Chapter 237 - Obvious Troublemakers Are Easy to Avoid but Hidden Scoundrels Are Hard to Guard Against!

“Brother Long, are you here for Old Master Xiao’s birthday feast?”

Ye Haochuan was somewhat baffled.

What did this birthday feast of Old Master Xiao have to do with Long Xiaotian?

Long Xiaotian nodded, and his sharp eyes began to soften as if recalling the past.

After a while, he said, “Actually, Xiao Jian, that old fella, used to be a member of our Ancient Martial Arts Sect, an Innate Peak Inner Sect Disciple.

He worked under me, but after failing a breakthrough and suffering from qigong deviation, he lost all his cultivation.

Heartbroken, he concealed his identity and engaged in business in the secular world…”

Ye Haochuan was immensely surprised.

He hadn’t expected that Old Master Xiao had once been a disciple of the Ancient Martial Arts Sect.

“Old Xiao Jian had some talent for business, and with the help of us old friends behind the scenes, he managed to thrive in the business world.

Recently, a logging team under his company’s management discovered a cave in the deep woods near Haishan.

Inside was a top-grade treasure…”

“Top-grade treasure?” Ye Haochuan was taken aback.

“A treasure is an item even more powerful than a spiritual artifact,” Long Xiaotian explained.

Ye Haochuan’s eyes lit up, clicking his tongue.

I haven’t even seen a spiritual artifact, let alone a treasure.

“At that time, the logging team didn’t know there was a top-grade treasure in the cave.

Since treasures are sentient, ordinary people couldn’t get near it.

So, they reported it to that old fella Xiao Jian.

After all, he was once a master in the Martial Arts Path Realm.

His first instinct was that there must be rare and exotic treasures in that cave, so he went to inspect it with a group.”

“However, since he had lost all his cultivation, he couldn’t enter.

Still convinced that the cave held a treasure, only accessible to Core Formation Stage masters, he got in touch with the Sect through our Ancient Martial Arts Sect’s internal communication network.

Ultimately, the Elders Council decided to send my son to check it out…”

At this point, Ye Haochuan interjected with a pause, “Wait a minute, Brother Long, what did you just say?

Your son?”

Long Xiaotian nodded, eyes reddening.

“My son Long Quan was the former head of the Long Group.

Among all the Core Formation Stage experts organized, his group was the strongest…”

Ye Haochuan slapped his forehead, no wonder Long Xiaotian was so concerned; his own son had been ambushed and met with tragedy.

Seeing his grief-stricken expression, Ye Haochuan hurriedly said, “I’m sorry, Brother Long, I was a bit thoughtless just now.”

Long Xiaotian shook his head, his eyes flashing with intense hatred.

“My son learned that a treasure had appeared in Haishan and it was of the top-grade level.

He prepared to go to Haishan himself, intending to secure the treasure and present it to the Sect.

But…”

Seeing that he choked up and paused, Ye Haochuan asked, “But what?”

“But the news somehow got out.

Before my son set off, the Elders Council received information that disciples from Sects like Hellfire, Phantom Sound Sect, and Institute of Extensive Learning had also learned about the appearance of a top-grade treasure in Haishan, all ready to swarm in and fight over it.”

“Oh.” Ye Haochuan nodded, “So, what happened next?”

“Next, the elders decided to let my son lead the Long Group to execute the mission.

Upon arrival, a large number of Hellfire Core Formation Stage experts emerged from the cave, including a few Nascent Soul Stage experts from Hellfire.”

“Damn, with even Nascent Soul Stage masters mobilized, how could your son’s men stand a chance?” Ye Haochuan said indignantly.

“Exactly, as a result, the entire Long Group was annihilated in that ambush.

After much secret investigation, I learned that Hellfire had issued a Kill List targeting the then-up-and-coming Long Group for eradication.

So some experts from Hellfire colluded secretly with disciples within our Sect who had grudges against the Long Group, creating a one-sided massacre in Haishan…”

Damn, overt tricks are easy to dodge, but hidden treachery is hard to guard against!

Ye Haochuan was shaken to the core, his teeth clenched in hatred for those traitorous insiders who abetted tyranny.

Suddenly, Ye Haochuan’s heart stirred, and he said, “So, does this mean that the so-called top-grade treasure is also nothing but a myth?”

“That part is indeed true,” Long Xiaotian spoke gravely.

“Hellfire always had a bone to pick with the rapidly rising Long Group, putting it at the top of the Kill List.

For the sake of the generous reward, the experts from Hellfire would spare no expense.

A mere top-grade treasure, they could easily afford it.”

“Oh,” Ye Haochuan said.

Long Xiaotian returned to the main topic, “The reason I rushed to Haishan this time was actually a trap that Elder Xiao and I had secretly set up.

The goal was to lure the snake out of its hole—to first root out the traitor within our Ancient Martial Arts Sect, and then to rebuild Long Group, accumulate strength, and go after Hellfire to eradicate those who had attacked Long Group in the past.”

Ye Haochuan nodded and echoed, “Right, to secure the outside, one must first secure the inside; this is the unerring principle.”

Long Xiaotian hummed in agreement, and continued, “My cultivation has now reached a bottleneck and is difficult to advance an inch.

Thus, the long-cherished wish to rebuild Long Group and restore its former glory, ultimately, will fall upon you.”

“Fall upon me?” Ye Haochuan was stunned.

“Indeed,” Long Xiaotian said somberly.

“Holy Hand was a medical genius that I personally cultivated in the past.

Originally, I had him pursue both medical and martial paths, but unfortunately, he was not particularly dedicated to the Martial Arts Path, feeling that killing was too extreme and could affect the Medical Path.

Since he has chosen you to inherit his mantle, he must have seen something exceptional in you…”

Hearing this, Ye Haochuan felt somewhat embarrassed and chuckled, “I thought I hid it very deep, but it seems I still couldn’t hide my edge.”

Long Xiaotian gave a smile and said, “Judging from your recent performance, you are commendable, especially your decisiveness in killing, neat and tidy, not indecisive like Holy Hand, who instead ended up losing his own life.”

Ye Haochuan straightened up proudly and snorted, “For enemies who oppose me, I have only one word for them, death!

Even if I encounter them in the toilet, I would still drown them in the toilet bowl!”

“Exactly, that’s the kind of dominance one should have!”

Long Xiaotian’s expression was full of praise as he said, “Actually, I have long suspected that a disciple from our side in Haishan was colluding with a disciple from Hellfire.

So, I specially went through Elder Xiao to provide a list of suspicious disciples and asked him to have someone keep an eye on them in secret.

As it turns out, hard work pays off; Li Ruonan is highly suspect…”

Only then did Ye Haochuan understand why Li Ruonan was caught by Long Xiaotian on the spot as soon as she fled, it turned out she had been watched all along.

“Alright, I won’t stay here long.

I will continue the investigation in secret, but if there is anything you need to cooperate with, I will let you know.

In short, before your strength becomes formidable, it’s better not to expose our relationship too early.”

With that, Long Xiaotian put the black cloak back over his head, once again assuming a mysterious air.

Ye Haochuan nodded, indicating he understood.

After glancing at An Li, who was hanging on by a thread, Long Xiaotian asked, “What will you do with this woman?”

“This woman still has a conscience; I’ll try my best to save her.

Alas, there really aren’t many people in this world like me, who heal the sick and save lives,” Ye Haochuan shamelessly said.

Long Xiaotian laughed and scolded, “What kind of tricks are you up to, kid?

I know them all.

You’ve taken a fancy to her, haven’t you?”

PS: Family affairs are tricky, and updates are inevitably slowed down.

Thank you for your understanding.

I’ll continue writing later.