"Who's there?"
Su Chen, who had just killed Lao Lin, abruptly turned his gaze toward the corner of the alley, his expression dark.
"D-don't get excited. I'm not one of his people."
A figure hurried out, waving both hands, seeming terribly alarmed.
Yet he was dressed exactly like Su Chen, wearing a bamboo hat and a black robe, his face impossible to make out.
"Benefactor!"
Just as Su Chen was wondering whether to cut off the weeds and pull out the roots, the other man suddenly fell to his knees, clasped his hands, and bowed in thanks.
"What do you mean?"
Su Chen frowned and asked, staring at him.
"Benefactor, you don't know the whole story. This man was my sworn enemy. Now that you've killed him, you've avenged my entire family."
The man explained.
"Oh?"
Su Chen raised an eyebrow, stepped forward, and fixed him with a half-smile.
"It's true. I'm a descendant of the Zhu Family. My name is Zhu Yan. This man colluded with Liu Tong and wiped out my entire family. With a grudge this deep, how could I dare deceive you?"
Seeing that Su Chen didn't believe him, Zhu Yan hurriedly explained.
"Liu Tong? The Zhu Family?"
After hearing this, Su Chen's brow furrowed slightly. He looked at Zhu Yan, deep in thought.
When he'd investigated Liu Tong's crimes earlier, he'd heard about the many cases Liu Tong had committed.
The most heinous of them was Liu Tong's murder of all thirteen members of the Zhu Family.
"Why should I believe you?"
Although the man's story had some basis to it, Su Chen wasn't going to take his word for everything.
"Benefactor, come with me. I know where he hid his money."
Zhu Yan pressed his lips together and stood up. He knew Su Chen still didn't trust him, but as long as Su Chen didn't attack, there was still room to negotiate.
So he did his best to appear harmless, hoping he could win Su Chen's trust.
At these words, Su Chen hesitated and didn't move.
After walking a few steps, Zhu Yan looked back at Su Chen. Seeing that he hadn't budged, he immediately guessed what Su Chen was thinking.
So he said, "Benefactor, Lin Hai hid all his money beneath a big tree in his courtyard. If you don't believe me, you can go see for yourself."
"No need. You'll take me there. Don't try anything, or you'll end up like him."
Su Chen shook his head, rejecting the suggestion and motioning for him to lead the way.
Hearing this, Zhu Yan nodded at once and led Su Chen along a winding route.
Su Chen kept a certain distance from him. If Zhu Yan made even the slightest suspicious move, he would attack immediately.
Fortunately, Zhu Yan not only made no suspicious moves but also seemed to consider Su Chen at every turn, taking routes that mostly avoided people.
After the time it took to burn a stick of incense, Zhu Yan stopped and pointed at a small courtyard ahead.
"Benefactor, that's Lin Hai's home. No one else lives there, so we can go right in."
After a pause, he added, "Or I can go in by myself while you wait here."
With that, he looked at Su Chen, waiting for his response.
After their journey together, Su Chen was still wary of Zhu Yan, but at least he no longer distrusted him completely as he had at first.
After thinking for a moment, Su Chen replied, "Go in."
Zhu Yan nodded. After looking around for a while, he climbed over the wall and entered Lin Hai's courtyard.
The moment he went in, Su Chen leaped into a tree to watch what Zhu Yan did.
Zhu Yan seemed to know Su Chen was watching him, so he deliberately faced him as he moved.
Before long, he dug up a wooden box and shook the dirt off it.
Then he picked up the box, climbed back over the wall, and came to stand before Su Chen.
"Open it."
Just as Zhu Yan was about to hand the box to Su Chen, Su Chen spoke without warning.
Without hesitation, Zhu Yan did as he was told. He set the box down and opened it in front of Su Chen.
Apparently worried it might be poisoned, Zhu Yan even reached in and touched the silver inside.
"All right. I believe you now."
Seeing this, Su Chen sensed his sincerity and spoke.
Hearing this, Zhu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Although Su Chen couldn't see his expression, he could still sense the man's elation.
It seemed earning Su Chen's trust was something worth celebrating.
"So what exactly did you go to all this trouble for?"
Su Chen stared at him, waiting for Zhu Yan's answer.
"I want you to avenge me!"
Zhu Yan ground his teeth.
"Take revenge?" Su Chen was taken aback. Weren't Lin Hai and Liu Tong both dead?
Zhu Yan nodded emphatically. "Liu Tong and Lin Hai are dead, but there's still one culprit at large..."
Then Zhu Yan told him the tragic story of the Zhu Family.
The Zhu Family was a family of doctors in several townships near Zhu Family Town. They were skilled physicians and often did good deeds, helping the poor.
For some reason, the Zhu Family had offended Lin Hai, so Zhu Yan's father had asked Liu Tong to help mediate, hoping to settle the feud.
When Lin Hai learned of this, he also called in members of the White Jade Gang to mediate.
They had thought both sides would let the matter drop, but unexpectedly, the three of them joined forces to go after the Zhu Family.
Zhu Yan only learned later that Liu Tong had long been in cahoots with Lin Hai and the others.
Lin Hai coveted the Zhu Family's wealth, Liu Tong had his eye on their medical skills, and Zhao Kuo of the White Jade Gang lusted after the Zhu Family's mother and daughters.
Caught between the three forces, the Zhu Family had no chance of escape.
Because the Zhu Family refused to yield, the three secretly wiped out the entire family and then set fire to their estate.
The blaze burned for several hours, causing a sensation throughout White Stone City.
If Zhu Yan hadn't been so hardy that he'd clung to a sliver of life, then crawled through the Zhu Family's Secret Passage on sheer willpower to escape, he too would have met his end.
"I beg you, benefactor, avenge me. I'll give you everything I own and serve you as a slave for the rest of my life."
After saying this, Zhu Yan knelt on the ground, his body trembling as he spoke in grief.
"You're that sure I can help you get revenge?" Su Chen asked.
This man seemed to have complete faith that Su Chen would step in and avenge him.
Hearing this, Zhu Yan raised his head. His gaze was resolute, though a trace of embarrassment showed on his face. He said,
"To be honest, benefactor, I know you were the one who killed Liu Tong."
Seeing Su Chen's gaze turn cold at once, Zhu Yan hurriedly said,
"Benefactor, don't misunderstand. I didn't see you kill him. I guessed."
"Because I thought about revenge every moment, but I had no ability to carry it out. I found out about Misty Rain Pavilion by chance, so I posted a contract to kill Liu Tong. You can guess how it ended—I nearly got killed by Liu Tong."
"Later, I followed your example and changed my appearance. That was how I evaded Misty Rain Pavilion's investigation."
"After that, I stayed in hiding until you showed up to take the contract to kill Liu Tong. That was when I noticed you."
"But I waited several days without seeing you return, and the contract hadn't been canceled, so I thought you'd given up."
"Unexpectedly, I happened to see the authorities withdraw the warrant for Liu Tong's arrest, which made me suspicious."
"I took the opportunity to go to Liu Tong's residence and investigate. Sure enough, I found his corpse."
"I guessed you were the one who killed Liu Tong, so I waited for you to show up at Lin Family Fortress. Tonight, I finally got my chance."
"You know what happened after that."
After hearing this, Su Chen was no less confused; if anything, he was even more puzzled. He asked, "Then how did you recognize me?"
Before you continue