Bai Jinshu hesitated, unsure whether to intervene and stop Jiang Cheng from acting out of emotion. On the other hand, he remembered that when Jiang Cheng had interrogated that assassin using this same method, Lin Ling had expressed her disapproval out of sympathy, while Ye Lihen, who was even younger than Lin Ling, had shown no compassion at all and merely watched from the sidelines. If Ye Lihen believed such methods were acceptable when used on others—especially his own subordinate—then what right did he have to complain now? With that thought, Bai Jinshu remained silent.
As Jiang Cheng issued his warning, Ye Lihen’s gaze shifted between Bai Jinshu and Jiang Cheng before gradually cooling. Finally, he locked eyes with Jiang Cheng and said, “If you do that, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Although his words sounded like a threat, Bai Jinshu could feel the sincerity behind them. Usually, Ye Lihen’s actions and words were filled with hidden meaning and manipulation, but when he stated something clearly, it wasn’t mere posturing. Especially in his current state. Normally composed and unflappable, Ye Lihen’s subtle expressions now revealed his true agitation. Bai Jinshu had expected defiance and a refusal to admit wrongdoing, but instead, Ye Lihen’s unwavering gaze at Jiang Cheng was filled with resentment and pain.
“If you treat me like this today, I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life—filled with guilt and suffering.”
Ye Lihen’s words immediately provoked Jiang Cheng.
“Why are you so stubborn at such a young age?” Jiang Cheng didn’t hesitate as he reached out to strike Ye Lihen’s Qu Chi acupoint.
Bai Jinshu had never experienced such pain himself, but he could imagine that even the sensation of a thousand ants biting at one’s heart couldn’t compare to it. Although Ye Lihen often complained about pain, he usually endured his injuries without a word. Bai Jinshu had assumed Ye Lihen would stubbornly endure it now, too. He didn’t expect Ye Lihen to give in, but he hoped this might at least prevent him from going further down the wrong path.
However, Ye Lihen’s reaction was entirely unexpected. Though he remained silent and refused to cry out, his body trembled with pain, and in no time, his eyes filled with tears. Soon after, he began to cry quietly, as if overwhelmed by an immense sorrow and grievance.
Despite his anger and frustration, Bai Jinshu couldn’t help but feel his heart ache. After all, Ye Lihen was still just a child, barely old enough to truly understand the world, and he had likely been led astray by those who had filled his head with wrong ideas from a young age.
Most importantly, Ye Lihen was the one person Bai Jinshu couldn’t bear to see suffer.
“Martial Uncle…”
Bai Jinshu finally spoke, his voice low as he pleaded for mercy.
Jiang Cheng didn’t wait for Bai Jinshu to say more. With a dark expression, he silently released Ye Lihen’s acupoints.
“To prevent any tricks from the demonic sect, we’ll lock him up and interrogate him thoroughly.” Jiang Cheng said, before adding, “Jinshu, have you searched him yet? He might be carrying something. You should search him, and I’ll inspect the room.”
Bai Jinshu didn’t know how to respond. He had already conducted a rather thorough “search” of Ye Lihen’s body earlier, using lies and deceit.
Since they were still in Ye Lihen’s room, Jiang Cheng began inspecting the surroundings.
Suddenly, Ye Lihen spoke up. “The most important thing to me is hidden in the beams of this room. I was planning to return it to Jiang Mengzhu.” He tried to keep his voice calm and composed, but the slight tremble in his tone betrayed his efforts. Despite trying to hold back, his voice was thick with tears, and soon, he could no longer suppress his sobs. “It was left to me by my mother before she passed away.” he added, as his crying grew louder and more uncontrollable.
Bai Jinshu didn’t know how to handle this version of Ye Lihen. Instinctively, he averted his gaze. Unsure of what to make of this sudden confession and seemingly random piece of information, he exchanged a cautious glance with his Master and Martial Uncle before leaping up to the beams.
Sure enough, he found a brocade box hidden among the rafters.
Just then, Ye Lihen suddenly coughed up blood.
Bai Jinshu was confident in his acupoint-sealing technique, but Ye Lihen had forced his way through it at the cost of internal injury. The attention of Bai Jinshu, his Master, and his Martial Uncle had all been focused on the box, so none of them were fast enough to stop Ye Lihen from escaping through the window.
Fortunately, Ye Lihen had fled in the direction of the south, while the main gate was to the north. Seeing the situation, Jiang Cheng swiftly leaped out of the main entrance, hoping to intercept him. Though Ye Lihen had managed to leave the room first, Jiang Cheng’s positioning gave him an advantage, and it seemed certain that Ye Lihen would be caught.
However, once again, Ye Lihen defied expectations. Instead of fleeing toward the main gate, he used his light-foot technique to escape in the direction of the back mountain.
Both Bai Jinshu’s Master and Martial Uncle were puzzled by this move, as the mountain only had one path down, and heading toward the back would only trap him. Bai Jinshu, however, quickly realized Ye Lihen’s intention.
Not long ago, Bai Jinshu had told Ye Lihen about the caves in the bamboo forest that led down the mountain. Now, it was clear that Ye Lihen had taken that as his escape route. The irony wasn’t lost on Bai Jinshu. Ye Lihen had used their casual conversation to plan his escape, not knowing that Bai Jinshu had deliberately misled him, pointing him to a cave that led nowhere.
As Bai Jinshu expected, Ye Lihen headed straight for the caves in the bamboo forest. His light-foot technique was impressive, nearly matching Bai Jinshu’s, but it wasn’t enough to lose them. To delay his pursuers, Ye Lihen entered the cave Bai Jinshu had indicated and struck the rocks at the entrance with his palm, causing an avalanche of debris to block the cave’s entrance.
By the time Bai Jinshu and the others arrived, the entrance was completely sealed off by fallen stones. For a moment, Bai Jinshu didn’t know what to feel. Ye Lihen, in trying to block his pursuers, had only ended up trapping himself.
“This cave has no other exit. Once we clear the entrance, Ye Lihen will have no choice but to surrender.” remarked Qin Feng, who was familiar with the caves after living on Renwang Mountain for most of his life.
Bai Jinshu stepped forward, ready to begin clearing the entrance, but Jiang Cheng stopped him.
“Ye Lihen has trapped himself. There’s no rush to rescue him.”
Bai Jinshu didn’t agree. He would rather see Ye Lihen locked up in Renwang Sect’s prison cells than left to suffer in a dark, airless cave. But before he could voice his thoughts, his Master, Qin Feng, supported Jiang Cheng’s decision.
“Jinshu, let’s first see what’s inside this brocade box.”
It was unlikely that Ye Lihen would hide something trivial in the rafters. This could be a trap, but it could also hold something important.
Naturally, Bai Jinshu couldn’t let his Master or Martial Uncle take any risks. He placed the box on the ground and cautiously used the sheath of his sword to lift the lid.
Inside the brocade box was something Bai Jinshu had never seen before, but he had heard about it many times. One glance was enough to recognize it. While Bai Jinshu was surprised, Jiang Cheng’s reaction was even more dramatic. Though they should have been wary of the possibility of a fake, or perhaps something laced with poison, Jiang Cheng didn’t hesitate to snatch up the item from the box: the Fubei Token.
“This is…” Jiang Cheng’s voice trembled as he stared at the token in his hand. “It’s really the Fubei Token. The complete Fubei Token.”
Legend had it that when the Jin invaders came south, the martial arts community united to resist them, forming a righteous army that fought valiantly on the battlefield. However, to their great disappointment, the emperor at the time showed no courage, fleeing south in haste and handing over half the kingdom to the Jins. Once the situation stabilized, many people nursed dreams of reclaiming their lost land, but their ambitions were thwarted by the ruling court’s humiliating peace treaty. In an effort to preserve their strength, the martial artists who had formed the righteous army gathered their war funds, treasures, and lost martial arts manuals, hiding them in a secret location. They engraved the map to this treasure on a single token, naming it the Fubei Token, hoping that one day, a descendant would find the token, rally the martial arts world, and use the treasure to reclaim the northern lands.
Unfortunately, the Fubei Token later resurfaced in the martial world, but instead of inspiring others to risk their lives for the restoration of the north, it sparked jealousy and greed as people sought to claim the treasure for themselves. Back then, Jiang Cheng, not yet the Wulin Alliance Leader, had been tasked with guarding the token by his sect. But he was deceived by a demonic sect woman, and the token was stolen. After that, it vanished without a trace.
Who would have thought that over ten years later, the Fubei Token would return, intact, as if the demonic sect hadn’t used it to retrieve the treasure at all?
Jiang Cheng stared at the Fubei Token for a long time, as if an eternity had passed. Then, as if waking from a dream, his expression turned to one of confusion and fear.
“Jinshu.” he asked urgently, gripping Bai Jinshu’s shoulder tightly, “Do you know Ye Lihen’s exact age?”
“He’ll be sixteen in two months.” Bai Jinshu answered reflexively, without much thought.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng fell into another daze, then suddenly rushed to the cave entrance, trying to dig it out with his bare hands.
Bai Jinshu didn’t understand Jiang Cheng’s strange behavior at first, but seeing how his Martial Uncle had lost his composure after asking about Ye Lihen’s age, a thought occurred to him. Flashes of memory resurfaced: Ye Lihen asking him whether Jiang Cheng had married, whether he had faced any life-or-death situations. Bai Jinshu had always found Ye Lihen’s interest in Jiang Cheng to be excessive, but he had never considered this particular possibility until now.
The cave entrance had been still, but as Jiang Cheng disturbed the rocks, more sand and stones came tumbling down, further blocking the way.
Qin Feng, seemingly aware of what Jiang Cheng was thinking, approached and gently persuaded him, “I’ll have the other disciples come and help. If you keep going like this, it won’t be effective.”
Jiang Cheng slowly stopped and stared at the sealed cave entrance. His voice, weak and shaken, muttered to himself, “Did he say his mother has passed away?”
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