Chapter 27: A Trap Within a Trap
The Red Leaf Grove lies at the sect's border—an isolated forest where crimson leaves fall year-round, even without wind. It's the perfect place for a secret meeting… or an ambush.
Liu Guan Yi arrives just before dusk, his sword sheathed on his back, robes flowing silently. The sun bleeds behind the trees, casting long shadows like crawling fingers.
> "No birds. No beasts. Too quiet."
He steps into the grove. A woman in a black veil waits beneath a red-leafed tree. Her presence is cold and composed.
> "You came alone," she says softly.
> "So did you," Liu Guan Yi replies, but his eyes remain sharp.
The woman is Elder Yue's personal disciple, known for illusions and subtle poisons. She tosses a jade scroll toward him.
> "Inside are records. Names. Orders signed by Elder Mo and Qiu—proof of their actions in the villages."
Liu Guan Yi catches the scroll, but does not open it.
> "Why give this to me?"
> "Because I want out," she says. "I served them. But they've gone mad."
Just then, a rustle in the trees.
Five masked figures appear, surrounding the grove. Each is a Rank 3 or early Rank 4 cultivator—silent, deadly.
The woman steps back.
> "I lied."
She smiles as her illusion ripples—and vanishes. The real her never came.
Liu Guan Yi looks up calmly.
> "A trap, then."
> "It was always a trap," a voice echoes through the grove—Elder Yue's voice, hidden in the forest mist.
Liu Guan Yi doesn't draw his sword. Instead, he smiles.
> "Mine too."
The instant the masked attackers strike, the earth erupts. A spell formation—hidden under the leaves—activates. Golden chains of refined qi snake upward, binding two of the attackers instantly.
> "Formation trap!" one of them yells.
Liu Guan Yi moves like a phantom. He steps sideways, his sword flickers like lightning—Cutting Edge.
One strike. One man down.
A second attacker tries to escape but trips a hidden talisman—his legs freeze as if caught in ice.
> "You think you're hunting a sheep," Liu Guan Yi says coldly, "but you entered a wolf's den."
Three minutes later, it's over.
Four bodies lie unconscious. One escapes with a severed arm.
Liu Guan Yi opens the jade scroll at last.
> It's empty.
He sighs.
> "Still, not bad. Now they'll panic. They'll act rashly."
As he walks away from the grove, he sends a message to his master, Ji Ning—still in closed-door cultivation.
> "Master. I request permission to investigate Elder Mo and Elder Qiu… on sect grounds."
Far away, in the core sect, Bai Si watches the sky from her peak. She hears whispers carried by spirit cranes:
> "Liu Guan Yi defeated five assassins alone."
> "He might be aiming for elder authority…"
Ye Chen sits in his own chamber, flame dancing in his hand. His eyes narrow.
> "He moves faster than I thought…"