Chapter 39: Su Tan, Injured

Tong Jin darted out rapidly, following the route on the map. Before long, he had cleared the dense forest and was heading straight for the Holy Capital. "I wonder what that kid Su Tan is doing right now. I’ll give him a good scare when I show up," Tong Jin mused, a mischievous thought crossing his mind. He chuckled to himself and quickened his pace.

Upon entering the Holy Capital, Tong Jin made his way toward the God’s Rest Palace with familiar ease. When he arrived at the entrance, he found the same two young acolytes guarding the gate.

"Who goes there? State your name!" one of the children shouted.

Tong Jin smiled. "Don’t you recognize me, little brothers? I came and went with your Uncle-Master just the other day."

"I am the Guardian of the Left Gate! I recognize tokens, not faces!" The child glared, his chubby, youthful face contorted into a forced expression of rage—three parts serious, seven parts adorable.

Tong Jin couldn't help but laugh. He pulled out the gleaming golden token and presented it, only then being granted entry. *These two little imps are certainly diligent,* he thought. *I wonder where the God’s Rest Palace found them.* He shook his head and bounded toward the cliff where Su Tan’s cave dwelling was located.

"Tan, my boy! Your Brother Tong is here! Come out and welcome me with flowers!" Tong Jin shouted at the top of his lungs before he even reached the cave.

"If you don't come out, I'm going to set my venomous ants on you!" Seeing that there was no response, he called out again.

"Hm? Is he not here?" Tong Jin muttered to himself. He leaped onto the stone platform in front of the cave and peered inside.

*Zzz—Zzz—*

The moment he looked, three golden shadows suddenly streaked out from within. They swirled rapidly around his head, emitting a shrill, piercing sound. In an instant, Tong Jin’s vision blurred, and he found himself standing in the middle of a dense forest.

Towering trees reached toward the sky, the scent of damp earth filled his nostrils, and the sound of cicadas chirped incessantly in the distance.

***

Tong Jin looked at the familiar scene, a sudden wave of nostalgia washing over him. He realized he was back in the forest outside Tai’an City. He felt the warmth of the sunlight filtering through the branches, breathed in the fresh, rich scent of the soil, and listened to the cicadas...

*Wait,* he thought, *it is deep autumn—where would the sound of cicadas come from? How did I end up here in the blink of an eye when I was just at Su Tan’s cave?* Alert, Tong Jin slowly closed his eyes, channeled his internal energy into his ears, and shouted, "Break!"

When he opened his eyes again, the forest was gone. He was back in front of Su Tan’s cave. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he realized he was standing on the very edge of the stone platform; one more step and he would have plunged into the abyss below. Fury flared in his chest—he thought this was a cruel joke for Su Tan to play!

Tong Jin rushed into the cave, intending to settle the score, but what met his eyes was Su Tan lying on the stone bed, covered in wounds and blood. There were no signs of a struggle within the cave. The three Golden Cicadas of Thunder returned, landing weakly on the bed curtains, while Su Tan lay unconscious. Tong Jin’s heart sank.

"Su Tan! Su Tan! Wake up, kid!" Tong Jin shook him while trying to channel his energy into the boy’s body. Unfortunately, he had never learned such a technique; the moment his energy touched the chaotic, rampaging flow inside Su Tan, it was instantly scattered.

Just then, Su Tan slowly opened his eyes. "Brother... Brother Tong..."

"Kid, what happened to you? Who did this to you?" Tong Jin asked, suppressing his rage.

"Cough, cough..." Su Tan spat out a mouthful of thick blood and whispered, "Brother Tong, you must not tell my Master. You absolutely must not..."

Tong Jin was bewildered and anxious. He stood up, poured a bowl of water, and helped Su Tan drink it. "Take it easy, kid. Tell me what happened."

Pale and with blood staining his lips, Su Tan began to sob. "Brother Tong, it was Sun Hao, the senior disciple of the Heaven’s Star Sect, and his men who beat me."

"Sun Hao..." the name slipped through Tong Jin’s gritted teeth. "Tell me the truth, why did they attack you?"

Su Tan wiped away his tears and, with a look of indignation, recounted the sequence of events.

***

It turned out that after Su Tan escorted Tong Jin to the Imperial Palace, he had prepared to return to the God’s Rest Palace. Before he left, the Fairy of Heavenly Phoenix had exchanged a few playful remarks with him, and Su Tan had hurriedly bid her farewell. Unexpectedly, this lighthearted interaction was witnessed by Sun Hao, who had been watching from afar.

Sun Hao, the senior disciple of the Heaven’s Star Sect, was known throughout the Holy Capital for his infatuation with the Fairy of Heavenly Phoenix. Alas, his affections were unrequited; the Fairy completely ignored his advances. Using his position, Sun Hao had once slipped into the Imperial Palace to deliver a message and had secretly memorized the path through the forest array. Since then, he had frequently snuck into a hidden spot near the palace just to watch her.

That day, Sun Hao had brought two loyal subordinates with him to the palace, only to witness the Fairy of Heavenly Phoenix teasing Su Tan. Thinking of the cold, icy expression she always wore for him, his jealousy and rage boiled over.

As soon as Su Tan stepped out of the forest array, Sun Hao and his men ambushed him. Sun Hao was at the same level of cultivation as Su Tan—the Early Stage of the Qi Transformation Realm—but the two men with him were no pushovers. Faced with three opponents, Su Tan was quickly overwhelmed, and after a brutal beating, Sun Hao kicked him several feet away.

Sun Hao, blinded by rage, had no intention of stopping. In desperation, Su Tan released his three Golden Cicadas of Thunder. Although they were newly matured, they were enough to trap the three men momentarily. Taking advantage of their confusion in the illusion, the injured Su Tan had fled back to the God’s Rest Palace.

Once back, he had considered reporting the incident to his senior brother, Chen Lie, but realized that the sect was already in turmoil over the conflict between the Heavenly Thunder Gang and the Azure Heaven Gate. If he caused further friction between the God’s Rest Palace and the Heaven’s Star Sect, he would become a liability. Thus, he had hidden in his cave. To prevent Sun Hao from following him and finishing the job, he had kept the cicadas on guard before finally succumbing to his exhaustion and pain, passing out.

After hearing the full story, Tong Jin slowly stood up. He gave the bruised and battered Su Tan on the stone bed a brilliant smile, but beneath that smile lay the stillness before a storm.

"Sigh, having such a foolish little brother is a real headache. Get some rest now." Tong Jin pulled a quilt over Su Tan. Once he saw that the boy had drifted back into a restless sleep, he turned and walked out of the cave.