more powerful than one’s Divine Sense, thus most cultivators fought using Qi rather than Divine Sense. Also, one’s Divine Sense was linked to the Soul. Damaging one’s Divine Sense was akin to damaging one’s Soul.

Regardless, this layout in front of them was packed with details, not just a topographic map. It had buildings rendered in detail, with windows and fences included. There were even trees and road-side plants, all fully replicated in detail including their leaves. 

Still, since it was Qi, everything was in a single colour of blue, with different shades highlighting how masterful Liu Sang Hu was at manipulating his Qi.

Liu Sang Hu’s Qi could be said to be extremely gentle, like his overall appearance. However, there was a sharp and silent quality to it, which made Yang Ji all the more curious why their Qis were so different. It was not control and mastery that gave one’s Qi this quality. It was an inherent difference.

As though having read his thoughts, Wu Lun explained, “His Qi specialises in information gathering and ambushes. Not exactly something you would want to expose to outsiders. But, this man is famous and strong enough that it would not matter.”

“Huh? Using Qi to gather information? Why not just use Divine Sense?” Yang Ji questioned.

“Who says he isn’t using his Divine Sense?” Wu Lun scoffed. “While your Divine Sense is silent due to how thin you can make each strand, while being strong enough to cross through Space Rifts back in the Lower Realm, his is silent and strong due to it being coated by that Qi of his.”

“So, he is using both to create this map?” 

“What else?” Wu Lun said with such directness it inspired no doubt. 

Yang Ji stared at the Qi, as though studying the map, which only prompted Liu Sang Hu to start explaining, “I believe you are all aware that the nine entrances to the black market have already been marked.”

While Liu Sang Hu spoke, markings would appear on the map, drawing everyone’s attention.

“There are actually twelve entrances to the black market, one of which is only for internal members to use. So, you only have two entrances to choose from. Unfortunately for you three, these two entrances are quite far away from the port, so there is quite some distance to cover. And, I’m sure you of all people are aware of this, Hong Jun, but that the moment you step out of the black market, it is only natural that they will find out.” Liu Sang Hu shrugged.

Hong Jun’s eyes narrowed and he directly asked, “Your plan?”

“Glad you’d asked.” Liu Sang Hu curled up his index and middle figure, and following this, two figures were pulled from a corner. These two figures were both young. However, they were quite malnourished.

Both were female, sharing some resemblances, with one being taller than the other by close to two heads. Liu Sang Hu pointed to the two of them and said, “One moves in the dark while the other moves in the light. A distraction to make sure they never even bother checking, while the other two slip away.”

In short, Liu Sang Hu planned to use these two as bait, drawing away attention from one of the nine guarded entrances. Meanwhile, Yang Ji and Xing Ting would move using of the two unguarded entrances.

“No.” However, Hong Jun immediately refused. After all, if he were to separate away from Xing Ting and Yang Ji, they were basically going to be at the mercy of the other party.

Liu Sang Hu rolled his eyes and then asked, “In that case, what plan do you have?”

Hong Jun directly pointed at Liu Sang Hu and said, “Since we need a distraction, you can do it for me. I need not move separately from these two.”

Liu Sang Hu chuckled, “Alright. Sounds interesting but I doubt you’ll be able to do it. You still need to get onboard a ship, right? And, this is not a public ship we are talking about. You need to get on a private ship. Now, where in the world would you find a ship that’s going to be willing to allow targets onboard? In the end, you’ll need me to be there to help you get onboard.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll handle it.” Hong Jun coldly stated.

“Who are kidding? You know better than I do what it means for them to take a side in a Hong Clan dispute.” Liu Sang Hu moved his two fingers again and the two girls were directly placed next to Hong Jun. 

“Besides, you know what it’ll cost to cause disruptions in this city. Unlike you, who can bid for shelter under the Hong Clan, I am directly under the city. Even if you want to compensate for my losses, I doubt you can afford it.” Liu Sang Hu coldly stated. It was so contrasting to his usual casualness that it struck deeply into Hong Jun.