Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Younger Generation, Su Tan

The eerie blue flames erupting from the white-robed figure’s fists instantly illuminated the warehouse, carving two brilliant streaks of light as they struck toward Tong Jin. When the attack was but a yard away, a flash of sharpness sparked in Tong Jin’s eyes. He darted aside, kicked off a nearby wooden crate, and, using the momentum to pivot in mid-air, swung his legs in rapid succession to meet the white-robed figure head-on. This "Yang-Gathering Kick" was usually an unerring move for Tong Jin; now, bolstered by his profound internal energy, it clearly held the upper hand.

Landing from the air, Tong Jin took one step back to steady himself, while the white-robed figure stumbled back five steps before regaining his balance.

"Who exactly are you? Your martial arts are clearly not those of the Sky Thunder Gang!" The white-robed figure did not rush in again. Instead, he took a moment to regulate his surging blood and qi before asking.

Tong Jin was taken aback. Judging by the voice, he realized this was no adult. He immediately adopted a hoarse, raspy tone to mimic an old man, retorting, "And who are you?"

Seeing that his opponent did not deny being part of the Sky Thunder Gang, the white-robed figure reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing a heroic, youthful face that appeared to be roughly the same age as Tong Jin. The boy possessed phoenix eyes and a sharp, proud nose, which lent an air of unyielding arrogance to his still-boyish features.

The boy with the phoenix eyes bowed. "Senior, I am a disciple of the Divine Repose Palace. I meant no offense."

Tong Jin looked at the youth, secretly shocked. The boy’s age was close to his own, yet their brief exchange proved he had already reached the Essence Condensation Realm. Tong Jin had only reached the Minor Perfection of this realm because his grandfather had fed him spiritual elixirs from birth and constantly used his own internal energy to temper Tong Jin’s body, followed by a series of dramatic breakthroughs after overcoming many trials.

A sense of frustration welled up in him. He had always prided himself on his genius, but he now realized that the world was vast and geniuses like him were not rare. Yet, upon reflection, he realized this was as it should be; otherwise, instead of traveling all the way south, he might as well have hidden in a deep forest to cultivate. Only in a place teeming with talent could he grow rapidly through pressure.

Having reconciled his thoughts, he asked in a raspy voice, "If you meant no offense, why were you spying on me from the deck?"

The boy looked embarrassed. "I did not know your identity, Senior. But the Sound-Thunder Golden Cicadas I raise transmitted a warning of danger, and I feared you might be a member of the Sky Thunder Gang..." He suddenly remembered something. "Oh no!"

Hearing "Sound-Thunder Golden Cicada," Tong Jin was startled. Recalling the squeaking sound he had heard while fighting the Corpse-Sinking Poison Ants, he listened closely and realized the squeaking had grown deathly faint. Tong Jin quickly took out the stone box from his robes and tapped it gently.

"Tap... tap-tap..."

He had never tried to summon the ants back, nor did he know if it would work, but he decided to treat it like a last-ditch effort. Perhaps the ants had already won and felt no further threat from their opponent, for they buzzed back to Tong Jin, circled him, landed proudly on the stone box to show off, and then, with one final defiant buzz, crawled back into the hole they had chewed into the box.

Tong Jin let out a soft sigh, thinking his luck was decent.

The boy from the Divine Repose Palace stared at this scene, unable to suppress his admiration. "Your control over such spiritual insects is truly masterful." After a moment, he regained his composure, hurried to where the battle had occurred, and scooped up three nearly lifeless Sound-Thunder Golden Cicadas, his face filled with pity.

Though Tong Jin said nothing, he felt a twinge of guilt beneath his mask, as it was his own ants that had injured the boy's insects.

The boy tucked the cicadas away and bowed to Tong Jin. "I dare to ask, Senior, what species are the spiritual insects you keep?"

Tong Jin coughed twice. "These are Corpse-Sinking Poison Ants."

The boy, clearly well-versed in the lore of insect-rearing, was stunned. "Could they be the Corpse-Sinking Poison Ants, which rank even higher than the Sound-Thunder Golden Cicadas?"

Tong Jin, hidden within his gray robes, nodded slowly.

"That explains it. I wondered how ordinary spiritual insects could best three of my cicadas. It is this species. I am thoroughly impressed." The boy was remarkably open-minded.

Not wanting to dwell on the matter, Tong Jin changed the subject. "Little... child, why are you on this ship?" He had intended to say "little brother," but remembering he was playing the role of an old senior, he used the term "little child," which Nangong Zhan had used for him earlier. He found it amusing to pull rank in such a way.

The white-robed figure hesitated but eventually spoke. "My name is Su Tan, and I am the closing disciple of the Palace Master of the Divine Repose Palace. I am here to investigate certain matters, which is why I am lurking on this ship."

"Oh? Investigate what?" Tong Jin blurted out. He had never heard of the Divine Repose Palace, but if a closing disciple was already at the Essence Condensation Realm, the sect's foundation must be formidable. Because he spoke without thinking, he forgot to disguise his voice.

"Senior?" Su Tan noticed the change in voice and looked at the gray-robed figure in confusion.

Tong Jin quickly coughed in embarrassment and asked in his raspy, old voice, "I see you seem to have a grievance with the Sky Thunder Gang?"

Su Tan thought this senior was quite peculiar—not only hiding his face but having a voice that sounded like a youth's one moment and an old man's the next. But he reasoned that as long as the man wasn't with the Sky Thunder Gang, it didn't matter. Everyone had their secrets; if the senior didn't want to disclose them, he wouldn't press. He answered respectfully, "It is no secret. Half a year ago, merchants from my sect had a dispute with the Sky Thunder Gang while transporting goods. Other factions got involved, and the situation escalated until recently, when my Palace Master received news that the Sky Thunder Gang intends to unite with the Qingcang Sect of Upper Water City to move against us."

"Is that so?" Tong Jin found a wooden crate and sat down on it casually.

Su Tan continued, "If my guess is correct, these crates contain weapons the Sky Thunder Gang is shipping south in advance."

Hearing this, Tong Jin jumped off the crate and looked at it suspiciously. "Why don't we open one and see?"

Su Tan nodded, selected a nearby crate, and exerted his energy to pry the lid open. Tong Jin leaned in curiously, only to find the crate filled with rough bolts of cloth.

Before he could ask, Su Tan pulled the cloth aside, revealing a full crate of heavy-backed sabers.

Tong Jin slowly pulled back his hood, revealing his ugly, aged face. Su Tan, who was standing close by, was startled; he clearly had not expected such a grotesque visage beneath the gray robes, though the eyes remained remarkably clear and profound.

Tong Jin coughed lightly. Su Tan realized he had been rude, lowered his head, and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Senior, my cicadas were injured by your poison ants. Might you happen to have an antidote?"

"An antidote?" Tong Jin frowned, twisting his ugly, aged features. "Perhaps I do."

Su Tan was left completely bewildered. "Perhaps?"