Chen Bugu was silent for a long time after hearing this.
Bai Ting and the others watched him, not knowing what Chen Bugu was thinking, but understanding that his mood at the moment was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.
Outside, the rain had stopped. Chen Bugu got up, picked up the Rapid Wind Dagger, and silently walked to the stone tablet.
After Chen Bugu walked out, Bai Ting looked at Wang Bin and asked,
"Wang Bin, how strong is Dongcheng Xiuwu?"
"Very strong. He's already Black Iron Eight-Star, and his ability is very strange."
Wang Bin recalled the scene of his battle with Dongcheng Xiuwu, still feeling a lingering fear.
"After I broke through to Five-Star, I could 'Ignite' my arms to attack, but after being struck by him, the flames near the wound would be inexplicably suppressed, making it extremely difficult to burn."
"I couldn't last a minute against him."
Bai Ting nodded, roughly understanding the gap. If he broke through to Seven-Star, perhaps he could fight Dongcheng Xiuwu, but currently, he was far from an opponent.
Behind Dongcheng Xiuwu was the massive Shizi Jie. With the strength of their seven people, it was far from enough to shake this huge organization.
Perhaps, as Lin Xiaoxiao said, they could only wait until "someday" to settle this score with Dongcheng Xiuwu.
Under the firelight, as Wang Bin finished speaking, a sense of powerlessness lingered in everyone's hearts, difficult to dispel.
After a light rain, the clouds in the sky quickly dispersed, revealing specks of starlight.
Chen Bugu stood alone outside. He held a small fireball, and the Rapid Wind Dagger in his hand quickly carved characters onto the stone tablet.
"Tomb of Old Friend, Liu Shifu and Beloved Wife"
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he did not leave Liu Shifu's real name.
After carving the last character, Chen Bugu put away his dagger, stepped back two paces, faced the stone tablet, and bowed deeply.
After standing up, he closed his eyes tightly, clasped his hands together, seemingly praying for something.
...
Meanwhile, in Obsidian Town, within the Unyielding Hall's inner courtyard.
Liu Chengfeng sat in the main seat, listening to the report from a Hall member beside him, then looked at Elder Zhou.
"Elder Zhou, the Chen Bugu you said you'd introduce me to seems to have taken away a traitor from Shizi Jie and killed one person from Shizi Jie."
"Yes, Hall Master, I've inquired. The person Chen Bugu took away seems to be the partner he has been searching for. As for him being a traitor from Shizi Jie..."
"Hall Master, you've seen what kind of people Alek and Dongcheng Xiuwu are after this beast tide. The 'traitor' they speak of, in my opinion, is precisely the kind of person you would like."
Elder Zhou sat on the chair and recounted everything he had learned about Wang Bin's actions.
After Chen Bugu left Obsidian Town, Shizi Jie suddenly began to offer bounties for their group. Elder Zhou, being extremely astute, immediately sent people to clarify the entire situation.
It was also at that time that he learned that the three partners Chen Bugu was looking for had never joined the Unyielding Hall from the beginning.
"So that's how it is. What a Dongcheng Xiuwu."
Liu Chengfeng sneered after listening, further solidifying his own thoughts.
"Hall Master, I heard from Ziyu and Old Sun that you're preparing to make a move against Dongcheng Xiuwu?" Elder Zhou continued.
"You all should know by now, Alek has been promoted to Nine Star."
"That guy must have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Plus, he and the two clan leaders of the Magic Lizard Clan and Naga are basically in cahoots. Even I'm not confident I can take down all three of them at once right now."
"Originally, I planned to go directly to them to demand an explanation after the beast tide ended, but unexpectedly, they proactively sent invitations, saying they wanted to hold a banquet to celebrate Alek's promotion to Nine Star."
"Dongcheng Xiuwu, I said I would kill him, and I absolutely will. But it seems I can't do it within the city now."
"Elder Zhou, send a few people to keep an eye on Dongcheng Xiuwu. When they go on their next mission, I want to know their detailed route."
Liu Chengfeng was truly intent on killing this time. He had always been too lenient towards his own kind, to the point where rotten apples like Dongcheng Xiuwu had, at some unknown point, spoiled the whole pot.
Even the plight of Chen Bugu's companions, he had only heard about tonight for the first time. As for what he hadn't heard, who knew how much more there was.
"Good, I will send people to keep a close watch." Elder Zhou agreed.
"Boss, if you ask me, you should have left Obsidian Town a long time ago. Staying here, you'll never break through the shackles of Black Iron. If you broke through to Silver, why would you need all this trouble? You'd just go straight there and kill that Japanese devil now."
Hong Ziyu sat to Liu Chengfeng's left, leaning back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, eyes closed, chewing on a blade of grass, muttering to himself.
"Ziyu, you don't understand. What restricts Chengfeng from acting within the city is precisely us, the Unyielding Hall."
Elder Sun saw things more clearly. He understood that sitting in the Hall Master's position, Liu Chengfeng also had many things beyond his control.
"If only you were a bit more diligent and broke through to Nine Star sooner, Chengfeng's pressure would be much less, and perhaps he could leave Obsidian Town with peace of mind."
Hong Ziyu's martial arts talent was extremely high. He could always master the ancient martial arts taught by Liu Chengfeng in a short time, but unfortunately, this guy was too lazy, always looking listless.
"Oh, right, Hall Master, are we still going to that Shizi Jie banquet?" Elder Zhou took out an invitation and placed it on the table.
"No, no."
"Why go? To collect Dongcheng Xiuwu's corpse in advance?"
Hong Ziyu had just been scolded by Elder Sun, so he shook his head repeatedly, then opened one eye slightly, secretly looking at Liu Chengfeng's reaction.
"When is it?" Liu Chengfeng asked.
"Tomorrow, after sunset."
"Find a reason to decline."
"If there's nothing else, it's getting late tonight, so let's end here."
Liu Chengfeng stood up, announcing the end of the meeting.
Elder Zhou slowly walked out of the inner courtyard, vaguely remembering that just a day ago, that kid Chen Bugu was secretly slipping starfall crystals into his hand, just to inquire about his companions.
He hadn't expected so much to happen in just one day.
"It should... be fine." Elder Zhou murmured, staring at the scattered starlight in the sky.
...
A few hours later, Chen Bugu slowly sat up from the floor.
It was his and Han Badou's turn for night watch.
He picked up a branch and silently threw it into the bonfire.
It was the first time Ba Dou had seen Chen Bugu like this.
"Chen Dage, if I tried to persuade you, would you listen to me?"
Chen Bugu's hand movements stopped. He looked up, glanced at Han Badou, smiled, and then shook his head.
"Han Badou, since you've figured it out, there's no need to persuade me."
Han Badou lowered his head, not knowing what to say.
Another half an hour passed, and Chen Bugu stood up, tiptoeing out of the dilapidated house.
Han Badou quickly followed him out and grabbed Chen Bugu's sleeve not far from the door.
"Chen Dage..."
Chen Bugu turned around, his eyes firm. He gently pushed away Han Badou's hand.
"It's fine, I'll be back."
Han Badou just watched as Chen Bugu's back silently disappeared into the night.
When he returned inside, he saw Bai Ting and Yan Kuan sitting by the bonfire again.
Bai Ting looked up when Han Badou returned and asked,
"He went?"
Seeing Han Badou nod, he sighed.
"Good. If it's just him, perhaps he can escape."
That night, with heavy frost and dew, the Lin Sisters and Wang Bin, lying on the Luo Beast fur, tightened their clothes.
Fortunately, before dawn, there were still sporadic firelights dispelling the cold and darkness...