Chapter 119: Chapter 95: Tracking

The Wu Family’s new residence.

Wu Manqing sat in the main seat, her elegant brows knitted tightly, her eyes filled with an anxiety that wouldn’t dissipate.

Time trickled by, every moment an agony like being fried in hot oil.

The death of Wu Zhong, the enormous financial losses, the family’s reputation, the dire straits ahead… the combined weight of it all was suffocating her.

Across from her, Gu Ruo Hua shook her head. “Manqing! Look at the time! Are you still pinning your hopes on that Chen Qing? A single man with Transmutation Force Cultivation, charging into the den of five Transmutation Force Water Bandits? How is that not a suicide mission?”

She picked up her cold tea, gulped some down, and slammed the cup back on the table.

Li Wan was comparatively quiet, but her eyes also revealed disapproval and worry. “Manqing, Ruo Hua may be blunt, but she has a point. The Five River-Flipping Flood Dragons have been entrenched at Black Flood Dragon Beach for years. They are expert swimmers and the terrain is complex. Even an Embracing Pill Force master might not come out on top. Even if Chen Qing has some skill, he’s still outnumbered… I’m afraid his chances are slim. You can’t wait any longer; you need to make other plans.”

She gently squeezed Wu Manqing’s hand, trying to offer a bit of comfort.

While Gu Ruo Hua’s heart held ulterior motives, Li Wan’s concern was genuine.

The two had been friends for seven or eight years, and she truly didn’t want to see the Wu Family, which had been on a steady rise, suffer such a devastating blow.

Wu Manqing pressed her lips together.

Her rational mind told her their analysis was likely the reality of the situation.

No matter how strong Chen Qing was, facing five vicious and cunning Water Bandits on their home turf of Black Flood Dragon Beach, a place they’d operated from for years, meant he had almost no chance of gaining an advantage. This realization only made her more agitated.

’If all else fails… maybe my only option is to ask Captain Pang Qinhai for help?’

She mulled it over but felt no confidence in the idea.

After all, Black Flood Dragon Beach was not within Captain Pang’s jurisdiction.

“My lady! My lady! They’re back! The ship is back!”

Wu Zhong’s Deputy scrambled into the private room, so excited he was babbling incoherently.

“What?!”

Wu Manqing shot to her feet, knocking over the teacup at her side without even noticing, her voice trembling slightly.

Gu Ruo Hua and Li Wan also stood up in shock, staring at each other, both seeing the same utter disbelief in the other’s eyes.

“It’s our ship! Elder Chen…”

Wu Zhong’s Deputy gasped for breath. “Elder Chen, all by himself, with a single spear! He slaughtered all of the Five River-Flipping Flood Dragons! Jiang Baoqing, Sun Biao, Lang Wei, Qian San… they’re all dead! The fifth one jumped into the river and never resurfaced! He even burned down the Water Stockade! All of our men were rescued, not a single one missing! The ship! The cargo! It’s all safe!”

BOOM!

The news exploded in the room like a clap of thunder!

Wu Manqing swayed, steadying herself by grabbing the corner of the table. The immense, joyous surprise instantly dispelled all the gloom, and a dazzling light burst forth from her eyes!

Gu Ruo Hua’s mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg. Her eyes, which always held a look of criticism and superiority, were now wide and round.

She even took a small, subconscious step back, as if she’d just heard a fairy tale.

Her previous assertion that Chen Qing was on a “suicide mission” now felt like a series of resounding slaps across her own face.

Li Wan was more composed, but even she had lost her usual calm.

“What did you say?! He was alone?! Killed them all?! You saw it with your own eyes?! The Five River-Flipping Flood Dragons… five Transmutation Force experts… all dead?!”

Her mind raced as she tried to process this subversive fact, something that completely shattered her understanding of a typical Transmutation Force Martial Artist.

’One man took down five Transmutation Force Water Bandits? And on their home turf at Black Flood Dragon Beach, no less?’

It was well known that those five, working together and being experts in the water, were a threat that even someone at the Early-stage of Embrace Pill Power would have to think twice about engaging.

’That kid from the Cyan Wood Institute… actually possesses such shocking martial prowess?!’

Wu Zhong’s Deputy, having caught his breath, nodded his head like a pecking chicken. “It’s absolutely true! We saw it with our own eyes! Elder Chen charged through the Water Stockade single-handedly with his spear. The remaining lackeys were scared out of their wits and scattered in all directions.”

His tone was filled with the relief of a survivor, as well as a deep reverence for Chen Qing.

“Where… where is he?”

Wu Manqing asked hurriedly.

Having recovered, Wu Zhong’s Deputy cupped his fist and said, “Elder Chen said he had other important matters to attend to and told us to escort the ship and cargo back first to report.”

“Good. That’s wonderful.”

Wu Manqing was overjoyed.

’Chen Qing has established a fearsome reputation by annihilating the Five River-Flipping Flood Dragons!’

’From now on, those smaller bands of Water Bandits and minor stockades will have to think twice about their own strength.’

’The waterway from Gaolin County to the Prefecture City never had any truly powerful Water Bandits to begin with. After this battle, the Wu Family’s trade route will be free of major threats for the foreseeable future!’

Gu Ruo Hua finally came to her senses, her heart a whirlwind of emotions. She had no choice but to admit that she had completely misjudged him.

Wu Manqing’s high regard for Chen Qing was clearly well-founded; he was truly extraordinary.

Li Wan took a few deep breaths to quell the shock in her heart. Her gaze toward Wu Manqing was now filled with sincere admiration. “Manqing, this time… you truly have a keen eye for talent!”

The strength Chen Qing displayed far exceeded expectations. He was by no means comparable to an ordinary Transmutation Force Disciple from the Wutai Sect.

Wu Manqing’s gamble had paid off handsomely!

“Prepare the carriage! We’re going to the docks!”

Wu Manqing took a deep breath and gave a decisive order. “Also, go to the accounting office immediately. Get drafts for ten thousand taels of silver—no, make that fifteen thousand taels! And prepare a generous gift! I will deliver it to Elder Chen’s home personally later!”

Her heart was now filled with gratitude for Chen Qing, as well as a deeper desire to win him over completely.

’A talent with such strength and good character must be held onto tightly!’

…

After returning from Black Flood Dragon Beach, Chen Qing didn’t linger and headed straight back to the Wutai Sect.

As he was passing through an alley, his brow suddenly furrowed.

’Someone is following me!?’

Ever since leaving the small courtyard, Chen Qing had sensed someone tailing him from a distance.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination. But now, returning from Black Flood Dragon Beach with the aura of blood and slaughter still clinging to him, that presence remained, sticking to him like a maggot on a rotting bone, refusing to let go.

Only then did he confirm that he was being followed.

Chen Qing passed through a narrow lane, and at a corner, his figure abruptly accelerated, vanishing into the shadows like a phantom.

’Hm!?’

The person behind him didn’t immediately follow into the blind corner. Instead, he stopped short, held his breath, and focused his senses, his right hand quietly resting on the hilt of the short blade at his waist.

Clearly, he sensed that something was amiss with Chen Qing’s disappearance!

The very instant he paused, a dark figure seemed to peel itself away from the wall, closing in on his side in a flash, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind!

“Hmph!”

The man reacted with extreme speed. With a low grunt, the short blade at his waist shot out like a viper striking from its den, a cold glint of light aiming for Chen Qing’s ribs in a backhanded thrust!

The angle was awkward and exceptionally vicious!

But Chen Qing had already anticipated it! His left hand shot out like a lightning-fast iron pincer, clamping down on the man’s knife-wielding wrist with perfect precision!

His five fingers, like they were cast from bronze and forged from iron, instantly clenched with force!

CRACK!

A chilling sound of bone fracturing echoed!

The tracker’s wrist erupted in agony, and the short blade slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground!

The intense pain only spurred his ferocity!

The tracker formed a claw with his left hand and, with a shriek that tore through the air, lunged straight for Chen Qing’s heart!

At the same time, his right leg whipped out, sweeping viciously toward Chen Qing’s lower body!

Chen Qing’s eyes were ice-cold. He didn’t dodge or evade. His right hand formed a hook, and though he moved second, he struck first. From a bizarre and tricky angle, his hand instantly landed on the joint of his opponent’s attacking left arm!

Tearing Tendons and Shattering Bones!

Chen Qing’s fingers, seeming to carry a Power that could pierce flesh and bone, accurately stabbed into the meridian nodes in the crook of the man’s arm. With a sudden wrench and twist!

“Argh!”

A suppressed grunt of extreme agony burst from the depths of the man’s throat!

His entire left arm instantly went limp, losing all strength as if the bones had been ripped out, and it hung uselessly at his side.

The excruciating pain of his meridians being torn apart made his vision go black, the veins on his forehead bulging violently!

But it wasn’t over!

Chen Qing’s left hand, still gripping the man’s wrist, yanked him downwards. Simultaneously, his body closed in like a shadow, his right hand changing from a claw to pointed fingers, striking a series of vital acupoints on the man’s right shoulder, collarbone, and ribs in a blur!

THWAP! THWAP! THWAP!

Each jab was met with a violent spasm from the man’s body and an even more wretched grunt!

Chen Qing’s technique was as fast as a raging storm, precise and ruthless to the extreme!

This wasn’t simple Acupoint Pressing, but an advanced application of the Tendon-Separating Bone-Dislocating Hand: Vein Cutting and Muscle Locking!

It instantly disrupted the flow of qi and blood in the man’s right arm and half of his torso, completely neutralizing his ability to resist. The bone-deep agony washed over his nerves in relentless waves!

As if his spine had been ripped out, the man went completely limp, convulsing violently. Beads of sweat soaked his clothes in an instant, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

Chen Qing looked down on him, his gaze bone-chillingly cold.

He crouched down, his left hand gripping the man’s uninjured right wrist to prevent suicide or a counter-attack. His right hand pinched the man’s jawbone with precise force, prying his mouth open and preventing him from biting down.

“Who sent you? Write!”

Chen Qing’s voice was low and icy. “Use your finger. Write it on the wall! Otherwise, I’ll make every meridian in your body experience what you just felt, inch by inch, until you’re nothing but a pile of mush!”

The man glared daggers at Chen Qing, his fingers stiffly curled, seemingly refusing to yield.

“Still defiant.”

A cold glint flashed in Chen Qing’s eyes. His right hand, holding the jaw, suddenly tightened its grip as if to crush the bone!

At the same time, his left thumb, part of the hand gripping the man’s right wrist, pressed down hard on a confluence of meridians, channeling his Transmutation Force into it!

The man’s body arched violently, like a fish out of water. His eyeballs bulged, and his pupils dilated instantly!

A wave of pain ten times more intense than before swept through his entire body!

What little willpower he had left was shattered as if by a sledgehammer, completely disintegrating!

The instinct for survival and the fear of pain overwhelmed everything else!

He trembled violently. With his right index finger, which Chen Qing had pinned to the wall, he used his last ounce of strength to start writing!

A single, crooked character appeared: Ye.

“Ye…”

Chen Qing’s brow furrowed. There was no doubt.

He released his grip on the man’s jaw.

The man slumped, gasping for air, his eyes unfocused, a look of someone who had just survived a near-death experience.

Chen Qing looked at the character on the wall, and the last trace of hesitation vanished from the murderous intent in his eyes.

He struck the man’s chest with a palm.

CRACK!

The Ye Family expert let out a muffled grunt and died on the spot.

Expressionless, Chen Qing took the silver taels from the man’s body, then quickly cleaned up the scene, dumping the corpse directly into a nearby sewer drain.

He quickly returned to his small courtyard, washed up, changed his clothes, and sat cross-legged in the Quiet Chamber.

’The Ye Family sent someone to follow me… It must be because of Ye Rong’Er.’

Chen Qing’s mind was as clear as a mirror. ’They obviously don’t have any solid proof. As long as I remain within the Inner Courtyard of the Wutai Sect, they’ll be wary of acting rashly and won’t be able to do anything to me.’

However, a bone-chilling killing intent had already begun to coalesce in the depths of his heart.

The Ye Family had become a venomous thorn in his side that had to be pulled out!

’It seems that to cut the weeds, one must also pull out the roots!’

Chen Qing took a deep breath, suppressing the roiling murderous intent within him.

Only then did he open the two bundles he had acquired from his trip to Black Flood Dragon Beach.

Inside were rings, gold leaves, a thick stack of silver notes, Jade Bracelets, and other treasures—all ill-gotten gains accumulated by the Five River-Flipping Flood Dragons over many years of plunder.

Mixed in among them were a few Lower Grade Martial Arts Secret Manuals.

Chen Qing couldn’t estimate the exact value in silver at a glance, but a rough look suggested it was at least tens of thousands of silver taels.

Finally, his gaze fell upon a fist-sized, gray, and utterly unremarkable stone.

’This thing…’

Chen Qing held it in his palm. It was cool to the touch, with a rough, featureless surface that revealed no clues as to its nature.

’For Jiang Baoqing to have stored it so carefully, it surely can’t be an ordinary stone.’

He thought to himself, ’I’ll put it away for now. Once things have calmed down, I’ll go to the Ghost Market and find an expert to appraise it.’

…

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