Chapter 296: The Gap between Fellow Disciples (I)

September 15th, late at night.

The full moon was mostly covered by clouds, and was vague and hazy.

In the south of Luoyang City, at the Sixi Inn, the hustle and bustle of the day has faded away. Everything is quiet, not a sound can be heard, and there is a solemn silence between heaven and earth.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

"It's dry and dry, be careful with the candles!"

On the empty and lonely street, the night watchman walked past the dimly lit door of the Sixi Inn with lazy steps and a sleepy spirit. Although his hoarse voice was not loud, it was very penetrating. It went along the inky black alleys on both sides of the street and reached thousands of households, making everyone who was immersed in dreams sleep more soundly and deeply.

Suddenly, a figure flashed in the dark alley opposite the inn. Then, two men in black quietly flashed out of the alley, revealing two old and cold faces under the dim moonlight.

These two people were ordered by Tang Clan's chief steward Tang Yuan to investigate the leak of "The Heavenly Girl's Weaving Clothes" within three months. They were Tang Clan's "Hidden Weapon Room Master" Tang Ji, and "Inner Discipline Room Master" Tang Xiu.

On that day, the two were instructed by Tang Yi to identify Tang Xuan, who had left Tang Sect in his early years, as their suspect. Not long after, the two left Bashu and made many inquiries in the martial arts world, and finally got information about Tang Xuan from "Bai Xiaosheng".

Tonight, Tang Ji and Tang Xiu appeared at Luoyang Sixi Inn, just for Tang Xuan.

"We haven't seen Tang Xuan for more than ten years, but we didn't expect him to fall into depravity. Not only did he join the martial arts sect, but he also became one of the four guardians of Longxiang Mountain. He is a disgrace to the Tang Sect." Tang Ji said in a bad tone, "After we meet, there is no need to show mercy. If he dares to fight to the death, we can just kill him on the spot and clear the door for the Tang Sect!"

"This..." Tang Xiu was startled, then showed a trace of hesitation, and said hesitantly, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate. After all, Tang Xuan is the steward's elder brother. If we really hurt his life, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the steward."

"From the moment he betrayed the Tang Sect, the former Tang Xuan was already dead. How can we explain it?" Tang Ji said in a deep voice, "If he doesn't resist, then that's fine. But if he is stubborn and unrepentant, we don't have to be polite to him."

"That makes sense." Tang Xiu thought for a moment and nodded heavily, "Now that we can barely protect ourselves, how can we worry about a traitor?"

"The first room on the left on the second floor." Tang Ji pointed to the second floor of the inn and said seriously, "I will sneak in from the main door and release smoke first. You wait outside the window to prevent Tang Xuan from escaping. When I open the bolt, you rush in through the window. We will attack from both inside and outside and make sure he has nowhere to hide."

"it is good!"

The two of them had a brief agreement and then went their separate ways.

Tang Ji activated his Qinggong and nimbly flashed into the inn. He first knocked out two waiters who were snoring in the lobby, then flew upstairs and blew the bewitching smoke into every room from right to left, making the other guests fall into a deep sleep so as not to get in the way.

In a blink of an eye, Tang Ji had reached the end of the corridor. Outside the guest room, he gently poked a hole in the paper window and blew the smoke, which was several times more than that elsewhere, into the room.

After waiting for a while, Tang Ji put the antidote of the love smoke in his mouth, then took out the dagger, unbolted the door without anyone noticing, quietly pushed open the door, and jumped in.

At the same time, the window opened and Tang Xiu, who was ready to go, appeared as planned.

In the dim room, Tang Ji and Tang Xiu looked at each other silently, then turned their solemn gazes to "Tang Xuan" who was sleeping soundly on the bed.

At Tang Ji's signal, Tang Xiu quickly took out a hemp rope from his arms. The two of them tiptoed towards the bed, one in front and one behind.

"Do it!"

As he approached, Tang Ji suddenly let out a light shout and at the same time, he lifted the quilt. Tang Xiu's eyes turned fierce, and he tightened the hemp rope with both hands, waiting for an opportunity to move.

"call!"

The bedding was opened, and before Tang Xiu could make a move, they were shocked to find that it was not Tang Xuan on the bed, but a quilt.

"This……"

"Fell into a trap!"

Tang Ji reacted very quickly. He grabbed Tang Xiu's arm and rushed to the window without saying a word.

"go!"

"Oh!"

It happened in a flash. Just as the two were about to jump out of the room, a swift figure suddenly rushed in from the window.

The man had an evil smile on his face, holding a short sword, and stabbed anyone he saw without mercy. This man was Long Yu.

Long Yu appeared suddenly, without saying a word, full of murderous intent. Before his feet even touched the ground, he had already started fighting with Tang Ji and Tang Xiu.

"Who is coming? Where is Tang Xuan?"

The room was narrow and dimly lit. Tang Ji and Tang Xiu could not see Long Yu's face at all and could only fight in a hurry.

The Tang Sect's hidden weapons were unrivaled in the world, and their Qinggong was also quite impressive. However, they were not very good at head-on combat, especially when they encountered a crazy person like Long Yu who didn't care about his life. They were stretched to the limit and faced danger everywhere.

"Tang Xiu, don't fight too long, find a way to get out!"

Tang Ji shouted coldly, and at the same time, he flipped his right hand. Dozens of silver needles shot out from his sleeves in an instant, heading straight for Long Yu's face.

"Ding Ding Ding!"

Facing the Tang Sect's hidden weapons, Long Yu did not dare to underestimate them. He waved his sword, and a flash of silver light appeared. In an instant, the sword shadows were dense and airtight, protecting him tightly in front of him, and at the same time, knocked down dozens of silver needles that were whistling towards him. "Go!"

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tang Ji and Tang Xiu retreated quickly without any hesitation, broke through the window one after another, and melted into the vast night.

In response, Long Yu was neither angry nor in a hurry to chase and kill them. Instead, he walked to the window slowly, and looked at the two fleeing figures with interest with his pair of charming eyes.

At this moment, there was a trace of blood on Long Yu's sword blade. He stretched out his bloody tongue and licked the sword blade back and forth, licking it with relish, and a bloodthirsty and greedy grin rose at the corner of his mouth.

Outside the inn, Tang Ji and Tang Xiu had just broken free from Long Yu's entanglement, but unexpectedly fell into an ambush by Hu Zhen, Huo Biao and Qiu Zheng.

Under the hazy moon, on the streets of Luoyang city, the two sides fought openly. The sound of the collision of swords and iron weapons was endless and echoed for a long time, which was extremely harsh in the silent and cold night.

"What's going on? How do they know our whereabouts?"

Tang Xiu and Tang Ji stood with their backs to each other, looking cautiously at Hu Zhen and the other two, an indescribable heaviness on their faces.

"I have seen them." Tang Ji said coldly, "They are Mongolians. When they were in the Qin Mansion, they became prisoners of the Northern Sage King."

"Mongols?" Tang Xiu was shocked. "Why would the Mongols appear in Luoyang City?"

"I don't know!" Tang Ji said in a serious tone, "But it must be something bad."

"What should we do?" Tang Xiu frowned and said worriedly, "There is only one in the inn and three here. I wonder how many more masters will show up later?"

"I don't think they have many helpers." Tang Ji said firmly, "After all, this is Luo Tianjin's territory. If the Mongols dare to come into the city and cause trouble, the Xianwang Mansion will definitely not turn a blind eye."

Tang Xiu's eyes turned, and he said in surprise: "In that case, we only need to waste a little more time with them, and we will surely alert the masters of the Xianwang Mansion? Once the Northern Xianwang arrives, we will be able to retreat unscathed."

"The Tang Sect and the Xianwang Mansion have always been at odds. Instead of pinning our hopes on others, we might as well fight our way out ourselves!"

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Before Tang Ji finished speaking, a crisp sound of clapping suddenly rang out from the night.

Immediately afterwards, Yan Wuji, Tang Xuan and Li Haitang slowly appeared in front of them as if they were taking a leisurely stroll in the garden.

"What a great saying, 'Instead of pinning your hopes on others, it is better to fight your way out yourself.'" Yan Wuji clapped his hands in praise, "The Tang Sect is worthy of being the Tang Sect. Even at the brink of death, they remain proud and refuse to bow their heads. I admire you! I admire you!"

"Tang Xuan?"

Tang Ji stared at Tang Xuan with a cold gaze. Although they had not seen each other for more than ten years, Tang Xuan and Tang Yuan were brothers after all and looked very similar, so it was not difficult for them to recognize them at a glance.

"It's been a while since we last met. How have you two been doing?" Although it was a greeting, Tang Xuan's voice sounded as cold as ice. His tone was even colder than that of a stranger. He didn't sound like brothers who hadn't seen each other for many years. "If you want to see me, you can just come to me directly. Why do you have to follow me secretly?"

"It turns out that the person who sold us the information... was deliberately arranged by you!"

When Tang Xiu saw Li Haitang, his eyes suddenly changed. Li Haitang was the "know-it-all" who sold them the news the day before. Seeing him standing next to Tang Xuan, he knew without asking that they were birds of a feather.

"Tang Xuan, you don't have to be so hypocritical!" Tang Ji's expression turned cold, and he said in a cold voice, "Don't you know whether we are doing well or not?"

"Oh?" Tang Xuan said sarcastically, "Looking at your frowning faces, you seem to have stumbled and are in a desperate situation?"

"Isn't it all thanks to you?" Tang Ji looked at Tang Xuan, Yan Wuji, and Hu Zhen with a sinister look, and sneered, "I wanted to prove it to you, but today it seems that there is no need to do so. You colluded with the Mongols and committed crimes together. You have committed countless blood debts in the Central Plains. Your crimes are so serious that the evidence is irrefutable and there is no room for quibbling!"

"When have I ever tried to quibble?" Tang Xuan sneered, "Prove it? Are you going to prove it to me with the magic smoke and the rope? Remember, you were the ones who were unkind to me first, so don't blame me for being unjust to you today!"

"Tang Xuan, you have degraded yourself to become a heretic scum, I don't care." Tang Ji said angrily, "Let me ask you, why did you send my Tang Sect's hidden weapon 'Heavenly Girl's Clothes' to the Mongols to commit evil? Do you know that you have violated the family precepts? And you have brought shame to the Tang Sect!"

"Tang Ji, are you getting old and confused? I left the Tang Sect many years ago. What does your family motto have to do with me?" Tang Xuan said contemptuously, "The Heavenly Maiden's Clothes is my hard work. What does it have to do with you? I developed the hidden weapon myself. I can give it to whoever I want. No one in the world can interfere."

"you……"

"I might as well tell you! Not only can I copy the 'Heavenly Maiden's Clothes', I can also copy all the hidden weapons of the Tang Sect as long as I have seen them." Tang Xuan sneered, "Over the years, I have also developed many strange hidden weapons, which are even more powerful than the Tang Sect's hidden weapons. Tang Ji, you are now the owner of the hidden weapon room. I wonder how many things you have developed in the years when I was away?"

When Tang Xuan asked about his sore spot, Tang Ji's face changed color and he looked very embarrassed.

Seeing this, Tang Xuan could not help but snort coldly and said sarcastically: "In my opinion, the Tang Sect today is a bunch of good-for-nothings. I'm afraid that the title of 'the world's best hidden weapon' will not last long. You should make plans as soon as possible and go your separate ways!"

"This is too much!" Tang Xiu gnashed his teeth and shouted angrily, "Tang Xuan, as long as the Tang Sect exists, you will not be allowed to act lawless and do whatever you want! Don't forget where your abilities come from? Without the Tang Sect, how could you exist?"

"It's a pity that I once regarded the Tang Sect as a pearl, but the Tang Sect regarded me as grass."

Whenever the past was mentioned again, Tang Xuan seemed to be a different person, with angry eyes, raised eyebrows, gnashing teeth, full of resentment, irritable and stubborn. At this moment, his tone became unusually cold, hard, and even a little crazy.

"From the moment I left the Tang Sect, I had only one wish for the rest of my life: to bring the Tang Sect to ruin, to bring Tang Yuan to ruin! I want to make everyone in the Tang Sect regret that they chose the wrong person and ruined the Tang Sect's bright future with their own hands! The more miserable and painful your end is, the more excited and happy I will be! Haha..."

……

(End of this chapter)