Chapter 1623: Chapter 1925: Zhu Family Visit (2)
"What happened afterward?" Ling Chen asked.
"Later, the Family Head came up with an idea. He found a young woman from the Zhu Family and arranged for He Honggang to marry into the Zhu Family. In this way, although He Honggang still had a different surname, he could be considered family. Since then, the Zhu Family Master has focused all his energy on He Honggang, aiming to cultivate him into the most formidable assassin. In just a decade or more, He Honggang did not disappoint, becoming the youngest assassin on the Heavenly List from the Zhu Family. However, unexpectedly for the Zhu Family Master, the day after He Honggang was promoted to the Heavenly List assassin, he disappeared. At that time, the Zhu Family Master ordered the entire Zhu Family to search for He Honggang’s whereabouts. But, He Honggang was an assassin trained by the Zhu Family and a master on the Heavenly List; if he wanted to hide his tracks, even the Zhu Family couldn’t find him."
"In the following two years, He Honggang remained completely silent. At the same time, an extremely powerful assassin emerged in the martial arts world. This assassin was unique in that he only targeted members of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. In just two years, over thirty members of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion were killed in secret. Because of this, the entire Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion was outraged and even issued a Heavenly Mechanism Order, calling for the entire martial arts world to hunt down the assassin. The person assassinating the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion members was none other than the assassin painstakingly cultivated by the Zhu Family, He Honggang. Even though He Honggang was personally very strong and skilled at hiding his tracks, when faced with the entire martial arts world’s siege, he was inevitably discovered. Late one night, just before dawn, an unexpected guest suddenly arrived at the Zhu Family. When the Zhu Family Master received the notification, he immediately rushed over and found that the unexpected guest was He Honggang."
"At that time, He Honggang was covered in wounds, and his clothes were stained with blood. Later, the Zhu Family learned that He Honggang had broken through the siege of dozens of martial arts masters to come to the Zhu Family seeking help. However, the Zhu Family never intervenes in any martial arts disputes; moreover, He Honggang’s actions had already angered the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. If the Zhu Family shelters He Honggang, it will inevitably invite misunderstanding and revenge from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. After careful consideration, the Zhu Family Master abandoned rescuing He Honggang and instead expelled the battered man from the Zhu Family, leaving him to fend for himself. From then on, the Zhu Family severed ties with He Honggang completely. The decision was not due to the Zhu Family’s ruthlessness but for self-preservation. After all, the Zhu Family has over a hundred members and cannot make enemies with the entire martial arts world over one outsider."
"Later, the Zhu Family Master learned from some martial artists that He Honggang’s father had killed several people in the martial arts world, leading to Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s wanted list and pursuit. After his father was killed, the young He Honggang was obsessed with revenge but lacked the ability. Thus, he chose to enter the Zhu Family’s Outer Sect, hoping to learn some killing techniques. As a result, his hard work and talent caught the attention of the Family Head. Our Zhu Family are assassins, not killers; all of He Honggang’s actions violated the ancestral teachings of the Zhu Family. Therefore, someone like him must be expelled. Because of this, the Zhu Family strengthened the control over outsiders, no matter how talented they were, they would not be introduced to the Inner Sect."
After listening to Zhu Qian’s retelling, Ling Chen curiously asked, "What about He Honggang? What happened to him in the end?"
Zhu Qian shook his head and said, "No one knows how He Honggang ended up, but three years after He Honggang was expelled from the Zhu Family, the Zhu Family received a generous gift every year, signed by the Dark Pavilion. That’s why when you mentioned the Dark Pavilion just now, we were so surprised. Combining what you said before, if I’m not mistaken, He Honggang should have secretly founded the Dark Pavilion after he left the Zhu Family. He is a Heavenly List assassin cultivated with innumerable resources by the Zhu Family and mastered all the family’s skills. Using these skills, he could train countless assassins." At this point, Zhu Qian couldn’t help but sigh, "Ultimately, this was all caused by the Zhu Family. If the Zhu Family hadn’t valued him, none of this would have happened."
"Family Head, is there any chance that He Honggang is still alive?"
"Impossible!" Zhu Houchang replied, "That happened more than a hundred years ago; no matter how long He Honggang’s lifespan was, he couldn’t live for that long."
Impossible? Ling Chen shook his head silently. In the past, he might have believed Zhu Houchang. But since he personally saw Ling Gengqiu, Su Cheng’en, and He Zhishen, many things changed his mind. Even without mentioning Ling Gengqiu and Su Cheng’en, figures like Golden Dragon, Wang Teng, Dan Xuzi, and Master Hui Yun—none of them weren’t over a hundred years old. Once cultivation reaches a certain realm, longevity is indeed possible, just not possessing immortality like Ling Gengqiu.
This visit to the Zhu Family was initially to clarify the Netherworld Snake matter, but unexpectedly revealed the origins of the Dark Pavilion.
"Ling Chen, I know you traveled far to reach the Zhu Family this time, but unfortunately, we are powerless regarding the Netherworld Snake, and our information on it is limited to several hundred years ago."
"Family Head, you are too kind; knowing this much already leaves me satisfied."
Checking the time, Ling Chen realized this conversation had lasted several hours, nearing midnight.
"Mr. Ling, it’s getting late, let me arrange a room for you to rest," Zhu Houchang stood up to say.
"Okay, thank you."
Shortly thereafter, Ling Chen was shown to a comfortable guest room. The Zhu Family estate is very large, housing over a hundred people. On the east side of the estate, several rows of bungalows were built for people to live in. As a guest, Ling Chen could only be placed in the outermost room because this is the Zhu Familia’s rule: maintaining caution with outsiders, regardless of how prestigious the guest’s status was, no exceptions.
Thankfully, Ling Chen isn’t particularly picky about accommodations as long as he has a place to sleep.
And so, the night passed quietly.
The next morning, Ling Chen got up on time at 7:30, washed up, and went out. Zhu Qing greeted him.
"Morning!" Ling Chen cheerfully greeted.
"Let’s go, I’ll take you for breakfast first, then show you around. Since you’re here at the Zhu Family, why not stay a few more days?"
Ling Chen nodded and said, "Sure, it’d be nice to see the elite assassins of the Zhu Family."
"That might not be possible as you wish. The Zhu Family never allows outsiders to observe Inner Sect disciple training."
Upon hearing this, Ling Chen shrugged and said, "Then forget it. This is your territory, I’ll just follow your arrangements."
During breakfast, Ling Chen found the large restaurant only occupied by him and Zhu Qing, feeling a bit strange, "Where are the others? Why is it just the two of us?"
