Chapter 662 - 662 The Grievances Between Sha Men and Shen Family (Part 2)
"Fifteen years ago, the Bloody Monk disappeared?" Ye Qing looked at Old Wang Ba in astonishment and said, "How did the Bloody Monk disappear?"
Old Wang Ba helplessly replied, "Can you not ask these questions? The people from Killing Gate have been searching for fifteen years and still can't figure out why he disappeared. How can you expect me to answer you!"
Ye Qing smiled and said, "I was just curious and asked casually. If you don't know, then never mind!"
Old Wang Ba said, "The Bloody Monk was crucial to Killing Gate, but his disappearance immediately changed the situation. Those enemies, in the two years before the Bloody Monk disappeared, didn't dare make any significant moves. However, two years after the Bloody Monk disappeared and he still hadn't shown up, those people began to get restless. Think about it, Killing Gate took over the assassin business nationwide—imagine how many enemies they must have had, and the troubles they faced at that time!"
Ye Qing nodded. The situation of Killing Gate at the time must have been even more troublesome than the current situation of the Shen Family. The people of the Shen Family were just a bit too prideful, which led them to make several enemies. However, Killing Gate had killed many people back then, and those were blood debts. With the Bloody Monk gone, there were definitely many people who wanted to seek revenge on Killing Gate.
"So the Shen Family represented those people in making a move against Killing Gate?" Ye Qing asked.
"Of course, it wasn't that easy!" Old Wang Ba shook his head and said, "Initially, it was just some small factions causing minor disturbances. For an assassination organization like Killing Gate, these avengers had little impact, hardly enough to shake Killing Gate in the slightest. But think about it, with the Bloody Monk gone and so many outside wanting revenge, Killing Gate's people definitely felt anxious. So, at that time, they started scheming!"
Old Wang Ba paused, lit his dry tobacco pipe, and took a puff before continuing, "Killing Gate's people feared that those enemies would unite to deal with them—that would be dangerous for them. So, in that period, Killing Gate's members thought of strengthening their power to ensure their safety. But how to increase their strength? That was a serious problem! To enhance Killing Gate's strength, they could either invite some experts or improve themselves. The former was obviously not feasible, but there were some methods for the latter."
"What methods?" Ye Qingqi asked.
Old Wang Ba smiled and asked, "You know about Cui Yulong's Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade, right?"
"I know," Ye Qing nodded. He had a deep impression of the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade in Cui Yulong's possession. That blade's power was indeed terrifying; with that blade in hand, Cui Yulong's strength would increase by at least fifty percent, and no one could withstand the blade's power!
"That was exactly the method Killing Gate's people used to strengthen their power!" Old Wang Ba explained, "At that time, among several families, there were a few very powerful weapons. Any one of those weapons could greatly enhance a person's strength. So, Killing Gate wanted to seize those weapons. Moreover, ten years ago, they took action, raiding those families and stealing those weapons!"
Ye Qing slightly frowned. He was unaware of Killing Gate's past actions. He had not expected that Killing Gate's past deeds were so despicable. Now, hearing Old Wang Ba say this, his impression of Killing Gate greatly deteriorated. Simultaneously, he felt somewhat shocked. Having seen Cui Yulong's Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade, which itself wielded such terrifying power, what then would the result be when Killing Gate's people acquired several similar weapons?
"But how did they get entangled with the Shen Family?" Ye Qing asked.
"The trouble started when they were stealing those weapons," Old Wang Ba explained. "During the theft, they accidentally killed someone from the Shen Family. When this news reached Xihang Shen Family, Old Madame Shen, known for her explosive temper, immediately decided to send someone to exterminate Killing Gate."
"At that time, those people who wanted revenge on Killing Gate were also considering uniting against them. When powerful Shen Family suddenly stepped in to deal with Killing Gate, you can imagine what happened next. Those seeking revenge on Killing Gate immediately rallied to the Shen Family, obeying their orders to wipe out Killing Gate." Old Wang Ba sighed and continued, "That was the massive battle ten years ago, led by the Shen Family—they charged into Killing Gate, killing everyone they encountered. Bloodshed stretched over thousands of miles; Killing Gate, once thriving, was almost entirely eradicated. Aside from the Left and Right Protectors, and the Killing Gate Seven Hidden, an elite group, nearly all others were slain without any survivors. Thus, rather than calling it a great battle, it was more like a massacre!"
Ye Qing furrowed his brows tighter, though Killing Gate's actions were wrong. However, the Shen Family's actions in this event were also improper. Killing everyone they saw, hacking at anyone in sight—how different were they from the people of Killing Gate? Or rather, were their actions any better than those of Killing Gate's people?
Looking back now, it's no wonder the grievances between Killing Gate and the Shen Family ran so deep. No wonder, after witnessing their brothers and friends being slaughtered by the Shen Family firsthand during that massacre, how could they possibly forget this hatred?
"At present, it's hard to say who was right and who was wrong. The people of Killing Gate certainly were at fault initially, but, the Shen Family also killed so many from Killing Gate, and their methods were quite bloody. Moreover, after the great battle ended, the Shen Family took back to Xi Hang the weapons Killing Gate had captured. That makes it somewhat incomprehensible," Old Wang Ba said, "If the Shen Family wanted to avenge their family members, they merely needed to kill the ones who had attacked the Shen Family. However, they went with so many people and almost annihilated Killing Gate. If the Shen Family was upholding justice and wanted to exterminate Killing Gate, giving everyone an account, then why did they bring those weapons back to Xi Hang? No matter how you look at it, that action of the Shen Family was not very honorable. Thus, from that time, the reputation of the Shen Family gradually began to worsen. Although it is still considered the Martial Arts Holy Land of the Southern Six Provinces, without the Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun, how much prestige can the Shen Family retain?"
Old Wang Ba's tone carried a hint of mockery and ridicule when he spoke. It was apparent that he too was quite dissatisfied with the Shen Family. However, Ye Qing could understand since Third Master Li had once saved Old Wang Ba's life, and Third Master Li had been poisoned in his food during a bout with the Southern Fist King. It was very likely that the people of the Shen Family were behind the poisoning, so it was normal for Old Wang Ba to be hostile toward the Shen Family.
Ye Qing hadn't expected the feud between Killing Gate and the Shen Family to have originated in this way. He felt slightly shocked and also recalled another matter, saying, "However, ten years ago, Killing Gate was defeated by the Shen Family, which shows that Killing Gate's strength was no match for the Shen Family. After ten years, Killing Gate hasn't even returned to its former strength, while the Shen Family took those weapons. How could Killing Gate's people possibly overpower the Shen Family now?"
"These things are not ours to worry about," Old Wang Ba shrugged and said, "If the people of Killing Gate have decided to seek revenge, that means they must be prepared themselves. I have analyzed that Killing Gate dares to provoke the Shen Family mainly for a few reasons. First of all, the appeal of the Shen Family is nowhere near what it was before. The bloody battle ten years ago was led by the Shen Family, uniting many forces from the Southern Six Provinces to jointly deal with Killing Gate, which is why they achieved a great victory back then. Now, those people would not likely come to aid the Shen Family again, and their strength would be greatly reduced. Moreover, ten years ago, the Shen Family took action with an element of surprise, having dispersed the Killing Gate Seven Hidden in advance, which is why Killing Gate suffered such a terrible defeat."
"What difference does that make?" Ye Qing asked, puzzled.
"You don't understand," Old Wang Ba shook his head and said, "Actually, the strength of Killing Gate Seven Hidden isn't really that great. But, the Killing Gate Seven Hidden can all challenge the Left and Right Protectors, do you know why?"
Recalling how He Qinghua and Li Ruoyuan were slapped by the Right Protector and were completely unable to resist, Ye Qing was also perplexed. Logically speaking, the strength of these seven people really wasn't that great, yet their reputations seemed quite formidable.
"Why?" Ye Qingqi asked.
Old Wang Ba said, "Each of the Killing Gate Seven Hidden, taken alone, can only count as a top-level assassin, and their true strength isn't that significant. However, once the Killing Gate Seven Hidden come together, they can activate a formation known as the Seven Kills Formation, personally created by the Bloody Monk. Once the seven unite their forces, their strength increases dramatically, becoming extremely terrifying!"
"Seven Kills Formation?" Ye Qing was again taken aback and wondered, "What Seven Kills Formation? This sounds a bit too mystical, doesn't it? How much can the strength of seven people increase when combined?"
"Nonsense!" Old Wang Ba said, "Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean these things don't exist. Haven't you heard? Zhuge Kongming's Eight Trigram Formation could block a Wu Army of a hundred thousand soldiers. Qimen Dunjia, the Valley of Ghosts formation, these are all wisdom left by our ancestors. This Seven Kills Formation is the same. Inside the formation, the coordination of the seven people and their precise positions make it very difficult to break!"
Ye Qing scratched his head, still finding it somewhat incomprehensible. However, thinking that Old Wang Ba was able to figure out that Liu Changping had a daughter and a granddaughter, Ye Qing also felt more at ease. Indeed, there was much in this world that he was unaware of. But not knowing about something didn't mean it didn't exist!
Ye Qing said, "From what you say, it seems quite uncertain who will win or lose between Killing Gate and the Shen Family in this great battle."
Old Wang Ba shrugged and said, "The Shen Family has grown arrogant over the years, and have already lost the support of the families from the Southern Six Provinces. Unfortunately, they themselves are unaware of this, still acting tyrannically outside. It's good for Killing Gate to challenge them once and let them realize that there are always others beyond them in the heavens and beyond them among men!"
Thinking of Shen Baichuan's actions, Ye Qing indeed didn't harbor much goodwill towards the Shen Family. However, contemplating the great battle between Killing Gate and the Shen Family, with others waiting to benefit from their dispute, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
If the Shen Family were defeated, what kind of situation would the Southern Six Provinces fall into? If the Shen Family were defeated, what would become of the innocent Shen Qingyi?