Old Fox

The Skywind Rain-Listening Tower intelligence agent's mouth twitched slightly.

He had known they were supposed to cooperate with Chen Yuan in putting on an act, but hearing Chen Yuan speak those lines still made him feel somewhat ashamed.

You were a fellow from a gang, and just days ago, you had chopped off someone's head at Worry-Free Tower because their mouth was too foul. Now you were pretending to be some righteous jianghu hero before him?

But the boss had given the order, so he could only brace himself and continue the performance.

"Disaster should not befall one's family? What a joke!"

The leading intelligence agent said coldly, "Boy, this is a grudge between our Mystic Whale Gang and Zuo Xinglie. I advise you not to meddle in other people's business, or I'll kill you along with him!"

"What Mystic Whale Gang, big fish gang? This is Linked Mountains City, territory of my Heavenly Wolf Gang! Let's see how you plan to kill me!"

Chen Yuan turned to Zuo Xinglie and said, "Sir, take your granddaughter and leave first. I'll stop them."

Zuo Xinglie panted once and immediately said, "Thank you, young hero, for coming to our aid. This old man is endlessly grateful."

Having said that, Zuo Xinglie did not linger in the slightest. He directly picked up his granddaughter and fled.

Watching Zuo Xinglie's retreating back, Chen Yuan revealed an inscrutable smile before turning around and fighting the Skywind Rain-Listening Tower agents in a tangled melee.

Since he was unsure whether Zuo Xinglie might look back, Chen Yuan had truly fought them fiercely at first, though neither side had gone for the kill.

The leading Skywind Rain-Listening Tower agent grew more alarmed the longer they fought.

Previously, he had not thought much of Chen Yuan at all.

Though he was merely an outer-ring intelligence agent of the Skywind Rain-Listening Tower, fit only for rough work like fighting and killing, he was still from a top-tier great power.

In his eyes, a martial artist like Chen Yuan, who came from a gang in some small city, was little different from a country bumpkin—one of those fools peering at the sky from the bottom of a well.

Who would have thought that Chen Yuan's Heavenly Wolf Saber Art had reached the point of consummate mastery, while his inner strength was incomparably solid?

He was in the Meridian-Unblocking Realm, and with over a dozen Body-Tempering Realm martial artists at his side, they had still only managed to fight Chen Yuan to a standstill.

Moreover, he could sense that while they were holding back from killing, Chen Yuan had even more cards up his sleeve.

If it became a true life-and-death battle, who lived and who died would be anyone's guess.

After fighting for a while, once they felt Zuo Xinglie should have gone far enough, both sides immediately stopped.

Chen Yuan clasped his hands toward them. "Thank you. Sorry for the trouble, everyone."

The leading intelligence agent also courteously returned the gesture. "Young Master Chen is too polite. The boss gave the order; this is what we should do."

With that, he led his subordinates away in all directions.

Chen Yuan immediately gave chase in the direction Zuo Xinglie had fled.

But at that moment, Chen Yuan abruptly paused, looking toward the rear at an angle with a slight frown.

Yet he did not linger and immediately continued his pursuit.

Zuo Xinglie was truly frightened. He ran with tremendous speed.

In that short time, he had already escaped Linked Mountains City and reached the dense forest at its outskirts, where he temporarily hid.

It was not that he did not want to keep running. He simply could not run any farther. He could only sit beneath a tree, shut his eyes, and gasp for breath, as though his heart were about to explode.

Without inner strength, fleeing on physical stamina alone had already pushed him to his limit.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, are you all right?"

His granddaughter's eyes were red as she repeatedly stroked Zuo Xinglie's chest.

"Don't cry, little one. Grandpa won't die."

Zuo Xinglie let out a long breath and used his right hand to brace himself against his Miao saber as he tried to stand.

That young man seemed fairly capable, but there were more than a dozen people on the Mystic Whale Gang's side. He could not hold them off for long.

Without inner strength, Zuo Xinglie could not even conceal the traces of his escape. They would certainly be able to follow those traces and catch up. Hiding was useless; he still had to leave as quickly as possible.

Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded. Zuo Xinglie swiftly held the Miao saber across his body.

"Sir, don't panic. It's me."

Chen Yuan parted the branches and appeared before Zuo Xinglie.

"Young hero, did you deal with all those people?"

Chen Yuan said proudly, "Those people called themselves something like the Mystic Whale Gang, but Linked Mountains City is where my Heavenly Wolf Gang calls the shots! Once I made my move, the gang members from our branch hall noticed and took care of them.

People from Lan Prefecture do not follow jianghu rules. To actually attack the elderly, the weak, and children—they have no shame at all!

Sir, you can return without worry now. So long as my Heavenly Wolf Gang is here, that damned Mystic Whale Gang will never dare run wild in Linked Mountains City!"

Chen Yuan was unsure whether Zuo Xinglie knew his identity, so he did not conceal his Heavenly Wolf Gang background.

He merely portrayed himself as an upright and righteous yet naïve young man, newly entered into the jianghu, peering at the sky from the bottom of a well and unaware of what the Mystic Whale Gang represented.

Zuo Xinglie laughed bitterly inwardly.

Not to mention a mere Heavenly Wolf Gang—even if the Heavenly Wolf Gang and Blackwater Gang were combined, they would not be as powerful as a single hall of the Mystic Whale Gang.

After swallowing his Thirty-Six Waterways Alliance, the Mystic Whale Gang had completely monopolized the Nine-Dragon River waters. Its power would surely have soared.

"The Mystic Whale Gang bears a deep grudge against me. Even though I have already washed my hands in a golden basin and withdrawn from the jianghu, they will not let me go.

"Since they were able to find their way to Linked Mountains City, it proves that my whereabouts have already been exposed. If I remain in Linked Mountains City, I will live in constant fear, and I may also drag you into this, young hero."

Zuo Xinglie sighed. "The jianghu is vast; anywhere can be home. I should find another place and continue living in seclusion.

"Today, young hero, you saved the lives of this old man and my granddaughter. I am endlessly grateful.

"But this old man possesses nothing of value now. I can only give you the martial arts manuals that once made my name, as repayment to you, young hero."

As he spoke, Zuo Xinglie pulled two thin booklets from his robes and stuffed them into Chen Yuan's hands.

Written on those booklets were none other than "Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula" and "Autumn Water, Startling Swan Saber Art."

Just as Chen Yuan was about to politely decline, Zuo Xinglie said, "Young hero, do not refuse. The only things this old man can still bring out that have any value are these two martial arts.

"Now, this old man is already a cripple. In my hands, these arts can only rot in the earth alongside this old man.

"Therefore, I hope that you, young hero, will cultivate these two arts and pass them down, so they will not have traveled through this jianghu in vain."

Chen Yuan's expression turned solemn. He clasped his hands and said, "Sir, rest assured. I will absolutely not allow these two martial arts to gather dust."

Zuo Xinglie clasped his hands in thanks, then took his granddaughter's hand and quickly departed, as though pursuers still lurked behind him.

Once Zuo Xinglie's figure had completely vanished, an unfathomable smile suddenly appeared on Chen Yuan's lips. He spat out three words: "Old fox!"

He had been acting with Zuo Xinglie, but had Zuo Xinglie not been acting with him as well?

This old fellow was no harmless man.

Back then, the Thirty-Six Waterways Alliance on the Nine-Dragon River had essentially been a gang as well, surviving by collecting passage fees from traveling merchant ships.

Zuo Xinglie himself had been a bandit chieftain. He might not have been some demonic heretic of the Outer Dao, but he was certainly no good man either—a ruthless and vicious figure.

Would a person like that easily trust others? Would he truly believe in sayings about repaying a drop of kindness with a gushing spring?

Chen Yuan had found it strange before. In the original plot, that player had merely helped Zuo Xinglie conceal his tracks, yet had received the two martial arts Zuo Xinglie kept at the bottom of his chest. Zuo Xinglie had been far too generous.

Today, Chen Yuan had saved Zuo Xinglie, and Zuo Xinglie had seemed impatient to offer up the martial arts himself, as though afraid Chen Yuan would not accept them.

Only then did Chen Yuan finally understand what Zuo Xinglie intended.

He merely wanted someone to cultivate the Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula and the Autumn Water, Startling Swan Saber Art. When the Mystic Whale Gang came calling, they would mistake that person for Zuo Xinglie's disciple, helping him divert the Mystic Whale Gang's attention.

Put plainly, Zuo Xinglie's generous gift of martial arts was simply his search for cannon fodder that could draw fire for him, allowing him to calmly seek his next hiding place.

That old fox could set a trap for his own lifesaver without changing expression. It was enough to show the depth of his schemes and the ruthlessness of his heart.

But that suited Chen Yuan perfectly.

He had originally prepared several different plans to coax the martial arts out of Zuo Xinglie.

It would be best if things proceeded according to the original plot; if not, he had other plans.

Who would have thought that, in the end, without any effort at all, the martial arts would come knocking at his door?

As for the Mystic Whale Gang, Chen Yuan was not worried in the slightest.

By the time the Mystic Whale Gang came again, the powers of all Linked Mountains City would have undergone a massive reshuffle. Who would they even find?

Chen Yuan and Zuo Xinglie had plotted against each other, yet both could be said to have gotten what they wanted, exchanging what each lacked for what the other had.

Still, Chen Yuan felt that Zuo Xinglie had gotten the better deal.

In the original plot, Zuo Xinglie had truly been found by the Mystic Whale Gang and had only then fled in haste.

Now, he had escaped ahead of time. The Mystic Whale Gang was still on the road, giving him more time to make calm preparations.

At that moment, Chen Yuan suddenly looked behind him and said blandly, "You've watched enough, haven't you? Stop hiding."