Since the young master was certain that Tan Congye would come, why bother arranging for assassins to ambush him along his inevitable path?
A figure suddenly flashed across the silent road. The person moved with extreme speed, as if a pack of ferocious wolves were pursuing him from behind which, in fact, was very nearly the case.
Right behind him, a group of ostentatiously dressed people wielding sharp blades were catching up quickly using lightness skills. Every single one of them looked upright and righteous, hardly the type to engage in the pursuit and assassination of others.
A sharp blade sliced through the empty air, striking squarely right at the fugitive’s feet. It was fortunate that the man side-stepped just in time, or he would have already perished beneath the blade.
“Young Master Yan, we merely wish to invite you as a guest to our sect. Why resort to such frantic escape?”
The leader gripped a flying hook in his hand, swinging it continuously as though it might hurl toward the opponent at any second.
The unlucky fellow currently being hunted down was none other than Yan Zhou, the young master of the Huayu Pavilion.
Yan Zhou stared pale-faced at the dozen-odd men. Running away from Huayu Pavilion all by himself had been a grave mistake!
“Bah! ‘Invite as a guest’? Do you take me for a fool? Do you really think I don’t know what you’re plotting?” Yan Zhou forced down the panic rising in his chest.
The leader chuckled coldly. “Since Young Master Yan is already aware, you can either come with us quietly, or have your eldest brother bring the clues to the Changye Hall treasure to ransom you.”
“A bunch of blockheads! I severed ties with Changye Hall long ago. Instead of interrogating me, you’d be better off spending this time searching for the clues yourselves.”
Naturally, the man refused to believe him. “Your father and that person from Changye Hall were sworn companions. Word has it that he frequently brought you to visit Changye Hall. In this world, you are surely the person most likely to know about the treasure not to mention your eldest brother already made public statements. Young Master Yan, do not force us to resort to violence.”
Yan Zhou drew the sword from his waist, his voice ringing with strength: “Then come on!”
In an instant, the leader’s long hook shot out once more. The hook appeared aged, yet propelled by the wind, it instantly aimed straight for Yan Zhou’s vital spot. Surprisingly, slender as Yan Zhou appeared, he managed to raise his sword and block the flying hook head-on.
“It seems Young Master Yan is not the good-for-nothing the rumors make him out to be.” The leader sneered, though his movements did not pause.
Yan Zhou’s palm tingled with a sharp, jarring pain. Pressing his advantage, the leader surged forward with the flying hook wrapped in wisps of freezing air, his feet riding the wind as he closed in on Yan Zhou in the blink of an eye. The iron chain attached to the hook emitted a crisp, mocking clatter, as if ridiculing his incompetence.
Yan Zhou retreated step after step, flailing his sword wildly. Like a gliding dragon, the hook shattered his sword into pieces in an instant. Amidst the flash of sparks, a heavy impact hit his chest squarely, sending him flying several paces away.
“My, my,” the leader chuckled merrily. “We still overestimated Young Master Yan. I can handle you all by myself. If not for your older brother protecting you, would you have lived until today? A good-for-nothing should look the part. Young Master Yan truly opens my eyes. Now, will you come with me voluntarily?”
For the very first time, Yan Zhou felt that he truly was quite useless. Over the years, affairs within the sect had never required his personal intervention, and people in the Jianghu mostly gave him face out of respect for his older brother, yet none of that could compensate for the stark reality of his inadequacy.
“Crane Crane Workshop…” Yan Zhou stared at the immortal crane embroidered on the man’s white robes. “A bunch of hypocrites draped in human skin.” Coughing up a mouthful of blood, his speech turned ragged. “What kind of thing are you? Even if I am useless, it is not your place to judge!”
“Stubborn to the very end.” The leader looked at Yan Zhou with utter disdain. “Since you refuse to yield, don’t blame me!”
As the flying hook began its descent, Yan Zhou’s heart sank into a chill, knowing he was truly finished this time.
“Stand down!”
At the sound of a deep voice, a long blade broke through the air, intercepting and locking the flying hook mid-flight! A dark-robed figure descended slowly, landing precisely atop the hook. With a gentle exertion of his toes, he sent a shockwave through the hook and its chain, severing their connection entirely!
Staring at the suddenly appeared, handsome-faced man as he destroyed the weapon, the onlookers were struck completely dumb with shock. Even Yan Zhou was frozen in place.
“You…” The leader gasped in astonishment. “The divine sword Jingpo—you are the Sword Saint Tan Congye!!”
Tan Congye lazily twirled his blade, sparing him a casual, indifferent glance.
The leader never expected to cross paths with him in a place like this. Rumor had it that Sword Saint Tan Congye resided long-term in Yishui City and virtually never meddled in Jianghu affairs, yet here he was today.
“Are you not going to get up? Are you waiting for me to carry you?” Tan Congye looked at Yan Zhou’s pathetic state, finding him somewhat resembling mud that couldn’t be plastered onto a wall.
Only then did Yan Zhou snap out of his daze, nodding blankly as he scrambled up from the ground.
Gripping Jingpo in his hand, Tan Congye radiated an aura of decisive, ruthless authority. He didn’t even bother giving the opposite party a second look, coldly demanding, “Do you wish to exchange a couple of moves with me?”
“Senior Sword Saint,” the leader said sincerely, “Naturally I am no match for you, but this Yan Zhou is someone Crane Crane Workshop is determined to have. We ask Senior to spare a thought for our master’s prestige and refrain from interfering.”
“What a fine Crane Crane Workshop.” Tan Congye’s pitch-black eyes were filled with frost. “I’ve always lived as I please; nothing binds me. Even if you claimed to be Wei(Wei Heng), it would be useless. Does a mere Crane Crane Workshop dare to step out and bark? In my eyes, you are nothing more than chaotic ants. If you wish to take this person away, show me your strength.”
None of these Crane Crane Workshop disciples had anticipated such blunt candor from Tan Congye. They considered him utterly arrogant, yet he possessed the capital to back it up. The highest cultivation level among their group barely reached the Fourth-Rank, and attempting to fight a Fifth-Rank Sword Saint was simply sending meat to a dog—a one-way trip with no return.
“Is Senior intent on making an enemy of our Crane Crane Workshop?”
“And if I am? If you want to capture him, bring more men next time. The few of you lack the capability.”
Realizing that intimidation was useless, the disciples of Crane Crane Workshop declared, “Since Senior has put it this way, we concede. Retreat.”
Seeing them depart, Tan Congye sheathed his sword and gestured, summoning Chen Wen out from the shadows.
Chen Wen stepped forward, struck the still-dazed Yan Zhou unconscious with a single palm strike, and massaged his wrist. “He really was here. That Jade-like Gentleman’s intel is absurdly accurate.”
Tan Congye said coldly, “I underestimated his capabilities.”
Chen Wen: “That Ying Laixian is only nineteen this year. Even if he is Wei Heng’s disciple, he doesn’t know martial arts and shouldn’t be able to stir up big waves. Could we be overthinking things?”
Am I overthinking things?
Tan Congye hoped that was the case, but the more he pondered certain details, the more he realized there were massive flaws in the situation. “Didn’t you investigate him previously and report that he practically never steps foot outside Quedu?”
“Indeed.”
“Then why, the moment he steps out of Quedu, do clues regarding Changye Hall surface, and why is he coincidentally right here in Yuye City at the same time?”
Chen Wen hadn’t suspected anything amiss initially, but at Tan Congye’s prompt, he snapped to his senses, realizing he had been played for a fool the entire time. However… “Does the City Lord suspect that all of this is under the control of the Jade-like Slim Snow?”
That was impossible, thought Chen Wen, feeling utterly bewildered. Could a nineteen-year-old youth who had never set foot in the martial arts world truly manipulate a situation of this magnitude?
Tan Congye couldn’t help but recall Ying Laixian’s exquisitely flawless face. Flesh and skin were the most intoxicatingly bewitching things; indeed, you can know a person’s face without knowing their heart.
“Since he deliberately lured us into this game, he must have investigated us long ago,” Chen Wen began analyzing. “Knowing your strength, City Lord, he still dared to take such a desperate risk isn’t that simply courting death?”
A master knows his own subordinate best. Chen Wen reflected that the last person who had dared to toy with Tan Congye like this now had grass growing five cubits high over their grave.
“That only proves one thing.” Tan Congye’s deep gaze darkened. “He is certain I wouldn’t dare to touch him.”
“Just because he is Old Master Wei’s disciple?”
“Wei Heng?” Tan Congye let out a cold laugh. “How long has it been since he cared about worldly affairs?”
In a single instant, Chen Wen felt as though his vital meridians had been unblocked, understanding dawning on him. “This Jade-like Slim Snow is certain that the intel in his hands is genuine!”
“Correct. That’s why he has the confidence, because he knows I am investigating the truth behind the destruction of Changye Hall.”
Chen Wen remained puzzled. “With such immense confidence, what on earth is his background? City Lord, should we investigate?”
“No need to investigate,” Tan Congye said in a low voice. “Cooperation relies on mutual trust. We’ll look into it after this matter concludes.”
Our City Lord actually has principles, Chen Wen thought to himself.
“There’s something else,” Tan Congye continued. “Yan Zhou has been missing for quite some time. For him to pinpoint this exact location so accurately, there must be quite a few people assisting him from behind the scenes.”
Chen Wen felt these mysteries were like a tangled ball of hemp thread that refused to straighten out no matter what.
“I can’t puzzle through all of this either,” Chen Wen sighed. “However, City Lord, according to that Jade-like Slim Snow’s demands, we only need to escort him and that young master safely to Huayu Pavilion to obtain the clues regarding the Changye Hall treasure. Why overthink the rest? You’ve already spent years running around investigating the annihilation of Changye Hall; there’s no need to embroil yourself in unnecessary trouble.”
Tan Congye naturally understood. He saw through things more clearly than anyone, but the appearance of Ying Laixian felt like a wedge driven into his plans, leaving him helpless.
“Forget it. Bring this fellow along and let’s move. The fox we’ve hooked this time is no simple creature.”
Meanwhile, the protagonist of their conversation was presently sipping tea in the courtyard with leisurely contentment.
Ying Laixian had a habit: whenever he had free time each day, he had to drink a bit of tea. It helped clear the mind while restoring a touch of everyday mortal atmosphere.
“How is it?”
Seeing Jiang Ni step into the courtyard, Ying Laixian knew someone had brought news.
“Tan Congye has successfully rescued Young Master Yan and will arrive in Yuye City shortly.”
As expected, thought Ying Laixian. Although the number of times he had died was hardly small, those memories had transformed into his greatest asset.
It wasn’t a bad thing at all.
“With a Sword Saint’s competence, naturally he wouldn’t fail.” Ying Laixian raised a hand to pour Jiang Ni a cup of tea. “Taste this, I just brewed it.”
Jiang Ni nodded as she accepted it. After taking a sip, she continued, “The Young Master predicted that Tan Congye would come. Why bother arranging for assassins to ambush him along the path he was bound to take?”
Ying Laixian paused his hand. “As for that, you don’t understand him. The more convoluted and mysterious a matter is, the more drawn he is to dive right into it. Only by doing so would he propose cooperation without the slightest hesitation.”
“Besides, he will never suspect that I arranged those men,” Ying Laixian smiled. “Even though my actions are full of flaws, he has no choice but to trust me. That is the most effective method in any collaboration.”
“Yet, Young Master, if your goal was to acquire the item held by Huayu Pavilion, wouldn’t it have been better to send your own subordinates to effect the rescue?”
Ying Laixian gave a low laugh. “I do wish to use this to build ties with Huayu Pavilion, but Tan Congye is the crucial piece.”
If he wanted to destroy that monster, he had no choice but to continuously gather allies throughout the Jianghu. Tan Congye was his very first chess piece.
Jiang Ni nodded. “This subordinate understands.”