"What's going on here? Where have all the people from Ghost Gate gone?"
A rough voice boomed from outside the steel factory. The group of black-clad figures who had charged in split into two. A bald burly man and a glamorous woman stepped out from the crowd first.
Upon seeing the two, Zhang Daoyuan's pupils contracted slightly, and he exclaimed in a low voice, "Iron Tiger and Flying Swallow, why are they here?"
"Who are Iron Tiger and Flying Swallow?"
Ye Ling, with Jian Shishi in tow, walked to Zhang Daoyuan's side. He glanced at the crowd outside and asked casually.
Hearing Ye Ling's question, Zhang Daoyuan suddenly remembered that he had a "seventh-rank异士" (Yi Shi) with him. He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained to Ye Ling, "Iron Tiger and Flying Swallow are renowned rogue cultivators in the eight provinces of East China."
"They have no sect or school, yet both possess fifth-rank cultivation. It's rumored that when they join forces, they can contend with sixth-rank 异士. Their strength is formidable."
"Then what's their connection to Ghost Gate and the Jiang family?" Ye Ling asked again.
Zhang Daoyuan explained, "Iron Tiger and Flying Swallow are martial world wanderers. As long as the price is high enough, they will help with tasks. From the looks of it... the Jiang family must have hired them."
"What are you guys talking about? Fifth-rank this, Ghost Gate that... I don't understand any of it?"
Jian Shishi looked utterly bewildered. Although everyone was speaking Chinese and she understood every word, when strung together, except for the Jiang family, she understood nothing else.
Jian Shishi had grown up under the influence of materialism. Now, she suddenly realized that within the existing social order, there existed a martial world of clashing swords and flashing blades, completely detached from ordinary people...
Jian Shishi found it difficult to accept this world for a moment.
"If you don't understand, stand back. I'll take you home after I'm done with this," Ye Ling said calmly to Jian Shishi. His gaze drifted behind Iron Tiger and Flying Swallow, his eyes gradually turning cold.
Behind the two 异士, another "acquaintance" appeared...
The second son of the Jiang family, Jiang Wuhong, the director and CEO of Jiang Group.
Although the downfall of the Ye family was orchestrated by Jiang Wen Chun, Jiang Wuhong had also made many underhanded moves against the Ye family to get a piece of the pie after the Ye Group collapsed.
Before the Ye Group's troubles, Ye Ling had seen Jiang Wuhong visit the Xishan Manor with his entourage more than once.
Although Ye Ling didn't know what Jiang Wuhong had discussed with his parents back then, Jiang Wuhong always left with an arrogant demeanor, while his parents' expressions were extremely grim, clearly having suffered a great loss.
Ye Ling, though a cheerful person in the past, was quite perceptive.
Even without his parents telling him about the Ye family's difficulties, he could sense that something was wrong.
Seeing such an "old acquaintance" from the Jiang family here, Ye Ling felt a surge of killing intent mixed with a bit of excitement.
Jiang Wuhong was different from Jiang Wen Chun; he could be killed right now!
Jiang Wuhong took a puff of his cigar, exhaled a smoke ring, and frowned, "Isn't this branch usually heavily guarded? Why is there no one here today?"
"Mr. Jiang, there are a few people over there."
Flying Swallow pointed towards the office and said coquettishly to Jiang Wuhong, "The air is still filled with the smell of blood. I suspect something has happened to this Ghost Gate branch."
Iron Tiger stared at Zhang Daoyuan and sneered, "A mere fifth-rank 异士 managed to wipe out this Ghost Gate branch? I think Ghost Gate is all talk and no substance. It's no wonder your Jiang family has been controlled by these beasts for so long."
Jiang Wuhong chuckled lightly, "After all, my Jiang family is merely a prominent family in the mortal world. To enter the circle, we need a guide. Unfortunately, these Ghost Gate scoundrels have been stringing my Jiang family along. We've been working for them for six years, and they still haven't given us their cultivation methods."
"In desperation, I had to invite the two of you to help deal with Ghost Gate and snatch the cultivation techniques."
Iron Tiger dug into his nostril and said, "That's easy. As long as the ten billion US dollars are in, we'll definitely snatch the Ghost Gate cultivation technique, 'Reincarnation Scripture,' for you."
Flying Swallow then asked Jiang Wuhong, "However, someone has already made a move before us, Mr. Jiang... What do you think we should do now?"
Jiang Wuhong sized up Ye Ling and the other two, took another deep puff of his cigar, exhaled a smoke ring, and asked, "How do the two of you compare to those three?"
"One is barely passable, the other two are trash," Iron Tiger said without hesitation.
Jiang Wuhong threw his cigar onto the ground, stomped it out with his leather shoe, and said, "Then kill them. We'll get the cultivation technique, and my Jiang family will pay twelve billion US dollars."
"Mr. Jiang is a man of his word!"
Iron Tiger grinned sinisterly. He twisted his neck and walked towards Ye Ling and the other two with Flying Swallow.
"They're coming..."
Jian Shishi's eyes flickered with fear as she saw the two-meter-tall Iron Tiger approaching.
"Little girl, stand behind this old Daoist. Leave this to the young friend."
Zhang Daoyuan had no desire to make a move now. He shielded Jian Shishi behind him, creating ample space for Ye Ling.
Iron Tiger and Flying Swallow were also notorious martial world wanderers. For money, they had committed murder and arson, and wiped out entire families.
In the past decade, they had destroyed more than seven sects and families, and countless ordinary people had died at their hands.
Although the main profession of a Zhengyi Sect disciple was demon subjugation, they would not show mercy to such evildoers who brought harm to the world.
As for the people from the Jiang family...
Zhang Daoyuan knew he couldn't persuade Ye Ling and had gradually adapted to Ye Ling's methods.
The people who had arrived carried varying degrees of karma, indicating that those black-clad figures had blood on their hands. Their deaths could be considered atonement...
Although Zhang Daoyuan did not approve of Ye Ling's method of using killing to stop killing, he could only comfort himself with such thoughts now.
Jian Shishi had not yet realized what was about to happen. She obediently hid behind Zhang Daoyuan and looked at Ye Ling's back.
Iron Tiger strode forward, ignoring Ye Ling, and smiled at Zhang Daoyuan, asking, "Old Daoist, judging by the aura of your cultivation technique, it should be the Zhengyi Sect's 'Xiantian Taohui Jue.' If you hand over your sect's cultivation technique and Ghost Gate's 'Reincarnation Scripture,' my brother and I will spare your lives. How about it?"
Flying Swallow, however, was staring intently at Ye Ling's face, her eyes filled with adoration. She licked her lips and said, "Brother, that little brother opposite is quite good. I want to take him as a cultivation cauldron."
Hearing Flying Swallow's words, Iron Tiger finally glanced at Ye Ling impatiently, his face full of disdain, "What's so good about this pretty boy?"
"I just like this kind!" Flying Swallow pouted playfully.
From a distance, Ye Ling didn't seem as remarkable, but as Flying Swallow approached, she realized Ye Ling was of the highest caliber in both appearance and temperament. She had never seen such an exceptional man!
The moment she saw Ye Ling, she wanted to make him her own.
Jian Shishi heard Flying Swallow's words and muttered softly, "Shameless woman!"
Although Jian Shishi was unaware of the affairs of the 异士 circle, she had read many cultivation novels and naturally understood what Flying Swallow meant by "cauldron."
Hearing Jian Shishi's muttering, Flying Swallow's expression instantly turned extremely sinister. She pointed at Jian Shishi and said to Iron Tiger, "Brother, that bitch is mine too!"
Iron Tiger scratched his head, "What about the Zhengyi Sect's cultivation technique..."
"Trash technique, we don't need it! Let's join forces and kill that old Daoist first!"
Iron Tiger gave a wry smile, dotingly saying, "You girl, you're too willful..."
"Are you two done talking?"
Just as Iron Tiger and Flying Swallow were speaking one after another, completely disregarding Zhang Daoyuan and Ye Ling, a cold voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
The two of them jolted violently!