Huo Xiao Di also heard the dry, eerie voice. Before the sound had even fully landed, he had already reached the source of it. His sword, now switched to his left hand, pointed unwaveringly at the speaker without him even turning his head.
Under the pressure of his ghostlike speed and the menacing aura of his sword, the one who had spoken let out a startled cry, followed by a loud thud as they collapsed to the ground!
Huo Xiao Di was momentarily stunned. Who was behind him? Who could possess such skill to approach him unnoticed? And if they were so skilled, why would they collapse to the ground in fear?
It wasn’t until he noticed the faint smile creeping onto Zhan Ri Fei’s lips that he realized the voice behind him had been light, scattered, and lacking in strength.
Finally, he turned his head.
He had just let out a breath of relief when he froze once again.
— Normally, even if there were a monster with a hideous face and fangs behind him, he wouldn’t so much as blink. But at this moment, his face truly looked as though he had seen a ghost. His already large eyes widened to the point of almost popping out of their sockets, and his two rabbit-like teeth bared themselves without restraint.
— The person sprawled on the ground was none other than the frail boy!
The boy had clearly just been startled awake from his sleep. His gaze was filled with surprise.
— But no one could tell whether his astonishment was due to Huo Xiao Di’s deliberately fierce expression or to hearing the words he had just spoken.
At that moment, a flicker of flame from the fire caught the boy’s eye, and he blinked. In the next instant, he saw that Huo Xiao Di had somehow reappeared seated beside Zhan Ri Fei. Even his posture made it seem as though he had never moved. His sword, now back in his right hand, was still pointed unwaveringly at Zhan Ri Fei’s throat!
The boy gasped sharply.
— Had he seen a ghost?
— This young man’s martial skill and agility truly lived up to the name “Glimpse of the Soaring Phoenix”!
The only difference was that, although Huo Xiao Di’s sword remained pointed at Zhan Ri Fei, he hadn’t turned around.
— His gaze stayed fixed on the boy, and that gaze was filled with bewilderment.
— “So it’s you? You can actually speak? Were you pretending to be mute all this time?”
The boy seemed frozen, unsure whether he was more shocked by the sound of his own voice or by the gleaming sword pointed at him. After a long pause, he stammered, “No, I’m not—I’m not—”
His voice remained hoarse and dry, stiff and choked, as though every word was forced out with immense difficulty. Yet this second sentence was slightly smoother than the first.
Huo Xiao Di’s heart sank abruptly.
— Each word the boy spoke seemed to require all his strength, yet his stammering, halting speech was still far more labored than that of a baby learning to talk. Even so, if Huo Xiao Di hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that just earlier in the day, this enigmatic boy had been mute.
— But this wasn’t the question most pressing on Huo Xiao Di’s mind right now. What he wanted to know above all was the unbelievable mystery Zhan Ri Fei had uncovered.
— “Are you the Chang Hong Bi of Han Shui Palace?”
The moment those three words, “Chang Hong Bi,” left his lips, the boy reacted as if struck by a whip. His mouth opened, but no words came out. His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, as though his freckles were about to shake loose and fall off his face.
Huo Xiao Di’s eyes narrowed, but he waited with surprising patience.
After a long time, the boy slowly shook his head. The movement was deliberate, but it was firm.
“I—I am—not—Chang—Hong—Bi.”
His voice carried a note of resolve, but it was also laden with pain.
Huo Xiao Di spoke softly, “Even if you don’t admit it, your expression already says enough. If you’re unwilling to acknowledge it, I won’t force you.”
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