Chapter 33 : Chapter 33
Chapter 33: Blackwater Hall
Lu Zhan suddenly realized that Mortal Rank martial arts did not seem all that useful anymore.
Although the Iron-Slaying Saber Art had already reached the Entering the Divine stage, its rank was still ultimately a little too low.
If it had been a Spirit Rank martial art, that blow just now would have crippled Zhang Chi on the spot.
“Heh... y-you’re still acting arrogant... If I can take one of your blows, I can take a second, a thir—ugh!”
Before he could even finish the word “third,” Lu Zhan directly activated the Entering the Divine Glimmering Light Shadow Escape, then triggered the talent [Windshadow Step].
His speed surged explosively.
Zhang Chi did not even catch a glimpse of his figure before he felt a violent impact slam into his abdomen.
An intense pain swept through his entire body.
Lu Zhan withdrew his leg and looked disdainfully at Zhang Chi, who had been sent flying seven or eight meters before crashing heavily into the iron railing. “You think you can withstand two more blows? You worthless trash can’t even withstand a single kick.”
Then he pointed his saber at him and demanded, “Speak. Where is Blackwater Hall?”
He had not forgotten that Jade Bottle Bay was still hiding a bigger fish—one of the Five Poisons Sect’s captains, Fei Lingyu.
According to what Chen Lin had said, this person’s strength was at the peak of the sixth layer of the Aperture Opening Realm.
She also had eighteen Martial Artists under her command: five in the Aperture Opening Realm and thirteen in the Qi Condensation Realm. If Lu Zhan could slaughter them all, his strength would definitely soar.
After seeing Lu Zhan deal with Zhang Chi’s group of five so easily, Zhou Hong immediately understood that Brother Lu’s strength had definitely improved again over the past few days.
“Brother Lu, we know Jade Bottle Bay well. Blackwater Hall is at Dock 23 in the Southern District, but that place is private property, and outsiders usually aren’t allowed in.”
Zhou Hong explained, sounding as though he was very familiar with the area.
“Fine. Lead the way.”
“What about them? Brother Lu, how do you plan to deal with them?”
Zhou Hong pointed at Zhang Chi and the others as he spoke.
“I’ll stay behind.”
Chen Qing volunteered himself.
“Alright.”
At those words, Lu Zhan sheathed the Longevity Saber. In an instant, the towering baleful aura and killing intent around him vanished without a trace.
There was no sign at all of the ruthlessness and dominance he had shown a moment earlier.
“Good grief, there’s something downright eerie about this kid.”
When the surrounding spectators saw that scene, they were so shocked they looked ready to swallow their spoons whole.
Watching the fire from the opposite bank, Wang Lie grinned and said smugly to the people beside him, “See? What did I tell you? That idiot Zhang Chi kicked an iron plate this time.”
The people around him all shot him strange looks.
With how cowardly you looked just now, you still have the nerve to laugh? Besides, Mengren Street had four jurisdiction heads. Wang Lie alone did not call all the shots.
Naturally, Wang Lie knew exactly what they were thinking.
But those idiots did not understand the terror and helplessness of facing Lu Zhan in person.
Only he had personally experienced Brother Lu’s iron fist.
That was when he had truly come to his senses. Brother Lu was not someone from the same world as him. With that kind of strength and talent, he would never remain in Linhai City for long.
So much so that Wang Lie could not even bring himself to feel resentment, much less thoughts of revenge.
Inside the car, “Brother Lu, these are the things we looted from Black Snake. Take a look and count them.”
“Alright, leave them in the car.”
Lu Zhan did not have time to inspect them. He simply gave a brief explanation of the objective of this trip.
When Zhou Hong heard it, he was greatly alarmed.
If this was true, then the reward from the Demon Extermination Bureau would definitely not be small.
Sure enough, following Brother Lu really was the way to a promising future.
“Zhou Hong, how much do you know about Blackwater Hall?”
While Zhou Hong’s mind was racing, Lu Zhan asked.
Zhou Hong counted as one of the old hands, so the information he knew was definitely more than what newcomers like them had access to.
“Blackwater Hall only registered as a listed company not long ago. Publicly, it’s registered as Blackwater Shipping Co., Ltd., mainly operating coastal freight transport and warehousing services...”
“The chairman is called Chen Hong. He’s over sixty years old. I heard he only awakened as a Martial Artist some time ago, and he once served as vice chairman of the Linhai City Shipping Association.”
“It’s just...”
Zhou Hong hesitated, because all of this was little more than rumor and hearsay.
He was afraid that saying it aloud might interfere with Brother Lu’s judgment.
“What is it? Just say it. I’ll judge for myself which information matters.”
Staring at the surging waters of the Lin River flowing eastward, Zhou Hong spoke with a grave expression,
“It’s nothing much, really. I just heard that a few days ago, someone reported that Blackwater Hall was engaged in smuggling drugs and trafficking people. But Zhang Chi and his group went to investigate, and they never found any concrete evidence.”
When Lu Zhan heard that, something stirred in his heart.
Had they really failed to find evidence, or had they simply never investigated at all?
Could it be that Zhang Chi had also turned traitor?
Lu Zhan rather hoped they had defected. Then it would only take two more strikes to settle the matter. Still, the odds were probably low.
There were five people in the entire jurisdiction. It was impossible for all of them to have defected, because the price of that would be too great.
Blackwater Hall.
Two cars came to a stop outside the company entrance.
“You stay outside and keep watch. Don’t let any fish slip through the net. I alone am enough for the inside.”
“But be careful. The people here are skilled in using poison.”
Everyone nodded.
“Don’t worry, Brother Lu. Be careful. We’ll seal off the dock entrances and exits in a moment.”
Lu Zhan got out of the car and headed straight for Blackwater Shipping Company.
Suddenly, a system mission prompt popped up before his eyes.
[ Ding! Detected that the host has entered Blackwater Hall. Side Quest issued. ]
[ Side Quest Description: Please kill Fei Lingyu and destroy Blackwater Hall. ]
[ Mission Reward: Four Symbols Mountain-Guarding Array x1, Talent Advancement Card x1 ]
[ Accept? ]
Lu Zhan’s eyes lit up. He stared at the mission rewards for a moment, his breathing growing slightly faster. There were not many items, but they were unquestionably all good things.
His footsteps paused briefly. There was nothing to hesitate over.
“Yes!”
The moment he approached the company entrance, the security guard at the gate stopped him.
“This is private property. Do you have an appointment?”
Lu Zhan tilted his head slightly. The man was actually a seventh-layer Qi Condensation Realm Martial Artist.
Not bad at all. And yet he was willing to work here guarding the door.
This Blackwater Hall really was somewhat interesting.
Still, such a man might be enough to stop ordinary people, but against Lu Zhan, he was clearly nothing worth mentioning.
Even so, Lu Zhan did not act rashly.
Only the big fish were worth the effort. The small fry were fit for nothing more than filling the gaps between his teeth.
“No.”
The moment he heard that, the guard impatiently began driving him away.
“Go, go, go. Without an appointment, outsiders are not allowed into this company.”
Lu Zhan directly produced his Demon Exterminator Identity Token.
“I am Lu Zhan, the person in charge of Peach Blossom Alley. I’ve heard there has been a report accusing your company of involvement in drug smuggling and human trafficking.”
“Open the gate.”
Lu Zhan spoke in a commanding tone.
The Demon Extermination Bureau?!
The guard’s face changed when he heard that, and he was just about to open the gate when he suddenly reacted.
“Wait, that’s not right. Sir, which jurisdiction did you say you’re in charge of? Peach Blossom Alley? Isn’t your hand stretched a little too far?”
The guard looked at Lu Zhan with a half-smile.
Boom!
Lu Zhan kicked the gate clean off its hinges with brute force.
He was not afraid of making things bigger. On the contrary, the bigger the commotion, the better. Ideally, it would draw Fei Lingyu out.
Then he could wipe them all out in one go.
“Well done. You actually dare come to Blackwater Hall and stir up trouble. Do you really think we’re afraid of you? The blade of Peach Blossom Alley cannot kill the people of Jade Bottle Bay.”
Six burly men in security uniforms closed in with hostile expressions. Beneath their collars, one could vaguely make out a black spider tattoo.
“Stop. What are all of you doing?”
The noisy thugs instantly fell silent and respectfully stepped aside, making way as an old man in a black silk shirt slowly emerged from the company.
His eyes were dark and sinister.
“Master Mo, this brat is here to cause trouble.”
“Shut up. I saw everything that happened.”
He barked the order sharply, then gave Lu Zhan a brief once-over, his expression icy.
“A newcomer?”
Lu Zhan nodded.
Even surrounded by seven or eight Martial Artists, he showed not the slightest fear.
“Heh, you’ve got some nerve. But do you not understand the rules of the Demon Extermination Bureau?”
“You want to investigate Blackwater Hall? Fine. Bring the person in charge of Jade Bottle Bay. Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t be able to get through this door today.”