Chapter 367: So You’re Nephew Xiong

Chapter 367 -312: So You’re Nephew Xiong

‘I was careless. I can’t believe I walked into an ambush.’

Jiang Xu could only sigh.

The girl hadn’t even given him a chance to use his Mouth Escape. She just attacked at the first sign of disagreement.

If Jiang Xu hadn’t activated his Shadow Escape in time, he would’ve definitely been injured.

‘No wonder they say the best way to counter Mouth Escape is to either be deaf or kill your opponent before they can even speak.’

‘What a temper. What if I didn’t have any bad intentions? Wouldn’t she have just attacked the wrong person?’

Jiang Xu grumbled inwardly as he watched the trio’s reactions.

In fact, there was no “what if” about it.

He’d never intended to move against Xiong Anling.

On the contrary, Jiang Xu was trying to bring him good fortune.

Unfortunately, it seemed Jiang Xu hadn’t left a very good impression on them.

The next time they met, he’d be lucky if they were in a good enough mood not to attack him on sight.

With a sigh, Jiang Xu decided to leave.

He was facing three Foundation Establishment cultivators, and none of them looked easy to handle.

In terms of raw power, the girl was probably the strongest.

But in terms of how troublesome they were, Jiang Xu felt the young man in white was the most difficult opponent.

And anyone who could stand alongside those two was unlikely to be a simpleton.

‘Besides, who knows if there are others lying in wait?’

‘In such a disadvantageous situation, why would I stick around to get beaten up?’

But just as Jiang Xu was about to leave, he suddenly realized that simply leaving might not be the right move.

He had only managed to make contact this time because they had set a trap for him, using one of their own as bait.

But they had failed. They probably wouldn’t use the same tactic again.

‘If so, who knows when I’ll get another chance to approach them.’

Besides, the information he held about the man’s relative was time-sensitive.

It was at its most valuable right now. With every passing hour, that value diminished.

All things considered, now was the best time to make his next move.

‘It’s now or never.’

With that in mind, after a moment of thought, Jiang Xu stepped out of the shadows.

The moonlight spilled over him, casting him in a faint, silvery glow. In the shifting light and shadows, his expression appeared even more composed.

“I am Zong Ziqi. May I have the honor of knowing your name?”

To be honest.

When Jiang Xu revealed himself, the trio was completely stunned.

They had been thinking the exact same thing as Jiang Xu.

They all assumed Jiang Xu wouldn’t take the obvious loss. They thought he’d surely leave, wait until Xiong Anling was alone, and then strike from the shadows.

They never expected that he would, for whatever crazy reason, walk right out of hiding.

And then say something so strange.

It was strange because…

…the man who had just emerged from the darkness didn’t even know the name of the person he was tracking.

What on earth had he been tracking, then?

‘Is there… something wrong with this guy’s head?’

“Hey! You don’t even know Brother Ling’s name, and you dare to track him?” the girl fumed, raising her spear, ready for another fight.

Jiang Xu’s eye twitched. He instinctively wanted to use Shadow Escape but forced himself to stop.

He saw that Xiong Anling had waved his hand, stopping the girl.

“My name is Xiong Anling,” he said. “Fellow Daoist Zong, you’ve been following me for days. For what purpose?”

“I assume you’re not going to tell me you’re ‘just passing by’ again, are you?”

Xiong Anling stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes betraying a deep sense of caution.

It wasn’t just Jiang Xu who had no intention of leaving.

Xiong Anling had no intention of letting him go so easily, either.

Jiang Xu was worried about losing his chance to contact Xiong Anling.

Xiong Anling, on the other hand, had far more to consider.

A person like Jiang Xu—whose movements were unpredictable and who could somehow track his location at all times—was a major threat.

Anyone in his position would be losing sleep over it.

Xiong Anling’s initial plan had been to capture Jiang Xu and force him to reveal how he’d accomplished all this.

But after seeing Jiang Xu vanish without a sound right before their eyes…

…he had temporarily pushed that thought aside.

‘How can you capture someone you can’t even touch?’ ℴ

Since capturing him was out of the question, it was time to try another approach.

Xiong Anling and Jiang Xu were thinking along the same lines.

‘Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.’

‘Since I can’t take him down, I might as well get to know him first. Once I understand him better, I might find a way to deal with him.’

Jiang Xu gave a dry laugh at Xiong Anling’s question.

But his spirits lifted.

‘Excellent.’

‘He didn’t attack right away. He’s asking questions instead.’

‘This is a great start. There’s a chance for a real conversation.’

“Fellow Daoist Xiong,” Jiang Xu said after a moment’s thought, “do you happen to have any living relatives?”

Xiong Anling froze, not moving for a long moment.

“What? Brother Ling, you have relatives?” the girl beside him asked in astonishment, clearly completely unaware.

Even the third cultivator beside her looked surprised.

“How do you know about that!”

Xiong Anling’s expression turned colder by the second. Jiang Xu suddenly felt a dangerous aura closing in around him.

It seemed Jiang Xu’s question had struck a nerve.

Jiang Xu had a feeling that if his next words weren’t a good explanation, all three of them would attack him at once.

“Do you know someone by the name of Xiong Liangsheng?” Jiang Xu asked, his mind racing as he blurted out the name.

“Who’s Xiong Liangsheng? Why does he have the same last name as Brother Ling?” the girl asked naively, then her eyes widened in realization. “You must be trying to change the subject to get away! Take this!”

With that, the girl lunged forward to attack again.

Jiang Xu’s face darkened with exasperation.

‘It’s like trying to reason with a brick wall.’

‘Why is it always about fighting and killing?’

‘Can’t we be a little more civilized?’

“Xiaojiu, stop it!”

Xiong Anling stopped the girl. Ignoring her indignant pout, he took two steps toward Jiang Xu, his expression grave and tinged with anxiety.

“Where did you hear the name Xiong Liangsheng?”

Jiang Xu knew his gamble had paid off. He began to speak in a slow, deliberate manner.

“It was a dark and windy night. Back then, I was still very young.”

Xiong Anling and his two companions exchanged uneasy glances. Something felt off.

“My cultivation was low at the time, and I was targeted by a gang of thugs. My life was hanging by a thread.”

“But as fate would have it, Brother Xiong found me. He saved me, and I barely escaped with my life.”

“Brother Xiong…” The corner of Xiong Anling’s mouth twitched. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“Brother Xiong saved my life. After that, we hit it off immediately, becoming sworn brothers and friends despite our age difference.”

“As I got to know Brother Xiong, I found that while he was usually frank and open, he was extremely secretive about his past. Whenever it came up, he’d grow melancholic and refuse to say more.”

“That is, until recently. After getting drunk one night, Brother Xiong told me everything.”

“He said he felt his life was nearing its end. He wasn’t afraid of death, but he felt he had let down his family, far away in the Youxian Sea. He hoped that before he passed, he could learn what had become of them, just so he could rest in peace.”

“My own cultivation is meager, but I’ll never forget Brother Xiong’s kindness. I wanted to repay him, so I came to the Youxian Sea to find his family.”

“…”

The girl stared blankly, her gaze shifting between Jiang Xu and Xiong Anling.

“Brother Ling, what’s he talking about?”

“Xiong Liangsheng… he has the same last name as you… Oh! Don’t tell me you’re actually related?!”

The girl exclaimed, the realization dawning on her belatedly.

“Yes. To be precise, father and son,” Xiong Anling said with a slow nod.

“Excellent! I’ve finally found you, Nephew Xiong!” Hearing the confirmation, Jiang Xu finally broke into a relieved smile.

“PFFT—!”

The girl couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Nephew Xiong! Hahaha, that’s hilarious!”

The girl pointed at Xiong Anling, doubled over with laughter.

But after a moment, she realized no one else was laughing. Her laughter slowly died down, and she mumbled,

“But… it really is funny, isn’t it?”