Chen Yang said, "The Grandmaster was already dead when I went in, and his body had been doused with gasoline."
Qin Moyao gasped, "They're clearly trying to frame us. We came here to inform the Grandmaster about Bai Yinshuang's situation and to apprehend Cheng Jianhua. Now that the Grandmaster is dead, what are we going to do?"
Chen Yang felt a deep sense of dread, a fear of the mystical arts and the laws of nature. He said gravely, "We didn't tell anyone about our visit here. We kept everything secret, yet Cheng Jianhua, thousands of miles away, predicted it all. He timed it perfectly, killed the Grandmaster, and set us up to take the fall. His mastery of the mystical arts is beyond imagination."
Qin Moyao, prompted by Chen Yang's words, suddenly felt the gravity of their situation.
She had a thought and said, "But what if Cheng Jianhua hadn't considered the possibility that you wouldn't light the fire? We never initially planned to do so."
Chen Yang replied solemnly, "The poisonous snakes in the bamboo forest could have led us directly to the thatched hut in a straight line. Instead, they deliberately took a winding path. This was a calculated move to make us suspicious. Once we became wary, we'd be on guard at the thatched hut, and burning it down would seem like the logical next step. Besides, even if we didn't set it on fire, he probably would have done it himself."
"What should we do now?" Qin Moyao felt a headache coming on. She was a smart girl, but when she was with Chen Yang, she always felt a step behind.
Chen Yang said, "If we go back to the Xuanyi Sect now, we'll definitely be attacked. Our best option is to leave immediately. Then, you can mobilize the Armed Police forces from Anning City to arrest Cheng Jianhua. We'll be seen as the righteous party, and no one will suspect us of being involved in the Grandmaster's death."
Qin Moyao's eyes lit up, but she quickly frowned, "Earlier, you said not to bring a large force to avoid alerting our enemies. Aren't you worried about that now?"
Chen Yang replied, "The situation has changed. Before, we had reason on our side and were facing only Cheng Jianhua. Now, with the Grandmaster gone, we're enemies of the entire Xuanyi Sect. The two of us alone can't capture Cheng Jianhua. By bringing in a large force, even if we can't catch him, we can expose his crimes to the Xuanyi Sect, forcing him out. Once he's outside the sect, it'll be relatively easier to apprehend him."
Qin Moyao nodded in agreement after hearing Chen Yang's explanation. "Then we should leave here as soon as possible," she said.
Chen Yang wasn't as optimistic. "We can't go back through the bamboo forest. Now that Cheng Jianhua has achieved his goal, he'll surely have the snakes kill us. We need to find a way through these mountains. It's a daunting task, and we're close to the Myanmar border. We might end up in Myanmar by mistake, and it's dangerous there with the ongoing conflict."
He paused, then continued, "There's another issue. The Xuanyi Sect members are skilled in divination. They might have already calculated our location. Escaping won't be easy."
Qin Moyao couldn't help but smile bitterly, "The way you put it, it sounds like we're doomed either way."
Chen Yang said gravely, "The Xuanyi Sect is skilled in mystical arts. If we fall into their hands, survival would be challenging in any case."
Qin Moyao replied, "Well, we can't just sit here and wait for death, can we?"
Chen Yang surveyed their surroundings. In the darkness, they were surrounded by mountains.
He said, "This small town probably doesn't have large aircraft coming and going. Those planes are likely helicopters. We should try to steal one and fly out of here."
Qin Moyao was startled, "Do you know how to fly?"
Chen Yang rubbed his nose, "Helicopters are easier to fly than cars. What's so hard about it? I've even flown an American FB-423 fighter jet."
Qin Moyao looked at Chen Yang as if he were some kind of monster, "What exactly did you do before?"
Chen Yang replied, "I told you, I was a mercenary."
Qin Moyao said, "Come on, mercenaries flying fighter jets? Do you think I'm that gullible?"
Chen Yang said, "There are different levels of mercenaries, you know. I was one of the high-ranking ones."
As Qin Moyao was about to say something else, Chen Yang cut her off, "Enough talk. Let's move before the Xuanyi Sect figures out what we're up to."
Qin Moyao nodded.
The two of them then quietly made their way towards the airfield below.
"Hey, Chen Yang, I have a question," Qin Moyao suddenly whispered.
"What is it?" Chen Yang replied, slightly impatient.
Qin Moyao asked, "Don't helicopters need keys to start? Do we have keys? It can't be as simple as hot-wiring a car, right?"
Chen Yang said, "It's pretty similar, actually."
Qin Moyao felt skeptical, but seeing Chen Yang's confidence, she decided not to press the issue.
However, after walking a few steps, Chen Yang stopped again.
"What's wrong?" Qin Moyao asked immediately.
Chen Yang said, frustrated, "Do you think Cheng Jianhua might have predicted we'd try to steal a helicopter and set a trap for us there?"
Qin Moyao was slightly shocked, "If he could predict our coming to find him, I suppose it's not impossible that he could predict us trying to steal a helicopter."
Chen Yang was thoroughly annoyed. Usually, he had his own clever strategies when facing enemies. But now, facing Cheng Jianhua, it was like the guy had some kind of cheat code, able to predict everything in advance. Meanwhile, they were completely in the dark.
Qin Moyao said, "Even if we don't try to steal the helicopter, he could predict where else we might go. Since that's the case, trying for the helicopter might still be our best bet."
Hearing this, Chen Yang realized she had a point. He decided to stop overthinking and just act.
Chen Yang was usually quick and precise in his actions. This was the first time he was doing something so reckless, all because of that damned Cheng Jianhua.
He remembered what Bai Yinshuang had said: most people in the Xuanyi Sect weren't skilled in martial arts. Even if they could predict things, if worst came to worst, he'd use brute force to fight his way out.
With this resolve, Chen Yang felt a bit more at ease.
The Xuanyi Town, home to the Xuanyi Sect, lay at the foot of the mountain. The town was fully modernized, with its own power and water supply. They even had expensive satellite internet.
As they made their way down the mountain, they soon reached the town.
The streets of Xuanyi Town were wide and smooth, resembling highways.
The houses on both sides looked like garden villas.
The place resembled Cambridge, England - the home of Cambridge University.
Xuanyi Town was like a modern utopia, with fresh air, far from worldly troubles, yet enjoying modern technology.
Both Chen Yang and Qin Moyao felt a sense of longing for such a place.
Suddenly, a car approached. Chen Yang quickly pulled Qin Moyao behind a nearby wall.
As the car passed, Chen Yang got a clear look. It was a Mercedes sports car, worth at least a million yuan.
"How do they get cars here?" Qin Moyao whispered to Chen Yang.
Chen Yang replied, "Obviously by plane."
Qin Moyao nodded in understanding.
They continued towards the airfield.
Soon, they arrived at the airfield. It was an open area without gates or guards.
When they got a clear view of the airfield, they were awestruck.
Though not as large as an international airport, it had over twenty runways.
The runway lights were on, but the rest of the lights were off. As they entered the airfield, everything was quiet, with no signs of surveillance.
But Chen Yang didn't want to waste time. He said to Qin Moyao, "There might be hidden cameras here. Let's quickly find a helicopter and get out of here."
Qin Moyao nodded.
Their eyes soon locked onto a helicopter parked about fifty meters to their right.
Chen Yang and Qin Moyao felt a glimmer of hope.
To be honest, the entire Xuanyi Town gave Chen Yang a sense of oppression. It wasn't just the place itself, but mainly the people of Xuanyi Town who were so mystical, seeming to know everything about him while remaining... mysterious.
Chen Yang and Qin Moyao quickly approached the helicopter.
The cabin door was tightly shut. Just as Chen Yang was about to jump up and force it open,
Qin Moyao suddenly let out a scream.
Chen Yang immediately sensed something was wrong, or more precisely, dangerous.
He turned his head and saw three people standing just ten meters away.
The one in the lead was Cheng Jianhua.
Chen Yang and Qin Moyao had seen Cheng Jianhua's image before, so they recognized him immediately.
Cheng Jianhua was wearing a long cyan robe and had his hair slicked back, giving him a refined appearance. His face was handsome, and he looked only about twenty-five years old.
Moreover, Cheng Jianhua's eyes were particularly striking, like beautiful, lustrous jade. One look was enough to be captivated and unable to forget.
The two men beside Cheng Jianhua were also quite distinctive.
The one on the left wore a black Zhongshan suit and appeared to be around twenty years old.
He had a buzz cut with each hair standing on end, giving him a somewhat chilling appearance.
As for the young man on the right, he wore a white shirt and had a tall, straight posture with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He had a strong military bearing.
This young man looked to be about twenty-eight years old, his eyes calm and expressionless.
"Well, well!" Chen Yang said with an awkward laugh, rubbing his hands together as he faced Cheng Jianhua, "What a coincidence, gentlemen. Out for a stroll, are we?"