Garden of Shadows

by Tinalynge

  Hearing this man actually threatening him with Luoluo, Xue Wei’s eyes turned black with anger, and he snickered, quietly swearing that when he had reached his goal, then he would personally send this man to meet King Yama.

  The man felt how the surrounding atmosphere turned colder, the temperature was dropping drastically and he was shocked.

  He had killed a fair number of people before, and because of this, he had been picked for the job of fetching Xue Wei, as he would not become petrified with fear when it came to a situation where one had to kill or be killed.

  But this man had clearly killed a lot fewer people than Xue Wei. Xue Wei’s killing intent, when released, was so terrifying that even the surrounding air turned colder, and many of the other Sky Knights felt as if a hand had grasped their hearts and started squeezing.

  Xue Wei had to admit that he was close to giving up on his plan just to show these people that they should not threaten his family or friends, but if he did, no one knew how the Baili family would react. And if they could not handle it well, then things would become much more difficult. Xue Wei did not have the power to face the noble family on his own just yet, and he needed them to put down their guard, while also buying enough time for the Gu and Yuan families to strengthen themselves and prepare.

  Taking in a deep breath, Xue Wei glanced at the leader, and even the leader felt a lingering fear after that glance, yet moments after he calmed down. He was unaware of Xue Wei’s original shape and his overwhelming benefit from being a Sovereign Beast as well as underestimating the value of him being a dual cultivator of Qi and spiritual energy, causing him to relax a lot.

  In the multitudinous eyes of the Baili family’s team, there was simply no way for Xue Wei to put up any resistance against them, so although they felt the most primal feeling of fear as if it was an instinct, they did not act on this fear, and they quickly calmed down too.

  Xue Wei also kept his temper in check. He could not afford to change the plan as it was now, so he had stopped the killing intent from spreading out. However, it kept roaming in his body, increasing in intensity and making him want nothing more than to chop the leader up into bits.

  “So, I just have to follow you back to the Baili family, and in return, you will not touch any of my friends or family?” Xue Wei asked as if he was just now enlightened to the idea.

  “Yes, follow us, and we will leave your friends and family alone. We will not even find faults with the Yuan or Gu families.” The leader was promising whatever Xue Wei wanted to hear so that they could avoid fighting.

  Although the leader was capable of putting up a proper fight, the others were not as lucky. It was a very limited few who had killed others before, so for the sake of his men, the leader felt that it was better to compromise and promise that his friends and family would be safe.

  “I see, in that case, let me take a trip to the Baili family with you,” Xue Wei half-growled through gritted teeth. Although things were going according to plan, he was in a foul mood and still wished for nothing more than to transform and obliterate them with everything he had.

  The leader released a breath of foul air. He had been on tenterhooks all the while, but listening to Xue Wei confessing that he would follow them made him feel much better.

  The others also let go of their bated breaths, and then they suddenly noticed that their hands were cold but clammy after the sudden drop in temperature.

  The group surrounded Xue Wei, making a human barrier around him, in an attempt to stop him from escaping.

  These experts were unaware that Xue Wei’s Qi cultivation rank was as high as an Earth Knight, and someone who could walk effortlessly on air and fly through the sky.

  Qi cultivators could fly through air when they became Sky Warriors. Although their speed was rather limited and the distance they could fly was small, it was a skill that became more and more refined the higher one’s rank became.

  These spiritual energy experts were capable of hovering in the air for a very short amount of time as their body had reached the Heavenly Warrior rank, but they could never catch up with an Earth Knight.

  To fly effortlessly through the air as spiritual energy experts, they had to be Saints first, and thus the method of flying was not used much in Yan Dalu. This familiarity had caused them to forget that Xue Wei was different from them.

  Xue Wei could only shake his head. They were being rather inconsistent with their actions. They had threatened him so that he would be forced to follow them, so why would he run away? And if he did want to run away, would they really be capable of stopping him?

  Shaking his head, Xue Wei just followed amongst them, a small smile played on his lips but this was not a gentle smile—it was a rather ruthless one.

  Although Yuan Bailong was against entering the tiger’s den, he had not considered that this might be different. Inviting a snake home for dinner was in no way a clever idea either.

  As they walked through the academy, many observed Xue Wei being surrounded by the experts from the Baili family, and soon the rumors about his surrender had spread through the entire academy.

  Only Yuan Bailong, Gu Bing’er, and Xue Wei’s friends knew about the truth behind it all. Even the rest of the Gu and Yuan families were currently unaware of the plan that had caused this reaction of panic amongst the other students.

  Sensing that the rumors would spread to the rest of the city soon, Gu Bing’er and Yuan Bailong rushed to their respective homes to begin pacifying them by informing them of the next steps they were to make, alongside delivering all the pills that Xue Wei had created the last few days.

  Xue Wei was actually taking quite a bit of a gamble. By providing the Yuan and Gu families with such a large number of outstanding pills up front, there was a chance that they would wash their hands of him, having already benefited so much and refuse to repay the kindness received.

  Although he trusted in Yuan Bailong and Gu Bing’er, it was hard to say how their families would react—and the elders were the ones that wielded the most power within their families. If they could not be swayed, it would become problematic.

  Thinking like this, Xue Wei’s brows furrowed slightly, but he was not too worried. If he was not saved after the time limit was up, then he would transform and force his way out of the prison anyway. When it came down to it, they were unaware of his Azure Dragon shape, and it should be able to crush any prison to pieces.

  Chapter 35 - Baili Family’s Elders

  The big entourage made their way through the entire academy and subsequently through the city, the experts from the Baili family remaining on high alert as they feared that Xue Wei would attempt an escape.

  But everything went quite perfectly. Xue Wei restrained his killing intent and quelled his urge to do battle, and soon, they had arrived in front of the Baili family’s mansion.

  Guards were standing outside, and when they saw the leader return, they all craned their necks to try to see if Xue Wei was amongst them. Seeing the youngster, one of the guards seemed elated while another seemed disappointed, and moments after a few pills were handed from the disappointed guard to the other. Clearly, they’d had bet on whether or not it would be a successful capture.

  This sight was not only displayed at the front gate of the Baili family; everywhere they stepped, people would also be stretching their necks to see if Xue Wei was there before they started sulking at one another, and handed over the bets they had lost.

  When they entered the gate, Xue Wei found that the family compound was not just one building but consisted of quite a few buildings deceptively hidden, as the main one was the only one that could be seen from the outside.

  It was precisely this building they were moving towards, the main mansion of the Baili family. The place where all the important things would be discussed, and where the family leader lived with his wife and children.

  There were another set of guards at the entrance to this building, but upon seeing who was coming by, instead of st
opping them, they immediately opened the doors so that the leader of the group could lead Xue Wei inside.

  Xue Wei looked curiously at the surroundings. It would be beneficial for him to know the layout of the place, as he would have to escape at some point when his friends came for him.

  As they entered the building, Xue Wei felt the breath of twenty-seven strong experts. These experts were clearly much stronger than Xue Wei; their breath enough to put a lot of unseen pressure on him, as they tried their best to bring him to his knees with their aura alone.

  As soon as some of the unseen pressure was released on Xue Wei, the two dragon spirits within his body took the chance to send wave after wave of energy through his body. The Azure Dragon spirit sent azure dragon strands of Qi around his meridians to make it possible for his body to better withstand the pressure that would otherwise make his body tremble.

  The golden dragon spirit within his mind also started sending out rays of light that lessened the pressure on his soul.

  Although it still wasn’t wholly negated, it was no longer almost impossible to breathe, and his legs did not tremble as he took a step forward.

  All this pressure was focused on Xue Wei, but the others—the Baili team that had been tasked with fetching him—were all so close to Xue Wei that they too felt the pressure bearing down upon them.

  Their legs were trembling, their bodies oozed with sweat, and all of them were looking at Xue Wei with dumbstruck expressions. One has to remember that these experts were all Sky Knights, and while they were trembling and suffering, Xue Wei was merely an Earth Knight, yet he was looking much more casual, with barely a hint that this pressure even affected him.

  The reason was quite simple; it was because of his two dragon spirits working in tandem to protect Xue Wei from the pressure, the spirits were unique to the Azure Dragons.

  The defense of an Azure Dragon was not something a mere human could compare to, neither was it something that these halfbreeds—as he now knew they were called—of Yan Dalu could intimidate.

  Although they were much stronger than Xue Wei, the truth was that pressure alone was something invisible and theirs was incapable of producing much trouble for Xue Wei.

  Sensing that the weakest amongst them had the least problems with the pressure, the rest of the group’s eyes started gleaming in thought and greed. Did he have some particular technique or treasure that allowed for him to dismiss the pressure of a stronger cultivator?

  If he did, this was something they needed to gain for themselves. It was something that would be able to put them even further apart from the masses.

  The Baili family had wild ambitions. Right now, they understood that they had no chance of controlling the continent because of the King—a five-eyed expert, and the entire court of officials who wished to keep the structure of the continent as it had always been.

  However, they were not giving up. Throughout the last few decades, they had bribed, threatened and murdered their way into a favorable position within the court. Although the noble families were meant to be the protectors of the citizens, the Baili family had a lot of shady business going on.

  While the Gu and Yuan families were eying their possibilities to attack the Baili family, the Baili family was trying even harder to overthrow the throne and take over the throne in Yan Dalu.

  This was also why they put so much importance on capturing Xue Wei. They understood that if they could get ahold of all the secrets he held, then they would be able to increase their strength tremendously, and if they could do so, they would be poised to claim the power they desired.

  But only a limited few knew about these facts; it was something that not many were allowed to be told. The leader of the Baili team that had been sent to apprehend Xue Wei was one of the few people who knew about it.

  He had been trained from a young age to be one of their assassins. He would never question his orders, and he would work hard to make sure that these orders were performed well.

  When they arrived in the main hall, they saw the many experts seated in balconies high above the ground, looking down upon them with cold and calculating eyes.

  “You are Xue Wei?” one of the elders asked impolitely, his voice so cold that Xue Wei could instantly guess that he had some close ties to one of the ones he had killed.

  Xue Wei did not answer this rude greeting. Instead, he held a mocking smile on his lips as he placed his hands at his waist and looked at the experts high above, waiting to see their reaction.

  “Did you not hear the seventeenth elder asking you a question?” one of the men from the team that had brought him back sneered. He had felt slightly fearful towards Xue Wei before, but now that all the elders were here, he was fearless.

  Xue Wei looked at him as if he was looking at a dancing monkey, and he snickered but said nothing.

  The answer was already in front of them, and they still asked. How pointless. The man who had spoken up was filled with embarrassment, his eyes turning slightly red and his cheeks paling.

  The aforementioned seventeenth elder was also very uncomfortable. He was already livid with anger, his breathing heavy.

  “Atrocious little brat, you killed our men, and now that you have been brought back, you show no manners within our mansion, you are so preposterous!” the seventeenth elder lashed out, filled with anger, his words harsh and impossible to ignore.

  This was what Xue Wei had hoped for. Someone who could not hold back their temper and erupted in front of all of them would cause the cooperation between them to be impossible from the get-go.

  The other elders felt annoyed when they heard the seventeenth elder’s outburst. He was not amongst the strongest in the family, and he had already caused the diplomatic talks to become strained almost instantly.

  “Young man, although the seventeenth elder has taken it a bit too far, he does have a point,” another elder spoke up. This elder was higher ranked, and his words represented the many elders present.

  Hearing him speak, all the others quietened down, and Xue Wei noticed that the people who had brought him here all straightened their backs as he spoke, their behavior indicating that he was a significant figure within the Baili family.

  Xue Wei had not wanted to answer the seventeenth elder, but this man had to be answered, so Xue Wei opened his mouth and began in a provocative voice, “The Baili family sure is big, trying to force me to cooperate so many times, and when I defend myself, they send out stronger and stronger experts to capture me. What happened to free will within Yan Dalu?

  “It is clear to me that everything you want is to benefit yourself. Even when I killed your men, you did not consider killing me in retaliation. Instead, you continued to scheme about how to gain the knowledge I have in my mind instead of seeking justice for your slain young masters.

  “Is this the unbreaking bond between family? Well sorry, but the Baili family has tried to force me to work with them, and if there is one thing I cannot accept, it is someone trying to force me to do something.

  “Not to mention threatening my dear ones. I agreed to come here, but that does not mean that I will accept your offer willingly. I am here not to work with you, but to see you bring your worst. Let me know how you will keep your name as the first noble family of Yan Dalu at the same time as you force me to reveal my secrets.”

  Xue Wei was grinning as he spoke, his words were direct and honest, but also rude and undoubtedly killed off all chances that were there for peaceful cooperation between them.

  The elder who had been speaking before felt slightly annoyed. They had all thought that there would be some leverage to cooperate now that Xue Wei had followed their men here, but it now seemed that the only reason he was here was that he had been threatened.

  They could not change the way they had interacted with Xue Wei in the past, and this elder had become aware of Xue Wei’s personality after seeing him just once, so now that Xue Wei had decided against working with them, he could tell that Xue Wei would not
change his mind.

  Since the peaceful approach was out of the question, there was only one other way to get knowledge out of his mind, and that was through force.

  “Lock him in the dungeons,” the elder sighed. He had hoped to get an easy comrade, but it seemed as if Xue Wei was a tougher nut to crack than he had expected.

  The group who had brought him there all tightened their surveillance of him and started leading him towards the dungeons.

  Xue Wei was walking with a carefree attitude in his steps; he acted casual and did not seem like someone who had just been sent to the dungeons at all. He did not attempt to flee; instead, a simple smile hung on his lips, and his eyes were radiating with the splendor of the Baili family compound as he observed everything on the way.

  The dungeons were located underground, and on the surface, the only way in or out was a guard house. This was the place where the family’s guards relaxed when their shift was over but also had plenty of guards on duty too.

  When Xue Wei arrived here, he saw guards everywhere. Many of these guards in the family were either from the branch families or were hired experts that the Baili family had taken in and were provided with resources in return for an unbreakable oath of loyalty.

  These experts all showed great respect towards the leader of the team, their eyes displaying their honest reverence as he walked by, while many of them looked at Xue Wei with hatred-tinged curiosity.

  The bulk of the first group that Xue Wei had killed—the ones following behind the Baili young master, were all guards. They might not have been too prominent in the family just yet, but they still had friends and family. Seeing the culprit behind their death, many of these guards had no other wish than to kill this foreigner to avenge them.