Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Wu Haihua
"Landlord Xu, what a coincidence. Here to pick up your son?"
A voice sounded next to Xu Jin-kui’s ear.
Xu Jin-kui froze for a moment.
’Why does that voice sound so familiar?’
He couldn’t help but look up, only to see an exceptionally handsome young man smiling at him.
"Young Master Chen?"
The name slipped out of Xu Jin-kui’s mouth. But as soon as he said it, he regretted it.
Looking around, he saw that Young Master Chen was standing there alone.
The constables on both sides stood ramrod straight, their expressions tense, their gazes toward the young man filled with awe.
Even if he was slow on the uptake, he understood the other party’s status at this point.
Young Master Chen, Lord Chen...
’So that’s how it is!’
Xu Jin-kui felt as if he were in a dream.
’A casual conversation, and I ended up meeting such a towering figure as Lord Chen?’
’This is...’
Chen Ping’an paid no mind to the bewildered Xu Jin-kui and turned to glance at the constable at the gate.
"Go ask why Xu Renchang hasn’t been released yet."
Though Chen Ping’an’s tone was calm, it startled the gate-keeping constable. He shuddered and replied loudly, "Yes... Yes, Lord Chen! I’ll go ask right away."
With that, the constable immediately ran inside, his movements incredibly swift.
"Lord Chen, I was blind to your greatness! I never imagined you were the master of the South City Prison! Please forgive me, my lord!"
Xu Jin-kui was so agitated that his voice trembled as he spoke.
Chen Ping’an smiled and offered a few words of comfort.
Xu Jin-kui apologized profusely. He never would have thought that the Young Master Chen he knew was the head of the South City Prison—a truly towering figure.
’To think such a person would walk by himself to pick up his younger sister from school.’
After exchanging a few more words with Xu Jin-kui, Chen Ping’an decided not to wait outside with him and announced his departure.
"Take care, Lord Chen."
Xu Jin-kui said respectfully, seeing him off.
Now that he knew Chen Ping’an’s identity, how could he dare to treat him with his previous attitude?
Chen Ping’an smiled and gave a slight shake of his head.
After Chen Ping’an left, the few gate-keeping constables couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. It couldn’t be helped; Lord Chen’s presence was just too overwhelming for them.
Having been gatekeepers for so long, their ability to identify people by sound was top-notch. That was why they had noticed Chen Ping’an’s approach long before he arrived and had adjusted their posture in time.
Everyone knew that Lord Chen was a strict disciplinarian. If he had seen their lazy posture from just a moment ago, the consequences would have been dire.
But speaking of which...
The constables’ gazes toward Xu Jin-kui now held a trace of solemnity. Their attitude toward him had also undergone a massive shift.
’This man is actually acquainted with Lord Chen!’
Later, when Xu Renchang was released, the constable who had previously accepted the silver was even tempted to return it to Xu Jin-kui.
In the end, Xu Jin-kui smilingly refused.
But this gesture made him truly feel the weight of Chen Ping’an’s authority within the South City Prison.
...
On the second day after Xu Renchang’s release, Xu Jin-kui waited early at an intersection not far from the South City Prison for Chen Ping’an to arrive.
To be honest, Xu Jin-kui was a rather dependable man.
He knew to wait at a spot some distance away from the South City Prison.
Xu Jin-kui was waiting for Chen Ping’an, naturally, to present him with a gift.
Faced with Xu Jin-kui’s insistence, Chen Ping’an didn’t refuse and accepted it calmly.
Compared to refusing, accepting the gift would undoubtedly make Xu Jin-kui happier.
The gift Xu Jin-kui presented was not a light one. The silver notes alone amounted to a full five hundred taels! There were also some feminine accessories, like a Jade Bracelet, a necklace, and a Jade Pendant, which seemed to be prepared for Chen Erya.
’Xu Jin-kui is quite thoughtful with his gifts!’
Through these interactions, Xu Jin-kui had successfully latched onto Chen Ping’an as a powerful patron.
Looking at the five hundred taels in silver notes, Chen Ping’an felt a little emotional.
He still remembered when he had to stall for ten days and rack his brain for a mere fourteen taels of silver. But now, he could get five hundred taels just by saying a word.
The difference between then and now was like heaven and earth!
Of course, Xu Jin-kui’s five hundred taels were not just for Xu Renchang’s matter; it was also a pledge of loyalty. For Xu Jin-kui to continue his business, having a patron to protect him was essential.
He had spent many years building his business in the South City lanes and had sought out many connections, but none of his patrons were as powerful as Chen Ping’an.
Now, having found a blessing in disguise and latched onto Chen Ping’an, he would probably wake up laughing in his sleep.
Peaceful days always passed quickly.
「On this day,」 the South City Prison received a high-profile prisoner.
The man was escorted by the South Town Garrison Command. To transport him, the Command had dispatched a full four Martial Arts masters at the Qi Blood Sixth Layer, along with more than a dozen elite experts to guard the route.
The important prisoner was held in a prison cart, dressed in tattered gray clothes. His body was hunched over and his hair was a disheveled mess, making it impossible to see his face clearly.
"Lord Chen, we’re handing this man over to you."
A robust man with high, bulging temples clasped his fist toward Chen Ping’an and spoke.
This man was one of the Qi Blood Sixth Layer Martial Arts masters accompanying the escort.
Chen Ping’an clasped his fist in return and exchanged a few pleasantries.
He raised his eyes to look at the man in the prison cart. He had just recognized him.
Grand Steward of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, Wu Haihua.
Chen Ping’an had seen him once before, back in Jiming Lane.
At that time, Wu Haihua, with the help of two other Ten Thousand Demons Sect Stewards, had attempted to surround and kill Mu Wanjun, hoping to diminish the prestige of the Garrison Commandant’s Office.
He had been so majestic then, full of vigor and arrogance!
Compared to him, the Chen Ping’an of that time was undoubtedly nothing more than an ant.
Never mind Wu Haihua; any one of the other Ten Thousand Demons Sect Stewards could have killed Chen Ping’an with ease.
But times had changed, and circumstances with them. Who could have imagined that the once-majestic Wu Haihua would fall to such a state? Meanwhile, Chen Ping’an, the one who had been regarded as an ant, could now stand before him, perfectly calm and composed.
"How was this man captured?"
Chen Ping’an asked curiously.
"The matter isn’t exactly a top secret," the escorting man said. "I can inform Lord Chen. Just last night..."
It turned out that last night, Wu Haihua had led a few subordinates to cause more trouble in the South District. Unexpectedly, this time they ran into a master from the Outer City Garrison Command.
A veteran Martial Arts Master at the Second Stage of Inner Qi.
As soon as they engaged, Wu Haihua’s side was quickly put at a disadvantage and completely suppressed. Even so, with his Martial Arts Realm at the Inner Qi First Level Perfection and a Cultivation Technique that specialized in speed, Wu Haihua might have been able to escape.
But reinforcements from the South Town Garrison Command arrived extremely quickly. Surrounded by several Inner Qi Masters, Wu Haihua was captured without a fight.
As for his remaining Ten Thousand Demons Sect subordinates, they were all brutally killed on the spot during the chaotic battle.
"I see."
Chen Ping’an nodded slightly.
’Wu Haihua’s luck is really terrible.’
Hm?
No, that’s not right.
Chen Ping’an quickly dismissed his previous thought.
’Things went too smoothly, and the reinforcements arrived too quickly. This probably isn’t as simple as Wu Haihua having bad luck. It’s possible the Garrison Commandant’s Office deliberately set a trap.’
Sure enough, without the Spring Rain Tower stronghold to provide intelligence support, Wu Haihua was acting as if he were blind in one eye.
Sometimes, a mission requires not only martial strength but also proper planning and sufficient intelligence support.
Not a single one can be missing!
"Lord Chen, he should be hiding a lot of valuable intelligence that needs to be thoroughly interrogated out of him. Whatever you do, don’t let him die too easily," the man reminded him.
Chen Ping’an smiled. "Understood. That certainly won’t happen."
With the handover complete, the people responsible for escorting Wu Haihua promptly left.
"Wu Haihua!"
Chen Ping’an approached the prison cart and said Wu Haihua’s name.
Inside the cart, his hair a mess, Wu Haihua let out a couple of sinister cackles and raised his head to look at Chen Ping’an with a grim expression.
"HEH HEH, just a little doll! Doll-face, why don’t you go get your master? Don’t let your Grandpa here scare you into pissing your pants."
Looking at Wu Haihua’s scarred face, Chen Ping’an’s smile didn’t waver.
"Wu Haihua, do you remember me?"
Hearing this, a flash of confusion appeared on Wu Haihua’s face, but it quickly reverted to its grim look.
"Then again, you never even saw my face. It makes sense that you don’t remember."
Chen Ping’an chuckled.
Back then, when he had struck the warning gong, Wu Haihua had never seen him from beginning to end.
"The warning gong in Jiming Lane."
Chen Ping’an said this with a smile, causing Wu Haihua’s expression to change. His face filled with ferocity, his disheveled hair seemed to stand on end like a Furious Vajra, and his voice was laced with fury.
If it hadn’t been for that gong, Mu Wanjun would have died at his hands long ago.
"It was you!"
Facing Wu Haihua’s heaven-scorching glare, Chen Ping’an seemed utterly unfazed.
"Yes, it was me."
A harmless, innocent smile appeared on his face as he said, "Take him away!"
"Yes, my lord."
The Prison Guard shouted his assent and hauled Wu Haihua inside.
