Chapter 23 Tokyo Is Also Called Heat

At that moment, several more beams of flashlight swept across the scene.

“My, what a lively gathering! Looks like I’m not late for once—actually, I seem to be right on time! Hahaha!” an elated voice rang out.

Right on time, my foot! Hu Changde cursed inwardly.

But he dared not voice his displeasure. He recognized the man as well.

Shao Fei of the Hengshan Sect.

The man was burly, almost twice the size of an average person. Hengshan was also a renowned sect, and Shao Fei’s cultivation was higher than his own—late-stage Dark Strength. Hu Changde truly couldn’t afford to provoke him.

This fellow had an infamous nickname: Shao the Latecomer. Rumor had it that he was slow with everything, always arriving late, and even needed to buy two tickets every time he flew.

“Shao, my friend, not only are you not late today—you arrived before me,” came a hearty laugh from afar as several silhouettes raced over.

Leading them was a dashing man, the air whistling beside him—clearly a skilled practitioner.

Guo Xiancheng of the Huangshan Sect—Hu Changde knew him as well.

Huangshan was also a major sect, and Guo Xiancheng too was late-stage Dark Strength.

Each newcomer carried more prestige and power than the last. Hu Changde and his men felt their scalps tingle, standing on edge, at a loss for what to do.

Afterward, more people arrived—most unaffiliated, some minor sect martial artists from neighboring provinces and cities.

Some greeted one another, others paced about the scene. For a moment, the place resembled a bustling marketplace.

“Huh? There are two piles of ash here!” someone suddenly shouted.

“Hey, there are two bags and a bunch of IDs too!” another voice bellowed.

At once, the crowd erupted into a cacophony.

“Lu Sheng—hmm, seems to be from the Gold-Seeking Sect.”

“Yeah, and there’s Tan Jiyuan’s too.”

“If they left their IDs here, could it be…”

“No need to ask, those two piles of ash must be them!”

“Damn, who had the nerve to do that?”

“Who killed them?”

…

Growing impatient with the commotion, Shao Fei stepped forward. “Everyone, please quiet down. Can someone explain what happened here?”

The crowd gradually fell silent.

“Friends, I am Zhou Guangyou of the Tianmu Sect. My brother Feng Ke from Huashan and I arrived early. At that time, there were still embers in those two piles of ash, and Hu from the Salt Guild was leading his men in retreat,” Zhou Guangyou announced loudly as he pushed through the crowd.

Though Zhou Guangyou hadn’t explicitly accused Hu Changde, everyone understood his implication.

Hu Changde and his men glared fiercely at Zhou Guangyou.

“That’s right, I’m Feng Ke from the Huashan Sect. I can vouch for that,” Feng Ke stepped forward.

All eyes turned to Hu Changde and his Salt Guild companions.

“Brother Hu, don’t you owe us an explanation?” Shao Fei spread his hands toward him.

“We don’t know either. When we got here, all that was left were two piles of ash,” Hu Changde replied, bracing himself.

“Haha! You expect us to believe that? Who here would believe it?” Shao Fei shouted to the crowd.

The crowd shouted back in unison.

“We don’t believe it!”

“Not a chance!”

“Believe him? Only a fool would!”

…

Some of the minor sects and unaffiliated fighters were cautious about crossing the Salt Guild, but with the Hengshan Sect taking the lead, they were happy to pile on.

Shao Fei raised both hands, pressing down for quiet, then turned to Hu Changde. “Brother Hu, I advise you to tell the truth.”

“I’m telling the truth, every word. I swear to it,” Hu Changde replied, deeply frustrated, cursing Zhou Guangyou’s entire family in his heart.

“Swear? Does the Salt Guild even care about that? Hahaha!” Shao Fei laughed, and the crowd joined in mockery.

“So what do you want?” Hu Changde asked, helpless.

“It’s simple—hand over all your packs for inspection. What do you all say?” Shao Fei never missed a chance to stir up the crowd.

No one cared who had died; they only cared who had left with any spoils.

The crowd shouted their agreement.

“That’s right!”

“Hand them over!”

…

Hu Changde and his men blazed with fury. There was nothing valuable in their packs, but surrendering them would mean admitting fear and cowardice in the face of force. Their reputation—and that of the Salt Guild—would be in ruins.

Yet, faced with so many eager martial artists, they dared not refuse.

To say no would be to invite disaster.

There may be those truly unafraid of death in this world, but Hu Changde and his men were not among them.

Swallowing their anger, they removed their packs and tossed them to the ground.

“I’ll tell you this—if you find nothing, be ready for a visit from the Salt Guild,” Hu Changde spat bitterly.

“Haha, we didn’t force anything. Brother Hu opened them for everyone voluntarily, isn’t that right?” Guo Xiancheng called out.

“That’s right!” the crowd echoed.

“They opened the packs themselves.”

“Who would dare threaten the Salt Guild?”

…

Shao Fei cast Guo Xiancheng a grateful glance, pressed his hands for quiet once more, and turned to Hu Changde. “Sorry for the trouble, Brother Hu.”

If he could, Hu Changde would have charged Shao Fei and cut him to pieces. But such a scenario was pure fantasy—even with all six of them, they were no match for Shao Fei.

He was mid-stage Dark Strength, Shao Fei was late-stage—just one step apart, but the gulf was immense, not something three or five at the lower level could hope to bridge.

So, filled with resentment and humiliation, he and his five men walked to the center and dumped out the contents of their packs for all to see.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, inspecting the goods closely.

“Wow, the Salt Guild really is loaded—thousands in cash just tossed in a bag.”

“Whose pack is that? So many snacks! What a glutton.”

“Look at all those discs—wait, ‘Tokyo Heat’?”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Tokyo’s hot? Nowhere’s hotter than here!”

“Yui Hatano, Dan Mitsu…”

…

All six packs were emptied and scrutinized, but not a single treasure was found.

An awkward expression flashed across Shao Fei’s face. He glanced at Guo Xiancheng.

Guo Xiancheng was equally dumbfounded—he’d never expected such an outcome.

“So, Zhou, what do you say now?” Hu Changde roared at Zhou Guangyou.

“How should I know? Maybe some of your people left early,” Zhou Guangyou retorted.

“You—” Hu Changde was so furious he could barely speak.

The crowd exchanged uncertain looks.

“Heh, if you ask me, this is between the Gold-Seeking Sect and the Salt Guild. Isn’t that right?” Guo Xiancheng, ever quick-witted, deflected responsibility in a flash.

With that single sentence, he shifted all blame away from himself and the others—after all, it was disciples of the Gold-Seeking Sect who had died, not their own.

He was also reminding the Salt Guild: don’t come after us—worry about explaining yourselves to the Gold-Seeking Sect first.

The others quickly grasped the implication, smiling and keeping silent.

“Well, since it’s none of our business, Guo, why are we still here?” Shao Fei was quick to seize the moment.

“Exactly. We haven’t seen each other in ages. Let’s head to Wangjiang Pavilion for a drink!” Guo Xiancheng chimed in.

The others, seeing their cue, scrambled to leave.

Hu Changde and his men were seething, but all they could do was glare.

“Brother De, what now?” Scar asked.

“Pack up. We’re leaving,” Hu Changde said bitterly. “Tomorrow we’ll hire a boat and search every inch of this lake.”

He hadn’t expected so much trouble to come from chasing Chu Tianfeng.

He was unwilling to let go. He was sure that brat was still alive—and somewhere nearby.

“Brother De, those people went too far. We can’t let this go,” Scar snarled.

“We’ll deal with them later,” Hu Changde shook his head. Guo Xiancheng was right—now was not the time to pick a fight. Disciples of the Gold-Seeking Sect had died here, and they had been the first on the scene. Their priority was to resolve this misunderstanding with the sect.

This mission had achieved nothing.

No merit to speak of, and worse, he had surrendered his pack out of fear, shaming the Salt Guild. On top of that, he’d brought the Gold-Seeking Sect’s wrath upon them. What reward could the guild leader or president possibly give him now?

Their only hope was to find Chu Tianfeng quickly, and try to make amends.

———

In truth, those who had left were far from calm.

Guo Xiancheng and Shao Fei especially.

“Brother Guo, what do you make of Zhou Guangyou’s words?” Shao Fei asked.

He might always be late, but he was anything but patient.

“Zhou was just speculating, but it’s not impossible,” Guo Xiancheng replied, his face solemn.

“We all rushed here from all directions—if someone from the Salt Guild had left, surely we would have seen them.”

Shao Fei’s analysis was spot on.

“What if they escaped by water?” Guo Xiancheng’s lips curled into a smile.

Shao Fei stopped in his tracks as if struck by lightning, his mouth agape.

“Let’s keep moving,” Guo Xiancheng urged.

“No, we should go back and check the shoreline,” Shao Fei insisted.

“It’s too late. If they really left by boat, they’re long gone—we’ll never catch up,” Guo Xiancheng shook his head.

“Are we just going to let the Salt Guild have the treasure?” Shao Fei was indignant. In his eyes, the Salt Guild was unworthy of such a prize.

“Hmph, it won’t be that easy. Even if you agree, I won’t,” Guo Xiancheng said. He felt the same—it would be a humiliation for the entire martial world if the Salt Guild claimed the treasure.

“Stop making me guess, Brother Guo. Just tell me already!” Shao Fei was almost on his knees.

“What good does rushing do? It’s the middle of the night—what can we do now? Get some rest. At dawn, we’ll rent a boat and search the lake.”

“Brilliant! Truly brilliant! I’m impressed!”

“Brilliant, my foot! I guarantee I’m not the only one who’s thought of this. Tomorrow, Qianiao Lake will be packed.”

—