Chapter 169: Chapter 169: One move to take your life
"Xiaole, as half a disciple of the Will Sect, couldn’t I come see you?"
Shangguan Xing feigned anger but couldn’t help laughing.
"Please, come in."
Shi Xiaole stepped aside.
As the saying goes, you don’t smack a smiling face, especially since relations between him and Will Sect were good. Most importantly, Shi Xiaole was curious about Whale Lake Gang’s ’silence’, and after some detective work, he found out that Will Sect had secretly lent him a hand.
As for Shangguan Yan, who was sent out to assassinate him, their relationship hadn’t reached that point where he could expect Will Sect to openly support him.
"Xiaole, you’ve been carefree. The martial world has gone mad looking for you. Ha ha ha, but the ’gossip-free’ group did you a favor by not accepting your case,"
Shangguan Xing laughed heartily but was filled with emotion.
He had underestimated Shi Xiaole, or else, he would have offered even stronger friendly gestures.
The four of them sat down, and after exchanging some polite small talk, Shangguan Xing continued, "No one climbs the Three-Baoding without a purpose. There are two important matters I need to tell you about."
"Oh, please speak, Sect Master Shangguan. I’m all ears."
Shangguan Xing glanced at the kindly old man, who laughed, "I’m the Eighth Elder of the Will Sect. Little Xiaole, do you know I was the best friend of your late master, the Sixth Elder? I decided to come see you after returning from my wanderings."
"Pleased to meet you, Eighth Elder."
Shi Xiaole quickly rose and cupped his hands in salute.
The Eighth Elder smiled, "If the Sixth Elder knew he had such an accomplished disciple, he would rest peacefully in the underworld. I heard you’re curious about the Sixth Elder’s past, and I can provide some information."
"Before becoming a victim, the Sixth Elder confided to me that he was going after someone named He Bugui, and then meeting a couple."
A couple?
Hiding his sudden tension behind an air of indifference, Shi Xiaole calmly asked, "Do you know where that couple was from? It might help unravel the cause of Sixth Elder’s death."
The Eighth Elder shook his head, saying, "The couple was said to come from the Yunfeng Domain. Sadly, despite secretly investigating for all these years, I still have no leads."
Of course, Shi Xiaole had heard of the Yunfeng Domain.
Actually, it was one of the ten major regions in Qingxue State and was much more prosperous than his Floating River Area, both in terms of territory and flourishing activity.
With only the name of the Yunfeng Domain, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
As for buying information from intelligence organizations, none of them could be omnipotent. If they were so powerful, the Flying Horse Dynasty would not allow them to exist.
"Nevertheless, I won’t give up."
Shi Xiaole muttered to himself.
The trio from Will Sect assumed he was talking about avenging the Sixth Elder and were moved by his determination.
Shangguan Xing cleared his throat, "Xiaole, there’s another thing you’re more interested in. A few days ago, the Whale Lake Gang made some new moves and upon investigating, we discovered that Jiang Zhenglin has sent someone to the Cloud Triangle."
As soon as Shangguan Xing finished speaking, a cold, murderous aura engulfed the room, as though invisible swords were cutting the air, shocking Shangguan Xing and his companions.
With their martial arts skill, they wouldn’t be overwhelmed by Shi Xiaole’s aura, but they had never felt such pure, sharp murderous intent before.
Seeing the cold glint in Shi Xiaole’s eyes, Shangguan Xing hastily said, "Don’t worry, Xiaole. The Whale Lake Gang didn’t succeed. Your aunt caught them."
Saying this, he showed a strange look.
Shi Xiaole blinked, then it dawned on him.
Men are not welcomed.
Before he left, he had taught his aunt a unique martial art. Given her talents, her skills must’ve greatly improved. He was just shaken by his personal worries.
But what if Jiang Zhenglin himself took action next time? As a first-tier Xuanqi practitioner, he might outmatch his aunt. And after Whale Lake Gang’s attempt, there’s no guarantee that other sects wouldn’t follow suit, such as the Iron Bone Sect.
The room was full of the killing intent emanating from Shi Xiaole, who slowly lowered his gaze.
"Xiaole," Shangguan Xing dropped his scholarly demeanor, his voice hard, "Knowing Jiang Zhenglin, he won’t give up, so it’s best to strike first. Therefore, the Will Sect is willing to lend you a hand and eradicate the Whale Lake Gang!"
Even among the first-tier powers, there are differences.
Will Sect, with four Xuanqi realm masters holding the fort, was among the top-tier forces, whereas Whale Lake Gang, with just Jiang Zhenglin as their Xuanqi practitioner, was a mid-tier power. Eliminating them would require some effort at most.
"What does Will Sect want in return?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
He wasn’t foolish enough to believe they would simply help him out of the goodness of their hearts.
With a look of admiration and sincerity, Shangguan Xing said, "Xiaole, I hope you will join the Will Sect."
The value of a top talent to a sect was immense.
Perhaps it wasn’t apparent at this moment, but Shangguan Xing believed that in a mere decade, Shi Xiaole would be able to stand on his own. By that time, with Yan’er by his side, the Will Sect could potentially become a top-tier power.
Of course, Shangguan Xing’s judgement was not based solely on talent. He valued character more significantly. Through his observations, he found that his outward appearance was aloof, but he was kind and righteous at heart, undoubtedly a reliable candidate for important roles.
"What has the Whale Lake Gang been up to recently?"
"As my Will Sect has been following them all the way to the Cloud Triangle, when we obtained the results we quickly returned, so Jiang Zhenglin has not yet received the news."
Shi Xiaole nodded, "Sect Master Shangguan, may I consider for two days?"
"Of course, we shall return in two days."
Shangguan Xing laughed, if the other party agreed immediately, he might have had some doubts. Now, he is ninety percent sure that the other party will make the most correct choice.
After sending off Shangguan Xing and the others, Shi Xiaole opened the window.
Join the Will Sect?
He never thought of it.
Attitude determines actions. Joining a martial sect indeed provides support, but it also creates restrictions. Shi Xiaole did not like the feeling of being bound. Instead of joining a Sect, he would prefer to create his own sect, doing as he saw fit.
The present issue was how to kill one to warn a hundred, dispelling the unrealistic fantasies of some people.
His mind entered the system, and Shi Xiaole quickly came up with a plan.
A day later, he left the inn alone. To avoid any misunderstanding, the Will Sect did not assign anyone to monitor Shi Xiaole, hence they were unaware of his actions.
Zhongshan City was far from the Whale Lake Gang’s territory. Fortunately, the Floating River Area and the Cloud Triangle were even further away. So, when Shi Xiaole arrived at the Whale Lake Gang’s place, Jiang Zhenglin had not received the news yet.
The biggest reason was that he had thoroughly investigated the Golden Phoenix Tower and did not believe there was any chance of failure, so his guard was unconsciously lowered.
The Whale Lake Gang, in the largest building at the center.
"How is the kid?"
Jiang Zhenglin stroked his jade thumb ring, asking sinisterly.
"Leader, we have already discovered the whereabouts of the kid. A few days ago, he even contacted the Will Sect."
The man in black across him responded.
Bang!
Jiang Zhenglin smashed the table beside him and shouted angrily, "Damn Will Sect, without them obstructing, that kid would have been killed by me long ago! Wait, why didn’t you report this news earlier? Quickly send people to the Cloud Triangle, I fear there might be a change!"
As expected of a veteran gang leader, Jiang Zhenglin grasped the key point just from the Will Sect contacting Shi Xiaole.
After thinking, he instructed, "Immediately contact the Iron Bone Sect and tell them that the leader of the Gang has important matters to discuss."
With this roadblock like the Will Sect, the vengeance plan couldn’t proceed. If so, why not add the Iron Bone Sect too. Dark Alley never said that he couldn’t touch the people around Shi Xiaole.
Originally, Jiang Zhenglin didn’t want to join forces with the Iron Bone Sect. After all, the latter was not a good party to deal with, but he had no choice now.
"Shi, you killed my son. Now, I will target your aunt! It’s said your aunt is quite beautiful. Hehe, I will let my 1238 members of the Whale Lake Gang take turns serving her, oh wait, that includes the tough men from the Iron Bone Sect."
"If that woman can survive, I will sell her to the dirtiest brothel in the Floating River Area. I will pay daily for the ugliest person to play with her, and also put a label on her forehead, ’Shi Xiaole’s Aunt’. Hahaha, what can you do to me?"
At the thought of this, Jiang Zhenglin couldn’t help but burst into a fit of laughter, his eyes bursting with excitement.
Bang, bang.
At this moment, there was suddenly a fighting noise in the surroundings, followed by piercing screams.
Jiang Zhenglin and the man in black stopped laughing and hurriedly ran out. When they saw, they were utterly stunned, their anger like a raging fire.
It turns out that a large group of masked men charged in at some unknown time and were fighting with the Whale Lake Gang’s experts. These people seemed to be assassins with remarkable footwork, their moves were bizarre and deadly accurate.
Under their feet, bodies were strewn all over, all were the patrolling experts of the Whale Lake Gang.
In addition to this, even the top experts of the Whale Lake Gang were tied down.
"Who are the intruders!"
Jiang Zhenglin roared, and he and the man in black launched themselves toward the battleground.
"Jiang Zhenglin, your time of death is near."
A soft voice whispered into his ear.
Jiang Zhenglin looked up to see a mysterious man wearing a wide black cloak and a straw hat with a veil standing on the eaves in the distance. He could not see the man’s face or figure, who seemed to be watching him.
The mysterious man was naturally Shi Xiaole.
After the battle in Dark Alley, he had won millions of taels of silver and could naturally afford to hire assassins. However, he only instructed the assassins to entangle the others, lest they be forced to reveal their killing skills prematurely.
Jiang Zhenglin, he wanted to resolve him personally. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be enough to warn the jackals of the Martial World.
"You hide behind a mask, unwilling to show yourself. Are you afraid of being seen? If you have the guts, show your true self. If there are grievances of the past, I, Jiang am willing to apologize and admit my mistakes."
Shi Xiaole was disguised differently than when he killed Xue Ang, so even though Jiang Zhenglin had heard about the appearance of the murderer from Xue Ang’s three attendants, he still couldn’t recognize him.
And the three attendants had already been fed to the dogs, they could not possibly recognize Shi Xiaole’s disguised voice.
Jiang Zhenglin was very cunning. Seeing that he couldn’t figure out Shi Xiaole’s methods, he planned to make peace.
"You dared to deceive my disciple Shi Xiaole, I have nothing further to discuss. Today, I take your dog life in one move."
Shi Xiaole said in a hoarse voice.
