The Grandmaster Makes His Move (Part 2)

Seeing five or six young people arrive, Chen Jiaying wasn't sure which one was Zhang Hupan. However, he was certain that they were all incredibly ordinary. A wave of disappointment washed over him. Yet, his deep trust in the organization made him believe that someone hired as a guest elder wouldn't be ordinary. Chen Jiaying prepared to ask who Zhang Hupan was. But before he could speak, the impatient Wang Ming, upon seeing a group of people who looked utterly useless, immediately looked down on the guest elder he'd never met. Impatient, he rudely and impolitely shouted, "Which one of you is Zhang Hupan?"

Chen Jiaying's heart sank when he heard Wang Ming's tone. This is bad! Anyone who could be a guest elder was bound to be incredibly powerful and proud. Although Chen Jiaying hadn't discerned the strength of these young people, he didn't dismiss them instantly like Wang Ming. He suddenly recalled that some ability users looked like ordinary people but were very powerful. Furthermore, ability users weren't judged solely by age but by when their abilities awakened and the type of ability. For instance, ice abilities were inherently a level higher than water abilities. Zhang Hupan might be an extremely powerful ability user. Of course, Chen Jiaying didn't believe the young people before him were internal martial arts masters, as that was impossible to fake unless they had reached the stage of Qi and Shen being perfectly contained, returning to simplicity—a state that was nearly impossible. Even his Uncle Song Feng hadn't reached that realm. Little did he know, the current Song Feng had been elevated to the level of an immortal precisely because of the person before him, who was considered ordinary, Zhang Hupan!

"Wang Ming, that's enough!" Chen Jiaying hastily stopped his disciple's rude behavior and then asked, neither subservient nor overbearing, "May I ask who Mr. Zhang Hupan is?"

Seeing that they weren't beautiful women, the crowd lost interest. They pointed at Zhang Hupan and then returned to their dorms to continue their battles.

If it were anyone else shouting so rudely, Zhang Hupan might have simply let it slide with a smile. However, as the highest authority of Wudang, seeing his own disciples and grand-disciples behave like this inevitably made him angry. If they were disciples of another sect, Zhang Hupan wouldn't have been angry. But Wudang Sect was, after all, established with great effort by Zhang Sanfeng, and Zhang Hupan cared deeply about the words and actions of Wudang disciples. Therefore, Zhang Hupan simply maintained a stern expression, glanced proudly at Chen Jiaying, and said, "I am Zhang Hupan. I don't know you. What business do you have with me?"

Naturally, Wang Ming was furious at Zhang Hupan's arrogant attitude and was about to lash out. Chen Jiaying glared fiercely at him and sternly commanded, "Get back into the car!"

Although Wang Ming was a proud person, he had feared his master since childhood. After being reprimanded by Chen Jiaying, he didn't dare utter a sound and returned to the driver's seat.

Seeing Wang Ming return to the car, Chen Jiaying said politely, "My incompetent disciple has a naturally short temper. Please don't take offense, Mr. Zhang!"

Seeing Chen Jiaying like this, Wang Ming wasn't an unreasonable person, and Zhang Hupan felt relieved. He smiled, indicating he didn't mind.

Chen Jiaying secretly took out his Special Department work ID and said in a low voice, "My name is Chen Jiaying, and I am the head of the Zhejiang Special Department. We need guest elder Zhang's help with something. Please, let's discuss it in the car." With that, Chen Jiaying put away his ID.

The current Zhang Hupan was no longer the naive newcomer who had just descended the mountain. He was already aware of the legends surrounding various secret departments in different countries and now understood Song Feng's good intentions. When Chen Jiaying approached him, Zhang Hupan understood that Chen Jiaying must have encountered an unsolvable problem the moment he saw his work ID. Seeing that there was a guest elder in Hangzhou, he had rushed to seek reinforcements. Zhang Hupan also knew that Chen Jiaying was definitely unaware of his identity; otherwise, even with all the courage in the world, he wouldn't have dared to disturb their ancestor for such a minor matter.

In the car, Chen Jiaying briefly explained the entire situation. Upon hearing that the Japanese, whom he deeply detested, were behind it, Zhang Hupan was filled with righteous anger and decided to teach these ignorant Japanese devils a lesson.

"Let's go. Take me to where the Japanese devils are hiding," Zhang Hupan said with a dark expression, waving to Wang Ming, who was in the driver's seat.

Along the way, Chen Jiaying was filled with anxiety because he truly couldn't gauge Zhang Hupan's depth. However, he felt too embarrassed to directly ask about his level. But the strength of those Japanese devils was too formidable. If Zhang Hupan's strength was insufficient, it would be better to wait for reinforcements from headquarters. Although this would increase the risk of technological achievements being transferred, it was still better than suffering casualties and failing to obtain the objective.

Seeing Chen Jiaying's hesitant expression, Zhang Hupan naturally knew what he was worried about. He inwardly felt annoyed that this young man didn't even trust his own ancestor. Of course, he wouldn't reveal that he was their ancestor. He could only smile and say, "You are all Wudang disciples, aren't you? Who is Song Feng to you?"

Although Wang Ming was reckless, he wouldn't have been able to join the Special Department if he were stupid. Thus, when he heard Zhang Hupan casually mention Song Feng's name, he immediately knew that Zhang Hupan, sitting behind him, was no simple figure. As for his master, Chen Jiaying understood even better. While this person might not necessarily be superior to Uncle Song, he was at least on their level. Thus, his worries immediately dissipated.

However, Zhang Hupan's subsequent actions truly shocked him. Zhang Hupan merely lightly touched Chen Jiaying's arm, and then Chen Jiaying felt a vast, warm current flow through his entire body. Instantly, his injuries vanished without a trace. He even vaguely felt as if his cultivation had improved by a level. Circulating Qi within his body for a full cycle, Chen Jiaying joyfully discovered that his cultivation had indeed advanced by a level, reaching the four-star level of the Special Department.

Chen Jiaying thanked Zhang Hupan profusely, his perception of the young man beside him becoming even more blurred. No matter how powerful Song Feng was, Chen Jiaying was certain he couldn't achieve this. Perhaps only legendary cultivators could do such a thing, but cultivators were beyond Chen Jiaying's level of contact. Thinking of cultivators, he then recalled how Zhang Hupan had addressed Song Feng earlier, which sounded like an elder speaking to a junior. Chen Jiaying's gaze towards Zhang Hupan was now filled with reverence, and he thought to himself, No wonder there's no record of him in the files.

In reality, how could ordinary cultivators achieve this? Only Nascent Soul Stage experts like Zhang Hupan could do it so naturally and instantly. After healing Chen Jiaying's injuries, Zhang Hupan ignored Chen Jiaying's gratitude and simply closed his eyes to rest.

The car soon arrived at the Japanese-funded enterprise in Songxia, which was where the Japanese ninjas were hiding. It was already late at night, and the industrial zone in Xiasha was deserted. In the darkness, Special Department personnel who had already been lurking there rushed forward to report the situation upon seeing their leader's car. The person reporting was the capable young man from the conference room earlier. "There are five devils. They haven't appeared since entering the main gate. Due to the tight security here, and fearing we might alert them, we haven't dared to investigate further."

Chen Jiaying nodded approvingly and said, "Chen Wu, you did very well. You can proceed with the investigation boldly now, but try not to disturb their security." As Chen Wu was excitedly preparing to carry out the order, a young man who had been standing beside Chen Jiaying stopped him and said, "No need. This is Chinese territory. We're here to catch thieves, so we don't need to be so sneaky!"

Perhaps Zhang Hupan's words at this moment resonated most with Wang Ming. His gaze towards Zhang Hupan became one of great admiration. Of course, he was still unaware of what had happened in the car earlier and merely thought Zhang Hupan was young and impulsive. He said regretfully, "We also want to go in and deal with these devils directly, but if we don't have concrete evidence to find the devils and catch them red-handed, we might be counter-attacked by the devils, or even cause diplomatic incidents between the two countries." It seemed that those who could enter the Special Department indeed had their merits, not forgetting the importance of matters due to reckless personalities.

However, Zhang Hupan merely said disdainfully, "With those five guys who've only learned the superficialities of Chinese Five Elements Technique, do you think they can escape from me!" (To be continued)