Chapter 659 - 659: A Battle that Must Be Fought
Ye Qing walked into the tea house, which had completely changed from before.
Lady Boss Hu Momo wasn't here, and Cui Yu's two disciples had followed Hu Momo, probably to protect her. Therefore, there was hardly anyone inside the tea house to serve the patrons, who were sitting there unable to even get a cup of tea. It was clear that the Killing Gate's members were prepared to go all out and have a final confrontation with the Shen Family. They were all waiting for the Shen Family to arrive and didn't care about such trivial matters.
Ye Qing approached Cui Yu, greeted everyone, and sat down. Without any hesitation, he recounted everything that had happened in Tianhui City to Cui Yu.
After hearing Ye Qing's story, Cui Yu was also quite surprised, because he couldn't guess the identities of the two individuals Ye Qing had mentioned. So he didn't know who was manipulating all this or who wanted to provoke the great battle between them and the Shen Family.
After a moment of silence, Cui Yu said in a deep voice, "You mean, Huangfu Ziyu definitely knows the identities of these two people, but she's also keeping it a secret?"
Ye Qing nodded and said, "Mr. Cui, do you know who these two people are?"
Cui Yu shook his head and replied, "In the past twenty years, the Shen Family has incurred many debts of gratitude and grudges in the Southern Six Provinces. It's not surprising that someone is targeting them. Not to mention others, even that Huangfu Ziyu has some grievances with the Shen Family. I guess the one behind this must be an enemy of the Shen Family. Bull-nose, what do you think?"
Cui Yu looked towards the Netherworld Taoist sitting next to him. The old fellow was puffing away, sitting next to Old Wang Ba and smoking their dry tobacco pipes at the entrance, one on each side. On hearing this, the Netherworld Taoist glared and said, "Why the hell are you asking me? I have no idea about the identity of the opponent, asking me is just nonsense!"
The Netherworld Taoist's temper was really bad, as if he was talking with gunpowder in his mouth. But Cui Yu seemed to understand his character well and didn't say anything, just giving a slight smile.
"Why bother with all that!" Ghost King Li Ruoyuan said impatiently, "Even if there's no such person, can we live in peace with the Shen Family? Don't forget the bloodshed that happened ten years ago; we must have our revenge. So don't worry about who's stirring things up behind the scenes; the culprit is certainly an enemy of the Shen Family. In my opinion, maybe these people will even help us from the shadows."
"That's true!" Cui Yulong nodded slowly, speaking solemnly, "Twenty years ago, after the battle between the Kings of North-South Boxing, the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun emerged victorious, and the Shen Family became the Martial Arts Holy Land in the Southern Six Provinces. In these twenty years, the Shen Family has been elevated to an unprecedented high status, and no one dares challenge their authority. As a result, the Shen Family has developed an arrogant character, and their pompous family members have offended many. With us challenging the Shen Family now, there will certainly be many people cheering for us in the shadows, and some may even extend their help. So we shouldn't get hung up on who's behind all this. Regardless of who instigated these events, our grudge with the Shen Family must be settled!"
Demon Queen He Qinghua also laughed lightly, clearly agreeing with their words. The Netherworld Taoist was still sitting at the entrance, smoking as if nothing concerned him, while Pig King always wore a smile and sat at the table, not saying a word, expressing no opinion at all.
Ye Qing had thought that by sharing this information, he might prevent the tragic battle between Killing Gate's members and the Shen Family. But to his surprise, even knowing there was somebody else stirring up this conflict, they still wanted to fight to the death with the Shen Family. Had the grudge between Killing Gate and the Shen Family really become so irreconcilable?
After being silent for a while, Ye Qing said, "Mr. Cui, I don't know what the grievances between Killing Gate and the Shen Family are. However, I told you this mainly to warn you not to fall for someone else's schemes. If you and the Shen Family are both injured in this tiger fight, it may be too late for regrets if the person pulling the strings has any hidden agendas."
Cui Yu didn't speak. Ghost King Li Ruoyuan gave a strange cackle and said, "Here in the Southern Six Provinces, aside from Xihang Shen Family, who else dares to challenge the authority of our Killing Gate? Even if our Killing Gate and Xihang Shen Family are both left battered, nobody would dare to provoke us. Young Ye, you're worrying too much!"
"Ye brothers!" Cui Yulong looked at Ye Qing and spoke gravely, "To me, the most important thing is to enter the Shen Family and take revenge. As for other conspiracies, they have nothing to do with me. Once this vengeance is taken, I will leave Huaxia for good and never return. All other matters are of no concern to me!"
Seeing the resolute expressions of the Killing Gate's members, Ye Qing knew he couldn't persuade them and could only sigh in resignation. It seemed the feud between the Shen Family and Killing Gate was indeed deep, and the Killing Gate's members would never let it go!
"Ye brother, we appreciate your good intentions. However, our battle with the Shen Family won't be changed by anything!" Cui Yu paused, then continued, "However, those two people you mentioned earlier are most likely related to Old Master Tie's death as well. So, we should still pay attention to this matter. Regardless, Old Master Tie was a hero who was killed by such despicable means, and we should seek out the true culprit behind his death!"
Upon hearing this, a cold light immediately shone in Ye Qing's eyes. Although he had already found Xu Dingjiang, Ding Shaoyan, and the others, the real mastermind behind Tie Yongwen's murder still had not been found. For Ye Qing, this matter was still not concluded.
Ye Qing clenched his teeth and said, "No matter what, I must find the real murderer who killed Old Master Tie and kill him with my own hands to avenge Old Master Tie!"
"If you have this determination, Old Master Tie's spirit in heaven will also be able to rest in peace," Cui Yu sighed. He also felt some regret regarding Tie Yongwen's death.
Li Ruoyuan and Demon Queen He Qinghua slowly nodded in agreement. To be called a hero by Cui Yu, and for neither Ghost King Li Ruoyuan nor Demon Queen He Qinghua to refute that claim, perhaps only Tie Yongwen was such a person. Regardless of their stance, Old Master Tie was known for being clear about his debts of gratitude and grudges, and for his upright and forthright conduct, which everyone admired!
Cui Yulong said in a deep voice, "Right, we must find these two people no matter what, to avenge Old Master Tie!"
"That sounds good, but where do we start looking?" Li Ruoyuan curled his lip and said, "The Shen Family's men are about to enter Shenchuan City. Should we find the murderer now, or deal with the Shen Family's men first? And, the Netherworld Scholar just arrived in Shenchuan City and then disappeared. No one knows whether he ran away. If the Shen Family's people suddenly attack and we haven't gathered the Killing Gate Seven Hidden, how will we fight this battle?"
Demon Queen He Qinghua said coldly, "That Netherworld Scholar is like a dog who can't change the habit of eating feces. As soon as he got into Shenchuan City, he probably took an interest in some family's daughter again. If this stirs up trouble, we will likely have chaos in Shenchuan City even before the Shen Family's people arrive!"
Cui Yu furrowed his brows, well aware of the Netherworld Scholar's character. The man had left as soon as he arrived in Shenchuan City, certainly in pursuit of women. However, with the impending major battle with the Shen Family, such behavior was hardly appropriate.
"Yu Long, try to contact the Netherworld Scholar later and ask him to come back as soon as possible," Cui Yu said in a stern voice. "If nothing unexpected happens, the Shen Family's men will enter Shenchuan City tomorrow. We must be prepared!"
Upon hearing this, Pig King, who had been laughing heartily on the side, finally changed his expression. He hurriedly turned his head to Cui Yu and said, "Mr. Cui Panguan, the Shen Family's men will be coming tomorrow, and I certainly won't run. Could you...before the Shen Family's men arrive, let my wife go first?"
"Your wife?" Cui Yu was taken aback, looking at Pig King in astonishment. "What happened to your wife?"
Pig King put on a mournful face and said, "Wasn't it you who captured my wife to ensure I came to meet up with you all in Shenchuan City? I'm here now, so can my wife be released?"
"I captured your wife?" Cui Yu was even more surprised and said, "I didn't capture your wife. We've been busy dealing with Black Asura's matter these past few days and haven't gone anywhere else. Besides, I don't even know where you live, how could I capture your wife?"
"Ah?" Pig King was stunned, hurriedly standing up and saying anxiously, "Then... where is my wife? Who captured my wife? They clearly left a note, telling me to meet up with you in Shenchuan City and then you would release my wife. If it wasn't you, then who was it?"
Everyone looked at each other in astonishment. Cui Yulong turned to Ye Qing and said in a solemn voice, "Could it be those two people Ye Qing mentioned who captured her?"
With these words, everyone instantly realized. The two individuals Ye Qing mentioned wanted to provoke a major battle between them and the Shen Family, and they probably wanted to add some chips to the Killing Gate's hand. Helping the Killing Gate gather the Seven Hidden might indeed be their doing. Only with the Seven Hidden assembled would they have a greater chance of victory in the upcoming battle against the Shen Family!
"I remember now!" Cui Yu said solemnly, "The information about the Netherworld Scholar going to Tianhui City was also anonymously provided to me. At the time, I was somewhat skeptical and specially dispatched someone to check. Turns out, he was indeed there, so I took you all there. This person might also be the one Ye Qing was talking about!"
Black Asura also furrowed his brows and said gravely, "By your account, the contract I took on this time is also somewhat strange. The client only gave me a sum of money, and I have no information about them at all. They just asked me to go to the West Gate and kill Fire Butterfly's partner. I haven't been to the Southern Six Provinces for many years, yet I agreed to come over after much hesitation because of the substantial payment. Moreover, Fire Butterfly's partner is so incompetent that any assassin could kill him. Why bother paying a hefty sum for me?"
Hearing this, everyone in the room exchanged glances. It seemed there was someone behind the scenes schematically ensuring the Killing Gate Seven Hidden were assembled. Initially, no one took it too seriously, but now, they all became vigilant.