Chapter 132: Interlocking Links

North of Ipojad, where the Hunter’s Pit borders the Green Demon Forest, silence reigned. The oblique rays of the setting sun cast a golden hue over the withered earth. The forest, shedding its leaves in a display of desolation, took on a touch of melancholy in the twilight.

In the dense woods stood a thatched hut. Outside, several hunters, equipped with iron probes and pliers, were busy dismantling nearby traps and stowing them into the baskets on their backs. They worked in silent, practiced efficiency.

The fastest among them was a hunter wearing a bear-head mask. Once his basket was full, he stood up and glanced toward the edge of the forest, where he caught a glimpse of several white figures.

"Boss, are we expecting guests today?" he asked.

The burly man with a thick, bristling beard behind him did not look up. "No."

The hunter beneath the bear mask furrowed his brows, but ultimately chose to remain silent. Such was the life of a hunter; years of tracking had cultivated the habit of seeing more and asking less.

The bearded man plucked a steel trap, dropped it into his basket, and coiled several silver wires into a bundle, which he tucked into his pocket. He glanced at the younger man. "Young man, curiosity is not a virtue. It will do you no good."

The bear-masked hunter nodded. "I understand."

He slung his basket and walked out of the woods, followed shortly by the bearded man and the others.

A hunter’s intuition is sharp. Though the bear-masked hunter heard nothing, he felt a prickling sensation on his back, as if something were moving rapidly behind him. He could not help but look back.

His pupils contracted in an instant.

In those few moments, figures had emerged in the woods behind them. Figures in white and cyan, wearing masks, stood atop the branches. As night descended, they seemed like ghosts in the darkness.

The bearded man shot him a cold, warning glare. The bear-masked hunter gave a slight nod and quickened his pace, leaving the area.

Under the twilight, the forest was filled with a chilling, murderous aura. Figures, ghostly and indistinct, appeared on the boughs, their long, dark shadows merging with the dappled silhouettes of the trees. Men in white robes and white masks, along with others wearing cyan demon masks, converged around the thatched hut. As the figures shifted, a woman wearing a white tiger mask walked into the hut, fanning herself with a folding fan.

Not long after, a youth in brown leather, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, pushed open the door and stepped inside as well.

"To summon me here—you must be in quite a bit of trouble."

Tea and utensils had already been prepared in the hut. The bespectacled youth rinsed the two cups and filled them with tea.

The young woman removed her mask, leaned back in her chair, and smiled. "Is that not thanks to you, Bei Yuming?"

The two in the hut were none other than Luo Ning of the Island of Slaughter and Bei Yuming of Grusburg. It was unlikely anyone would have expected these two to meet in such a fashion within the territory of the Hunter’s Pit.

Bei Yuming pondered for a moment. "Tell me, what kind of trouble have you run into?"

Luo Ning fanned herself. "Thanks to you, Ye Ran, the people of Linshuang City, the dwarves, and the elves have all begun to target me. By the looks of it, they won't stop until they've driven me out of Ipojad."

Bei Yuming chuckled. "With your abilities, what does it matter if they all join forces?"

Luo Ning watched him with interest. "I am not afraid of them, but why should I help you deal with them?"

Bei Yuming scoffed. "Without reason? What makes you say this is my doing?"

Luo Ning sipped her tea slowly. "Then let me recount it for you from the beginning."

"After the incident at the underground nest, you and I both left the Torrent City with ancient divine weapons. To mislead others and avoid suspicion, we both sent people to spread rumors that the Vampire Relic would appear in Ipojad. Originally, that was the only goal. But your ambition and audacity proved far greater than I imagined."

"In your plan, the ruse of the Vampire Relic had four other purposes. First, to incite conflict among the various factions in Ipojad, weakening them so that Grusburg could extend its influence here."

"Second, to use the relic as a smokescreen, collude with the God-Hunter Tribe, and borrow their blades to kill, seizing the chance to usurp power from your father and take control of Grusburg."

"Third, to involve yourself while leaving me exposed, intentionally drawing all suspicion toward me. You aimed to manufacture a conflict between me and the entirety of Ipojad. Once everyone was exhausted, you would have secured your grip on Grusburg, allowing you to launch a massive assault with half the effort."

"You see, a single false rumor about a Vampire Relic has spawned so many plans, each interlocking with the next. You sit in Grusburg reaping all the benefits, while I am left to clean up your mess. Bei Yuming, does such a good thing exist in this world?"

"Did you think I, Luo Ning, would be so easily manipulated?"

With a sharp *snap*, she slammed her teacup down. The atmosphere, already strained, instantly turned lethal. Outside the hut, the air grew frigid; the figures in cyan and white masks stood motionless, yet their internal energy surged, ready to erupt.

Bei Yuming was not intimidated. He rested his chin on his hand, pondered, and sneered, "Luo Ning, are these not just your own conjectures? Do you think these words alone can scare me?"

"Hmph, you never shed a tear until you see the coffin."

Luo Ning took a letter from her sleeve and threw it onto the table. "Do you want me to read the letter you wrote to Ivan aloud?"

Seeing the letter, Bei Yuming’s expression finally shifted. He frowned and said, "Luo Ning, are you determined not to trust me?"

"How can you expect me to trust you?"

Bei Yuming replied, "Luo Ning, your deductions are all correct, but there is one thing you are wrong about. I never intentionally directed the disaster toward you. Give me three days, and I will give you an answer."

"I fear you do not have that much time."

A voice suddenly rang out. Both occupants of the hut were shocked; Bei Yuming rose abruptly. They scanned the room but saw no one, yet the energy outside the hut had locked onto the roof in an instant.

*Bang!*

A black cloth curtain draped over the rafters above the hut suddenly fell, followed by an explosion as two figures descended from the sky.

The youth on the left had a cold, stern face and gripped a massive Cliffer gun. The girl on the right was dressed in black leather, her figure lithe and her beauty breathtaking.

As they landed, they blocked Luo Ning and Bei Yuming, one in front and one behind. Ye Ran sneered as he looked at Bei Yuming. "So, you are the mastermind, Bei Yuming."

The two exposed conspirators were neither panicked nor enraged. On the contrary, they remained calm and composed.

Luo Ning stepped back, smiling at Dilith, and closed her folding fan with a snap. Bei Yuming scoffed, removed his glasses, and tossed them aside. Without any preamble, he opened his mouth and lashed out with a long, serpent-like tongue toward Ye Ran.