Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown

"That warrior escaped and became a wanted man in the Devil Kingdom, didn't he?" At Henry's words, Zachary glanced over at him with his eyebrows furrowed. The warrior in question had to be Logan. He knew Logan hated the Xiao Clan with a passion. His relationship with the clan was not a simple one. Zachary knew that Logan had been framed by the Xiao Clan and that the way the Xiao Clan told the story was not how it happened.

"How did you know that?" Henry was surprised. He'd been taking a leap with that statement.

"Simple guess; that is all." Zachary chuckled softly, the corner of his lips curling into a smile.

"If I didn't bring it up, I would have no idea what happened with the Xiao Clan. I may have been here a long time, but I've never heard anything of it," Henry exclaimed.

"Keep this to yourself," Zachary said with a hard stare. "Don't tell anyone else, Henry. You have to make sure to keep the old servant's mouth shut."

"Don't worry." Henry waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "He resigned and left to return to his hometown several days ago. He claimed he was getting too old."

"Good." Zachary nodded and looked to the sky, finding that it was nearly dusk. He decided it was time to leave the courtyard.

The Xiao Clan Castle was quiet and brilliantly illuminated against the night sky. It wasn't hard to see the silhouettes of the guards patrolling.

No one noticed the figure stealthily flying over the eaves and elegantly landing in a courtyard of the castle. He glanced around to be sure no one had noticed him before jumping onto the roof of the west wing. Making sure he was over the correct room, he squatted down and lifted a roof tile to peer into the room below.

Vivian sat upon her bed with her legs crossed. The martial energy drifting around her body was moving at an astonishing speed. She possessed quadruple martial speed. Suddenly, the energy stilled and dispersed. She peeled her eyes open, casting a dull look around her room.

The figure hidden on the roof tapped the tile to get her attention. Vivian glanced up to the ceiling, squinting her eyes as a note fluttered down and into her lap.

She snatched the note up and pulled it open. Her beautiful face morphed, and without hesitation, she rushed out of the room. She climbed as fast as she could to the roof, only to find that the intruder had gone. Her eyes hardened and her jaw set. There was only a moment of hesitation bef

you're not just taking me for a fool?" asked Vivian, suspicion heavy in her tone.

"You have every right to be suspicious, but I'll prove that I can help you. Attack me with all your strength, and I will leave if you can cut off the hem of my robe. If you fail, however, you will let me help you. And remember, this is just between you and me, no one else," Zachary suggested.

Vivian stood shifting from foot to foot, the hesitancy easy to see in her eyes. After a moment she nodded. "Fine. I will test for myself why you are so confident. I may be slightly disabled, but I can still defeat you quickly if I go all out."

"Let's begin," said Zachary, waving her forward.

She waved her arm in an arc and a silver sword materialized in her hand. She noticed that Zachary did not turn around, and she couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you turn around and face me?"

"I don't need to," Zachary said arrogantly.

"Such big talk," Vivian muttered, her eyes narrowing as she raised her sword. When she turned around, eight sword shadows appeared.

"Chaotic Sword Strike!"

The sword shadows burst forward in quick succession, forming a silver water snake that slithered through the air. The snake closed in on Zachary quickly, and then began to crisscross, making a sharp whistling sound. The roiling snake monster was both sinister and deadly.

When the eight sword shadows were practically on top of Zachary, he waved his hand and a wave of energy radiance sparked and rippled away from him in waves. Under the influence of the radiance, the swords stabbed aimlessly before exploding into brilliant, white light.