Chapter 97 - 98: Visiting for Cooperation, Gifting a Saber Technique

Chapter 97: Chapter 98: Visiting for Cooperation, Gifting a Saber Technique

THUD, THUD, THUD.

The immense impact forced Tao Dingfang to stagger back several steps. With a muffled grunt, he forcibly steadied himself.

"Hyah!"

CLOP, CLOP, CLOP.

What Tao Dingfang didn’t expect was that after Su Chen regained his balance, he vaulted onto the horse and galloped away.

"Damn it!"

This infuriated him, but it also secretly alarmed him. The strength Su Chen had just displayed was not to be underestimated. They had fought to a draw in that brief exchange, but as far as Tao Dingfang was concerned, failing to make Su Chen stay meant he had lost!

"Sir!"

With his horse stolen, Tao Dingfang couldn’t chase after him even if he wanted to. He stood in place for a long time before a group of soldiers finally caught up.

"There’s no need to pursue. They will return," Tao Dingfang said softly, stopping his subordinates.

"Yes, sir!"

***

Riding at full speed, Su Chen quickly caught up with Hong Ming and the others. Seeing that he was completely unharmed, the group finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, when they noticed the fine steed beneath him, strange expressions washed over their faces. Had he actually stolen Tao Dingfang’s mount?

Su Chen didn’t explain. "Don’t go to the ruined temple. We’re going somewhere else." Worried that Tao Dingfang might send men after them, he decided to change their route. Hong Ming and the rest had no objections; at a time like this, anywhere was the same.

The group changed direction. Liu Fang knew of a relatively secluded hideout about three miles away, so she led the way.

An hour later, they arrived at the hideout—an abandoned, dilapidated house. Stepping inside, there were obvious signs of human presence.

"These are the traces left behind by our merchant caravan when we rested here," Liu Fang explained. "Very few people know about this abandoned house. It shouldn’t be a problem for us to stay the night."

Everyone dismounted and took a break. Hong Ming and the other two were all injured, and the effects of the Soft Bone Powder in their systems hadn’t yet dissipated, making it unsuitable for them to exert themselves. Su Chen didn’t mind. He tidied the place up a bit and had everyone sit down to rest. The atmosphere was heavy. The three of them remained silent, unsure of what to say. Since they didn’t speak, Su Chen kept quiet as well.

Hong Ming was immersed in the grief of Wei Ping’s death. Out of ten disciples, only three remained. The rest were either dead or captured. Li Mo and Liu Fang were lost in confusion. They had escaped, but what about their families? No one knew if Tao Dingfang would make a move against their loved ones. Li Mo, who was newly married, was especially worried. Looking at their sorrowful faces, Su Chen didn’t know how to comfort them. If they went back, it would be no different from throwing themselves into a net. Tao Dingfang would definitely not spare the three of them. But if they didn’t return, they would suffer endless inner torment.

"Who is it?"

Suddenly, Su Chen’s expression shifted, and he turned to look at the door. The sound of light, slow footsteps made everyone tense up.

"Haha, truly impressive. You spotted me before I even got close."

Sun Yun strolled over, his figure appearing in their line of sight. He offered a faint smile and then turned his gaze to Su Chen. Su Chen didn’t speak, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Sun Yun. He had previously tailed this guy into the Tao Mansion, but after rushing to save Hong Ming and the others, he had completely forgotten about him. He never expected the man to track them all the way here.

"Don’t be nervous. The men from the Government Office didn’t chase after you," Sun Yun explained. "Besides, I’m not here to fight you."

"The Government Office didn’t pursue us?" Liu Fang asked in surprise.

Sun Yun nodded, then looked at Su Chen with a slight frown. "You’re so young, yet your methods are so underhanded. I already said I don’t want to be your enemy. There’s no need to poison me the moment we meet, is there?" He felt a bit helpless; Su Chen was simply too unreasonable. Had he not possessed a deep understanding of poisons himself, he would have already fallen victim to it by now.

Hearing this, Hong Ming and the other two turned to look at Su Chen. Su Chen’s expression remained indifferent. Instead of explaining, he asked, "State your purpose." Showing up to inform them that the Government Office hadn’t pursued them, and then claiming he didn’t want to be enemies—it was obvious the man had an ulterior motive. Su Chen couldn’t be bothered to waste breath on him and demanded he speak frankly.

"I want to cooperate with you so we can join forces and eliminate Tao Dingfang!" Sun Yun enunciated each word clearly, ignoring Su Chen’s attitude.

The moment those words were spoken, Hong Ming and the other two frowned. They hadn’t forgotten that this guy was from the Rebirth Sect. If they cooperated with him, wouldn’t that make them rebels too? Wait, did he just say he wanted to cooperate with Su Chen? The three exchanged glances, a baffling realization welling up in their hearts, before they all looked at Su Chen in unison.

Su Chen remained silent, looking straight at Sun Yun.

Sun Yun explained, "With our combined strength, joining forces will definitely allow us to eliminate Tao Dingfang. As long as Tao Dingfang is killed, they will never again have to flee to the ends of the earth like Ming Tians."

He paused and shifted his gaze to Li Mo and Liu Fang, adding, "Besides, you managed to escape, but what about your families? If my guess is right, the reason Tao Dingfang didn’t chase after you is because he already concluded you would go back. Your families are his leverage.

"Su Chen, if you help me take down Tao Dingfang, I’ll help you rescue your fellow disciples’ families. Isn’t it the best of both worlds?"

He had witnessed Su Chen’s strength. Whether it was inside the Tao Mansion or outside the city gates, it made him realize that Su Chen’s abilities were at least on par with his own, if not higher. Relying on himself alone, he obviously couldn’t eliminate Tao Dingfang. But with Su Chen’s help, he had a seventy percent chance of success. If Tao Dingfang was careless and they remained cautious enough to avoid detection, that chance could even rise to eighty percent.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen’s gaze shifted between Li Mo and Liu Fang. He had to admit that Sun Yun was incredibly good at manipulating people’s emotions. Those words had completely swayed Li Mo and Liu Fang. Although Hong Ming didn’t speak, a glimmer of light—a reflection of deep-seated hatred—sparked in his eyes. If he hadn’t been held back by his lack of strength, he might have eagerly agreed to cooperate with Sun Yun to kill Tao Dingfang and avenge Wei Ping, Qin Hao, and the others.

Sun Yun stood where he was, quietly observing the changes in everyone’s expressions. He hadn’t paid too much attention to Su Chen before, but he had deduced from Su Chen’s actions that he was the type to repay his debts of gratitude. Because of this, he was ninety percent sure that Su Chen would agree to his proposal.

Sure enough, it didn’t take long before Su Chen, after some thought, spoke up. "I can agree to your offer, but..."

"But what?" Sun Yun asked rather eagerly.

"But I just fought Tao Dingfang, so I know how formidable he is. With my current strength, I’m afraid I won’t last long in a real head-to-head battle. Moreover... so, do you have any Cultivation Technique manuals on you? If you do, you might as well give me a few so I can do some last-minute cramming."

Listening to Su Chen’s long spiel, Sun Yun had thought he was going to say something important, but it turned out he was just extorting him for benefits. Though he didn’t quite believe Su Chen’s excuses, since Su Chen had already put it that way, it seemed he would have to bleed a little to get him on board.

After a moment of thought, he pulled a manual from his robes. "Fine. However, I only have one saber technique on me. I don’t know if you’ll find it useful?"

"Then I suppose I’ll reluctantly accept it!" Su Chen was secretly thrilled, though he forced a troubled expression onto his face.

Sun Yun’s mouth twitched slightly as he tossed the manual to him. He was completely dismissive in his heart—in such a short amount of time, no matter how high Su Chen’s talent was, what level could he possibly reach? Besides, his things weren’t so easily taken.

Casting a meaningful glance at Su Chen as he tucked the manual away, Sun Yun said, "Since that’s settled, let’s get moving. We might have time to waste, but Tao Dingfang certainly won’t give us any."