214: Chapter 214 Conspiracy

As the birthday banquet drew to a close, the hall full of guests was excitedly discussing how they would head to the Ancient Ruins first thing tomorrow morning to get a share of the spoils.

No one noticed that the young man in the VIP seats, wearing the robes of a Qixia Sect Personal Disciple, quietly left the banquet with his companion,

and even less did anyone notice that at the Chen Family's table next to the main table, a youth wearing a half-face mask was staring intently in the direction where the two had disappeared.

"What's wrong?" A Chen Family Disciple nearby looked in the direction of his gaze, only seeing the swaying shadows of lanterns outside the side gate of the manor.

The masked youth lightly tapped his fingers on the table twice, his voice kept extremely low: "Two people have left."

The nearby Chen Family Disciple froze for a moment, then smiled dismissively. "Left? With the Martial King Treasure Trove right in front of them, someone actually willing to leave? They must be fools."

The masked youth did not laugh.

He stared at the now-empty side gate, his eyes narrowing slightly beneath his mask.

The Chen Family had planned this Ancient Ruins scheme for a long time, and every single step had been repeatedly scrutinized.

Right now, hundreds of guests were excitedly discussing how to divide the treasure tomorrow, yet these two alone had left early—were they uninterested, or had they noticed something?

He turned his head and whispered to his companion, "Send someone to follow them and see if they are really leaving Qingshan City. If there's anything unusual, eliminate them directly. Nothing must go wrong with the plan."

The companion nodded and gestured to the two black-robed men behind him. The two dark figures silently slipped away from the banquet, melting into the night outside the manor.

Meanwhile, Lin Tian had already dragged Su Xiaoyue through the long streets of Qingshan City.

Along the way, Su Xiaoyue tried her best to pry his fingers off. When she couldn't, she resorted to digging her nails into the back of his hand. Lin Tian didn't even furrow his brows; instead, his pace grew faster and faster.

The warning sign in his Sea of Consciousness had not faded at all. Instead, as they drew further away from the Mu Family Villa, it became even clearer—it wasn't targeted at the Mu Family Villa, but at the entirety of Qingshan City.

That dangerous aura was closing in on the city from all directions, like an invisible net slowly tightening.

Once they passed through the city gates, Su Xiaoyue finally erupted.

She dug her heels into the ground, refusing to budge, while her other hand tightly gripped the trunk of an old locust tree by the city gate. Her face flushed red as she scolded, "Lin Tian! You're a coward! With the Martial King Treasure Trove right in front of you, you don't even dare to go!

If you want to leave, leave by yourself! This Young Miss is not afraid of danger! Let go of me!"

Lin Tian looked back at her. Her eyes were slightly red, half from anger and half from grievance.

He expressionlessly released her wrist. Su Xiaoyue thought he had finally compromised and was about to sigh in relief when her vision suddenly blurred—Lin Tian's hand chopped precisely against the back of her neck.

Before Su Xiaoyue could even let out a whimper, her body went limp and she collapsed.

Lin Tian caught her, slung her over his shoulder, and with a sudden burst of his Cloud Shadow Step, he transformed into a blurry gray shadow, rushing swiftly in the direction of the Qixia Sect.

He took mountain paths, beast trails, and steep ridges that even local hunters avoided, taking shortcuts across mountains and valleys.

His speed was countless times faster than the swaying carriage they had taken to get here.

When the two black-robed men chased them to the city gates, they only saw the empty official road bathed in moonlight, without a single soul in sight.

They exchanged glances, searched the dense forests on both sides of the official road for a while, and ultimately could only stamp their feet and return empty-handed.

Lin Tian barely stopped along the way.

He traveled by day and by night. When tired, he would lean against a tree trunk for an hour; when hungry, he would chew on a few bites of dry rations.

Su Xiaoyue woke up once midway through, finding herself slung over Lin Tian's shoulder, facing downward and watching the mountain path rapidly recede. It took her quite a while to realize—they were already halfway back, and heaven knew how far they were from Qingshan City.

Angry and aggrieved, she pounded on Lin Tian's shoulder a few times, but her strength was so weak it felt like a tickle. In the end, she could only slump on his shoulder and sulk.

She really couldn't understand. This Lin Tian her aunt had introduced to her was indeed quite handsome and his cultivation wasn't bad, but how could he be such a coward? With the Martial King Treasure Trove right before them, while others were fighting tooth and nail to go,

he ran faster than a rabbit.

Not only did he not dare to go himself, but he even knocked her out and carried her back. What kind of young Prodigy was he?

Traveling day and night like this, on the evening of the fifth day, the mountain gate of the Qixia Sect finally came into view.

The moment Lin Tian stepped through the mountain gate carrying Su Xiaoyue, the warning sign that had persisted in his Sea of Consciousness for five whole days finally subsided.

He let out a long breath of turbid Qi and set Su Xiaoyue down from his shoulder.

Once her feet touched the ground, Su Xiaoyue glared at him fiercely, turned on her heel, and walked toward the Peak Masters Hall, not uttering another word to him along the way.

In the Peak Masters Hall, the bronze lamps had just been lit, their flames dancing gently in the cups.

Peak Master Su Hanyan was sitting behind her desk, reviewing documents submitted by the various peaks. Hearing footsteps, she looked up to see Su Xiaoyue pushing open the door in a huff, followed by a travel-worn Lin Tian, whose robes still bore several tears from crossing the mountains.

She set down the documents, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two. The corner of her mouth curled up imperceptibly as she spoke, "Did the mission go smoothly? Why did you return so quickly?"

"The congratulatory gifts have been delivered, and the mission is complete. Peak Master, this Disciple shall take his leave first." Lin Tian cupped his hands in a salute, turned, and cleanly exited the hall.

Watching his figure disappear outside the hall door, Su Xiaoyue's teeth itched with anger. She plopped down onto a nearby chair, crossed her arms, and turned her face away.

Peak Master Su Hanyan leaned back in her chair, her tone carrying a hint of curiosity and mischief: "What's wrong? Who provoked our Xiaoyue?"

This question was like pulling a plug. All the grievances and anger Su Xiaoyue had bottled up along the way poured out, and she began to rattle off a list of Lin Tian's faults—

from head to toe, from his silence at the Mu Family's banquet, to his ignoring her along the way, to how he dragged her away as if he had seen a ghost when the Martial King Treasure Trove was right in front of them, and even knocking her out and carrying her back!

As Peak Master Su Hanyan listened, the smile on her face faded slightly. The Martial King Treasure Trove, the Black Snake Chen Family, the Ancient Ruins—these words made her heart skip a beat.

She was about to offer her niece a few comforting words when a rush of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall, followed by an Elder who practically barged through the doors shoulder-first.

"Peak Master! Something terrible has happened!" The Elder's voice was trembling. "Five days ago, the Qingshan City Mu Family and the Black Snake Chen Family joined forces to open the Martial King Treasure Trove. The first batch of several hundred Martial Artists who entered the Ancient Ruins encountered a Demonic Beast inside—and every single one of them perished, with not a single survivor!"

Peak Master Su Hanyan abruptly stood up from her chair.

Su Xiaoyue froze completely in her chair,

her almond eyes wide with shock, her lips trembling slightly, yet unable to utter a single word.