The Gu Clan

People who spoke in riddles all deserved to die.

If Chen Cang hadn't caught a glimpse of the note bearer's retreating figure out of the corner of his eye, he might well have thought Xiao Yi Xian and her mother had arrived.

Still, he was rather bored, so he didn't mind going to see what tricks the other party had up their sleeve.

Without telling the three brothers watching the spectacle, Chen Cang quietly slipped out of the crowd.

Following the directions on the note, Chen Cang left Wutan City and turned east. After a while, a dilapidated inn came into view.

In front of its ruined walls stood a rotten table that looked ready to give up the ghost at any moment. Two middle-aged men in luxurious robes sat facing each other.

Seeing Chen Cang approach, the older-looking man sipped his tea and gave the man opposite him a smile that said everything was under control.

"See? I told you skill breeds courage. He was bound to come."

Only after exchanging a few lighthearted words did the two turn toward Chen Cang together.

"I am Jia Lie Bi, and this is Oba Pa. You have been in Wutan City for over half a year now, young friend, so I trust you know who we are. We have long wished to meet you, but the opportunity never arose. After seeing you from afar today, we simply couldn't resist any longer and invited you in this fashion. Please forgive our discourtesy."

Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa were the clan leaders of the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families, respectively.

Together with Xiao Zhan, they were Wutan City's current "three great experts."

These three led their families in competition against one another. Since no clear victor had emerged after so many years, their strength was naturally about equal.

A brief appraisal was enough for Chen Cang to reach a conclusion.

Both were four-star Da Dou Shi.

A whole star higher than Chen Cang. How terrifyingly powerful!

He stepped forward and sat down on another side of the table.

"You two didn't lure me out of Wutan City just to offer me tea, did you?"

"Don't be nervous, young friend. We're merely curious about you. After all, we've never had the chance to sit down and have a proper chat. It's all that old fossil Xiao Zhan's fault. We sent visiting cards plenty of times," Oba Pa said, forcing a smile.

Despite those words, Chen Cang could sense the Dou Qi inside both men circulating faster. They were already prepared to strike at any moment.

Without a doubt, this was a Hongmen banquet-a feast concealing murderous intent.

Unconcerned, Chen Cang toyed with his teacup and waited for them to continue.

"You're a young man, so I imagine you dislike beating around the bush. We'll be frank, then. Our main reason for inviting you here today was to hear what you think of us," Oba Pa continued.

They shared the same concern Xiao Zhan had once had: that Chen Cang might have a background they could not afford to provoke.

After all, a teenage Da Dou Shi was rather overpowered for people living in a beginner village like theirs.

That concern was precisely why they dared not attack outright.

Of course, if they confirmed that Chen Cang was an enemy rather than a friend, they would not hesitate.

Realizing that the two were probing his attitude, Chen Cang returned a polite smile.

What was there to think? They were merely two talking corpses. By provoking the Xiao Clan, they had already paved their own road to death.

"There's no need to probe me in a roundabout way. I have no particular intentions toward your two families. Of course, I'm currently a Guest Elder of the Xiao Clan. If the Clan Leader truly steels himself to act against you and offers sufficient sincerity, I wouldn't mind lending a hand."

There was no need to play along with false courtesy. Chen Cang told them quite frankly.

They were nothing more than two bundles of experience on Xiao Yan's path of growth. Who would care?

"Well, I'm off. Looks like you have nothing else to say. You got my hopes up for nothing."

Chen Cang left just like that, and no one was hurt.

Watching him gradually disappear into the distance, Oba Pa could not resist smashing the table to pieces with a slap.

"We only had one chance. Are we really just letting him go back?"

"He's a Da Dou Shi too, not much weaker than us. Leaving aside whether he has powerful backing, he's spent half a year with the Xiao Clan. Xiao Zhan has probably told him all about our methods by now. Meanwhile, we know nothing about him. Are you certain we could really stop him from leaving?"

Jia Lie Bi gave his pigheaded teammate a disdainful look and laid out his reasoning point by point.

Oba Pa could not refute him.

"There's no need to dwell on it. This meeting wasn't fruitless. At the very least, we can be certain he doesn't care about Wutan City's Three Great Clans, including the Xiao Clan. As long as we don't push Xiao Zhan into a corner, the current balance won't be broken."

"Besides, someone like him can't possibly stay in Wutan City for long. Sooner or later, he'll leave. When that happens, with Xiao Zhan all alone, won't we be able to twist him around our fingers?"

It had to be said that Jia Lie Bi's guess was remarkably accurate.

Unfortunately, he could never have imagined that the Xiao Clan would also produce a Xiao Yan.

Back in Wutan City, Chen Cang did not find the three Xiao brothers where he had left them.

After glancing at the densely packed crowd, Chen Cang decisively abandoned the idea of searching for them.

While he strolled leisurely toward the Xiao Clan, its senior members were in something of a panic.

Because Chen Cang had disappeared!

After discovering that Chen Cang was gone, Xiao Ding and his brothers had searched around the city. When that proved fruitless, they immediately rushed back to report to Xiao Zhan.

If Xiao Zhan hadn't known that Chen Cang was probably no weaker than himself, and that his most treasured horse was still in the rear courtyard, he might have suspected something had happened to him.

Though he was not particularly worried, Xiao Zhan still sent quite a few Xiao Clan members out to look for Chen Cang, just in case.

"Clan Leader, Elder Chen is back!"

"I told you nothing would happen. Yan'er and the others were just too nervous."

As he spoke, Chen Cang walked in.

He hadn't expected to cause this little misunderstanding either. By all rights, he ought to give Xiao Zhan an explanation.

"Don't worry about it, Chen Cang. Yan'er and the others are still young. They make a fuss over every little thing," Xiao Zhan said first.

"I wasn't thoughtful enough. I should have told them before going out of the city for a stroll."

"Hahaha, no harm done."

With a hearty laugh, Xiao Zhan let the matter drop and took out a letter to change the subject.

"By the way, someone delivered a letter to me today, claiming that people from a branch of the Xiao Clan would be coming to Wutan City in a while. But the Xiao Clan is only so large. Where would all these branches come from? I haven't the slightest idea. Take a look, young friend. Is this the handwriting of the person you're waiting for?"

Something stirred in Chen Cang's mind. He took the letter and quickly examined it.

Its contents were just as Xiao Zhan had described, and the scrawled handwriting had a bold, unrestrained air.

Chen Cang had read Xiao Yi Xian's and her mother's memories and knew that both were literate. However, Xiao Yi Xian's handwriting was youthful and delicate, while her mother's was exceptionally neat.

Clearly, neither of them had written this letter.

That being the case, the answer was obvious.

The Gu Clan!

Gu Xun'er was coming!

He simply hadn't expected this Ancient Race to be so strangely polite, even giving advance notice.

Was this the person he had been waiting for?

Yes, and no.

And so...

"It doesn't quite resemble the handwriting I remember. They may really be coming for the Xiao Clan. In any case, once they arrive in Wutan City, everything will become clear."