Chapter 84 - 83: Feng Xieyun
Staring at Gu Hongyuan’s corpse, Chen Yuan recalled what he knew about the Blood God Sect from the original story.
’I’m almost certain now. The four families of Linyuan City are unbelievably audacious, daring to collude with the Blood God Sect in secret. The Jianghu people in the Wei Family’s secret cellar must have been offerings for the Blood God Sect. The death of the previous Guardian Envoy, Peng Jing, must be connected to this as well. After all, he wasn’t a particularly powerful or assertive Guardian Envoy—he was actually quite spineless. Who would have bothered to kill him otherwise?’
In the original story, the Blood God Sect didn’t surface in Ning Province. Instead, they appeared in You Province and other regions.
’But now, because of my interference, these four families took a dangerous gamble, hiring someone from the Blood God Sect to kill me. With how things have turned out, the Blood God Sect will likely surface in Ning Province much earlier than expected.’
Just then, Lu Wenxing and his men caught up from behind.
"Lord Chen, are you alright?"
Chen Yuan shook his head. "Any ambushes in the area?"
"We’ve searched the surrounding streets. No signs of an ambush, not even a trace."
Chen Yuan nodded.
’The Linyuan City families must have been very confident in Gu Hongyuan to send him alone to kill me. Or perhaps "send" isn’t the right word. These four minor families have no authority to command a member of the Blood God Sect. They must have begged him to act.’
Chen Yuan severed Gu Hongyuan’s head from his corpse and ordered in a low voice, "Take the body back to the Garrison Mansion. Double the night patrols."
With that, Chen Yuan took Gu Hongyuan’s head and headed straight for the Cyan Scale Gang.
’I was originally planning to see which of the three remaining families was smart enough to get with the program. But now... I think I’ll just pick one at random. The Cyan Scale Gang can live. The other two can go to hell.’
He chose the Cyan Scale Gang simply because its ties to the other two were not as deep.
The Sun and Yang Families were both century-old Noble Families, and their relationship was close, even joined by marriage.
Although the Cyan Scale Gang had been around for over two hundred years, its Gang Leader was elected, not a hereditary position.
Therefore, Qiao Haiduan of the Cyan Scale Gang wasn’t particularly close with the other two families.
Inside the Cyan Scale Gang’s headquarters, Qiao Haiduan was pacing back and forth in his room. A worried expression clouded his face, and he sighed from time to time, his mind in turmoil.
The Sun Family’s old ancestor had been ruthlessly decisive in his call to kill Chen Yuan, but Qiao Haiduan felt the plan was far too risky.
’Those bastards from the Blood God Sect are lunatics. Paying them tribute is one thing—we just have to occasionally capture some Jianghu people for them. But asking them to make a move? The price for that is steep. Last time, they demanded a hundred Jianghu people. No matter how bustling Linyuan City is, a hundred disappearances would definitely be noticed. We had no choice but to take the risk of abducting people from other cities. And with two Guardian Envoys dead one after another, wouldn’t the Zhenwu Hall grow suspicious?’
Qiao Haiduan had wanted to object, but the Sun Family’s ancestor’s word was final, and the Yang Family was thick as thieves with them. He didn’t dare say anything more.
Just as Qiao Haiduan was stewing in anxiety, the window suddenly flew open and something was thrown inside.
Qiao Haiduan glanced over instinctively and was so shocked he nearly cried out.
It was the severed head of Gu Hongyuan from the Blood God Sect!
Although the four families were nominally paying tribute to the Blood God Sect, their only actual contact was Gu Hongyuan.
The Jianghu people they captured were all offered to Gu Hongyuan as his "Blood Food."
Qiao Haiduan knew just how powerful this prodigy of the Blood God Sect’s younger generation truly was.
Single-handedly, he could overwhelm all the Sea of Reincarnation Realm Martial Artists from the four families combined.
That strange power of his that could manipulate Qi Blood was especially terrifying. It felt as if their own Qi Blood was no longer under their control, and that their bodies could explode at any moment.
’And yet this powerful, uncanny Gu Hongyuan... had been beheaded?’
Chen Yuan leaped through the window, put a finger to his lips in a hushing gesture, and smiled at Qiao Haiduan. "Are you disappointed to see that I’m not dead, Master Qiao?"
Qiao Haiduan’s gaze darted from Gu Hongyuan’s head on the floor back to Chen Yuan.
The next moment, with a THUD, he dropped to his knees before Chen Yuan.
"Lord Chen, I beg you to spare my life! This was all that old bastard Sun Shaoqiu’s plan! I was forced into it.
But what’s done is done. I only ask that Lord Chen give me a chance to atone for my crimes.
I’m willing to run the smuggling operation for you, Lord Chen! I won’t keep a single coin of the profits—I’ll give it all to you!
From this day forward, I, Qiao Haiduan, will follow your every command, Lord Chen! The Cyan Scale Gang will be your dog. Tell us who to bite, and we will bite!"
Chen Yuan was speechless.
Qiao Haiduan’s sudden display had thrown Chen Yuan completely for a loop.
He had a whole speech prepared, but now it seemed entirely unnecessary.
"Master Qiao, you’re being a bit too pragmatic, don’t you think?"
Qiao Haiduan kept his head lowered, a bitter smile on his lips. "You must be amused, Lord Chen. I just don’t want to die."
The moment he saw Gu Hongyuan’s head, Qiao Haiduan knew the families of Linyuan City were doomed. They could never win against Chen Yuan.
He had witnessed Gu Hongyuan’s uncanny power firsthand.
When a small tribe on the Grassland tried to intercept their trade route and seize their goods, it was Gu Hongyuan who single-handedly slaughtered the entire tribe.
When the last Guardian Envoy, Peng Jing, accidentally discovered their abductions of Jianghu people, Gu Hongyuan had also been the one to act, silently eliminating him.
And now, this incredibly powerful figure had been beheaded by Chen Yuan and tossed before him like a ball. How could they possibly fight someone like that?
Qiao Haiduan wasn’t lying to Chen Yuan. He was truly terrified of death—utterly and completely.
He had once been just a beggar in Linyuan City. He’d gotten lucky, joined the Cyan Scale Gang, and clawed his way up from the very bottom to the position of Gang Leader.
He hadn’t had his fill of wealth and glory yet. Of course he didn’t want to die.
As long as he could live, he didn’t care if it meant being a dog!
"There is great terror in the face of death. Fearing it isn’t shameful. The shameful ones are those who don’t know when they’re courting it."
Chen Yuan patted Qiao Haiduan’s shoulder. "Get up," he said calmly. "Tell me everything about your four families and the Blood God Sect."
Qiao Haiduan instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
’Judging by Lord Chen’s attitude, my life should be safe.’
"To answer your question, Lord Chen, it was that old bastard Sun Shaoqiu who first contacted the Blood God Sect.
About three years ago, a member of the Sun Family was abducted by the Blood God Sect, their Qi Blood drained. When Sun Shaoqiu found out, he took the initiative to offer tribute to the sect instead.
Besides seeking the Blood God Sect’s protection, he also used their methods to replace his own Qi Blood.
Every year, that old monster chooses a young member of the Sun Family and performs a blood transfusion with them to keep his own Qi Blood from decaying. That’s how he’s lived so long.
Later, the Sun Family pulled the other three of us into paying tribute as well. Whenever we ran into trouble with our smuggling operations into the Grassland, the Blood God Sect would help us resolve it.
The previous Guardian Envoy, Peng Jing, was killed by Gu Hongyuan to silence him after he accidentally discovered us abducting other Jianghu people.
This time, after you destroyed the Wei Family, Lord Chen, that old bastard Sun Shaoqiu felt threatened, so he asked Gu Hongyuan to assassinate you.
He never imagined your divine might would be so overwhelming that you would be the one to slay Gu Hongyuan."
Qiao Haiduan finished with a bit of shameless flattery.
"How many Blood God Sect members are there in Ning Province? And what are their cultivation levels?"
Qiao Haiduan shook his head. "I truly don’t know. The Blood God Sect operates in decentralized cells scattered everywhere. Even Sun Shaoqiu has only ever met three of their Martial Artists.
In recent times, the four of us have only been in contact with Gu Hongyuan, providing Blood Food for him alone.
However, I vaguely recall Gu Hongyuan mentioning that there are still some Blood God Sect Martial Artists in Ning Province, with the highest concentration in the White Tiger Hall’s territory.
That’s because White Tiger Hall is near the Grassland. At the first sign of trouble, they can easily escape into the Western Grassland.
Oh, right. Gu Hongyuan also mentioned that a Saint Heir of the Blood God Sect named Feng Xieyun is somewhere in this area.
Apparently, Gu Hongyuan had competed against him for the title of Saint Heir and lost, which is why he spoke of him with such disdain and resentment."
Hearing the name Feng Xieyun, Chen Yuan’s expression flickered.
He recognized that name from the original story.
Among the Blood God Sect’s younger generation, the most outstanding disciples were known as Saint Heirs or Saintesses.
Each generation had no more than ten Holy Son and Saintess, who competed and fought to the death. The last one standing would become the heir to the Blood God Sect’s Sect Leader.
The contest for succession hadn’t started yet, so Feng Xieyun was just one of several Saint Heirs. In the future, he would go on to cause significant turmoil in You Province.
It was worth noting that he possessed the original, orthodox version of the Blood God Sect’s *Blood Spirit Scripture*.
Feng Xieyun was one of the few disciples in the Blood God Sect who, while practicing the new version of the *Blood Spirit Scripture*, was also willing to cultivate the slow-progressing, older version.
Ultimately, however, Feng Xieyun caused too much of a disturbance in You Province and was hunted down and killed by the combined forces of the Murong Family and the Sun-piercing Alliance.
The original version of the *Blood Spirit Scripture* then fell into the hands of an Independent Martial Artist, who used it to rise to prominence, making a considerable name for himself in You Province.
Mistaken for a disciple of the Blood God Sect, he was hunted down and forced to flee to the Central Plains, where he subsequently made a name for himself in the Central Plains Martial Arts and even married a daughter from the main line of a Noble Family.
All in all, that character’s arc in the original story was very much that of a protagonist.
Chen Yuan, however, was now calculating his own chances of seizing that original version of the *Blood Spirit Scripture*.
’Even though Feng Xieyun is a Saint Heir now, his cultivation can’t be as high as it will be in the future. After all, even Gu Hongyuan was able to compete with him once. Besides, the Blood God Sect has surfaced ahead of schedule. Their preparations will be less thorough, making them easier to handle.’
Qiao Haiduan watched the silent Chen Yuan with trepidation, not daring to utter a single word.
Just then, Chen Yuan suddenly spoke. "I hear tomorrow is the Sun Family ancestor’s birthday?"
Qiao Haiduan nodded vigorously. "That old bastard celebrates his birthday every year. He doesn’t seem to care that for every birthday he celebrates, a young Sun Family disciple has to die. How he can celebrate with a clear conscience is beyond me."
"It doesn’t matter. This will be his last birthday. From now on, they’ll be celebrating his death anniversary instead."
Chen Yuan patted Qiao Haiduan’s shoulder lightly. "Master Qiao, tomorrow I will move to annihilate the Sun and Yang Families.
Stay hidden for now. When I give the signal, you’ll launch a surprise attack. How you do it will be up to you.
Once the Sun and Yang Families are gone, the smuggling business in Linyuan City will be yours alone. I won’t take the full hundred percent; we’ll stick to the seventy-thirty split.
The only difference is that before, four families shared that thirty percent. Now, the Cyan Scale Gang will get the entire thirty percent for itself.
I’m not an unreasonable man. Even a dog needs to be thrown a bone now and then."
In truth, Chen Yuan could have acted tonight.
However, he had used his Blood Fiend Power in the fight against Gu Hongyuan, and his own Qi Blood was somewhat depleted. He wasn’t at his peak.
Between the Sun and Yang Families, there were three known masters at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, and who knew what other hidden trump cards the Blood God Sect might have given them.
Therefore, it was safer to rest for a night, restore his strength to its peak, and then make his move.
Hearing this, Qiao Haiduan’s spirits soared. He immediately knelt again to pledge his loyalty. "Rest assured, Lord Chen! This subordinate is willing to go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"
He was instantly relieved to hear Chen Yuan’s words.
If Chen Yuan was planning to use him, then not only was his life saved, but the future of the Cyan Scale Gang was secured as well.
Chen Yuan glanced at Qiao Haiduan, feeling a little exasperated.
’The man is pragmatic, but his knees are far too weak. He kneels at the drop of a hat.’