DEVIL'S SWORD

The Plan of Theft

"Look at what he's carrying, Fang Yun!" One of Fang Yun's friends exclaimed loudly.

 "Lower your voice, Song Im! I already saw it, you don't need to tell me!" Fang Yun snapped, his voice low but firm.

 Song Im grimaced. His hope of receiving praise from Fang Yun turned into a reprimand instead.

 "What kind of scroll do you think that is?" Fang Yun muttered softly, but loud enough for his seven friends to hear.

 "How about we take that scroll tonight?" suggested another of Fang Yun's friends.

 "Do you already have a plan?" Fang Yun asked, still keeping his eyes on Ho Chen, who was walking further away.

 "Don't call me Zen Cheng if I don't have a plan. But we still need to refine it so that our actions go unnoticed by the master," replied Fang Yun's friend, Zen Cheng.

 "Alright. Let's discuss this in my room," said Fang Yun.

 As the son of Duke Fang An, Fang Yun received special privileges, as requested by his father to Li Hao. He had a private room, unlike the other disciples who had to share cramped spaces with each other.

 The seven young men, all around twenty years old, followed Fang Yun, who led the way in front.

 Like a noble, Fang Yun did not allow his seven friends to walk alongside him. He had to be at the front, with the seven of them trailing behind like bodyguards.

 Meanwhile, Ho Chen hurried to a small room he shared with thirty other disciples.

 He intended to hide the scroll given to him by Li Hao inside a small cabinet where he kept his clothes. However, sensing that the cabinet was not a safe place for such an important object, Ho Chen tucked the scroll back into his robe and walked out.

 A large wooden log, which he usually used as a chopping block for firewood, became his destination. He sat on it.

 "Where should I hide this scroll?" he pondered.

 Ho Chen thought for a long time but could not find a safe place to hide the scroll. He eventually stood up again.

 Without realizing it, he had walked beyond the sect's complex. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind—to bury the dried parchment scroll in the forest while also collecting firewood for supplies.

 Whistling to accompany his steps and avoid boredom, the young man made his way through the familiar forest.

 Every day, he ventured into the dense forest to gather dry twigs or fallen tree trunks for the fire.

 For a whole year, Ho Chen had explored the forest without ever cutting down a living tree. He had a special reason for this. Besides preserving nature’s balance, he also wanted to contribute to the forest’s conservation.

 After walking three hundred meters into the forest, Ho Chen stopped under a lone banyan tree—the only one in the entire forest.

 That massive banyan tree had long been his resting place while gathering firewood.

 Crouching down, Ho Chen used a wooden stick to dig into the soft soil. It didn’t need to be deep, just enough to conceal the dried parchment scroll he carried, he thought.

 Once the hole was deep enough, Ho Chen took out the scroll from his robe and looked at it for a moment. Just as before, when he first held it, the scroll remained neatly bound.

 Slowly, he placed the scroll inside the hole, unaware of its contents. He buried it and covered the spot with dry leaves so that no one would suspect anything. Then, he planted a small branch about a handspan long as a marker.

 Ho Chen looked around. The surroundings were silent. Only the gentle breeze could be heard whispering through the trees. The sun’s rays timidly peeked through the dense foliage.

 Had he not been used to entering the forest alone, Ho Chen would have been frightened. Despite it still being daytime, the thick and lush canopy made it seem like dusk.

 A long sigh escaped his lips in relief. The young man stood up, intending to collect firewood. That day, he needed to gather a large supply before heading to Mount Umpak Watu the next day.

 But after only ten steps, Fang Yun and his seven friends came running after him, forming a circle around him.

 "Who will save you now, weakling?" Fang Yun sneered, showing his cruel side. He had no specific reason to hate Ho Chen. Apart from being regarded as the weakest among the disciples of the Star Sword Sect, there was no other justification for his cruelty toward him.

 Ho Chen swallowed hard. He knew he was in the forest now, and Li Hao would no longer be able to protect him from Fang Yun and his friends' wrath.

 "I have never wronged you, Fang Yun… But why do you always try to hurt me?" Ho Chen attempted to defend himself.

 "Before, I had no particular reason. I was just frustrated that the master didn't expel a weakling like you!" Fang Yun scoffed, standing with his arms crossed, looking down on the young man of his age. "But now, I have a strong reason to punish you. You made us get scolded by the master!"

 Ho Chen frowned. As far as he knew, it was Fang Yun who had tripped him, leading to Li Hao’s reprimand.

 "Besides being sly, you're also a coward, Fang Yun! If you’re truly a man, fight me one-on-one!" he challenged. Ho Chen didn’t care about winning or losing. The only thought in his mind was to fight back. He was tired of always surrendering.

 Fang Yun burst into laughter at Ho Chen’s challenge, his face full of mockery and disdain.

 "You? Challenging me? Hahaha...!"

 His seven friends also roared with laughter. They couldn't contain their amusement at Ho Chen’s absurdity. Challenging Fang Yun was like asking for death. After all, Fang Yun wasn’t arrogant only because of his father’s status, but also because he was more skilled in martial arts than his peers.

 "Don’t dirty your hands, Fang Yun. Let me take care of him!" Song Im volunteered.

 "If it’s just you, it wouldn’t be fair to our friends, Song Im. Don’t they also want to test their skills?" Fang Yun replied.

 "So, you want us to beat him up?"

 Fang Yun nodded. "Beat him up and find the scroll the master gave him. I want to know what’s inside it."

 Ho Chen swallowed hard. This time, he felt like he might not survive. With no martial arts skills at all, he would surely become a mere punching bag for the seven brutes.

 "Get him!" Fang Yun ordered. His desire to see the weakling suffer was overwhelming.