Chapter 135 Betrayal?

While a war happened in the Monstrous Flame Sect, Birch City was not entirely peaceful. A shadowy figure stabbed a man walking down the street and dragged him into a nearby alley.

"Who exposed me?"

The figure asked threateningly. The man stabbed in his stomach looked at his bleeding wound with horror. Though not fatal, it needed to be treated soon.

"I… I only delivered the information gathered. I do not know who sent what…"

The figure in black sneered.

"Since when did you start caring about loyalty over your life? Or have you fallen for that girl? Let me tell you one thing; You have no chance with her."

The man flinched but he still looked fiercely at the figure in the dark.

"Even if you kill me, I will not be a traitor like you. I will not betray our savior."

The man looked defiantly at his assailant and condemned him. His provocation incited the assailant and the figure quickly stabbed him twice in the chest, ending his life.

"Fucking Idiot! He really thought Umbra was a brotherhood."

The figure in dark spat on the dead corpse and disappeared in the veil of night.

—-----------------

Ikasa's wordplay was exposed after the City Lord had signed the agreement. Left with no choice, Zhen Wu could only begrudgingly accept the deal.

"Good Job, Ikasa. You outplayed me at my own game. I didn't know you had the skill to twist words like that."

The City Lord admiringly complimented as they shook hands on the final agreement. Ikasa accepted the compliment with a smile, neither proud nor overly humble.

"Come to the manor tomorrow. We will discuss the guarantee letter further. I am also interested in knowing your plans."

The City Lord said, suppressing the yawn. Then he turned and left the Hall with his sister.

"Sigh! This was a looong night." Ikasa muttered looking at the rising sun from the window. He retired to one of the living quarters in the Sect for a short nap before heading to his Villa.

Shortly after Ikasa went in for a nap in the Sect, a man delivered shocking news to Xin Ruo with a somber expression.

In the villa, Xin Ruo was left speechless by the sudden turn of events. Many of the people in their information network had been killed last night!

What linked them together was that every body had similar stab injuries.

"This seems like the work of an insider, Ma 'am."

The person who brought the news elaborated.

"Only our people knew the whereabouts of men who died. And fewer knew the locations of them all."

His meaning was obvious. It had to be one of the higher ups who orchestrated the killings. The only person who used a dagger was…

"Yin Ying."

Xin Ruo whispered solemnly. It was the only viable conclusion. Combined with all the negative news she had been receiving about her, she had a justified reason to suspect her.

Still, she did not jump into action.

She knew her father and Ikasa trusted the woman. Even the numerous reports were not enough to convince them. So, she decided to gather more conclusive proof before jumping into action.

"Keep an eye out for her. Once she is discovered, capture her with all our power. If she dies, each one of you will die with her."

Xin Ruo ordered the man.  She also trusted Yin Ying once. And hence this betrayal felt even more surreal.  She needed answers and only Yin Ying could provide them.

Seeing Xin Ruo lost in thought, the man exited the room to follow orders.

—-----

When Ikasa woke up, it was already past noon. After he freshened up, his nose smelled the aroma of herbs and meat. Famished, his stomach grumbled and forced his legs to follow the smell.

He reached the dining hall where Elder Yi was having a meal with Feng Yan and Gu Dan. They chatted about inane topics and sidelined the topic of war.

Ikasa was glad that they had let go of their grudges and hostilities from before and were having a meal amiably. When he entered through the door, the three men discovered his presence.

"Ikasa, come join us. Brother Yi is a great cook!"

The only Sense Trainer who dared to call him by his name was obviously Feng Yan. As someone who had seen him grow from a weakling to the most powerful person in Birch City, he had the right to address him this way. Even Ikasa was too embarrassed to hear Feng Yan call him 'Boss' or 'Master' like others.

"What is this dish? Whatever it is, it smells delicious!"

Ikasa commented, grabbing a plate that Elder Yi offered. He picked one of the chunks of meat grilled with some herbs and seasoning and took a bite.

It was juicy and chewy. The more he chewed, the more aroma of the herbs permeated in his mouth.

"Wow!" Ikasa exclaimed with surprise. Feng Yan and Gu Dan looked with amusement as they had similar reactions.

"I call it the Sense Trainer's delight. Only people who have reached the Sense Realm can feel the pleasure of this dish."

Elder Yi explained with pride and a hint of sadness. He remembered cooking for the other Elders and their reactions, but now they were no more. Focused on food, Ikasa missed the melancholy of Elder Yi.

"This is a great dish, Elder. You can open a restaurant with this dish alone!"

Ikasa took a brief pause to compliment and resumed his eating. With eyes shining, he devoured the entire plate and burped.

Only now he noticed the absence of Chu Kuang.

"Where is uncle Chu?"

"He went back this morning to take care of the Herb Store. He also brought Moony with him."

Ikasa nodded. After the delicious lunch, it felt good to sit in the relaxed atmosphere and bask in the sun. The older men chattered on the side.

Suddenly, Elder Yi turned his attention to Ikasa.

"Are you in dire need of the Spirit Coins, Master?"

Seeing him fight tooth and nail for every last spirit coin in the vault had puzzled Elder Yi.

He understood Ikasa was not greedy for money or else he wouldn't have given up half the coins in the treasury without batting an eyelid.

Ikasa sighed and seriously explained his reasoning.

"Spirit Coin is important if I want to expand my scope beyond the Holy Wood Empire. So, saving every single spirit coin is necessary. As they cannot be bought with gold coins, they are more precious than any amount of gold."

After his explanation he saw Elder Yi nod in understanding.

"Now that I think about it, how did the Sect manage to accumulate such a large reserve of Spirit Coins?"

As far as Ikasa knew, the Monstrous Flame Sect mostly imported medicinal herbs from tier 2 cities and sold medicinal concoctions in the City. Neither of the trades involved spirit coins. Hence, Ikasa was curious.

"I was about to suggest our method to you."

Elder Yi got up and brought a booklet back. Handing it to Ikasa, he said, "We traded a few goods in this book with merchants from the Furnace Fire Empire. They usually pay at least 10 One-Star Spirit Coins for any of the objects shown here."

"Oh?"

Ikasa asked, fascinated by the high price.

"Yes. A few months back we commissioned the Li Family to procure one of the objects available for auction in Lotus Pavilion. Those greedy idiots instead purchased a High Grade Cultivation Manual and refused our request."

Hearing Elder Yi complain about the Li Family, Ikasa smiled a sheepish grin. Feng Yan had no inhibitions and he loudly laughed. He began to tell the story of a so-called High Grade Manual that the Li Family had purchased, entertaining Elder Yi and Gu Dan.

Ikasa didn't want to delve into the past so he opened the book. His expression became strange upon seeing the inventory.

There were Energy Efficiency Stars, Wi-Fi dongles, chipsets and various metals listed in the book. The book's contents were nearly identical to the booklet 'The Underworld' had provided Feng Yan.

He interrupted Feng Yan and confirmed his guess.

"Elder Yi, where did you get this book from?"

"It is provided by almost every Merchant coming from the Furnace Fire Empire for trade. Why? Is there a problem?"

Ikasa looked at Feng Yan but the latter shook his head. So, Ikasa dropped the matter. Instead he asked about the thing he was most curious and hesitant about.

"Elder Yi, what is the use of these items? Why would those merchants buy them at such a high price?"

"I don't know the use but I have heard a few drunk merchants gossip. Apparently, the Royal Family of the Furnace Fire Empire purchases these items for a high price. They say these materials are useful in producing the Spirit Coins."

Ikasa's eyes widened, but not for the same reasons as others. His thinking went in another direction.

'If you need Energy Efficiency Star, the WiFi dongle and Chipsets to produce Spirit Coins, could they also have a machine like mine? Is there another person like me in this world?'