The rain fell without end.
After the white-masked man disappeared, the atmosphere around the old shrine grew so heavy it was suffocating.
Luc Minh looked at Ha Van Son.
"You know him?"
Ha Van Son remained silent for a long time.
At last, he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"If I'm not mistaken..."
"...he's Ve Truong Phong."
"He was Maoshan's Grand Elder."
"And he was also the man who died in the fire eighteen years ago."
Luc Minh froze.
"Another dead man who's come back to life?"
Ha Van Son shook his head.
"No..."
"I just hope I was mistaken."
## The Watchers
That night, the group returned to the old temple.
Luc Minh constantly felt as if someone was watching him.
Every time he turned around,
he saw only swaying tree shadows.
Until Moc Thanh quietly said:
"It's not one person."
"It's..."
"...two people."
Luc Minh immediately opened his Heavenly Eye.
In the darkness,
two black figures stood on the roof.
One was tall.
The other was short.
But the instant they were discovered,
both figures dissolved into smoke.
## The Fake Talisman
The next morning,
a Maoshan talisman had been planted in front of the temple gate.
At first glance,
it looked like an ordinary Evil-Sealing Talisman.
But the moment Luc Minh picked it up,
his expression changed.
"That's not right."
"This talisman..."
"...was drawn in human blood."
Ha Van Son examined it closely.
On the back of the talisman,
there was a line of writing.
> "Among you..."
> "...there is a traitor."
The air immediately fell silent.
## The Missing Informants
Just then,
To Nhuoc's phone rang.
It was Tran Hai.
His voice was filled with panic.
"Luc Minh!"
"Something's happened!"
"The three people feeding me information..."
"...are all dead."
"But before they died..."
"They all said the same thing."
"Someone..."
"...betrayed you."
The call abruptly cut off.
Only static remained.
## The Investigation Notebook
Tran Hai left behind the address of an old wooden house on the outskirts.
When the group arrived,
the door was wide open.
There was no one inside.
Only a notebook lay on the table.
It was Tran Hai's investigation journal.
The first few pages contained detailed records about the Huyen Ling Society.
But the farther they read,
the more frightening the contents became.
> "Someone always knows Luc Minh's moves in advance."
> "Every time we find a lead..."
> "...the other side gets there first."
> "That person..."
> "...is very close."
The final page contained only one line.
It was written in blood.
> "Don't trust..."
Then the writing stopped.
As if the writer hadn't had time to finish.
## The Sudden Attack
An explosion rang out in the yard.
**BOOM!**
More than twenty black figures charged into the house.
They weren't evil spirits.
They were Taoist priests in black robes from the Huyen Ling Society.
Leading them was...
**Lam Duc**.
One of the remaining Four Guardians.
He drew a dark-red sword.
"Luc Minh."
"The Society Master wants to see you."
"If you come with us willingly,"
"the others will live."
Luc Minh answered coldly.
"And if I refuse?"
Lam Duc laughed.
"Then..."
"...all you'll find are corpses."
## Blood and Swords
The battle erupted.
The peachwood sword in Luc Minh's hand radiated golden light.
Every slash blasted apart a black-robed Taoist priest.
To Nhuoc used her camera, fitted with a talisman, to seal off the yin energy.
Ha Van Son blocked the exit alone.
His black hand trembled continuously.
Every time he struck,
the seal on his arm cracked a little further.
Suddenly,
a black-robed Taoist priest charged straight at Moc Thanh.
Luc Minh hadn't had time to save her.
A figure appeared in front of the girl.
**Thud!**
The sword pierced that person's chest.
Red blood splattered across the ground.
The person struck by the sword...
was Tran Hai.
## The Confession
Tran Hai crumpled.
Lam Duc immediately fled.
Luc Minh caught him.
"Why are you here?"
Tran Hai coughed violently.
Blood poured from his mouth without stopping.
"I..."
"...found out."
"The traitor..."
"...isn't from the Huyen Ling Society."
"It's..."
He tried to continue.
But suddenly,
a black talisman inside Tran Hai's shirt burst into flames.
His eyes turned black.
His voice changed as well.
> "You'll never know..."
> "...who the real traitor is."
Immediately afterward,
Tran Hai's entire body turned to ash.
Not a single trace remained.
## A Figure in the Rain
The rain grew heavier and heavier.
Luc Minh stood motionless in the yard.
Among the remaining ashes,
a small object caught the flash of lightning.
It was...
half of a Taiji-shaped jade pendant.
Moc Thanh picked it up.
The girl's face immediately paled.
"This piece of jade..."
"...can only be carried by Maoshan's direct disciples."
Ha Van Son slowly closed his eyes.
"Then that means..."
"The traitor..."
"...isn't in the Huyen Ling Society."
"They come from Maoshan itself."
Just then,
a bolt of lightning tore across the sky.
On a distant cliff,
a figure in an old Taoist robe stood silently in the rain.
In that person's hand
was the other half of the jade pendant.
When the lightning flashed,
Luc Minh saw the face clearly.
He was stunned.
That person...
was Luc Thien Ha.
His Master.
The man everyone had believed dead
for the past twenty-two years.
**End of Chapter 20.**