prynovel Chapter 9 The Scapegoat
Chapter 9 The Scapegoat
"They're back, Aunt Chen. Sanya has been brought back by Xiao Yuan."
"I knew Xiao Yuan would have a way."
"Xiao Yuan, how did you rescue Sanya from that wolf's den?"
"They must have hired a master from the martial arts school. Xiao Yuan is really capable."
"..."
Chen Qiyuan brought Sanya back to Wangjia Lane. It was getting dark, which attracted all sorts of gossip. He didn't explain, but once he entered the house and saw that his aunt Chen Xiaoling was alright, he was finally relieved.
Chen Xiaoling burst into tears of joy upon seeing her daughter whom she had lost and found again.
Chen Qiyuan persuaded the neighboring aunties to leave and began to clean up his messy house.
That night, Chen Xiaoling ignored Wang Dawei lying on the ground and slept with her daughter in her arms.
When she woke up the next day, she found that Wang Dawei was motionless. As if realizing something, she went over and saw that his eyes were closed, his body was stiff, and he was dead.
The husband who had tormented her for nearly ten years died silently.
The news that Wang Dawei had died from excessive fright did not cause any stir. Only a few people who had been bullied by him in the past secretly cursed him, saying that it was too good for him to die like that.
Chen Qiyuan did not hold a funeral. He spent money to hire two people to wrap the body in a straw mat, take it to a desolate mountain outside the city in an oxcart, find a place to bury it, and that was it.
After this incident, Chen Xiaoling fell ill.
I saw a doctor, and he said it was due to overwork and being frightened. He prescribed some calming medicine and told me to rest well.
Chen Qiyuan took care of her at home, and five days passed before she recovered somewhat.
……
The next morning, when Chen Qiyuan returned to the martial arts school, he felt at ease.
Since the Blood Wolf Gang didn't come to retaliate, it means his identity hasn't been exposed.
He didn't give his name when he caused a scene at the gambling den; he just wanted to drag the Wu family martial arts school into the mess and muddy the waters.
He was a little curious. Several days had passed, and he wondered what the Blood Wolf Gang's reaction would be. Would they come to confront him, or would they just swallow their anger as if nothing had happened?
When Chen Qiyuan arrived at the training ground, he found that there were a lot of people there today, but no one was practicing. Instead, they were gathered in twos and threes discussing something.
Many people had expressions of indignation on their faces.
"...How dare you?"
"...What are you waiting for, Master?"
"Charge them over and wipe them out..."
What happened?
Chen Qiyuan walked over to Qian Gang, whom he was quite familiar with, and asked, "Senior Brother Qian, what exactly happened?"
"It's all because of Zhao Feng."
Qian Gang said indignantly, "He went and raided the Blood Wolf Gang's casino just to show off. He even killed two people."
"what?"
Chen Qiyuan was surprised that Zhao Feng was the one taking the blame. "And then what? Does the Blood Wolf Gang dare to retaliate?"
Could it be that Zhao Gang was beaten to death?
Qian Gang said angrily, "The Blood Wolf Gang kept quiet at first, but yesterday they suddenly ambushed Senior Brother Lu and seriously injured him."
"Senior Brother Lu? Which Senior Brother Lu?"
"It could be any other Senior Brother Lu, it must be Senior Brother Seventeen."
"What?"
This time, Chen Qiyuan was genuinely surprised.
The seventeenth senior brother is the youngest disciple of Master Wu Tianhuan, ranked seventeenth, and his name is Lu Liancheng.
Lu Liancheng was only twenty years old, but he had already mastered the hidden strength and was quite powerful.
"With Senior Brother Lu's strength, who in the Blood Wolf Gang could possibly harm him?"
Qian Gang said, "It is said that Cao Jun, the leader of the Blood Wolf Gang, broke through to the Transformation Realm several months ago, but kept it a secret. This time, when he made his move, Senior Brother Lu was almost killed by him."
Chen Qiyuan couldn't help but gasp.
Fortunately, he didn't give his name at the time, otherwise he would probably have been in danger.
Unexpectedly, the leader of the Blood Wolf Gang had already broken through to the Transformation Realm.
However, he still couldn't understand it. "For something so trivial, why would the Blood Wolf Gang resort to such a vicious attack on Senior Brother Lu?"
Lu Liancheng was a disciple of Wu Tianhuan, the master of the academy.
Despite Cao Jun's mastery of the Transformation Realm, he was no match for Wu Tianhuan, who was at the Blood Exchange Realm.
Qian Gang snorted and said, "It's all thanks to the Guo family's influence."
Chen Qiyuan seemed to understand something. "Is it the Guo family, the ones who were defeated by the master more than ten years ago?"
"It could be any other Guo family. It's said that the head of the Guo family broke through to the Blood Exchange Realm two years ago. He's always wanted to avenge his father, and for the past two years he's been targeting our martial arts school in every way. Our school master didn't want to stoop to their level and tolerated it. But the Guo family has only become more and more aggressive; they're truly hateful."
[Qian Gang was furious. Your "Tiger Form Fist" and "Stealth Step" techniques had taken the opportunity to gain some proficiency.]
"..."
Chen Qiyuan never expected that his disturbance at the casino would ignite a blood feud between the Guo family and Wu Tianhuan that had been brewing for over a decade. He only wanted to save his sister.
More than a decade ago, when Wu Tianhuan first arrived in Nan'an City, he was like a dragon crossing the river, and inevitably clashed with the local bullies.
This included the Guo family. Later, the two sides set up a duel, and Wu Tianhuan won one match. The Guo family member who was at the Blood Exchange Realm was severely injured and died from his injuries not long after.
This was Wu Tianhuan's battle that made him famous.
As a result, the Guo family, who were used as stepping stones to fame, did not fall into ruin. Instead, another expert at the Blood Exchange Realm emerged, seeking revenge for his father's murder.
Chen Qiyuan sighed inwardly and went elsewhere to inquire about the news.
Regardless of whether they knew each other or not, they would go over and chat for a few minutes. Then, while looking at the prompts that popped up from time to time indicating that they had gained some proficiency, they would apologize to these "fellow disciples" in their hearts and keep wandering around.
In such extraordinary times, it is natural to improve one's own strength as quickly as possible.
Don't underestimate the small amount of proficiency gained each time; with so many people here, it adds up to a considerable amount over time.
This is a rare opportunity; once it's gone, it's gone forever.
……
"Junior Brother Yuan."
Suddenly, Liu Shijie's voice came from behind.
Chen Qiyuan turned around, greeted him, and said, "Senior Brother Liu."
Liu Shijie asked with concern, "Why haven't you come to the martial arts school these past few days, junior brother?"
"Sigh, it's because someone in the family passed away, and they're holding a funeral."
"what?"
Liu Shijie was taken aback, but he didn't suspect that he would lie about such a thing, and quickly said, "Junior brother, please accept my condolences."
Chen Qiyuan said, "Thank you."
"Did you resolve that trouble your junior brother's family had a few days ago?"
"It's been resolved, thank you for your concern, senior brother." Chen Qiyuan looked like he didn't want to say more.
Liu Shijie clearly suspected him, but he had no evidence.
Just then, a commotion broke out ahead.
A voice roared, "Zhao Feng, stop right there! You're the one who caused this mess, and now Senior Brother Lu is injured. Shouldn't you give everyone an explanation?"
"That's right, Zhao Feng, if it weren't for you, would Senior Brother Lu have been injured?"
"Zhao Feng..."
For a time, the crowd was filled with indignation.
[Qian Gang was furious. Your "Tiger Form Fist" and "Stealth Step" techniques had taken the opportunity to gain some proficiency.]
【…】
Suddenly, a series of prompts appeared before my eyes.
Chen Qiyuan watched as the proficiency of his two martial arts skills increased by dozens of points, and he thought to himself, "This Junior Brother Zhao is truly a good person. Not only did he take the blame for me, but he also created this opportunity."
"It wasn't me!"
Faintly, Zhao Feng's explanation could be heard.
These words drew a burst of laughter. "Hmph, you didn't say anything before, and now that Senior Brother Lu is injured, you're denying it. Do you think everyone's stupid? You're a coward who dares to do something but doesn't dare to admit it."
Chen Qiyuan could only feel sorry for his junior brother Zhao for two seconds.