Lin Hong sighed softly.
"Qi Xiao, Sea Dragon's father will help you get revenge! But there has to be a limit to this. You're old enough to understand that some things can't be done recklessly just because you're willful."
"I'm willful!?" Lin Qixiao couldn't believe these words came from her father's mouth.
"My hand is broken, my leg is broken, but everyone else is perfectly fine! Is that what you call being willful?!" She suddenly recalled the night her mother died.
My father did the same thing back then. He just found other scapegoats to vent his anger.
Let her be patient, let her understand.
And now, she has endured it all for so many years.
No one is born with a bad temper, and no one is born liking to cause trouble.
No matter how she vented or tested the waters, the repression and fear in her heart had only grown stronger over the years.
Now, finally, "Father, are you going to abandon me like you abandoned Mother?"
Lin Hong sighed softly.
"Qi Xiao, do you know what the final result will be if your father takes revenge with all his might? In the end, Sea Dragon will still exist after several replacements, but the Lin Family may become history forever."
Furthermore, even if I were to take action, do you think the other branches of the Lin Family would just sit idly by and watch me do it? Would they just watch me make a formidable enemy for everyone?
Lin Qixiao lay on the wooden bed, and the thing she had been worried and afraid of finally happened.
"Father," she said, her voice trembling slightly. A surge of emotions welled up within her. Two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks like a broken string.
Seeing this, Lin Hong finally softened.
"Don't worry, Sea Dragon has to give us an explanation for what he did. Besides, you can take your anger out on anyone else except Sea Dragon."
Don't worry, as long as it's not one of those few families, I'll handle the rest for you.
Lin Qixiao.
That phrase again. That phrase again!!
A moment of silence.
Lin Qixiao and spat out a few names.
"The first one won't do, but the rest are fine," Lin Hong replied after a moment of silence.
***Outside Tanyang City, in the underground of a certain manor.
The underground, resembling a tomb, contained spacious rooms, similar to cellars for storing goods.
But these cellars did not store food or goods; they stored people.
At this moment, at the entrance to the underground space.
Two burly men dressed in brocade robes, resembling wealthy landlords, slowly descended the stone steps at the entrance.
"What's the story with the Tanyang Lin Family?"
One of them had a square face, flamboyant features, and a slightly yellowish complexion; he was none other than the disheveled man who had just come out of the Ministry of Justice Dungeon.
"We only had one exchange, and they want compensation from us? Heh, I think they've been local tyrants for too long and don't know their place!"
On the other side was a burly man named A Song with dark skin.
He was also a member of the Sea Dragon organization who rode away with them that night.
He shook his head and said, "The news from the State Yamen is that Lin Qixiao of the Lin Family, the virgin who fought with us that night, has had all four limbs crippled, and his path in martial arts is completely cut off."
"Crippled? What does that have to do with us? Is the Lin Family trying to pin this mess on us?" the disheveled man frowned.
"Possibly. According to Lin Qixiao, the person who crippled her had the character 'Hai' on his mask. Considering our recent encounter with her, it must be one of ours," A Song said calmly.
"Hey, interesting. We've been used as pawns? Scapegoats, this is really something. It's interesting that these days someone still dares to frame Sea Dragon."
"The current situation is that the Lin Family's affairs have angered the local forces outside. This could very well affect our tribute payments here," A Song said calmly.
"Yes, that makes sense. After all, we promised before that those on the list wouldn't be affected. The Lin Family is one of them."
"But the problem now is, we've been framed! The Lin Family might have gotten themselves into this mess and are now trying to pin the blame on us for compensation! Do they really think we're made of clay?" the disheveled man Great Way.
"Then should we just give the truth?" A Song asked.
The two of them were in charge of all the tribute affairs in Tanyang, so they could make the decision on this matter.
"Even if it's true, these local bumpkins have to believe it." The disheveled man walked down the stone steps, passing by each cell door and carefully inspecting them.
"The key is to find the guy who dared to frame us."
How do I find it?
"Those incompetent officials won't do; if we're going to look, we need to look in the underworld," A Song said calmly.
"Gray face? You mean the Black Ten Sect?"
"Yes, the Black Ten Sect is the leader of the Tanyang underworld, controlling more than 40% of the gambling dens, brothels, Music Tower. It is also said to be connected with the Sensing Gate," A Song explained.
"Those blond and red-haired white people who believe in all sorts of weird gods?" The long-haired man was somewhat skeptical.
"It's them. When it comes to finding someone, no one in Tanyang is more professional than them. Even when officials can't find someone, they go to them."
"Okay, then how do we do it?"
"I can handle it. The Black Ten Sect has always wanted to establish connections with higher-ups through us. If we give them this opportunity, they'll naturally gravitate towards us," A Song said.
"Also, I heard that Tanyang has a guy who specializes in selling intelligence, what's his name again? Dog King?"
"Red Dog King".
"Then let's investigate both sides together."
"Good."
***Outside Tanyang City, in Huaiming Town.
Zhang Rongfang led a dozen or so members of Ninth Squad through the deserted streets, carefully avoiding several clumps of cow dung on the ground, and arrived at a courtyard with three small buildings.
The courtyard gate was adorned with faded festive couplets. It was covered in Charcoal Pencil graffiti.
Zhang Rongfang gestured for Chen Hansheng, who was standing nearby, to go forward and knock on the door.
Knock knock knock.
A faint echo of emptiness could be heard from inside the doorway.
No one answered.
Hiss.
Zhang Rongfang's ears twitched slightly, and he was the first to draw his sword.
The others followed suit and slowly drew their swords.
Zhang Rongfang made a gesture, and the team members behind him immediately dispersed and surrounded him.
Bang!
In an instant, he lunged forward, his shoulder slamming hard against the door through his leather armor.
The door was smashed open with great force, and two men inside roared and rushed out with knives.
The two machetes, still gleaming with silver light, slashed heavily toward Zhang Rongfang's head and shoulders.
Two clangs.
Zhang Rongfang raised his hand and swept it horizontally; he could now use the power and speed of Third Grade.
Dealing with these two ordinary, strong men who didn't even have any official rank was effortless.
As the blades clashed, both men felt excruciating pain in their wrists, and the blades fell to the ground.
"Take it down!"
Two team members stepped forward, decisively pinned the two men to the ground, and prevented them from moving.
The rest of the people rushed into the courtyard.
A group of people suddenly rushed out of the courtyard, all dressed in black short-sleeved shirts and carrying sticks, knives, and guns.
The two sides immediately started fighting, resulting in a chaotic brawl.
A burly man with curly hair and a golden beard, carrying a knife in one hand and a shield in the other, charged out wearing a full set of gray leather armor.
Zhang Rongfang was the first to go forward.
The two men clashed with their blades, and with a clang, the blade of Zhang Rongfang's waist knife chipped and broke.
He was startled and dodged the opponent's round shield strike, fully unleashing the Bewildering Smoke Step technique.
The strong man's speed and strength are around Third Grade.
After exchanging more than a dozen blows with Zhang Rongfang, he discovered that his men were being rapidly wiped out.
He immediately became anxious. The sword and shield wielded no longer bothering to defend, and launched a frenzied attack.
Despite the ferocious attack, Zhang Rongfang managed to dodge the blades perfectly each time.
Gradually, the many techniques of the Spirit Snake Body Method that I had learned over the past few days began to surface in my mind.
The insights gained during these intense battles quickly transform into inspiration and understanding.
Unbeknownst to Zhang Rongfang, a new skill slowly appeared in his Attribute Panel: Spirit Snake Body Method (Beginner).
As if sensing something, all the body techniques and footwork in his mind instantly merged into one, forming a blurred overall field.
Just then, a flash of Ling Guang struck me.
Zhang Rongfang took three steps, turned rapidly three times, and slashed with his blade.
Swoosh! The blade sliced across the burly man's neck.
A smear of blood flew up.
The burly man staggered forward and fell to the ground, clutching his throat, his eyes wide open in death.
Clang.
Zhang Rongfang sheathed his sword, his expression calm.
There was a time when even Third Grade was someone he had to look up to.
Now, it's nothing more than withered wood under the knife.
By this time, the rest of the team members had basically cleared the field, and apart from the leader, none of them were capable of fighting.
The group began to ransack the three small buildings without restraint.
Soon, Zhang Rongfang presented him with several booklets, a secret manual, and some silver coins Treasure Note.
He didn't look at any other booklets, but picked up the secret manual instead.
Tarahan Sword and Shield Technique.
The text inside was somewhat obscure and contained some foreign language elements, which Zhang Rongfang couldn't understand.
However, this sword and shield technique seems to be a Third Grade art that can break through the limit three times.
Third Grade is already quite rare.
He carefully put away the manual, took half of the silver, and then gestured for everyone to divide the rest.
Now that the Lin Family and Sea Dragon are in conflict, the truth certainly can't be hidden for long.
Even if the Lin Family believes Sea Dragon was responsible, Sea Dragon will absolutely not tolerate being framed.
They will definitely take action.
Therefore, he must be prepared to prevent danger at any time.
Although Zhang Rongfang did not believe that anyone could find him.
"Captain, this person doesn't seem to be from Sea Dragon." At this moment, Liu Han approached and whispered a reminder.
Zhang Rongfang remained unfazed.
"Whether he is or not, if the authorities say so, then it is." He picked up a Little Booklet, which was full of records of buying and selling respectable women.
Regardless of whether these people are Sea Dragon or not, they all deserve to die.
"Withdraw!"
After handling everything, Zhang Rongfang raised his hand, signaling to leave.
A group of team members from Ninth Squad were about to leave, carrying large and small bags of belongings.
Suddenly, a large group of people rushed in from outside the door.
This group of people were all white people with pale skin.
Some of them had Big Beard, some wore white headscarves, and some carried two curved knives.
A large group of people, at least fifty or sixty, were gathered, all dressed in black short-sleeved shirts.
These clothes, which were originally worn by the dead, were now being worn as everyday clothes by them.
"You killed Anla Bi, who believed in the Ten Karma Heavens! You killed our dearest brothers and sisters in this territory of our Black Ten!"
An elderly man with white hair, dressed in a black robe and leaning on a dragon-headed cane, walked step by step through the crowd to the front and stared intently at Zhang Rongfang.