The two middle-aged men departed. Wei Ziting sat quietly in his chair, raised his wine cup, and drained it in one gulp. A savage glint flashed through his once-calm eyes.
He then set the cup down and sneered softly, "Xu Luo, if you had just stayed hidden in the Imperial Capital like the good-for-nothing you are, that would have been the end of it. But you just had to go and offer yourself up for slaughter. Training? Heh... what a bored, spoiled little noble! In that case, you can't blame me... for being ruthless!"
No one knew that Zhao Chong causing trouble for Xu Luo and Lianyi on Cyan Dragon Avenue that day was at Wei Ziting's instruction. What even fewer people knew was that Zhao Chong, on the surface a son from a minor noble family in the Imperial Capital, was in truth Wei Ziting's own half-brother, sharing the same father!
Before her marriage, Zhao Chong's mother had been intimate with Wei Feng, who was not yet the Prime Minister at the time. After she married into the Zhao Family, only she knew that the child had no blood relation to them. Because the boy resembled his mother, the Zhao Family, also nobles, never suspected a thing.
Until the day of the incident, Zhao Chong himself never knew the real reason Wei Ziting was willing to associate with a scion of a minor noble house. It wasn't to use him as a lackey, but because he was Wei Ziting's brother!
When the incident with Zhao Chong occurred, Wei Ziting was slapped twice, hard, by his father, Wei Feng, who then cursed him out for causing the death of his own brother. Wei Ziting himself was consumed with guilt.
This was because in Wei Ziting's generation, the Wei Family only had these two male heirs!
Because of Wei Ziting's misjudgment, the entire Zhao Family was annihilated, and his younger brother, Zhao Chong, was sent to the Yellow Springs.
In his heart, Wei Ziting's hatred for Xu Luo and the Xu Family behind him was already bone-deep.
To say nothing of the generations of enmity between the Xu and Wei families. They belonged to different political factions, and both sides would seize any opportunity to topple the other.
Furthermore, Wei Ziting was now a staunch supporter of the Sixth Prince. The recent appearance of the Crown Prince, Phoenix, and Young Master Feng at the Xu Family's banquet—and especially the unusual way Young Master Feng and Phoenix treated Xu Luo—filled Wei Ziting with dread.
If the Xu Family were to side with the Crown Prince, it would create a massive obstacle for the Sixth Prince's ascension.
All these factors combined drove Wei Ziting to make this insane decision on his own.
To kill Xu Luo!
"A stumbling block must be kicked aside!"
Wei Ziting muttered to himself, then stood up and donned a black cloak that was hanging on the wall, completely concealing his handsome face.
...
For this trip, Xu Luo didn't notify Huangfu Chongzhi or the others.
For one thing, they all had their own business to attend to. For another, Xu Luo was afraid they might suddenly change their minds and insist on going to the Black Forest with him.
That would be far too inconvenient for him.
Although Xu Luo trusted that his brothers would never betray him, some things were better left unknown to too many people.
Xu Luo could already sense that his eldest and second brothers had guessed something. They hadn't said anything outright, but after so many years as brothers, some things didn't need to be said to be understood.
Xu Luo was grateful that the two of them hadn't pressed him with questions. Otherwise, he really would have been put in a difficult position.
Although Xu Luo had previously claimed that two other Adventurers would be accompanying him to the Black Forest, in reality, he had never planned on traveling with anyone.
He had been practicing the Shadow Shaking Heart Method and Breaking Army Seven Kills—the two Cultivation Techniques from his Shaking Light Star Soul—for a long time now. The fist marks on the training post in his small courtyard grew deeper and deeper.
The young man's confidence grew stronger by the day!
Although the bottomless pit that was his Shaking Light Star Soul had prevented his True Essence from breaking through to the realm of a Swordsman, Xu Luo believed he could hold his own even against a High-Tier Swordsman.
Not to mention, he still had the short sword forged from Water Blue Refined Gold that Xu Jie had given him.
This sword was Xu Luo's secret weapon—a truly lethal instrument!
Though the sixteen-year-old had never truly set foot in the Jianghu, the blood of a Military Merit Family flowed through his veins. He firmly believed that as long as a young man was willing to sweat under the sun and train hard, he would surely succeed!
After leaving the city, Xu Luo changed into his black cloak, concealing his entire figure, and sped toward the Black Forest.
He had never trained in a specialized movement technique, but as soon as he circulated the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, it felt like wind was at his heels. His speed was not the least bit slower than those who had dedicated themselves to such arts!
More importantly, Xu Luo could clearly feel that he consumed very little True Essence while traveling at high speed.
Xu Luo didn't know if this was the case for others, but both Lianyi and Xu Su had once told him that circulating a movement technique to travel quickly consumed a considerable amount of True Essence.
It wasn't that experts who could travel a thousand li in a day didn't exist, but it was absolutely not something achievable at their level!
The Black Forest was about seven hundred-some li from the Imperial Capital. It was a vast, rolling mountain range. Viewed from above, its main ridge looked like a colossal dragon lying dormant upon the earth!
It was said to be a complete dragon vein, with the location of the Cangqiong Kingdom's Imperial Capital situated right at the heart of this great dragon!
Leaving home for the first time, the young man's heart was filled with excitement as he sped along his way.
By the evening of the second day, as the sun was setting, a travel-worn Xu Luo, his face tinged with faint exhaustion, arrived at the last town before the entrance to the Black Forest.
The Adventure Teams and Lone Rangers who entered the Black Forest all resupplied in this town. As a result, the small settlement was quite prosperous. While it lacked the grandeur of the Imperial Capital, it had a charm all its own.
Even though it was evening, the town was bustling with activity, with a hubbub of voices and people coming and going.
Xu Luo passed a few stalls selling medicinal herbs and discovered that the prices here were at least thirty percent cheaper than in the Imperial Capital. Some were even more than half off!
'No matter what it is, it's always cheapest at the source. That saying is really true.'
As he thought this, Xu Luo didn't slow his pace. He found a small but clean inn to stay for the night, planning to enter the Black Forest first thing in the morning.
"Sir, are you here to stock up on goods or for an adventure?" a grimy-looking boy inside the inn asked, sidling up to Xu Luo with a mysterious look on his face.
The boy wasn't old, maybe fourteen or fifteen. His bright, dark eyes darted back and forth, giving him a very shrewd appearance.
"What's it to you?" Xu Luo replied coolly without looking up.
Despite the gentle rebuff, the boy wasn't discouraged. He smiled and said, "Sir, if you're here for goods, you'll definitely want a local to guide you, or you'll get ripped off. If you're here for an adventure, you'll also need to be careful. There are a lot of people here who prey on their own kind."
"Oh?" Xu Luo didn't believe a stranger would be so kindhearted. He knew that in a place like this, one had to be cautious in both word and deed. If this grimy boy went around saying such things to everyone he met, he'd probably have been beaten to death long ago.
"I have a 'Black Forest Compendium' right here. It not only lists nearly all the special resources of the Black Forest but also includes important notes about Black Wind Town, like which gangs to watch out for, which people to be wary of... it has everything! Only ten taels of silver. Would you like a copy?"
The boy pitched his product with all his might, not the least bit bothered by Xu Luo's coldness.
Most people who came to this place were just like this. If Xu Luo had responded with enthusiasm, the boy would have been the one to feel uneasy.
"This kind of thing is probably floating around everywhere, right? Ten taels of silver for one copy... you take me for a sucker?"
Xu Luo looked up at the boy. His mouth twitched slightly, and a peculiar look flashed in his eyes. He said coolly, "One tael of silver. Take it or leave it. Don't disturb my rest."
"Ai, I've run into an expert..." The boy said with a pained expression, pulling a hand-copied scroll from his robes and handing it to Xu Luo. A crafty glint flashed in his bright, dark eyes.
After taking the silver and leaving, the boy beamed. Once he was out the inn door, a look of secret glee spread across his face, and he chuckled softly. "Idiot. This thing costs ten copper plates a copy, and you spent one tael of silver. And you think you're not a sucker?"
But back in the inn's lounge, Xu Luo's eyes were slightly narrowed. Beneath his cloak, his handsome face was a little flushed as he murmured, "Sorry, I really didn't mean to notice you were a girl. The Jianghu... heh, it really is interesting!"
With that, Xu Luo opened the hand-copied scroll.
He had to admit, although the information was expensive, its contents were incredibly detailed. For a newcomer, having this document could indeed save a lot of trouble.
"Such a small place like Black Wind Town actually has three major gangs, a dozen or so smaller gangs revolving around them, and a few Lone Rangers who live here year-round and frequently enter the Black Forest..."
"The Black Wind Gang, known as the number one gang in Black Wind Town, has over three hundred members. Their backgrounds are complex—some are wanted criminals from the Empire, some are former Adventurers, and there are even Martial Artists from other kingdoms. The Black Wind Gang's Leader, Du Ke, is rumored to possess the strength of a Great Sword Master..."
Xu Luo's mouth couldn't help but twitch. He grumbled, "A Great Sword Master... now that's a true expert. I never thought a place like Black Wind Town would be a den of crouching tigers and hidden dragons."
Besides the Black Wind Gang, there were also the Blazing Fire Gang and the Celestial Fire Gang. Despite the similarity in their names, the two gangs had no connection to each other and, in fact, frequently had minor clashes.
"'A few Lone Rangers to watch out for. One is called 'Gentleman'—a nickname, of course. No one knows his real name or his true strength. In any case, even Du Ke himself once said, 'Don't provoke the Poisonous People, and don't mess with the Gentleman'...'
'The other Lone Ranger is the 'Poisonous People' Du Ke mentioned. This person is ruthless and particularly skilled with poison. His strength is supposedly not that exceptional, but his poisoning skills are sublime. One careless moment and you'll fall into his trap.'
'There's also a man named Luo Kedi. He's someone you should avoid even more. He's said to be a disciple from some major sect out gaining experience. His power is phenomenal, and his temperament is erratic. Anyone who sees him gives him a wide berth...'
Xu Luo looked at the information in his hands and muttered to himself, "And not only that, but mysterious, wealthy buyers also frequent Black Wind Town, purchasing all sorts of exotic beasts and medicinal herbs in large quantities..."
"The waters here run deep!" The young man couldn't help but sigh. As a fledgling stepping out into the world for the first time, Xu Luo was finally realizing that the 'Jianghu'... seemed far more complicated than he had imagined.
He had thought that possessing strength on par with a Swordsman was already quite powerful, but only after coming out here did he discover that in a small place like Black Wind Town, there was no telling how many experts with the power of a Sword Master were lurking.
Letting out a long breath, Xu Luo thought to himself, 'I'm just here to gather my medicinal herbs. I'll just do my best to avoid running into those people.'
With that, Xu Luo made up his mind. First thing in the morning, after preparing his provisions, he would set out immediately.