A Subtle Threat

The trio finished their meal quickly and left the restaurant. Hong Zhao was slightly agitated that Lan decided the moment the food arrived to get his attention. He noticed that she always seemed to know exactly where he was, even when he tried to remain conspicuous. He briefly wondered what skill she must use to keep tabs on him.

Thinking on abilities once more, Hong Zhao mentally probed the new Qi Explosion skill he had received from Lan. The more he thought of the skill, the more practical skill seemed. It felt like Lan was slowly giving him the same skills he once had in his previous life. He was a master infiltrator and tactician. The skills he was slowly acquiring could be used for subterfuge. Carefully planted Qi balls could certainly kill someone easily, so long as they didn't notice it in time. If he had more than one planted within a building, he would be able to cause mass confusion and possibly lure a target into the sight of his Qi Shot. He could also use his Eagle Eyes to snipe his target from a distance. If he ran low enough on qi, he could use the black suit in his ring to sneak on unsuspecting cultivators, stealthily kill them and take a portion of their Qi, refine it quickly and continue.

None of these abilities were to be used in the open. If he were to have the upper hand with Huang Yi and his followers, they couldn't know it was him picking them off. This meant he also couldn't rely on Li Wuhan or Li Wei yet, they were too well known to follow him. If two other cultivators were seen wearing the black suits, they might piece together who he was. He also had to ensure Shadow wasn't with him. Huang Yi had been intimately familiar with his shadow panther.

"Huang Yi is here by the City Lord's orders." Hong Zhao said to break the silence on the walk back to the tournament arena.

"Are you sure?" Li Wuhan's breathing picked up slightly. "Why would the City Lord meddle in the affairs of a small village?"

"The City Lord has been planted here by Li Xiao. We now have two disciple ranked cultivators when none should exist." Taking a breath, Hong Zhao briefly discussed the information Lan had given him. As he discussed, the Li siblings eyes went wide in fright for their father. "Don't worry, it sounds like we have a year before Huang Yi is supposed to go back to Yuan City. If I can take him down before he is meant to leave, or at least sabotage him on the way to Yuan City, we will be safe for half a year before the City Lord makes an appearance in Rantori Village."

"How does your master know all of this?" Li Wei seemed a little skeptical. "No one should have all of this information. Who exactly is she?"

"That is for her to tell you when she wants to." He wasn't going to give them anything Lan didn't want them to have. If he gave any information about his master, he didn't know if she would continue to support him. The ring he had seemed to have a dual function allowing her to leave things inside it for him. He didn't doubt that the time would come where Lan would want them to know her, but maybe he was wrong. As of now, anonymity was his friend.

As the crowd became more dense around them, the conversation went silent. The second time today Hong Zhao wished nothing more than to learn how to infuse a whisper with Qi the way Lan did at the restaurant. Having such a skill would be beneficial in a tactical environment. As long as he had clear sight of the person he wished to communicate with, he would be able to send information much easier than sending notes or memory stones. In a way, it would be like having an earpiece from his world.

Going through the courtyard, Hong Zhao made his way back to the arena. He had to see the battle between Ren Cai and her opponent. If she were to show any of her skills, he might have an upper hand against her when they fought. He had no fantasies of her losing her battle. As far as he remembered, her opponent was a four star student ranked cultivator named Huo Hai. He hoped that this cultivator would at least give her enough trouble for him to glimpse at least one of her abilities.

As the crowd surrounded the arena, Hong Zhao spotted Huang Ji ascending the stage. His usual grandfatherly carefree attitude had replaced the dark reproach he had given not three hours ago. Hong Zhao could almost smell the alcohol Huang Ji had to drink in order to keep his calm. He didn't envy the stress the old man must have to deal with on a daily basis. By the look on his grandson's face, he had even more than just Fu Jianhong to thank.

"The next fight will begin momentarily, will Ren Cai and Huo Hai make it to the stage?" His voice rang out into the crowd, yet it seemed much more tired than it was before. Hong Zhao worried slightly for the old man. He knew that power wasn't everything. There were other ways of killing a man than with just brute force. He needed to make sure the Village Elder remained healthy while his grandson was home.

Hong Zhao was snapprd out of his thoughts as he saw Ren Cai and her opponent make their way to the arena.

Ren Cai's opponent was a head and a half taller than her, yet by the way he way he was sweating, it seemed not to matter. Hong Zhao couldn't blame the boy. He was two ranks below Ren Cai and knew it. If he had some sort of ability that jumped ranks, he might have a chance though he doubted it. Hong Zhao sighed. It seemed it wasn't going to be much of a fight after all.

Even before Huang Ji left the stage, Hong Zhao noticed the girl say something to Huo Hai silently.

"I concede!" Huo Hai left the arena before Huang Ji had the opportunity to start the match.

"You've got to be kidding." Hong Zhao looked incredulously at the fleeing boy. He didn't even stop at the end of the arena, but instead went from the tournament area all together. Hong Zhao looked back at Ren Cai just long enough to see her wink at him. She had obviously put on a show for his benefit.

"She hadn't intended to show me anything." Hong Zhao smiled. He was enjoying this little game between them. He didn't know exactly what it was, but something was all too familiar about the girl. He couldn't put a name to her, but somehow it was as if she were his closest friend.

"You had better not be messing with me." Hong Zhao sent a silent prayer to Lan. He was starting to think she was the closest thing to a god in this world.

"Well, that was disappointing." Li Wuhan sighed as he watched Ren Cai descend the platform. "I would have given anything just to see a glimpse of what she can do."

"Do you know what she whispered to him?" Li Wei looked troubled. "She said something, and I think he looked down for a moment."

"He looked down?" Hong Zhao missed that. He looked to the place that Huo Hai was standing, yet all he saw was the tile of the arena. He activated his Eagle Eye just to be sure.

Hong Zhao's eyes grew wide as he noticed something right in the center of where Ren Cai's opponent's feet would have been. It was a hole the size of a needle. It was small, but unmistakable. It had to have been an ability of hers. "Damn." He smiled once again. "She really is playing games."