Liu Zhijian wore a gloomy expression.
How on earth had his own sect become an all-evil demonic sect?!
Liu Zhijian cast a glance at Deng Gang, feigning casual doubt as he asked, "Could it be a rumor?! How I heard it, Mount Taixuan's reputation isn't bad; it's a sect that upholds the righteous path."
"Heh, I saw it with my own eyes and experienced it myself. How could it be fake?"
Deng Gang spoke with indignant rage, launching into another recount of the Taixuan Demonic Sect's numerous atrocious deeds, far too many to write down.
Liu Zhijian listened in silence, his expression growing increasingly unsightly. Even the roasted fish he was eating lost its flavor, tasting completely bland.
Just then, a large ship traveled upstream and came to a stop in the middle of the river.
Someone stood on the deck, waving their hand.
"It's here!"
Deng Gang finally stopped recounting the evils of the Taixuan Demonic Sect. He stood up and said, "Brother Liu, let's go!"
Liu Zhijian secretly let out a sigh of relief. Extinguishing the fire, he packed up his fishing gear and followed.
A small boat pulled up to the shore, picking up Liu Zhijian and Deng Gang to bring them onto the large ship.
A thin, frail youth bowed with clasped hands in greeting: "Brother Liu, Brother Deng, I've kept you waiting!"
"Gang Leader Zhao is far too polite."
Seeing Deng Gang acting cold and silent, Liu Zhijian hastily spoke up with a smile: "Brother Deng and I are merely ordinary anglers. We hardly deserve such courteous treatment."
This youth was named Zhao Changfan, the gang leader of the Fubo Gang.
As for the Fubo Gang, it had once been a notable jianghu force on the White Dragon River beneath their feet.
Previously, when the waters of the White Dragon River flowed backward and dried up to the riverbed...
Taken completely off guard, the Fubo Gang's various arrangements failed. Enemies actually launched an attack on their main headquarters, slaughtering the gang almost entirely.
The young gang leader, Zhao Changfan, had narrowly escaped with his life.
Now, he was gathering old subordinates and recruiting talented individuals, swearing to avenge his grudges!
Liu Zhijian and Deng Gang were two of the jianghu oddities Zhao Changfan had recruited.
"There's no need for you two to say more; please step inside to rest."
Zhao Changfan offered no detailed explanation, merely smiling with confidence: "I will naturally explain the details in a moment. If you truly wish not to get involved in this trouble, you may leave freely, and I certainly will not stop you."
Deng Gang was still putting on the airs of an expert with a cold face. He gave a nod and walked into the ship's cabin.
Liu Zhijian was indifferent.
The Fubo Gang was a jianghu force.
Zhao Changfan was nothing more than a mortal who possessed only crude martial combat skills.
"Ah, whatever."
"Since I've come, I might as well make the best of it."
"Roaming the jianghu with a sword in hand can be considered fulfilling a childhood dream."
After a brief moment of thought, Liu Zhijian followed inside, gripping the wooden staff in his hand. "What a pity that I don't have a sword in my hand, only a wooden staff."
Inside the ship's cabin, several jianghu oddities were already present.
Seeing Liu Zhijian and Deng Gang enter, they all looked over in unison.
Deng Gang sneered softly. Without pausing his steps, he went on to find himself a seat.
Liu Zhijian possessed an amicable nature. He nodded and smiled in greeting, though his heart was secretly beating like a drum.
This cabin was filled with unusual talents and masters.
The gazes of a few individuals even made Liu Zhijian feel as though needles were pricking his back.
"At least at the Meridian-Opening Great Perfection, or even the Embryonic Breathing realm!"
"This small cabin is actually a crouching tiger and hidden dragon spot!"
Though Liu Zhijian felt uneasy in his heart, he did not show it on his face in the slightest.
Taking a seat next to Deng Gang, he chatted casually with the people around him, secretly thinking: 'My main purpose for this trip is to gain experience, so I should keep a low profile and avoid competing or clashing.'
'Joining forces with Brother Deng, at least my safety will be assured.'
A moment later, Zhao Changfan walked out under the protection of a hunchbacked old servant. He coughed twice before speaking: "Everyone, I, Zhao Changfan of the Fubo Gang, am deeply honored to host you all as my guests today."
"Frank men do not speak in riddles. Aside from forging good relations, the reason I hosted this banquet today is to seek righteous heroes to assist me in seeking vengeance..."
Liu Zhijian felt quite fascinated.
He even had a sense of unreality.
It felt as though he had traveled into a martial arts television drama.
Before Zhao Changfan could finish speaking, someone impatiently interrupted: "Gang Leader Zhao, why not speak directly? Who is the enemy, and how much is the pay?!"
Quite a few people in the cabin chimed in to agree.
Zhao Changfan's expression remained unchanged as he spoke slowly: "The ones who killed my parents and destroyed my gang are the Danzhou City Magistrate's Estate!"
Several people's expressions turned pale on the spot.
However, the majority of the people remained calm.
Martial artists used force to flout laws.
Those who could sit here—aside from a few swindlers—were all individuals with real abilities, so they would not be frightened by a mere city magistrate's estate.
"So it's merely a small city magistrate's estate!"
A fierce-looking fellow immediately slapped the table and stood up: "As long as the price is right, even if it's a prince or royal relative, I, Wu Laosan, will kill them for you!"
Unsure whether he was a planted shill or not...
Several others chimed in with clamorous shouts, looking rather imposing.
"Heh, a bunch of fools."
A young man who had been sipping tea with his head lowered let out a disdainful scoff. Raising his head, he said indifferently, "I've heard that although the Danzhou City Magistrate possesses high martial arts, he is henpecked."
"The mistress of the magistrate's estate is kind-hearted and proficient in medical skills... Her surname seems to be... Hua?"
Wu Laosan and his gang were merely a band of brutal bandits who ruled over a mountain peak. Hearing this, he felt baffled: "What of it if her surname is Hua?! Even if it were the royal family's surname Chu, it wouldn't scare anyone!"
"Hehe, Master Wu of Mount Yandang is indeed heroic!"
A tall, thin middle-aged saber wielder with a somber expression clapped his hands in praise, then feigned doubt as he said: "The surname Hua is quite rare, though. It feels as if I've heard it somewhere before?!"
"Ah, I remember now!"
"It seems that in the martial arts holy land, Spring Return Valley, that Martial Sacred Grandmaster known as the 【Poison and Medicine Virtuoso】 happens to be surnamed Hua."
Hearing this, Wu Laosan's face turned deathly pale. He stood there stunned for a moment, leaving behind only the sentence: "I suddenly remembered my seventeenth concubine is about to give birth back at the stronghold, so I must return to take a look!" With that, he hastily departed with his men.
Some of the people in the cabin realized at this point that they had mistakenly stumbled into a high-level game, so they tactfully followed suit and left.
Zhao Changfan did not stop them, and even gifted them some gold and silver.
"Cough, cough..."
A white-haired old crone coughed repeatedly and murmured in a eerie voice: "I heard that some days ago, internal strife broke out in Spring Return Valley, with a bloody battle lasting a whole night."
"The Hua family suffered heavy losses, and that old poisoner's whereabouts are unknown."
"Presumably, they wouldn't care about the life or death of a mere concubine-born daughter in Danzhou City."
A blind old Daoist holding a cloth banner spoke in a raspy voice: "Granny Jiu's news is far too outdated."
"Spring Return Valley was taken over by a group of outside cultivators long ago!"
"That old poisoner ran to the Taixuan Demonic Sect to seek asylum!"
An uproar broke out inside the cabin.
Some were startled by shocking words like "cultivators" and "Taixuan Demonic Sect".
Others were shocked that the destruction of a martial arts holy land had such internal secrets behind it.
Liu Zhijian was shocked as well.
It seemed that "Taixuan Demonic Sect" was not just Deng Gang's personal opinion, but a public consensus!
Inside the cabin, many more people departed silently without a sound.
For a moment, the room suddenly seemed quite empty and deserted.
Zhao Changfan looked around carefully and nodded slightly.
Those who could remain were all formidable figures.
At least they had some understanding of cultivation, and did not even fear whatever cultivator methods the city magistrate's estate might possess.
However, although everyone was chatting animatedly, they intentionally or unintentionally ignored Zhao Changfan.
They were waiting for Zhao Changfan to state his price.
"Everyone..."
Zhao Changfan slowly stood up. Solemnly receiving a jade box from the old servant, he opened it and carefully retrieved an item.
Silence instantly fell over the cabin.
Everyone quietly stared at what was in Zhao Changfan's hand.
Some had obsession in their eyes.
Others frowned in deep thought.
Liu Zhijian's heart quaked fiercely. It took all of his strength to forcefully suppress the strange activity in his body's meridians.
In particular, the single drop of 【Meridian-Opening Spiritual Water】 he had condensed trembled incessantly, almost bursting out of his body.
That item was very likely a 【Kan Water】 spiritual object.
It was extraordinarily compatible with him!
Finally, someone asked in a trembling voice: "Gang Leader Zhao, what kind of treasure is this after all?!"
Zhao Changfan let out a long breath and said solemnly: "This is my Zhao family's heirloom treasure, the 【Fubo Flood Dragon Bead】!"
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