"Who’s there?" Su Chen, having just killed Old Lin, shot a dark gaze toward the corner of the alley.
"Don’t—don’t be hasty. I’m not with him." A figure quickly stepped out, waving his hands in what appeared to be sheer panic. His attire, however, was identical to Su Chen’s; he wore a bamboo hat and a set of black clothes that completely obscured his facial features.
"Benefactor!" Just as Su Chen debated whether to nip this potential problem in the bud, the man suddenly dropped to his knees, cupped his fists, and kowtowed in gratitude.
"What is the meaning of this?" Su Chen asked, furrowing his brows as he stared intently at the man.
"You may not know this, Benefactor, but this person was my mortal enemy. Now that you have killed him, you have essentially avenged my entire family," the man explained.
"Oh?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow. He took a step forward, staring at the man with a faint, unreadable smile.
"It’s true! I am a descendant of the Zhu family, and my name is Zhu Yan. This man colluded with Liu Tong in the past to wipe out my entire family. With such a deep-seated blood feud, how could I dare deceive you, Benefactor?" Zhu Yan hurriedly said, seeing that Su Chen was unconvinced.
"Liu Tong? The Zhu family?" Hearing this, Su Chen knitted his brows slightly, looking at Zhu Yan in deep thought.
While investigating Liu Tong’s crimes earlier, he had heard about the many atrocities the man had committed. Among them, the most utterly heartless act was the murder of all thirteen members of the Zhu family.
"Why should I believe you?" Although there was some basis to what the man said, Su Chen wasn’t about to blindly trust his one-sided story.
"Benefactor, please come with me. I know where he hid his wealth," Zhu Yan said, pursing his lips as he stood up. He knew Su Chen didn’t trust him yet, but as long as Su Chen held back his blade, there was still room for negotiation. He tried his best to appear completely harmless to win Su Chen over.
Hearing this, Su Chen hesitated, keeping his feet planted. After taking a few steps, Zhu Yan glanced back. Seeing that Su Chen hadn’t moved an inch, he immediately guessed his thoughts. He offered, "Benefactor, all of Lin Hai’s silver is hidden under a large tree in his courtyard. If you don’t believe me, you can go see for yourself."
"There’s no need. You lead the way," Su Chen said, shaking his head and rejecting the proposal. "Don’t play any tricks, or you’ll end up just like him."
Zhu Yan nodded immediately and guided Su Chen through the streets. Su Chen maintained a safe distance; if Zhu Yan made any sudden moves, he would strike without hesitation. Fortunately, not only did Zhu Yan behave, but he also seemed highly considerate of Su Chen, deliberately choosing paths that were mostly devoid of people.
A quarter of an hour later, Zhu Yan came to a halt. Pointing to a small courtyard up ahead, he said, "Benefactor, that is Lin Hai’s home. There is no one else in his family, so we can go right in." Pausing for a moment, he added, "Or I can go in while you wait here." He then looked at Su Chen, awaiting his response.
After their brief journey together, Su Chen still remained vigilant, but he no longer harbored the same total distrust as he did at the beginning. Pondering for a moment, he replied, "You go in."
Zhu Yan nodded. After observing the surroundings for a moment, he vaulted over the wall and entered Lin Hai’s courtyard. The instant he went in, Su Chen leaped into a nearby tree to watch his movements. Zhu Yan seemed to know he was being watched and deliberately conducted his search facing Su Chen. Before long, he dug up a wooden box and brushed off the dirt. Carrying the box, he vaulted over the wall once more and returned to Su Chen.
"Open it," Su Chen said abruptly, just as Zhu Yan was about to hand the box over.
Without hesitation, Zhu Yan complied. He set the box down and opened it right in front of Su Chen. Anticipating that Su Chen might suspect a poison trap, Zhu Yan even reached in and handled the silver himself.
"Alright, I believe you," Su Chen said, finally sensing the man’s sincerity.
Zhu Yan let out a sigh of relief. Although his expression was hidden by his hat, a palpable sense of lightness washed over him, as if earning Su Chen’s trust was a cause for great joy.
"So, what is your ultimate goal in doing all this?" Su Chen stared at him, waiting for an answer.
"I want you to avenge me, Benefactor!" Zhu Yan said through gritted teeth.
"Avenge you?" Su Chen paused in surprise. Weren’t Lin Hai and Liu Tong already dead?
Zhu Yan nodded heavily. "Although Liu Tong and Lin Hai are dead, there is still one chief culprit at large..." He then recounted the tragic story of the Zhu family.
The Zhu family was a renowned medical clan across Zhu Family Town and several neighboring townships. They possessed exceptional medical skills and frequently gave to charity, aiding the poor. For some reason, the Zhu family had offended Lin Hai. Consequently, Father Zhu asked Liu Tong for help, hoping to resolve the grievance. Upon learning of this, Lin Hai brought in members of the White Jade Gang to mediate. The Zhu family thought both sides would drop the matter, but to their utter shock, the three men joined forces to target them instead.
Zhu Yan later discovered that Liu Tong had been in cahoots with Lin Hai and the others from the very beginning. Lin Hai coveted the Zhu family’s wealth, Liu Tong eyed their medical texts, and Zhao Kuo of the White Jade Gang lusted after the mother and daughter of the Zhu family. Faced with a coordinated attack from all three sides, the Zhu family was doomed.
Because the Zhu family chose death over submission, the three men secretly slaughtered the entire household and set the family’s villa ablaze. The inferno raged for several hours, causing a massive sensation throughout White Stone City. Had Zhu Yan not been incredibly resilient—clinging to his last breath and using sheer willpower to drag himself into a secret passage to escape—he would have perished along with the rest of them.
"I beg you to avenge me, Benefactor! I am willing to offer you all my worldly possessions and serve you as a slave for the rest of my life," Zhu Yan pleaded sorrowfully, dropping to his knees. His entire body trembled.
"Are you so sure I can help you get your revenge?" Su Chen asked. This guy seemed utterly convinced that he would step in and fight for him.
Hearing this, Zhu Yan raised his head. His gaze was resolute, but a hint of awkwardness flashed across his face. He explained, "To tell you the truth, Benefactor, I know it was you who killed Liu Tong."
Seeing Su Chen’s gaze instantly turn freezing cold, Zhu Yan hastily added, "Please don’t misunderstand! I didn’t actually see you kill him. I guessed it.
"I thought about revenge every waking moment, but I lacked the skills to do it myself. By chance, I learned of the Mist Rain Tower, so I issued a bounty to kill Liu Tong. The result was exactly what you’d expect—I was almost killed by Liu Tong instead.
"Later, I learned to disguise myself and hide my identity just like you, Benefactor, which allowed me to evade the Mist Rain Tower’s investigations.
"I stayed hidden after that, until you appeared and accepted the mission to kill Liu Tong. That was when I first noticed you.
"However, I waited for several days without seeing you make a move. Since the mission hadn’t been canceled, I assumed you had given up.
"To my surprise, I later noticed that the Government Office had revoked the arrest warrant for Liu Tong. This made me suspicious.
"I found an opportunity to sneak into Liu Tong’s residence to check, and sure enough, I saw his corpse.
"I guessed that you were the one who killed him, so I’ve been waiting for you to show up at the Lin Family Castle. Tonight, I finally found you. And you know the rest."
Hearing this didn’t clear up Su Chen’s doubts; on the contrary, it only left him more bewildered. He asked, "Then how did you discover me?"