Chapter 73 - 74: Tao Dingfang, Schemes from All Sides

Chapter 73: Chapter 74: Tao Dingfang, Schemes from All Sides

Tao Wenxuan detailed two bounty missions.

One was for a Protector of the Rebirth Sect. Their name, location, and strength were all unknown. Dead or alive, as long as one brought back their head, the reward was two hundred taels.

The other was for the Executioner, Wu Tao. This wasn’t a bounty issued by White Stone City, but rather news passed down from Yellow Stone City. Rumor had it that Wu Tao had murdered several soldiers in Yellow Stone City, enraging the State Governor, Hong Yue, who subsequently issued the bounty.

Wu Tao rarely fought, so Yellow Stone City had tentatively estimated his strength at Perfect Skill. His whereabouts were unknown; no one had seen him since his crimes. However, his bounty was one hundred taels higher than the Rebirth Sect’s Protector, amounting to a staggering 300 taels.

The Government Office provided very little information for either bounty. To Su Chen, looking for these targets would be like searching for a needle in a haystack—the effort wouldn’t be worth the reward. After hearing the details, he simply stated that he would think about it, rather than accepting immediately.

"If Yang the Warrior is in dire need of money, you could try your luck with the Lin family. They’ve been recruiting a large number of Martial Artists lately, and the pay is quite handsome." Tao Wenxuan added this before Su Chen left.

After leaving the County Magistrate’s Office, Su Chen asked around and discovered exactly what Tao Wenxuan had meant. The Lin family had joined forces with the Fang family to deal with Lianyun Stronghold. They were recruiting Martial Artists from all over the city. Even for Martial Artists who had merely reached Major Mastery in Strength Training, they were offering a high price of one hundred taels.

If Su Chen were to go and reveal his true strength, the price would likely be even higher. But upon learning the Lin family’s goal, he dismissed the idea. That money wouldn’t be easy to earn. To his surprise, however, the Fang family had also gotten involved.

Since he couldn’t find a viable way to make money for the time being, Su Chen decided not to waste any more time. He turned and headed home to study his medical texts.

That afternoon.

Hong Ming sent someone to tell Su Chen to visit the Martial Arts Hall. Not many people were there—only Li Mo, Qin Hao, and himself.

"I’m sure you all know about the Lin family recruiting experts. Although the pay is high, you need to think carefully if you want to go," Hong Ming warned the three of them.

Li Mo was probably busy with other matters recently and definitely wouldn’t go. Hong Ming was mainly worried about Qin Hao and Su Chen. Due to certain reasons, Hong Ming himself had also become quite busy lately, so he had called the three of them over as soon as he heard the news. Once he learned that neither Qin Hao nor Su Chen had any intention of joining the recruitment, Hong Ming finally felt relieved. After offering a few more brief words of advice, he left.

"Junior Brother, want to go grab a few drinks?" Li Mo called out, stopping Su Chen just as he was about to head back.

"Sure!" Su Chen nodded.

The two of them went to a tavern, found a quiet spot, and chatted over their meal. In the past, Li Mo had mostly talked about grand aspirations and lofty goals. Now, his conversation was filled with domestic trivialities. Yet, his face beamed with a happy smile that had never been there before. They talked until the tavern closed, after which Su Chen escorted the dead-drunk Li Mo home.

Three days later.

Having recruited enough Martial Artists, the Lin family set out from White Stone City in a massive procession alongside the members of the Broken Blade Sect.

"Junior Brother Su, the man leading the group is the Lin family’s Patriarch, Lin Fu. The man in the yellow shirt standing behind him is Lin Lu. There’s also Yan Zheng and Yan Que from the Broken Blade Sect. Tsk, tsk... A full hundred Martial Artists. I wonder if Lianyun Stronghold can withstand this." From the upper floor of the tavern, Li Mo looked out at the procession in the street, gave a brief introduction, and sighed in awe.

"It shouldn’t be a problem for them. Didn’t you say the two Village Chiefs of Lianyun Stronghold are at Major Mastery and Minor Mastery in Skill Training? Whether in overall strength or the sheer number of Martial Artists, Lianyun Stronghold is no match for Lin Family Castle," Su Chen said flatly.

"Haha, true. A force like this would be incredibly formidable anywhere. It would be ridiculous if they couldn’t even handle Lianyun Stronghold," Li Mo laughed.

As the Lin family’s forces marched out of the city, all the various factions within the city received the news.

Lin Family Castle.

Nowadays, it was essentially Lianyun Castle.

"Big Brother, the Lin family has joined forces with the Broken Blade Sect. They’ve recruited over a hundred Martial Artists to attack us. They’re coming with bad intentions!" Zhu Bao relayed the news from the city to Zhu Hu. During this time, they had been busy reorganizing and consolidating their gains, paying little attention to the Lin family.

They had both expected the Lin family to make a move, but they hadn’t anticipated it would be this soon, nor that they would ally with the Broken Blade Sect.

"What, are you scared?" Zhu Hu looked at Zhu Bao.

Zhu Bao licked his lips and grinned. "Haha, scared? Big Brother, just give the word, and I won’t even blink!"

"Haha, good! Today, the two of us brothers will make sure these people never return!" Zhu Hu stood up abruptly.

"Oh? What good plan do you have, Big Brother?" Zhu Bao raised an eyebrow.

"You’ll find out when the time comes."

The County Magistrate’s Office.

A burly man in black clothes, his face radiating a fierce and intimidating aura, slowly approached.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

The man in black didn’t look up. His hoarse voice rang out, "Tell your County Magistrate that an old acquaintance has come to visit."

"What old acquaintance? State your name!" the Governmental Constable shouted, clearly displeased with the man’s mysterious act.

"Tao Dingfang!"

A moment later, Tao Wenxuan walked out. Upon seeing the man in black, a smile naturally formed on his face. "Dingfang!"

"Uncle!"

"Haha, it’s been so long, I almost didn’t recognize you! Come, let’s go inside!" Tao Wenxuan studied Tao Dingfang for a moment, then patted his shoulder with a laugh.

Tao Dingfang nodded and followed Tao Wenxuan into the County Magistrate’s Office. In the main hall, a maid served fragrant tea before Tao Wenxuan dismissed everyone else.

Tao Wenxuan asked curiously, "Didn’t you say it would be a while before you could come? How did you arrive so soon?"

"I was worried about you, Uncle. Those guys from the Rebirth Sect aren’t easy to deal with." Tao Dingfang picked up his tea and drained it in one gulp.

"Haha, you brat!" Tao Wenxuan shook his head with a chuckle. "I’ve waited this long; I wouldn’t have minded waiting a little longer."

Hearing this, Tao Dingfang shrugged and set down his teacup. "Alright, I was too anxious. But the current situation is too chaotic. I had no choice."

"Oh? How are things over in Yellow Stone City?" Tao Wenxuan asked in surprise.

"Yellow Stone City is fine. We have the Governor overseeing things there. The real danger right now is White Stone City," Tao Dingfang replied.

Seeing Tao Wenxuan’s confused expression, Tao Dingfang explained, "Because Lord Hong Yue dispatched troops, the chaos in Yellow Stone City has been quelled. However, the remnants of the Rebirth Sect haven’t been completely wiped out. They’ve shifted their focus and are planning to make a move on White Stone City.

"But this time, they’ve learned their lesson. They aren’t taking action directly; instead, they’re using other factions to do their dirty work."

"You mean..."

"Lianyun Stronghold!" Tao Dingfang nodded, slowly spitting out the words.

"Are you saying the Rebirth Sect is behind Lianyun Stronghold?" Tao Wenxuan’s expression grew solemn. This news was quite a shock to him; it was no wonder Tao Dingfang had rushed over ahead of schedule. If Lianyun Stronghold truly allied with the Rebirth Sect to attack White Stone City, he feared his own countermeasures wouldn’t hold up for long before the city fell.

"Exactly." Tao Dingfang nodded, then quickly changed the subject. "By the way, before entering the city, I heard the Lin family is leading a force to wipe out Lianyun Stronghold?"

"That is happening. Do you think they will fail?" Tao Wenxuan asked in a deep voice, a sudden thought occurring to him.

Tao Dingfang remained noncommittal, but his expression revealed the very outcome Tao Wenxuan didn’t want to dwell upon.