Chapter 33: Chapter 33: He’d Better Not Disappoint Me

"By the way, are any of you the type... who likes to run their mouth when they’ve had too much to drink?"

Chen Xuan’s eyes narrowed as his gaze swept over everyone.

"Well..."

Jia Gui’s expression shifted. "Yes, Wen the Third. He likes to toy with innocent women, and once he’s drunk, his mouth gets loose. He’ll spill anything. After three cups of wine, he doesn’t even know who he is anymore..."

Wen the Third trembled in fear, quickly falling to his knees in the cabin and kowtowing desperately.

"Helmsman, rest assured, I absolutely won’t say a word this time! Even if you beat me to death, I won’t let a single word slip. I swear on my family’s lives..."

"Oh."

Chen Xuan remained expressionless.

Wen the Third...

His eyes suddenly turned cold. With almost no hesitation, as the man kowtowed, he slammed a palm onto the crown of his head. With a CRACK, his skull shattered, killing him instantly.

’Toying with innocent women?’

’And he even fucking likes to run his mouth when he’s drunk!’

’You think I’d spare you?’

The others flinched again, their faces deathly pale, and they quickly dropped to their knees.

"Helmsman, spare us!"

"Relax, I’m not the kind of person who kills the innocent indiscriminately!"

Chen Xuan waved his hand lightly, his voice indifferent. "I killed him because I was afraid he’d run his mouth. None of you want to be implicated because of him, do you?"

"Yes, yes."

The men nodded apprehensively.

Chen Xuan said softly, "When you get back, tell the Han family that we arrived too late. By the time we set foot on the island, that group had already been slaughtered by demon beasts. Understand?"

"Understood, understood."

Jia Gui nodded desperately.

"Mm, dispose of the body. Let’s head back,"

Chen Xuan said.

Jia Gui quickly tossed the body overboard and began to clean up.

Chen Xuan looked at his blood-stained clothes, took them off, and threw them directly into the river as well...

...

Deep within the island.

The demon beast that Chen Xuan had scared off earlier ran back, bloodstains at the corner of its mouth. It leaped back and forth around the area, letting out a series of low roars.

Soon after the demon beast returned, two figures—a man and a woman—appeared behind it, their Lightweight Skill superb. In the blink of an eye, they landed in the area.

The man was tall with handsome features, dressed in a long white robe. He looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old.

The woman wore a white martial arts uniform, her hair tied up. Her features were exquisite, and she appeared to be a few years younger than the man.

"Xiaoqing, was this where you were injured?"

The woman’s delicate brows furrowed.

"AWOO..."

The cyan demon beast let out a low growl and nodded repeatedly, looking incredibly wronged.

"Don’t worry, he won’t get away."

The woman’s pretty face turned cold. "How dare he injure my beloved pet. No matter who he is, I’ll find him. When I do, I’ll make him apologize to you properly."

"AWOO..."

The cyan demon beast suddenly bared its fangs, brandishing its claws.

It seemed to be saying it didn’t want an apology; it wanted to eat him.

The woman was amused and chuckled. "Alright, you silly thing. When the time comes, whether we play with him or kill him, it’ll be up to you. As long as you’re happy, okay?"

"AWOO..."

The cyan demon beast immediately acted like a puppy, lying at the woman’s feet, wagging its tail, and constantly rubbing its head against her long, slender calves.

The woman grew even more delighted, continuously stroking its head.

The man, meanwhile, had an exasperated look on his face as he examined the bodies on the ground.

"Looks like they’re from the Han family. And the Han family is no small clan in Black Stone City..."

"So what?"

The woman giggled. "We even dare to take on the Red Sand Gang, so why should we be afraid of some Han family? When the time comes, we’ll just deal with them all, Han family or not."

"That’s true."

The man smiled faintly and gave the woman a doting look. "Alright, let’s go see Yue Village Chief."

They left the area once again.

...

「Not long after.」

In the deepest part of the waterway, on an even larger island.

The man and woman finally arrived.

The spacious main hall was already filled with people.

The man on the main seat at the head of the hall was none other than the chief of the Thirteen Golden Dragon Stronghold, "Flame Palm" Yue Kaishan. His eyes lit up as he stood and laughed heartily at the sight of the man and woman. "My dear nephew and niece, you’ve finally arrived! Please, have a seat!"

"Yue Village Chief, you’re too kind!"

The man smiled slightly and sat down with the woman.

Many people in the hall frowned, looking at the man and woman.

They seemed to be wondering about their identities.

Yue Kaishan laughed and made the introductions. "Everyone, you may not know these two yet. They are the direct descendants of the Bai family from the county seat: Bai Qianli and Bai Ling."

A stir went through the crowd.

The Bai family from the county seat!

’No wonder Yue Kaishan is so polite to them.’

The name of the Bai family from the county seat carried immense weight in Qinghe County.

A Martial Dao family with a legacy stretching back hundreds of years!

"Brother Yue, is everyone here now? Can we begin the discussion?"

A tall, middle-aged man in a floral-patterned robe suddenly spoke up.

He was none other than the Gang Leader of the Giant Whale Gang, Lu Zhentian.

His daughter, Lu Yao, had been humiliated by the Red Sand Gang. On the surface, he had remained impassive and taken no action.

But in reality, he had long been secretly contacting the Thirteen Golden Dragon Stronghold and seven or eight other nearby factions.

His goal was to eradicate the Red Sand Gang in one fell swoop.

"Of course we can."

Yue Kaishan chuckled and looked at Bai Qianli. "By the way, my dear nephew Bai, about the Bai family this time...?"

"We have an elder nearby who will arrive shortly. He will be the one to deal with Hong Wentong!"

Bai Qianli smiled.

"Excellent. As long as that old fool Hong Wentong can be tied down, the rest of them will be of no consequence."

Yue Kaishan chuckled. "Brother Lu, you’ll be able to wash away the shame your daughter suffered this time."

"When the time comes, don’t kill that junior. Just hand him over to me. I have always cherished talented individuals,"

Lu Zhentian said calmly.

"Oh?"

Bai Qianli’s expression flickered suddenly. He looked at Lu Zhentian and asked, "Might you be Lu Yao’s father?"

"I am."

Lu Zhentian nodded.

"On my way here, I heard that Lu Yao had been defeated. To be honest, your daughter’s reputation is quite considerable in the nearby cities. I had even heard of her back in the Bai family. For her to be defeated is quite unexpected. It seems this Chen Xuan has some skill after all."

Bai Qianli frowned.

"Brother, how come I’ve never heard of this person?"

At his side, Bai Ling’s eyes were filled with suspicion, her long eyelashes fluttering. "I’ve heard of basically all the geniuses from the six great cities of Qinghe County, but this is the first I’m hearing of this Chen Xuan."

"It’s normal that you haven’t heard of him."

Bai Qianli smiled, his voice doting. "Even I have only just heard of him. I only know he possesses Innate Divine Strength and rose through the ranks in a tournament. He’s been a dominant force ever since and is highly valued by the Red Sand Gang’s Gang Leader."

"Innate Divine Strength?"

Bai Ling’s beautiful eyes lit up. "People like that really exist?"

"It’s a big world, full of wonders. Innate Divine Strength only provides an advantage in the early stages. Once someone cultivates Dark Energy, that advantage gradually diminishes,"

Bai Qianli said with a smile.

"Brother, I’m quite interested in this person too. Why don’t we ask for him? My Xiaoqing needs a beast slave. The previous Martial Artists couldn’t even play with Xiaoqing for a few days before meeting a violent end. This Chen Xuan has Innate Divine Strength; maybe he’ll last a few days longer,"

Bai Ling giggled.

"Well..."

Bai Qianli hesitated for a moment, then looked at Lu Zhentian and smiled. "Master Lu, we are willing to trade some Qi and Blood Pills for Chen Xuan. What do you think?"

Lu Zhentian smiled faintly. "Young Hero Bai, you are too polite. Since you are also interested in Chen Xuan, feel free to take him. How could I dare to take what another covets?"

He wouldn’t dare make an enemy of the Bai family.

"Then it’s settled. Once we make our move, I’ll leave Chen Xuan for my sister to deal with personally!"

Bai Qianli smiled.

"Me?"

Bai Ling chuckled, a glint of excitement in her eyes. "He’d better not disappoint me. If he can’t even withstand three of my moves, what right would he have to be my Xiaoqing’s companion?"

Everyone chuckled in response.

’These people from the Bai family really are twisted.’

’Compared to their own gangs and factions, which started from nothing, the Bai family was in a different league entirely.’

’They even dared to raise a demon beast as a pet.’

"Yue Village Chief, has a specific time for the attack been set?"

Bai Qianli smiled again.

"It has been set, but we need to wait a few more days."

Yue Kaishan smiled once more. "The yamen is transporting a group of serious criminals who will arrive at Clearwater Wharf in a few days. Among them is the son of an old friend of mine. Before we make our move, I plan to rescue him first." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Very well."

Bai Qianli gave a slight nod. "In that case, we’ll wander around the area for a few days and wait for our clan’s elder to arrive."

"That works."

Yue Kaishan smiled.