Chương 51: Prisoners

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Shu Yang asked hesitantly as Shen Ye once again stopped and looked around with a worried frown.

"While I have some experience in tracking, I'm no expert. And it's been weeks since the fight. Most of the tracks are gone," Shen Ye answered.

'I feel we would have a better chance just running around and hoping for the best than relying on this method. We're moving far too slowly.' Shen Ye had managed to follow his children's tracks for a while, relying on his memory of the direction he saw them leave. But it soon turned difficult, with many tracks leading to dead ends. It had already been several hours, and they still hadn't gone further than a mile from where the big battle took place.

"How about we head to the Sword School to take a look?" Shu Yang suggested.

"The Sword School? That's a long way from here. And the people from the Lishen Empire wouldn't have gone in that direction," Shen Ye said.

"You're suspecting they got captured?" Shu Yang asked.

"I was captured, so it's not impossible. I haven't heard about the Lishen Empire being so desperate for their bloodline to improve that they would kidnap people, but my children…well, they are a little special. It could be that they have been taken away instead of killed when the Grandmasters caught up with them. If so, we should be able to find them soon enough. The tracks of such a large group should be easy to follow once we find them."

"But they left here several weeks ago," Shu Yang said, "They are probably far away by now."

"They have several injured people. We might have a chance to catch up," Shen Ye argued.

"They would have healed by now," Shu Yang said, shaking his head. Shen Ye didn't answer; he just clenched his teeth in frustration. Shu Yang could understand his situation.

'I really hope his kids are safe too.' Shu Yang was less worried about Tianhu since he could feel his advancement, but Shen Ye was bound to be extremely worried.

"Don't do anything rash because you are worried," Shu Yang advised.

"If the kids have been taken away, the best chance we have is to return to the Yan Kingdom and get reinforcements. We can't do much just the two of us, and the detour won't make us much more behind than we already are.

"Besides, it's not impossible that they got away. If they did, they would surely escape in the direction of the Sword School. I have been leaving messages for Tianhu there for the past few years. If they have been seen there, we will know straight away." Shen Ye sighed but finally nodded, "You're right. Let's do it as you say." Shu Yang nodded, and the two of them rushed toward the west. It was a long journey back, and they couldn't be lazy if they wanted to get back any time soon.

Shu Yang looked around him curiously, but couldn't spot the black fox. He wasn't sure if it had continued to follow them or not. It didn't seem to want to leave the spot where its parents died. And Shu Yang had no way to convince it to follow him, so he left it there.

'I hope it's still following us…Having a future Saint Beast in the family would leave me with a lot fewer things to worry about.' Shu Yang was ready for another long and boring journey, but unexpectedly, just a few hours later, he felt something strange.

'What is this feeling?' Shu Yang thought to himself, taking a few deep breaths. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. He slowed down slightly and called for Shen Ye to take a short break.

"A quick rest, then," Shen Ye said with a nod. Shu Yang took a few pieces of dried meat from his bag, handed some to Shen Ye, and looked around as he ate. He tried to make use of his Piercing Gaze, but couldn't spot anything.

'It's strange…It feels very pleasant all of a sudden. I wonder what's causing it?' Shu Yang wanted to have a look around, but taking a look at Shen Ye beside him, he threw that thought away. He couldn't waste any time.

'If I need to have a secure and hidden place to hide my family in the future, I could come and check this place out first.' Shu Yang thought to himself, trying to etch the route they had taken to get here into his memory, so he could find his way back in the future.

"You're finished?" Shen Ye asked after a while.

"Let's go," Shu Yang answered with a nod, and the two of them ran off once again.

'Still as handsome as ever.' Wu Changsu thought to himself, admiring his reflection in the mirror in front of him.

'I don't understand how these guys can live with themselves, looking like that. Only getting to enjoy women through force, where's the fun in that?' A knock on the door pulled Wu Changsu out of his thoughts.

"Come in," He called out.

"Master Wu," One of his men, Gong, if he recalled correctly, entered the room. He was pulling two chained men behind him. As soon as they stepped through the doorway, Gong pushed the two men to their knees.

"We found two good seeds a few miles away from here. Since we're about to move, I didn't know if you wanted us to train them, or just have the new recruits kill them." Wu Changsu took a closer look at the two men. He would prefer to get moving as soon as possible to avoid any complications, but talented seeds were rare.

'This one looks quite handsome. He won't be for long, though. He seems to be young; he can't be more than 18 years old. To reach the 1st-grade stage at such an age is definitely not easy without talent and bloodline. He might become useful in the future.'

'This other guy, however, is less interesting. But a 1st-grade warrior is still something. If we can get him to the Innate stage, he should have some value.'

"Keep them. Teach them our art and prepare a few sacrifices for them," Wu Changsu ordered.

"We're not going to do anything you want," The young man suddenly spoke. He seemed a little dazed, which wasn't strange considering the injuries Wu Changsu could see on him.

"His father is a Master. You'll regret it if you cause him any harm," The older man spoke.

"Uncle Zhangye, don't-" The young man tried to stop him from speaking.

"Shut it. What are these villains in front of your father?" He turned to look up at Wu Changsu.

"You can keep me here; I'll do whatever you want. But you have to let him go. Otherwise, it won't be long before his father notices his son is missing, and this place will be turned upside down." Wu Changsu looked down on him with a smile, "Master? What's a Master worth? Anyway, you're lucky; I won't harm you. No need to treat me like a villain. I'm going to give you power. Unimaginable power. Behave well, and you might reach the Master stage yourself one day."

He looked up at Gong and ordered, "If they don't obey, you know what to do. This old guy can die, but keep the youngster alive."

"Understood," Gong said with a nod, pulling the two men up to their feet again. They struggled, but were far too weak to break their chains. Wu Changsu watched them leave with a pleased smile.

'If that youngster doesn't resist too much, he could become useful very soon. That would speed up the mission significantly.' Wu Changsu had been sent here on his family's command. He really didn't want to come, but as much as his mission was a risk, it was also an opportunity if he did well.

'We've become quite efficient over the years; it shouldn't take them long to cross over to our side. Once they've practiced the killing art, there is no way back. No one but us would accept them anymore; perhaps that young man's father would even kill him himself. These people are usually quite hypocritical, from what I've seen. Aren't we all just trying to get stronger by any means necessary? What makes one way better than another?'

Wu Changsu sat down behind his desk and looked at the letter that had arrived early in the morning. He smiled as he read through the information once again.

'There seem to be rumors around the Sword School that the Black Beast is dead, and people in the area seem to suspect war is coming. I hope it's true. That would make everything a lot easier going forward.'

'With this place alit in flames of war, no one is going to pay attention to us. Killing will be easy, and our strength will increase tremendously. In the end, when the final victor believes the crown is his, we'll strike in full force, and they'll realize this place has long been ours.'