Return of the 13th Zodiac

16: The Unfit Heir

Once Shu Yue and the fox demi-human disappeared into the bamboo bushes, Liwei emerged from his hiding place, right behind Lu Baiyu. He watched the old man in silence for a long minute. Then his eyes shifted to the lifeless body of the disciple.

He had just arrived a few minutes ago, so he hadn't seen everything. The young disciple was already dead and Lu Baiyu was confronting Shu Yue. But from what Liwei could deduce from the scene, the fox demi-human was the one who engaged in physical combat, while Shu Yue simply stood by and spectated, like what she always did at the sparring ground.

It actually surprised him too when he found out that the fox was stronger than a demi-human was typically expected to be--even stronger than the master he served.

Liwei couldn't help himself but dwell on that new-found information. That fox was a rare existence. As far as Liwei knew, demi-humans were forbidden to cultivate and learn martial arts and magic alike. They were once strong creatures, even stronger than humans. But after the reign of the First Emperor, they were reduced to a slave--weak, defenseless creatures who were treated more poorly than animals. That was to prevent them from overpowering humans and ruling over mankind as they had once before.

But how could the fox-human outclass its master? He was SS-rank, while Shu Yue was only B-rank. The demi-human was three levels above his human master.

That's absurd.

There could only be one explanation. That half-beast had been learning martial arts way long before he became her servant. That fox was hiding a secret of his own.

Where have you come from, bastard?

But Liwei wasn't really bothered by it. What bothered him was how the half-beast behaved around Shu Yue. He was more troublesome than he thought.

It seems like that fox will be a pain in the ass. Should I get rid of him?

Liwei shoved the thought to the back of his mind. He couldn't do that. That would only mess things up. The demi-human seemed to be very important to her. If Liwei killed him, he'd only give her more reason to despise him. That would simply derail his plans. He might have been playing her, but everything he'd done so far had been to help her.

Because of me, she obtained such a valuable item with just one thrust of her sword. I even helped her uncover the old man's schemes. She should be grateful to me.

His eyes glittered with mischief.

Bringing his attention back to the scene before him, Liwei clasped his hands behind his back.

"I told you not to make things difficult for her."

At the sound of his voice, Lu Baiyu abruptly turned around, shock and horror taking over his features. As soon as his gaze met Liwei's, his eyes grew wider. He took a step backward, only to trip over the corpse's foot and fall down.

"Now look at you," Liwei went on, his silver eyes boring into his. "Beaten by a young woman. Lost his secret manual. A dead disciple by his side. What will you do now that you lost your hope to ascend?"

"It's all your fault..." Lu Baiyu seethed, his eyes now flashing with anger. "I haven't done anything to you, but you came out of nowhere and ruined everything!"

Liwei acted as if he hadn't spoken. "I know you know it too. Should the new master you're serving find out, you are doomed. Neither the Scorpio nor the Ophiuchus would want you. But unless you negotiate with her, there will be hope for you. So if I were you, I'd be good to her."

Lu Baiyu frowned at his words, but Liwei only greeted his confusion with a sly grin.

"And about that mess," Liwei said, looking at the corpse of the disciple. "I'll take care of it for you."