Chapter 141: Chapter 141
“I’m sorry — the eatery’s closed for the night. If you’d like noodles, come back early tomorrow.”
Tian Ping’an showed no irritation. A smile played across his face.
“A pity my timing is off. But…”
“Beyond filling my belly, I’ve come to pay my respects to Brother Shen’s reputation and ask about a few matters on the road.”
Shen Xiuhan’s eyelids lifted a fraction.
“What matters?”
Tian Ping’an’s smile held steady. He half-turned, gesturing at the two iron-tower brutes planted behind him.
“To be frank, the three of us are also Changyun men. Went out to make our fortune years ago, never amounted to much. Now the weary birds know to fly home — all we want is to put down roots and find an honest living.”
Tian Ping’an leaned in and offered a deep clasped-fist bow — his posture exceedingly humble.
“Brother Shen is one of the Six Prodigies of Changyun — well-connected, well-informed. I’m nobody, too lowly to court the great families. But the outer city’s Raging Waves seems like a decent fit. Trouble is, I know nothing about them. Might Brother Shen enlighten me?”
As he spoke, his gaze slid covertly upward, probing Shen Xiuhan’s expression.
“The Raging Waves? Can’t say I know much.”
Shen Xiuhan shook his head, his manner casual.
“Only that they’re a gang that rose recently. The outer city used to be Golden Dragon Gang territory. Then the two gangs clashed, winner take all. Golden Dragon was destroyed, and only the Raging Waves remained.”
Lies!
Tian Ping’an’s face was all smiles. Inside, killing intent seethed.
He’d returned in secret some time ago and had already met with Gao Fu.
Gao Fu had told him to his face: the man who killed his elder brother Tian Erhu was almost certainly from the Raging Waves.
Besides, others might be in the dark, but Tian Ping’an certainly wasn’t.
The Raging Waves’ chief, Zheng Dadao, and second chief, Tang Cheng, were Longxiang Army — Zhenyue Battalion men!
The Zhendong General’s inner circle!
Tian Ping’an didn’t know them personally, but they’d served in the same army. How could he fail to recognize those two?
Half a year ago, they’d led a dozen hard-bitten soldiers out of the military under the pretext of “honorable discharge.”
Then they’d quietly come to the Zhendong General’s home county, raised a banner, and built a gang. The purpose was transparent.
They were here to be the Wang family’s street-sweepers and shadow-hands.
As for this Shen kid…
He’d appeared near Tian Ping’an’s old home for no clear reason, paying beggars for information.
Now he’d taken top three and even entered the Dragon Blood Essence Pool.
String it all together, and the picture was obvious.
This boy had pledged himself to the Wang family. He was their hound.
“Don’t know much” — that was a brush-off if he’d ever heard one.
Tian Ping’an laughed coldly behind his mask of a face, not letting a flicker show.
He steered the conversation through a few more pleasantries, then clasped his fists and took his leave.
“Much obliged, Brother Shen. I’ve heard your family’s noodles are something special — I’ll be sure to come try them another day. Farewell!”
“Of course.”
Shen Xiuhan returned the courtesy and saw them off.
The moment the three figures vanished around the corner, his gaze turned to ice. He ducked inside, spoke a quick word to Madam Zheng, slung Cold Granary across his back —
And shot from the courtyard gate like a ghost, silent as a shadow, tracking the direction they’d gone.
…
Outer city. Yeci Ward.
It wasn’t long before Tian Ping’an’s group left the inner city and entered the low, ramshackle alleys.
“Boss, what that kid said… true or not?”
The man on the left couldn’t help asking, doubt in his voice.
“False. He lied.”
Tian Ping’an’s face was dark, his voice cold as hammered iron.
“I tracked his scent with the Ten-Li Tracker and confirmed he’d been near my old house. Even if he was working with the Raging Waves to hunt down Gao Fu, he still deserves to die!”
Tian Ping’an had lost both parents young. He and Tian Erhu had depended on each other.
He’d wanted to learn martial arts.
To scrape together the tuition, Tian Erhu had taken any job he could find.
Hauling cargo on the docks. Running escort caravans. Testing drugs for apothecaries.
Every step Tian Ping’an had taken — from joining Zhendong Martial Hall, to entering the Longxiang Army, to rising where he stood today — had been bought with Tian Erhu’s blood and sweat.
Now his elder brother had been murdered. He had sworn to avenge him.
Even if it meant deserting the Longxiang Army and bearing the brand of “killed comrades, stole treasures.”
Let alone some mere Manifest Strength Perfection nobody.
‘That Dragon Blood Essence Pool sounds impressive, but it was only three days. How much could any of them possibly gain? At best, Manifest Strength Perfection.’
‘Meanwhile, I’ve got the stolen pill and the stolen art. I’ve already broken through to Hidden Strength — Taichong open!’
‘Six Prodigies of Changyun… frogs in a well who don’t know how vast the sky is!’
‘Once I find the one who killed my brother, I’ll circle back and deal with this Wang family lapdog at my leisure!’
With that thought, Tian Ping’an’s eyes turned frigid. He glanced at the man on his left and spoke in a voice like shaved ice.
“My brother mentioned in his letters that he’d trained at Tongbei Martial Hall. Never made much of himself, but he was close with the second inner-court disciple, Feng Xiaobao. Getting into the Golden Dragon Gang was Feng’s doing. Have you made contact yet?”
“Not… not yet.”
The man’s face went stiff. He answered through gritted teeth.
“I’ve been checking in secret. Tongbei Martial Hall hit some kind of crisis a while back. The whole place is locked down — master and disciples alike, none of them set foot outside.”
“Crisis?”
Tian Ping’an’s brow furrowed.
“In Changyun, Tongbei Martial Hall is a power in its own right. Hall Master Yan Xiao and his wife are both Hidden Strength experts. What kind of crisis could shake them?”
The man relayed what he’d gathered.
“Word on the street is… Tongbei’s chief inner-court disciple was crippled. And the third disciple was beaten to death outright — corpse left in the rear courtyard.”
“Two disasters in a row scared Feng Xiaobao witless. I’ve tossed a dozen message-arrows over that wall. Not a peep back.”
Tian Ping’an’s brow knotted tight, irritation flashing in his eyes.
“Keep throwing them!”
“Tell that Feng bastard — I’ll be joining Chenjian Wu any day now. If he keeps playing deaf and dumb, I’ll send him below to reunite with his dear fellow disciples!”
“Yes, sir!”
The man clasped his fists and said nothing more.
Beside him, the other hesitated a beat, then asked in a low voice.
“Brother An, what Gao Fu said… can we really trust it?”
“Nine times out of ten.”
Tian Ping’an’s gaze flickered, his tone heavy.
“The man has Chenjian Wu’s Great Chief’s waist-token and a letter of introduction. Besides, in three months’ time he’s counting on me for a colossal opportunity of his own. He’d gain nothing by lying to me now.”
With that, the biting night wind swept across his face.
Tian Ping’an stopped, turned, and looked at his two sworn brothers — the men who’d followed him through thick and thin. His voice took on a feverish edge.
“Second Brother, Third Brother — once I’ve killed the man responsible, the three of us head for Chenjian Wu. We drink from big bowls, eat meat in big chunks.”
“From then on, the sky’s the limit. No more hiding, no more running. Not even the Longxiang Army or the Wang family can touch us!”
“Good!”
The two men licked their lips, traded a glance, and broke into matching grins — eyes alight with longing, as though they could already see that carefree life.
Then —
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Three shrill whistles tore through the night, piercing and savage, shredding the silence.
“Who’s there?!”
All three sets of eyes blazed. Their bodies rocketed backward in unison.