Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 134: Chapter 109: Secret Deal, Qi Refiners

"Prepared? What am I supposed to prepare for?"

Wan Ze sneered. "You won’t say a thing, yet you expect me to just jump into this mess with you? Have you forgotten you still owe me an answer? Let’s settle that debt first! Whether or not I get involved is my decision, not yours!"

The woman faltered. "I owe you? An answer?"

"Play dumb. Go on." Seeing her blank expression, a flash of anger surged through Wan Ze, and he simply stood up. "Suit yourself."

"Wait! Hey, handsome, wait—"

The word "handsome" was blurted out, as if forced through clenched teeth, tinged with exasperation.

But in reality, it was a forced concession.

Wan Ze stopped at the door. He didn’t turn around, but his voice was icy. "From the very beginning, I only got involved because I saw Miss Ling was in trouble and escorted her back to Lingyun Manor. And what happened then? I have no idea who those people were, yet I ended up cleaning up your mess for you... Do you really think I couldn’t have just walked away back then? I did it for Miss Ling’s sake, not yours! So, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?"

The woman knew she was in the wrong.

She leaned back in her chair, stared at the ceiling, and let out a long, frustrated sigh. "...You think I don’t want to tell you? I’m just... afraid that if I do... I won’t be able to protect you."

Wan Ze glanced back, one eyebrow raised in a sneer. "What’s that supposed to mean? Are your enemies even tougher than the Secret Palace?"

The woman was silent for two seconds.

Then she said gravely, "Ten times stronger... maybe even a hundred."

Upon hearing that, Wan Ze didn’t say another word. He just reached for the door.

’He couldn’t even afford to mess with the Secret Palace. Ten times stronger? A hundred? He didn’t care who they were. He was out.’

The woman was dumbfounded.

She had expected him to press for details, to question her, to maybe even sneer in disbelief.

But she never imagined he would just turn around and leave, as decisively as a shopper ditching a stall after realizing the price wasn’t right.

’Is he really a high school student?’

’He’s so difficult!’

"Wait!" She lunged forward, grabbing his sleeve while her other hand slammed the door shut.

"What are you doing?" Wan Ze snapped.

"...What do you think I’m doing?" she choked out, uncharacteristically stumbling over her words. "You’re... you’re really leaving?"

"What else?" Wan Ze said coldly.

"Don’t you want to know who they are?" the woman countered.

"No. Are you done? If so, move. I’m through with this," Wan Ze said flatly.

The woman opened her mouth to speak, but her expression shifted several times.

She was hesitating.

To tell him would be to drag him into the fire.

But if she didn’t, he would really just walk away, and they would go their separate ways for good.

In her current state, barely hanging on, she truly needed help.

’But was Wan Ze up to the task?’

’His Low Tier combat strength was certainly sufficient.’

’But the conspiracy behind this was a meat grinder deep enough to chew up masters of the Blood Tempering Realm. The thought alone made her own heart pound with fear.’

"...Just wait a moment. Let me sort out my thoughts, okay? I promise I’ll give you an answer today!"

She took a deep breath, her tone softening.

Gone was the high-and-mighty attitude from her earlier "Are you prepared?"

"I... I really wasn’t trying to mess with you."

She looked up at him, her gaze for once free of scrutiny. An internal battle seemed to wage within her before she spoke with rare sincerity. "She considers you a friend. I don’t want to hurt her, so naturally, I won’t harm you either... I might be a bit ruthless, but I would never hurt one of my own."

Wan Ze said nothing. He just lowered his gaze to the hand clutching his sleeve and gave her a pointed, cold look.

The woman sheepishly let go, switching to a light tug on the corner of his jacket. Her voice became incredibly gentle, as if coaxing a bristling cat. "Sit down first. I’ll explain everything slowly. I won’t force you. After you’ve heard me out, you can decide for yourself whether you want in."

Wan Ze considered this for a moment. The terms seemed fair enough, so he sat back down, crossed his arms, and assumed a "you talk, I’ll listen" posture.

After a moment of silence, the woman began. "Let’s start with Qi Refiners."

Wan Ze’s brows twitched.

"Qi Refiners aren’t legends or myths. They are a real group of people who actually exist." She spoke each word deliberately, lowering her voice as if worried the walls had ears. "I can stake my life on it. Even today, Qi Refiners still exist."

Wan Ze’s expression faltered. "...Are you sure you’re not lying to me?"

The woman gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Now that I’m trying to be completely honest, why would I lie?"

In that instant, a flood of thoughts rushed through Wan Ze’s mind.

The Imperial Mausoleum, the Secret Palace Class A operatives, his master’s cryptic words, and Zhai Jia’s comment that "they even sent out Refining Force users"...

If Qi Refiners were real, then everything could be explained in a different light.

"Do you have proof?"

"Tao Ze, and the old man... Xiaoling’s grandfather... they were both killed by that group."

"Why were they killed?"

"Because they discovered the existence of that world."

"And just discovering it is a death sentence?"

"Yes. As for why, I don’t know for sure... My best guess is that anyone who pries into their world must die, whether it was intentional or not."

She leaned back, her gaze growing distant as if lost in memory. "The secret hidden in the Mountain Ghost Painting is related to the Qi Refiners. The people who tried to steal the painting in the basement are from an organization called the Tail Society. It’s perfectly normal that you’ve never heard of them... because they don’t operate in the open. They do only one thing: erase all traces left behind by Qi Refiners. In fact, most of their own members probably don’t even know what they’re erasing. Only a select few on the inside know the truth."

Wan Ze frowned. "Then how do you know all this?"

The woman was silent for a long time.

So long, in fact, that Wan Ze thought she wouldn’t answer. Then, she spoke softly. "Because... I was once on the verge of becoming a Qi Refiner myself."

Wan Ze froze.

He stared at her, searching her face for any sign that she was joking.

But...

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