THE HUNTER OF DARKNESS

Accusation

The three spies were startled and instinctively stepped back. They hadn’t expected to be discovered so quickly.

"Why do you look so surprised? Who ordered you to spy on me?" Wang Yihan asked.

The three spies remained silent, exchanging anxious glances. They didn’t know what to do to avoid trouble—or worse, death. Fighting was clearly futile, considering the man before them was a former Supreme Commander whose strength far exceeded all three of them combined.

"As spies of the palace, you’re all too foolish and reckless! Have you forgotten who you’re spying on? I’m the one who taught you all the skills you now possess—and now you're using them against me?"

They swallowed hard. That was all they could do. Their knees trembled violently with overwhelming fear.

"We were only carrying out orders from Commander Cai Rui, Sir," one of the spies finally dared to speak.

"On what grounds!?" Wang Yihan snapped.

"His Majesty suspects that you’ve betrayed us and informed the Shang Dynasty’s Emperor Li Wei about the Ying Dynasty’s plan to attack."

"You bastard, Zhu Feng!" Wang Yihan cursed furiously. Not once had it crossed his mind that he would be suspected of treason. As if all his contributions to the Ying Dynasty meant nothing at all.

"I know you three are merely subordinates who must follow orders. But surely you also understand the worst consequence of being one?" Wang Yihan’s piercing gaze stripped away what little courage the spies had left.

He drew the machete he had brought for chopping wood and pointed it at them. "You must die here," he said coldly.

The three spies shuddered in fear. But if they didn’t want to die in vain, they had no choice but to fight back. They drew the swords hanging at their waists.

A battle was inevitable.

Never in Wang Yihan’s imagination had he thought he would one day kill soldiers of the Ying Dynasty. But today, he had to do it, because what they had done had truly wounded his heart.

Though already sixty years old, Wang Yihan’s movements had not slowed. In fact, his age had only sharpened his experience. He had led dozens of battles as a general; facing three spies posed no real threat to him.

His exceptional martial arts skills made the difference. Without breaking a sweat, Wang Yihan killed all three spies. He left their corpses sprawled across the ground, hoping wild beasts in the forest would take care of them.

Suddenly, Wang Yihan thought of his wife and child. He sprinted back toward his home, anxiety flooding his mind. What if his decision to leave the palace and abandon his post had brought danger to his family?

When he arrived home, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. His ragged breath raised concern in his wife's heart.

“Husband, why are you back so soon? Where’s the firewood?”

Not wanting to frighten her, Wang Yihan lied, saying he simply missed his wife and child.

Meanwhile, perched high in a nearby tree, two other spies were puzzled as they watched Wang Yihan return alone.

After waiting a long while and seeing no sign of their three comrades returning, the two spies decided to search for them.

They had no inkling that their comrades were already dead. Eventually, shock spread across their faces when they found the lifeless bodies lying stiff on the ground.

“It looks like they were discovered and killed by Master Wang Yihan. We must report this to Commander Cai Rui,” one of them said.

“You’re right. We need to return to the palace immediately,” his companion replied.

---

Meanwhile, at the palace of the Shang Dynasty, Fang An continued to train in the second technique found in the Flame Whip Manual. The young man with reddish hair practiced day and night without rest.

He could feel the immense difference while learning the second technique after mastering the first. This new move required much more time to master due to its complex motions, high speed, precision, and significant use of internal energy.

Without realizing it, a month had passed. Fang An was on the verge of mastering the second technique—one step closer to mastering all the forms in the Flame Whip Manual.

During his final training for the second move, Core Whip of Infernal Flame, serious damage occurred at the training site.

Several wooden buildings caught fire from the heat of Fang An’s energy. The grass covering the open ground was scorched and burst into flames.

Princess Xian Lie, who had just arrived to watch him train, screamed loudly for the soldiers to extinguish the spreading fire.

From a distance, the beautiful princess scanned the flames and smoke, trying to spot Fang An amid the blaze. But the thick smoke made it difficult to see anything clearly. All she could do was wait for the soldiers to control the fire, which was dangerously close to the main palace.

Through the thick haze, Fang An finally emerged, walking out after finishing his meditation. He hadn’t realized how much destruction his training had caused.

Princess Xian Lie ran forward to greet him, but stopped abruptly. The heat radiating from Fang An’s body was still intense.

Realizing this, Fang An concentrated to lower his body temperature. He was confused—he hadn’t felt the heat himself, so why could others feel it?

---

The next morning, Fang An requested permission from Emperor Li Wei and Princess Xian Lie to leave for a while. He needed to find a place far from settlements and forests to avoid damaging his surroundings during training.

After some thought, Emperor Li Wei suggested a location: a barren, rocky hill far from civilization.

Fang An agreed. Accompanied by two soldiers, he rode swiftly toward the place the Emperor had recommended.

The journey took longer than Fang An had imagined—five full days. Fortunately, he had an excellent memory, so he wasn't worried about finding his way back to the Shang Dynasty’s palace.

After delivering Fang An to the location, the two soldiers returned to the palace.

Wasting no time, Fang An opened the Flame Whip Manual and began memorizing the third technique he needed to master.

Time flew by quickly. Almost a full month passed as he trained alone in the desolate, lifeless place. Fang An practiced tirelessly to complete the final form of the Flame Whip Sword Technique, a form far more complex than the two that preceded it.

One afternoon, his training was interrupted by the sound of a woman’s scream, followed by the unmistakable clash of metal.

Fang An immediately stopped his training and dashed toward the source of the noise, which came from the foot of the hill where he had been practicing.