Chapter 498 - 498 Guilty Conscience
Listening to Ye Qing's words, Tie Yongwen sighed deeply and said, "Ye Qing, that matter has been long ago. At that time, it wasn't just these families that were wiped out but also many sects, like our Southern Xingyi Quan Sect. In that battle, our forces were completely destroyed, and I was the only one who survived!"
"What?" Ye Qing was greatly surprised, staring at Tie Yongwen in shock.
Tie Yongwen had told him about this event before, that the Southern Xingyi Quan Sect had been completely obliterated during a major battle, with one hundred and seventy-three people killed, leaving only him alive. Moreover, many other sects and clans were destroyed at the same time, which was called a great catastrophe.
Unexpectedly, Tie Yongwen said that this catastrophe was linked to the destruction of the Huangfu Household and the Chen Family. If so, that really was a terrifying catastrophe. How many people had died in that conflict? And what exactly was that great battle? Who were the opponents and why did it involve so many, causing so many deaths?
Moreover, why was the Shen Family not involved in that great battle? And with such a major event, it should have made the news long ago, even known worldwide, but why had he never heard of it before?
"I know this sounds a bit terrifying, but it is indeed so," sighed Tie Yongwen again. "Fortunately, we narrowly won that battle in the end. Although it came at a great cost, we did not lose that thing!"
"That thing?" Ye Qing was even more astonished and asked curiously, "Were you competing for something at the time?"
"Hehe..." Tie Yongwen chuckled lightly and said, "To involve so many people and so many sects, it wasn't just ordinary grudges or resentments. What else could have attracted so many people, if not something that tempted everyone?"
"So... what exactly was that thing?" Ye Qing was filled with wonder. Logically speaking, the Huangfu Household and the Chen Family were extremely wealthy at the time; what could there be that would compel them to risk the lives of their entire clans?
"I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I know it was a map," Tie Yongwen said. "Back then I was young and just followed the elder masters of my sect to assist. In fact, I never even saw what it looked like. Many people who died there probably didn't know why they were fighting so hard, but they just had to!"
"Why?" Ye Qing was even more puzzled, unable to understand the meaning behind it.
Hehe..." Tie Yongwen chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Never mind, let's not talk about the past anymore. It's been many years and this matter has already calmed down, barely any of the younger generation know about this, which is for the best. It's over now, let's not stir any more trouble!"
Seeing that Tie Yongwen had no intention of further discussion, Ye Qing didn't press further. But now, he understood the grievances between the Huangfu Household and the Shen Family, as well as the reasons for Chen Sisha and those five clan members.
The people from Chen Sisha's five clans were primarily seeking revenge. They were also aiming to draw those five clans into Eastern Province and then kill the mastermind behind the past events. It all boiled down to the commitments made by Helian Tiehua and those household slaves years ago, thus she could not enter Western Province to seek revenge and could only kill their children to force them into Eastern Province.
Ye Qing could imagine that the five clans from Western Province, having bided their time for over twenty years, must have accumulated formidable strength. If they united and entered Shenchuan City, the Xikou Fire Butterfly alone definitely would not be able to stop them. Thus, Ye Qing was certain that Xikou Fire Butterfly had further moves planned, most likely involving Ludong White Horse Chen San coming for revenge. And if even Chen San couldn't handle them, then it most likely would be Ao Wuchang or Helian Tiehua to step in.
Once Helian Tiehua took action, it would indeed be a catastrophe. If Helian Tiehua crossed into Jiangnan, the Xihang Shen Family's status in the Southern Six Provinces would surely be in jeopardy. Therefore, the Xihang Shen Family absolutely did not want Helian Tiehua entering the Southern Six Provinces!
Clearing up these issues, Ye Qing finally understood why Shen Qianyue had made such remarks. He wanted to prevent those five clans from Western Province from entering Shenchuan City. While it seemed to be aiding Ye Qing, he was actually scheming another plot, coercing these people on behalf of the Shen Family to ensure they could not leave Western Province. This way, whether it was White Horse Chen San, Ao Wuchang, or Helian Tiehua, none would have a pretext to come to the Southern Six Provinces. Thus, the Xihang Shen Family could maintain their dominant position unchallenged!
After all, Shen Qianyue was leveraging this incident involving Ye Qing to intimidate those from Western Province, aiming to preserve the status of the Xihang Shen Family. His real intent was not gratitude or to help Ye Qing, but merely for the benefit of his family.
Ye Qing couldn't help but recall what Huangfu Ziyu had once said, that even if Shen Qianyue were helping you, he might not have sincere intentions but surely had other motives. Now, Ye Qing saw clearly that this Shen Qianyue was not as sincere as he appeared. His actions were well-calculated, with hidden maneuvers!
Thinking of this, Ye Qing was somewhat startled. Shen Qianyue was meticulous, humble, and comprehensive in his actions. If he sought to target Ye Qing, then he truly would be a formidable enemy. After all, Ye Qing was a successor of Third Master Li and an absolute foe of the Shen Family. Thinking back to the earlier moment when Shen Qianyue had sparred with him to test his skills, Ye Qing became even more cautious towards him!
On the other side, Shen Qianyue returned to the Lin family's residence. Shen Baichuan was still lying on the sickbed. When he saw Shen Qianyue enter, he hurriedly raised his head and asked urgently, "How is it, big brother? Is that Ye surname from the Northern Li Family?"
Shen Qianyue didn't answer directly but sat beside the bed, fell silent for a while, and then said, "I just fought with him. He used Xingyi Quan!"
"Oh?" Shen Baichuan was stunned for a moment and said, "Do you mean he is not from the Northern Li Family?"
"No!" Shen Qianyue slowly shook his head and said, "This only proves that he indeed has something to hide!"
"What do you mean by that?" Shen Baichuan asked with a puzzled face, completely unable to understand what Shen Qianyue was trying to convey.
"I asked around. That Ye isn't Tie Yongwen's disciple nor an inheritor of Xingyi Quan. His Xingyi Quan is still somewhat raw, obviously just learned recently, and not yet adept. However, his foundation in martial arts is not bad; he must have deeply immersed himself in this field before," Shen Qianyue glanced at Shen Baichuan and said gravely. "This means he must have studied martial arts before. But when he fought with me, he didn't use the martial arts he learned previously but kept using the Xingyi Quan he just recently learned. He is clearly trying to hide his own martial arts!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Baichuan realized and said, "Big brother, you mean, this Ye is definitely a descendant of the Northern Li Family, intentionally hiding his martial arts to prevent us from recognizing him!"
"This alone cannot prove he is a descendant of the Northern Li Family, but, him continuously hiding his own martial arts shows he definitely has something up his sleeve," Shen Qianyue slightly frowned and pondered for a while before saying, "Baichuan, don't spread this matter, and don't tell anyone else, you understand?"
"Big brother, this Ye has something up his sleeve, and it's most likely aimed at us. Why keep hiding it?" Shen Baichuan looked at Shen Qianyue in surprise and said, "I say, we might as well take people over, capture this Ye, and interrogate him harshly to see exactly what he wants to do. If he doesn't talk, just kill him, and cut the trouble short to avoid future problems!"
Shen Baichuan's killing intent was very strong, and his way of handling things was very straightforward—kill, kill, kill.
Shen Qianyue shook his head and said, "We can't move on him now, Tie Yongwen is protecting him. If we go for him at this time, Tie Yongwen will definitely not agree. Baichuan, you forgot the punch you took. Tie Yongwen and Ye Qing are very close; if we anger him, I'm afraid neither of us would be able to step out of Shenchuan City!"
Shen Baichuan's expression stiffened, and he gritted his teeth and said indignantly, "This old fart Tie Yongwen, how dare he oppose our Shen family? Damn it, I think he's tired of living. If the elders of our Shen family came over, they would have killed this undead old man already!"
Shen Qianyue sighed and said, "I also don't know what Tie Yongwen is thinking. He is still an old friend of our Shen family, yet he is helping an outsider now, and this outsider even wants to go against our Shen family. Could it be that Tie Yongwen also has plans against our Shen family?"
Shen Baichuan grew even angrier and said, "If he dares! If he dares have any designs on our Shen family, when our family elders come over, they will wipe out his entire Xingyi School!"
"Don't say things too big. We are at their place. If these words get out, they might come to deal with us first!" Shen Qianyue patted the bedclothes of Shen Baichuan and said, "Alright, don't get worked up. Let me investigate this matter thoroughly first. These days, you have to act as if you know nothing and absolutely must not start conflicts with anyone or let these words out, understand?"
Shen Baichuan nodded resentfully and said, "Big brother, I've never felt so suffocated in my life. It's so damn infuriating!"
Shen Qianyue patted Shen Baichuan's shoulder and consoled him a few words. Seeing that Shen Baichuan's temper had subsided a bit, he then stood up and left.
As soon as Shen Qianyue walked through the corridor, a man stepped out at the other side of the window, the very man who had threatened Lin Yaqing.
"Hmph, the so-called number one person of the Shen family, I think not much to speak of! I've been here listening all this time and they didn't notice a thing, typical of the Shen family," the man sneered coldly, took out his cellphone, and turned to walk to the back to make a call.
However, he didn't notice that at the end of the corridor on this side, Shen Qianyue was watching him from a distance. Just like the old saying goes, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. He thought he was the mantis, but little did he know that Shen Qianyue was actually the oriole!