Chapter 407: The Visit

Chapter 407: The Visit

The night sky glittered, dotted with stars, and a bright moon hung high.

Beneath the night sky, a group hurried through the woods.

The one leading suddenly halted and turned to look back; he sighed in relief:

"It seems they really haven't caught up."

"Don’t get careless, Senior Duan."

A woman's voice echoed through the woods: "Everyone on Dragonwood Island has formidable martial skills. The one who held them back earlier won’t last."

It was Zhou Wenjing who spoke.

The one she addressed was none other than Duan Wenwu, "Heart Hidden in Sleeves."

The two had never gotten along. Zhou Wenjing believed Duan Wenwu was sweet-talking but treacherous, no ally of theirs.

Duan Wenwu, due to a long-standing grudge against Zhang Quan, naturally looked down on Zhou Wenjing as well.

Yet, somehow, the two of them had now ended up together.

Trailing behind them was Cheng Suying.

Cheng Suying scanned the dark woods behind them, her brow furrowed:

"Wenjing, what’s our next move?"

Zhou Wenjing let out a long sigh, then shot a glance at Duan Wenwu.

That morning, the three of them had acted on Su Mo’s orders, continuing to "stroll" around Dragonwood Island, pretending to search for clues about their missing elders.

They’d found nothing all day.

Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, they encountered Duan Wenwu skulking about.

Zhou Wenjing initially thought he had come to pick a fight.

She wasn’t too concerned, though.

First, they were guests on Dragonwood Island.

Second, while Duan Wenwu's martial arts were formidable—she might not be his match alone—she had the two esteemed disciples of the Canglan Divine Blade by her side.

With the three of them united, why be afraid of him?

Especially Duan Renjie, who had been confined by Su Mo for so long that he was itching for a fight.

On Su Mo's ship, he hadn’t dared to bare his fangs at anyone.

Now, however, he seemed eager to find someone to clash with.

Yet, Duan Wenwu didn’t engage them. Instead, he simply said:

"If you want to find your martial uncle, follow me."

With that, he turned and left.

Zhou Wenjing and her two companions exchanged glances. Though they didn’t know what clues Duan Wenwu had, they decided to follow him to find out.

So they followed him.

When they reached a secluded spot, Duan Wenwu finally revealed what he knew.

He said his reason for coming to the island was different from everyone else’s.

Most came for the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture, treasure hunting, or the martial arts tournament for marriage.

But he was here to find his son.

Duan Wenwu's son was named Duan Yulong, a minor celebrity in the martial world, known as Young Master Jade Dragon.

However, the title was mostly given out of respect for his father’s fame, since his own skills were nothing special.

This weighed heavily on him.

Because of this, father and son often butted heads.

Duan Wenwu was often away, wandering the martial world, so they hardly saw each other all year.

Then, about six months ago, when Duan Wenwu returned home, he found his son’s room empty—just a letter left behind.

The letter said he’d stumbled upon an opportunity and was going after it.

If it worked out, he’d finally surpass his father, blah blah...

After reading it, Duan Wenwu knew something was wrong.

But the letter said nothing about Dragon Wood Island.

With no leads, he could only wait at home, worrying.

After two months of silence, he couldn’t take it anymore and started searching everywhere for him.

It was only recently that he got a lead, discovering that his son's last known whereabouts were on Gupiao Island.

He immediately rushed there, only to find the island was crawling with shady characters and rumors.

Even his old rivals from the Shattered Star Sect were present.

Dead set on finding his son, he kept a low profile.

Then he saw them make their move during the fog.

Without delay, he followed them out to sea.

After some detours, he wound up on Dragon Wood Island.

On the beach, after encountering a group of martial artists and discussing their reasons for coming, he learned the details.

He surmised his son must have been lured here by rumors of the martial arts tournament for marriage or treasure hunting.

Yet, after so long without returning home, it was likely something had happened to him on the island.

Thus, on the very first night, he secretly explored Dragon Wood Island.

In the end, he actually found something.

He claimed that those who landed on the island that night were handled in two distinct ways.

One group was captured and escorted to guest quarters, hosted as guests of Dragonwood Island.

The other group was hauled straight to a cave in the back hills.

After spying for a while, he finally pieced together the pattern.

The second fate befell people in two cases: the prisoner was older, or they’d fought without witnesses.

If they were caught openly, they would be taken to the guest rooms.

Otherwise, they would be sent to the cave in the back mountain.

Duan Wenwu was itching to check out the cave, but he had no backup.

Although he had gathered a group from the beach that day, they were nothing more than a ragtag bunch.

They drifted apart as they went, useless in the end.

By then, he was left high and dry.

If he charged in blindly, the cave was a death trap—he might fail to rescue his son and instead end up captured himself.

So he backed off and sought another plan.

This was also why he kept trying to find Zhang Quan.

His beef with Zhang Quan was small-time—a scrap would settle it.

Didn’t matter who took the beating...

And he knew well that Zhang Quan was quick on his feet and a notch above him in martial arts.

Under such circumstances, if he laid it all out, Zhang Quan would surely brush off their squabble and lend him a hand.

He was dead sure of it.

So, he made a show of being spotted, allowing himself to be captured by the Dragonwood Island’s people—and sure enough, he was taken to the guest rooms.

But shockingly, when he woke the next morning, Zhou Wenjing was still by his side, but there was no sign of Zhang Quan.

He realized then that Zhang Quan must have also met with trouble.

Though he was gutted, after the morning banquet that day, he noticed Zhou Wenjing, Cheng Suying, and Duan Renjie acting suspiciously around Su Mo, clearly harboring their own schemes.

After observing them that day, he began forming his own plan.

The following day—this very morning—he continued his covert surveillance.

He noticed that Zhou Wenjing and the other two neither went to the Scripture Cave to study texts nor participated in the Island Master selection.

This confirmed that they had ulterior motives for being here.

As for what Su Mo was after, he had no idea.

However, Zhou Wenjing would inevitably be running around searching for Zhang Quan.

This way, their goals were in sync.

In the end, swallowing his pride, he sought cooperation with Zhou Wenjing and the other two.

After hearing his explanation, though still suspicious, Zhou Wenjing and the others decided to check out the back mountain.

Their intention wasn’t to go too far in—if there were indeed secrets hidden there, they would make a note and talk it over with Su Mo upon returning that night.

Compared to Duan Wenwu, who was always scheming, Zhou Wenjing trusted Su Mo—the First of Donghuang from the Eastern Wastelands—far more.

Yet, they had underestimated how heavily guarded the back mountain was by Longmu Island.

Shortly after infiltrating, they were detected by the island’s forces.

A fight broke out right away.

The disciples of Longmu Island dropped the nice act without hesitation.

After all, those who appeared here had neither participated in the Island Master selection nor visited the Scripture Cave.

Since they couldn’t be of use, why should they be allowed to wander around instead of staying put?

They had to be caught.

After a chaotic battle, Duan Renjie got captured.

The remaining three broke free and took off across the island.

With their identities exposed, they couldn’t risk going back to their quarters, or they’d drag Yang Xiaoyun and Zhen Xiaoxiao into it.

Moreover, even if they wanted to retreat, the disciples of Longmu Island wouldn’t allow it.

Stuck running blind through unfamiliar terrain, they found themselves cornered with more enemies closing in.

Right when things looked hopeless, a black-clad figure suddenly emerged.

Assuming it was another Longmu Island pursuer, they were surprised to see that this figure was also being chased by a group of the island’s disciples.

The two groups abruptly collided, momentarily stunned.

Then, the black-clad figure began wiping out enemies left and right.

He was insanely skilled—his strikes looked basic but were deadly precise.

But Longmu Island’s forces were overwhelming, and even with this powerful ally, they could barely keep up.

Finally, the black-clad figure yelled, "We gotta bail!"

And so, the group resumed their escape.

Barely staying ahead, they were about to get crushed when a figure in plain robes showed up in the dark.

Then… they realized this newcomer was also being pursued by Longmu Island’s disciples—including Xie Yun, whom they had seen at the banquet two days prior.

Zhou Wenjing, Duan Wenwu, and the others were ready to give up.

I just hope we don't run into anyone else after this...

Otherwise, every person we meet seems to bring along a whole group, and the status of those they bring keeps getting higher. At this rate, next time it might be the Lord of Longmu Island!

Unexpectedly, the black-clad man let out a huge sigh of relief upon seeing this and shouted to the plain-robed man:

"Corpse Face, I leave this to you."

The plain-robed man responded with a single palm strike, sending the black-clad man flipping twice.

The sight stunned everyone.

Yet, the black-clad man simply got up, brushed off his clothes, completely unharmed, and turned to leave.

The plain-robed man didn't even glance at him, merely waving lightly:

"Everyone, leave."

Zhou Wenjing and the others understood the last two words were directed at them.

They saluted with clasped fists and left without delay.

From then on, they fled all the way here. Looking back now, there were no pursuers in sight.

However, how long could this plain-robed man keep the Dragonwood Island disciples at bay?

No one knew for sure.

Now that they were exposed and Duan Renjie captured, they were completely clueless about what to do next.

"Right now, we mustn’t panic," Duan Wenwu sat down against a tree, taking a deep breath.

"Everyone on Dragonwood Island has shady intentions.

"They lie and scheme. If we expose their true colors...

"We could surely turn the island’s visitors to our side.

"Unfortunately, we currently lack concrete evidence.

"Words alone won’t cut it."

Zhou Wenjing glanced at Duan Wenwu and shook her head slightly.

Logically speaking, Duan Wenwu's reasoning wasn't wrong.

But the situation on Dragonwood Island was far more complicated than that.

"Zhou girl, what do you mean by shaking your head?"

Noticing her reaction, Duan Wenwu asked:

"You’re clever, girl. If you have something to say, just speak your mind.

"We’re all stuck together now."

"No need to beat around the bush."

Zhou Wenjing, however, stayed quiet for a beat before glancing at Cheng Suying and speaking in a low voice:

"Regardless, we must find a way to get in touch with Chief Escort Su."

"Right."

Cheng Suying nodded immediately. "If Chief Escort Su knows, Renjie might still have a chance."

Duan Wenwu frowned upon hearing their words:

"The Chief Escort Su you speak of—is that young man?

"What makes him so special that you both hold him in such high regard?

"Why have I never heard of him before?"

Zhou Wenjing and Cheng Suying shook their heads simultaneously:

"Chief Escort Su’s background is... complicated. But without his permission, we can’t just go around talking about him. Sorry, Senior Duan."

"Whatever."

Duan Wenwu let out a sigh, knowing they didn’t fully trust him and not pushing it. He simply said:

"But now, trying to meet him will be difficult.

"Longmu Island’s security is tight, and the City Lord's residence is a death trap.

"If we go, we could get captured before we even find Chief Escort Su."

"Actually..."

Zhou Wenjing pondered for a moment. "There’s another option."

As she spoke, she looked at Cheng Suying.

Cheng Suying immediately understood. "Indeed, there is another way. Let's go."

"But could this backfire on us?"

Zhou Wenjing had looked at Cheng Suying precisely because of this concern, seeking her opinion.

Cheng Suying stopped in her tracks, her brow knitting slightly:

"We still need to be careful and not act rashly.

"If Longmu Island’s disciples are watching us, we bail and come up with a new plan."

"Guess we have no choice."

Zhou Wenjing sighed, shooting Duan Wenwu another look.

Duan Wenwu didn’t get why she was looking at him.

Finally, Zhou Wenjing shook her head gently. "Senior Duan, you coming with us?"

"...We’re stuck together now. If you don't take me along, leaving me behind would just make things worse."

Duan Wenwu stood up: "Lead the way."

Without another word exchanged, the trio crept forward cautiously toward their destination.

Shortly after, they arrived beside a dense forest.

Duan Wenwu, taking in the familiar surroundings, asked, "Is this where we first landed on the island?"

Zhou Wenjing and Cheng Suying nodded, carefully scanning the area. Relieved to find no Longmu Island disciples lurking nearby, they relaxed slightly.

After taking a few winding turns, they reached a cliff edge.

Peering down, they spotted the Ziyang Escort Agency’s grand ship moored below.

The area was just as deserted.

Duan Wenwu’s eyes widened in realization:

"There are still people on this ship?"

"Yes, the rest of the Ziyang Escort Agency waited on board," Zhou Wenjing replied softly.

As Duan Wenwu hesitated, the two women sprung lightly onto the ship's deck.

Not wanting to lag, he hurriedly followed.

Yet the moment his foot touched the deck, Duan Wenwu’s face contorted in terror.

A crushing wave of dread swallowed him, as if he had plunged into an abyss.

Faintly, he sensed the searing glare of a pair of bloodthirsty eyes, radiating menace and oppressive power.

This ship... it held unspeakable danger!

Duan Wenwu’s heart seized, freezing him in place.

Zhou Wenjing and Cheng Suying, who had been walking ahead, turned back in confusion.

"Senior Duan, what's wrong?"

Cold sweat beaded on Duan Wenwu’s brow, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

But the two women appeared utterly unshaken, leaving him bewildered.

"You... you don’t feel it?"

As soon as he spoke, the menacing gaze disappeared as if it had never been.

The suffocating fear lifted in an instant, as though it were all a fever dream.

But Duan Wenwu was no stranger to danger.

A seasoned wanderer of the martial world, his instinct for detecting bloodlust was razor-sharp.

There must have been a master who overwhelmed him with sheer presence just now.

Moreover, this master's martial arts were far beyond his own, which was why the sheer presence alone could overwhelm him.

His heart raced with dread, and he didn’t dare make a move in the slightest.

Cheng Suying and Zhou Wenjing were baffled and asked a few questions, but Duan Wenwu remained silent and said nothing more.

Their arrival, however, drew the attention of the others on the ship.

The first to emerge was Fu Hanyuan.

Upon seeing Zhou Wenjing and Cheng Suying, Fu Hanyuan was stunned for a moment:

"Why have you two returned at this hour?"

"Escort Fu."

Cheng Suying and Zhou Wenjing saluted with clasped fists, and Fu Hanyuan quickly returned the gesture.

At that moment, Song Yuanlong and others also came out from the cabin. Seeing it was Zhou and Cheng, Song Yuanlong shooed the others back to rest.

He was about to lead Zhou, Cheng, and Duan Wenwu into the cabin for a talk when, in a flash, another figure landed on the ship's deck.

The newcomer scanned the deck, casually spinning a jade flute in his hand, and chuckled lightly:

"Imagine finding such a large ship hidden here!"

His voice was unplaceable—neither distinctly male nor female—leaving it uncertain whether it was altered by internal energy or some other trick.

"You?"

Zhou and Cheng's expressions changed.

Though this person had earlier helped fend off the disciples of Dragonwood Island in the dense forest, whether he was friend or foe was unclear.

Now that he had boarded the ship, what was he after?

At their reaction, the man clasped his fists in greeting:

"My respects..."