"What are you doing here?" Lu Baiyu demanded.

"What do you mean, master?" Fa Xiang asked. He glanced between him and Shu Yue as he took hesitant steps toward them, his features bewildered. "What's going on in here? Don't we have training? Where are the others?" He paused, frowning at Lu Baiyu. "Is it true that Claw of the Eternal Beast is a Scorpio Clan's martial art?"

"Foolish! Didn't you read the letter?" Lu Baiyu growled, answering none of his disciple's questions.

"What are you talking about, master? What letter?"

Lu Baiyu's brows furrowed in confusion. His eyes darted over to Shu Yue, who looked at him innocently. A ghost of a smile was touching her lips.

Realization passed across Lu Baiyu's face just before it hardened into anger. "Scheming bastard," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Master," Fa Xiang said. "Did you really betray the clan?"

Lu Baiyu's jaw tightened as he looked at Fa Xiang. It was a long beat before he replied. "Yes."

Fa Xiang's face went pale, his eyes widened, then he looked down. He was silent for a moment before he lifted his head and stared at Lu Baiyu. There was a mixture of expressions on his face. Disappointment. Betrayal. Disbelief. When he spoke, his voice was barely audible, almost like a whisper.

"Why?"

"Let me ask you something, my dear disciple," Lu Baiyu said, regaining his composure. "Do you want to become stronger?"

"I-I do."

"Do you think you can become stronger if you're in a weak clan?"

When Fa Xiang didn't answer, Lu Baiyu continued. "I train you to become stronger so that you can catch up to the disciples of the twelve Zodiac Clans. With our clan's martial arts alone, do you think you can pass the trials and get into the military? If you're surrounded by stronger candidates, not a single official would even give you a second glance."

Fa Xiang lowered his head, letting the words sink in.

Shu Yue might detest Lu Baiyu for betraying the clan, but she had to agree with what he said. Ever since the fall of Ophiuchus, no disciples of the clan were successful in joining the army. They weren't strong enough to even survive during the trial. The majority of those who attempted the recruitment event ended up lying in their own blood. The once strongest clan became the weakest in the eyes of everyone.

"This is treason against the clan leader," Fa Xiang muttered. He gripped his sword tighter, his hands slightly trembling. "I don't want to get punished."

"You won't," Lu Baiyu assured him. "I can guarantee your safety. That's if you can keep quiet about this. But remember," he glanced at Shu Yue, and then back at Fa Xiang. "Now that you learned the Scorpio Clan's martial arts, I'm afraid they won't let you off the hook. You'll be accused of thievery by the Scorpio and treason by the Ophiuchus. But once you left Hou Xing Mountain and joined the Imperial Army, you'll be under the Scorpio's protection. The Ophiuchus clan leader can't lay a hand on you anymore."

Shu Yue stiffened, realization dawning. They had been trapped from the very beginning. It was a well-thought-out scheme. In this way, no one would dare to oppose for the fear of potential repercussions.

She kept her face expressionless as she looked at Lu Baiyu.

Threatening a disciple now? They must have offered him more than just a sword art manual.

"I only want what's best for you," Lu Baiyu cooed. "You want to become stronger, right? Think about this: not only will you enter the Imperial Army, but you'll also be part of the strongest clan. Have you realized how good that opportunity is? The Scorpio Clan possessed better and more powerful martial arts, so becoming one of them had great benefits. I'm sure you know who the Scorpio Clan is?"

Shu Yue clenched her jaw. Of course, she knew them. The Scorpio Clan, also known as the Emperor's Right Hand, was the most powerful of the Twelve Zodiac Clans, and their current leader was the commanding general of the Imperial Army. Furthermore, the Han clan, the ruling family of the Scorpio Clan, was the most favored by the Emperor.

They were once the Ophiuchus Clan's rival.

Prior to their demise, the Ophiuchus Clan was the most powerful, followed only by the Scorpio. They once had the largest and most powerful army in the Luo Empire, earning them the title of Emperor's Right Hand. On top of that, all of Ophiuchus's clan leaders, the Shu family masters, served as General and Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army for generations--until the previous leader's treason. Now they were replaced by their greatest rival, the Scorpio Clan or, to be more specific, the Han family.

"Look how willing they are to welcome us despite what our former clan leader did," Lu Baiyu said. "They didn't even hesitate to give us a copy of such a powerful sword art."

Shu Yue clenched her fists. She understood what Lu Baiyu was trying to say. Thirty-eight years ago, the Ophiuchus Clan's seventh-generation leader committed a heinous sin that led to the clan's downfall. That person was Shu Yue's grandfather, Shu Yuzhen. He assassinated the Scorpio Clan's sixth-generation leader. He was the reason the Ophiuchus Clan was expelled from the Zodiac.

However, the current clan leader believed that there was more to that tragedy. He believed that his father would not do something so careless as to ruin the clan's reputation.

"You want to become stronger, so you chose to betray the clan and join another?" Shu Yue sneered.

Lu Baiyu looked at her sharply. "If you're blinded by your loyalty to the clan, you won't understand. But I'm sure you're aware of Ophiuchus's current state. We lost the Emperor's favor long ago, and we don't have any useful techniques to even advance to a higher level. We were once at the top of the pyramid, but look at us now--reduced to a mere shadow of our former selves. As an elder, I despise seeing the talent and future of the younger generation ruined simply because of this clan's lack of resources!" His gaze shifted to Fa Xiang. "Am I right?"

Fa Xiang averted his gaze. "M-master's right."

A satisfied grin stretched Lu Baiyu's mouth. He was winning over Fa Xiang. But that was to be expected. Glancing back at Shu Yue, he said, "Are you aware that some of the Twelve Great Clans sought an alliance with us? That was such a great opportunity for us to rise to power again. But what did our clan leader do? He chose his pride over this clan's future! I wouldn't have resorted to betraying this clan if only our clan leader made the right decisions from the start."

Shu Yue's features darkened. Lu Baiyu made it sound as if it was her father's fault that the Ophiuchus Clan remained powerless. The other clans did request an alliance through marriage and promised to help them regain power, but what Lu Baiyu didn't realize was that they had ulterior motives beyond simply backing them. Their true objective was to take control of the Ophiuchus Clan. Making an alliance with them meant submitting to them.

If her father married someone from another clan, he would be offering not only himself but the entire Ophiuchus Clan!

The Zodiac Clans didn't want an alliance; they wanted control and power.

Unfortunately for them, Shu Yue's father was not gullible enough to fall for their schemes.

Lu Baiyu took something from his robe and showed it to her. It was a book with the title Claw of the Eternal Beast written on the front cover.

But it was the three characters under the title that drew Shu Yue's attention.

The Complete Version.

Shu Yue's eyes widened as she stared at the book. One of the lost martial arts of their clan was right here, in front of her. An ancient sword art that was formerly known as Silver Moon Claws.

Buying the loyalty of Ophiuchus's disciples in exchange for a sword art that originally belonged to the clan? They even changed its name and claimed it as their own. This was making a mockery of Ophiuchus. It might look like their goal was to recruit them, but there was more to it than meets the eye. Scorpio was one of the clans that wanted to take control of the Ophiuchus, so perhaps that was what they were attempting to accomplish by gaining the trust of the fallen clan's disciples.

If they were successful in stealing the loyalty of the disciples, that would inflict a huge loss on the leader of the Ophiuchus Clan. Losing the members' loyalty and trust was the same as losing control of the clan. The Scorpio Clan was aiming to take control of the Ophiuchus Clan by gradually gaining control of its members.

Such underhanded tactics!

"Chen Yue," Fa Xiang said. "Master is right. We can't waste this opportunity. Don't you also wish to become stronger?"

Shu Yue regarded him with a calm face, entirely devoid of emotion. She had expected that this would happen, but she couldn't help feeling disappointed. But she couldn't blame him. It was such a tempting offer. Becoming a part of the most powerful clan in the empire and learning high-leveled martial arts? That was something a disciple could hardly ignore.

Without responding to Fa Xiang, Shu Yue turned to look at Lu Baiyu. "I was wondering, Elder Lu. If I get punished, will you be, too?"

That threw Lu Baiyu for a loop. "What?"

"You threatened us for being punished to compel us to cooperate, but ..." Shu Yue looked into his eyes and smirked. "Unfortunately, I'm not afraid to get punished if I have company."

To her surprise, Fa Xiang grabbed her arm and jerked her toward him. "Don't ruin this for me, Chen Yue!" he growled at her face, gripping her arm tightly it was starting to hurt her. "I don't want to get punished. I also don't want to just be an average warrior! If we were accused of treason, there would be no--"

Xiao Ran seized Fa Xiang's wrist, freeing Shu Yue's arm from its painful grip. He looked at him coldly. "Don't touch her."

Fa Xiang's face twisted with revulsion. He snatched his hand out of his grasp. "How dare you touch me with your filthy hands!" Then he backhanded him across the face, the sharp sound of impact echoing through the bamboo forest.

Shu Yue's eyes widened. Silence descended heavily, except for Fa Xiang's ragged breathing. Xiao Ran stood still as he stared at Fa Xiang with a blank expression.

Fury twisted inside Shu Yue, but she kept her voice calm."I've never even laid a hand on him, and you dare hit him?"

"Why do you care so much about this animal?" Fa Xiang retorted, disgust in his voice. "Haven't you seen how he disrespected me? A half-beast dared to touch me?" He glared daggers at Xiao Ran. "This animal is supposed to show warriors respect!"

That did it. Without warning, Shu Yue drew Fa Xiang's sword from its sheath on his back and said in a quiet, deadly tone, "That's the third time you've called him an animal." With a devilish smile, she thrust the sword into his chest. "I won't let it happen a fourth time."