Driving Off Wolves, Bringing in Tigers and Leopards?

It was the latter half of the night.

Only then did Lin Pingzhi return to the Fuwei Escort Agency.

The Mountain God Temple was not too far from Fuzhou City, but Lin Pingzhi feared running into an ambush by the Qingcheng Sect along the way, so he proceeded with utmost caution.

Only after stepping back into the escort agency compound did he finally let out a breath of relief.

Lin Zhennan and Madam Wang, having learned that their son had returned, hurried into the courtyard as well.

Seeing that Lin Pingzhi was safe and sound, the husband and wife finally relaxed.

"Pingzhi, where did you go? You vanished for an entire night and had your father and me worried sick," Madam Wang asked, her tone sounding faintly reproachful.

Lin Zhennan wore the same concerned expression as he stared at Lin Pingzhi.

Under normal circumstances, they would not have worried too much if Lin Pingzhi failed to return for a night.

But now was a dangerous time, with Qingcheng Sect experts coming to their door seeking vengeance.

In just a day or two, dozens of people from the escort agency had already died. How could they not worry?

Moved by this, Lin Pingzhi said somewhat chokedly, "Father, Mother, I'm fine. Tonight, I went out to seek the help of an expert. He'll come to the escort agency tomorrow and help us deal with Yu Canghai."

Afterward, Lin Pingzhi told Lin Zhennan and Madam Wang everything about how he had paid five hundred taels of silver as a deposit to hire Su Chen to deal with Yu Canghai.

After hearing this, Lin Zhennan frowned. "An expert?"

As the biggest local power in Fuzhou City, he knew every martial artist in the area with even a little reputation. Where could there possibly be an expert capable of dealing with Yu Canghai?

With that thought, Lin Zhennan had already formed a guess. Most likely, his foolish son had been swindled.

However, this was not the time to lecture his son. Yu Canghai was coming with fierce momentum and seemed intent on wiping out the entire family. Escaping for their lives was the urgent matter now.

"Pingzhi, hurry and pack your things. We'll set off overnight for Luoyang and seek your grandfather's protection," Lin Zhennan urged.

This was the plan he and Madam Wang had settled on after discussing it.

Lin Pingzhi's maternal grandfather was named Wang Yuanba. He was the head of Luoyang's Golden Saber Sect, known as the Invincible Golden Saber. Both his martial arts and family standing were formidable. If he stepped forward to protect them, Yu Canghai would most likely have no choice but to give up.

"That's right, Pingzhi. I'll pack with you. We'll leave at once for Luoyang to find your grandfather," Madam Wang said as she grabbed Lin Pingzhi and began pulling him toward the house.

But Lin Pingzhi grew anxious and shook free of Madam Wang's hand. "Father, Mother, I've already found an expert to help us. Why do we still need to run?"

Looking at Lin Pingzhi's stubborn face, Lin Zhennan could not help but sigh inwardly.

Lin Pingzhi had been protected too well these past years—perhaps even too well—to the point that he now knew nothing of the treachery in people's hearts.

Lin Zhennan understood that if he did not explain things clearly to Lin Pingzhi tonight, the boy would remain stubborn to the bitter end and refuse to leave.

With this in mind, Lin Zhennan's expression turned solemn. "Pingzhi, have you considered whether this expert you spoke of might be deceiving you?"

Lin Pingzhi looked confused and deeply puzzled.

Lin Zhennan could only patiently explain, "You know that martial artists' cultivation realms, from low to high, are ranked from Ninth Rank to First Rank. Above First Rank come Minor Grandmaster, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, Immortal of the Land, and Celestial."

"That Yu Canghai is at the Minor Grandmaster realm. It may not sound particularly impressive, but he is unquestionably formidable beyond measure, beyond the reach of ordinary people."

"Our escort agency is based in Fuzhou and operates across ten provinces. Our influence is not small, yet the strongest martial artist in the agency is your father, and even now I am only at the Second Rank. Let alone becoming a Minor Grandmaster, if I have the chance to reach First Rank in this lifetime, that would already be a heaven-shaking blessing."

Lin Pingzhi's expression shifted uncertainly. Only now did he understand just how powerful a Minor Grandmaster truly was.

"If the expert you mentioned can really deal with Yu Canghai, he must at the very least be a Minor Grandmaster. But do you think that is possible? If there truly were a Minor Grandmaster in Fuzhou, how could you and I have heard nothing about him before?"

At the request of our many readers, the VIP Member Ad-Free Function is now available.

Click to view

Lin Pingzhi's face turned pale, and his resolve wavered, though he still argued, "I saw him make a move with my own eyes tonight. He sat cross-legged without moving, yet with a single slash, he split open a Mountain God Temple—the one on the barren mountain outside the city..."

Lin Zhennan was startled upon hearing this.

In the martial world, aside from actual duels with real blades and weapons, another of the most common standards for judging a martial artist's strength was the number of suits of armor they could break through.

Generally speaking, a First Rank expert could break through around ten suits of armor.

Minor Grandmasters varied in strength, but the number of suits of armor they could pierce through in one breath generally ranged from several dozen to a hundred.

Lin Zhennan knew of that Mountain God Temple on the barren mountain outside the city. Though its exterior had long fallen into disrepair, its structure was still solid.

A martial artist capable of splitting that Mountain God Temple apart with a single slash could certainly break through several dozen suits of armor with one blow.

"So the man Pingzhi spoke of really might be a Minor Grandmaster..."

Yet when this occurred to him, Lin Zhennan's expression did not improve. Instead, it grew even uglier.

One had to know that Yu Canghai was no ordinary Minor Grandmaster. He was the temple master of Qingcheng Songfeng Temple, backed by the great tree that was the Qingcheng Sect. The force behind him was immense.

An ordinary Minor Grandmaster would not dare risk offending the Qingcheng Sect by opposing Yu Canghai.

And even if someone dared to oppose Yu Canghai, they would never do so for the sake of a mere sum of silver.

"The man Pingzhi mentioned must have some other scheme. Perhaps he came for my Lin family's Bixie Sword Manual..."

In Lin Zhennan's view, the only thing in the Fuwei Escort Agency that could attract a Minor Grandmaster was the Bixie Sword Manual.

Lin Zhennan told Lin Pingzhi of his suspicions.

"Pingzhi, what if we drive off the wolves only to bring in tigers and leopards? The end of our Lin family will only be even uglier..."

Listening to his father's account, Lin Pingzhi's face turned deathly pale.

"Pingzhi, you are still young, your thoughts simple. It is understandable that you did not think of this," Madam Wang consoled him. "Right now, we must hurry and pack our things, then leave Fuzhou. Once we safely weather this calamity, your father can teach you the ways of the martial world."

This time, Lin Pingzhi did not argue. He nodded blankly and went with Madam Wang to pack their things.

By the time everything was ready, dawn had already broken.

Lin Zhennan gathered the remaining hundred-odd men of the escort agency, split them into two groups, and left Fuzhou City.

Everyone else from the escort agency headed north. Only Lin Pingzhi's family of three left the city by the southern gate.

The family galloped at a frenzied run for roughly half a day. Around noon, they arrived near a pine forest.

At the edge of the woods stood a small roadside inn built against the mountain. The three members of the Lin family were just about to enter to rest and eat.

But at that moment, four men burst from the forest, each with a white cloth wrapped around his head and dressed in the fashion of Sichuan.

These four were none other than Yu Canghai's four favored disciples: Hou Renying, Hong Renxiong, Yu Renhao, and Luo Renjie, collectively known as the Four Talents of Qingcheng.

The Four Talents of Qingcheng all wore cold sneers as they stared at Lin Pingzhi's family of three.

"Damn it, you three turtle sons—your grandpas have been waiting a fine long while for you."

Lin Zhennan and the other two changed color abruptly, horror rising in their hearts as they turned to flee.

But it was already too late. The Four Talents of Qingcheng were agile of form and swift as the wind. With a single charge, they cut off the Lin family's path, then drew their weapons and fought the three of them.

Lin Zhennan and his family resisted with all their strength, but their martial arts were lacking. After only several dozen exchanges, all three were defeated and captured.

"You three turtle sons, your grandpas are taking you to see my Master now." Cursing as they went, the Four Talents of Qingcheng escorted the three toward Yu Canghai's lodging.

If you enjoy this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you will not have trouble finding it next time.