Chapter Twenty-Eight: Collaboration (Part Two)

“Where is this place?” Lying flat on a straw mat, Su Bo slowly opened his blurry eyes, greeted by the hazy glow of candlelight. He instinctively closed his eyes again, but a sudden sense of unease jolted him awake.

He realized he had been transported to an underground chamber, faintly lit by flickering candles. The entire secret room was scarcely five meters square, the walls dark and cold, with only a single earthen bed covered in straw at one corner.

A few steps away stood a black table, suggesting the owner of this chamber had a particular fondness for that color. Su Bo tried to sit up, but the pain in his arms stopped him.

He lifted his arms and saw they had already been tended to and wrapped, though the pungent scent of medicine was almost overwhelming.

Despite it being the height of summer, the chamber felt chilling to the bone.

Su Bo lay on the straw mat, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, his thoughts drifting back to ten years ago, when he still lived on Earth.

“Though I was just a busy worker every day, it was better than always fearing for my life like now,” Su Bo whispered, not realizing his voice carried a hint of choking emotion.

A full incense stick's time passed before the silence in the chamber was finally broken.

“You’re awake?” A voice, cold enough to freeze the soul, pulled Su Bo back to reality.

Before he could gather himself, a figure appeared at his right, staring intently at him.

Those eyes were utterly devoid of emotion, leaving Su Bo at a loss for words. After all, anyone faced with lifeless eyes would struggle to speak, especially when their life hung in the balance.

He could only strive for calm, not letting his anxiety show. Sometimes pretending composure was harder than facing mortal combat. He managed a facade of serenity, but before the Third Elder, it would inevitably crumble.

Yet the elder didn’t bother exposing him. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Su Bo’s steady eyes and asked, word by word, “Earlier you said you could solve this siege for me. What did you mean?”

Now that the conversation had entered his prepared domain, Su Bo relaxed.

He had sensed something was off from Xiao Huixin’s earlier conversation. How could a weak woman of such low rank be entrusted with such an important artifact? Even setting that aside, the map the Third Elder gave her made it clear: her attack was never an accident.

Over the past three days, Su Bo had discreetly gathered information, bribing several disciples with silver. He learned something crucial: Su and Huang hadn’t been executed but were being held in the dungeon. Apparently, the Ninth and Fourth Elders had intervened, even clashing with the Third Elder over the matter.

With this news, Su Bo changed his approach entirely. He discovered a path that, though risky, could make his future exceptionally smooth if successful.

It was a gamble: betting that the Third Elder had sent Su and Huang to intercept Xiao Huixin and steal the artifact.

Returning to the present standoff between the two.

Su Bo spoke slowly to the Third Elder, “May I ask, Elder, is Xiao Huixin’s death related to Su Kun and Huang Yang in the prison?”

“Nonsense!” The elder’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes grew colder.

Su Bo knew the elder didn’t trust him, even doubting whether he truly knew about the attempt on Xiao Huixin. How could a weak, unskilled youth know such secrets, let alone be of any help?

He continued, “Before dying, Xiao Huixin told me the map was given by you personally. The place she was attacked was also designed by you in advance. Unfortunately, your subordinates seem to have failed.”

At this, Su Bo spoke plainly, refusing to play games with the elder. One must never negotiate from a position of weakness with such men, else one’s conditions would be ignored, which was something Su Bo could not accept.

The elder snorted and turned away. “Since you know so much, why did you return to the sect with it and challenge Lin Sheng to a duel?”

Su Bo shook his head. “Lin Sheng knows too much. If I don’t eliminate him, he’ll eventually reveal everything. When rumors spread, it will be impossible to contain. Even with your high status, Elder, it wouldn’t be easy to eliminate a prepared inner disciple. I’ve taken some risks, but if you and I reach an agreement, it will all be worth it.”

He narrowed his eyes, locking onto the elder’s gaze. “And who says I brought the artifact with me? It is hidden in an extremely secret place. Besides, it may bear special marks. If I had brought it directly, even you might never see it.”

The elder raised a hand to cut him off. “Enough. If you say you’ll help me, how do you plan to do so? I don’t want anyone profiting from mere words. You must lay out your plan in detail. Only then will I consider whether to accept your terms.”

Su Bo had already been searched upon arrival; the elder clearly knew whether he carried the artifact.

But Su Bo scoffed, refusing flatly. “Elder, I respect you as a venerable senior and entrust my life to you. Neither of us are children; why play games with me? If I divulge everything now, you can simply kill me, spare yourself any cost, and use my method to silence those two in the dungeon forever.”

---

“What do you want then?” The Third Elder turned and fixed a cold stare on Su Bo, whose every word seemed beyond his years. Not only did he possess an extraordinary martial realm for his age—though he had never systematically learned martial arts, few in his generation could match his cultivation—but his wariness surpassed most adults.

Facing the invisible pressure from the elder, Su Bo remained unafraid, his calm eyes meeting the elder’s.

Their gazes collided within the chamber, silent yet equally intense.

Though sweat soaked his back, Su Bo knew that showing any submission would let the elder seize absolute control, ruining his plan.

Time ticked by, each side with ample reason to refuse or accept the other. But who wouldn’t want something for nothing?

One held authority, the other his life.

“State your terms. Helping me with something this significant, you won’t ask for little, I imagine,” the elder spoke first, though reluctant.

Su Bo sighed, shaking his head. “Elder, you overestimate me. What I seek is trivial for you.”

His tone turned solemn. “I beg you for a way out—a path to escape from Dayan.”

Half an hour later.

The elder stood with hands behind his back, facing away. “Very well. Stay here and recover. In three days, I’ll return with what you need. Don't get complacent; if you don’t give me the answers I want, you know what I’ll do.” He glanced meaningfully at Su Bo, whose chilling gaze felt like a venomous snake. Even after meeting countless martial masters, Su Bo broke into a cold sweat under those eyes.

The elder snorted and tossed Su Bo a jade bottle, its rich green hue marking it as fine jade.

“Bone Renewal Pills, three.” The elder’s distant voice echoed coldly.

Su Bo looked at the jade bottle, thinking, “I’ve heard these pills are priceless. For the elder to spend so much, he must have agreed to my plan.”

But he was troubled. “This method was just a folk recipe I found in the bamboo house. Who knows if it will work? If it’s merely an author’s speculation, I’ll be in serious trouble.”

But such worries were pointless now. He was already on the elder’s ship; whether the method worked or not, he could not escape his involvement. He could only pray for Heaven’s mercy.

Meanwhile, far from Dayan Sect, a wooden cabin was anything but tranquil.

Xi Menghe stood beside the cabin, not hurrying to enter. With his cultivation at the Concentration Realm, he had already sensed Su Bo was not there.

He stepped forward, slowly pushed open the decaying wooden door, breaking the silence of night with its creaking.

Xi Menghe’s cloudy eyes looked at the table, where a letter lay, addressed: “For Master’s Eyes Only.”

With a gesture, the letter flew into his hand. He flicked a finger toward the candle, and a weak flame lit the cabin.

He settled on the bed's edge and read:

Master, by the time you see this note, I am seeking a way out. You took me in and taught me when I had nowhere else to turn. ‘A day as teacher, a lifetime as father.’ I have always respected you most. Yet, born cowardly and clinging to life, I cannot surrender it to you now, and must let you down.

I know you and the Third Elder are rivals, so I am forced to work with him. Whether I succeed or not remains uncertain. What in life is ever guaranteed? If I fail, there’s no need for you to act—I will be torn apart. But if I succeed, I beg you for mercy, grant me a way to live.

Ming Li was born never to see her parents; you are my first family. I hope you will always remain in my heart as a good example.

Wishing you health and all that you desire. If you ever command, your disciple will gladly go through fire and water for you.

Xi Menghe let out a cold laugh, his wrinkled face as ghastly as a long-buried corpse. The cabin felt as though it housed a prehistoric beast.

Despite all these words, the letter meant only: I’ve joined forces with your enemy, so don’t try anything against me.

The letter was not just a retreat for both sides, but Su Bo’s backup plan. If negotiations with the elder failed, Xi Menghe would hesitate to act against him, since he wouldn’t know whether Su Bo and the elder had reached an accord. He couldn’t very well go and ask the Third Elder.

Xi Menghe, for all his years, understood the letter’s meaning. Yet Su Bo’s open strategy, though transparent, prevented Xi Menghe from moving until matters were clear.

Xi Menghe’s grim face lifted, revealing a vicious smile. “Good boy, to plan so thoroughly at your age—that’s skill. But you’re still one step short. I wouldn’t leave for so long and far without preparing a backup. Haha…”

---

Inside Dayan Sect.

“Cough, cough.” Su Bo, lying quietly, suddenly erupted in violent coughing, blood trickling from his lips.

“What’s going on? I don’t recall suffering any internal injuries.” He wiped the blood away, puzzled. “Could it be my rapid advancement destabilized my foundation?”

He was relieved to have noticed in time. Had Xi Menghe continued transferring energy, Su Bo would surely have died.

He recalled the elder’s warning and shook his head. “I’ll spend more time consolidating my cultivation. Otherwise, real regression might occur. But for now… there's a more pressing problem.”

At dawn the next day.

Su Bo was startled awake by a sharp, cold shout.

“You slept well!” The elder’s voice carried such icy weight that Su Bo could have felt it from three miles away.

“These are what you asked for.” Without excess words, a bundle was tossed onto the table near the bed.

Su Bo didn’t hurry to take it. Injured as he was, even getting up was an effort, let alone inspecting the bundle. The elder’s intention was clear: an exchange, item for item.

“Is this distrust, Elder? You’ve prepared so much for me, yet won’t let me inspect the goods. Hardly the behavior of a trustworthy partner!” Su Bo looked at the bundle, not the elder. “I’m half-disabled from my injuries; surely you don’t think I’ll run off with the goods?”

“Heh.” The elder sneered. “No need for useless talk. You may be but a ten-year-old brat, but what we trade is not children’s playthings—it’s the lives of two prisoners in Dayan’s dungeon.”

Unexpectedly, Su Bo laughed, his smile tinged with desolation. “To you, Elder, do lives really matter? Xiao Huixin was just a pawn; Su Kun and Huang Yang only have leverage over you. Hearing you speak thus, I almost feel like you’re the saint, and I the villain for wanting them dead. Isn’t it funny, haha, cough...”

The elder ignored Su Bo’s sarcasm, remaining calm. “Whatever you say is useless. Before you are two choices. One: kill them for me, and I’ll give you everything in the bundle. The second, I need not explain.”

He turned away. “You have half an incense stick to decide. If you don’t, I’ll take you to Xi Menghe. He’ll find more interesting ways to end your life—and perhaps I’ll profit from trading with him.” A cruel smile flashed.

Su Bo stretched indifferently, answering, “Since you’ve made your position clear, what use is more talk? I’ll help you eliminate the threat.”

“Hmph!” The elder snorted, then produced a jade bottle. “Don’t think I’m unaware of your little schemes. Here’s the pill you need most now—twenty in this bottle. With your talent, it will push you to the Bone Refining Realm.”

Su Bo grinned as he took the bottle.

After three days of recovery and the powerful Bone Renewal Pills, his injuries were mostly healed. Not at his peak, but he could walk normally. He’d feigned illness before, knowing the elder saw through it.

As he reached for the jade bottle, the elder suddenly drew it back.

His eyes were cold and merciless. “I’ve raised the stakes, so you need to act faster. Otherwise you get nothing, and my threats weren’t made for ghosts.”

Su Bo looked at the elder, seeing no room for negotiation. “When do you want me to act?”

“Within three days, erase them without a trace,” the elder replied, his gaze sharp with murderous intent.

But Su Bo answered directly, “Why wait? Today is as good as any. Shall we begin now?”

His half-joking manner left even the elder, aged over one hundred fifty, uncertain how much to trust this youth.

Seeing the elder’s doubt, Su Bo shrugged. “If you’re still uneasy, allow me to explain in detail.”

He lowered his voice and continued.