Chapter Sixty-Two: Manager Zhang

“I am Huangpu Kong, a true disciple of Tianyang Peak at the Ziyang Sect. My master is the head of Zhenyang Peak, and I am also the heir to the Huangpu family’s Zhao Kingdom branch...”
“If you kill me, endless troubles will follow you... spare me, I promise I will never come after you again...”
“I can also give you spirit stones... ten thousand—no, thirty thousand spirit stones, all I have, just let me go....”
Huangpu Kong, once lofty and arrogant, now had nothing left of his former bearing; all he thought about in this moment was how to preserve his own life.
Before death, nothing else mattered.
A flash of cold light streaked past. Seizing the moment when Huangpu Kong’s courage was shattered, it erased his last breath.
Huangpu Kong collapsed stiffly, his eyes wide open, disbelief still lingering in them.
“Heh, did you really think you could scare me?”
“As for the spirit stones... once I kill you, won’t they all be mine? Why would I need you to hand them over....”
Having spent more time in the world of cultivation, Lin Cheng was no longer the soft-hearted youth who once hesitated even to kill a mere bandit.
Now, to him, if someone wished to take his life, he would show no mercy in return.
After collecting everyone’s storage pouches, Lin Cheng strode quickly toward the two young women.
With a wave of his hand, he lifted the restraints on them. Before he could speak, the two women flung themselves into his arms simultaneously.
“Brother Lin...”
“Brother Lin Cheng... how could you be so foolish? There were so many powerful enemies, yet you still came....”
Seeing the tears welling up in their eyes, Lin Cheng felt warmth surge in his heart.
He gently patted their backs, comforting them, “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
“No... they just wanted to lure you here... Brother Lin Cheng, do you know that man in the purple robe?”
Lin Cheng shook his head. “I don’t....”
“But there’s nothing your Brother Lin can’t solve with a single sword strike. And if one isn’t enough... then two will do.”
Hearing this, the two girls couldn’t help but break into laughter through their tears.
Once their emotions had settled, the three turned to examine the identities of the black-robed men.
As expected, they were from the Qiu family.
“This is... Qiu Batian. That old man looks familiar too...”
“I remember now—he’s the Qiu family’s most powerful elder, Old Master Qiu. I met him at Taibai Pavilion once with my grandfather...”
“Brother Lin Cheng, you’re amazing! These must have been the Qiu family’s strongest fighters, and you cut them all down with a single sword....”
“The Qiu family is truly finished in Dragon City now...”
An An chattered on in excitement.

Just as Lin Cheng was about to take the two women away on his sword,
the thunder of galloping horses sounded from afar.
Looking up, he saw clouds of dust rising on the horizon.
A force of armored cavalry surged forward like a tidal wave, charging directly toward them.
At the front rode a panther-like spirit beast, radiating a red glow.
“Hyah!”

As the cavalry drew near, An Zhan—riding atop the panther—spotted his daughter and her companions at a glance.
He sprang from the saddle, leaping through the air and landing before the three of them in a few bounds.
“An’er, are you alright?”
“Yingying, are all of you unharmed?”
An Zhan looked them over with concern.
“Hmph. Father, if we’d waited for you, we’d already be dead...” An An pouted.
“No need to worry, Uncle An. They were only frightened, nothing serious,” Lin Cheng said from the side.
“Thank you again, Nephew Lin, for saving them... I truly have no way to repay you...” An Zhan said gravely.
Lin Cheng waved his hand. “Uncle An, there’s no need for such formality. I was just as worried for An An and Yingying as you were. Of course I had to act.”
Hearing this, An Zhan smiled meaningfully.
Noticing the bodies lying nearby, he hurried over.
“Qiu Batian?”
“The old master of the Qiu family?”
...
This!
An Zhan turned to Lin Cheng in disbelief.
“They were indeed all killed by me,” Lin Cheng confirmed.
Once his shock subsided, An Zhan walked to the purple-robed corpse and frowned.
Clearly, this man was unfamiliar to him, yet the lingering pressure of a Sky Spirit Realm cultivator on the corpse left him astonished.
“This one... was also slain by you, Nephew Lin?”
Lin Cheng nodded.
Taking a deep breath, An Zhan looked at Lin Cheng with more than mere shock in his eyes.
For a True Qi Master at the eleventh level to defeat a Sky Spirit Realm expert—had he not witnessed it himself, who would ever believe such a thing?
Lin Cheng scratched his nose, laughing sheepishly, “Just lucky, I suppose...”
An Zhan shook his head, thinking, “Who would buy that?”
“Do you know who that man is?” An Zhan asked.
“To be honest, it was I who brought trouble upon An An and Yingying... That man claimed to be from the Ziyang Sect. Their true target was me all along....”
As he spoke, Lin Cheng looked apologetically at An An and Yingying.
“Don’t say that, Brother Lin Cheng. The Qiu family has always been at odds with us, and they’ve tried to harm our family many times. With the Ziyang Sect’s disciple present, they clearly wanted to wipe us out along with you....” An An quickly said.
“An’er is right. But this time, their scheming has backfired disastrously—they’ve lost everything....”
“Nephew Lin, you’ve rid our family of a great enemy. Dragon City can finally know some peace.”
Clang, clang, clang!
At that moment, the iron cavalry finally arrived. With a harsh pull on the reins, the horses screeched to a halt before them, leaving deep grooves in the earth.
“Greetings, Patriarch...”
“Greetings, Young Miss...”
...

Dozens of riders leapt from their horses, kneeling on one knee in salute.
Before An Zhan could speak, a rainbow light streaked across the sky.
Everyone looked up in astonishment.
Soon, the rainbow split into two figures who landed before them.
“Grandfather...”
One of them was Old Master An himself.
An An hurried over, taking his arm.
“Greetings, Old Patriarch...”
A row of An family guards gazed at him with fervor.
“Old Master, is that...” An Zhan looked in disbelief at the man beside his father.
“Hahaha, you’re right... it’s Manager Zhang from Taibai Pavilion...”
“To tell the truth, I owe it all to young friend Lin. I went to Taibai Pavilion to borrow a flying treasure to come to your aid, but when Manager Zhang learned that Lin was on his way here too, he brought me straight here....”
Old Master An smiled at Lin Cheng as he spoke.
Lin Cheng stepped forward and bowed. “I never imagined Manager Zhang was so deeply hidden—a cultivator at the Pill Realm.”
He’d never guessed that the portly shopkeeper possessed such power; only those at the Pill Realm could fly unaided by treasures.
He recalled how Zhang had once called him brother, which made him shake his head—he himself was but a True Qi cultivator.
“You flatter me, Brother Lin. After decades of cultivation, I’m only at the Pill Realm....”
“But compared to you, who can slay a Sky Spirit Realm foe as a True Qi Master, I can only sigh in admiration....” Zhang Xu said with a wry smile.
Hearing this, the An family guards looked at Lin Cheng in shock.
“If you keep praising him, my Brother Lin Cheng will start blushing again...”
“This mischievous girl....”
At this, everyone burst into laughter.

Old Master An walked to the corpse of the Qiu family patriarch and stood in silent contemplation.
A lifetime of rivalry, and it ended this way.
May you rest in peace!
Those present stood quietly aside, out of respect.
After a moment, Old Master An turned around.
“Bury them here.”
Though they were enemies, they had known each other for years. To leave them whole and buried was a final gesture to settle old grudges.
Once he’d given his orders,
Old Master An approached Zhang Xu, clasping his hands in invitation. “If you have the time, Manager Zhang, please honor our family and allow us to express our gratitude for your timely assistance...”
“Brother Zhang, I haven’t had a good drink with you yet. Since you came to help us, I can’t thank you enough. Why not join us at the An residence for a feast?” Lin Cheng added.
“With both Old Master An and Brother Lin inviting me, how could I refuse? Let’s drink together then...”