“Brother Ye, what are your thoughts?”
After a long discussion with no resolution, Yan Qiren instinctively glanced at Shangguan Ye, who had been standing silently with his back to them, staring out the window.
Since their arrival, Yan Qiren had sensed that the cold, murderous aura Shangguan Ye usually kept hidden had grown stronger. Normally taciturn, Shangguan Ye spoke warmly only to Murong Qiufeng, enjoying long conversations with him. But tonight, it was as if he was suppressing something—a presence so unsettling even he seemed wary of it. The feeling left Yan Qiren slightly uneasy.
Murong Qiufeng also looked toward him. His gaze was complicated, his brows slightly furrowed, and his hand under his sleeve gently clenched. Uncertainty and unease laced his expression.
Shangguan Ye remained silent for a moment, then finally turned—not toward Yan Qiren, but to Murong Qiufeng.
Meeting his gaze, Murong Qiufeng felt his uncertainty waver. A faint shiver passed through him, and he quickly averted his eyes, an almost imperceptible trace of avoidance flickering across his features.
Yan Qiren noticed it immediately, observing the subtle exchange between them, yet remained silent.
Shangguan Ye stared at Murong Qiufeng, who had pressed his lips together and whose face had paled slightly. A shadow of ruthlessness and sharpness flickered in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced with a trace of helplessness. Turning his gaze back to the night outside, he spoke coldly, “I’ve been pondering a question without an answer.”
“What question?” Even Xiao Yan, normally thick-skinned, sensed the oddity between them. Just a moment ago, everything seemed fine—what had suddenly changed? Hearing Shangguan Ye speak, he felt compelled to break the tension.
“Why is Mufeng Tower, the origin of all this, completely untouched?”
Both men froze. Murong Qiufeng shifted slightly, pressing his lips tighter and furrowing his brow. Confusion deepened in his eyes.
“You mean… you suspect Third Patriarch?” Even Xiao Yan could immediately grasp the implication.
Shangguan Ye gave a cold, faint smile, his gaze fixed on the side of Murong Qiufeng’s face, as if he wanted to read every hidden emotion. A streak of ruthless intent lingered in his eyes, his fists clenched tightly, a trace of unwillingness surfacing in his heart.
Yan Qiren’s expression darkened. He subtly glanced at the silent Murong Qiufeng and placed a hand on Xiao Yan’s shoulder.
None of them were fools. Even if Shangguan Ye remained silent, it didn’t mean they hadn’t considered the possibility. Their doubts had always been faint, almost nonexistent—because the likelihood was nearly zero.
But tonight, with two separate, inexplicable ambushes, they could no longer ignore the question.
Tracing the events back, it might appear that Tian Sha Ge was the starting point. But upon deeper examination, everything seemed to originate from Mufeng Tower. Recent turmoil in the martial world placed the tower at the center of attention. Outwardly, it seemed on the brink of crisis, vulnerable, as if caught in a storm.
Yet viewed from another perspective, the situation was strange. Amidst such danger, Mufeng Tower remained more silent than Tian Sha Ge. No one interfered. Even the Tower’s leader was missing. And yet, instead of Mufeng Tower, troubles targeted Xianjian Sect.
Though their journey through the martial world was no secret, in just a few days their movements seemed meticulously tracked. Even from the ambushes, it was clear the mastermind knew them intimately.
It suggested either a traitor among them or someone who knew them very well had revealed their route.
From the start, Murong Qiufeng determined their path. After reaching Li City, they were supposedly beyond the gaze of the martial world, yet ambushes were already set in just two days. Someone had disclosed their movements—someone who understood them completely.
Murong Qiufeng didn’t want to dwell on this possibility. But even as he tried to suppress it, unease crept into his mind. What truly unsettled him was recalling the two elders they had met—how their words and expressions suggested that Mufeng Tower’s internal chaos had long been orchestrated. They trusted their senior completely, as if already knowing the whole plan.
Moreover, if their senior were truly trapped, how could he have sent them clues? And if clues were given, why not clarify directly, instead of seemingly guiding them somewhere?
The routes they took almost perfectly matched the secret signs left by their senior. Then why the assassinations?
His hand trembled slightly. The confusion in his mind grew, torn between anxiety and trust in his senior, who would never harm him. The contradiction churned his normally calm heart.
Shangguan Ye noticed his expression. His own face darkened. Though he knew Yun Feiyang held a high place in Murong Qiufeng’s heart, seeing how much attention he paid to someone else stirred anger and irritation within him. No one liked that their beloved harbored feelings for another—especially when that person also had interest in their beloved.
This, coupled with tonight’s battle, which Shangguan Ye had initially regarded as trivial, now stirred a wild, murderous rage within him. For the first time, he had been led into someone else’s scheme. Combined with his suspicions of Yun Feiyang, it ignited a furious, unwilling, combative fire. If Yun Feiyang had orchestrated this, the conflict was no longer mere martial maneuvering—it had become a man’s struggle for pride and dominance.
Even if it wasn’t Yun Feiyang’s doing, Shangguan Ye’s ease in handling the situation fueled his competitive instincts. Others’ plots could be ignored, treated as trivial games—but Murong Qiufeng could not. He would not allow anyone to scheme against or covet him.
The chill in the air intensified. The killing aura radiating from Shangguan Ye made everyone uneasy.
Murong Qiufeng’s gaze tightened at the aura surrounding him, his face growing paler. He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but found himself at a loss.
Suddenly, Shangguan Ye turned. His eyes blazed in the dark, red-tinged like a beast’s. His expression was ferocious, vicious, almost monstrous. He fixed his gaze on Murong Qiufeng and strode toward him.
Murong Qiufeng felt a cold shiver and a wave of dizziness. Though he had seen Shangguan Ye like this before, never had it been directed at him in such intensity.
Yan Qiren and Xiao Yan were also shocked. Instinctively, they moved in front of Murong Qiufeng to shield him. “Ye… uh—”
Before they could speak further, a gust of palm force struck them aside, slamming them into the ground. Their faces drained of color—the seemingly simple blow had clearly been anything but light.
