48: Chapter 48 Wilfried Wilfried, the Enemy at the Gates

Sect Leader Qin Tianxing sat at the head of the table, his face ashen. On either side sat the heads of the various Peaks and the Grand Elders, plus your Master, Supreme Elder Su Chenyuan—the seven most core figures of the entire Cangyun Sect were all present.

"Everyone has seen the announcement from the Black Tiger Gang." Sect Leader Qin Tianxing's voice was heavy. "The one-month deadline is now half over."

Silence.

East Peak Leader Zhao Heng spoke first: "Sect Head, this Cultivation Technique... do we really have to hand it over?"

"If we hand it over, the century-old Legacy of the Cangyun Sect will be gone." North Peak Supreme Elder Sun Minghai slapped the armrest. "I, North Peak Supreme Elder Sun Minghai, would rather die than accept this."

"If we don't, we'll be the second Qingqi Sect." Head of South Peak Li Ruoxu's voice was very low. "Old Master Zhou was at the Peak of the Great Grandmaster stage, yet he perished overnight. Our Cangyun Sect... who can stop them?"

The hall fell silent once again.

"Cangyun Sect was the first one named in the announcement." East Peak Leader Zhao Heng frowned. "Why us? The Taiqing Palace is stronger than us, Wudang is more famous than us; why would the Black Tiger Gang come for us first?"

The hall was quiet for a moment.

Head of South Peak Li Ruoxu glanced at Supreme Elder Su Chenyuan, then at Sect Leader Qin Tianxing. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke.

"Is it... because of Senior Sister Lin Shuang?"

Several gazes turned toward Supreme Elder Su Chenyuan simultaneously.

Supreme Elder Su Chenyuan's expression did not change; he simply picked up his teacup and took another sip.

"Is there any point in discussing this now?" His voice was not loud, but the hall instantly went quiet. "The Black Tiger Gang is powerful, the Martial Dao Sect is playing dead, and the other sects are cowering; that is the situation. Even without Senior Sister Lin Shuang, the Cangyun Sect would have been on the list sooner or later."

He set down his teacup.

"There is only one question, Sect Head: are you going to hand over the Cultivation Technique?"

Sect Leader Qin Tianxing was silent for a long time.

The hall was vast, and the candlelight flickered.

His gaze fell upon the plaque hanging in the center of the hall— "Cangyun Eternal".

It was written by the hand of the Ancestral Master who founded the Cangyun Sect.

Then he raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"Send word to all the sects: tell them the Cangyun Sect will never hand over a single page of our Cultivation Technique."

"If the Black Tiger Gang dares to come—"

He stood up.

"Then we fight."

Seven days later.

The replies from the various sects arrived one after another.

The content was surprisingly consistent—

"The righteousness of the Cangyun Sect is admired by us all. Reinforcements are already on the way; please hold your ground."

But seven days had passed, and not a single shadow had appeared within a hundred miles of the Cangyun Sect.

Sect Leader Qin Tianxing stood in the deliberation hall, clutching the last reply, his knuckles turning white.

Another seven days passed.

Early morning, before dawn.

Outside the mountain gate of the Cangyun Sect, the thick fog had not yet dissipated.

A winding stone staircase led from the foot of the mountain straight to the mountain gate, flanked by ancient pines like swords and craggy cliffs. For a hundred years, only Disciples and visitors had walked this path.

Today was different.

At the end of the stone steps, a dark mass of figures emerged from the fog.

At the very front, a man stood with his hands behind his back.

He wore a black brocade robe embroidered with a golden tiger, and a narrow blade with a black scabbard hung at his waist. His face was extremely handsome, with sword-like eyebrows reaching his temples, and his eyes were a very light, almost amber color. He appeared to be in his early thirties, his bearing composed and heavy, with not a shred of unnecessary Killing Intent leaking from his body—yet any Martial Artist standing before him would instinctively feel suffocated.

Middle Stage Great Grandmaster.

Wei Feisen.

To his left behind him stood a person shrouded in a black robe, whose face and figure could not be seen, and whose presence could not be sensed at all—as if no one were standing there at all.

But everyone knew that this was the most dangerous existence.

To the right of the Black-robed man, two Late Stage Great Grandmaster Protectors stood on either side. Behind them were the four Hall Masters of the Black Tiger Gang, each with the cultivation of an Early Stage Great Grandmaster. Further back were twelve Grandmasters and over thirty Innate experts, clad in black armor and sturdy attire, silent and murderous.

A group of nearly a hundred people stood on the stone steps before the Cangyun Sect's mountain gate.

Inside the mountain gate.

The entire Cangyun Sect, with hundreds of people, had already lined up in formation, waiting.

Sect Leader Qin Tianxing stood at the very front, with the heads of the various Peaks and Grand Elders behind him. The Disciples were arranged in layers according to seniority and cultivation, with the Outer Sect Disciples on the outermost perimeter, their palms slick with sweat.

Sect Leader Qin Tianxing scanned his surroundings, his voice very low: "Not a single one came."

Supreme Elder Su Chenyuan stood beside him, his tone indifferent: "As expected."

East Peak Leader Zhao Heng gritted his teeth: "A bunch of cowards! What happened to 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'?"

"They're just waiting to collect our corpses." North Peak Supreme Elder Sun Minghai sneered. "Once the Cangyun Sect is dead, they'll know how strong the Black Tiger Gang is, and they can decide whether to kneel or run in the future."

Sect Leader Qin Tianxing did not respond.

He took a deep breath, raised his head, and cast his gaze outside the mountain gate.

Wei Feisen was watching him too.

Then he withdrew his gaze, looked at Sect Leader Qin Tianxing, and spoke.

"Sect Head Qin."

"I presume your sect already knows the purpose of my visit."

He stood with his hands behind his back, his tone as casual as if he were making small talk.

"Three things. First, the core Cultivation Technique secret manual of the Cangyun Sect, all cataloged. Second, all martial arts from the third floor and above of the Martial Arts Pavilion, not a single page left behind. Third—"

His gaze shifted again, looking at you.

"Lin Shuangwan."

"Hand over these three things, and I will turn around and leave. I won't touch a single finger of the Cangyun Sect's plaque."

Sect Leader Qin Tianxing's heart sank, but he did not show it on his face.

"Gang Leader Wei, there is no one named 'Lin Shuangwan' in our Cangyun Sect." He chose his words carefully. "As for the Cultivation Technique, the Cangyun Sect is willing to offer some non-core martial arts to show our sincerity..."

"Sincerity?" Wei Feisen laughed softly.

"Lin Shuangwan." Wei Feisen repeated the name again; his tone had not changed, but the temperature in front of the hall seemed to drop a layer. "That is, your Cangyun Sect's 'Senior Sister Lin Shuang'. The closing Disciple of West Peak Supreme Elder Su Chenyuan, the 'Senior Sister' you speak of."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Disciples of the Cangyun Sect immediately became restless.

"Senior Sister Lin Shuang? The Senior Sister?"

"Is the Lin Shuangwan he's talking about our Senior Sister?"

"What is the relationship between our Senior Sister and the Black Tiger Gang Leader?"

Whispers spread rapidly through the crowd.

Sect Leader Qin Tianxing's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to calm. He said in a deep voice: "So it is Senior Sister Lin Shuang that Gang Leader Wei is looking for. I do not know what past grievances she has with you. She has long since severed ties with the mortal world and has been cultivating in our Cangyun Sect for many years. If she has offended you in any way previously, I, Qin, apologize on her behalf here."

But after hearing this, Wei Feisen laughed.

"Past grievances?" He said slowly, his voice carrying a playful tone. "Sect Head Qin has misunderstood. Between me and Emperor Shuang Wan, there are no past grievances."

He paused and paced two steps with his hands behind his back.

"She is my concubine. I didn't watch her closely enough back then, and let her run away from Yunjin City. I have been looking for her all these years; I didn't expect that she would actually hide in your sect."

"So, Sect Head Qin, I am not here to demand a person; I am here to take my person home."