Chapter Sixty-Four: The Ambush

Liu Pan had no idea what sort of changes would befall the Liu clan. In fact, in his novel, when Liu Kuang returned to the Liu family, it wasn’t just the Second Elder who died—Liu Kuang all but crippled the entire clan. This wasn’t because Liu Kuang was some monstrous, cold-blooded fiend, but rather because, in the story, Liu Kuang didn’t sneak in—he stormed in openly. For someone cast out by his family to barge back in, it was inevitable the family would resist, and conflict was unavoidable.

Moreover, Liu Kuang made it clear he intended to kill the Second Elder. Given the Second Elder’s status, how could the Liu family possibly hand him over without a fight? And once word spread that Liu Kuang sought revenge for his parents’ murder at the Second Elder’s hands, the opposition only intensified. After all, while it was the Second Elder’s scheme that killed Liu Kuang’s parents, there were inevitably others who turned a blind eye. Who could say if, after killing the Second Elder, Liu Kuang wouldn’t turn on them as well? Naturally, the ensuing conflict became even more ferocious.

In the end, Liu Kuang slew the Second Elder, crippled the cultivation of a swath of the family’s elites, and left the Liu clan behind, never to return. It was no exaggeration to say that when Liu Kuang departed, nearly three-quarters of the Liu clan’s upper echelon had been ruined by his hand. And since Liu Pan, after chronicling Liu Kuang’s meteoric rise, wrote no more of the Liu family, their ultimate fate remained a mystery—whether they survived or perished was left unresolved.

Now, by advising Liu Xuanfeng not to hinder Liu Kuang, Liu Pan was sparing the Liu clan a disaster. His reasoning, at its core, was simple: he disliked trouble. After surveying Baillin Town with his spiritual sense, Liu Pan knew that if he and Liu Kuang joined forces, nothing in the town could stand against them. But as a rational young man from Earth’s twenty-first century, Liu Pan had little taste for unnecessary complications. To join Liu Kuang would be to wade into trouble, and Liu Pan was not so foolish as to do that.

Besides, what Liu Kuang intended had little to do with Liu Pan, an outsider. He had no wish to get involved. At this moment, though Liu Kuang had many hidden cards, his cultivation was only at the first level of Martial Apprentice—far below the Liu Kuang in Liu Pan’s novel when he returned to the family. To ensure Liu Kuang’s safety, Liu Pan would not send him to charge in alone; instead, he had him sneak in and target only the Second Elder.

Watching Liu Kuang soar from Baillin Town, Liu Pan’s lips curled into a faint smile. Then, with a thought, the longsword on his back slid from its sheath and, bearing him lightly, flew in the direction Liu Kuang would soon leave the town.

Since abandoning his concern for whether events would diverge from the book, Liu Pan found his interactions with Liu Kuang more harmonious than ever. Of course, he still harbored many thoughts—for Liu Kuang was, after all, the protagonist. To let his talents go to waste would be a true shame.

Thanks to his spiritual sense, Liu Pan quickly noticed Elder Qu tailing Liu Kuang. That was why he quietly moved to intercept Liu Kuang on his way out of Baillin Town. In Liu Pan’s eyes, Elder Qu was little more than a gift delivered to his doorstep—a gift that would be a waste not to accept.

Skimming low through the forest on his sword, Liu Pan’s progress was unimpeded by the obstacles that would stymie anyone without supreme control. But control was, just now, his greatest strength. Even darting between branches, his speed barely faltered.

Soon, Liu Pan arrived first along the path Liu Kuang would take out of Baillin Town. Leaping off his sword, he sent it with a thought to hide in the leafy crown of a distant tree, then turned, as if nothing had happened, to stroll away from the town.

Moments later, a strand of spiritual sense locked onto him—Liu Kuang had noticed him. Sensing Liu Pan, Liu Kuang paused, then, without hesitation, descended on his blade, flying straight toward Liu Pan.

Just as Liu Kuang neared, a sudden whistling split the air behind him, startling him so much he thought for an instant Elder Qu had struck. But almost at once, he realized his mistake—the attack came not from behind, but from Liu Pan before him.

With a sharp hiss, an iron sword flashed past Liu Kuang and stopped before Liu Pan. Hanging from the sword was a storage pouch.

Liu Kuang was momentarily dazed; he hadn’t expected Liu Pan to play such a hand. Only now did he notice that Liu Pan’s back bore only an empty sheath—no sword.

Compared to Liu Kuang’s confusion, Elder Qu’s face went pale, his body shuddering despite himself. Suspecting Liu Kuang’s perception exceeded his own, Elder Qu hadn’t dared lock on with his spirit sense, instead trailing about three hundred meters behind and keeping Liu Kuang in sight, following quietly.

When Liu Kuang descended, Elder Qu felt a flicker of doubt. Unable to sweep so far with his spirit sense, and with branches blocking his view, he did not see Liu Pan waiting ahead.

As Elder Qu puzzled over Liu Kuang’s descent, a sword shot silently from the treetop beside him. The instant he saw it, his face drained of color. At such close range, even flying in midair, he could not hope to evade. Defending was no better; his own weapon supported him from below, leaving him nothing to block with.

“My life is over!” flashed through Elder Qu’s mind.

He regretted it deeply—he never should have followed Liu Kuang. Assigned by the sect to monitor the Liu family in Baillin Town, Elder Qu had thought it nothing more than a diversion, certain Liu Kuang’s return was all but impossible.

Yet, against all odds, Liu Kuang had returned. At first, seeing Liu Kuang alone, Elder Qu felt no unease. But witnessing Liu Kuang’s blade-slaying prowess, he grew cautious. After all, back at the sect, Liu Kuang and Liu Pan had together slain Li Liao, whose cultivation surpassed Elder Qu’s own. Though rumor had it that it was Liu Pan who delivered the final, crushing blow, Elder Qu hadn’t witnessed it himself—so who could say which of them had been decisive?

Moreover, Liu Kuang possessed a spiritual weapon. Although his spirit sense detected only Martial Apprentice-level cultivation, Elder Qu had no confidence he could withstand Liu Kuang’s blade. To risk his life for a weapon he might not keep was senseless.

Thus, out of caution, Elder Qu chose not to confront Liu Kuang directly, but to let him go, following at a distance and leaving markers. When Yang Jiangshui came to Baillin Town, he could simply follow the trail, sparing Elder Qu any risk.

But reality defied his plans. He had never imagined that, trailing Liu Kuang just outside the town, he would be struck by a deadly ambush.

With no chance to dodge, Elder Qu could do nothing but close his eyes and await death. In that instant, the sword swept past, the force of its passage whipping his robes about him.