Chapter 59: “Evil Thief” Chen Tian

Chen Yuan had been eyeing the Opportunity in the Ning Province Town Martial Hall for a long time.

Even back in Lianshan City, Chen Yuan had already calculated that Ning Province would be his destination after escaping Youzhou.

Therefore, before the Opportunity opened, Chen Yuan needed to make arrangements in advance to join the Town Martial Hall, ideally reaching a sufficiently high position within it.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the Town Martial Hall; Ning Province was a place of mixed dragons and snakes, a land of constant conflict. In the original plot, there were many opportunities and treasures there, and Chen Yuan intended to take them all if he had the chance.

Although Ning Province was chaotic, it was a good place for Chen Yuan.

Although some time had been delayed because of the Demon Sealing Valley incident, fortunately, there was still plenty of time.

Taking his luggage, Chen Yuan bought a horse in Gushu Town and prepared to set off for the heart of Ning Province.

Galloping along the way, seeing the sky turning slightly dark, Chen Yuan stopped by a town, planning to eat something and find an inn to rest.

Entering the restaurant, it was bustling inside, almost filled with traveling merchants and Jianghu People.

Although Ning Province was a land of constant conflict, it was indeed more prosperous than Youzhou.

The northern provinces had to pass through Ning Province to reach the Central Plains, and Central Plains merchants also had to pass through Ning Province to go to the Northlands.

At the same time, Ning Province bordered part of the Hacha Helin Khanate, and many merchants went to the grasslands to trade horses.

The food and wine were served, but Chen Yuan suddenly stopped his chopsticks halfway through his meal.

Someone in the restaurant was monitoring him.

Chen Yuan’s five senses were sharp; he could clearly perceive that this person’s gaze had been fixed on him.

This wasn’t an ordinary look, but surveillance with a hint of hostility.

Chen Yuan gave a cold smile, stood up directly, and walked over to sit at the table of the person monitoring him.

The man was in his forties, with a cultivation level roughly in the Pulse Opening Realm, dressed as an ordinary Jianghu Person, with a longsword placed on the table.

Seeing Chen Yuan actually sitting in front of him, a flicker of panic flashed in the man’s eyes.

He then suppressed his panic and frowned, asking, “What business do you have, brother?”

“Who sent you to monitor me?”

“What do you mean, brother? Who’s monitoring you?”

The Jianghu Person sneered, “Everyone is eating in this restaurant; who would specifically monitor you? Besides, you’re not some young lady, so why are you so afraid of being looked at?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the people around also burst into laughter.

Chen Yuan shook his head gently.

He indeed had no evidence.

But did he need evidence?

Before the Jianghu Person could react, Chen Yuan directly grabbed one of his hands and pressed it onto the table, pulled a chopstick from the container, and violently pierced it through the back of the man’s hand, the force penetrating the tabletop!

The Jianghu Person let out a miserable howl, and his other hand reached back to grab his sword.

But Chen Yuan reached out, striking first by moving second. The grappling force of the Silken Thread Shattering Jade Hand erupted, instantly shattering the man’s arm.

Then, he pressed this hand onto the table as well, took out another chopstick, and slowly stabbed it in until it completely pierced through the palm!

The eyelids of the many Jianghu People present twitched.

An expert!

An absolute expert!

It wasn’t surprising that Chen Yuan could instantly subdue the opponent, but what was surprising were those two chopsticks.

They were just ordinary bamboo chopsticks that could be easily broken, yet Chen Yuan was able to pierce them into the flesh of the palm and even through the table below. Just how strong was his control over power?

Chen Yuan pulled out another chopstick, pressed it against the Jianghu Person’s eye, and said indifferently, “Now, can you tell me who exactly sent you to monitor me?”

The Jianghu Person was already scared witless, tears and snot flowing as he sobbed, “Don’t kill me! I’ll talk! It’s Young Master Zuo Feiyu of the Nine Sword Alliance who wants to kill you.

You and that Thirteen Lang Luo framed many Martial Artists in the Demon Sealing Valley, causing over a thousand Jianghu comrades to die a violent death.

Young Master Zuo had already gathered Jianghu People from several cities at The border between You and Ning half a month ago to put a bounty on you, seeking justice for the thousand dead Jianghu People, as well as Wei Guangming of the Iron Clad Gate and Old Daoist Qi of the Yinshan Five Ghosts.

Your portrait has spread throughout the surrounding cities, and those who provide information have a chance to join the Nine Sword Alliance.”

Chen Yuan frowned slightly. Zuo Feiyu of the Nine Sword Alliance?

In the original plot, the Nine Sword Alliance was a new power that rose in Ning Province after the incident at the Town Martial Hall.

Alliance Leader Zuo Tianyuan was bold and generous, treating talented people with respect, so he recruited many Jianghu experts to join the Nine Sword Alliance, and its rise was rapid.

His son, Zuo Feiyu, was a top talent among the younger generation of the Jianghu.

In the original plot, he obtained the final Legacy of a hidden Sect and later married into the Shangguan Clan of Wushuang City, one of the eight great families, making his reputation unparalleled for a time.

At this time, it should be when the Nine Sword Alliance had just been formed, and Zuo Feiyu was helping his father recruit Jianghu experts everywhere.

In the original plot, Wei Guangming and Old Daoist Qi would have certainly died in the Formation, so Zuo Feiyu naturally wouldn’t have had any interaction with them.

But now, it was clear that Wei Guangming and Old Daoist Qi had both defected to Zuo Feiyu, with the condition being to kill him.

Chen Yuan also guessed that Zuo Feiyu gathering so many people to kill him wasn’t just to win over Wei Guangming and Old Daoist Qi, but also to make a name for himself.

In the original plot, Zuo Feiyu often did such things, gathering people to act under slogans like’slaying evil thieves and demons.’

Once successful, what increased was his own prestige.

Over time, the reputation of Young Hero Zuo Feiyu would spread not just within Ning Province, but all the way to the Central Plains Martial Forest.

Now it seemed that he had actually become a tool for Zuo Feiyu to farm prestige?

Seeing that Chen Yuan didn’t speak, the Jianghu Person whose hands were pinned to the table pleaded bitterly, “I was also momentarily blinded by greed. Please, spare my life! I won’t join the Nine Sword Alliance anymore, and I promise never to appear before you again!”

The Jianghu Person was also incredibly regretful at this moment.

It was said that the Youzhou Loose Cultivator Chen Tian was incomparably fierce and had taken out four of the Yinshan Five Ghosts by himself.

He had originally thought that monitoring and providing information wouldn’t be dangerous, but he didn’t expect to be so easily sensed by the other party.

Chen Yuan looked down at him, and the chopstick in his hand instantly sank into the man’s eyeball, bringing out a spray of red and white fluid.

Many Jianghu People present were instantly startled.

Not only was this person powerful, but his methods were truly ruthless.

Just then, a sharp shout came from outside: “Chen Tian! You evil thief, you trapped over a thousand Jianghu comrades to their deaths in the Demon Sealing Valley. Your heart is truly malicious and ruthless!

We have been entrusted by Young Master Zuo of the Nine Sword Alliance to take your life today. Why don’t you surrender now?”

Outside the restaurant, five Foundation Establishment Realm Martial Artists stood in a row, glaring at Chen Yuan.

They had rushed over as soon as they received the news, but they didn’t expect to be too late; the Jianghu comrade who had reported the information had already been killed by the opponent.

“It’s the Dongjiang Five Swords! Have they also joined the Nine Sword Alliance?”

“With the Dongjiang Five Swords acting together, Chen Tian probably won’t last long.”

“Not necessarily. I heard that four of the Yinshan Five Ghosts died at his hands.”

“The Yinshan Five Ghosts were best at playing with those bizarre tricks. Only ‘Xuehulu’ Han Gang practiced an orthodox Body Refining technique. In a direct confrontation, they can’t compare to the Dongjiang Five Swords.”

The many Jianghu People present were discussing this, all shrinking into the corners of the restaurant, fearing they might be accidentally injured.

On one side was the newly risen Nine Sword Alliance of Ning Province, with the somewhat famous Dongjiang Five Swords taking action.

On the other side was a fierce man who reportedly trapped a thousand Jianghu People to their deaths in the Demon Sealing Valley and had slain four of the Yinshan Five Ghosts in a one-on-four battle.

They couldn’t afford to offend either side; they just hoped they wouldn’t get splattered with blood when the fighting started.

Chen Yuan tilted his head slightly, observing the five swordsmen before him.

These five people, four men and one woman, were all at the Foundation Establishment Realm. The leader was even at the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, with thick and powerful True Qi surrounding him.

The Dongjiang Five Swords were famous swordsmen of this generation. All five were active around the nearby Dongjiang River, and they had become sworn siblings because they shared the same temperament.

These five were: the eldest, ‘Heavenly Star Sword’ Han Dong; the second, ‘Giant Gate Sword’ Qi Ze; the third, ‘Flying Blood Sword’ Situ Ming; the fourth, ‘Yin Yang Twin Swords’ Song Qian; and the fifth sister, ‘Floating Light Sword’ Gu Xinru.

Strictly speaking, these five actually had good reputations. They had killed many river pirates and bullies on the Dongjiang River and would help those in need, making them top-tier Jianghu heroes.

It was just that now, Chen Yuan had become the evil thief they wanted to eliminate.

“What do you mean, I trapped over a thousand people to their deaths in the Demon Sealing Valley?”

Chen Yuan sneered, “The Demon Sealing Valley was originally a trap set by the Three Absolute Evil Venerable and the Three Demon Clans. I was also a victim. How have I now become the culprit?”

“But you clearly knew it was a trap, yet you didn’t stop everyone. You sat by and watched them fall into a dangerous situation. Do you dare say you didn’t cause their deaths?”

Han Dong, the eldest of the Dongjiang Five Swords, stepped forward and shouted.

He was in his early forties, with a face full of bushy beard, exuding an air of awe-inspiring righteousness.

“What a joke! They chose their own path; what does it have to do with me? If I hadn’t been there, wouldn’t they have died all the same?”

Chen Yuan sneered, “If the Three Absolute Evil Venerable truly broke out of the seal, would you dare go find trouble with him? Now you’re pinning the blame on me; it’s truly nonsensical!

“And you should know why Zuo Feiyu wants to kill me. Isn’t it just because the Iron Clad Gate and Old Daoist Qi of the Yinshan Five Ghosts have defected to him? He wants to stand up for his subordinates.

“Those Yinshan Five Ghosts committed every evil imaginable. Doesn’t my killing them count as eliminating a pest for the people?

“Since you now want to kill me to avenge the Yinshan Five Ghosts, who are you putting on this righteous act for?”

Han Dong was suddenly at a loss for words, his expression turning somewhat unsightly.

Zuo Feiyu treated talented people with respect and had personally recruited them to join the Nine Sword Alliance, so they were naturally willing.

However, the five siblings acted openly and uprightly, and they indeed didn’t want to associate with people like the Yinshan Five Ghosts.

Their coming to kill Chen Yuan this time wasn’t to avenge the Yinshan Five Ghosts, but because Chen Yuan had sat by and watched over a thousand Jianghu comrades fall into a trap in the Demon Sealing Valley without saving them, which was truly malicious in Heart-Nature.

But now Chen Yuan had conflated these two matters, making it somewhat embarrassing for him.

He didn’t want outsiders to think that the Dongjiang Five Swords were taking action just to avenge trash like the Yinshan Five Ghosts.

At this moment, the fifth sister, Gu Xinru, snorted coldly, “Brother, why waste words with this evil thief? What’s there to explain to someone with such a malicious mind?

“Young Master Zuo said that Old Daoist Qi has already turned over a new leaf. Now that everyone is part of the Nine Sword Alliance, what’s wrong with avenging his brothers?

“Furthermore, upon joining the Nine Sword Alliance, Young Master Zuo gave us many Medicinal Pills, promised to forge weapons for us, and even have the Alliance Leader guide us in sword techniques.

“Young Master Zuo treats talented people with such respect that we have no way to repay him. Killing this evil thief is just the right gift for my siblings and me to give to Young Master Zuo!”