Chapter 82: The Traitor Within

"Yang Fan, this is the first time the two of us are working together. Not bad, not bad~"

With a single sentence, Yang Fan's smile froze on his face. He looked gloomily at the smiling face before him, finding it more irritating the longer he stared.

"Alright, alright, enough fooling around. Let's hurry up and clean this place up!"

Qian Shuang was at a loss for words, faced with Bai Feiyu and Yang Fan, unsure how to mediate between them.

But Qian Shuang understood one thing well: no matter what, Bai Feiyu and Yang Fan would never actually fight.

It wasn't confidence in their relationship, but rather that Bai Feiyu always had a way to render Yang Fan speechless...

However, what happened next took Qian Shuang by surprise.

This time, Bai Feiyu didn't deliberately push the cleanup onto Yang Fan. Instead, he hurried to take care of the corpses himself.

"I'll do it, I'll do it! Nobody fight me for it. You've all just finished a battle. Go rest."

Qian Shuang, Yang Fan, and Shi Yuan were caught off guard by Bai Feiyu's sudden change of attitude.

It didn't make sense. With Bai Feiyu’s personality, shouldn't he try to make Yang Fan do his share of the work as well?

Why was he suddenly so eager? Had he grown a conscience?

Soon, Qian Shuang and the others discovered the real reason and were left speechless.

Bai Feiyu, after crouching down, didn’t immediately begin handling the bodies. Instead, he first took the storage pouches from them...

He searched each one methodically, not even sparing the likes of the inn's waiter...

The group was utterly speechless, feeling for the first time just how stingy Bai Feiyu was.

Of course, the loot would still be divided fairly. Bai Feiyu might claim the lion's share, but everyone else had contributed, so they deserved a portion—except Qian Shuang, who was different; the rest were just ordinary disciples.

Most importantly, the innkeeper had been entrenched here for years and likely amassed a considerable fortune. Over the years, so many had fallen victim here, and in this world, people tended to keep all their valuables in their storage pouches. The sum amounted to a substantial treasure.

This was why robbery was one of the fastest ways to make money.

After dividing the contents of the storage pouches, Bai Feiyu quickly passed the task of dealing with the bodies to the others.

He then wandered through the rest of the inn, hoping to find more valuables.

But after searching everywhere, Bai Feiyu finally gave up. The innkeeper and his cronies had indeed carried everything with them, leaving nothing behind.

"Alright, everyone can sleep easy now," Bai Feiyu said with a sigh. "This time, we've eliminated a great menace. Travelers passing through here in the future shouldn't encounter any more mishaps."

"Ha. I fear you really won't sleep so soundly," came a cold, indifferent voice.

Startled, Bai Feiyu and the others looked around.

Suddenly, Bai Feiyu noticed Shi Yuan watching them with a sneer.

"Shi Yuan?"

A traitor among their own ranks—something none of them had anticipated. And not just any traitor, but Shi Yuan, with whom they’d shared countless dangers and forged close bonds.

This sudden turn stunned Bai Feiyu and his companions.

Swish, swish, swish—

Seven masked figures in black entered from outside, each wearing a cold smirk as they eyed Bai Feiyu and the others.

"Shi Yuan, what's the meaning of this? We have no grievances between us, do we?" Bai Feiyu’s expression turned icy as he stared at Shi Yuan, demanding an answer.

To be betrayed by one of their own without reason—anyone would feel anger rising within.

Moreover, Shi Yuan had been so talkative along the way, befriending everyone. Most importantly, he wasn’t the sort to ingratiate himself; his sociability was genuine.

And now, this person had abruptly turned into their enemy.

It was almost unbearable, especially since Shi Yuan had never shown the slightest sign of betrayal, maintaining his disguise flawlessly.

"Shi Yuan, why would you do this? Why betray us?"

Seeing Shi Yuan's demeanor, Qian Shuang immediately confronted him, tears streaming down her face.

Though the daughter of the sect leader, accustomed to the harsh realities of the world, experiencing such a betrayal firsthand was still hard to accept. After all, she and Shi Yuan had joked and laughed together along the journey; no one wanted him to turn out this way.

"Heh, let me tell you the truth. My real identity is as a disciple of the Dark Gate."

"My presence in the Guixu Sect was merely a cover. In reality, I am one of the most outstanding disciples of the Dark Gate."

"Before I set out, someone paid a hefty price to the Dark Gate seeking Bai Feiyu's death."

"Our members only obey orders. So, my apologies!"

Shi Yuan’s aura turned chilling, utterly transformed from the person he had been. Just from his demeanor alone, it was difficult to associate him with the Shi Yuan of moments before; he seemed like a completely different man.

Seeing this, Bai Feiyu and the others finally understood—Shi Yuan had been pretending all along, never intending to be their friend.

"In that case, you were acting the whole way, deceiving us. Well, sorry—"

"Today, I won't let you have your way!"

Bai Feiyu spoke coldly, glancing at the black-clad figures as he drew his Warrior Spear, preparing for battle.

"Hmph. Bai Feiyu, do you really think you can defy fate?"

"Let me tell you: to kill you, the Dark Gate has dispatched seven experts of the Shackles Realm, plus myself—eight in total."

"Eight people. No matter how skilled you are, do you think you can escape under our noses?"

"Qian Shuang and Yang Fan cannot protect you. As far as I know, Yang Fan only broke through to the Shackles Realm half a year ago. Half a year—do you think he compares to these seasoned Shackles experts?"

"My advice: don’t resist. It will only end badly. Accept your fate, and at least it’ll be less painful."

"Otherwise…"

Shi Yuan began, but before he could finish, Bai Feiyu sneered and interrupted:

"You really think that together, you can defeat me?"

"Let me tell you—everyone who has uttered such words to me is dead, and you will be no exception."

"When I truly grow stronger, I will wipe out the Dark Gate—leave none alive. Let there never again be such an assassin’s organization in this world!"

...