Chapter 81: Get Out Here

"He's injured, move in!" Sima Lin waved his hand, and the four middle-aged men responded instantly—even Liu Zuo, who had just managed to get to his feet, roared as well.

Chu Tianfeng glanced at Liu Zuo lurking in the darkness, frowning slightly.

He had intended to retreat, but upon seeing Liu Zuo, he changed his mind.

He thought of a spell he had only recently mastered: the Invisibility Technique.

Granted, his current proficiency with the spell was still poor—after vanishing, one could still make out a human-shaped mist—but against martial artists like Sima Lin, who lacked spiritual perception, it was more than enough.

His hands swiftly formed a series of seals, his figure flickering rapidly, and then, with a sudden whoosh, he vanished completely.

Sima Lin and the others were astonished, frantically sweeping the hall with their flashlights.

If it were daytime, they might have caught sight of the faint, human-shaped mist Chu Tianfeng became, but at night it was all but invisible. With Chu Tianfeng deliberately avoiding the beams, they could not detect him at all.

"Search the corridor!" Sima Lin barked in a low voice.

He reasoned that since the opponent was wounded and hadn't fled, he must be hiding in the corridor.

"Yes!" The others responded, signaling to each other as they rushed toward the passage.

But Chu Tianfeng quietly slipped behind them, drawing closer step by step.

Ten meters.

Nine meters.

Eight meters.

...

Three meters.

Two meters.

A glint of triumph flashed at the corner of Chu Tianfeng's lips. His hands sealed once more, and a barrage of ice spikes formed out of thin air, shooting fiercely toward Sima Lin and his men!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

They were too close; most of them couldn't react in time.

A chorus of screams erupted instantly.

Sima Lin was exceptionally lucky—only a few ice spikes came his way. With his higher cultivation and keen reflexes, he leaped forward at the first sign of trouble, narrowly dodging Chu Tianfeng's assault.

The others weren't so fortunate.

Each of them was struck by multiple ice spikes; three were hit in vital spots and collapsed instantly.

Liu Zuo, predictably, was among them. An ice spike pierced his throat, cutting him down before he could even cry out—a life snuffed in an instant.

A cold, ruthless light flickered in Chu Tianfeng's eyes as his hands moved again, conjuring a new volley of ice spikes.

Swish!

Sima Lin could hardly believe it. Only moments ago, they had the upper hand. Now, in a blink, the tide was reversed, and he was utterly unprepared for the shift. Staring at the onrushing storm of ice, Sima Lin felt despair.

But there was nothing he could do against the barrage. All he could do was dodge, and dodge again.

The other two fared worse. Already gravely wounded, they had no strength left to evade.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

The ice spikes bored into their bodies with ease.

Their screams pierced the night sky above the Salt Merchants' Building, and seemed to tear at Sima Lin's very heart.

Thud. Thud.

The two collapsed in succession, their flashlights clattering to the floor.

"Show yourself!" Sima Lin roared, incandescent with rage.

But his answer was another storm of ice spikes.

---

Moreover, the distance was extremely close.

Although Sima Lin couldn't pinpoint Chu Tianfeng's location, his cultivation had reached the mid-Innate stage, and his senses were razor-sharp.

Judging by the faintest sounds, he gauged Chu Tianfeng's approximate position and, as he dodged, loosed the four throwing knives he had already prepared.

Chu Tianfeng, his spiritual sense already aware of the blades, paid them no mind. He had faced Sima Lin's four-knives-in-flight technique several times before and never found it threatening.

Yet, once again, Chu Tianfeng was mistaken.

Suddenly, the four knives split mid-air!

In an instant, the four became eight, all hurtling toward Chu Tianfeng.

Startled, Chu Tianfeng leapt aside to evade, but—

Slash!

One knife drove deep into his chest.

Almost simultaneously, sizzling sounds echoed from the distance—Sima Lin must have been struck by ice spikes as well.

This exchange left both sides wounded.

Chu Tianfeng had no time to care about Sima Lin's state. The knife in his chest was almost entirely embedded, and his previous wounds were already severe. This new injury only worsened his condition. The Invisibility Technique had drained most of his energy as well—he could not hold out much longer.

If he didn't leave now, when could he?

Chu Tianfeng swiftly formed hand seals, dashed out of the hall, and raced onto the street.

The night was deep; rows of streetlights cast a dim, hazy glow upon Chu Tianfeng's wavering figure.

He discarded his mask and gritted his teeth, running across two blocks.

His energy was nearly depleted, his injuries worsening.

He had no choice but to stop, use what little energy remained to extract the knife from his chest, and swallow a restorative pill.

Then, he staggered to a bus stop, leaning against the advertising board to focus on refining the pill's medicine through his cultivation technique.

Cars streamed past on the street, but Chu Tianfeng paid them no heed, concentrating solely on circulating his energy.

Suddenly, the screech of brakes sounded nearby.

Chu Tianfeng turned slightly and saw a white sedan pulling up beside him.

The car door opened, and a petite, lively figure stepped out.

"Senior, why are you here?" she exclaimed with delight, rushing up to Chu Tianfeng.

Chu Tianfeng forced a faint smile, then coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

He hadn't expected to run into Liu Qianqian.

"Senior, what's wrong?" Liu Qianqian was startled by the blood on the ground and hurried to support him. "Should I take you to the hospital?"

"I'm fine," Chu Tianfeng shook his head, gently pushing her away.

After more than half an hour of focused healing, his wounds had eased somewhat, and his energy was half restored.

"Why don't you come to my place?" Liu Qianqian offered timidly.

Chu Tianfeng hesitated, then nodded.

He knew he needed rest, and it was far too late to find a hotel or return to his courtyard. Besides, with his injuries as they were, even after taking a restorative pill, he would need days of quiet recovery.

"Great!" Liu Qianqian beamed as he accepted, quickly helping him up.

Chu Tianfeng rolled his eyes, then remembered something and asked, "It's so late—why are you out here?"

Despite being his half-sister, he couldn't help but worry about her wandering the streets at such an hour.

"The holiday just ended, so a few classmates and I went out to dinner, then karaoke, and I gave them a ride back to the academy. That's all," Liu Qianqian explained, pulling a wet wipe from her bag to clean the blood from his lips.

Chu Tianfeng was a little touched and took the tissue from her. "Let's go. Be careful from now on, and try not to go out at night."

---

The next day, news of the Salt Society's headquarters being raided exploded like a bomb in the hearts of all the martial artists in China.

Astonished, many doubted the truth of the event—some even rushed to the Salt Merchants' Building to "help" the Special Affairs Division with their investigation.

By noon, statistics and lists had been compiled into reports and spread like wildfire through clubs, restaurants, and teahouses.

First, the casualties: two hundred and twenty-one bodies were found inside the Salt Merchants' Building.

Two hundred and twenty-one corpses!

Given that the Salt Society's headquarters had only about three hundred members, this meant over two-thirds had perished in a single night.

Next came the list of the dead.

At the top was Chen Yue, Vice President of the Salt Society—a martial artist of the early Innate stage.

Also among the dead were four Salt Society inspectors and Liu Zuo, head of the Hang City branch.

Of particular note: all four of the Salt Society's "Four Diamonds" were listed. These four had always served as President Sima Lin's personal bodyguards. Wherever Sima Lin went, the Four Diamonds followed.

Now, all four lay dead and silent, prompting many to wonder: Where was Sima Lin that night, and what was his fate?

Speculation regarding the culprit erupted among the martial artists.

The first suspects were Chu Tianfeng's fellow disciples.

No one could be blamed for this assumption—the feud between Chu Tianfeng and the Salt Society was well known. Just a month ago, his sect had attacked the headquarters, killing and injuring many, leaving the Salt Society greatly weakened.

They had both the motive and the means to destroy the Salt Society.

Naturally, no one forgot the Huangshan and Hengshan sects.

If Chu Tianfeng's enmity with the Salt Society was serious, the grudge between the Salt Society and these two sects was even deeper.

Especially the Huangshan Sect—their feud with the Salt Society was legendary.

Everyone knew the Salt Society had once inexplicably kidnapped disciples from Huangshan and Hengshan, prompting the latter to retaliate by wiping out the Salt Society’s branches in Hunan and Anhui.

Before the National Day holiday, Mu Xiangdong even publicly accused the Salt Society's Dai Xing and others of killing three Huangshan disciples at Huangshan Chong and stealing treasures belonging to their sect.

Mu Xiangdong even contacted the Special Affairs Division and the Great Charity Hall, vowing to make the Salt Society disappear.

Thus, the Huangshan Sect had both motive and ability to destroy the Salt Society.

Both theories had their supporters.

Perhaps because Chu Tianfeng's reputation was less than stellar, the first theory—blaming him—initially gained more traction.

Some even produced credible evidence: most of the dead at the Salt Society headquarters had been killed by hidden weapons.

Everyone knew Chu Tianfeng was unrivaled in both lightness skills and mastery of hidden weapons.

However, many also supported the second theory.

They argued that wounds from hidden weapons could easily be faked and presented their own evidence: on the evening of the incident, several prominent elders from the Huangshan Sect were seen at Tianhai International Airport.

This revelation caused an uproar.

Even many who had initially blamed Chu Tianfeng switched sides to support the Huangshan Sect.

Those elders were rarely ever seen outside their sect. If they traveled all the way to Tianhai, it was clearly not for sightseeing.

Thus, the martial arts world rallied behind the Huangshan Sect, demanding that Mu Xiangdong clarify the matter in person.

The head of the Special Affairs Division himself even called Mu Xiangdong, inviting him for tea—and, incidentally, to share his thoughts on the Salt Society headquarters incident.