System: I Can Open Martial Arts Chests

Chapter 502: Chapter 282: Mad Saber’s Shocking Transformation; Demons and Fiends Fear Divine Power!

Chu Qing felt that these rumors were all unbelievable, especially the part about the Ghost Emperor personally seeking out Wang Fang to discuss the way of chess... it was simply nonsense.

Regardless of whether the Ghost Emperor liked chess, even if he did, Chu Qing did not believe that a former master thief could have such profound chess skills.

Perhaps this was a prejudice from the heart, a stereotype.

But Chu Qing didn’t think there was anything wrong with this prejudice. Whether it was from character or actions, Chu Qing looked down on this bastard who repaid kindness with enmity, even after being saved by someone who spared his life.

After listening to stories in the teahouse all morning, in the afternoon, the three of them wandered around Ding’an City.

They thought they would quickly find Lan Shuyi, yet he never showed up.

This made Chu Qing feel something was off...

And this feeling was confirmed when they reached the inn.

Waiting at the inn was not Lan Shuyi, but his subordinate, the Broken Army Swordsman.

The person appeared nervous and quickly stepped forward when he saw the three of them:

"Young Master, the Lord is in trouble."

Chu Qing raised his eyebrows and invited him into the room to talk.

After coming in, instead of speaking immediately, he took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Chu Qing:

"Yesterday, when the Lord returned, he gave this letter to me.

"He said that if he has not returned by this morning, I should give this letter to you, Young Master.

"I arrived here late in the morning, and you all were not in the inn. If anything truly happened to the Lord, I didn’t dare to lightly use Ding’an Hall’s manpower to search for you, so I had to wait here."

Chu Qing cautiously took the letter, examined it closely, confirmed there was no problem with it, and then opened it.

The letter’s content was brief, telling Chu Qing that if he were seeing this letter, it meant something had already happened to him and hoped Chu Qing could save him.

Below were a few places where he might be held.

After reading it, Chu Qing slightly furrowed his brows. When he looked up again, he found that the Broken Army Swordsman was secretly watching him.

He nodded:

"Rest assured, leave this matter to me."

"Thank you, Young Master."

The Broken Army Swordsman sighed in relief and quickly added:

"I have other trivial matters to attend to and cannot stay here long, please excuse me, Young Master."

"Go ahead."

Chu Qing waved his hand, and the Broken Army Swordsman backed out of the room and closed the door from outside.

As the person left, Chu Qing slightly squinted his eyes and glanced at Gentle.

Gentle shook her head softly:

"This letter doesn’t have Lan Shuyi’s scent."

If the letter had been given to the Broken Army Swordsman yesterday, how could it not carry Lan Shuyi’s scent after three days?

"Sure enough, there’s a problem."

Chu Qing was speechless for a moment:

"Lan Shuyi thought he hid it well, but I’m afraid Wang Fang already saw through it long ago.

"This master thief is much smarter than imagined.

"It’s a pity though, the three of us are likely exposed."

"I mentioned earlier that the Broken Army Swordsman had a flickering gaze and was insincere, so that was it..."

Wu Qianhuan looked at Chu Qing:

"What do we do?"

"Simple, go at night, save or kill, do it all."

Chu Qing casually replied.

If something happened to Lan Shuyi, it means Wang Fang was prepared, and if the Broken Army Swordsman could come to deliver the letter, it also implies Broken Army is not solid as iron, someone has betrayed Lan Shuyi long ago.

The purpose of delivering this letter was supposedly for Chu Qing to rescue Lan Shuyi.

But in reality, it was just bait to lure Chu Qing into a trap.

Being highly skilled and bold, Chu Qing neither wanted to take this bait nor wanted to let that person go, so he decided to settle everything that night.

Wu Qianhuan didn’t object, just nodded.

Gentle naturally had no objections either.

So in the afternoon, they didn’t wander around but rested in the inn.

In the blink of an eye, night had already fallen.

Inside a cell at Ding’an Hall.

A man with a tiger’s back and a bear’s waist sat in a chair, dragon-chest and tiger-bottomed.

Holding a teacup, he gently blew the tea leaves inside.

At the same time, from the opposite side, came the cracking sounds of a whip striking flesh.

Lan Shuyi’s wrists were locked with iron chains, and his whole body was hanging, leaving only a toe touching the ground.

His body was beaten, covered in fresh blood, blood traces all over.

He clenched his teeth, not uttering a sound.

Finally, the man took a sip of tea and slowly spoke:

"Stop."

The sound of the whipping ceased immediately, and turning back, the one holding the whip was the Broken Army Swordsman who had delivered the letter to Chu Qing earlier that day.

Lan Shuyi slowly exhaled, his eyes coldly staring at the man:

"If you have the guts... kill me."

"What’s the point?"

The man sighed:

"Lan Shuyi, I’ve treated you well, haven’t I? As the leader of Broken Army, you’re almost just below one and above tens of thousands.

"Do you have to kill me?

"Do you have to avenge your parents?"

With these words, Lan Shuyi looked up sharply, his eyes filled with fury and disbelief:

"You know!?"

"You underestimate me."

Wang Fang gently shook his head:

"How do you think Ding’an Hall came to be today?

"How did I become the Wang Fang I am now?

"Just by martial prowess, ruthlessness, and heartlessness?

"In this world, it’s not just high martial skills that make things happen...

"Great accomplishments often require exceeding qualities.

"Endure what others cannot endure, do what others cannot do.

"For instance, the first time you appeared before me, I recognized you as the son of that farm couple... I even remember, your nickname was Yang’er, wasn’t it?"

"Shut up!!!"

Lan Shuyi roared.

Nobody had called him by that name for years, and he didn’t want to hear those words from Wang Fang’s mouth.

"Alright, alright, if you don’t like it, I won’t say it again."

Wang Fang chuckled softly, holding his teacup in front of Lan Shuyi:

"Poor child, you’ve suffered, have some tea."

Lan Shuyi’s fury subsided a little, and with a calm tone, he asked:

"Since you recognized me at first sight, why did you keep me by your side for so long?"

"Since I could recognize you, of course, I could guess what you wanted to do.

"To avenge your parents, you needed to gain my trust; to do so... you had to help me with things."

Wang Fang said with a smile:

"Ding’an Hall was in troubled times, short of hands back then.

"You traveled such a long way; how could I kill you easily? After all, I knew everything about you, all your actions were under my watch...

"You think you have your own people in Ding’an Hall?

"Without knowing, they’re all my people."

Lan Shuyi glanced at the whip-wielding Broken Army Swordsman, who once followed his orders but now turned heartless.

Suddenly, he laughed silently:

"So, I fancied myself clever, but to you, it’s just a joke."

"Not a joke, though."

Wang Fang said:

"You are indeed smart, but I’m just smarter.

"Moreover, you might not have expected...

"Even now, I’m still willing to give you another chance.

"As long as you let go of your hatred, I can even recognize you as my foster son, truly letting you be under one person and above ten thousand!

"What do you say?"

"Don’t even think about it!!!"

Lan Shuyi’s eyes turned red, yet his voice was low:

"Besides, do you really think you have a future?"

"You’re suggesting that the Third Young Master will come to save you? Will help you kill me?"

Wang Fang laughed again:

"Though I don’t know what bargaining chip you used to get him to help you...

"But ultimately, you got him into trouble.

"In your name, I sent him a letter, and by now, the fish should have taken the bait.

"Even if his martial skills are great, he won’t be able to break the cage forged from ’Hundred-Forged Heaven and Earth Steel’.

"What would you do if I crippled his martial skills, tied a rope around his neck, and dragged him like a dog before you... how would you change the tide..."

Boom!!!

Before he could finish, a loud bang came from the door.

The door flew out entirely, making everyone instinctively look towards it, where a white-clad Chu Qing entered openly, without covering his face.

After scanning the crowd, his gaze finally fell on Wang Fang, and he grinned, asking:

"Was it you speaking just now?"