Chapter 1622: Chapter 1924: Journey to the Zhu Family (1)
"Afterwards, with the establishment of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, its first Pavilion Master, Su Cheng’en, allied with several major Martial Arts forces to launch a siege against the Netherworld Snake that lasted several months. At that time, our Zhu Family also sent people to participate. According to the records of the Zhu Family, although that siege was victorious, all other Martial Arts forces except for the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion suffered heavy losses. It is precisely because of this that the newly established Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion could become the overlord of the Martial Arts world within just over a decade."
Hearing this, Ling Chen felt a stir in his heart and asked in surprise, "Family Head, are you trying to say..."
Zhu Qian waved his hand to stop Ling Chen’s words and said, "I didn’t say anything. The fact that the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion remained intact could be a coincidence, or it could be because of its own formidable strength, which spared it from losses. In any case, after that, the Netherworld Snake disappeared from the Martial Arts scene. So, from any perspective, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion can be regarded as a benefactor. Besides, even if there are suspicions, what does it matter, it was all a few hundred years ago, who can investigate the truth now."
Ling Chen nodded and did not continue to inquire further. However, after hearing Zhu Qian talk about the events of that year, Ling Chen’s first thought was that the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion used improper means. Perhaps at that time, Su Cheng’en wanted to use the siege on the Netherworld Snake to weaken the strength of other forces in the Martial Arts world, so that the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion could stand out among the heroes and become the overlord of the Martial Arts world.
Under the guise of removing harm from the Martial Arts world, weakening competitors’ strength, this method fits very well with the style of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. It not only weakened competitors but also brought a good reputation for itself, a dual benefit. However, as Zhu Qian said, all these events happened a few hundred years ago, and there is no way to verify. Even if evidence is found, few people care now.
"Family Head, how much do you know about the Netherworld Snake?"
"The Netherworld Snake operates just like their name, fixating on their target like a venomous snake. As long as the target is not dead, they will not easily give up. Additionally, the Netherworld Snake picks out talented individuals from orphans for training. Each person is a killing machine without emotion, without their own thoughts, completely mechanical, obeying orders only. Therefore, assassins from the Netherworld Snake almost never betray; they will carry out orders even if it means their own death without hesitation."
Zhu Qian’s words reminded Ling Chen of Qiang; they matched Zhu Qian’s description closely.
"Family Head, has the Zhu Family heard any news about the Netherworld Snake in these hundred years?"
Zhu Qian shook his head and said, "No, I always thought the Netherworld Snake was extinguished. However, judging by your experience, they still exist, just lurking in some dark corner unnoticed. I imagine the people of the Netherworld Snake are also waiting for an opportunity."
"Opportunity?" Ling Chen asked, puzzled, "What opportunity?"
"Of course, the opportunity to rise again. As everyone knows, the current Martial Arts world is at a critical development stage, with various forces emerging and returning to the fold of the Martial Arts world. It won’t be long before the entire Martial Arts world will once again flourish like a hundred flowers blooming. However, as more and more forces rise, the order in the Martial Arts world will fall into chaos, and strife for fame and gain is inevitable. To the Netherworld Snake, this chaotic situation is their favorite."
Chaos!
Ling Chen frowned slightly; Zhu Qian’s words echoed those of Golden Dragon and Wang Teng. They all mentioned the word ’chaos.’ These people are veterans of the Martial Arts world, having seen both its glory and decline, so their words are highly credible.
As he contemplated, Zhu Qian picked up a wine bottle and poured a glass for Ling Chen. Seeing the gesture, Ling Chen quickly picked up the wine glass with both hands.
"Ling Chen, I heard from Qing that you were assassinated by the Netherworld Snake last night?"
"That’s right! The people of the Netherworld Snake have set their sights on me. Family Head, to be honest, I’ve never felt afraid like this in my life, always needing to have Sir Chen with me wherever I go, fearing that members of the Netherworld Snake might suddenly appear." Speaking of last night’s events, Ling Chen still had lingering fears; the man in black sent by the Netherworld Snake was too formidable.
"You must be careful. You survived an assassination by the Netherworld Snake, so they will certainly spare no effort to deal with you; this is the rule of the Netherworld Snake."
"Family Head, a few hundred years ago, the Zhu Family and the Netherworld Snake were rivals. Where do you think they might be hiding?"
"It’s hard to say. You saw it when you came in, the Zhu Family is extremely cautious, never revealing its position to outsiders. The Netherworld Snake has been silent for so many years; they are likely even more cautious than our Zhu Family. However, I think you could check their former headquarters; perhaps it has been reactivated."
Ling Chen’s eyes lit up, nodding, "I am completely in the dark now, with no clues to go on. I will try anything if there’s a glimmer of hope."
"I’ll tell you the former address of the Netherworld Snake when the time comes; you can take a look." Saying this, Zhu Qian raised his glass, "Come, let’s drink first."
Zhu Qian held his liquor well, finishing two bottles of white wine with his face unchanged. Satisfied with food and drink, Ling Chen suddenly remembered something and asked, "Family Head, I’d like to ask you something, do you know of the Dark Pavilion?"
"The Dark Pavilion?"
Zhu Qian and Zhu Houchang exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.
Zhu Houchang looked at Ling Chen and asked, "Where did you hear about the Dark Pavilion?"
"Recently, during the Martial Arts Tournament hosted by the Martial Arts Association, the Dark Pavilion sent people to create chaos, thankfully we stopped it in time before major disasters struck." Ling Chen recounted what happened during the Martial Arts Tournament briefly. Finally, he looked at Zhu Qian and Zhu Houchang, and asked, "From your tone, it seems you know about the Dark Pavilion."
Zhu Houchang nodded, "To be honest, we do know about the Dark Pavilion. In fact, it has quite a connection with our Zhu Family."
Hearing this, Ling Chen was taken aback. The fact that the Dark Pavilion is connected to the Zhu Family was something he didn’t expect.
"This matter goes back many years ago," Zhu Qian began, "Our Zhu Family ancestors once served the royal family and later became a family of assassins, passed down to this day. The Zhu Family is divided into an outer and inner sect; the outer sect consists of disciples without the Zhu Family surname, while only those with Zhu Family blood can become Inner Sect Disciples and receive the best training. At that time, the Zhu Family’s outer sect recruited a disciple with a different surname, named He Honggang, who was a very talented person. What took others four or five years to complete, he only took less than a year. He Honggang was extremely diligent; although he had extraordinary talent, he was never arrogant and worked even harder than others. All of this was seen by the Zhu Family Master. The Family Master cherished talent and wanted to invite He Honggang into the Inner Sect for systematic training, to make him an excellent assassin. However, He Honggang was an outsider, and even the Family Master could not break the rules."
