Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Mission Failed
Han Qiubai held a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the harsh sunlight. She regretted not bringing a parasol.
Tao Lang had been right. The climate here was indeed dry, and the UV rays were intense. At first, she’d been put off by her eccentric junior’s advice and hadn’t taken proper precautions. Looking in the mirror these past few days, she realized she’d actually gotten a bit of a tan.
’This mission is a total loss!’
Even an Inner Qi Martial Artist couldn’t withstand the sun’s damage to their skin without sunscreen. Yan Sea was a prime example; ten years as a martial arts teacher had left his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
Han Qiubai swept the area with her senses. Finding no suspicious auras, she headed for the location on her GPS.
She was in a foul mood. A while back, she had planned to speak with Yu Fei. If she could coax him into attending Yuqing University, a thousand points would be in the bag. But who knew that after arriving in T-County, she’d be bogged down by one trivial matter after another. She had just finished cleaning out a nest of gutter rats and had unearthed quite a bit of intel.
Things should have ended there. She was about to go build a rapport with the genius high school student. At the very least, if she could pry the secret to cultivating Sword Intent out of Yu Fei, it would be a huge gain.
And then she’d gotten Tao Lang’s distress call.
Han Qiubai grumbled to herself, ’This femboy is so unreliable!’
’This must be the place. Celestial Joy Residence, 0715.’
She knocked on the door. After a long moment, it finally opened.
"How did you end up like this?"
Han Qiubai was shocked. The Tao Lang before her was pale as a sheet, the faint smell of blood wafting from his chest and abdomen. His eyes were sunken and he looked utterly haggard. Even so, his face was still caked in a thick layer of foundation.
"Senior, come in first. I only contacted you after shaking my pursuers. It’s safe here for now."
Han Qiubai’s expression turned grave. Generally speaking, when dealing with the Illuminati’s cultists, who were all style and no substance, they were no match for her and Tao Lang even if they were a realm higher. But for some reason, Tao Lang had ended up in such a sorry state.
’Was he ambushed, or did he fall into a trap?’
"What exactly happened?"
Tao Lang wailed, "Senior, my life is so miserable! Boo-hoo..."
A wave of nausea washed over Han Qiubai. "Speak properly, or I’m leaving!"
"Sigh... Senior, you’re so heartless. Fine, I’ll start from the beginning..."
Han Qiubai silently clenched her fists, forcing herself to calm down.
"My first stop was Fengtai County. The cultists there had their identities almost completely exposed due to a major crime they’d committed earlier. Everything went smoothly at first..."
The Illuminati members in Fengtai County had attacked a high school, causing significant casualties. That was why Tao Lang and Han Qiubai had received the mission to purge Y-City.
With Tao Lang’s fifth-realm strength, dealing with a group of cultists who were at most in the fourth Inner Qi realm should have been a piece of cake—like shooting fish in a barrel. And it was, without any surprises.
He’d deliberately let one go to follow the lead, uprooting the neighboring N-County’s Illuminati organization as well. You can’t go wrong with a classic, so Tao Lang left another loose end to follow: Song Qidong.
He had hoped to find new Illuminati members while in pursuit, but in the process, he ran into Rose and was nearly killed by her blade.
"Boo-hoo... Senior, you have no idea how vicious that bitch was! A forty-meter blade of Gang Qi came chopping down at me. If your junior here didn’t have a few trump cards up his sleeve, I would have been sliced in two, my beautiful life tragically cut short."
He wailed dramatically, tears streaming down his face. If Han Qiubai hadn’t stopped him, he would have grabbed her sleeve to wipe them away.
She clenched her fists so hard they cracked, her frustration nearly boiling over.
Let alone how Tao Lang had survived a forty-meter blade of Gang Qi, just hearing him use the phrase "my beautiful life tragically cut short" was unbearable.
Just as she was about to explode, she heard Tao Lang say, "Senior, I’m at the fifth realm! I couldn’t even take one hit from that bitch. I suspect she must be at Gang Qi Perfection, probably an Apostle."
Instantly, Han Qiubai’s frustration vanished, and a chill ran down her spine.
Her throat went dry. "Junior... did you just say you’re at the fifth realm?"
Tao Lang looked at her strangely. "Senior, haven’t I told you? I’m a genius! I was already at the third realm during the college entrance exams. For a prodigy like me, isn’t advancing one realm per year perfectly normal?"
Han Qiubai ignored his manic fit and pressed on, "The fifth realm? And you were still seriously injured by a single blow?"
"That’s right."
"Then how did you survive? If she was an Apostle of the Illuminati, you wouldn’t have had any chance to escape."
Han Qiubai was deeply puzzled. Ninety-nine percent of the Illuminati’s followers were trash, but there were exceptions.
The best-known of these were the Illuminati’s Apostles. Their power was immense, their cultivation always at the level of Gang Qi Perfection, putting them nearly on par with prodigy Martial Artists of the same rank.
Besides them were the Illuminati’s seventh-realm Priests. Their offensive power wasn’t particularly strong, but they were extremely difficult to kill, always possessing all sorts of bizarre abilities.
Tao Lang gently brushed his bangs back and tossed his shoulder-length hair. "I don’t know either. I thought I was a goner for sure, but that bitch didn’t give chase. I barely managed to escape, and only got the chance to treat my injuries the next day.
But during that time, the Illuminati’s hyenas smelled blood and relentlessly attacked me, which only made my injuries worse."
At this, Tao Lang gave Han Qiubai a helpless look. "Senior, I need a safe place to recover. Can you help me?"
Learning that Tao Lang possessed fifth-realm strength, Han Qiubai no longer cared about his effeminate behavior. In a world where power is everything, as long as one’s fundamental principles are sound, nothing else matters. Of course, the reverse was also true: a rookie flaunting their ’personality’ in front of the powerful is just asking to die, and they’d have no one but themselves to blame.
"No problem. For some reason, all the cultists in T-County have pulled out, so it’s safe for now. I’ll take you back there to recover."
Han Qiubai paused, then continued:
"But are you certain the opponent was an Apostle?"
Tao Lang pursed his lips and nodded. "I think so. I’m no match for an ordinary Gang Qi Realm practitioner, but I can at least hold my own for a few rounds. It’s not like I’d be unable to take a single hit."
Worry flickered in Han Qiubai’s eyes. She said gravely, "In that case, the two of us won’t be able to complete the purge mission on our own."
Tao Lang gave a bitter smile. "I submitted a request for help that same day. The higher-ups are probably still processing it. But I did call a friend to come help. He’s already on his way. He’s also a Gang Qi Martial Artist, so he can give us some backup."
"Alright. There’s no time to waste. We’ll relocate now. You need to treat your injuries as soon as possible."
"Okay then, Senior. I’m in your hands now."
Han Qiubai paid no mind to Tao Lang’s tone. If they mishandled what came next, it was highly likely both of them would perish here.
She quickly bought a used car and drove Tao Lang out of the city that very night.
There were no powerful Martial Artists in the local area. To deal with an Apostle required a prodigy of the same level or a Grandmaster. This matter was already far beyond their capabilities.
