Chapter 138: Chapter 137: Relationship
「Three days later.」
The members of the White Tiger Sect and the Black Tortoise Sect gathered together.
Inside a room, Elder Xu Ji of the Black Tortoise Sect and another middle-aged man sat in the seats of honor.
This man had a full, thick beard and a square, stately face. His eyes were bright and piercing, and he was brimming with a fierce vitality. Every movement he made carried a coarse, wild aura.
This was Peng Weishan, the resident Elder of the White Tiger Sect in Jinmen.
Shi Huai’an and Fan Shiyan were currently seated in the secondary positions.
"Xu, our two sects are like branches of the same tree now. Since we’re all family, there’s no need for formalities. Recently, my White Tiger Sect pulled some strings and obtained some intelligence on this Zhao Xuanqi. Let’s exchange what we know."
Peng Weishan’s voice was exceptionally loud. As he spoke, the entire room seemed to vibrate slightly, making one’s ears ring as if a ferocious tiger were perpetually roaring right next to them.
As he spoke, he glanced at Fan Shiyan and gave him a look.
Fan Shiyan immediately produced some documents and began to speak. "Zhao Xuanqi, formerly known as Zhao Qi, was originally from Celestial Sea Prefecture in Yuehai Province. However, this is not his ancestral home; his specific origins are still under investigation. Two years ago, he and his sister fled to Celestial Sea and settled there. He later joined a local Tiger Form Fist Martial Arts Hall and was only formally initiated into its Secret Transmission about a year and a half ago. We’ve sent people to Celestial Sea Prefecture to verify this from multiple sources. Before his initiation, he truly had no foundation in any Secret Transmission. He was skinny, and he and his sister were even bullied by local thugs. He barely even passed the Martial Arts Hall’s entrance examination."
"But after his initiation, he grew at an incredible speed... He is currently on the Giant Spirit Army’s wanted list. The Secret Transmission he cultivates is not the one from that local Martial Arts Hall. As for his true origins, I’m afraid only he himself knows."
In just three short days, the White Tiger Sect had already investigated the general outline of Zhao Xuanqi’s background and origins. They had even looked into matters concerning him in Celestial Sea Prefecture with great clarity. It was obvious they had expended great effort and paid a high price.
"Based on the intelligence we have, the origin of the Secret Transmission he possesses is very peculiar. To be able to reach his current level of strength in less than a year and a half is simply baffling."
"I personally speculate there are only three ways he could have obtained this Secret Transmission. First, there’s something questionable about his family background, but if that were the case, he shouldn’t have reached sixteen without any contact with a Secret Transmission. Second, it could be his senior apprentice-brother, the survivor from the Southern Heaven Su Family. The last and most likely possibility is the organization backing him."
"So, what do you think we should do now? After that duel, the man has gone into hiding. He probably won’t show his face again until his injuries are fully healed. In my opinion, he’s most likely fled to one of the foreign concessions. It’ll be difficult to find him, but as long as we’re willing to pay the price, those foreign devils will do anything."
Peng Weishan said in a low voice.
"The intelligence we’ve gathered is not much different from yours. We are still investigating his specific background, but we have picked up one clue. The faction behind him is very likely the National Salvation Association."
Xu Ji said softly.
"The National Salvation Association?"
Upon hearing this, Peng Weishan’s brow furrowed slightly.
"That’s right. We stumbled upon this lead by chance. We have some business dealings with the Zhen Nan Chamber of Commerce."
Xu Ji said.
"I’m aware. If the National Salvation Association is behind him, things could get tricky. Both of our sects owe the Divine Martial Department of the National Salvation Association a favor."
Peng Weishan said grimly.
Over a decade ago, when the Daqian Dynasty fell, the Eight Great Sects, led by what are now the Eight Great Warlords, raised their banners. Heroes from all over the Divine Land flocked to their cause. Even the secluded Cyan Dragon Sect emerged from hiding, and naturally, the National Salvation Association was among them.
Unfortunately, after the great war and the fall of the Qian Dynasty, the Eight Great Sects immediately turned on each other, causing all sorts of trouble for their own interests. Back then, Lin Quelan, the Sect Leader of the Vermilion Bird Sect and current Military Commander of the Phoenix Army, tried to seize the opportunity. She sought to use force to coerce the Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise Sects, aiming to unify the Four Saints Sect under the Vermilion Bird Sect’s leadership. Her goal was to become the number one school in the Divine Land and contend with the Beidou Sect for control of Shangjing.
Her plan almost succeeded. Fortunately, a group of masters led by Yang Xun, the current head of the National Salvation Association’s Divine Martial Department, intervened. They managed to stop Lin Quelan and the Vermilion Bird Sect’s plan. Although the Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise Sects were still forced to hand over some of their core Secret Transmissions, they at least managed to preserve their individual schools.
Because of this, Lin Quelan harbored a deep grudge against the National Salvation Association. When the Eight Great Warlords joined forces to encircle and suppress the Association, she contributed the most effort. The crackdown on the National Salvation Association within the Phoenix Army’s territory was the most severe. This led to a situation where Zhao Qi’s parents were unable to escape and received no rescue from the Association, as its entire network within the Phoenix Army’s jurisdiction had been completely dismantled.
Therefore, both the Black Tortoise Sect and the White Tiger Sect actually owe the National Salvation Association a significant favor. To this day, they still maintain a certain level of business or Martial Dao-related dealings with them.
"It’s still unclear if the National Salvation Association has grasped the mysteries of that Fist Technique. After all, the Divine Martial Department has always been dedicated to collecting ancient Secret Transmissions."
Xu Ji said.
"If the National Salvation Association is involved, then we must carefully reconsider our approach to him."
Peng Weishan frowned.
"Actually, isn’t this a good thing? It’s always best if we can avoid resorting to violence. With the National Salvation Association connection, if we sincerely request a meeting and observe all the proper courtesies, he surely won’t refuse to see us, will he?"
Xu Ji said with a smile.
"Now that you put it that way, that does make sense."
Peng Weishan nodded slightly, his tightly knit brow relaxing a little.
...
...
「Half a month after Zhao Xuanqi’s duel with Wu Yin concluded.」
Somewhere in the Gaul Federation Concession.
With the help of the Golden Willow Jade Liquid, Zhao Xuanqi’s injuries had actually healed completely in only about five days.
The reason he hadn’t reappeared for half a month was twofold: on one hand, he was waiting for the commotion outside to die down and observing the situation; on the other, he wanted to use this time to continue improving his strength.
With his bodily control enhanced and the obstacles to his progress cleared, he had no reason to delay any longer.
At that moment, inside the house.
Zhao Xuanqi was coiled in the Turtle and Snake Form in the center of the room. The windows, doors, and various pieces of furniture had been specially reinforced, and the walls had been soundproofed. This was all to ensure that the terrifying disturbances he created during his training would not be detected by the outside world, which would expose his location.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Qi, Intent, Form, acupoints, Sound, and Force!
The Six-layered Training Method of the Black Tortoise Gangsha activated, and the roaring sound produced by the intense operation of his internal organs echoed ceaselessly throughout the room.
