“The Monstrous Flame Sect has captured the Port.”

Lord of the Birch City, Zhen Wu stated the fact in a meeting with his trusted partners and subordinates. His face was grave and his usually neat beard was scraggly.

Ikasa could see dark circles and extreme fatigue on the City Lord’s face. First the terrorist attacks and then the occupation of the Port by the Monstrous Flame Sect; These incidents happening in succession had taken a toll on his health.

Even Ikasa couldn’t sleep last night. The shocking developments with Yin Ying’s cryptic message had kept him awake.

‘Their real target is you.’

At first, Ikasa assumed she was talking about the Sect. However, after hearing the news from the Port, he was not so sure.

‘The Sect has to have a helper in the dark. They never would have the guts to come out after seeing the performance of Feng Yan. But who is it?’

The City Lord mirrored Ikasa’s thoughts. He voiced them to get everyone’s suggestions.

“Could he be part of some unknown power that has arrived recently in Birch City?

One of the leaders of Birch City’s mercantile group suggested eying Ikasa. Due to his close acquaintance with the City Lord, he had become a thorn in the eyes of many. Combined with his takeover of the Cultivation Manual market, he had trampled on the ambitions of quite a few people.

Still, these people were helpless and could do nothing better than badmouth him at every instance. Such as this one.

The City Lord glanced at the Merchants and shook his head in disappointment. Even at such a crucial juncture, they could not keep their petty interests aside.

Seeing City Lord’s reaction, the people from the mercantile group wisely shut up, leaving the discussion open for more qualified personnel.

“Other than us and the Sect, only the Hu clan has Sense Realm Experts. It should be them.”

Commander Lu put forth his hypothesis. His opinion was immediately questioned.

“Have you ever seen such a strong Saber wielding Sense Trainer in the Hu Clan? Judging from his reflexes during his fight with you, he should be in the Advanced Stage of the Sense Realm.”

Vice Commander Zhou’s words made sense. Lu Shao accepted that rebuttal. He had no solid basis for his assumption but Vice Commander Zhou’s words matched the available information.

The Hall became silent for a few seconds.

“Could he be a hidden expert nurtured by some power in secret? Perhaps a merchant group or even the Hu Clan or the Sect?”

Ikasa was thinking about the situation of Feng Yan. He thought that this new expert might be someone like him. Someone with a story. Someone saved by a power and raised to be their weapon.

His logic was irrefutable with current facts available. When the City Lord understood that no person could provide concrete evidence, he gave up.

“Due to lack of information, we cannot identify the person. So, I request everyone to be on the lookout for his origins and affiliations. As soon as you find anything, report it to me. I will not forget your help during these trying times.”

The meeting ended and the merchants and commanders got up to leave.

“Brother Ikasa, join me for tea.”

Zhen Wu stopped Ikasa who was about to leave. This earned Ikasa another glare of envy from the merchants as they exited the room.

The City Lord poured two cups of tea and took a seat on a sofa, inviting Ikasa to do the same. Both drank the tea in silence, waiting for the footsteps of the guests to fade away.

“Will you accompany me to the Hu Clan?”

The City Lord asked as he poured himself a second cup of tea. The aroma of tea was stronger now that the leaves had seeped well in the water.

“If you tell me the purpose, I will join you.”

Ikasa answered, taking a sip from his cup. His eyes detailed every movement of City Lord and he saw the shoulder stiffen for a brief moment before relaxing.

“I want to lure them to our side using your manuals.”

Ikasa raised his eyebrow.

“The Hu Clan will greatly appreciate your High Grade Cultivation Manuals during their weak period. As long as we can make them stay out of my battle with the Sect, I will have no trouble bringing the Sect down.”

“Lord Zhen, My store ruined their business. I don’t think they will welcome me. I am sorry. I cannot accompany you.”

Ikasa subtly reminded the City Lord to stop bullshitting and hiding stuff.  The City Lord sighed and dropped his act.

“My sister saw Sect Master of Monstrous Flame Sect and Path Finder Zhi leave the Hu Clan’s estate a few days before the attacks started. I need to go in there myself and investigate the truth. Your presence will provide a perfect alibi.”

Ikasa shivered from the maverick scheme City Lord was about to involve himself in. If he had agreed greedily, he might have suffered a catastrophe.

Still, for some reason his blood boiled with excitement. Ever since becoming a Sense Realm expert, he had been longing for an adventure. And this seemed like a perfect one with City Lord himself as a protective shield!

He knew that the sly old fox would never tell him the full information. Things would most likely escalate to the point he couldn’t have imagined.

So what? Since he knew this, how would he go without a back up?

Without thinking too much, he first agreed to the proposal. He agreed to willingly walk into a potential enemy’s den.

The City Lord saw the glint of excitement in the young man’s eyes. He briefly told him about his investigation plans. Once he was done explaining, he gave Ikasa a tentative time to visit.

“Be ready. We will visit the Clan Master Qing sometime this week.”

After some inane conversations, Ikasa bid the City Lord goodbye. As soon as he left, Zhen Ya entered the hall. She took a seat beside her brother and poured herself a new cup of tea.

She took a sip imitating her brother. Immediately, her face contorted from the bitter taste. The tea was too strong for her liking. She placed the cup down and her face became impassive again.

Zhen Wu watched her actions, hiding his smile behind his cup. When she turned her frosty stare towards him, the smirk was quickly wiped off his face.

“Are you sure you want to do this? His life may be in danger.”

City Lord cocked an eyebrow at her question. A hint of smirk appeared on his lips as he teasingly asked,

“Since when did our Ya’er start caring about other people?”

Upon receiving a chilly glare, City Lord dropped his teasing tone and seriously dismissed her worries.

“You are underestimating his capabilities.”

“You know they are being instigated by the profits that He Family promised. I risked my oath to inform you of this. Are you going to throw away a good partner just for momentary peace?”

“Little Sister, this is how politics works. You only cooperate with the capable. Others are trampled on. Anyways, I won’t let any harm come to him. If anything, my protection will only tie him firmly to our side.”

The City Lord did not regret telling Ikasa partial truth. The moment he came to know of He Family’s involvement, he started to formulate this plan.

Unfortunately, he was unaware of Ikasa’s breakthrough to the Sense Realm.

——

While the Upper echelon of Birch City were worrying over the power struggles, the lower echelon was experiencing a turmoil of its own.

A young man carrying his injured father arrived at the Physician Leong’s clinic.

“Young Man, I am sorry. I cannot help your father any further.”

The middle aged man regretfully informed the teenager after dressing the bleeding wound. The blood flow was only obstructed but not stopped entirely. If it is not stopped immediately, the man might die from the loss of blood.

The teenager knew this and looked at the Physician with desperation.

“Is there really nothing you can do, Sir? I can pay. This is his entire life savings of 20 gold. Please, help him.”

The young man looked at the Physician with desperation and hope. As the only family member he had, he couldn’t bear to see his father die from blood loss. His last resort was the Physician Leong.

Known for being kind and generous, the physician had an excellent reputation in the City.  He treated simple maladies for free and charged the least even when people needed medicines.

This had made him the last hope of the poor boy and many like him.

He helplessly explained the reason for his inability to cure.

“Since the City Lord has closed down the Monstrous Flame Sect’s stores, there is no place to procure medicine or the herbs to make medicines in this City.”

This reason outraged the many adventurers, mercenaries and other commoners as well. Many had suffered a loss of a loved one due to lack of treatment. Most of them had no place to vent.

However, Physician Leong’s explanation directed their anger at the cruel City Lord who was playing with their lives.

Seeing this shift, the man’s lips curled upwards. He was happy to instigate the commoners against the City Lord for he was the apprentice of the First Elder of the Monstrous Flame Sect.

Suddenly, a shout stopped the growing resentment amongst the crowd and reignited the hopes of many.

“Who says there are no other shops selling herbs for treatment?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep