Chapter 100: Sorry, I Didn't Know

Under the pale moonlight, several men dressed in black stood together. Their faces were obscured by black veils, concealing their identities. Each carried a medium-sized bundle on his back, the contents unknown.

“How did you recognize these men?” Su Bai initially wondered about their true identities, but Qu Qiuzhuo seemed to have already seen through their disguises.

Qu Qiuzhuo covered her mouth with a light chuckle. “You’ve really wasted your time. It’s been three days, and you haven’t even noted the guards’ features.”

Su Bai awkwardly deflected, “Alright, alright, I’ll pay more attention next time.”

“Heh, hitting a nerve, and now you’re being vague again,” Qu Qiuzhuo sneered mockingly.

Su Bai decided not to argue with this old woman; now was hardly the time for disputes.

When he looked again, the men had drawn within thirty meters. Without secret arts bolstering him, it would be nearly impossible for Su Bai to evade their sensory search at such close range.

“Since these are guards from the caravan, what are they doing here at this hour?” Su Bai’s eyes narrowed as he sensed something amiss about their furtive behavior.

“Wait, look what they’re doing,” Qu Qiuzhuo’s voice came from the jade pendant.

Su Bai had been pondering their motives, but with her reminder, he looked again and saw the answer.

The men waited until no one was around, then removed their bundles. Inside were packets wrapped in oiled paper, each containing some kind of powder.

They methodically approached each carriage, spreading the powder evenly underneath.

In less than the time it takes for incense to burn, they had completed their arrangement under the rear half of the caravan.

“What is this for? Could it be gunpowder to set fire to the caravan later? But the amount seems too little, and the valuable goods are in the front animal-drawn carriages.” Su Bai was baffled by their actions.

“Don’t rush. Just watch further,” Qu Qiuzhuo interrupted, signaling him to keep quiet.

Sure enough, as the men finished and prepared to leave, a figure dressed in black suddenly flew in from behind. Like the others, he wore a black veil covering his face, but unlike them, he exuded an extremely dangerous aura. Even Su Bai, hiding nearby, was shaken by the presence.

“Another extraordinary realm fellow,” Qu Qiuzhuo said with a hint of disdain. Being incorporeal, she was untouchable even by such warriors.

Su Bai felt uneasy hearing this. He already didn’t get along with Qin Feng, and now there was another masked extraordinary warrior involved.

Yet, the men in black stepped back two paces, drawing long knives from their waists and aiming at the extraordinary man.

Su Bai frowned. “They don’t recognize each other?”

After a tense moment, one of the black-clad men spoke, “Who are you? This is a family matter of the Shang clan. Brother, please do not interfere.”

Su Bai looked at the man. Tall and upright, his eyes hidden beneath a bamboo hat, he said nothing but gripped the sword’s hilt with his left hand, ready to strike at any moment.

“It seems you insist on stirring trouble,” the masked man growled threateningly, though a swallow betrayed his nervousness.

“Attack!” With a shout, several men swung their blades simultaneously, but the man only let out a barely audible cold laugh.

The sharp sound of a sword drawn rang out abruptly; before the sound faded, the sword was sheathed again.

In a flash, the man moved like lightning through their midst, while the others seemed frozen in place.

Su Bai was stunned. He’d never seen such power. Qian Biman had shown him strong spiritual control, and Xi Menghe was just an old man who hadn't advanced beyond the extraordinary realm in over a hundred years. Neither compared to this man.

Surviving even a single breath in front of someone like this was a mercy.

“Left-handed swordsmanship, ruthless strikes, the speed surpasses even Qin Feng. This man must be at the seventh or eighth level of the extraordinary realm,” Su Bai estimated, comparing him to Qin Feng.

“Dispose of their bodies. If any others appear, eliminate them immediately,” the man said coldly after the killing, then turned toward Su Bai’s right front.

Su Bai looked and saw three figures emerge from the grass. Their forms were strange and seemed randomly generated. Their voices were a garbled dialect with hints of the Chijin Han Kingdom’s accent, but not quite standard.

Eventually, the odd group nodded in agreement and began working.

Su Bai’s attention was drawn to them. When he looked back, the man with the bamboo hat had vanished.

Now, Su Bai could only wait quietly for these strange individuals to clean up the scene before investigating.

What followed made his stomach churn.

First, they stripped the dead men’s clothes completely off. Then, looking at the corpses, their expressions turned greedy—as if starving beasts had found their prey.

Next came the eager feast.

Pale fingertips, like the claws of wild beasts, gently slit open the bellies. The grim banquet began.

Sounds of ravenous eating echoed as if they were using their hands as spoons and chopsticks, dining on warm human flesh laid out as delicacies.

“Ugh...” Qu Qiuzhuo’s voice echoed in Su Bai’s mind.

Having spent so much time with her, Su Bai knew of her past.

In brief, she was a dutiful girl who had secluded herself in the mountains, only to be drawn into a millennia-old mysterious plan after glimpsing the secrets of fate. But Su Bai himself knew nothing about the plan’s executors.

She had never encountered such madness in reality, so her reaction was understandable.

Su Bai was more composed; after all, he had done similar things before, though not so savagely.

This “feast” lasted half an hour, leaving nothing but bones.

“Seems like a small tribe of cannibals. But what use do these men have?” Su Bai pondered their origins and why they were involved in the Shang family conflict.

“Are you alright?” he quietly asked Qu Qiuzhuo.

“I’m... fine,” she coughed softly, her voice faltering.

“If you can’t bear it, don’t force yourself,” he said.

Almost immediately, her retching sounds returned, causing Su Bai’s mouth to twitch.

Once the group left, Su Bai melted the frost covering himself and approached the carriages coated with powder.

He wiped some and brought it to his nose.

“What is this?”

“Not sure. It resembles beast-attracting powder, but...” Su Bai hesitated, uncertain of its exact use. “Its attraction is much weaker than standard powders. Besides, there aren’t many ferocious beasts in the southeastern edge of Qingzhou, so this stuff is basically useless here.”

Qu Qiuzhuo lowered her head inside the pendant, also puzzled.

“What will you do?” she suddenly asked.

Su Bai toyed with the powder, wanting to stay uninvolved, but finally said, “Better inform Shang Wenyi. After all, when you eat meat, you don’t speak ill of the cook. She helped me when things were tough.”

“Agreed,” Qu Qiuzhuo nodded slightly.

A frost-cold viper slithered forward, flicking its tongue at Su Bai.

He picked it up gently and tucked it into his sleeve, then headed toward Shang Wenyi’s carriage.

---

Five towering Da Yuan horses pulled a carriage about thirty feet square. Inside, it was lavishly furnished with beds, desks, and tea tables—far larger than a typical house.

The wheels employed intricate mechanisms from the Dayan Sect, effectively absorbing shocks to ensure smooth travel through mountainous terrain.

Dim candlelight filtered through lampshades, casting a faint glow from the windows.

Inside, a woman lay sprawled over the desk, scrolls about a foot long on both sides.

Her delicate cheeks flushed pink as if dreaming sweetly, but suddenly her brow furrowed. Hands and feet flailed wildly; she cried out and jolted awake.

“Mother!”

Sitting upright, her eyes wide, her chest heaving with heavy breaths, she lowered her hand to soothe her heart. Long lashes fluttered—she still seemed caught in the dream.

“Perhaps I’ve been too troubled lately, restless and overthinking,” Shang Wenyi said with a strong blink. Stretching her arms and upper body, she murmured, “At this hour, better to sleep.”

She rose and slowly removed her robes.

At that moment, a soft knock came at the door.

---

“Who is it?”

Shang Wenyi’s voice trembled slightly, alarmed at a visitor so late. Qin Feng was in the adjacent compartment—why hadn’t he stopped this person?

Su Bai suddenly realized his timing was off and hurried to explain, “Uh, I’m the one who disguised myself and infiltrated a few days ago... I mean no disturbance—only something important to report.”

His past was hardly a proud admission.

He had seen the lights inside still on and knocked to greet, but it seemed he frightened her.

“Oh.” Shang Wenyi relaxed upon recognizing him and softly said, “It’s late; you should rest.”

“This matter concerns the caravan’s safety. Please spare me some time—it won’t take long.”

She lowered her head, considering. “Alright, wait here.”

Su Bai’s mind inexplicably conjured an image of Shang Wenyi changing clothes...

“No! I am a righteous, kind person, above base desires, detached from worldly temptations,” he chastised himself, suppressing the inappropriate thought.

As she changed, a voice came from behind the carriage: “Miss, what were you shouting just now? Is someone there?”

Half-dressed, Shang Wenyi was startled; Su Bai scrambled to find a hiding place.

Near the carriage front, he nearly collided with a guard.

Looking around, Su Bai glanced up at the roof.

Just as he prepared to leap up, a delicate hand grabbed his sleeve, pulling him inside.

“Miss, are you alright?” Xiao Qing approached the door worriedly.

“Mmm,” Shang Wenyi rubbed her sleepy eyes and opened the window. “Xiao Qing, why are you here? Still awake so late?”

Xiao Qing quickly explained, “I heard your voice and thought you weren’t asleep yet. Sorry for disturbing you.”

“It's alright. I just lay down. If nothing’s wrong, you may leave.”

“Yes.” Xiao Qing bowed and turned, but a tall figure blocked her path.

Inside, Su Bai’s face flushed crimson.

Shang Wenyi stood half-dressed, her exposed shoulder and alluring curves stirring Su Bai’s youthful desires.

Though he was over forty in two lifetimes, still unmarried, and this perfect woman was overwhelming.

He closed his eyes, struggling to resist temptation.

“Su Bai, you promised Gu Fanshuang. Don’t give up now!” A man’s voice came from outside the window—it was Qin Feng.

Shang Wenyi gasped, quickly closed the window, but faced Su Bai.

A blush tinted her cheeks, adding an indescribable charm. Su Bai opened his eyes just as Qin Feng’s voice echoed, and their gazes met.

“Sorry, I didn’t know...” Su Bai covered his mouth mid-sentence.

Qin Feng squinted and stepped toward the carriage, slowly drawing his sword. “Miss, has anyone suspicious entered your carriage?”

Shang Wenyi frowned slightly; Su Bai swallowed, both focusing on the door.

From his sleeve, the frost-cold viper peeked out, hissing softly in his ear.

“So that’s how it is...” Through the viper’s telepathic senses, Su Bai sensed its agitation and finally understood the situation unfolding before him.