「Ti rewound to noon.」
A series of splashes echoed in the Crescent River. The n flailing in the water were all mbers of the Star Evil Group. So had been thrown in by Lin Tang; others had jumped in voluntarily.
Lin Tang said angrily, "You disturbed my fishing spot and scared off all the fish. I must punish you! Here's the deal: catch 3,000 kilograms of fish, alive. For every kilogram you're short, I'll make up the difference with your flesh!"
"Yes, yes, of course! We'll start right away and make sure to catch the full amount..."
How could Jiao Zhengjin and the others dare to disobey? They began frantically trying to catch fish with their bare hands, turning the river into a chaotic scene of frenzied activity.
"Thank you, Senior, for saving us. May I be so bold as to ask your esteed na?" Huangfu Zhan, Wei Shanhe, and the others bowed deeply.
Lin Tang glanced at them. "I travel without changing my na and live without changing my surna. I am Long Tianji!"
The "Long" ca from the *Supre True Dragon Technique* he cultivated. The "Tianji" ca from his master, the Diviner. Combined, they ford his new identity: Long Tianji.
Huangfu Zhan silently committed the na to mory, about to try and curry more favor. But Lin Tang simply waved a hand dismissively. "What, do you want to jump in and catch fish too? If not, get lost!"
"...Yes!"
Huangfu Zhan's scalp tingled. He didn't dare offend this capricious powerhouse. He quickly excused himself, leading Wei Shanhe and their people away in a hurry.
Only after they had entered the city did they dare to quietly discuss this "Long Tianji."
"Who would have thought a Grandmaster would be living in seclusion just outside little Jiangbei City!"
"He might not be in seclusion. Perhaps he was just passing through."
"It could also be that..."
They shared various speculations and theories, their conversation filled with awe and sighs of relief. Regardless of the circumstances, they had escaped a disaster. It was sheer, incredible luck. As long as the Star Evil Group had half a brain, they wouldn't dare set foot in Jiangbei again for a long, long ti.
They returned to their hideout and, with the traitor Lu Liangfei in tow, headed to their branch headquarters without any further worries. The injured were bandaged, and the weary rested.
"Chairman, should I ask Master Lin to co and treat your injuries?"
"Sigh... my Dantian is destroyed. It's beyond saving. There's no need to trouble him."
"But..."
Everyone looked at Huangfu Zhan, their expressions a mixture of pity and anxiety. He was the pillar of the True Martial Association, their stabilizing force. Now, that pillar had crumbled. What were they supposed to do?
Previously, when the Star Evil Group had attacked the True Martial Association's various branch headquarters, so had been wiped out, but others had managed to escape in advance. Upon hearing about the situation in Jiangbei, these survivors had rushed over to regroup. A final count revealed that five branches, along with their five directors, remained. Including Lu Liangfei, that made six directors.
"Hey, why is Old Lu tied up?" they asked, all looking at Lu Liangfei.
"That traitor, Lu Liangfei, he..." one of the original Jiangbei mbers began, gritting his teeth as he recounted Lu Liangfei's betrayal. His story infuriated so of the newcors, who demanded Lu Liangfei be executed on the spot.
Lu Liangfei's face turned ashen. "I only surrendered because I heard the Chairman had already led the way!" he scread desperately. "Why is it okay for him to surrender, but not ? I won't accept this!"
SLAP!
Wei Shanhe slapped him across the face. "How audacious!"
"When did the Chairman ever surrender?"
"Lu Liangfei, how dare you make such false accusations?" the others chid in.
Lu Liangfei, with nothing left to lose, roared back, "If he didn't surrender, if he didn't betray the exact locations of our branches, how could the Star Evil Group have conquered so much of our territory so quickly?"
"This..." The crowd fell silent.
Huangfu Zhan looked to the sky and let out a pained sigh. "I admit it," he said, his voice heavy with agony. "I was a coward. I couldn't withstand the torture, so I revealed that information. I have shad myself before you all!"
Having said this, he was overco with such sha that he wished he could bash his head against a wall and kill himself. Several n rushed to stop him, telling him it was only human. Even a man of iron has his breaking point. Since he was only flesh and blood, it was normal to break under extre torture.
Lu Liangfei, however, was different. He had surrendered without enduring any pain at all, and he had imdiately turned on Wei Shanhe.
The five new directors' eyes flickered as they exchanged glances. Huangfu Zhan was crippled. Wei Shanhe was half-crippled himself—even if he recovered, he was too old. He was no match for the five of them combined.
In that case... what right do Huangfu Zhan and Wei Shanhe have to lord over them anymore?
And so, they made their move. They declared that there was no need to dwell on old scores. Lu Liangfei, just like Huangfu Zhan, should be forgiven.
"What do you say, Chairman?" they asked, their voices neutral as they subtly surrounded Huangfu Zhan and Wei Shanhe.
Huangfu Zhan said nothing. Wei Shanhe said nothing. No one else present said anything.
And just like that, amid Huangfu Zhan's disheartened silence, Yu Tianshun—the strongest and most respected of the five directors—beca the acting chairman. Not a single mber objected.
Yu Tianshun first gave a solemn speech, vowing to dedicate himself completely to leading everyone through this crisis. Then, he jovially "invited" Huangfu Zhan and Wei Shanhe to go get so proper rest. In reality, it was house arrest.
Finally, he ordered Lu Liangfei released without any charges. Overjoyed, Lu Liangfei imdiately knelt to swear his allegiance, handing over every last resource of the Jiangbei branch. Yu Tianshun, of course, accepted it all with a broad smile.
By evening, after they had finished taking stock of all the assets in Jiangbei, Lu Liangfei spoke up. "All that's left now is Villa No. 1, occupied by that nace Lin Tang. What do you five brothers propose we do?"
"Lin Tang..."
"Are you certain his martial arts have been completely crippled?"
"Absolutely!"
"In that case, we'll kick him out."
"What right does a cripple have to occupy Villa No. 1?"
"If it weren't for his feud with Yan Renjie, our True Martial Association wouldn't have suffered such a heavy blow!"
"Exactly! He's a criminal!"
"If he knows what's good for him and leaves, that's one thing. But if he doesn't..." One of the directors made a sharp slicing motion across his throat. The others all nodded in agreent.
Haha, Lin Tang, just you watch how I'm going to deal with you! Lu Liangfei was inwardly smug. He imdiately led the new directors and a group of his trusted cronies toward Villa No. 1.
***
"Wei Zichu, get over here and pay your respects to Chairman Yu!"
"You dare to just stand there? Are you planning to betray the True Martial Association? You've got so nerve!"
After demanding that Lin Tang scram imdiately, Lu Liangfei and his group turned their arrogant attention to Wei Zichu.
Wei Zichu was furious. "Chairman Yu? What a joke! Where is my Uncle Huangfu? There's no way he would agree to step down! I think you're the ones staging a rebellion!"
Lu Liangfei roared with laughter. "Hahaha, Huangfu Zhan is a cripple now, just like Lin Tang! What right does he have to disagree?"
"Lu, don't talk like that. Think of the optics," Yu Tianshun said, waving a hand in a show of false modesty.
"Chairman Yu, what do we have to be afraid of? A crippled martial artist can never recover. Huangfu Zhan's days are over. And Wei Shanhe could kick the bucket at any mont. We don't need to show them any consideration anymore!" Lu Liangfei grew even more brazen.
Wei Zichu trembled with rage. "Brother Lin, just poison his vile mouth shut!"
"Hmph, you think we ca unprepared?" Lu Liangfei and the others simultaneously donned gas masks and, in a flash, revealed hidden flying knives in their hands. "Lin Tang, if you dare try any tricks with poison, we'll kill you on the spot! Don't say we didn't warn you!"
"It's been three minutes. Are you leaving or not?"
Lin Tang pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting the urge to just slap them all to death. But he had kept up this pretense for so long. To expose himself now for the sake of these worthless thugs... wouldn't that render everything he had done aningless?
"Fine, we'll move," he said.
Besides, Shen Youling had already said this place wasn't safe. It was probably better to find a new ho anyway. As long as they had money, they could buy a house anywhere.
Seeing Lin Tang "submit," Lu Liangfei sneered. He followed close behind them, watching them like a hawk. "You'd better keep your hands clean. Just take your raggedy clothes and worn-out blankets. Anything that originally belonged to the villa stays... Lin Tang, what are you doing? Put those antiques down!"
Lin Tang looked at him, surprised. "These antiques were given to as compensation by Zhou Rushan and his n. Why can't I take them?"
"Nonsense! They clearly ca with the villa! Who the hell is Zhou Rushan? I've never heard of him! If you dare touch one more thing, believe , I'll chop off your claws!" Lu Liangfei spouted the shaless lie without so much as a blink.
Lin Tang found himself almost admiring the man's sheer audacity.
"Alright then." He wasn't particularly interested in antiques anyway, so he "compromised" once more.
He then bent down to pick up the fragnts of the divine sword.
"Put it down!" Lu Liangfei roared, his eyes bloodshot.
"...It's already broken like this, and you still want it back?" Lin Tang was genuinely surprised now.
Lu Liangfei gritted his teeth. "You have the gall to say that? You forcibly took my divine sword and then you destroyed it! I wish I could strangle you with my bare hands!"
Lin Tang just shook his head. He's actually quite pitiful.
When he started packing his dicinal herbs, Lu Liangfei stepped forward to stop him again, insisting that these, too, ca with the villa.
This ti, a murderous glint appeared in Lin Tang's eyes. "Are you sure?"
A sudden, inexplicable panic seized Lu Liangfei, and he actually lost his nerve. "Fine, fine! Just take them! Consider it an act of charity from !"
Who knows which of these herbs are poisonous? I was lucky to survive this long. It would be utterly foolish to get myself killed now out of greed.
Among the other five directors, there were a few who felt a stir of lust. Seeing the stunning beauty of Shen Youling and the other won, they considered forcibly keeping them behind. But, after all, they had watched Wei Zichu grow up. As her elders, they had to maintain so shred of decency. After a mont of consideration, they let the idea go.
They had no idea that single thought was the difference between life and death. If they had actually tried anything, Lin Tang would have truly and utterly annihilated them all.
After Lin Tang, Shen Youling, and their group departed, only Yu Tianshun and his people remained in Villa No. 1. Seeing that it was getting late, they decided to spend the night.
However...
Around midnight, outside the villa, shadowy figures, as silent as wraiths, began to appear.
"Intelligence confirms the target, Lin Tang, lives here."
"It's rumored his martial arts have been crippled, but that doesn't match the information from our master."
"We still can't be careless. We must give this our all!"
"Charge!"
The group of ghost slaves sent by Mu Jiuzhou stord the villa.
"Who's there?"
"Enemy attack!"
"AHHH, SPARE !!"
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