Chapter 21: Betrayal Among Brothers

“Zhang Lei.” Xu Qinghuan spoke coldly. My expression froze instantly: “Impossible. Zhang Lei is my closest brother. He has no reason to do something like that to Elder Xiaoxiang.”

Restless and agitated, I paced back and forth through the woods, unable to make sense of it all.

“How do you know it was him?” At this moment, my mind was truly in turmoil. Why would my girlfriend in the twenty-first century abandon me, and now even my brother from another world betray me? Was my character truly so flawed?

Xu Qinghuan sighed softly and slowly opened her palm, revealing a small slip of paper.

— Midnight tonight, rendezvous at Frozen Gorge.

“What’s this...?”

Xu Qinghuan put away the note and said, “I saw a man in black slip this to Zhang Lei. It fell from his sleeve by accident. Since they plan to act at midnight, we’ll lie in wait for them.”

I nodded and asked no more, for I trusted Xu Qinghuan would never deceive me. Even if the whole world turned against me, I believed she wouldn’t. Because I trusted her, I pulled Xu Qinghuan into my arms, breathing in her fragrance. We stood quietly together for a long time, until I sensed someone approaching behind us.

“Brother Yunfei, Qinghuan, dinner’s ready,” Zhang Lei called.

Hearing his familiar voice stirred a hundred emotions in my heart. Could we ever return to how things once were? I nodded, took Xu Qinghuan’s hand, and walked slowly over.

“Don’t be too upset. We still need to eat, even while we search,” Zhang Lei said. I nodded and replied, “Let’s hope nothing happens to Elder Xiaoxiang. If anything does, I’ll find the mastermind and tear him apart!”

I deliberately emphasized the last sentence. From the corner of my eye, I caught Zhang Lei’s body trembling ever so slightly, which only confirmed Xu Qinghuan’s words. We sat around the table in silence. I quickly ate a few mouthfuls and went outside. I wanted a cigarette badly. When one’s heart is troubled, drinking or smoking seems the best remedy.

Since we had to act tonight and it wasn’t convenient to bring Xu Qinghuan, I summoned Yu Jing and walked with him to the grove. After confirming no one followed us, I explained everything, bit by bit. At first, Yu Jing didn’t believe me, so I showed him the note. After reading it, his reaction was much like mine. He held back a sigh. Now, he was the only brother I could truly trust. We agreed to meet at Frozen Gorge ahead of midnight, then hurried back to our rooms to rest and prepare. Tonight, there might be a fierce battle. Lying in bed, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I wondered if Yu Jing was also awake, for betrayal by a brother is hard for anyone to accept. Since I couldn’t sleep, I decided to do something useful. I took out the Heavenly Demon Manual from my ring and began to read.

Heavenly Demon Manual—the origin of martial arts from the heavens and the demon realm, the supreme technique of the three realms. There was a line of small characters at the end.

Demon God Sun Wukong

What? Could it be that this book was written by Sun Wukong? But that can’t be right! In the twenty-first century, I never heard of Sun Wukong writing any books. Could he really be the Demon God? Wasn’t he the monkey born from a stone? Oh, well, it doesn’t matter who wrote it, so long as it makes me stronger. I began to study it carefully.

Half an hour passed, then an hour, then two. Finally, I closed the Heavenly Demon Manual.

It turned out the first stage wasn’t soul refinement, but pure combat techniques! Excellent—those fighting skills I learned in the army were nothing compared to these. Such sophistication! I’d already memorized all thirty-six moves of the first stage. I rolled off the bed and began to practice in my room. Each move was deadly, with boundless power and strange variations that left no openings.

No wonder Sun Wukong could roam the three realms, nearly invincible. After finishing all thirty-six moves, the room was in utter chaos—tables, chairs, bookshelves, even the bed were shattered and broken. I wiped sweat from my brow and put away the manual. What a marvelous book! I wondered why Elder Xiaoxiang didn’t keep it for himself. Even if he didn’t use it, a bit of cultivation would have helped him avoid defeat and capture. Now it was up to me to rescue him. Thinking of Elder Xiaoxiang, I suddenly realized—damn, midnight must be near. I hurried to Frozen Gorge.

I jogged to Yu Jing’s door and knocked twice, but there was no answer. He must have gone ahead. I sped out of the courtyard, feeling my body lighter after practicing the Demon God technique—my speed had more than doubled. The Heavenly Demon Manual was indeed extraordinary. With that thought, I quickened my pace, watching the trees fly past. In the distance, I saw a figure in white running ahead—it was Yu Jing. Before, I could never have caught up to him, but now I was at his side in a few strides. Yu Jing was clearly surprised by my arrival.

“Brother Yunfei, your power has increased so much? I couldn’t sense you at all,” he exclaimed, astonished.

I grinned and didn’t answer. “Let’s see if you can keep up,” I said, and shot past him. Yu Jing gave chase, unwilling to lose.

Suddenly, I sensed someone ahead and stopped abruptly. Yu Jing halted too, a bit less gracefully—he almost stumbled, but I caught him just in time.

“What’s wrong, Brother Yunfei?” Yu Jing asked. I didn’t reply, only signaled for silence. We crouched in the tall grass, hiding. For some reason, my eyesight had improved dramatically—it was pitch dark, yet I saw as clearly as in daylight. In the distance, three men slowly approached. One in the middle was being held up by the others—who else could it be but Xiaoxiangzi?

“Don’t make a sound, they’re coming,” I whispered to Yu Jing.

“Where? I don’t see anything.” Yu Jing parted the grass and peered into the distance, but clearly saw nothing.

“Brother Yunfei, your eyesight has improved that much?” Yu Jing asked, puzzled.

I was about to answer when another figure appeared to the side—it was Zhang Lei. The thing I dreaded had come to pass. I quickly covered Yu