I Can Merge Techniques-Chapter 62 - 61: Surging Undercurrents

Jiang Yuanfan glanced at Zhang Shuyao, feeling that his anger and actions over the past few days were utterly ridiculous.

A mocking smile touched his lips, his voice as cold as ice. "When did Chu Fan ever get in your way? You were the one who spoke out of turn and got a scolding from Zhao Tianxing. Too scared to settle the score with Zhao Tianxing, you decided to take it out on Chu Fan instead..."

"Picking on the weak and fearing the strong. How pathetic and shameless!"

Zhang Shuyao was stunned. She never expected Jiang Yuanfan to say such things.

"Don’t go looking for humiliation."

Jiang Yuanfan scoffed again. "If he really wanted to make a move, your entire group together couldn’t take a single punch from him."

With that, he turned and walked away, his steps decisive and without hesitation, as if he had made up his mind about something.

Lishan, who had been staking out the place with him earlier, sighed and shook his head. "I’m heading back. Still have to go shovel horse manure."

Zhang Shuyao froze, her face a mask of confusion...

’Why have Jiang Yuanfan and that other guy suddenly changed their tune?’

She stomped her foot and resentfully walked off in the direction of the Seven Stars Gang.

...

In the dim room, the flame in a bronze lamp flickered.

A ball of orange-red light was trapped in a black mist, like a moth in a cocoon.

Beyond three feet, all shapes were blurred.

A faint black mist drifted throughout the room.

The black mist shrouded the room, making everything within seem illusory, like a bewildering dream.

Two figures emerged from the mist...

One wore a sky-blue silk robe. The fabric draped smoothly, yet it was damp with the moisture from the mist.

He sat with his back to the door, behind a pearwood desk. His square, lightly bearded face was half-hidden in shadow. Only his eyes were alarmingly bright, like cold stars sunk in a deep pool—luminous yet not piercing, possessing a reserved authority.

The other was wrapped in a pure black cloak, the brim of his hood pulled so low that even his chin was hidden in shadow. Only when he spoke could one glimpse a gray shadow flit beneath the cloak, as if even his breath feared disturbing the mist in the room.

"The Huang Family massacre—was it the work of your subordinates?"

The robed man spoke first, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the desk. The wood was smooth and cold, and his tone held just as little warmth.

The caped man’s shoulders tensed slightly. The hem of his cloak swept the floor without a sound. "It was not my subordinates’ doing."

His voice was hoarse, as if scraped by sandpaper. "Huang Yu somehow eavesdropped on a conversation between my sect’s disciples and even sent people to tail them. The ones who died brought it upon themselves."

"But the massacre of the Huang Family has nothing to do with my sect."

"I’ve already had someone ask the Seven Stars Gang. They deny it too."

The robed man’s brow twitched. His fingertips paused on the desk. After a moment, he picked up a cup of cold tea but didn’t drink, merely watching the light shimmer within it, like the shifting reflection of the moon.

"This matter has blown up. I had to move heaven and earth to suppress the report being sent to the provincial capital. Now, the people of North City are all saying it’s the work of some evil spirit, so things have finally quieted down."

"It’s just Lu Tao..."

His tone shifted, his gaze darkening. "That man is a stubborn mule, still investigating in secret. Tell your people to be more discreet. Don’t provoke him and cause unnecessary trouble."

"He’s just a Constable!" the caped man sneered, his hand seemingly clenching beneath his cloak.

"If he dares meddle in the affairs of my Moon Worship Sect, I’ll personally take his head and teach him the rules!"

"Don’t!" The robed man slammed the teacup onto the desk.

A few drops of tea splashed out, landing on the jute paper scrolls and spreading into dark stains.

He said in a low voice, "Are you aware that Lu Tao’s cousin is a Minister of the Ministry of Justice?"

"If he dies in Cyan Yang Ancient City, it will alarm the Qing Province capital and even the Capital City itself!"

"At that point, it will ruin our grand plans!"

The caped man was silent for a moment before saying, "Then... what about the Blood Saber Sect?"

His tone was vicious. "A puny little Blood Saber Sect dares to covet something belonging to my sect. They don’t know what’s good for them! Do you want me to personally step in and annihilate the Blood Saber Sect?"

If an outsider had heard this, they would have been scared out of their wits—the Blood Saber Sect, one of the three major gangs in Cyan Yang Ancient City, was like an ant in his words, to be crushed with the flip of a hand!

"Idiot!"

The robed man chided him, full of impatience. "Annihilating the Blood Saber Sect? What good would that do us? It would just attract that bunch from the Demon Suppression Bureau!"

He stood and paced a few steps, his sky-blue silk robe sweeping across the floor and stirring up a wisp of mist.

"Finding the ’key’ is the top priority. We cannot afford the slightest mistake."

His voice grew heavier. "If you stir up trouble and ruin the grand plan, and our superiors find out, there won’t even be a place to bury our bodies!"

The caped man trembled, sweat beading on his forehead and trickling down his cheek. His voice was filled with terror. "Yes, this subordinate understands!"

It was unclear if he feared the Demon Suppression Bureau or the "superiors" they spoke of.

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure flickered and transformed into a wisp of black smoke, drifting out through the crack under the door.

Once he left, the black mist filling the room seemed to lose its soul, gradually thinning and dissipating to reveal the room’s true appearance.

The candlelight from the bronze lamp finally illuminated the hall.

Between the pillars, the pearwood desk was polished to a mirror shine. On it, a Duan inkstone gleamed with a soft, dark luster, and the half-filled inkwell still carried the fragrance of fresh ink.

Two wolf-hair brushes hung on a bamboo brush rack, their tips still moist, as if they had just been used.

Behind the desk, a landscape screen was embroidered with "Misty River and Layered Peaks." A thatched cottage was faintly visible amongst green mountains and waters. Its blue cloth tassels hung to the floor, obscuring the shadows of the back hall.

Two nanmu pillars stood in the hall, coated in a light brown patina. A couplet was inscribed on them in ink, the calligraphy as powerful as an old pine clinging to a rock. Every character was clear under the candlelight...

"Eat the food of the people, wear the clothes of the people; do not say the people can be bullied, for you are one of them;"

"Gaining an office is no glory, losing one is no shame; do not say an official is useless, for the region depends on him."

...

「At almost the same time...」

Inside the Unity Hall of the Blood Saber Sect.

The smell of blood, mixed with the stench of alcohol, filled the room.

Eight rusted long sabers were lined up along the side of the hall, their blades reflecting a faint, chilling light.

Incense Master Tang Xiao sat imposingly on a tiger-skin chair, the sleeves of his black martial attire rolled up to reveal a gruesome saber scar on his wrist.

His fingers tapped a rhythm on the table. On it sat a half-empty cup of cold tea, its foam long settled at the bottom. His knuckles were white from the pressure—recent events had left him deeply agitated.

His most capable subordinate, Huang Yu, had been killed.

Not only that, the entire Huang Family had been slaughtered...

Of course, he didn’t care whether Huang Yu lived or died, nor did he care what happened to the Huang Family.

What Tang Xiao cared about was... Huang Yu seemed to have been doing something behind his back.

And he had only just now realized it!

CREAK— The door was pushed open, and a cold wind carrying flurries of snow rushed in.

A lean man in a mud-spattered, gray cloth shirt entered carrying a bundle. He said respectfully, "Incense Master, this subordinate has found some leads."

Tang Xiao lifted his eyelids, his gaze cold and sharp. "Speak."

"Yes, sir." The lean man swallowed, lowering his voice to a whisper. "The brothers searched a hidden compartment in Huang Yu’s bedroom. They found five hundred taels in silver notes, as well as some quality medicinal supplies like ’tiger bone ointment’ and ingredients for ’Bone Marrow Forging’."

As he spoke, he placed a large bundle on the table to Master Tang’s right.

But Tang Xiao didn’t even glance at it, his brow still furrowed.

The lean man secretly glanced up at Master Tang before continuing, "That bastard Huang Yu was definitely up to something behind your back, Incense Master... We haven’t figured out the specifics yet, but it’s almost certainly related to the Moon Worship Sect..."

"A while back, he hired some local thugs to seize three residences in the west of the city for a low price. He even had the Huang Family’s servants watch them in shifts, saying... saying he was keeping an eye on people from the Moon Worship Sect."

"Keeping an eye on the Moon Worship Sect?" Tang Xiao was slightly taken aback.

The Moon Worship Sect had arrived in Cyan Yang Ancient City two years ago. They only used petty favors to attract vagrants to join their sect and worship the moon, having no conflicts of interest with the local gangs.

Therefore, gangs like the Blood Saber Sect and the Seven Stars Gang, as well as the deeply-rooted Four Great Clans of Cyan Yang Ancient City, had never clashed with the Moon Worship Sect.

The Government Office had watched them for a while, but seeing no evil deeds, they had let them be.

’So why was Huang Yu watching them?’