Death… and me

"What we need to do now is not to raise his suspicion. Someone like Tang Xin Sheng is bound to have many resources at his disposal and countless of ways in which he would be able to escape out of Iron Cloud Citadel." Chu Yang pondered out aloud, "Moreover, we have yet to verify whether Tang Xin Sheng is just a scholar or also a martial arts master. We need to notify Heavenly Secret Hall and investigate this carefully."

"I have really missed out on so much!" Wu Qian Qian gasped. Chu Yang was able to thoroughly analyse Tang Xin Sheng and Diwu Qing Rou's thoughts and potential actions in such a short period of time.

Wu Qian Qian suddenly realised that if Chu Yang was indeed able to capture Tang Xin Sheng, Diwu Qing Rou would no doubt suffer greatly from this. However, this was assuming that Chu Yang's analysis was accurate.

However, Chu Yang had missed out something in his analysis and Wu Qian Qian was able to pick it up, "Chu Yang you still have not talked about how you would deal with a King level master if the enemy does send one. How would we be able to stop him? Do we need to make any special arrangements?

Chu Yang rubbed his temples, and frowned, "This is also something that I have been worrying about. We do not have a King level master here, so if they do indeed send a King level master, we would have no way to deal with him."

Chu Yang sighed, "The prince must have one by his side; otherwise, Diwu Qing Rou would have most likely succeeded in his assassination attempts. However, if he were to be sent to protect me then the prince would be left vulnerable. This is a risk which we cannot take.."

Wu Qian Qian's face turned slightly turned pale, "Is there no way out at all?"

Chu Yang said slowly with a serious expression on his face, "I can only hope that he doesn't come too quickly…" Then he shook his head slightly and said, "With Diwu Qing Rou's quick and decisive personality, it is likely that the person that they have sent is already on his way…"

Wu Qian Qian's heart suddenly became heavy. She looked at Chu Yang with her eyes were almost in tears.

She knew that Chu Yang only had the cultivation level of Martial Warrior; if he were to run into a King level assassin, he would not be able to even defend himself! The current state of Bu Tian Pavilion would be but powerless in the face of a King level assassin!

In his mind, Chu Yang laughed bitterly.

If he was right about this, then Chu Yang had absolutely no protection by his side. Gu Du Xing had gone out to recruit people for Bu Tian Pavilion and who knew when he would return. Mo Cheng Yu was currently seriously injured and would definitely be unable to recover so quickly. Moreover, even if he had the ability to fight, he still had to guard against the Hei Mo clan…

As for Revered Saber Artist Cheng Zi Ang… Chu Yang realised that he would probably be easily defeated by a King level master…

On the off chance that the masters from Hei Mo clan and Golden Horse Riders Department found their way there at the same time, things would be disastrous! If they were to take on more than three King level masters at the same time, it was likely that even Chu Yang in his previous body would be unable to fight back. What more in his current body which had the cultivation level of only a Martial Warrior!

Moreover, other than Diwu Qing Rou and the Hei Mo clan, there was the Yan clan that he had to be wary of as well…

This was really a big headache.

Chu Yang closed his eyes and concentrated. He was trying to come up with a solution to avoid the danger and solve the impending crisis…

"Well, these are only our guesses. Perhaps a King level master might not even come…" Wu Qian Qian said meekly.

"That's not possible. If we were able to think of this, so would Diwu Qing Rou. With his wisdom, it was likely that he has planned far ahead of what we were even able to come up with. He would definitely be sure not to leave any stone unturned!" Chu Yang said lightly.

Diwu Qing Rou was an extremely comprehensive planner and a master at manipulation. Mo Tian Ji, on the other hand, was still only a youth at this point in time and was nowhere near his previous level of being a "master of calculation and manipulation." Whereas, Diwu Qing Rou had already accumulated years of experience!

How could he possibly not have thought of this!

As Chu Yang thought quietly, his eyebrows began to turn into a frown. Even after a long period of time of thinking, there was still no solution that he could think of.

In the aspect of intellect and strategy, Chu Yang was unfortunately not as talented as Diwu Qing Rou. However, he was by no means helpless.

But this time, in the face of such a formidable foe, he simply was unable to think of any viable solutions.

What about hiding? Hmmm… Hiding was not an option.

Tie Bu Tian also did not have the ability to protect him. Chu Yang guessed that even if there were martial experts at his side, they would not number more than two individuals.

Moreover, if he sent these people to protect Chu Yang, he would be left vulnerable and that was not acceptable. There were probably some martial experts next to Tie Long Cheng as well but he could not rely on this as a solution. Bu Tian Pavilion simply did not have sufficient strength to deal with such a powerful foe.

The only hope which he had left was the Mo clan. However, Chu Yang understood the heartlessness of the Mo clan too well. They wouldn't be willing to help him just because he had saved Mo Qing Wu's life.

In addition, when he thought about the Mo clan, this included Mo Tian Ji, whom he had mixed feelings about. Everything was in such a tangled mess.

However, there was something that he could be sure of. If Mo Tian Ji wanted to protect Chu Yang because he had saved Mo Qing Wu, he would refuse their help. This was because he had pride and would never accept help from Mo Tian Ji.

The only advantage that he had left was the web of deception that he had worked extensively at in order to fabricate. This had ensured that not many people would be aware of how he looked like. In other words, this was the only thing that he could use to deal with the King level master that Diwu Qing Rou was likely to send.

"When we get to the mountain, we'll find a way through." Chu Yang simply could not figure it a solution to his problem just yet. He stood up and stretched, "So what if this was a King level master? The person who will die might not be me!"

With Nine Tribulations Sword in hand, the assassin only needed to get close and Chu Yang would have a chance; It was not clear that he would be unable to kill a King level master!

"Oh! Chu Yang! The ranking contest at Beyond the Heavens Sect has ended; do you want to know the results?" Wu Qian Qian tried to change the subject to help Chu Yang relax.

"Oh? How was Tan Tan?" Chu Yang's mind returned to reality. Upon hearing what Wu Qian Qian had said, he felt the words 'Beyond the Heavens Sect' had become so distant… Master… Junior martial brother…

"This ranking contest was especially cruel." Wu Qian Qian said, "Many of the martial uncles' disciples suffered from fatal wounds… Tan Tan did not participate…"

"Oh, among the dead ones, I am sure the disciples of second martial uncle, fourth martial uncle, and sixth martial uncle were the majority?" Chu Yang smiled.

"Aah, how did you know?" Wu Qian Qian's eyes widened.

"How can I not know…" Chu Yang laughed bitterly on the inside. The spies in Beyond the Heaven Sect were probably these three people. It was already clear that Li Jinsong was one of them, the other two were very suspicious.

"The incentives for winning this time is far greater than the other times." Wu Qian Qian blinked a few times in envy, "When I heard about it, I almost ran home to participate in the ranking contest…"

Chu Yang chuckled inside. First, put out a big prize and then give great status to the winner. This would make the disciples of those guys kill each other… With Wu Yun Liang's manipulations, these things would not be difficult to accomplish at all.

It seemed that Wu Yun Liang had already begun to clean up Beyond the Heavens Sect. Moreover, Tan Tan did not participate in this probably because he wanted to stay focused.

At the time Wu Yun Liang started to clear the sect of spies, Chu Yang had just arrived at Iron Cloud. It was the beginning of the greatest trap, but also the most dangerous time for Beyond the Heavens Sect.

I can only hope that time would pass a little more slowly.

After thinking for a while, Chu Yang realized that there was no certainty at all…

"Let's capture Tang Xin Sheng first then!" Chu Yang sighed and casually walked out the door. Chu Yang was filled with worry. However, once he resigned himself to the fact that he could not control everything and decided to let it be, everything immediately went back to its uneventful state.

Wu Qian Qian was left sitting alone in the room, worrying. She was still struggling to figure out how she could help Chu Yang avoid this tragedy.

As she thought about how Chu Yang could die, her heart suddenly cried out in pain for Wu Qian Qian.

She did not know why Chu Yang was being expelled from the sect. Moreover, she was not aware why he came to Iron Cloud after that. However, she knew that it would be hard for Beyond the Heavens Sect to prosper without Chu Yang! Chu Yang being able to achieve such a position in Iron Cloud was beneficial for Beyond the Heavens Sect!

Chu Yang cannot die!

This thought might have stemmed from other sentiments as well. Wu Qian Qian was not aware why she was being so emotional. Her eyes continued moving as though she was searching for a solution with them as she continued in deep thought.

In the end…

Wu Qian Qian's eyes stopped as she stared at the two things that represented King of Hell Chu: a black cloak and a ferocious mask.

Whenever Chu Yang left, he put back on his strange appearance and wandered the streets as usual.

Tang Xin Sheng lived in an official's manor that looked ordinary in Iron Cloud Citadel. From the outside, it was no different from a commoner's home. No one would have guessed that this was the residence of a royal court official.

There was only a red plaque with two words 'Tang Manor' at the entrance to show the more than ordinary status of the people in the manor.

It was a relatively large house with three sections. The manor's entrance was on a road that ran north and south, next to a fork on the road.

Normally, officials would not choose such a location for their manors. This location was noisy and chaotic. Most officials would have preferred a more peaceful location to avoid danger.

On the right of this residential area, there were a group of manors of other officials, but they were not very close in proximity. Compared to the manors of other officials, Tang Manor was essentially on its own.

Behind the manor, there was a wooded area that spread outward.

After inspecting the position of the manor, Chu Yang could not help but sigh. This place was clearly designed for easy communication with others and had convenient escape routes.

However, normally, officials' lodgings were arranged by the royal court. How did Tang Xin Sheng manage to get this place?

At the fork in the road, there was a ragged old man with shaky hands and bad sight. He had a little stall with several kilograms of watermelon seeds. At a big tree not far from there, there were two old men completely absorbed in a game of chess; it was as if they did not pay the least bit of attention to the noisy surroundings.

Chu Yang slowly walked forward, and grabbed a handful of watermelon seeds and began tossing them back and forth. His action and expression were really rude as his eyes shifted back and forth as he asked, "Old man, do your seeds have any kernels?"

The old man quickly bowed his head and said, "Young master, what's the point of selling them if they don't have kernels? If that was the case, wouldn't that make me a swindler?"

"Look, this one is completely empty…" Chu Yang pinched one and cracked it open.

"This one is a little small, haha…" The old man smiled embarrassingly and said, "Young master can look at another one. This one is good, you see… As for this one, it's still a little young… Kakaka…"

"Ah…" Chu Yang tried a little and tossed the old man a few coins. This old man was none other than Cheng Zi Ang in disguise. Chu Yang's questions were really about the current situation. Whether the watermelon seeds have kernels or not was a code.

"You can check the watermelon seed and see…" In other words, you could check west of the house, but chances are you will not be able to get anything.