Speculation

Inside the Four Waters Hall's main hall.

Jiang Chong was furious.

His face was livid, murderous intent filling his brow as he smashed the teacup in his hand heavily onto the floor.

With a crisp smash.

Porcelain shards scattered in all directions, and tea splashed across the floor.

Jiang Chong pointed at the trembling underlings before him and cursed angrily:

"What a bunch of useless trash! How many days has it been? You still haven't found Skinny Monkey? You don't even know whether he's alive or dead?"

His voice echoed through the hall.

Like muffled thunder exploding, it made everyone's ears ring.

Inside the hall.

The underlings trembled, lowering their heads and not daring to say a word.

They knew their hall master's temper well...

If they said even one more word now, they might bring disaster upon themselves.

The reason for Jiang Chong's rage was simple.

After his cousin Zhou Dabao had been inexplicably murdered at home, and Old Jin had been killed near the fish market.

Now even Skinny Monkey, his most capable subordinate, had vanished without a trace!

Skinny Monkey had followed him for years. He handled matters efficiently and never dragged his feet. He was Jiang Chong's most trusted confidant.

Now, neither dead nor alive, how could Jiang Chong not be beside himself with fury?

When Skinny Monkey had failed to return to the hall that night, Jiang Chong had instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

That kid had always been cautious. He never stayed out overnight without reason, much less failed to send word.

Early the next morning, Jiang Chong had sent his men out to search for Skinny Monkey's whereabouts.

Yet two days passed.

His men had turned Four Waters Ward upside down, but they had not even found Skinny Monkey's shadow.

At the same time, he learned that no one from the Fang Household in Mud Bay Alley had come to harm.

And Fang Han, the Fang Household's second son, was still alive and well.

Jiang Chong could not help suspecting that the Fang Household had made a move and disposed of Skinny Monkey...

But upon further thought, he felt that was unlikely.

Skinny Monkey's group had acted together as three men, each one a ruthless character who lived by the blade.

The Fang Household was merely a family of mud-legged commoners living in Mud Bay Alley. How could they have silently taken out all three of them at once?

Unless...

Jiang Chong furrowed his brows tightly as a possibility came to mind.

There was a martial arts expert living in Mud Bay Alley!

And at some point, or perhaps... beginning with Zhou Dabao, Four Waters Hall had already offended this martial arts expert!

So when Skinny Monkey's group had tried to deal with Fang Han.

They had happened to run into that martial arts expert and met their deaths.

Thinking of this.

Jiang Chong's brows knotted together. The more he considered it, the more likely it seemed.

Those who could deal with the Dragon King Gang and dared to attack its people.

Other than Martial Artists, he could not think of anyone else with the nerve or ability.

Ordinary people would avoid Dragon King Gang members whenever they saw them. How would they dare provoke them?

And this Martial Artist's strength was definitely no lower than Minor Manifest Force. He might even be an expert at Major Manifest Force.

Otherwise, he could not have dealt with Skinny Monkey's three-man group so cleanly, without leaving behind even a trace.

"When did such a figure appear in a tiny place like Mud Bay Alley? Brother Zhao really called it." Jiang Chong muttered.

He then shot a vicious glance at the trembling underlings in the hall.

Remembering Skinny Monkey's merits only made his anger flare further.

Skinny Monkey had been capable and reliable, greatly favored by him.

Now he had died for no apparent reason, and Jiang Chong did not even know who the killer was.

Fortunately, after serving as hall master for so many years, he had cultivated decent self-control.

Jiang Chong took a deep breath and quickly suppressed the rage in his heart.

He sat down expressionlessly, lifted the teacup on the table, took a sip, and fell into thought.

What should he do next?

Should he continue sending people to Mud Bay Alley to dig deeper for clues and find that person's trail?

Or should he stop here, pretend nothing had happened, and let everything continue as before?

More importantly, if he angered a martial arts expert, could he handle the consequences?

Jiang Chong stared at the tea leaves bobbing in the cup, his gaze full of conflict.

If he kept investigating...

That martial arts expert lurking in the shadows might very well come for him.

When that time came.

With his strength, whether he could withstand the other party was truly difficult to say.

If he simply let it go...

Four Waters Hall had suffered three consecutive incidents, and he did not even know who the culprit was.

As hall master, he could no longer save face.

If word got out, what would his subordinates think of him?

"Or should I ask Brother Zhao for help?"

Jiang Chong's thoughts raced, and he thought of Zhao Lang.

Zhao Lang had also reached Major Manifest Force.

With his help, Jiang Chong would have a much greater chance of dealing with the martial arts expert hiding in Mud Bay Alley.

But after thinking it over, Jiang Chong silently shook his head. His fingers lightly tapped the tea table as he dismissed the thought of seeking Zhao Lang's help.

There was something more important for him and Zhao Lang to do: that conspiracy they were plotting.

That matter was the highest priority and concerned his future prospects.

If he disturbed Zhao Lang over such a small matter and disrupted the plan.

He would be sacrificing the greater for the lesser, and it would not be worth it.

Just then, an underling hurriedly ran in from outside the hall.

Jiang Chong was already agitated, and when he saw someone interrupt his thoughts, he impatiently waved his hand.

He told the underling to speak quickly if he had something to say, and to stop dawdling.

The underling swallowed, steadied his breathing, and then said:

"Hall Master, I just received reliable news. That Thunderclap Martial Arts Academy disciple who came to our hall that day died last night on the outskirts of the Transverse Mountains!"

"Hm?"

Jiang Chong froze, then abruptly rose to his feet. His gaze turned sharp as a blade as he stared fixedly at the underling.

"You mean that Chen You died last night?"

"Absolutely true! I asked around in many places, and the news is beyond doubt. Thunderclap Martial Arts Academy has already confirmed it. They even found his identity token."

Jiang Chong's expression shifted unpredictably, light and shadow intertwining across his face.

He slowly sat back down, thoughts surging through his mind.

For some reason, an even bolder thought suddenly emerged.

The martial arts expert hiding in Mud Bay Alley was likely deeply connected to Fang Han, and their relationship was extremely close!

Otherwise, why would Chen You have suddenly died on the outskirts of the Transverse Mountains?

The more Jiang Chong thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

There had to be a martial arts expert secretly protecting Fang Han.

Otherwise, how could a poor kid from Mud Bay Alley cause an Upper-grade Bone Constitution disciple of Thunderclap Martial Arts Academy to die without explanation?

Once he understood this, Jiang Chong's expression became extremely grim.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he paced back and forth through the hall, his footsteps producing dull thuds against the floor.

After several turns, he stopped.

Jiang Chong turned around, his gaze sweeping over the underlings in the hall as he ordered in a low voice:

"Keep your mouths shut about what has happened at the hall lately. Don't let me catch anyone with a loose tongue, saying things they shouldn't."

"Also, when you do things around Mud Bay Alley in the future, behave yourselves. Stay in line, and don't cause me trouble."

The underlings hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Jiang Chong straightened his collar and strode toward the exit, tossing back a sentence without looking behind him. "Prepare the carriage. We're going to the Inner City."

He planned to go to the Inner City first and speak privately with Zhao Lang.

The matter of Mud Bay Alley could be put aside for now.

But that conspiracy still had to be completed as soon as possible, so he could get his hands on the benefits.

Once that matter succeeded, what could a mere martial arts expert from Mud Bay Alley possibly amount to?