Chapter 8: ‘Jiujiang Dragon’ Zuo Xinglie

Lanzhou is in the south, Youzhou is in the north, and the two are tens of thousands of miles apart.

Normally, the Jianghu People of Youzhou wouldn’t know Zuo Xinglie’s name.

But with the Heavenly Wind Listening to Rain Tower controlling Jianghu news, Wenrou naturally knew of Zuo Xinglie.

In Lanzhou, there is a great river named the Jiulong River. Its surface winds and turns with nine bends and eighteen curves, home to countless water fortresses and bandits, making it incredibly chaotic.

It wasn’t until over ten years ago that the grassroots hero Zuo Xinglie emerged, sweeping through the countless water fortresses and bandits on the Jiulong River and declaring himself the leader of the Thirty-Six Waterway Alliance.

As long as passing merchant ships paid a fee to the Thirty-Six Waterway Alliance, they could travel freely through the Jiulong River. From then on, the Jiulong River finally found peace.

However, at the same time, another power on the Jiulong River, the Profound Whale Gang, could be said to hate Zuo Xinglie to the bone.

Before, when the Jiulong River was in chaos, the Profound Whale Gang colluded with those bandits to extort merchant ships, making a fortune.

Now that the powers on the Jiulong River were unified, the Profound Whale Gang’s source of wealth was immediately cut off. Naturally, they weren’t willing to let the matter rest.

The two sides fought fiercely for several years, evenly matched. Finally, the Profound Whale Gang sought refuge with the Lu clan of Tianshui City, a great family in Lanzhou. With the help of the Lu clan, they eventually destroyed the Thirty-Six Waterway Alliance, and Zuo Xinglie also perished.

According to the news from the Heavenly Wind Listening to Rain Tower, Zuo Xinglie was dead as well. Who would have thought he was actually still alive and hiding right under their noses?

If this matter got out, the branch of the Heavenly Wind Listening to Rain Tower in Lanzhou would surely be punished.

As the one who discovered this news, the Tower would definitely record a merit for her—a great merit at that.

Thinking of this, Wenrou’s heart began to throb.

Chen Yuan looked at Wenrou with a half-smile. “This news should be enough to cover the cost of Manager Wen helping me find someone, right?”

Wenrou looked at Chen Yuan with flirtatious eyes. “Of course it can. Young Master Chen has given me such a great contribution that this humble one is somewhat at a loss for how to repay you.”

“Then repay me later. Once the person is found, I’ll also need Manager Wen’s help to put on a show.”

Seeing Wenrou’s body leaning in, Chen Yuan stood up directly. “Manager Wen, then I shall take my leave for now.”

The Wind Medias and secret agents of the Heavenly Wind Listening to Rain Tower were not easy characters to deal with; this woman was like a rose with thorns.

Although this woman was indeed flirtatious and alluring, Chen Yuan only wanted to have a simple exchange of interests with her.

Wenrou’s strength was never revealed in the original plot, but Chen Yuan suspected her true strength might be even greater than Jiang Kaitai’s.

Wenrou watched Chen Yuan leave decisively. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and the flirtatiousness on her face had vanished, replaced by a look of deep thought and inquiry.

“Interesting, truly interesting. Just who are you?”

The original Chen Yuan was just one of Jiang Kaitai’s foster sons. While he was considered a figure in Lianshan City, he was nothing in the entire Jianghu.

Thus, Wenrou hadn’t paid much attention to Chen Yuan at all. Perhaps only when Chen Yuan became the successor of the Heaven Wolf Gang would she spend more ink writing about his profile.

Who would have thought that this originally obscure Chen Yuan would give her such a big surprise today?

First, he called out her identity, and then he told her that Zuo Xinglie was not dead and was hiding in Lianshan City.

These were not things an ordinary Gang member could come into contact with.

Wenrou shook her head.

Now was not the time to investigate Chen Yuan’s identity, but to first confirm whether Zuo Xinglie was truly in Lianshan City.

If this news were true, the merit would be greater than all the years she spent guarding Lianshan City combined… After leaving Wangyou Tower, Chen Yuan went straight back to the Heaven Wolf Gang’s quarters, waiting for news from Wenrou.

Back then, Zuo Xinglie’s entire family was killed; only he escaped by faking his death with his granddaughter, fleeing from the south to the north to live in seclusion in Lianshan City.

In the final battle with the Profound Whale Gang, Zuo Xinglie fought desperately to break through the encirclement, resulting in his Meridians being completely ruined. He also lost an eye and a leg, almost losing all his martial arts and becoming a cripple.

In the nine realms of martial arts, the first three are Body Tempering, Pulse Opening, and Blood Transference, while the middle three are Qi Casting, Sea of Wheels, and Condensation True.

At his Peak, Zuo Xinglie was a master of the Ningzhen Realm. But because his Meridians were ruined and he couldn’t use Internal Energy, his strength had dropped to the Body Tempering Realm.

Of course, his Physical Body’s strength remained. Even if he couldn’t use Internal Energy and had a lame leg, he was still stronger than most Body Tempering Realm Martial Artists.

Even in a life-and-death struggle, he could fight against a Pulse Opening Realm Martial Artist.

In the original plot, shortly after Jiang Kaitai performed a Blood Sacrifice on the Divine Artifact, the Profound Whale Gang sent people to Lianshan City to hunt down Zuo Xinglie, determined to wipe him out completely.

Zuo Xinglie fled for his life with his granddaughter and was severely injured, but he was saved by a player who helped him hide his tracks and escape.

To show his gratitude, Zuo Xinglie handed over his secret Cultivation Techniques, the Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique and the Qiu Shui Jinghong Sword Technique, to the other party.

Since Zuo Xinglie was discovered by the player while fleeing, the plot never mentioned where he had been living in seclusion. Chen Yuan could only search through the channels of the Heavenly Wind Listening to Rain Tower.

Zuo Xinglie was a grassroots hero on the Jiulong River and the leader of the Thirty-Six Waterway Alliance; the Cultivation Techniques he practiced were naturally extraordinary.

This Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique was a Mysterious-Grade High Grade Internal Skill, while the Autumn Water Swift Hong Blade was an Earth-Grade Low Grade sword technique.

With these two Cultivation Techniques, Chen Yuan’s strength would also surge significantly.

The people from the Profound Whale Gang would only appear after Jiang Kaitai performed the Blood Sacrifice on the seven killing stele, and Chen Yuan couldn’t wait that long.

But it didn’t matter; if there was no plot, he would create one himself.

The process wasn’t important; the result was what mattered most.

There was no need to be stubborn and insist on pursuing a process identical to the original plot.

The incident with Duan Mubai was an example; sometimes even if the process was the same, the result could still deviate.

Wenrou moved quickly. Three days later, a waiter from Wangyou Tower came to the Heaven Wolf Gang to inform Chen Yuan that the proprietress was looking for him.

Chen Yuan followed the waiter and left the Heaven Wolf Gang, a scene that happened to fall into Chu Ziping’s eyes as he walked into the branch office.

“Old Third isn’t cultivating properly at the branch office; why has he been going out so much lately?”

A hint of doubt appeared on Chu Ziping’s face.

Previously, Chen Yuan had been like a shut-in, hiding in the branch office’s martial arts field every day to practice and Cultivate.

Lately, the number of times he had gone out was more than in the entire previous year.

“Who was the person who called Old Third out?”

Chu Ziping asked the subordinate beside him.

The subordinate scratched his head and said, “It seems to be a waiter from Wangyou Tower. I heard that a couple of days ago, the Third Young Master also took the initiative to visit Wangyou Tower and was called to the second floor by the proprietress, staying there for quite a while.”

“Is Old Third’s heart beginning to stir?”

Chu Ziping revealed a strange smile. “The proprietress of Wangyou Tower is indeed flirtatious to the bone, but she seems a bit old. Does Old Third like them mature? Hahaha!”

The subordinate also started laughing; men would always be interested in such topics.

However, Chu Ziping suddenly retracted his smile and said in a low voice, “Keep a closer eye on Old Third’s movements when you’re at the branch office. Remember to tell me when he goes out and when he returns.”

Previously, Chu Ziping only regarded Qin Yuancheng as a competitor.

But he didn’t know when it started, he felt that Old Third seemed to have changed.

Although Old Third currently had nothing that could threaten him, Chu Ziping still subconsciously felt a hint of wariness toward Chen Yuan.

This time, Chen Yuan followed the waiter from Wangyou Tower directly through the back door to the second floor.

Opening the door, he saw Wenrou wearing a bright red chest-high ruqun this time, with heavy and elegant makeup, looking like a blooming peony.

Chen Yuan realized that this woman truly had a lot of clothes.

Every time he saw her, she changed her outfit, and they were never the same.

“Manager Wen, is there news already?”

Wenrou nodded. “Zuo Xinglie is indeed living in seclusion in Lianshan City. He’s with his granddaughter, and they’ve opened a noodle shop in Ping’an District.”

After speaking, Wenrou gave a soft “tsk.” “I’ve passed by that noodle shop more than once, but I never expected that the lame, one-eyed old man cooking noodles would be the grassroots hero who once dominated the Jiulong River in Lanzhou, the ‘Jiujiang Dragon’ Zuo Xinglie. These Jianghu disputes are truly like oil cooking on a fierce fire, utterly cruel.”

“The winds and clouds of the world emerge from our generation; once one enters the Jianghu, the years urge on. Worldly affairs are like the tide, people like the water; one can only sigh at how few return from the Jianghu.”

Chen Yuan shook his head slightly. “Once you step into this Jianghu, don’t even think about withdrawing. It’s impossible to wash your hands in a golden basin and leave the Jianghu.”

“Unless you can suppress the entire Jianghu, killing until there are no more enemies or opponents left, and treading the entire Jianghu under your feet—only then are you qualified to speak the words ‘leaving the Jianghu’.”

In truth, the dispute between the Profound Whale Gang and the Thirty-Six Waterway Alliance back then had no right or wrong, only a struggle for interests.

The Thirty-Six Waterway Alliance collected tolls uniformly and kept the benefits for themselves; they had rules and order, yet were also domineering.

The Profound Whale Gang, on the other hand, joined forces with those water thieves and bandits to extort money from merchant ships. Some paid more, some less, depending entirely on the merchant group’s own strength.

Both sides had already fought until their eyes were red. As long as Zuo Xinglie wasn’t dead, the Profound Whale Gang would inevitably hunt him down to the end.

Wenrou looked at Chen Yuan in astonishment.

Those four lines just now seemed to have captured the essence of Jianghu disputes. The Concept and free-spiritedness within them were more like words that could only be spoken by famous seniors of the Martial Forest who had seen through the hardships of the Jianghu.

For a young man like Chen Yuan, who could only be considered a newcomer, to say such things was quite out of place.

“Now that the person has been found, what do you plan to do?”

Chen Yuan tapped the table lightly and said in a deep voice, “The people from the Profound Whale Gang actually already know that Zuo Xinglie is in Youzhou, though they probably haven’t found Lianshan City yet.”

“I would like to ask Manager Wen to send people to put on a show with me, pretending to be from the Profound Whale Gang hunting down Zuo Xinglie, and then I will step in to save him. This shouldn’t be difficult, right?”

Wenrou gave Chen Yuan a surprised look, roughly guessing what he wanted to do.

“It’s not hard, but to make it look realistic, we need to carefully select a group of people. There’s a huge difference between the Lanzhou dialect and the Youzhou dialect.”

As the person in charge of the Heavenly Wind Listening to Rain Tower in Lianshan City, Wenrou was certainly not alone.

It was just that those peripheral members were hidden in the shadows, with only her being out in the open.

This job really had to be done by the Heavenly Wind Listening to Rain Tower.

The peripheral members of these Wind Media organizations came from all over the world. They could disguise themselves as Jianghu People from various places, or as commoners, small merchants, and street vendors; almost everyone could speak in several regional accents.

If Chen Yuan used people from the Heaven Wolf Gang, for one, he would be noticed by Jiang Kaitai.

Secondly, the Heaven Wolf Gang members were all locals of Lianshan City; once they opened their mouths, it would be the thick northern Youzhou dialect.

Using Heaven Wolf Gang members to impersonate assassins from the Profound Whale Gang of Lanzhou would be like a sticky bean bun dipped in sugar trying to pass as a snow skin mooncake—it would be far too easy to see through.