Chapter 506: The Damang Bandits' Scheme

The people in the courtyard saw this and scrambled to run outside.

However, they only saw a retreating figure.

A few people chased after them, while the remaining few stayed in the courtyard, looking at each other in dismay.

About half an hour later, Tan Jin arrived at the courtyard; when he saw the miserable state of Tan Jiang, he felt so nauseated he nearly vomited up his previous night's meal.

"Little brother... who did this!" Disgust aside, the grief was still there, and Tan Jin was filled with immense rage at this moment.

He had just lost his son, and now his younger brother was dead too.

These successive major events left Tan Jin overcome with grief.

"What on earth happened?"

"Guild Master, it... it was the Damang Bandits!" The burly martial artist in the courtyard recounted what had just occurred.

Upon hearing this, a look of astonishment appeared in Tan Jin's eyes: "Are you who, my second brother had you pretend to be Damang Bandits, and you were overheard by the real Damang Bandits nearby, who threw a rock in and smashed him to death?"

"Yes... yes." The man replied hurriedly, though he felt somewhat uneasy inside.

This explanation was simply too flimsy.

Tan Jin frowned.

In truth, he also felt this was far too coincidental.

But if it wasn't the Damang Bandits, then who had suddenly killed his second brother?

He felt a sense of apprehension in his heart.

"Could it be... other families in the city who want to deal with me?" Tan Jin felt a sense of crisis; his gaze fell upon the large rock, then he looked at the height of the courtyard wall, "To be able to kill with a giant stone, one must be at least a Sixth Grade martial artist. There are only so many Sixth Grade martial artists in Luo Ma County; I will eventually find a clue!"

Tan Jin was somewhat worried that someone was planning to move against the Tan family.

For now, he could only temporarily set aside the death of Tan Kong.

He still needed to first find the enemy who was secretly targeting the Tan family.

On the other side, Lin Chao reunited with the disciples of the Qingxu Sect, sighing inwardly: "Sigh, I didn't get a chance to finish off Tan Jin."

Finishing off Tan Jiang had already been very risky.

Tan Jin was clearly much more cautious afterward, followed by several experts, making it difficult for Lin Chao to strike.

Moreover, he still needed to return to the Qingxu Sect, otherwise, it would be easy to expose himself.

"Must find an opportunity to finish off Tan Jin."

Lin Chao followed the Qingxu Sect's team back to the Qingxu Sect.

He went to see his master, Jiang Boye.

At this moment, Jiang Boye was drinking a little wine and eating peanuts.

Master Jiang Boye was not without things to do at the Qingxu Sect; he was mainly responsible for presiding over certain sacrificial rites.

However, he was usually quite idle.

Therefore, Lin Chao could often see Jiang Boye with nothing to do.

"Master, this is what you instructed your disciple to buy." Lin Chao gave the bags to Jiang Boye.

Jiang Boye took the items, glanced at Lin Chao, and then said: "By the way, I recently sent people to your hometown to investigate you.

Your family members encountered bandits... and are all gone."

Lin Chao fell silent upon hearing this.

"However, you have a cousin, the daughter of your aunt, who is still alive, though her whereabouts are currently unknown.

Her name is Wang Qingxia, and here is her portrait.

She should be the only relative you have left in this world."

"Thank you, Master, for informing me." Lin Chao took the portrait.

"By the way, this cousin of yours seems to be a... Hidden Spirit." Jiang Boye looked at Lin Chao a little longer.

Lin Chao was slightly stunned.

Hidden Spirit... he had heard this term before.

At the beginning, he had been suspected of being a Hidden Spirit and was enlightened by Deacon Wang Yun, but later, Deacon Wang Yun said he was not a Hidden Spirit.

"Master, what is a Hidden Spirit?" Lin Chao couldn't help but ask.

Hearing this, Jiang Boye shook his head: "Your master doesn't know either.

I only know that Hidden Spirits have extremely high talent.

If you encounter a Hidden Spirit, be extremely careful and do not offend them.

Because... any Hidden Spirit who grows up normally will become a powerhouse in their own right, holding high positions in the imperial court!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chao noted the term Hidden Spirit in his heart.

There were truly too many unresolved things in this world.

Gods, Dao Soldiers, Hidden Spirits.

But at this moment, Lin Chao thought of something and said to Jiang Boye: "Master, today people from the Tan family found me and said that Senior Brother Tan Kong had passed away. The Tan family member I spoke with seemed quite hostile toward you in their words. Master, you must be careful; I am afraid the Tan family might try to harm you."

Tan Kong was dead, and the Tan family was shifting the blame onto Jiang Boye, preparing to move against him.

Lin Chao had to warn Jiang Boye about this.

"Oh, is that so? I have noted this matter." Jiang Boye did not panic upon hearing this.

At this time, in a camp within Luo Ma County.

The leader had a fierce look in his eyes: "What on earth is going on?

These past few days, people have been frequently loitering outside the camp!

Didn't I tell you all that the plan is imminent, and we must keep a low profile and not expose ourselves!"

Beside them, the other leaders also looked at each other.

"Chief, we also know the gravity of the situation; we haven't gone out to stir up trouble these past few days.

This time, it really is an unprovoked disaster.

That Tan family has publicly claimed that their second master was killed by our Damang Bandits.

Right now, the people appearing on our perimeter must be from the Tan family."

"That fellow from the Tan family, did you really not kill him?" The Chief scanned the group.

"We really didn't!" the other Damang Bandits said one after another.

A sharp glint erupted in the Chief's eyes: "Our grand plan is what matters; we cannot let the Tan family discover the grand plan we are plotting, otherwise...

So, Second Brother, go contact the Dadao Gang in the city. I have a friendship with the leader of the Dadao Gang; have him help us eliminate the Tan family!"

The Damang Bandits came to Luo Ma County with a grand ambition.

Their goal was to attack the Qingxu Sect on the Sacred Bath Day and seize the Qingxu Sect's Dao Soldier, Gou Han.

Before the plan began, the Chief had always been very low-key, precisely for fear of letting the secret leak out.

If that happened and they were discovered by the Qingxu Sect, then their plan would be completely wasted.

And at this moment, with the Tan family sending people to tail them, it would be easy to discover the problems within the Damang Bandits' camp.

Therefore, the Chief decided to strike first and gain the advantage, directly wiping out the Tan family.

In any case, it would be the Dadao Gang that did it.

In any case, he would leave after finishing off the Qingxu Sect.

Recently, Luo Ma County has been filled with the scent of gunpowder.

The county's number one gang, the Dadao Gang, suddenly began a fierce fight with the Tan family.

The reason for the fight was that Tan Jin's deceased son had defiled the concubine of one of their gang's bosses a few months ago.

There are many martial artists in the Dadao Gang, but even more are ruffians.

In terms of high-level combat power, naturally, Tan Jin's merchant association had more.

However, even a Sixth Grade martial artist can be swarmed to death.

And the people in the Dadao Gang are all people who live with their heads on their belts, so the Dadao Gang held the advantage in this conflict.

The county government turned a blind eye to this; although they feigned concern and mediated once, the effect was poor.

In the end, this chaotic battle concluded half a month later with the death of Tan Jin.

The merchant association was also carved up, with the Dadao Gang taking away one-third of the share.

The rest was taken by the county government and other wealthy families.

Upon learning this news, Lin Chao was surprised.

He also had not expected that Tan Jin, whom he was preparing to deal with, had just died like this.

Indeed, worldly affairs are unpredictable.

Of course, while Lin Chao was surprised, Tan Jin was actually even more bewildered, having offended the Dadao Gang for no apparent reason and being wiped out by them.

Lin Chao, as usual, practiced every day.

Nowadays, he has been stuck at the Fifth Grade martial artist realm for some time.

Although the attribute points he gains every day now are more than before.

But for him tomorrow, he needs to accumulate many more attribute points than before if he wants to break through.

"Still too weak." The current Lin Chao is far inferior to Heize.

And at this time, an uninvited guest arrived at the Damang Bandits' camp.

The Chief of the Damang Bandits showed a respectful expression toward that person: "I didn't expect that you, Senior, would be able to find me."

Opposite the Damang Bandits stood an old man wearing a Confucian robe.

This old man looked at the Chief and said: "Mo Quan, if you hadn't incited the Dadao Gang to take action against the Tan family, I wouldn't have discovered you.

A rebel of the Flower Demon Cult, actually disguising himself as a group of thieves."

The Chief looked at the old man with a complex gaze.

The other party is an official, and he is a thief.

"Since you, Senior, came to find me alone, I'm afraid it's not to arrest me," said the Chief, Mo Quan.

The old man in the Confucian robe had a cold gaze: "The Tan family was a pawn I arranged, and they were eliminated by your Damang Bandits.

You Damang Bandits must give me an explanation!"

Upon hearing this, the Chief, Mo Quan, was slightly startled.

"The Tan family was actually your pawn, Senior."

"You wiped out the Tan family and ruined my good work; you should tell me how you intend to compensate me?" The old man looked at Mo Quan with arrogance in his eyes.

Mo Quan asked, biting the bullet: "I wonder what you want, Senior?"

"With the Tan family gone, you should take their place in doing the things they were doing for me," the old man in the Confucian robe said.

An ominous premonition flashed through Mo Quan's heart: "I wonder what matter it is?"

Mo Quan felt very uneasy inside.

He did not know if his plotting had been discovered by the person before him.

If he knew, his plotting would likely fall through.

The old man in the Confucian robe looked at Mo Quan and smiled faintly: "I know you have designs on the Qingxu Sect and want to seize their Dao Soldier.

What I want to do is to have you kill someone for me when you launch your plan."

Hearing this, Mo Quan's heart turned cold.

As expected, his schemes did not escape the notice of the old man before him.

However, things having reached this point, he had no choice but to ask: "Kill whom?"

His original plan had been to make use of the Damang Bandits to attack the Qingxu Sect.

Then, amidst the chaos, he would seize the Dao Soldier.

As for the life or death of these bandits, Mo Quan did not care in the slightest.

Now it seemed the plan would have to change.

He would have to kill one more person.

"Jiang Boye," the old man in the Confucian robe spoke a name.

"The Seventh Elder of the Qingxu Sect?" Mo Quan had naturally done his homework since he wanted to attack the Qingxu Sect, "Very well, Senior, this junior will assist you in slaying this person!"

"He is a Sixth-grade Martial Artist and possesses a Dao Soldier Embryo; you must take action yourself to kill him."

"What, he has a Dao Soldier Embryo?" Mo Quan revealed a troubled expression.

Possessing a Dao Soldier Embryo, Mo Quan felt that relying on himself might make it difficult to kill Jiang Boye.

"Do not worry, his Dao Soldier Embryo only has auxiliary properties and possesses no offensive power," the old man in the Confucian robe said.

"If that is the case, then everything is easy to discuss.

However, Senior, may that Dao Soldier Embryo of Jiang Boye's belong to me?" A look of greed flashed in Mo Quan's eyes.

He had not expected that there would actually be a Dao Soldier Embryo in the Qingxu Sect.

Then this time, he would make a huge profit.

"If you want it, take it," a smile flashed in the eyes of the old man in the Confucian robe.

"Then many thanks, Senior," Mo Quan said.

Watching the old man leave, a cold, sinister look flashed in Mo Quan's eyes.

"This old scoundrel has no good intentions." Mo Quan was no fool.

Since this old scoundrel chose to cooperate with him, it was merely to use him.

Furthermore, he was certain that once the matter was finished, this old fellow would definitely discard him like a worn-out shoe.

After all, that old fellow was someone from the imperial court.

However, he, Mo Quan, was not without his own trump cards.

Once this job was done, he would run straight away.

He had long since arranged his retreat; that old fellow could not do anything to him at all.

As for the task that old fellow had ordered...

"A Dao Soldier Embryo is worth me taking action.

Jiang Boye, I am not killing you for that old scoundrel; I am doing it for the Dao Soldier Embryo!" A look of greed appeared in Mo Quan's eyes.

This time, he had not expected an unexpected windfall.

As for Jiang Boye, a Sixth-grade Martial Artist, he did not hold him in his eyes at all.

As the saying goes, fists fear the young and strong.

An old man like Jiang Boye, with his depleted Qi and blood, was not even as good as an ordinary man in his prime, even if he was Sixth-grade.

And he, Mo Quan, was in his prime; dealing with a Jiang Boye was completely effortless.

"A Dao Soldier to offer to my master, and I shall keep the Dao Soldier Embryo," Mo Quan calculated.

By offering the Dao Soldier to his master, his status within the Flower Demon Cult would rise.

This would be beneficial for elevating his position in the cult.

"Xia Yang, your quota to enter the Academy has come down."

On this day, Jiang Boye wore a look of joy on his face.

Hearing this, Lin Chao also felt some joy in his heart.

"Many thanks, Master."

"However, I will state the ugly truth upfront: are you certain you want to go to the Academy, to go through my channel?

With your talent, you could seek a recommendation from other Elders; waiting three or four years, you would certainly have a quota to go to the Academy," Jiang Boye said with a serious expression, "Entering the Academy through my channel, you will bear immense risk."

Lin Chao's gaze was firm: "Master, I will not change my mind!"

Jiang Boye looked at Lin Chao and finally nodded: "During these days, prepare yourself, then head to the Academy."

"Very well, Master," Lin Chao also agreed.

In truth, he felt a mix of emotions in his heart as well.

However, the matter of going to the Academy was finally settled.

For him, this was a good thing.

"In half a month, it will be the Sacred Bath Day.

By that time, you should have already arrived at the provincial capital.

Within the Academy, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers; do not be too ostentatious.

But you must not be overly low-key either; whatever you should fight for, you must fight for!"

"This disciple understands," Lin Chao replied.

"Alright, get lost now," Jiang Boye said, then stood up and returned to his room.

Lin Chao left, and not long after, he received the official warrant from the Qingxu Sect.

Five days later, he would ride with nine other students from the Academy to the provincial capital.

The location of the Academy was in the very center of this province, in a place called Tai Ling Prefecture.

And the academy where they were located was also named Tailin Academy.

Among the various provinces in the south, the ranking of Tailin Academy could be considered upper-middle.

Over the next few days, Lin Chao kept preparing, and within the Qingxu Sect, some Deacons also appeared to explain to Lin Chao and the other disciples some knowledge regarding the academy.

They only waited for the time to arrive, and then Lin Chao and the others would head to the academy.

(End of this chapter)