Chapter 83

One

It was still early in the day, but a grand banquet was already underway at the Nine Dragons Hall. Numerous women, dressed in luxurious silks, were serving wine, while the drunk martial artists were making a ruckus, causing all sorts of chaos.

Yan Chanshi, the leader of the Nine Dragons Hall, sat at the highest seat, quietly sipping his wine as he looked down at his subordinates.

'With no further attacks and the pursuit of Yan Gui's trail progressing smoothly, it's fine to enjoy this a bit.'

The recent series of attacks on the prison had left the hall in a state of unrest, but it seemed to be a good opportunity to change the atmosphere.

At that moment, Du Zhong'e, the leader of the Yellow Green Escort Agency, carefully poured wine into Yan Chanshi's empty cup.

"Hehe, I should have paid more attention to this earlier. I was too aloof. I would be grateful if you could understand with the same broad-mindedness as the sea."

Du Zhong'e, who had organized this banquet, had come with a large amount of bribes, fearing that he might fall out of favor with Yan Chanshi.

Du Zhong'e kept watching for any signs and was whispering to him.

'What a joke, that pig-like man.'

Yan Chanshi despised him in his heart but did not show it outwardly.

This time, Yan Chanshi poured wine for Du Zhong'e.

Du Zhong'e knelt and received the cup with both hands, bowing respectfully.

"It's fine. I've been busy with matters in the hall and haven't been able to pay proper attention. If you felt neglected, please forget it."

"Oh! How could I feel neglected by the leader of the Nine Dragons Hall? I understand. Yes, you must be very busy. You oversee everything in Zhejiang, how overwhelming it must be..."

Du Zhong'e was flattering Yan Chanshi, trying to paint a golden face on him, but suddenly he flinched and stopped speaking.

He then subtly observed the middle-aged man sitting opposite him, suspecting that he might have made a slip of the tongue.

Indeed, it was a situation where he should have been very cautious.

For in front of him sat Jiang Weizhao, the Inspector of Zhejiang Province, who wielded absolute power in the province. Du Zhong'e's words just now were almost an insult to him.

However, Jiang Weizhao showed no change in expression, sitting still like a statue.

Seeing this, Du Zhong'e thought to himself,

'He must have been caught by the leader of the Nine Dragons Hall... It seems to be true.'

"...Well, hahaha."

Du Zhong'e then awkwardly laughed and finished his sentence.

After a few more rounds of wine, Yan Chanshi quietly brought up a topic.

"...By the way, how is the preparation for this official escort going?"

"Of course! I submitted the application on the first day, and the two top martial artists have already been hired."

"Be extra cautious. It is very important that the Yellow Green Escort Agency becomes the top escort agency in Zhejiang through this official escort."

"How could there be any doubt! I will prepare with extra care!"

Du Zhong'e shouted loudly in response to Yan Chanshi's earnest instructions.

However, Yan Chanshi's eyes, looking down at him, were full of doubt. After a series of failures, he was no longer reliable.

'Tsk, I should prepare thoroughly just in case.'

Du Zhong'e, who had no idea about Yan Chanshi's inner thoughts, cautiously brought up a topic.

"On the way here, I heard some news."

"News?"

"They say Baiyun Escort Agency has submitted an application. Liu Xinyun is truly a man who doesn't know his place."

As the name "Baiyun Escort Agency" was mentioned, a deep killing intent flashed in Du Zhong'e's eyes.

However, Yan Chanshi didn't pay much attention, as he had already ruled out the Baiyun Escort Agency as the culprit in the prison attacks.

Seeing Yan Chanshi's indifferent reaction, Du Zhong'e continued, seemingly frustrated.

"How could that man have obtained the three official seals and two top martial artists? It's clearly a false application. Perhaps we should prevent him from participating in the first place."

Seeing Du Zhong'e, who had failed to eliminate such a man earlier, Yan Chanshi's eyes flashed with contempt again.

He restrained his urge to act and gave a clear answer.

"No, there's no need for that."

"Excuse me?"

"Why would we need to prevent him?"

Du Zhong'e, unable to understand Yan Chanshi's words, blinked his eyes in confusion.

Yan Chanshi quietly continued.

"Isn't it amusing? They don't even realize they are walking into their own grave, fabricating all sorts of lies."

"Oh!"

It was a command to set a trap and kill Liu Xinyun.

At that moment, Yan Chanshi turned his head to the opposite side and spoke.

"Jiang Weizhao, from now on, prepare the official escort as I say."

He called Jiang Weizhao's name as if summoning a subordinate and began to dictate the content of the official escort, which was within the Inspector's authority.

Jiang Weizhao, suppressing his humiliation, quietly listened to the content.

When all the details were laid out, the expressions of Jiang Weizhao and Du Zhong'e were completely different.

Du Zhong'e looked elated, while Jiang Weizhao looked utterly bewildered.

At that moment, Jiang Weizhao shouted for the first time.

"Such a test exists? It's just a way to kill them all!"

The sudden outburst from Jiang Weizhao made the noise of the banquet abruptly stop.

All the martial artists of the Nine Dragons Hall turned their eyes to Jiang Weizhao.

Daring to raise his voice against their master.

The martial aura from the martial artists filled the room, so intense that it could have made a criminal faint on the spot, but Jiang Weizhao was not affected in the slightest.

He stared straight at Yan Chanshi without any sign of backing down.

Yan Chanshi, looking at him with disdain, sneered and spoke.

"You see it clearly."

"What?"

"I will kill them all through this official escort. And you will be the one to carry it out."

"!"

"How does it feel to kill the innocent with your own hands? Don't you feel a thrill?"

Jiang Weizhao's pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

Seeing this, Yan Chanshi smiled cruelly and continued.

"Why can't you kill them? If not, I'll give you a choice. Decide now. Either throw an innocent person into the depths of death..."

Thud!

Yan Chanshi placed a broken jade pendant in front of him.

"Or sacrifice your daughter's life."

The jade pendant was something that Jiang Weizhao's daughter always carried with her. Jiang Weizhao, with eyes full of despair, closed his eyes tightly.

'Don't forgive me.'

He bowed deeply, thinking to himself.

"Hmm, then I expect you to prepare with all your might."

Seeing this, Yan Chanshi smiled with an evil grin.

Two

Time passed swiftly.

Finally, the day of the official escort test arrived.

In front of the Zhejiang Inspectorate, the escort agencies that had applied for the official escort were gathering and setting up their positions.

It was known that six agencies would apply until the end, but only four were present so far.

Mingjin Escort Agency, Xinguan Escort Agency, Ajou Escort Agency, and Qinghua Escort Agency were all traditional martial arts groups, with similar strengths except for the dominant Yellow Green Escort Agency.

They were chatting with each other, trying to ease their tension.

"This is a good opportunity we can't miss. Tsk, but I'm worried."

"Ugh! I heard there's already a predetermined winner."

"Hehe, you guys should stop wasting your efforts and go back. We'll be the ones to pick up the leftovers."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

They were sharing the rumors they had heard, enduring the boredom.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Then, at that moment.

A loud sound of footsteps came from a distance.

Everyone turned their heads towards the source of the sound and simultaneously exclaimed, "Ah!"

In front of them, the flag of the Yellow Green Escort Agency was fluttering.

Behind the flag, a large number of bodyguards, far more than the others, were walking.

"That, that's!"

"Unbelievable! They hired them?"

"No, how are they together?"

Soon, the bodyguards of the other agencies were also shocked, their mouths agape.

An unbelievable scene was unfolding.

On either side of Dou Qi, who was standing in the middle with his head held high, were martial artists from the righteous and the evil factions.

At the forefront of the left side stood Xue Yudao, the leader of the Strong Dragon Team of the Nine Dragons Hall, Xu Zhongguang.

The Strong Dragon Team was known for its cruel and ruthless methods in battle.

Xu Zhongguang, bald and without eyebrows, gave a terrifying appearance. His massive, muscular body was covered with large and small scars.

Behind him were the members of the Strong Dragon Team.

On the right side, the figures were no less impressive.

Qingkun Daozhang, the leader of the Qing Shui Sect, led his disciples, including Song Xue.

Qingkun Daozhang, known as the right-hand man and the largest follower of the Qing Shui Sect, was a prominent figure in the Qing faction.

The Nine Dragons Hall, a major evil faction, and the Huangshan Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects, were both present.

This was the result of Du Zhong'e seeking help from the Huangshan Sect, while Yan Chanshi, not trusting him, provided his own forces.

It was natural for an awkward atmosphere to flow between these groups, who were usually at odds.

"Ugh!"

"..."

The bodyguards of the various agencies began to groan.

As the martial artists of the Nine Dragons Hall and the daoists of the Huangshan Sect engaged in a battle of auras, the tension spread to the surroundings.

Just as the situation was about to reach a breaking point.

The last of the six agencies was arriving.

Liu Xinyun and Tao Jinwu were at the forefront, followed by the remaining two branch leaders and the bodyguards of the Zhengyun Pavilion.

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