Chương 52: Kill or be killed

"There it is," Shen Ye said, coming to a stop. They had been running to the Sword School as fast as they could, but now that they were here, it looked like Shen Ye found these final steps the hardest. Shu Yang was nervous too. But he didn't have to be as worried as Shen Ye thanks to the Bloodline Tree.

"Let's go," Shu Yang said, patting Shen Ye's shoulder, "I have a few people here who should know if Tianhu has been around."

"Right. I know a few people here too," Shen Ye said with a nod, and the two walked out of the thicker brush and made their way to the Sword School. While the area was called the Sword School, it resembled a regular town in many ways, with only a small part of the town being the actual Sword School. Shu Yang and Shen Ye were both familiar with the place, so they quickly made their way through town, heading to the Sword School. But along the way, both of them noticed something a little off about the atmosphere.

"Was it like this when you came through last time?" Shu Yang asked. When he had gone looking for Tianhu, the town had been bustling with people. Since the hunt for the Black beast started, thousands of martial artists had traveled here, ready to change their fate. While many had headed inside the Black Beast Mountains, there were still a lot of people sticking around here. But now, the place seemed, while not deserted, a lot emptier.

And the almost festive atmosphere around town had been replaced with a sense of desolation.

"No, it was very lively," Shen Ye answered. At the entrance to the large manor where the Sword School was, Shu Yang immediately looked around for a familiar face. He had paid a few people working here to keep an eye out for Tianhu.

"You!" Shu Yang called out, finally spotting someone he recognized outside one of the buildings belonging to the Sword School. He hurried up to him and asked, "Do you remember me? I'm Shu Yang. I asked you to look out for my son Shu Tianhu?"

"I remember." The man nodded, "I already told him what you asked me to, though. What's the matter?"

"You did? He was here?" Shu Yang asked, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"A few weeks ago," The man said with a nod.

"Did he come back with anyone else? Or was he alone?" Shen Ye hurriedly asked.

"You…You're Master Shen," The man exclaimed in recognition.

"Yes. Your daughter was with him."

"Are you sure?" Shen Ye asked, grabbing the man's shoulders.

"Sure. Of course, I'm sure. How could I mistake your daughter for anyone else?" The man asked.

"Thank goodness," Shen Ye said, closing his eyes and smiling happily.

'That's great.' Shu Yang thought, genuinely happy that Shen Ye's daughter seemed to be safe.

"Did he say anything? Are they here?" Shu Yang asked.

"They left in a hurry," The man said, shaking his head, "I didn't get to talk with them much. But if you ask the Masters, they should know a bit more." Shu Yang didn't know any Masters here, since he was only at the Innate stage when he visited last time, and didn't dare approach them. But Shen Ye had quite a few acquaintances with the stronger swordsmen here. After finding one of them, Shu Yang and Shen Ye quickly received answers to their questions.

It seems that Tianhu and Xiaoshi had appeared weeks ago, and told the people in charge of the Sword School about what had happened inside the Black Beast Mountains. That's why the area seemed so depressed now. Even with them trying to keep the matter quiet, the rumor had still been spreading that war was coming.

"Looks like they went south, then," Shu Yang said as the two stepped outside the Sword School Master's office. Tianhu and Xiaoshi hadn't left any message around, but they had been seen hurrying south.

"Fugu City is to the south. I suspect Xiaoshi is heading there," Shen Ye said.

"Oh. Well, Tianhu is probably heading home to Chunsi Town. But I'll head to Fugu City first anyway; my daughter lives there," Shu Yang said.

"Then let's head over there?" Shen Ye asked.

"Sure," Shu Yang said with a nod. He was a little confused about why Shen Ye was still so adamant about going after his daughter now that he knew she was safe, instead of worrying about his son. But he didn't ask anything. Just as the two made their way out of town again, a man's voice came from behind. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Master Shu! Master Shu!" Shu Yang turned around and saw an unfamiliar young man running after him.

"What's the matter?" Shu Yang asked.

"Your daughter has sent word," The man said, breathing heavily and handing over a letter.

'Could something have happened?' Shu Yang read through the letter hurriedly, but soon relaxed. It was nothing to worry about; she was simply informing him that Tianhu was back and safe, and he should return to Fugu City as soon as possible.

'What a waste of time. I should have just headed to the Sword School straight away.'

'But then Shen Ye would probably be gone. So I guess the trip wasn't entirely useless. Even if he fought those Grandmasters to give his children a chance to get away, he definitely helped Tianhu in the process. It's good to have given the favor back to him.' But then Shu Yang read a few lines at the end of the letter that made him furrow his brows.

'Tianxu and Zhangye have also come after me? Why? What were they thinking?' Shu Yang rubbed his forehead in annoyance.

'What a mess.' He turned to look at Shen Ye and said, "Sorry. It looks like another one of my sons followed me here. I need to go look for him before heading back."

"Is that so? Is he missing?" Shen Ye asked.

"Not really missing. He should be around here waiting for me somewhere," Shu Yang said.

"Well…I think I'll leave first, if that's the case," Shen Ye said, "I will come visit and thank you properly once I have seen to my daughter's safety."

"It's nothing to worry about. I'm sure your daughter helped my son a lot in getting away from the people from the Lishen Empire," Shu Yang said.

"Still. I'll definitely return the favor," Shen Ye said with a determined expression.

"Alright, then. Go find your daughter," Shu Yang said, shaking his head. Shen Ye nodded, and then turned around and ran off. Shu Yang sighed to himself and returned back to town.

'Now I just need to find those two troublemakers.'

"Come on, I'd rather not do this the hard way," The man who referred to himself as General Gong said.

'I can't…I can't.' Tianxu thought to himself, staring at the knife in his hands. But death seemed to become more and more of a plausible outcome if he didn't start listening.

'So does that mean I have to die? Is it like General Gong says, that these people would kill to be in my position? If so, is killing them really the wrong thing to do? Should I just accept it?

'If I don't kill them, will they kill me instead?' While this strange and evil group seemed to value him for some reason, they wouldn't have infinite patience.

"Uncle Zhangye…" Tianxu looked to his right, feeling lost.

"I'm sorry, Tianxu," Uncle Zhangye said, eyes red.

"It's not your fault," Tianxu said.

'It's mine.'

"Why are you still hesitating so much? You should feel the power you can gain through the killing art, right? What kind of a world do you think this is?" General Gong asked, looking at them with disdain. Tianxu looked at the chained men in front of him, looking up at him with fearful eyes. Tianxu had indeed learned the killing art. He didn't have a choice; these people quickly figured out that the best way to have him and Uncle Zhangye cooperate was to threaten the other one.

Tianxu couldn't just watch as his uncle was beaten, and his uncle likewise couldn't stand seeing Tianxu suffer harm. So they quickly yielded, and they learned the killing art just like they were instructed. But this was something else. He had to kill strangers he had never met before. Could he really do that? And while learning the killing art was a little shameful, it wasn't something he couldn't return from as long as he didn't practice it in the future. But if he killed these men…

There was no turning back anymore.

"You guys…I guess you have just been putting up a little act, right? You have no intention to actually join us. Fine." General Gong said, unsheathing a knife and taking a few determined steps toward Uncle Zhangye. Tianxu felt his heart beating faster and faster. He still remembered the words of the young man who seemed to be in charge of this place. Tianxu knew that he was valued, but Uncle Zhangye was not. He could really be killed here.

"I'll do it!" Tianxu yelled out in a panic, clenching the knife in his hand tightly.

'It's for Uncle Zhangye. I can't just watch him die.'

"Go ahead then. You have five seconds," General Gong said, watching him intently.

'Is there really no way out?' Tianxu thought to himself.

'Five seconds? I don't have time to think.' Tianxu moved toward the man closest to him with shaky steps. He took a deep breath, trying not to think. The clock was ticking, and he had to kill to save his uncle. But just then, the man in front of him had his throat slit. Tianxu looked down at his hand. The knife was still there, clean of any blood. Looking up, he saw his uncle in front of him.

"Uncle Zhangye…" Tianxu said, feeling like a knife had been plunged into his heart when he saw his uncle's pale face. Before he had a chance to say anything else, his uncle jumped to the other chained man on the ground. A swift cut, and his throat was opened up. Tianxu looked at the man as he fell dead to the ground with his mouth open.

'What is he doing?' Tianxu looked up at his uncle and saw that he wasn't done yet. One after another. The chained men didn't stand a chance. He cut them all down. Not even General Gong seemed able to react in time.

"What the hell!" General Gong yelled. He leaped forward and kicked Uncle Zhangye away. But it was too late. All the prisoners were dead.

"Hehe," General Gong chuckled, "I see what you're planning. Clever. But it's useless. It won't be long before we find a few more sacrifices." Tianxu looked back at his uncle, who was breathing heavily on the ground behind him. He was on his back, staring at the sky with a vacant look in his eyes.

'I see…He killed them all so I would have no one left to kill.'

'But…What about you, Uncle?'