Chapter 13: Seizing Treasure (Thanks to Old Baoyu for the Alliance Leader’s tip)

After returning to the Skill Transmission Hall, Chen Yuan first called Zhang Xiaoyi over.

“Find some street idlers to keep an eye on the four city gates. Once you spot Duan Kun, ‘Ghost Tooth Blade,’ one of the five Protectors of the Blackwater Gang, leaving the city, notify me immediately.”

Zhang Xiaoyi nodded repeatedly. “Rest assured, Young Master. This time I will definitely find some reliable people.”

He was still blaming himself for the incident with Wei Yi Dao.

He had found an unreliable guy driven by greed, and in the end, the Young Master had to clean up his mess. He was simply too useless.

“No need to be so nervous. It’s just watching the city gates, not even tracking. Anyone who isn’t blind can do it, as long as you don’t reveal your identity with the Heaven Wolf Gang.”

Zhang Xiaoyi nodded and immediately ran off to prepare.

This time, however, he had learned his lesson; he couldn’t trust those guys too much.

So he planned to find three idlers for each city gate to watch, with none of them knowing of the others’ existence.

This way, even if someone was lazy, surely one of the three would be reliable?

If all three were lazy, then it would just be pure bad luck.

Chen Yuan had Zhang Xiaoyi watch Duan Kun of the Blackwater Gang in order to seize something from him.

Before seizing the Divine Artifact, Chen Yuan naturally wanted as many trump cards in his hand as possible.

However, no matter how many Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills he had, Chen Yuan’s time was limited. In less than two months, Jiang Kaitai would begin the Blood Sacrifice for the Divine Artifact.

So before then, in addition to his own strength, Chen Yuan needed to accumulate some more trump cards.

There was something in Duan Kun’s possession that Chen Yuan wanted.

Duan Kun, the ‘Ghost Tooth Blade,’ as one of the five Protectors of the Blackwater Gang, had a cultivation in the Blood Moving Realm.

The five Protectors of the Blackwater Gang were all strong, all in the Blood Moving Realm.

What Hu Lao San said before about the five Protectors of the Blackwater Gang being stronger than the Three Heroes of the Heaven Wolf Gang wasn’t wrong.

But Chen Yuan and the others were very young, while the youngest of the five Protectors of the Blackwater Gang was already forty.

In the original plot, after the Blood Sacrifice of the seven killing stele, the Heaven Wolf Gang was destroyed, and the Blackwater Gang naturally occupied the entire Lianshan City without shedding a drop of blood.

Because they had no rivals, the Blackwater Gang became increasingly arrogant and domineering, committing all sorts of evil deeds. Thus, there was a plot segment where players fought against the five Protectors of the Blackwater Gang.

In that plot, Duan Kun revealed one of his trump cards, a high-level hidden weapon manufactured by the Shenji Pavilion: Guanyins Tears.

The Shenji Pavilion was famous in the Jianghu for its hidden weapons and mechanical devices, wielding the Divine Artifact ‘Divine Engine of a Hundred Refinements’.

Every hidden weapon produced by the Shenji Pavilion possessed extremely powerful might.

In the original plot, regarding the Guanyins Tears in Duan Kun’s hand, there was only a segment of his own memory.

Someone had pawned a fragment of a mechanical device at a Blackwater Gang pawnshop, and Duan Kun discovered the mark of the Shenji Pavilion on it.

Following the clues, Duan Kun discovered that a servant who had defected from the Shenji Pavilion was living outside Lianshan City, and the one who went to the pawnshop was that servant’s son.

Since they had fragments of the mechanism, they might have a complete hidden weapon.

With a “try and see” attitude, Duan Kun took his gang members and killed the entire family, and indeed found Guanyins Tears in their home.

The plot in this memory flashed by very quickly, and it didn’t include a specific date or the place where the defected servant of the Shenji Pavilion lived.

Based on the fast-moving images in the plot, Chen Yuan analyzed that the time he obtained Guanyins Tears should be during this period before the Blood Sacrifice of the seven killing stele.

As long as Duan Kun led his men out of the city during this time, there was a ninety percent chance he was going to seize Guanyins Tears.

After arranging for Zhang Xiaoyi to keep watch, Chen Yuan began his secluded cultivation of the Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique once again.

Opening all the acupoints in the body was only considered the beginning. To truly reach Major Achievement in the Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique, one needed to continuously stimulate the acupoints, temper the Meridians, and expand the Dantian.

When, with a single thought, the Internal Energy in all the acupoints of the body instantly swelled and surged, filling the Dantian in an instant and erupting with a majestic Internal Energy like crashing waves—only then could the Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique be considered to have reached Major Achievement.

He cultivated in peace for over thirty days, until Zhang Xiaoyi finally brought news.

Duan Kun had led his men out of the city through the South Gate!

During these thirty-plus days, Zhang Xiaoyi had not slackened in the slightest.

Fearing that those idlers would be lazy, he paid them once a day and changed the group every few days, even occasionally strolling by the city gates himself as if by chance.

When someone finally came to report that Duan Kun had left the city with his men, Zhang Xiaoyi immediately reported it to Chen Yuan without stopping.

Changing his clothes, Chen Yuan found a bamboo hat and put it on his head.

“Find me a horse.”

Zhang Xiaoyi prepared the horse, and Chen Yuan immediately gave chase.

The east-west direction of Lianshan City was the main road, and passing merchant caravans almost always used the East and West Gates.

The North and South were small paths, rarely used by merchant caravans and mostly used by pedestrians from surrounding villages.

Duan Kun had left the city on horseback with about ten subordinates. Chen Yuan observed the hoofprints on the ground and followed the direction of the horses.

About fifteen minutes later, some movement could be heard faintly ahead.

It was a courtyard built beside a small stream, currently surrounded by seven or eight Blackwater Gang members holding weapons.

Two corpses, a man and a woman, lay on the ground, and blood already covered the entire courtyard.

A bald, burly man in his forties held a thick, broad saber over half a person’s height.

The blade was pitch black, its edge like serrated wolf teeth, hideous and fierce. It was indeed one of the five Protectors of the Blackwater Gang, ‘Ghost Tooth Blade’ Duan Kun.

Holding his Ghost Tooth Blade, Duan Kun lightly patted the face of a youth about seventeen or eighteen years old on the ground and grinned hideously. “Kid, hand over the Shenji Pavilion hidden weapon obediently, and I can give you a quick death. Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make you confess everything, even that you wet the bed as a child!”

The cold blade edge pressed against the youth’s face, making him shudder instantly. His body trembled uncontrollably, and his eyes were filled with fear and regret.

He regretted why he hadn’t listened to his parents and insisted on going to Lianshan City to play.

After seeing the prosperity of Lianshan City, he wanted to eat everything and have everything, but his pockets were empty, with only a few copper coins.

There wasn’t much money at home, but he remembered there were some miscellaneous metal scraps that his father always treated as treasures and wouldn’t let him touch.

The youth instinctively felt that the item was valuable, so he stole the smallest one to pawn at the pawnshop. He exchanged it for over two hundred wen and spent the day feasting and drinking in the city.

Who could have thought that this single act would bring disaster and death to his family!

Just then, a Blackwater Gang member walked out of the house, holding a box and shouting, “Boss! I found it!”

Duan Kun was overjoyed, but before he could speak, the sound of a galloping horse suddenly arrived.

At the same time, a crisp blade hum suddenly rang out.

The Blackwater Gang member was still holding the box, but his head had already flown into the air.

Chen Yuan seized the box and tucked it into his robes, leaping off his horse. His wide bamboo hat covered half of his face completely.

Duan Kun was stunned for a moment, then immediately fell into a rage. “You dare to snatch my things? You’re looking for death! Kill him!”

Hearing this, the remaining Blackwater Gang members immediately surrounded Chen Yuan and charged.

Chen Yuan flicked his wrist, and the moment the yanling blade left its sheath, a brilliant blade light streaked across the sky like a sudden swan, incredibly fast.

“Puchi!”

With a soft sound, a spray of warm blood appeared on the neck of the first gang member who rushed forward. The man’s forward momentum didn’t stop, but he had already collapsed limply.

Duan Kun’s expression changed.

What a fast blade!

A gang member in the back charged with a spear from behind Chen Yuan. Chen Yuan sidestepped to dodge, and with his left hand, he gave a fierce pull and tug. His powerful strength directly pulled the gang member into a stumble, his body leaning toward Chen Yuan.

In the next moment, Chen Yuan’s left hand was like a silk-winding snake, instantly snapping the wrist, twisting the elbow, and shattering the bone.

Silken Thread Shattering Jade Hand!

Accompanied by a series of crisp ‘crack’ sounds, the Blackwater Gang member’s left arm and throat bone were instantly crushed, and he slumped to the ground.

Killing two people in an instant, Chen Yuan moved among the remaining gang members. The yanling blade in his hand was like a blooming blood-colored flower, magnificent and brilliant, yet filled with killing intent.

Every time the Qiu Shui Jinghong blade light flashed, someone would burst with blood and fall to the ground.

In almost an instant, four of the eight Blackwater Gang members present had been killed by Chen Yuan!

“Scatter! I’ll do it!”

Duan Kun roared, swinging his Ghost Tooth Blade, bringing a gust of wind as it slashed toward Chen Yuan.

At first, Duan Kun didn’t act but let his subordinates attack first because he wanted to test Chen Yuan’s background.

Duan Kun seemed crude and brainless, but he was actually meticulous and deep-thinking.

This guy dared to snatch his things all by himself; he likely had something to rely on.

So Duan Kun wanted his subordinates to test the opponent, so he could find the weakness and then kill him.

But he didn’t expect this guy’s blade technique to be so ruthless, with killing intent hidden within its beauty and incredible speed, taking a life with almost every strike.

Duan Kun intended to keep the Shenji Pavilion hidden weapon as his own trump card; he had no intention of handing it over to the Gang Leader.

So the men he brought this time were all his confidants. Seeing half of them die in one breath, Duan Kun’s heart was bleeding.

The yanling blade in Chen Yuan’s hand vibrated with a hum. Facing Duan Kun’s heavy strike, he didn’t dodge but met it with a downward slash.

In an instant, the Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique within Chen Yuan’s body operated at high speed. Within the three hundred and sixty-five acupoints, bits of Internal Energy gathered, finally turning into an extremely majestic surge of Internal Energy that suddenly erupted.

The blade fell, the air current surged, and in an instant, it was like green waves rolling, with boundless power!

Qiu Shui Jinghong, Treading Waves Slash!

Condensing the Surging Waves Internal Energy, he struck with the momentum of treading waves to deliver a blow of extreme power. This strike was not just fast; it also carried an extremely fierce and powerful momentum.

A loud explosion like a great bell rang out. Duan Kun felt as if he had crashed into a wall of bronze and iron. The webs between his thumbs and index fingers instantly split, and blood flowed.

The core Saber Intent of the Qiu Shui Jinghong Sword Technique was only one word: ‘Fast’. The Moves in the entire manual were not many.

Aside from some basic blade variations, the essence of the entire technique was integrated into three strikes.

These three strikes were the Treading Waves Slash, the Autumn Wind Slash, and the Startling Swan Slash.

With Chen Yuan’s current understanding of the Qiu Shui Jinghong Sword Technique, he could already bring out eighty percent of the power of the Treading Waves Slash, the most basic of the three strikes.

Duan Kun was horrified, his expression changing drastically.

The Cultivation Technique and Martial Skills he practiced were actually ordinary, but he was born with Divine Power. When he swung the Ghost Tooth Blade in his hand, Martial Artists of the same level could only dodge; almost no one dared to resist it head-on.

Who could have thought that this person’s blade technique was not only swift and ruthless, but his strength was also so great?

Before Duan Kun could react, the yanling blade in Chen Yuan’s hand slashed down repeatedly. The sky full of blade shadows was incredibly fast, forcing Duan Kun back step by step, until he couldn’t even hold the Ghost Tooth Blade in his hand.

Duan Kun roared, and with both hands, he swung the saber horizontally and suddenly let go, throwing the huge Ghost Tooth Blade directly at Chen Yuan.

Just as Chen Yuan knocked the Ghost Tooth Blade away, leaving his front wide open for an instant.

The muscles all over Duan Kun’s body suddenly swelled, and he pounced on Chen Yuan like a giant bear, a claw reaching for Chen Yuan’s chest!

Gold-Ripping Hand!

Chen Yuan reached out with his left hand, the silk-winding energy dissipating the force inch by inch. Duan Kun felt as if his claw had grabbed cotton; no matter how he changed his Move, he couldn’t touch Chen Yuan’s hand.

In the next moment, Chen Yuan suddenly gripped Duan Kun’s palm, pulling, dragging, twisting, and turning. The Shattering Jade Energy suddenly erupted, and an extremely fierce force instantly twisted Duan Kun’s palm like a fried dough twist!

Duan Kun screamed in pain, wanting to pull his hand back, but he was held firmly by Chen Yuan.

In the next moment, a blade light flashed, and Duan Kun’s head fell to the ground instantly.

The moment his head hit the ground, Duan Kun seemed to see Chen Yuan’s face under the bamboo hat. His pupils dilated instantly, as if he died with grievances.

PS: Duan Kun is a character created by the reader Mr. Yao.