White-Robed Chief

At dawn, the entirety of Gale City was suspended in silence.

There were two huge stone lions flanking the exterior of the Radiance Clan. Two young disciples stood by each of the stone lions. Grabbing the hilts of their blades, they had achieved the Perfected Innate Master Boundary. Their eyes gleamed with confidence and fierceness; no one dared to look at them directly.

Both of them stood on each side of the entrance. Resembling two gate guardians, they gave off an intimidating vibe.

The warm glow of the sun fell on their bodies, but it did nothing to dispel the threatening aura around them.

The two men tightened their faces, but deep down, they felt relaxed.

The smell of fresh air mixed with the crackling sound of burning firewood gave them an urge to rush home and have a filling meal. They felt hungry after standing for the whole night.

Despite their hunger, they were still energetic and zestful.

When the men heard the faint sounds of footsteps, they immediately stood straight and saw a short, thin man walking toward them from the main road. He was an unassuming middle-aged man with ordinary looks and a dull expression.

The aggression in both men’s expression was replaced by smiles as they looked at the approaching middle-aged man. “Is there anything, your Excellency?”

“I’ve heard that the Branch Leader of Gale Branch, Zhao Dahe is an expert in martial arts. Therefore, I’ve come to meet and learn from him!” The middle-aged man cupped his fists and spoke slowly.

“You…?” The two men were stunned. “You want to challenge the Branch Leader?”

“Absolutely.” The middle-aged man nodded slowly.

The two disciples observed the man closely in case he was an underdog. There were a number of experts who masqueraded themselves as unskilled people. Unobservant people would always lose out in the end.

The man was skinny and his dark green outfit was a bit oversized for him, which further emphasized how thin he was. He looked as though a gust of wind could blow him away. No matter how they observed him, the middle-aged man just did not seem like a martial arts expert. Not to mention, there was not a hint of inner energy on him. His spirits were low and he was no different from a regular human being.

“Stop pulling our legs, your Excellency!” One of the young protectors shook his head. “Our Branch Leader is a busy man, and he doesn’t have the time to entertain all kinds of people. You’d better go someplace else if you want to challenge someone. The Roaring Tiger Clan isn’t a bad place to start with and they are quite amazing too. You can give them a try!”

“I am Zheng Yanwu!” The middle-aged man cupped his fists.

“Zheng Yanwu?” The two disciples were taken aback.

They were familiar with that name. He was Zheng Tianhe’s father, and he was known to be a hidden master of the White Tiger Sect who was about a hundred years old.

“Haha, you’re quite the joker, your Excellency!” A young protector chuckled. “Elder Zheng is an expert who’s about a hundred years old. How is it possible for him to look like this? Don’t tell me you’ve changed your appearance, your Excellency?”

“I am Zheng Yanwu, I swear!” The middle-aged man said slowly. “Can’t I enter your branch?”

As he finished speaking, he advanced toward the two men.

The two protectors took one step forward and blocked him. They said in a low voice, “Halt! Don’t go any further, or else!”

Regardless of the man’s knowledge of martial arts, they could not let him enter without verifying his identity first.

“Sigh…” Zheng Yanwu shook his head and waved his right arm.

“Bang bang!” The two protectors flew backward as if they were knocked over by a speeding carriage. They hit the stone lions as their faces twisted in agony.

“You really are Zheng Yanwu!” Both of them exclaimed.

After they fell to the ground, they got something out of their pockets and tossed it into the air.

“Bang!” A dark shadow rose up to the sky and exploded into a mass of black clouds. It loomed over the area, not dissipating at all.

The sounds of light and swift footsteps rang. A group of people came out of the entrance and surrounded Zheng Yanwu in a flash.

Zheng Yanwu squinted his eyes and scanned everyone around him. He shook his head. “I didn’t expect the Gale Branch to have so many members!”

More than thirty people had surrounded him closely and all of them were experts with high cultivation levels. Realizing this, he knew that he alone was no match for them.

“Who are you?” Hu Ya cried.

“Zheng Yanwu!”

“Are you really Elder Zheng Yanwu?” Hu Ya could not believe it.

They had never met Zheng Yanwu, but they thought that a hundred-year-old man would have at least white hair and looked healthy, albeit in an elderly manner. It was impossible for him to resemble a middle-aged man, and there was hardly any difference between his appearance and Zheng Tianhe’s.

Most importantly, he did not bear the look of a Grandmaster. Instead, he looked like a regular person. It was as though a random passerby claimed that he was a hundred-year-old hidden master, utterly ridiculous!

Zheng Yanwu said calmly, “Every injustice has its perpetrator and every debt has its debtor. I’m here to look for your Branch Leader, Zhao Dahe!”

“Pardon me, Elder Zheng!” Hu Ya cupped his fists. “The Branch Leader just departed last night. I heard that he’s currently cultivating a secret technique to fight you and he’ll only return tonight. If you wish to meet the Branch Leader, Elder Zheng, please wait!”

“He didn’t escape, did he?” Zheng Yanwu regarded him with knitted brows.

Hu Ya shook his head. “Don’t worry, Elder Zheng. The Branch Leader is a man who lives up to his promises. He won’t run away out of fear. Why don’t you wait for one more day, Elder Zheng? Tonight, you’ll definitely see the Branch Leader. Even if you don’t get to see him, we are still here.”

“What’s the point of killing all of you?” Zheng Yanwu said wanly.

In his eyes, the men were insignificant, not worth fighting against.

Besides, he revered the Great Light Peak. No matter how powerful he was, he would be at the losing end should the Great Light Peak exacted revenge against himself. He only had to kill Zhao Dahe to avenge his son’s death. His personal vendetta had nothing to do with the competition between various sects. Plus, the Great Light Peak would not have anything to say about this.

“I shall send you off, Elder Zheng,” Hu Ya replied with cupped fists.

Zheng Yanwu spoke calmly, “I’ll return tonight. Zhao Dahe can prepare to die!”

“Alright,” Hu Ya replied.

Zheng Yanwu laughed coldly and turned around. He walked to a street corner, took a turn and disappeared from sight.

Everyone observed his swift body movement technique. They felt glum as different thoughts ran through their minds.

Chu Li was in a small residence near the Roaring Tiger Clan, cultivating the thirty-six energy-nurturing forms quietly. After cultivating for a few times, he sat down to get a rest before getting up again to resume his cultivation. This process kept repeating itself.

The incident that took place at Gale Branch presented itself clearly in his mind. He ignored it and concentrated on practicing his thirty-six energy-nurturing forms.

Zheng Yanwu left Gale Branch and returned to the Roaring Tiger Clan.

The Roaring Tiger Clan had lost its backbone. The two experts who stayed behind took care of everyone and tried their best to support the clan. Unfortunately, the spirits within the clan had fallen ever since Chu Li got rid of the influential figures. The clan’s days of glory as Gale City’s number one clan were long gone.

Surrounded by the other members, the two men escorted Zheng Yanwu into the Roaring Tiger Clan and reported to him privately.

On the outside, Zheng Yanwu looked calm and slow. He did not show any hint of rage.

He hardly reacted to the two men’s reports. Finally, he simply asked in a cool manner whether Zheng Tianhe was killed by Zhao Dahe. He did not ask about other details, such as the reason for the fight and the killing of Zheng Tianhe.

Zheng Yanwu closed his eyes and ordered the men to leave. He paced about in the small courtyard where Zheng Tianhe used to live and his face darkened.

Zheng Tianhe’s smile and laughter when he was a child appeared in his mind’s eye. He had a son at an old age and spoilt him like he was his grandson, bringing Zheng Yanwu much joy over the years. When he thought of his son’s death, his heart ached.

Therefore, no matter what happened, he ignored the rule where hundred-year-old men were forbidden from entering the martial arts world. He decided that he must risk his own life and kill Zhao Dahe before he could face Zheng Tianhe in the afterlife.

After some time, his mood returned to normal and he began to cultivate.

He felt very confident about eliminating Zhao Dahe, but he did not want to mess up his plan when he was nearing success. Thus, he had to do whatever it took to ensure the success of his plan.

Zhao Dahe was a late bloomer in the Holy Church of Light. Disciples who entered the Great Light Peak were very well-treated by the Holy Church and they would never allow anything bad to happen to them. Naturally, they would send in assistance!

When he thought of this, he felt worried. Nonetheless, it was a good thing that the Holy Church of Light would not send out a hundred-year-old master. So, he had a good chance of killing Zhao Dahe.

Even if someone was willing to protect Zhao Dahe, he must still die. Whoever obstructed Zheng Yanwu was no different from his son’s killer. That person deserved no mercy and must die too!

He sat on his bed to relax and his murderous intent dissipated. Zheng Yanwu’s emotions returned to normal as he sharpened his senses in preparation for tomorrow night’s big fight.

Chu Li frowned. He had been waiting for Zheng Yanwu to cultivate White Tiger Power. On the contrary, Zheng Yanwu just sat on his bed to meditate instead of cultivating the aforementioned technique!