Chapter 67 - 47: Ambushing the Bizarre
"Junior Brother Lin, I truly knew nothing about this... If you don’t believe me, I can swear an oath."
"There’s no need for that, Senior Brother Hao. Of course I believe you," Lin Yan said quickly.
’In my opinion,’ he thought, ’if it’s confirmed that Director Shi from the Inspection Bureau arranged it, then the man who tried to kill me wasn’t lying, and Senior Brother Hao is completely in the clear.’
’And if my attacker was lying and it was really the Four Seas Gang, then it’s even less likely that Senior Brother Hao would have known anything.’
"We’ll discuss the rest later. Lin Yan, take me to where you hid the body."
"Yes, Master."
「Half an hour later.」
Lin Yan hauled the body out of the mountain ravine. Hao Jingnian stepped forward and examined it carefully for a moment before looking up. "Master, this man is definitely not from the Inspection Bureau, nor is he one of the Four Seas Gang’s men."
The Inspection Bureau had clashed with the Four Seas Gang many times recently, so Hao Jingnian had at least seen all of their Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists before.
Yang Qingfeng stroked his beard, pondering for a long moment before speaking slowly, "It seems, then, that what this man told Lin Yan before he died was likely the truth."
"Master, I’ll go confront Shi Guanyun."
Hao Jingnian spoke at once, but the moment he did, Yang Qingfeng and Lin Yan replied almost in unison:
"That’s not wise!"
"Senior Brother, that’s not wise!"
"Lin Yan, tell me why it isn’t wise." Yang Qingfeng looked at Lin Yan, curious to see if his disciple’s reasoning matched his own.
"Master, the man is dead. We have no proof. That Lord Shi will never admit to it. There’s no point in Senior Brother Hao confronting him. It would only make our opponent more cautious in the future."
After speaking, Lin Yan gave a slightly sheepish smile. "The second reason is that Lord Shi probably doesn’t even know that the man he hired came after me today. I don’t want to reveal my involvement."
Lin Yan had no desire to put himself in the spotlight.
"So are we just supposed to let this go?" Hao Jingnian frowned. "Junior Brother Lin, don’t worry. Now that Master knows, Shi Guanyun won’t dare to try anything against you again. The Four Seas Gang is already giving him more than enough trouble; he definitely wouldn’t risk offending our Yang Family Martial Arts Hall on top of that."
Lin Yan explained, "Senior Brother Hao, if we force a confrontation, Shi Guanyun will consider us enemies of the Martial Arts Hall anyway. And even if he’s wary of Master and leaves me alone, what if word gets out? The Four Seas Gang might get ideas. They could secretly make a move against me, and the Inspection Bureau would be the perfect scapegoat."
Hao Jingnian fell silent. He hadn’t become a Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist and the Vice Director of the Inspection Bureau without being quick-witted. He quickly grasped the meaning behind Lin Yan’s words.
A look of satisfaction appeared in Yang Qingfeng’s eyes. ’Lin Yan really is thorough, he’s considered the situation from every angle.’
"Lin Yan is right. I’m not afraid of going to Shi Guanyun to demand an explanation, but there’s no proof. Furthermore, the Four Seas Gang and the Inspection Bureau are currently at odds. Who’s to say this isn’t a scheme set up by the Four Seas Gang? Perhaps the man’s original goal wasn’t even to kill Lin Yan. Maybe he was meant to pretend to be provoked into revealing the ’truth’ in front of you, only for some ’accident’ to allow you to survive. All of these are possibilities."
Yang Qingfeng continued slowly, "For now, we’ll act as if this never happened. Jingnian, while you’re at the Inspection Bureau, keep an eye on Shi Guanyun’s activities privately, but do not take any unnecessary risks. Shi Guanyun is a veteran Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing powerhouse. Even I am not certain I could defeat him."
"As for you, Lin Yan..." Yang Qingfeng’s gaze shifted back to him. "Since you’ve decided to go to Sanshan County, then stick to that plan. Shi Guanyun’s reach doesn’t extend that far. In fact, if you go, he’ll be less likely to suspect you of killing his man. As for your family, I will keep an eye on them for you."
"Thank you, Master."
Lin Yan nodded. He had been thinking the same thing, but his one lingering worry was for his aunt and younger brother.
Now, with his master’s promise, he could head to Sanshan County with peace of mind.