Chapter 55. Where the Wind Blows (5)

"Lord of the family. A letter has arrived for the Young Master."

"Give it to me."

Yan Wei took the letter, unfolded it, and his eyes sparkled.

'So fast.'

It seemed he had already reached Henan. Even if he rode a horse, it was an incredible speed. He must have changed horses several times.

'They are trying to put the Murong family in a hurry.'

Yan Wei immediately understood Lian Hozheng's intention.

He was once again amazed by his son's decisiveness. Although he had accumulated countless experiences as the head of the family, his son had not had such experiences.

By moving swiftly, he could throw the opponent off balance. A disoriented opponent would reveal unexpected weaknesses, and the moment those weaknesses were exploited, the enemy's defenses would be dismantled.

This was the way of the old river, which had been tested countless times. Even Yan Wei found it difficult to come up with such a response immediately.

Moreover, when capturing this spy, he had directly infiltrated the enemy's camp, toyed with them, and revealed the truth.

It was a bold approach. A wise and decisive move. A method that did not shy away from danger to defeat the enemy.

As a father, he was worried, but as a martial artist, he could only admire such a response.

'No matter what, since Hozheng has moved like this, the Murong family will try to make contact somehow. But given the distance, the probability of getting reliable support from an ally is high.'

Yan Wei's eyes deepened.

He recalled his conversation with Lian Hozheng before he left.

"Absolutely a famous family."

"Do you have a reason for thinking that? In fact, there are many forces that the Murong family could ally with. There's no need to affiliate with a family known as the best in the world."

"Still, it has to be a famous family. It can only be a famous family."

"Then why do you think so?"

"......It's hard to give a definite answer. But it will be revealed during this trip to Henan. Where the Murong family has allied with."

It was still a mystery. Why did he think the Murong family had allied with a famous family?

Yan Wei also did not believe the Murong family acted alone. The risks were too great.

But the allied organization did not necessarily have to be a famous family.

'......'

However, there must be a reason why his son said that. Through a series of events, he trusted Lian Hozheng's excellent insight and judgment.

Yan Wei, who had been lost in thought, called out to Li Baiyan.

"Contact the branch leader of the Iron Staff Gang. Ask him to check if there are any sects or organizations related to famous families in the vicinity of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces."

"Understood."

Yan Wei, with his arms crossed, was lost in thought.

His eyes were filled with a clear determination.

"......What if it really is related to a famous family?"

Then he would draw the Sword of the Family Head without hesitation.

* * *

The young man led Lian Hozheng to a sparsely populated forest.

Guiding him into the forest at sunset, it would be awkward even if he knew where the other person came from.

However, Lian Hozheng's expression was completely indifferent.

There was no trace of fear, anxiety, or suspicion. He did not seem tense or excited either.

He was calm and composed. At least, that's how it appeared on the surface.

The young man, Ming Dao, frowned.

'Is this guy not even nervous?'

The First Family in the world, the Nine Provinces' Famous Family, had invited him. Even if he were the Young Master of the Bishan Yan Family, it would be normal to be nervous.

But there was no sign of it in this guy.

"What's that?"

"What?"

"The axe."

"My weapon."

Ming Dao was taken aback.

"You use such a large axe as a weapon? Not a sword?"

"Right."

The Bishan Yan Family's main martial art was the sword.

The sword technique was so remarkable that it could be mentioned in such a way.

"The sword of Wudang is not as soft, the sword of Huashan is not as delicate, the sword of Nangong is not as dignified, and the sword of Murong is not as fierce. Yet, the sword of the Yan Family is strong. Its honesty is the epitome of orthodoxy, and in a certain sense, it is the most suitable for the White Way martial arts."

The Yan Family had gained such a great reputation in just fifty years since being counted among the Seven Great Families, not just because they were righteous.

It was because they were strong. Their sword technique was capable of representing the Central Plains.

Despite possessing such an amazing sword technique, they were the smallest in terms of power among the Seven Families. A gentleman does not reveal himself, which is why martial artists praised them.

"Even as the Young Master, you use an axe as a weapon?"

"What's wrong with that?"

Ming Dao frowned even more.

"I've been trying to say this, but can't you change your tone a bit?"

"Does your tone seem full of courtesy?"

"......"

Indeed, he had no right to say anything after demanding his time so rudely.

However, Ming Dao openly showed his displeasure.

The Famous Family is the First Family in the world. Although counted among the Seven Great Families, it is on a different level from the other six.

In the martial world, power is power, and reputation is status.

In other words, the Nine Provinces' Famous Family is no different from the highest aristocracy in the martial world. Unless it's Shaolin, it's not a family that a small family like the Yan Family can challenge.

'Is he still full of himself?'

He secretly mocked Lian Hozheng.

He had heard that Lian Hozheng made a very impressive performance at the gathering of the young generation.

It was understandable that his neck would stiffen. After being ridiculed as a "tiger cub" and laughed at by the world, he had even earned a respectable nickname like "Gale Wind."

'Enjoy it while it lasts.'

How many experts have shown their prowess and then disappeared without a trace? Ming Dao thought Lian Hozheng would be no different.

After walking for more than an hour, they saw the light of a campfire.

Ming Dao pointed at the campfire with his chin.

"Go on. There's someone who wants to see you."

"Sure."

"Put that down."

Ming Dao pointed at the axe.

Lian Hozheng smiled and walked towards the campfire without a word.

Ming Dao's eyes turned cold.

"There's a limit to how much arrogance I can tolerate. Put it down now."

Lian Hozheng continued to walk without a word.

Ming Dao's eyes flared with anger.

"How dare you......!"

At that moment,

"Leave it."

A clear voice came from somewhere.

Ming Dao flinched. The order came from someone he could not disobey.

In the end, he could only glare at Lian Hozheng's back with a murderous look.

Lian Hozheng ignored Ming Dao. He had no interest in a mere pawn from the start.

He recalled the voice he had just heard.

'Impressive.'

The internal strength in the voice was of considerable depth. At this level, it could be considered the internal strength of a peak expert.

'He brought quite a few.'

Moreover, the number of people he could sense was not just a few. Although it was hard to be precise, there were at least twenty.

His perception was accurate.

"An incredibly large axe? It must be very heavy, yet you manage to carry it around."

As he approached the campfire, he saw a woman sitting with over twenty martial artists standing around her.

The voice belonged to the woman. She looked to be around the same age as Ming Dao, with delicate features.

Lian Hozheng tilted his head.

"So, who are you?"

"Oh? A fresh reaction. I heard you have a rough personality, and indeed you do."

The woman smiled.

"My name is Ming Wenchi. Have you heard of me?"

"No."

"Hehe! How rude. Usually, people would say they've at least heard of you."

Bang!

Lian Hozheng leaned against a tree, placed his axe on the ground, and put his hand on it, speaking indifferently.

"If you called me, tell me why."

Ming Wenchi's eyes sparkled like a morning star.

'Not a typical personality.'

Whether rough, timid, indifferent to others, or cautious, any personality was fine. The real problem was when you couldn't read the other person's character.

From this perspective, this young man, Lian Hozheng, was not typical. His tone was rough, but his character was unreadable.

"By the way, where did the other guy who came with you go? They said he disappeared when they checked the inn."

This meant they had searched the inn in the meantime.

Lian Hozheng tilted his head.

"He's a free spirit, so I don't know. So, what's the matter?"

"Oh, I see."

Ming Wenchi smiled brightly.

"Coming alone, you must have known we would be here?"

"Life is full of annoying people. I thought it would be more of the same this time, so I came."

"Would you clear them out if they were pests?"

"Are they pests?"

It was a provocative tone.

Ming Wenchi's face remained calm, but the eyes of the martial artists standing behind her changed.

They did not emit any killing intent, but they were ready to kill at a moment's notice.

Even knowing he was the eldest son of the Bishan Yan Family.

"You have a lot of guts. Didn't you hear from Ming Dao that we are from the Famous Family?"

"What does it matter if it's the Famous Family or anything else? It's just a bunch of maggots."

"Hmm."

At this point, even Ming Wenchi found it hard to remain calm.

"If you keep being so insolent, it won't end well. I haven't even told you what I want, and you might get hurt."

"That's why I'm telling you to hurry up and say it. I've already told you a few times. Do you have a problem understanding?"

Ming Wenchi's eyes turned cold.

Even as the leader of the Dark Death Squad, a spy organization of the Famous Family, it was hard to maintain composure.

She was actually over thirty, though she didn't look it. But she was still young to be the leader of a spy organization.

That made her even more remarkable. To become the leader of a spy organization at her age, she must have had outstanding abilities and talent.

Maintaining composure was also one of her excellent abilities. But this disrespectful young man was shaking it.

"Interesting. You're an interesting person."

Ming Wenchi smiled and continued.

"I don't like wasting time on pointless chatter. Fine, let's get to the point."

"......"

"How is the Yan Family doing these days? Are they living peacefully without any problems?"

Lian Hozheng smiled coldly.

She asked about the Yan Family while claiming to get to the point. She must have already heard everything from the Murong family.

This was the way people in intelligence or information handling spoke. They would ask a question to gauge the other person's reaction, not to confirm the content.

Ming Wenchi's expression, tone, and manner of speaking were thoroughly trained, or to put it bluntly, typical of a spy.

"Chaos."

"Really? What happened?"

"Some stupid family planted a few spies. I had to pull them out and clean up, which left me with a sore back."

Ming Wenchi's expression hardened.

She had tried to ask subtly, but he had bluntly told her everything. It was surprising because she didn't think he would reveal such information.

"Such things to us......?"

"And."

Swish.

Lian Hozheng stroked the blade of his axe and continued.

"There were also some jackals trying to swallow the main family along with that stupid family, right?"

"......?!"

Was it the campfire light, or did Ming Wenchi's eyes seem to flicker?

"Think about it, isn't it strange? The Murong family is the most desperate right now, yet you came to me before them. The Murong family isn't so incompetent as to be outmaneuvered."

"That's......"

"The 'First in the World' sign, they really took it in a very dirty way, didn't they?"

Rumble.

Killing intent began to rise from the axe.

"Since they took it easily, breaking it shouldn't be too difficult, what do you think?"