Pursuing the Killer (Part One)

Stepping out of Chen Xiaojun's quiet courtyard, Chen Cong leisurely watched Chen Yu, his gaze carrying a hint of appraisal.

He slowly spoke, his voice tinged with amusement. "That torrent of words you unleashed just now, pushing Xiaojun to make a decision—you're not really planning to take that risk, are you?"

"Xiao Yi is indeed the best candidate, but she's unconscious and can't absorb it on her own. The risks involved are truly hard to predict."

"Compared with the completely risk-free Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, if something really goes wrong with the Yin Yang Two-Life Flower, and this genius who stands shoulder to shoulder with Xiaojun meets with mishap, how are we supposed to answer to the Green Vine Clan?"

"Not to mention, behind her is that god whose whereabouts are uncertain and whose attitude is unclear."

Chen Yu rolled his eyes lightly, as though he disdained Chen Cong's worries. "Would I be that careless? When the time comes, we can do this and that..."

He leaned closer to Chen Cong and whispered in his ear, a subtle smile appearing on his face.

After hearing it, Chen Cong looked as if enlightenment had struck him. He immediately gave a thumbs-up. "You really are black-bellied. Brilliant, truly brilliant! I'm impressed, impressed!"

Chen Yu remained unmoved. He glanced at Chen Cong and said flatly, "Put away that face of yours. It's too fake."

Chen Cong smiled faintly, and the atmosphere between the two of them suddenly sank, turning somewhat subtle.

Chen Cong changed the subject and asked, "Xiaojun's Fish Intestine Sword has been unsealed and evolved, and his soul ring has also broken through to ten thousand years. What do you plan to do next?"

Chen Yu frowned slightly and said, "That really is a tricky problem. How strong is Xiaojun now?"

Chen Cong pondered for a moment, then said, "His regular combat strength is already at the Soul Ancestor level. If he uses his major moves, he can match a Soul King's combat strength, and can even clash head-on with a Soul Emperor for a few exchanges."

He did not continue, nor did he mention going into Burst Mode and risking his life, because that was meaningless.

Chen Yu picked up the thread. "That strength might count as decent within the academy, but if he walks through the Soul Master World, he's still lacking some seasoning. For now, let him grow under our noses. We'll talk again in a couple of years."

Chen Cong nodded and grumbled, "Then what about Soul Fighting Academy? That old fellow Xue Tianming runs to the village every year. His little schemes are written all over his face."

Chen Yu let out a long sigh. "I'm worrying over that matter too."

"Soul Fighting City is crowded and chaotic, with all sorts mixed together. Xiaojun has also awakened a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. I really am a little uneasy."

"Besides, we're thousands of li away from Soul Fighting City. Our reach falls short. Even with Xi Yuan there, it would be hard to cover everything."

Chen Cong's brows were also tightly furrowed. "Exactly. With Xiaojun's current strength, in a place like Soul Fighting City, even protecting himself would be a problem. He's still young and hasn't experienced the dangers of the Soul Master World. And if assassins appear again, I'm afraid..."

The two exchanged a glance, and a trace of worry showed in both their eyes.

Chen Yu sighed softly. "Still, in a few years, Xiaojun will be stronger, and we'll have much more manpower available too. Let nature take its course."

Then a chill flashed through Chen Yu's eyes. "As for those assassins... Unbenevolent Tower, to think they dared to strike at our direct line. Heh!"

Chen Cong looked at him and said lightly, as if it were nothing, "What are you planning to do? They've already run."

Chen Yu slanted him a smile. "The priest may run, but can the temple run too?"

Two days later, on the tenth day of the seventh month, the warm sun shone at an angle, casting mottled light and shadow.

Cheng Yun and Xia Ying walked with brisk steps into the main hall of the Chen Residence and reported the investigation results of this assassination attempt to Chen Yu and Chen Cong.

Chen Xiaojun sat quietly to the side as well, listening in with them.

Cheng Yun's expression was grave. She took a deep breath and spoke solemnly. "Yu Ye, Grandpa Cong, after these three days of investigation and analysis, we have basically locked onto the mastermind who hired assassins to kill."

When Chen Cong heard this, his brows rose slightly. His sharp gaze swept over Cheng Yun's face, and he asked in a low voice, "Was it Heavenly Wolf Gate?"

"Exactly." Cheng Yun nodded, inwardly sighing that Grandpa Cong was indeed Grandpa Cong, with extraordinary intelligence.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Chen Cong's mouth. "Good."

Chen Yu, however, was more concerned with the cause and motive behind the incident. He pressed, "Why them? The reason?!"

Cheng Yun smoothed her hair and explained, "For this analysis, we used the process of elimination."

"First, this assassination attempt was clearly aimed at Young Master personally. If it was hostility toward our Chen Clan, the target would not have been limited to Young Master Xiao Jun alone, while the other young masters and misses remained safe and sound."

She paused and looked around. Seeing that everyone was listening intently, she continued, "Second, Young Master is still young. The range of buyers who would harbor such deep hatred toward him that they would hire a large-scale, high-grade group of assassins is actually very narrow."

She went on with her analysis. "Since Young Master was born, there have only been three occasions where his actions truly drew attention: the small Beast Tide in Vast Sea City, Ji Liu's engagement banquet, and this round-robin battle at Chang'an Academy."

"However, the incident at Chang'an Academy can be ruled out, because there wasn't enough time to arrange the assassination plan."

Cheng Yun spoke while moving, her gestures rising and falling with her words. "Next to rule out is the Crimson Church."

"Although Young Master played a certain role in the Crimson Church's two major operations, that was far from Grandpa Cong's decisive influence."

"If it really was the Crimson Church making a move, their primary target should have been Grandpa Cong, not Young Master; or else they would have used Young Master as bait to draw out Grandpa Cong and attack them together."

"Taking ten thousand steps back, even if their target was only Young Master, with their style of doing things, they would certainly have sent a Titled Douluo-level expert to intercept Grandpa Cong."

"But the fact is, on Grandpa Cong's way to reinforce Young Master, he encountered no interception at all."

Finally, she paused, then said in a low voice, "Also, with the Crimson Church's methods, they would not choose to hire Unbenevolent Tower to hide their tracks."

"Moreover, the entire city is searching for them right now, so they're lying low. If they want to make a move, there will be plenty of chances later. They wouldn't rush for a single moment."

Her words were tightly reasoned and clearly organized, worthy of someone who oversaw intelligence for an entire region. Everyone nodded one after another in agreement.

After listening, Chen Yu nodded with a deep look in his eyes. "Continue."

Cheng Yun's brows relaxed, and she continued pondering as she analyzed, "So, since it wasn't a preemptive encirclement to kill him, the only reasonable explanation left is revenge."

Chen Xiaojun was taken aback. He had not expected this reason. "Revenge?"

He muttered inwardly. Aside from the Crimson Church, he had no enemies. The Sailfish Tribe was even more impossible; they had all been absorbed.

Cheng Yun continued, "Young Master, do you still remember the day we swept through the Ghost Wolf Gang, the Red Sand Gang, and the Wandering Dragon Gang?"

Chen Xiaojun nodded, then could not help pausing for a moment, as if recalling the scene from that day.

Cheng Yun went on explaining, "A few days ago, Young Master led the people of the residence in sweeping through the gangs in southwest Chang'an City to expand the Medicinal Materials Market's territory. Ah Ying and I were also present at the time."

"It's possible that among those destroyed gangs, some of their members, or the forces behind them, nursed resentment and triggered this series of reprisals."