Accident and Dumbfounded

"Hall Master?"

Golden Eagle Envoy Wang Zhen said in great surprise:

"You're not even one of the Three Heroes? What is Jin Haozhong doing?"

Lin Xiao pouted and didn't answer that. He just asked:

"Senior still hasn't told me, what's your relationship with the Great River Gang?"

Hearing this, Wang Zhen suddenly burst into laughter. Even Thunderclap Palm Xiao Yunzhong, who had retreated to the side, said speechlessly:

"Young man, you are already a Hall Master of the Great River Gang. Don't you know that the Great River Gang is a subordinate organization of Dushan Fortress?"

Lin Xiao: ...

"I haven't been in the gang for long, so I don't know these things."

"That's no wonder. Ordinary gang members don't know about this. Only the high-level and some mid-level members of the Great River Gang know."

The Golden Eagle Envoy looked at Lin Xiao with increasing fondness and said kindly:

"I never expected such a true dragon to emerge from the small pond of the Great River Gang. The Three Saber Techniques you practiced were all created by me back then. Besides the Great River Gang, only Dushan Fortress has them in the world. The moment I saw you use them, I knew you were connected to the Great River Gang, and it turns out to be true."

While the two were reminiscing, Thunderclap Palm Xiao Yunzhong was left to the side. However, this master didn't seem angry. Instead, he watched the two with great interest and said:

"Your Dushan Fortress is truly lucky. How come I haven't encountered such good fortune?"

Golden Eagle Envoy Wang Zhen stroked his beard and laughed heartily, looking very happy. The tense atmosphere of swords drawn and bows bent instantly disappeared. Lin Xiao, seeing that the two were no longer fighting, suddenly sighed, lamenting their cunning.

Golden Eagle Envoy Wang Zhen seemed to see his confusion and asked:

"Are you wondering why we didn't fight?"

"Yes."

He was truly curious.

Wang Zhen laughed and said:

"The reason is very simple, because he felt he had no chance of winning. My skill and his are evenly matched. It would take at least a thousand moves to determine a winner. Before, with your help, he could have defeated me, but now that you are no longer fighting, and he has to be wary of us joining forces, that's why he gave up."

Just as he had imagined, he had to admit that old veterans were too cunning.

Since that was the case, he didn't need to stay any longer. He raised his hand and cupped his fists in a salute to the two top martial arts masters, saying:

"Since that is the case, this junior will not stay long. I bid you farewell."

"Wait a moment."

Lin Xiao turned to look at the brocade-robed elder who had called him back. He reached out to stop the Golden Eagle Envoy and spoke first:

"I originally came for the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, but now that the Snow Ginseng has no fate with me, I naturally have no interest in staying. Senior, you don't need to ask me to accompany you to the Central Plains. Although I am a Hall Master of the Great River Gang, I don't take this position seriously, and Senior doesn't need to use it to command me."

"Yoho!"

Thunderclap Palm Xiao Yunzhong, who was about to leave, became interested and laughed:

"It seems this young friend from the Great River Gang doesn't acknowledge your Dushan Fortress!"

He smiled at Lin Xiao and said:

"How can the small Great River Gang accommodate you? Young friend, you can come to my Xiao Family Fortress. I have a granddaughter who is exceptionally beautiful, gentle, and lovely. If you wish to come, I, as the elder, will arrange her marriage to you. After I pass away, you will be the Fortress Lord of Xiao Family Fortress."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Zhen pointed at him and cursed angrily:

"You old scoundrel, shut up! This is a matter for my Dushan Fortress, it has nothing to do with you."

"Heh heh, young friend, he has no sense of belonging to your Dushan Fortress. Why bother to restrain him?"

"Scram!"

Xiao Yunzhong was not annoyed. He just cupped his fists towards Lin Xiao and said:

"Young friend, don't forget, if you are not treated well at Dushan Fortress, you can come to Xiao Family Fortress to find me."

"You scoundrel, you're asking for a beating!"

Lin Xiao looked speechlessly at the two top experts bickering, feeling that although they belonged to different factions, they seemed to have a good personal relationship. A normal rivalry wouldn't look like this.

"Old fellow, remember to send some Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng roots to Xiao Family Fortress."

Thunderclap Palm, Great Hero Xiao, left after saying this. Lin Xiao also took several steps back and cupped his fists towards Wang Zhen, saying:

"The green mountains will not change, and the blue waters will flow on. We will meet again!"

In fact, he still didn't quite believe the Golden Eagle Envoy's words. It wasn't that they were false, but the whole thing felt too coincidental, and he subconsciously felt it was unreliable.

If it were true, wouldn't he be walking into enemy territory alone by following them? A wise person does not stand under a dangerous wall; it's better to be safe.

Since the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was out of the question, and he had no interest in other tribute items, there was no point in staying here.

After speaking, he turned and left, giving the Golden Eagle Envoy no chance to stop him.

However, he had not walked fifty meters when Wang Zhen's Secret Sound Transmission reached his ears:

"Didn't you come for the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng? Are you not interested in that either?"

Lin Xiao stopped in his tracks and replied:

"Isn't this what King Dushan wants? Could it be that senior is going to give it to me?"

Wang Zhen laughed heartily:

"Why not!"

This time it was Lin Xiao's turn to be shocked. He turned around abruptly, his face full of surprise. The old man in the brocade robe clasped his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice:

"This treasure is merely adding luster to my master's achievements. At most, it will allow my master to live a few more years and increase his power a bit. However, my master's cultivation is profound and his power is deep. Even if his power increases further, it won't bring about a qualitative change. Instead, for a young friend like you, it's a treasure that is hard to come by. After refining this Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, your power will surely increase greatly, allowing you to truly reach a level comparable to a Grandmaster."

Lin Xiao was silent for a moment after hearing this, then asked:

"What are the conditions?"

The Golden Eagle Envoy smiled and said:

"Go with me to Dushan Fortress to meet my master."

This... Lin Xiao fell silent, his mind racing to consider if it was reliable.

The Golden Eagle Envoy saw his hesitation and said:

"You don't need to worry about what I'll do to you. You come from the Great River Gang, and the Great River Gang is a subordinate gang of our Dushan Fortress. You are already one of us. Have you ever heard of harming your own people for no reason?"

That's not necessarily true!

However, it wasn't entirely unreasonable. Although Dushan Fortress dominated the north and was known for its overbearing style of conduct, it was only overbearing, not evil like the Demonic Cult, which everyone condemned. All things considered, he should be able to trust them...

Lin Xiao felt a little uneasy.

However, compared to his unease, the other Descenders felt as if they had seen a ghost. The three top experts who had been fighting fiercely just moments ago had left just like that. The remaining two, after chatting about something, had stopped fighting and seemed to be getting along well, even showing signs of forming an alliance. This left them dumbfounded.

He Qiu, who was besieging a Dushan Envoy from Dushan Fortress with his subordinates, hesitated for a long time. He paid particular attention to Lin Xiao's expression. When he saw Lin Xiao showing a look of interest, He Qiu's heart sank. He immediately waved his hand and shouted:

"Retreat!"

The Descenders' execution of orders was much better than that of the martial artists. With his command, everyone immediately prepared to disengage, quickly breaking away from their opponents and escaping.

Their opponents did not pursue them either. They were free to deal with the other martial artists. Enraged, these martial artists cursed loudly as they retreated, and their well-planned encirclement suddenly collapsed