Chapter 35 - The Clouds of Jiangnan Dao

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

In the Ji Shi Hall, Zhao Qingmei sat on the chair with her brows furrowed.

“You mean that when you and Ghost-Faced Buddha rushed over, Cao Gang’s headquarters had already been massacred?”

Tan Yun’s face was pale, and he clutched his chest as he said, “That’s right, all of these people died with a single strike of the sword, and the wounds on their blades were all very neat. That peerless swordsman’s swordsmanship is even higher than mine.”

“When I continued to head deeper into Cao Gang’s headquarters, I discovered that the swordsman was competing with Tie Yunshan. Tie Yunshan was killed by an extremely strange sword technique and his head was severed.”

“That swordsman discovered my whereabouts and swung his sword at me. I was no match for him and suffered some light injuries.”

Zhao Qingmei frowned slightly. She understood Tan Yun’s swordsmanship very well. Since she said that her swordsmanship was superb, it definitely could not be faked.

“Rank one cultivation? I didn’t expect such an expert to exist in this small Yuzhou City. However, who is this swordsman? Why does he have to attack before the Demon Sect?”

“Young Lady, could this person know that our Demon Sect has appeared in Great Yan? He has the intention to go against our Demon Sect.”

“It’s possible. Even though our entry into the Great Yan Dynasty is hidden, there are no secrets in this world that cannot be leaked. Furthermore, it was the Mortal Sect who killed Wang Zhiping previously. If someone were to investigate further, they might not be able to find out. However, there is another explanation as to whether they are against our Demon Sect.”

“What should we do now?”

“Let’s wait and see. How long until Third Master arrives?”

“According to my estimation, Master will arrive in two days.”

“Alright, when the Third Master arrives, I’ll let him find a chance to exchange a few moves with this swordsman and find out who he is.”

…

It was pouring in Jiangnan Dao, Yuzhou City.

In the Su Clan’s study…

The Su Clan, one of the four great aristocratic families of Jiangnan, was known as the head of Jiangnan during its heyday. At that time, the head of the Su Clan was the master of the Jiangnan Dao. It could be said that he ruled the world with one hand. His younger brother was the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites in the Imperial Court. He also had the backing of the Crown Prince’s faction, which was at the height of its power at that time. The Su Clan’s power was illustrious, and their glory was unmatched.

Just the Su Clan’s distinguished guests alone numbered three thousand, and the number of people who came to seek refuge was still endless.

Everyone believed that the crown prince would inherit the throne at that time, and the Su Clan had the merit of following the dragon. At that time, the Su Clan could even get rid of the Jiangnan Dao family and become one of the aristocratic families of Yan Country.

Although it was only a step, it was a complete change for the aristocratic families.

However, what happened next was unexpected. Forty years ago, there was a coup that shocked the world. In the end, the political situation of the Yan Country changed drastically, and the country was completely purged. Before the emperor passed away, the crown prince died violently, and the third prince inherited the reign of the Yan Country, named Taiping Yuan.

The word ‘peace’ was enough to show the long-cherished wish of the current Emperor of Great Yan. He hoped that Great Yan would be able to obtain some peace during this coup.

Following that, the Human Emperor issued a pardon, amnesty to the world, tax reduction, and other measures that benefited the country and its people. It was indeed worthy of the word ‘peace’.

However, the Su Clan was not peaceful.

There was no other reason. It was because the Su Clan was part of the former crown prince’s faction. Now that the Third Prince had ascended the throne, it was a very natural thing to cleanse the old faction, and the Su Clan was naturally implicated.

The Su Clan’s influence plummeted.

With the stagnation of the recent decades, the Su Clan was gradually overtaken by the Mu Family and the Cao Family. Although they were said to be on par with the other three aristocratic families, they were merely basking in the glory of the past.

Everyone knew that the Cao Gang was behind the Mu Family and the Cao Family.

Tens of years ago, Tie Yunshan killed the head of the Su Clan and dozens of Su Clan’s experts. In the end, he joined Cao Gang. Even if the Su Clan wanted to take revenge, they could only give up when faced with Liu Qingshan, who had a strong aura.

At this moment, Su Ze was sitting at the table with a book in her hands, “Commerce Theory”.

“Father! Father…” A voice sounded outside the door.

“Come in,” said Su Ze calmly as he put down the scroll in his hand.

A refined young man walked in quickly and said happily, “Father, there’s a piece of good news.”

“What good news?” Su Ze asked calmly.

“Tie Yunshan was killed!”

“Tie Yunshan… what? Who did you say was killed?”

Su Ze stood up instantly and stared at her son, Su Rui.

Who was Tie Yunshan? He knew all too well.

“Indeed, Father.”

Su Rui said excitedly, “Not only Tie Yunshan, but also Cao Gang’s 37 experts have all died. These are all Cao Gang’s true elites.”

“Good, good, good. They’ve killed so well, hahaha!”

Su Ze cried tears of joy upon hearing this.

He had been looking forward to killing Tie Yunshan for so many years. He had always wanted to take revenge for his elder brother. However, Tie Yunshan had Cao Gang backing him up and his prestige was increasing by the day. It was extremely difficult to deal with Tie Yunshan.

Su Rui was thrilled to see his father like this.

“Who is it that managed to massacre the Yuzhou’s headquarters and killed Tie Yunshan?” After a long while, Su Ze asked.

How powerful was Tie Yunshan? He was already a Rank Two several years ago. In recent years, his strength had definitely increased. Being able to defeat him meant that he was not an ordinary person. To be able to kill him and even massacre the Cao Gang’s headquarters, he was an extremely terrifying existence.

Su Rui hurriedly said, “The dead Cao Gang members only had a sword wound on their bodies and there was a black shirt on the ground of Cao Gang’s headquarters. In my opinion, it’s most likely that peerless swordsman. His cultivation should be at the peak of Rank Two or even Rank One.”

“What a formidable swordsman!”

When Su Ze heard this, he took a deep breath and said, “I didn’t expect our Jiangnan Dao to have such an expert. What a pity. If we knew where this person was, our Su Clan should also thank him.”

“I’m afraid that the swordsman has already gone into hiding.”

Su Rui smiled wryly and said, “This matter has spread throughout the entire Yuzhou City. When I first came back, there were countless falcons in the sky. I believe this news will quickly spread throughout the entire martial world.”

“That’s true.”

Su Ze chuckled. “Let’s not talk about this. Tonight, the two of us will drink to our hearts’ content and celebrate.”

…

In Cao Gang’s main hall in Linjiang City, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely oppressive and it was almost suffocating.

Seated at the head of the table was a middle-aged Confucian scholar. He held a folding fan in his hand, and his expression was so dark that it seemed like water was about to drip from it.

“Mister Guo, what should we do now?”

A burly, bearded man asked with cupped fists.

The burly man was more than nine feet tall and had a sturdy body. The muscles on his arms bulged, making him look like a horned dragon.

This person was one of Cao Gang’s Seven Great Vajras, Nan Ming.

This person was originally a monk from a Buddhist monastery. By chance, he had learned the Buddhist Xuanwu level martial technique, the Vajra Arts. He cultivated bitterly for twenty years and his cultivation level became increasingly high. However, he eventually could not stand the rules of Buddhism and renounce asceticism.

That scholar was Liu Qingshan’s trusted aide, Poison Scholar Guo Yuchun.

Cao Gang’s rapid development was definitely related to this person.

Some people in Cao Gang were not afraid of Liu Qingshan, because there were very few opportunities to meet him. However, there was no one who was not afraid of Guo Yuchun. Once Guo Yuchun went to drink tea with him, there was a high chance that he would be in trouble.

Thus, even though the members of Cao Gang usually avoided him.

“Tie Yunshan’s sharp blades are not just for show. This person was able to kill Tie Yunshan and even massacred our Yuzhou’s headquarters. This shows that his strength is far above Tie Yunshan’s. He is very likely a Rank One expert.”

Guo Yuchun calmly analyzed, “Recently, have there been any signs of Rank One experts in Great Yan? Not at the moment. Only the Demon Sect is stirring. In addition, the Yu Family’s Wang Zhiping and his family are dead…”

“Demon Sect?!” A woman beside him frowned and said softly.

This woman was also one of Cao Gang’s Seven Great Vajras, Ouyang Yu.

At the mention of these two words, the entire hall became depressed and the atmosphere became strange.

Cao Gang became more and more powerful with each passing day. It felt as though they had the might of the number one gang in the world. However, they only had a vague presence. Even if they were the number one gang in the world, they were still afraid when facing the Demon Sect that had dominated the Great Yan martial world.

The Demon Sect’s prestige back then was too terrifying!

The Five Gangs and Seven Sects were jointly besieged by the Black Clothes Guard of the Imperial Court. Even in such an environment, they still persisted for half a year before leaving Great Yan.

If they made a comeback, the entire Great Yan martial world would tremble.

“The Demon Sect can’t possibly act so insolently, right?” Nan Ming said after thinking for a moment.

The Demon Sect did not plan to return to the Great Yan but they were already acting so insolently. Weren’t they afraid of attracting the attention of others?

“This swordsman is definitely from the Demon Sect!” Guo Yuchun said firmly.

Nan Ming and Ouyang Yu looked at each other, as if they understood something.

Guo Yuchun sneered. “Spread the news that the swordsman is from the Demon Sect. Our Cao Gang has gathered all the aristocratic families in Jiangnan Dao to kill the thieves together. This is exactly what we want.”

…