The evening settled like a dark cloak over the Bai family's lands. From a hidden vantage point, Lin Feng observed the chaos unfolding below him. Shadows moved with urgency, flickering in the torchlight as disciples and elders alike scrambled through the night, their expressions etched with distress and anger. The Bai family's once-quiet outskirts had transformed into a hive of uneasy energy, rippling outward like a stone cast into still water.
Beside him, Elder Shui and Shi Gong stood watchful and silent. Lin Feng's face betrayed nothing, but within, his mind was calculating, piecing together opportunities from the fragments of grief and turmoil around him. He had always understood one thing: chaos was the best cover for those who dared to wield it.
After a moment's observation, he turned to Shi Gong, his shadow guard and confidant. "Bring me one of their weaker disciples," he said, his voice smooth, quiet, and without urgency. Shi Gong gave a slight nod and slipped into the shadows, his movements fluid, undetectable—a specter trained for moments like these.
Moments later, he returned, a young Bai family disciple in tow. The disciple, barely a Rank 1 cultivator, looked terrified, his wide eyes darting between Lin Feng, Elder Shui, and Shi Gong. The oppressive aura of three seasoned cultivators weighed down on him, fear causing his legs to tremble.
Lin Feng's gaze settled on the disciple, cold and steady. "What's happening here?" he asked, his tone soft yet laced with the promise of consequence.
The young man swallowed, visibly terrified. "The… the soul lamps… of the Young Miss and her bodyguard elders… they've been extinguished," he stammered, his voice barely a whisper.
Lin Feng arched a brow, feigning mild interest. Soul lamps were used by powerful families to monitor the life force of key members, each flicker of the flame tied to a heartbeat. An extinguished lamp could mean only one thing—death. A tragic truth, indeed, and one that had stirred the Bai family's deepest fears.
"The Young Miss?" Lin Feng's voice was smooth as silk, his gaze dissecting the disciple's every flinch. "Who, exactly?"
The disciple swallowed again, his voice faltering as he explained. "Bai Yuemei… the Patriarch's second daughter. She and her four bodyguard elders… their lamps were extinguished all at once. The family is… devastated." He hesitated, glancing nervously at Lin Feng's expressionless face.
"Tell me about her lover," Lin Feng continued, his tone light, as though discussing the weather.
The disciple's face paled. "B-Bai Xuemin. He was the Young Miss's secret lover. The elders have brought him in for questioning… to understand if he knows anything about what happened to her."
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, considering the possibilities. Bai Xuemin—the son of destiny, shielded by a fate that clung to him like a second skin. In his past life, Lin Feng had read enough novels to recognize the pattern; Bai Xuemin was blessed by fortune, with the heavens themselves bending to preserve his path. But fortune was not an absolute, and fate could be twisted.
"Where is Bai Xuemin now?" Lin Feng asked.
The disciple hesitated. "In the council chambers. The elders are questioning him. They believe he might… know something." His voice trailed off as he looked nervously at Lin Feng.
Satisfied with the information, Lin Feng glanced at Shi Gong, who understood the unspoken command. In one swift, silent motion, Shi Gong struck, silencing the disciple before he could realize his fate. Lin Feng had no intention of leaving any loose ends.
Turning to Elder Shui, Lin Feng's tone remained calm. "Prepare the Boundary-Breaking Talisman, just in case."
Elder Shui's brow creased ever so slightly. "A Boundary-Breaking Talisman, for a mission like this?" Her voice was respectful but carried a hint of questioning. The talisman, a powerful artifact of escape, was excessive for dealing with Bai family disciples, especially as it held the power to bypass formidable barriers.
Lin Feng met her gaze without a trace of emotion. "Underestimating our opponents has led to the downfall of stronger cultivators than ourselves. We leave nothing to chance."
Elder Shui nodded, her respect for Lin Feng evident as she reached into her robe and held the talisman at the ready. Though she felt it unnecessary, she valued his insight. In her experience, Lin Feng's judgments were rarely wrong.
Just as they prepared to move further into the shadows, Lin Feng felt it—a sharp, crushing aura descending upon them like an iron fist. His senses flared as a powerful cultivator approached, a Rank 5 elder of the Bai family, his gaze sharp and unwavering. It was clear they had been detected.
Lin Feng felt slight frustration. So, the son of destiny's luck extends even this far, he thought, a sinister edge creeping into his thoughts. Fortune tilts his path, but fortune alone cannot save him forever.
Without hesitation, Elder Shui stepped forward, her own Rank 5 aura rippling outward, powerful and serene like a still lake hiding deadly depths. "Allow me, my lord," she said, her tone calm yet brimming with lethal intent.
Lin Feng gave her a slight nod, his eyes glinting with anticipation. "Be quick, Elder Shui."
Elder Shui's response was immediate; she surged forward, meeting the Bai elder in an explosive clash. The impact of their initial strikes cracked the earth, sending tremors rippling through the ground. With each movement, they tore through their surroundings, their attacks creating gusts that shook the trees and split the rocks around them. Water and earth clashed in a violent symphony, Elder Shui's fluid strikes matching the Bai elder's unyielding strength.
Shi Gong, his own Rank 4 Earth Path cultivation resonating with the vibrations of the earth, moved swiftly to Lin Feng's side. "Master, we must leave. Staying risks our exposure and will be life-threatening as other rank 5s and 4s will soon arrive ," he said in a low, steady voice.
Lin Feng nodded, his gaze lingering on the raging battle. Elder Shui's power was awe-inspiring even though she had just reached initial realm of rank 5, each of her water path strikes infused with a deadly precision that kept the Bai elder on the defensive. But Lin Feng knew better than to overstay his welcome. The Bai family would soon be alerted, and any advantage he had would slip away if they were caught in the open.
"Lead the way, Shi Gong," Lin Feng said quietly.
With Shi Gong guiding him, Lin Feng slipped through the shadows, moving further from the battle's epicenter. The air still pulsed with energy, each clash in the distance resonating like thunder. Lin Feng spared one final glance back, a flicker of dark amusement in his gaze.
Fate may shield you now, Bai Xuemin, he thought, his mind already crafting a web of possibilities. But I am nothing if not patient. Luck only delays the inevitable.
As they moved deeper into the forest, Lin Feng's thoughts grew colder, more calculating. The heavens had aligned in Bai Xuemin's favor, gifting him with luck that seemed unbreakable. But Lin Feng knew that even the son of destiny had weaknesses—emotional attachments, hidden ambitions, and an overreliance on the fortune he took for granted.
As they moved further into the shadows, Lin Feng's mind simmered with plans. Bai Xuemin may have escaped tonight, protected by the chaos of his family's grief and the luck the heavens bestowed upon him. But Lin Feng knew that fortune was merely a tool, a fickle ally that abandoned its wielder at the first sign of weakness. He would wait, cultivating his patience and sharpening his hatred into a weapon that would strike with precision when the moment arrived.
And when that moment came, Bai Xuemin would experience a suffering beyond anything the heavens could protect him from.