CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 49: THE INCIDENT UNFOLDS (PART 2)

"Quick, gather up."

As soon as the Six Gates personnel entered the city, Luo Yan immediately summoned them, preparing to attack the City Lord Mansion again and avenge their previous defeat.

"Brother Luo, are you planning to..." a young man dressed in the black uniform of the Six Gates asked.

"Brother Bu, you’ve kept me in the dark for too long," Luo Yan said through clenched teeth, glaring at the newcomer.

Bu Lengchuan, the foremost executioner of the Six Gates and a direct disciple of Blood Hand Divine Capture Leng Kuangtu, one of the Four Great Divine Constables. Unlike his master, who was always cold-faced and whose gaze seemed to pierce through people’s vital points, Bu Lengchuan appeared amiable, like a friendly elder brother next door.

However, colleagues who had worked with him knew that once this guy started fighting, his eyes radiated a brutal light; he would not stop until he saw blood, his ferocity rivaling that of his master.

"This is a mandate from above; I must comply. Besides, Brother Luo has worked hard and made significant contributions; surely, there will be a handsome reward from the higher-ups afterward," Bu Lengchuan said with an affable expression. When not fighting, Bu Lengchuan looked like a good-natured person.

"There’s been hard work, but significant contribution is debatable," Luo Yan said.

It was Luo Yan who had proposed and led the operation to clear out the bandits and outlaws from the hills around Yang City. But when the Six Gates members who had been doing the cleaning entered the city, Luo Yan discovered someone who should not have been in the group—Bu Lengchuan.

No wonder Ye Tiannan’s Ling Province Army was stationed a hundred miles away from Yang City, yet there was no whisper of it inside the city. With the so-called second-best executioner of the Six Gates present, the nearby bandits were probably all killed, and the irrelevant civilians must have been detained.

The Sun Family’s fifth son, who had been captured outside Yang City, was also completely bandaged and carried to the Sun Residence.

By now, it was no longer necessary to use the fifth son of the Sun Family to threaten the Sun brothers. Having boarded the ship of the Six Gates, the Sun Family had no choice but to leap into the sea if they wanted to continue.

"But your arrival is timely. Come with me to the City Lord Mansion to meet the daughter of the Zhang Family," Luo Yan said on the spot, conscripting able-bodied men.

"No problem, I also want to see how strong the ’Tiger Roar to Settle Mountains and Rivers,’ which defeated Brother Luo and forced him to flee, really is," excitement flashed in Bu Lengchuan’s eyes, his face somewhat distorted, shattering his friendly big brother image instantly.

"I withdrew after discovering information, not in panicked flight..." Looking at Bu Lengchuan, who was turning a deaf ear, Luo Yan sighed helplessly, "Forget it, as long as you’re happy."

At that moment, Li Xin arrived with a man clad in black.

As they approached, Luo Yan noticed that this man was not really a man but a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy. However, the boy lacked any trace of youthfulness; his face was gloomy, his whole being dark and somber.

"Lord Luo, this is my friend. He will join us in attacking the City Lord Mansion this time," Li Xin said as he bowed.

Luo Yan looked at this somber boy, who was also staring back at him, his eyes filled with dead energy on his exquisite face, much like a finely crafted doll.

"Daoist Qingyu, at your service, Lord Luo," the boy in black suddenly smiled, bringing life to his doll-like demeanor, and greeted with a fist and palm salute.

"Having Daoist Qingyu’s assistance is an honor for me. Please wait a moment; as soon as I have gathered everyone, we will attack the City Lord Mansion," Luo Yan said warmly.

Addressing Qingyu, who was just a youth, presented a problem. Calling him ’Sir’ was too old and unfitting, while ’Brother Qingyu’ felt awkward. Eventually, Luo Yan settled on addressing him due to his status—as Qingyu was also a Daoist name—thus calling him ’Daoist,’ even though Qingyu wasn’t wearing a Daoist robe.

At this moment, Luo Yan did not retain the aloof coldness he had displayed upon their first meeting; he was welcoming and polite. This was one of Luo Yan’s strengths; he was cold and merciless towards his enemies but could be gentle and pleasant toward his own people.

The upper echelon of the Six Gates valued this trait, which was why they let Luo Yan oversee the overt affairs of Yang City. If it had been Bu Lengchuan, it would not have been surprising if he suddenly drew his sword and cut someone down.

"So, this is the much-talked-about disciple of Xuanfa, Qingyu, who looks like he’s only at the Postnatal Eighth Layer—doesn’t seem like much," Bu Lengchuan commented as he watched Li Xin and Qingyu walk toward a resting place to the side.

"Don’t underestimate him," according to the records of the Six Gates, this young Daoist, Qing Yu, is not yet sixteen years old and was taken as a disciple by Xuanfa at the age of ten. However, shortly after, Xuanfa met with failure and died, without having taught him any martial arts. Afterwards, he was held under house arrest by the True Martial Dao Sect for two years before being exiled to an insignificant Taoist temple in Qing Province Beicang Mountain.

Wasting two years at the True Martial Dao Sect, he had already missed the prime time for martial arts cultivation. During the next three years at the temple with no one to instruct him, he still managed to reach the Postnatal Eighth Layer. We’ve been building our foundation from a very young age with famous mentors, and by the age of fifteen or sixteen, we were only about the same, right?"

If Luo Yan knew that Qing Yu had only started practicing martial arts a few months ago, who knows how shocked he would be.

"It seems that by our age, he might even surpass us, provided he maintains his current rate of progress," Bu Lengchuan said, his eyes shining as he watched Qing Yu converse with Li Xin in the distance.

"Are you interested in him?"

"Who wouldn’t be interested in such a genius?" Bu Lengchuan said with a smile.

"That’s true," Luo Yan shook his head, "but..."

"Is there something wrong?" Bu Lengchuan asked.

"Nothing..."

Luo Yan thought back to the two encounters with Qing Yu that never actually took place. The first was during the assassination attempt on Zhang Qingfeng in the long street when Qing Yu had his face covered; he could see Luo Yan’s true face, but Luo Yan didn’t see his.

The second time was a nighttime meeting where Li Xin sat opposite Luo Yan and talked, while Qing Yu was hidden behind the scenes, and Luo Yan could only sense his presence.

He had never seen his true face during both encounters, but in his heart, Luo Yan had already sketched an image of this unseen adversary.

However, upon meeting him in person this time, the adversary’s appearance and demeanor were completely different from what Luo Yan had envisioned.

"Lord, the brothers have all assembled," the report from his subordinate interrupted another train of thought.

"Good, let’s set out."

"Yes."

Outside a small building halfway up the mountainside outside Yang City.

Xuanfeng held a compass in his hand, looking at the exquisite small building before him. Xuanfeng came here alone; Qingzhou and Qingling were not with him because the trip was too dangerous, and Xuanfeng had no confidence he could ensure their safety.

"Immortal Guidance. Which brother graces my humble abode?"

The voice came from the second floor of the small building, and immediately after, the central doors on the second floor swung open from both sides, revealing a figure dressed in a gold-edged black robe, topped with a purple-golden crown, who slowly stepped out.

"Oh, it turns out to be Junior Brother Xuanfeng. It’s been a long time since we last met. Carefully thinking about it, it’s been five years, hasn’t it? Ever since Senior Brother Xuan passed away, we never met again."

"Xuan Guang!"

Xuanfa clenched his teeth, angrily glaring at the figure, his hand trembling slightly as it held the compass, and fine cracks spread through the hard mountain rock beneath his feet. This was due to extreme anger which he couldn’t control, causing his True Qi to unconsciously leak out.

Pure white True Qi spilled from the major acupoints of his body, and around Xuanfeng, it condensed into the majestic form of a White Tiger.

Zhenwu Absolute Skill • White Tiger Slaughter World.