Chapter 50: Locating the Snow Maiden

Sensing the footsteps of the Invisible Ghost drawing ever closer, Qin Xiaochuan’s eyes happened upon a corridor corner not far away. Suddenly inspired, he signaled to Zhang Yang and dashed toward the corner. Hearing Qin Xiaochuan's call, Zhang Yang quickly followed, uncertain what new scheme Xiaochuan might have, but trusting him to handle this crisis rather than face an invisible foe alone.

Realizing his targets were fleeing, the Invisible Ghost gave chase without hesitation. He seemed supremely confident in his own invisibility, certain these two boys could pose no threat. But as he rounded the corner to pursue them, countless radiant fists materialized before him, sealing off the entire corridor so tightly that not even a fly could pass. In an instant, the Invisible Ghost was slammed against the opposite wall by Qin Xiaochuan’s Glimmering Wave Fist, battered far worse than the Enchanting Phantom had been, spewing bits of its own remains from its mouth—clearly, it would not last long.

“Wh-Why…” The Invisible Ghost, pinned to the wall and unwilling to accept defeat, managed to ask. He could not understand how, after hiding himself so well, these boys had managed to locate him; dying without knowing the truth left him bitter and unfulfilled.

Seeing the pitiful state of their foe, Zhang Yang stepped forward. “That cloak of yours can’t hide the demon energy in your body. Once we locked on to the location of your demonic aura, we knew exactly where you were. Then Xiaochuan could instantly seal off your position. Surprised? Xiaochuan is the true heir of the Glimmering Wave Fist.”

“That’s right,” Qin Xiaochuan added. “As soon as Zhang Yang told me where you were, my Glimmering Wave Fist could trap you. You had nowhere to run. So, do you understand now?”

“Damn… it…” With those final words, the Invisible Ghost fell silent, apparently killed by their combined tactics. With his invisibility, he had assassinated countless people; many experts had died at his hands without ever knowing how. Yet in the end, his secret art was broken by two teenagers, and he perished at their hands—he could not reconcile himself to such a fate.

On the screen, as Qin Xiaochuan and Zhang Yang struck a triumphant pose, Sikong Lang took off his jacket. “Heh… Looks like it’s finally my turn. It’s been a long time since I felt this kind of excitement. Those two really are impressive…”

The Violent Ghost, who hadn’t even had time to introduce himself, fared even worse than the others, being chopped into eighteen pieces by Zhang Yang’s spiritual sword. Aside from his intimidating size, it seemed his demonic power and martial skills were just for show; he was nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter.

Watching Qin Xiaochuan and Zhang Yang flash the victory sign on the screen once again, Li Gang’s cigar-wielding fingers trembled. Six billion dollars! That was half his business’s annual profit. Including the previous loss of one billion dollars, he was now down seven billion. Though he could afford the loss, losing so much in a single night was unbearable.

Since joining the BBC, he had never suffered such a crushing defeat. This Yujing fellow was truly unnerving, daring to place such heavy bets on these two intruders. Could it be that Yujing had sent them himself? But even if the intruders were Yujing’s men, it didn’t matter—with the Sikong brothers holding the fort, he felt reassured. He remembered seeing Sikong Lang kill a Qilin Lion with his bare hands; his anxiety eased.

“These two brats are really something,” Mr. T remarked, now deeply intrigued. He had lost nearly a billion dollars on these two that evening, but money was nothing to him. What truly piqued his interest was how these humans had so thoroughly defeated the dark bodyguards—he had never seen humans of such prowess.

“Yes, who would have thought they’d defeat the Dark Trio? Impressive, truly impressive!”

“Once again, I’m the sole winner tonight—seven billion in total. Perhaps it’s best to stop here…”

“Wait, Mr. Yujing, you can’t just leave when you’re ahead. The rest of us are still losing, right, everyone?”

“That’s right, Mr. Yujing. Only one winner tonight—let’s keep going. We can’t let you walk away with all the winnings.”

“I agree. This time, I’ll match Mr. Yujing’s bet…”

“So will I. You’re not quitting already, are you, President Li?”

Hearing the BBC crowd, Li Gang broke out in a cold sweat. Their words had struck a deep chord of fear within him. But recalling Sikong Lang’s prowess, he wiped his brow and stood up, his voice slightly hoarse as he declared, “It’s just a bet—what’s there to fear? This next round will be the final wager: our Sikong brother against the intruders. Mr. Yujing, which side will you bet on?” As he looked at Yujing’s avatar on the screen, Li Gang silently gloated: Go ahead, bet on the intruders again. I’ve seen Sikong Lang's strength with my own eyes—even if you’ve won seven billion so far, I’ll win it all back in this round, and you’ll have to accept defeat with no complaints. Frightened yet, Mr. Yujing? Well, what’s your answer?

Yujing, unfazed by the provocation, exhaled a plume of smoke and replied calmly, “Thirty billion dollars. I’m betting on the intruders to win.”

“Wha—?!” The number shocked Li Gang so much that he leapt from the sofa. “Thirty billion dollars?! That’s as much as the entire annual GDP of Japan! Are you insane, Mr. Yujing, betting that much on the intruders? This is—”

“President Li, you’re not saying you can’t cover that, are you? If you count all your assets, it should be doable.”

“That’s right, President Li, you can’t back out now…”

“The initiator of the game must play until the end. That’s the BBC’s rule, President Li—you know that, don’t you?”

“Yes, President Li…”

Li Gang, still sweating despite having just wiped his face, was reeling. Thirty billion—if he lost, that would be ninety billion altogether. His trade in Tears of Crystal had brought him vast wealth over the years, but ninety billion was the total sum of all his global investments. Should he lose, he’d be ruined. No—there was still the Snow Maiden. With her, he could always make more Tears of Crystal and rise again. Reassured, he raised a fist to the BBC on the screen. “Fine, I’ll bet. Brother Sikong, I’m counting on you!”

“At last, it’s our turn,” came the response.

“Stone, go bring the Snow Maiden,” Li Gang ordered his trusted aide quietly. “Put a talisman on her and bring her here.”

“Understood, President Li. I’ll see to it right away.”

Meanwhile, in the villa’s corridor, Qin Xiaochuan and Zhang Yang were racing to find the room where the Snow Maiden was held. Suddenly, Zhang Yang skidded to a halt, forcing Qin Xiaochuan, who had overshot, to run back. Sensing something, Zhang Yang said, “Hey, why’d you stop running?”

“There’s demonic energy—a very faint one, without any evil aura. It must be the Snow Maiden. Wait, I can try using spiritual power to reach out to her. But how do I communicate? What was her name again?”

“Her name is Feixue, you idiot!”

“How do you know her name, Xiaochuan?”

“Because you ran out before the videotape finished!”

Now that he knew her name, Zhang Yang focused, placed his fingers on his forehead, and reached out with his spiritual energy: [Miss Feixue, Miss Feixue, this is Zhang Yang. Can you hear me? Please, respond if you can.]

[Who are you?]

[Wonderful, you can hear me! My name is Zhang Yang, and I’ve come to rescue you.]

[No need—please, just escape. There are two very powerful demons here, and I’m with them right now.]

[Perhaps you don’t know how strong I am. On the way here, my classmate Qin Xiaochuan and I have already eliminated all the dark bodyguards. If you just tell me your location, I’ll find you and get you out.]

[But... But they truly are strong, and I don’t even know where I am. I’ve never been in this place before…]

[That’s fine—just keep releasing your demonic energy. I’ll be able to sense your position. Hold on, I’m coming to save you.]

[…………]

“Xiaochuan, come with me. I’ve found the Snow Maiden’s location.”

“Alright.”

Guided by the Snow Maiden’s aura, Zhang Yang led Qin Xiaochuan to an iron door. Pushing it open, they entered a vast, circular arena. Through the glass in the arena walls, they saw Li Gang—and behind him, the very Snow Maiden they sought, guarded by two of his men.

Seeing her at last, both boys felt relieved. Now all that remained was to defeat these meddlesome foes. Qin Xiaochuan hurried toward a small door across the arena, thinking perhaps it led to a stairway upstairs. Suddenly, the door swung open, and in strode Sikong Lang, his brother perched on his shoulder. It seemed the final battle would be against them. Once these two were defeated, Li Gang would have no more cards left to play; as for the human bodyguards, Qin Xiaochuan gave them no thought whatsoever.