Gou Zai Wudao Shi Lian Shen

"Master Ge!"

Lu Chen shouted, but it was too late to stop him.

Using the force of his previous slash to push Lu Chen back, the man in black stepped to the bedside.

On the bed, Ge Ye seemed to still be asleep, half of her face buried in shadow, unresponsive.

The black-clad man's dagger gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

He smiled, his eyes revealing the excitement of the mission's imminent completion.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept by, and the man in black was struck on the head by a large hand, shattering it on the spot.

died.

"Um?"

Lu Chen was taken aback.

"Who is it?"

In the darkness, a figure slowly emerged.

Lu Chen looked at the man's silhouette and felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Only after he turned the room lights back on did he realize that it was Qiao Yuan.

"Senior Qiao?!"

"How did you end up here?"

Lu Chen looked puzzled.

Qiao Yuan withdrew his hand, glanced down at the corpse on the ground, his expression as calm as if he had swatted a flying insect that had entered the house.

He sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea.

He took a sip, frowned slightly, and put the teacup down.

"I don't really like the tea from Gaojiazhuang."

Then, he looked at Lu Chen, who looked puzzled, and explained, "I've always been here, you just didn't notice."

"..." Lu Chen was speechless.

Qiao Yuan was in a good mood and patiently said to Lu Chen, "Ge Ye has always been a thorn in the side of the Huang family, and they have always wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"If I hadn't been there to protect him, he would have died countless times over!"

"But Kuzue is stubborn, and I'm too lazy to argue with him. I just protect him in secret."

"I see." Lu Chen suddenly realized.

Ge Ye is extremely important to the yam business. He can refine the Gu Yuan Dan, a precious pill that can help martial artists who have mastered the Blood Transformation stage break through to the peak of their realm.

With him around, the yam shop can attract and recruit martial artists who have mastered the Blood Transport Technique.

Qiao Yuan's residence at the yam shop was right next to Ge Ye's.

It's all for the purpose of protecting the kudzu leaves at all times.

Then, recalling the life-or-death moment just now, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

He looked at Qiao Yuan with some resentment, but dared not show it, and said only, "If Senior Qiao had acted sooner, Master Ge would not have been in danger."

Qiao Yuan detected a hint of resentment in Lu Chen's words.

After all, Lu Chen had almost been decapitated by the man in black.

He looked at Lu Chen, a hint of appreciation in his eyes: "I was originally prepared to make a move immediately."

"But seeing that you were able to hold that person back."

"So I waited a little while to see if they had any accomplices, and then killed them all when they appeared."

Lu Chen was slightly taken aback; Qiao Yuan still wanted to fish.

At this moment, Qiao Yuan deliberately eased Lu Chen's emotions, praising him, "You're only a beginner-level martial artist, yet you managed to hold off that man in black for three breaths. That's quite impressive, and it makes me look at you with new respect!"

Lu Chen clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Senior, you flatter me. I only did my best."

Qiao Yuan grew increasingly pleased with Lu Chen, and asked in detail, "How old are you this year?"

Lu Chen hadn't expected Qiao Yuan to ask such a question, and honestly replied, "Sixteen."

"I remember you're a disciple of the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School, and you haven't been at the yam shop for long, have you?" Qiao Yuan asked again.

Lu Chen nodded, "I've only been here for a little over a month."

"Okay!" Qiao Yuan said, a meaningful smile on his face.

The next morning.

Lu Chen handed the body of the man in black over to Gao Family Village.

Han Lie, the head of the guards, looked at the corpse, first apologized to the group from the yam shop, and then began to investigate the identity of the man in black.

Han Lie quickly discovered the identity of the man in black.

"They're assassins from the Dark Hall."

Lu Chen asked, "What is the origin of the Dark Hall?"

Han Lie glanced at him and said, "It's an underground organization in the black market. They have people in Gaolin County and Chixia County. They specialize in assassinations, robberies, and silencing witnesses. They only care about money, not employers."

"They'd kill anyone, even the Emperor himself, if the price is right."

Zhou Li cursed, "So, someone paid to kill Master Ge?"

Han Lie said, "This person has reached the Lesser Mastery of Blood Transplantation. Assassins with this level of skill are not cheap."

Wang Qinian asked, "Is it possible to find out who hired them?"

Han Lie paused for a moment.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly turned cold.

Ge Ye narrowed his eyes: "What? Can't find out, or can't you say?"

Han Lie slowly said, "The Dark Hall only recognizes money, not people, and never leaves any information about the employers."

Wang Qinian's face grew increasingly grim: "So, there's no way to trace it?"

Han Lie nodded.

There are no clues or evidence about the employer. There's simply no way to investigate.

But some things don't need evidence at all.

Ge Ye Yam Shop had no enmity with Gaolin County, so there was no reason for anyone to hire an assassin to kill Ge Ye.

He sneered, his eyes blazing with anger: "Who else could it be but the Huang family?"

Without evidence, Gaojiazhuang would not simply believe Ge Ye's one-sided story and arrest the Huang family.

Wang Qinian knew that it would be useless to try to frame the Huang family at this moment.

Since the Huang family had considered asking the Dark Hall for help, they also considered that if the plan failed, there would be no evidence to trace it back to them, and the Gao family would have no reason to do anything to them.

Continuing to argue will only make things more difficult for Gaojiazhuang, and it won't solve the immediate problems.

So he said to Han Lie, "We have purchased a large quantity of medicinal herbs at your estate and are on our way home."

"After what happened last night, we are especially worried that we might encounter something bad on the road."

"If there are people who dare to make a move even inside Gao Family Village, then it goes without saying that they would dare to do so outside of Gao Family Village..."

He paused, then his tone became more sincere, "Could you please ask the Gao family to send guards to escort us?"

Han Lie readily agreed, saying, "This matter was due to oversight on our part at Gao Family Village, which has caused you all distress."

"Since Wang Ji is purchasing medicinal herbs from our Gaojiazhuang Medicinal Herb Association, we Gaojiazhuang naturally cannot sit idly by."

"We will escort you all the way back to Chixia County and ensure your safety."

With Han Lie's permission, Wang Qinian breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Chief Han."

Han Lie waved his hand: "No need to thank me, this is what we from Gaojiazhuang should do."

He then solemnly reminded everyone: "Please be more careful in the future, as the same thing may happen again."

The yam vendors and others all nodded in agreement.

The assassination attempt on Master Kuzuno serves as a wake-up call for everyone.

No one knows whether they have unintentionally offended others, or whether someone has hired an assassin to kill them.

After Han Lie and the others left, Zhou Li muttered under his breath, "One day, I will wipe out those beasts from the Huang family."

Wang Qinian sighed: "Without evidence, no amount of cursing will help."

Then, the gloom on his face eased a bit, and he said, "It's not bad that we can get the protection of Gaojiazhuang on our way back."

"At least it saved our Wang family a lot of money on bodyguard fees."

During their trip to Gaolin County, they purchased a large quantity of medicinal herbs. According to their original plan, they were to hire a team of bodyguards in Gaolin County to help transport them back to Chixia County.

This escort fee is not cheap.

Now that Gaojiazhuang is providing escorts, it saves money and adds an extra layer of security.