Chapter 97: I Should Take Offense

    ~~~

    Feng Zhi allows them to enjoy the Bright Phantasm Sects hospitality for exactly one day. Liu Jin supposes it is his way of being kind. Unfortunately, it is not Liu Jins idea of a pleasant time. For one day, they are constantly fawned over by the servants, their every whim treated as an absolute command.

    Liu Jin made exactly one offhand comment about the hot humidity of Night Phantasm City. That was enough for a servant to show up at this side moments later with a large, feathered fan. Since telling him there was no need for such things would have been too embarrassing for the man, Liu Jin endured it in dignified silence. At least, hed like to think it was dignified. The way Lu Meis eyes shone with mirth throughout the whole thing told him she knew exactly how uncomfortable he had been.

    It is only late at night when Feng Zhi gathers them in a room, away from servants and disciples. Only Patriarch Wong and Wong Shou are with him. That is when he explains the situation to them. It is just as Wong Shou told Liu Jin the other night. There have been several attacks on areas where herbs and fruits precious to the Bright Phantasm Sect are located.

    Couldnt it have been a Spirit Beast? Bei Hong asks the obvious question. The Bright Phantasm Sect harvests resources from the Night Forest. If some areas of the forest have been damaged, assuming it is the result of one or more rowdy Spirit Beasts is only natural.

    Unlikely. Feng Zhi shakes his head. They are all seated around a large map of the area. Feng Zhi taps the attacked areas. The attacks were far too methodical for it to have been a Spirit Beast. If it is a Spirit Beast doing this, it is one with a high degree of intelligence. However, the most likely alternative is that we are dealing with a faction that has decided to destroy the forests resources as opposed to stealing them.

    Patriarch Wongs frown is easy to see, even in the poorly-lit room. Feng Zhis words just now have probably been on his mind for a while.

    Destroying over stealing.

    No wonder Patriarch Wong decided to ask Feng Zhi for help instead of trying to hide this matter for the duration of their stay. Suppose these people really aren''t interested in taking the resources the Bright Phantasm Sect controls for themselves. That would mean their goal is not to strengthen themselves but to weaken the Bright Phantasm Sect.

    "Our disciples have been patrolling the Night Forest with increasing frequency. However, I regret to say they havent had any luck finding the culprits," Patriarch Wong says.

    "There is no shame in that," Feng Zhi says. "The Bright Phantasm Sect''s disciples are spread too thin right now. You simply lack the numbers to protect and search."

    Feng Zhis gold eyes seem to glow as he looks at them.

    You shall make up for the difference.

    ~~~

    We havent seen a glimpse of them.

    Liu Jin looks at Bei Hong out of the corner of his eye. The two are moving through the forest at a moderate pace. The dense blue mists make it hard to see more than a few feet away. If they move too fast, they might end up running into a tree.

    Surely, you did not think it would be easy? Liu Jin asks while inwardly thinking he has had a conversation with Huang Shing that went a bit like this during the Selection Exam. No wonder the two became friends so quickly.

    They are equally impatient.

    Putting the mists aside, we have yet to reach our destination.

    Liu Jin holds up his left hand. In it, there is a wooden compass with a purple needle pointing north. It had been given to them by Patriarch Wong. A Mist Pointer, he called it.

    The mists of the Night Forest are not just dense. They create illusions that could and did confuse travelers. That is why Mist Pointers were created. The metal with which the needles are made works similarly to the petals of a Lovers Crimson Blossom. It will naturally point at itself. This allows the Bright Phantasm Sect to mark specific spots in the forest for ease of navigation.

    The Mist Pointer in Liu Jins possession is leading them to one of the attacked areas. They are to investigate it while Feng Zhi handles a few diplomatic matters within the city. Lu Mei and Huang Shing are serving as his escorts, a situation that is undoubtedly not to Huang Shings liking. He had volunteered to go to the forest as well, but Feng Zhi had shot down his suggestion.

    There is no need to send more than two people. Bei Hong is the strongest of the four of you, and that ones work in the Apothecary means he should be familiar with most of the plants in the Night Forest. They are the best combination for this.

    Feng Zhis reasoning, much to Huang Shings misfortune, was completely sound. The Young Master of the Eternal Flame Clan had not been lying when he said he had gone over their records.

    It is, to be honest, slightly worrying he knew so much about them.

    I know we are not in the exact location, Bei Hong says. However, we should have already seen signs of the damage they did! They kept talking about areas of the forest being destroyed and harvests being ruined. Think of our fight in the Summer Forest. We wrecked that area. You would have easily been able to see that level of damage from above, but we saw nothing of the sort while we flew over the forest.

    Fair point, Liu Jin admits. It is possible the mists concealed the damage or maybe....

    Liu Jin trails off as he sees the needle suddenly point south.

    Is something wrong? Bei Hon asks, stopping as Liu Jin slows down.

    We... passed it over? Liu Jin half-states, half-asks.

    Thats not possible. Bei Hong waves his arm around. There is nothing here thats even remotely destroyed. Did they give us a faulty pointer or... He frowns. An illusion?

    Liu Jin thinks about it a while, his Qi reaching out to the area around him.

    No. He shakes his head. At least, I dont think so, so maybe

    He leaps back a few yards.

    The needle goes back to pointing norththe corner of Liu Jins mouth twitches.

    Imagine that. He holds up the Mist Pointer so Bei Hong can see it. This is it. This is the area.

    Bei Hong takes a moment to look around. The lush trees. The chirping birds. The small mammals squirreling over the area, safely hidden by the mists.

    This? He spreads out his arms. This is the damaged area? Theres nothing here! What damage? What attack? What foes? The wind? Are we meant to fight the wind?

    Liu Jin jumps just in time as a pair of arms burst from the ground to grab his legs. Twenty-one foes instead of twenty then? The thought passes through his mind all too quickly. Liu Jin swings his spear, hitting one of the dark-robbed attackers and slamming him into another. His spear spins as he stabs it into the ground, stopping himself in midair to dodge an attack aimed at his legs.

    A grunt.

    A twist.

    Liu Jins heel slams against one of the attackers heads.

    As that happens, another one of the dark-robbed figures goes flying over Liu Jin, courtesy of Bei Hong. He uses no elaborate movements. Instead, he keeps a firm stance and methodically hits anything that gets close to him. Hes holding back. That much is obvious. Otherwise, his hits would have killed his foes already. Daggers try to dig into his skin, only for them to break as it flashes gold.

    Liu Jin leans to the side just in time to avoid a stab to the back of his head. No cry accompanies the motion. No dissatisfied grunt leaves the mouth of his attacker when he misses. No pained growl escapes his mouth when Liu Jin slams the butt of his spear against his stomach.

    None of them make a sound.

    The leaves crunch as they run over them. The air whistles when they swing their daggers. However, no sound comes from their bodies.

    Liu Jin cannot even hear them breathing.

    His spear pierces right through one of their shoulders. No blood gushes out. He cannot feel any bones or muscles stopping his path. It is not the body of a Spirit Beast. It is not the body of a human.

    It is just a thing.

    It takes all of Liu Jins self-control not to give away his shock as the body he just stabbed fades into black smoke.

    What the? Bei Hongs words tell him all he needs to know. He, too, has found out about the curious nature of their foes.

    Do not panic!

    Panic! Whos panicking? Bei Hong yells as his arms turn gold. He hits one of his assailants, and his fist goes right through his its head. No blood goes flying. The body fades into wispy nothingness. I am just angry I held back for nothing! I thought we should make sure at least one survived for interrogation!

    His left fist blows right through someones chest.

    Clearly, there is no need for that.

    My apologies, Liu Jin says, the blade of his spear slicing one of the shades arms. Just like the others, the level of damage is all it takes to make it fade away. Clearly! He cuts a leg next. That does the job as well. I! This time, he tries a foot. That is enough damage too. Misjudged! Finally, he cuts just a fingerthe pinky one.

    It is not enough.

    Interesting, a lost limb or sufficiently deep stab wound will cause them to fade, but a minor loss, such as a finger, wont, Liu Jin says, slicing its head off. Then he moves to slam the shaft against another one of the shades heads, using enough force to crack its skull. Blunt works too, though I am guessing you already knew that.

    Not!

    Punch.

    Really!

    Punch.

    Interested!

    Punch.

    My apologies, Liu Jin says as he goes back to fighting, tearing through the shades with ease. In less than twenty seconds, Liu Jin and Bei Hong have destroyed all of them.

    Was that all?

    For now, at least, Liu Jin replies, taking a look at his spear. As expected, there is no blood on it. Those things were empty. It doesnt feel like the controller is nearby, at least.

    Bei Hong turns to look at him.

    Were thinking the same thing then? Those things are the product of a technique, and whoever is using it is controlling them from a distance.

    It is the most likely explanation.

    And most certainly a cause of concern.

    By the end, there had fought well over twenty foes, all of them in the Nascent Realm. It may not seem like much, but the level of skill and coordination they had shown is nothing that should be dismissed.

    Whoever is behind this, it is surely someone dangerous.

    Bei Hong smiles.

    And here I thought this would be a boring trip.

    ~~~