Zhan Zhao Adventures - Chapter One (Part III)

Chapter One: The Youthful Traveler (Part III)

Hearing the youth’s questions, the boy suddenly recoiled as if hit by a sudden chill. He instinctively pulled his arm back, his face instantly guarded.

 

The youth offered a reassuring smile. "If you don't wish to say, then forget it. Poor thing, at such a young age, who put you through such torment? Tell me, and I’ll avenge you."

 

The boy turned his face away, shaking his head, returning to his mask of absolute indifference. Three Wolves hovered around him, sniffing and letting out occasional soft whines, seemingly far more interested in the boy than in his own master.

 

The youth did not take offense. Revealing his bright rabbit teeth, he said cheerfully, "Where are you heading, then? Do you want to be sent back to Fortune Cloud Villa?"

 

Upon hearing those words, the boy’s expression changed drastically, as if he had just heard the most terrifying thing imaginable. He instinctively grabbed the youth’s sleeve, tugging it frantically while shaking his head violently, making desperate noises from his throat.

 

Being so close to him now, the youth in yellow suddenly detected a faint, subtle scent of herbal medicine emanating from the boy. However, the boy’s clothing was thin, and he didn't appear to be concealing any strange objects. Leaving that thought aside for the moment, the youth asked in surprise, "Aren't you with the people from Fortune Cloud Villa? Do you truly not want to go back? So many of your companions died today; shouldn't you at least inform your Villa Master?"

 

The boy continued to shake his head frantically, a pleading look in his eyes.

 

The youth's large black eyes darted back and forth before a look of sudden realization dawned on him. "Ah, did you cause some terrible trouble over there, and that's why you're this terrified?"

 

The boy hesitated, first shaking his head, then slowly nodding it.

 

The youth frowned immediately. "What should we do then? Little brother, do you have any other family?"

 

Seeing the boy shake his head, the youth stood up and pondered aloud. "This place is too dangerous. Sooner or later, you'll lose your life. Looking at the map, the nearest major city is Xiangyang. How about I ask this innkeeper to escort you into the city, so the local authorities can help send you home?"

 

The moment the words left his mouth, the stout innkeeper began to tremble violently, his excess weight shaking with fear.

 

Stepping forward with caution, the innkeeper offered a forced, pleading smile. "Young master, aren't you making things impossible for this old man? So many people from Fortune Cloud Villa died here tonight. Forget about the magistrate's guards letting this young lad go—even Master Jiao of Fortune Cloud Villa wouldn't let this matter slide without an interrogation. You want me to take this young master to Xiangyang? How could I dare? I cannot afford to offend either side."

 

As soon as he finished speaking, another massive clap of thunder shook the inn. The candlelight dimmed abruptly before flaring back to life.

 

When the hall grew bright again, the stout innkeeper thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He blinked hard several times.

 

Three dark silhouettes were projected onto the wall.

 

The three Tang Clan assassins had actually returned.

 

The frail boy immediately hid behind the youth in yellow, terrified. The guests who had been watching from the sidelines recoiled several paces. Three Wolves let out a low growl, standing tall and glaring menacingly at the entrance.

 

The inn fell into a suffocating silence, leaving only the sound of the wind and rain outside.

 

Six icy gazes slowly scanned the entire hall. Realizing that everything remained exactly as they had left it, the three assassins split up without a word. Ignoring everyone present, they began to thoroughly search the corpses on the floor.

 

The youth in yellow was thoroughly intrigued. His bright eyes closely tracked their every movement.

 

Could it be that the treasure was not inside that bundle? Why else would these three return?

 

What kind of rare treasure could catch the eye of the Sichuan Tang Clan?

 

And if it caught their eye, how did it end up in the hands of Fortune Cloud Villa in the first place?

 

The corpses on the floor were quickly ransacked.

 

Even the frozen expressions of the three assassins could not conceal their growing disappointment.

 

They had not been gone long. Having deduced earlier that the treasure was not in the bundle, they assumed it had to be hidden on the person of one of the Fortune Cloud Villa men. Yet, even after searching every body, they had found nothing.

 

A synchronized thought flashed through the minds of the three killers: The item must have been taken by someone inside this inn.

 

The moment the suspicion took root, their six eyes locked onto the youth in yellow and the frail boy.

 

In perfect unison, the three took a step forward.

 

The assassin at the front slowly extended his palm.

 

It was a hand twice the size of an ordinary man's, pale as death, looking less like flesh and blood and more like carved bone. The center of his palm glowed with a faint blue tint under the flickering candlelight.

 

Even at a moment like this, the youth actually managed to break into a smile.

 

"San'er, San'er, look at that. They really suspect us."

 

Before his laughter faded, the assassin's hand suddenly expanded as his bones warped and grew. With lightning speed, his palm lunged outward, aiming to seize the boy standing beside the youth.

 

In that critical instant, the yellow robes fluttered. The assassin suddenly realized that the distance between his palm and the boy had abruptly widened. The youth in yellow had executed a flawless, elegant half-circle turn, gliding several paces away with the boy. He had perfectly evaded a strike so fierce it seemed to dull the fury of the storm outside.

 

His movement technique appeared ordinary, lacking any deceptive or bizarre patterns, but it was incredibly fluid and soft. It defied logic how such a gentle, unhurried movement could evade a strike that was as swift as a bolt of lightning.

 

Three Wolves let out a fierce bark, preparing to spring forward.

 

"San'er, stay!" The youth sharply reined in his dog. He turned around slowly, his round face still bearing that unbothered, leisurely expression.

 

"What a fine 'Prayer Mat Palm!' But using it against a child who knows no martial arts—doesn't that tarnish the grand reputation of the Tang Clan?"

 

The three frozen faces darkened simultaneously. A single name surfaced in their minds.

 

Could it be him?

 

Under their chilling gazes, one of them finally spat out a question: "Who are you?"

 

"You may not recognize me, but I certainly know you. I’ve seen your portraits on the True Alignment Hall's 'Dragon-Tiger Roster.' You should also know what kind of person is permitted to view your clan's roster. How dare you butcher people right in front of me?"

 

The moment the words "Dragon-Tiger Roster" were uttered, the expressions of the Tang Clan assassins shifted dramatically.

 

"The Tang Clan is determined to claim its prize. Since you are a peer of the martial world rather than an enemy, surely you know that those who try to block a runaway cart will only be crushed to death?!"

 

"Who cares about your Tang Clan trinkets? Besides, what does this 'Tang Clan object' look like? What markings does it bear? Why don't you tell us? Don't tell me this child is the one holding onto it?" The youth's thin lips and sharp tongue certainly did not go to waste.

 

The three assassins were left speechless.

 

The boy was frail, his clothes thin and tattered; there was clearly nowhere on his person to conceal anything of substance.

 

"If the item is not elsewhere, it must be on you. If you take it, the entire Tang Clan will ensure you never know another day of peace. You would do well to hand it over."

 

Revealing his rabbit teeth, the youth looked up at the ceiling and spoke in his sharp voice, "Nine times out of ten, the things the Tang Clan sets its eyes on are lethal items that bring nothing but misery. Just because the Tang Clan wants something doesn't mean I have any taste for it. However, if you've decided to blame me just so you have an excuse to give your clan elders, so be it. You'd rather offend Tang Tianhao than let me go, wouldn't you?"

 

He maintained his smiling demeanor, but a flash of lethal intent now flickered in the corners of his eyes. Staring at the three men, he demanded deliberately, "So now, I am truly curious. What exactly is that item?"

 

He parted his lips into another grin, those charming rabbit teeth flashing beneath his thin lips.

 

"I am dying to know."

 

The Tang Clan assassins suddenly realized they had made a mistake.

 

They had talked far too much.

 

The youth standing before them knew entirely too much about the inner workings of the Tang Clan.

 

Right at that moment, a sinister, grating voice echoed through the hall. The volume wasn't loud, yet every single person in the inn felt as though the words had been whispered directly into their ears.

 

"Do you truly wish to know? Too bad—anyone who finds out must die!"

 

Two more figures had materialized in the inn's hall. They were completely drenched from the storm outside.