“I'm finished!”
Tang Jin's face was filled with despair.
He could already picture what would happen next...
His left arm would be ripped off, blood spurting everywhere, and then his skull would be shattered by a single palm strike, killing him on the spot!
But to his surprise... Shen Xiuhan only gave a gentle pull.
Crack!
The crisp sound of dislocated joints rang out.
Tang Jin's left arm instantly dislocated. Intense pain shot through his entire arm, leaving it numb from his shoulder to his fingertips.
He let out a muffled groan, veins bulging on his temples as beads of sweat rolled down his face. Yet, instead of fear, a look of confusion appeared on his face.
For Shen Xiuhan had only dislocated his joint and had not taken the opportunity to finish him off.
“You...”
Tang Jin's left hand hung limply at his side. His lips trembled slightly, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.
On the pier.
Zhong Kui and the other two looked at each other, not daring to make a sound.
Just moments ago, they had all thought Shen Xiuhan was going to deliver a killing blow.
That arm-wrapping technique was clearly a lethal joint-locking move. If he had added just a fraction more force, Tang Jin's only remaining arm would have been ruined right then and there.
Yet, at the very last moment, he had held back.
“Why?”
Tang Jin gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently like a cornered beast. He stared at Shen Xiuhan, his voice so hoarse it was barely audible.
Shen Xiuhan withdrew his hand. Without answering Tang Jin, he cast a sidelong glance at Zhong Kui and the other two not far away.
Zhong Kui had been craning his neck to watch. Suddenly meeting Shen Xiuhan's gaze, he shuddered violently.
“Uh... Good fight, Young Master Shen! It's getting late and the wind is picking up on the pier. We shall take our leave now. Farewell!”
Zhong Kui squeezed out a smile, quickly cupped his hands, and bowed. He turned and left in a hurry. The two lackeys didn't dare linger either, scrambling to follow him. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the alley.
The pier finally fell silent.
Tang Jin's expression flickered between hope and fear. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, but he ultimately remained silent.
He was not stupid.
Shen Xiuhan had dislocated his arm but spared his life. He was kept alive because he still had some use!
Although Tang Jin had abandoned himself to despair recently, living a muddled life of drinking and intoxication, it did not mean he wanted to die.
If he could live, he would desire nothing more.
Thus, after the three men left, Tang Jin said hoarsely,
“You purposely held back, Young Master... What is it you want to ask me?”
Shen Xiuhan was in no hurry to question him.
He stepped forward and raised his hand, supporting Tang Jin's limply hanging left arm. Pressing his palm against the shoulder joint, he gave a sudden upward thrust.
Crack!
With a crisp sound, the bone popped back into place.
Tang Jin's face twitched, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent. After catching his breath for a moment, he raised his head, a trace of complex emotion appearing in his eyes.
Shen Xiuhan stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Tang Jin indifferently. “Tang Jin, you are a smart man,” he said calmly. “If you answer my questions truthfully, I will grant you a way to live.”
Tang Jin fell silent for a moment, as if weighing his options, but in the end, he gave a slight nod.
Shen Xiuhan did not hesitate and went straight to the point.
“How many chiefs does Chenjian Dock currently have? What are their cultivation levels?”
“There are five chiefs in total...”
Tang Jin pursed his lips and organized his words.
“The Fourth Chief is Jia Pingxiu, at the mid-stage Anjin Rank. The Third Chief is Lu Juncheng, at the late-stage Anjin Rank. The Second Chief is Blood Dhuta, at the Great Perfection of the Anjin Rank. And the First Chief, Duan Xiao... has now entered the Huajin Rank.”
The Huajin Rank!
Shen Xiuhan's heart skipped a beat.
He had not expected that this renowned First Chief of Chenjian Dock had quietly broken through to the Huajin Rank!
With this strength, he could easily walk tall across the entirety of Changyun County.
Though surprised inwardly, Shen Xiuhan did not show a hint of it on his face. He raised his eyes to look at Tang Jin and pressed,
“What about the other one?”
A visible wave of emotion passed through Tang Jin's eyes. He paused before saying,
“The remaining one... is the newly appointed Fifth Chief who just arrived on the island. He is at the mid-stage Anjin Rank and goes by the name of... Gao Fu!”
Gao Fu!
It was actually him?
Shen Xiuhan was astonished.
After being severely injured by Zheng Dadao, this man had fled to Nanxiang Prefecture, only to end up joining Chenjian Dock?
Shen Xiuhan was surprised at first, but on second thought, it made sense.
He guessed that Gao Fu was highly likely to know about the Diaohai Blessed Land.
After all, that mysterious jade plaque containing the Divine General Muxu Upper Radiance Scripture had originally belonged to Gao Fu.
Gao Fu and his son, Gao Nian, had chosen to abandon the Golden Dragon Gang's stalls and territory in the Outer City to go into hiding and wait for the Blessed Land to open.
However, Shen Xiuhan had ruined his plans and taken the jade plaque hidden in Tian Erhu's home.
Yet in Gao Fu's eyes, the jade plaque must have been snatched by Zheng Dadao of the Luanbo Gang!
Zheng Dadao came from a military background, possessed deep connections, was highly cultivated, and had numerous thugs and lackeys from the Luanbo Gang to assist him.
Since Gao Fu was not only injured but also completely isolated now, trying to reclaim the jade plaque from Zheng Dadao was nothing short of a pipe dream.
His only way out was to align himself with another power and bide his time.
Chenjian Dock...
...was practically his only choice.
Shen Xiuhan's eyes brightened slightly as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
Having figured this out, he continued to question him,
“Who is currently guarding Fish Island? Are the children on the island still alive?”
Hearing him expose such a secret in a single breath, Tang Jin's pupils shrank, and his heart shook violently.
This is a secret known only to a few chiefs on Dongyi Island, yet this guy actually knows it too!
He knows far more than I imagined!
Thinking of this, Tang Jin did not dare to hide anything and hurriedly said,
“After I fell from grace, Fish Island was guarded by Lu Juncheng. This man came from the Water Dragon Stockade and is highly talented. He even served in the Lüben Army, one of Great Qi's Five Armies, for two years. To win him over, Duan Xiao went so far as to offer his daughter in marriage, along with countless gold, silver, treasures, pills, and spiritual elixirs. Thus, he is fiercely loyal to Duan Xiao...”
Speaking up to this point, he paused, his voice dropping lower.
“As for those children... once they are brought to the island, they are refined into pills within three to seven days at most.”
Hearing this, Shen Xiuhan fell silent.
The wind howled across the pier, fluttering the hem of his robes.
The fist hanging at his side slowly clenched, then gradually loosened after a moment.
After a brief silence, Shen Xiuhan raised his head, exhaled a heavy breath, and spoke calmly,
“Which factions are involved in this refining of living humans into pills?”
“The mastermind is the Bai family!” Tang Jin blurted out.
Shen Xiuhan's brief silence just now had made his heart leap in terror. At this moment, Tang Jin wanted nothing more than to spill everything he knew like beans from a bag.
“As for Chenjian Dock... Duan Xiao only instructed me to cooperate with the Bai family. Most of the time, I was only responsible for guarding Fish Island. The ones who mainly helped the Bai family abduct children from other counties were Lu Juncheng and Jia Pingxiu...”
Sensing that Tang Jin was trying to excuse himself, Shen Xiuhan gave a noncommittal response.
“What about the Luo family? Were they involved?”
“The Luo family...”
Tang Jin frowned, searching his memories for clues. After a long while, he shook his head hesitantly.
“I have never heard of anyone from the Luo family participating in this. However, the Bai and Luo families have been related by marriage for years. They have intermarried for generations and are deeply intertwined, so it is hard to say for sure...”
The Luo family...
...was not involved?
Shen Xiuhan's brow furrowed slightly as his thoughts raced.
He did not believe it.
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