Chapter 59: The Justification for the Fight (3)

Jade Shang stopped in his tracks.

He stared at Yan Hozheng's back with a look of shock.

"Huff. Huff."

His breathing was heavy, his upper body heaving continuously.

But only for a moment.

"Hooo."

His breathing returned to normal incredibly quickly.

His exposed neck and forearms were flushed red, a sign that his muscles had overheated from pushing his body to its limits.

Wooom.

A faint indigo aura swirled around Yan Hozheng's body. It was the Wall of Azure Jade Technique.

Jade Shang asked with a stern face.

"Did you kill them?"

Snap!

Yan Hozheng pulled out his axe and rested it on his shoulder.

"No way."

His face, which had been filled with killing intent, now became expressionless.

Jade Shang hurriedly approached Ming Wenzhi.

"Teacher... Teacher..."

Ming Wenzhi's condition was truly horrific.

Her entire upper body was covered in axe wounds. Judging by the depth of the cuts, at least five or six of her ribs must have been broken.

Her right arm was severed from the elbow, and there were cuts on her face from the axe's forceful wind.

Her face was pale with extreme fear.

'How cruel.'

It would have been better to kill her. Ming Wenzhi might recover physically, but mentally, she would never recover.

The only fortunate thing was that she hadn't lost much blood. She must have practiced some special martial arts.

"You've made a mess."

Yan Hozheng asked indifferently.

"What about the others?"

"I caught them all."

"Good."

"Good, for now."

Jade Shang, who had been glaring at Yan Hozheng with a stern look, sighed.

"I understand you're angry, but you need to calm down. You almost killed her, didn't you?"

"I didn't kill her, did I?"

Isn't that enough?

Jade Shang was at a loss for words.

'...Is it natural, then?'

The Murong family and the Ming family both had people trying to destroy their clans. From Yan Hozheng's perspective, they were clear enemies.

In fact, given his character, it was remarkable that he hadn't killed them.

"There was one I couldn't help."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"One of them is dead."

"......!"

He finally caused an incident.

Jade Shang decided not to argue. It was already done. The priority now was to handle the rest of the situation as quickly as possible.

"Let's move her first. Damn! I even called a doctor, but this is going to cost a fortune."

Jade Shang had arranged a temporary small estate. He tied up all the captured secret agents there.

Seeing Ming Wenzhi being moved, Yan Hozheng sat down at the entrance of the nearby forest.

Thump, thump.

His heart, which had been pounding fiercely, hadn't calmed down. Similarly, the anger that had surged from seeing Ming Wenzhi's martial arts hadn't subsided either.

But his mind had become cold and calculating.

'This is serious.'

Ming Wenzhi was the head of the Ming family's intelligence organization.

But even as the head of an organization, intelligence was just intelligence. She might be of the Ming family, but they wouldn't send a direct descendant to an intelligence organization.

In other words, Ming Wenzhi wasn't the head of the family's child. Yet, she had mastered 'that martial art.'

What did that mean?

'They said they were raising a Death Sword. Whether it's the Death Sword or her, they're just disposable pawns. So, they must have made her practice it as an experiment.'

It was an accurate judgment.

Not because he understood the principles of the martial world, but because he understood the nature of greedy power holders. The greed of power holders doesn't distinguish between right and wrong.

In other words,

'They are preparing.'

The Ming family will attack the Yan family. That's certain.

But unlike in the past, this time he had removed all the Murong family's agents. So, the Murong family would try to bury the Yan family before the world knew.

In this situation, the information from Jiangsu was controlled, and he had appeared in Henan.

And he had captured the entire intelligence organization of the Ming family.

"I need to gather more information."

Yan Hozheng lifted his head.

Jade Shang was approaching calmly. He seemed to have some leeway after handling a major task.

"Though we've worked hard, we can't stop here. The Ming family is too strong to stop with just a rumor."

"What about Hou Kai?"

Jade Shang's expression became serious.

"Perhaps they will realize it within five days. Considering it's their own backyard, we might have about four days."

"That's right."

"I've already received a message. The Yan family head has asked the Beggar Sect to investigate. Whether there are any Ming family-related organizations in Jiangsu and Zhejiang."

It was a sound judgment.

They wouldn't try to destroy the Yan family without any foundation in the region. Not only destroying but also establishing a foothold there was important.

There must be forces in Jiangsu that follow the Ming family.

"But it's too late."

"That's true. It will take at least a month to investigate. That's the minimum."

After a moment of thought, Jade Shang asked.

"What if we do this?"

"What?"

"Your master knows about this. I think it would be good to ask him for help."

Yan Hozheng's eyes widened.

Jade Shang's master referred to the current Dragon Head of the Beggar Sect.

"After all, we didn't plan to act immediately, did we? The Ming family won't provoke us recklessly, so let's gather information about their misdeeds and then act."

"That's true."

"In fact, since the day we arrived in Shanggu, we've been investigating Ming family-related businesses and information networks, but we haven't found any useful information yet."

"How long do you think it will take?"

"I don't know. The situation seems different from the last time we investigated. They've been suppressing information tightly."

Jade Shang clicked his tongue.

"That's why I want to ask my master to step in. He's half-retired and is preparing to hand over the Dragon Head position, but he won't refuse if we ask him to help with this."

He won't. The Beggar Sect's cooperation is as famous as the compassion of Shaolin Temple.

'But is it okay?'

Jade Shang didn't have much information about his master. He only remembered that the master was highly regarded.

'That's the problem.'

The word 'excellent' bothered him. In the martial world, 'excellent' often means 'not aggressive.'

This matter can't be handled that way.

It needs to be dealt with aggressively, thoroughly, and decisively, leaving the enemy no chance to recover.

Yan Hozheng, lost in thought, suddenly asked.

"What do you think?"

"Huh? About what?"

"Between the Nine Clans and the Murong family, which one do you think is harder to destroy?"

Jade Shang frowned.

"Why are you asking this suddenly?"

"Just tell me."

"Hmm, if you ask which is harder to deal with between a tiger and a lion..."

"Then, which one is in a more precarious environment?"

"Damn."

Muttering, Jade Shang fell into thought. The Yan Hozheng he knew wouldn't ask such a pointless question.

'Which one is harder to destroy?'

After much contemplation, Jade Shang gave his answer.

"In my opinion..."

"According to Hou Kai?"

"Um, I think it's the Murong family."

It was an unexpected answer. Despite the Nine Clans being more powerful, Jade Shang said the Murong family was harder to destroy.

"Why?"

"History and public opinion."

"I think the same."

The Nine Clans made significant contributions three hundred years ago during the Blood Sect incident.

But making contributions doesn't mean the family grew significantly. They formed their power through great efforts and significantly improved their martial arts.

That took two hundred years. After that, the Nine Clans became a representative martial family in the Central Plains.

That history lasted a hundred years.

"The Yan and Ming families have shorter histories compared to the other five major families. History is the foundation. No matter how large a force is, a force with a short history is more vulnerable to danger."

"That's true."

"From that perspective, the Nine Clans are easier to deal with. Besides, the reputation of the Nine Clans isn't very good."

The Nine Clans constantly sought to expand their power.

While it's natural for a martial family to grow, they went too far. Moreover, they were a white path family.

In the eyes of the white path martial world, the Nine Clans' expansion was too secular.

Despite having a power not far behind Shaolin Temple, the Nine Clans received the worst reputation among the seven major families.

Yan Hozheng's eyes sparkled.

'Destroying both the Ming and Murong families at once is impossible now.'

Of course, even if he regained his power from the Dark Emperor era, it would be difficult. It might be possible if he had the foundation of the Dark City.

'Besides...'

Even if there was a way, burying both families at once would be a bad move for the future.

'The Three Teachings!'

That's right.

The Three Fanatical Teachings will invade the Central Plains someday. To stop them, an outstanding ruler like Murong Wu is needed.

Of course, he had no intention of sparing the Murong family after allying with Murong Wu.

But now, before meeting Murong Wu, destroying the Murong family would be a bad move even if there was a way.

'The power of the Three Teachings' Sound Sect alone turned half of the Central Plains into a sea of blood. To stop the remaining two, Murong Wu is essential.'

Immediate revenge is important, but the future crisis is also important.

'Then...'

Yan Hozheng's face was filled with killing intent.

'I need to destroy the Ming family first.'

It was a good turn of events.

The Murong family sent agents to the Yan family, but the Ming family was the one who actually destroyed the family. Among those who deserved to die, the Ming family, who killed his family, was his top priority.

It was right both personally and for the future.

Then?

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Huh? What are you talking about suddenly?"

Yan Hozheng looked at Jade Shang with a cold gaze.

Jade Shang involuntarily flinched.

'This guy's eyes are really...'

More terrifying than directly showing killing intent. It was as if his eyes could see through one's soul.

"I will destroy the Ming family."

"I know. I'm not sure if it's possible, though."

"If you help me, it can be done."

"What, what are you saying?"

"It won't harm you. The justification is clear, and it will also enhance the Beggar Sect's reputation."

Jade Shang's face turned red with anger.

"Do you see me as someone who cares about reputation?"

"Is caring about reputation a bad thing?"

"......?"

"People naturally have desires. Even if you're not a hermit, is it a sin to desire reputation?"

"Um... that's not it, but... anyway, I'm not that kind of person."

"I know."

"You know and still say that!"

"I know, but for the future, reputation is necessary. To catch even more vicious people."

"......!"

Jade Shang's face became serious.

"What are you thinking?"

"Let's send a message first."

"Message? To whom?"

"To Murong Jun."

"......!!"

"It needs to be sent directly."

I will use everything that can be used.