Urban Martial Saint
Chapter 1176: My Name Is Nalan Jingwei
After a moment of silence, Prince Wan Yan spoke first: "General Helian, you've misunderstood. How could I make a move against a junior? This time, I came to find Ye Qing just to ask a few questions, that's all, with no other intentions. After all, Ye Qing and Li Bing'en are undeniably heirs to the Northern Fist King. I met Northern Fist King Li Sange on a few occasions back in the day, so how could I attack his successors?"
Upon hearing this, Northern Martial Zen immediately furrowed his brow. Ye Qing and Li Bing'en were both obviously injured, and you're claiming you didn't touch them? That suggests I was the one who hurt them?
Northern Martial Zen had previous dealings with the Li Family, and his grudges with them were not insignificant. Now, Prince Wan Yan was shifting the blame onto him, making it even harder for him to explain.
"Brother Wan Yan, didn't you just say that Ye Qing must hand over your family's heirloom?" Northern Martial Zen laughed. "You specifically had your son lure Ye Qing here. I wonder if you managed to retrieve your heirloom yet?"
Prince Wan Yan's expression changed. Ye Qing and Li Bing'en came here indeed because of what his son, Wan Yan Ming, had said. Wan Yan Ming originally intended to coax Ye Qing down the path, but Ye Qing chose to take this mountain road himself. However, regardless of how it was phrased, he was inextricably linked to this matter, and Northern Martial Zen was clearly pushing the blame onto him.
"I merely wanted to ascertain the whereabouts of that item. As for bringing Ye Qing here, hmph, as to why precisely, Brother Bei should know better than me." Prince Wan Yan smiled coldly and said, "Brother Bei set such a significant blockade outside Shen Family Manor, not allowing anyone to enter. If I hadn't led Ye Qing and Li Bing'en here, they might have been killed by Brother Bei's people!"
Northern Martial Zen's face changed instantly as he gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Wan Yan, I sought out Ye Qing only to have my son spar with him, with no ulterior motives. But you, to retrieve your family's item, even resort to plotting against human lives, isn't that somewhat wrong?"
"Your son has been defeated, what's there to spar about now?" Prince Wan Yan said coldly. "Brother Bei, did you come personally to spar with them yourself? As a senior making a move against juniors, that's not quite proper."
Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen were both at odds, each trying to push the blame onto the other. Unable to help it, the pressure from Helian Tiehua was simply too great, none wanted to bear the responsibility, for none knew how Helian Tiehua intended to deal with the matter.
Helian Tiehua stood nearby watching, showing no intention of speaking, nor did he care whether what they said was true or false. Both Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen were absolute sly old foxes, neither could outwit the other, and the more they spoke, the more disadvantageous it became for both.
Neither was foolish; after speaking for a while, they realized it was utterly ineffectual, and so they stopped altogether, turning in unison to look at Helian Tiehua.
"General Helian, you've come for the Shen Family matter too, I presume." Northern Martial Zen laughed. "We're all here now, why don't we first go to Shen Family Manor and sit down?"
Prince Wan Yan followed with a laugh: "Brother Bei is right, Shen Family Manor is just ahead, we can pay a visit to the Southern Fist King first."
"No rush." Helian Tiehua slowly shook his head, saying, "With such a commotion here, the Southern Fist King is likely to come soon."
Northern Martial Zen and Prince Wan Yan's expressions both changed. Ye Qing was somewhat a disciple of Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun, and Li Bing'en's martial arts were taught by Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun. They injured Ye Qing and Li Bing'en, and if the Southern Fist King came, he surely wouldn't spare them.
Ye Qing, however, was exceedingly joyful. If Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun arrived, he'd no longer need to worry.
Northern Martial Zen and Prince Wan Yan exchanged a look, mutually understanding each other's thoughts, signaling each other with a glance. Prince Wan Yan then laughed first: "Oh right, I remembered I left some gifts in the city, which I intended for the Southern Fist King. General Helian, apologies, but I need to head back and fetch them."
"Brother Wan Yan, it seems we both need to go together!" Northern Martial Zen joined in with a laugh: "I suddenly recalled I left some things in the city as well, just right for us to go together. General Helian, apologies, you could head to Shen Family Manor first, and I'll personally visit later."
"That's perfect, Brother Bei, we'll make it a joint trip to the city." Prince Wan Yan replied with a laugh, along with Northern Martial Zen they hurriedly roused their disciples, preparing to leave before Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun arrived.
Helian Tiehua watched their actions but made no move to stop them, simply standing by, as if waiting for something.
Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen, now in fear, hastily woke their people, turned, and left, unwilling to linger even a moment. Helian Tiehua watched them leave, as if he never intended to intercept, showing he had no intention to intervene.
Seeing Helian Tiehua not pursuing, Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen breathed a collective sigh of relief, truly having feared Helian Tiehua might make a move against them. It seemed Helian Tiehua intended to be a mere observer in this matter.
Yet, before they had gone far, a group of people suddenly approached from ahead, led by a septuagenarian elder. The elder's eyes shone brightly, immediately indicating he was no ordinary person.
Seeing this elder, Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen were both taken aback, as they had never seen him before. However, intuition told them this elder was not to be trifled with, so they both opted to skirt around him, not wanting to face him directly.
Nonetheless, the elder moved directly towards them, coming to stand right in front of the two, speaking loudly: "Are you two coming down from the mountain top?"
Stopped by the elder, the two certainly couldn't leave, they had no choice but to nod with stern faces.
Seeing the two nod, the elder continued, "General Helian, who are you dueling?"
Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen exchanged glances, both somewhat astonished. This elder hadn't even reached the mountain, yet just by hearing the sounds, he knew Helian Tiehua was in a duel. It was clear he was extremely familiar with Helian Tiehua. But who exactly was this elder?
Seeing the two not respond, a young man beside the elder couldn't help but say, "Hey, my grandfather asked you something. You didn't hear?"
This young man was rather fiery and spoke without the slightest courtesy, which immediately angered Wan Yan Ming and Bei Shisan.
"Who do you think you are, daring to speak to my father like that!"
"Such audacity, do you know who my father is?"
Wan Yan Ming and Bei Shisan simultaneously shouted in anger, leaving Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen no chance to intervene.
Upon hearing these words, the young man was also enraged. He glared and said, "I don't care who your father is. In this world, no one dares act wild in front of my grandfather!"
Hearing this, the elder frowned slightly, showing some displeasure, and sternly said, "Tian Yu!"
The young man immediately lowered his head and said, "Grandfather, these two are sneaky, they are obviously not good people. Helian Tiehua is in a duel on the mountain, and these two sneaked down, there must be something wrong here."
"You're the one with a problem!" Wan Yan Ming immediately retorted.
"Indeed, aren't you sneakily going up the mountain as well!" Bei Shisan added, "And you even ask about the situation on the mountain. Hmph, could it be you know General Helian is dueling someone, and you want to go up there to attack and take advantage?"
Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen originally intended to stop their sons, but the conversation had escalated to such a point that it was impossible to stop now, so they simply quit talking and stared intently at the elder opposite.
"Are you two seeking death!" The young man's anger flared, "My grandfather is friends with Helian Tiehua; why would he attack him? Besides, with my grandfather's strength, does he need to sneak attack anyone?"
Hearing this, Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen's expressions changed. This young man looked confident, but there must be a reason for his confidence. Great General Helian Tiehua was known across the world, and this young man placed his grandfather on equal footing with Helian Tiehua, so his grandfather must not be weak either. But who is this elder?
"Who doesn't brag?" Wan Yan Ming sneered, "According to you, your grandfather would have no difficulty even if he duels Great General Helian?"
"Hahaha..." Bei Shisan immediately laughed, "Even my father Northern Martial Zen wouldn't dare claim this, yet you dare say it, how shameless!"
"Northern Martial Zen!?" The elder's eyes flashed with sharpness, sweeping over Northern Martial Zen, he smiled and said, "So you are Northern Martial Zen. That matter with the Northern Li Family, was it your doing?"
Northern Martial Zen frowned slightly and said, "I am Northern Martial Zen, may I ask your honored name?"
The elder smiled faintly and didn't answer directly, instead looking at Prince Wan Yan and said, "May I ask?"
Before Prince Wan Yan could speak, Wan Yan Ming arrogantly said, "My father is Prince Wan Yan!"
"Prince Wan Yan?" The elder couldn't help but laugh, "Northern Martial Zen, Prince Wan Yan, hahaha, quite a gathering."
The prestige of Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen was immense; normally, anyone who heard their names would be intimidated. However, this elder showed no fear whatsoever upon hearing their names, instead carrying a tone of mockery, confusing all present. Undoubtedly, this elder was highly skilled, but who could he be?
Prince Wan Yan cupped his hands and said, "May I ask for your esteemed name, elder?"
"Hahaha..." The elder chuckled lightly, glancing at the two and said, "My name is Nalan Jingwei!"
"Nalan Jingwei!?" Wan Yan Ming and Bei Shisan were both taken aback, exchanged glances, and simultaneously expressed disdain, "Never heard of him."