Chapter 39: A Hundred-Year Feud
That’s right. Mr. square-faced fatso had climbed another step up the corporate ladder. He was initially a team leader under the Agency of Special Affairs, but he had recently been promoted to the position of Deputy Chief, second only to Yun Sheng.
Of course, much of it was also thanks to Lu Xuan’s guidance. Under the excuse of enhancing security around the Lings, the square-faced fatso had consulted Lu Xuan on various cultivation-related problems over the month.
Lu Xuan’s cultivation and keen eyes were nothing short of a wonder. No matter what questions he posed to him, he could solve them in a snap.
The square-faced fatso had been stuck at the pinnacle of level four HuaJin for a long time. With Lu Xuan’s guidance, he finally stepped into level five and became a Baodan Grandmaster.
That was something tricky to achieve, even for a regular martial arts legend. After all, every person’s journey to becoming a Baodan Grandmaster varied from person to person, and so all Baodan Grandmasters were entirely different. To Lu Xuan, who used to be a Celestial Lord in his past life, such differences were negligible, for they were all walking on the same path towards the same direction.
As he stood too high above anyone else, such differences were minuscule to him.
With cultivation this powerful and his achievements over the years, only then did the square-faced fatso get promoted to become the youngest Deputy Chief ever in the Agency of Special Affairs.
That was why he was so respectful towards Lu Xuan!
A real-life fairy godfather, that’s what he was!
1It was uncommon to meet someone like that. Also, Lu Xuan did not believe the notion that “teachings should not be passed to six ears,” meaning that he was open to sharing knowledge. His achievements were so high that even offhanded remarks were enough to benefit the listener for life.
“They didn’t need me to come personally at first. However, this martial arts competition is different!” the square-faced fatso said as he looked at Lu Xuan.
“There are quite a number cultivation legacies within the Min Province, big and small. However, there are only a couple that could truly be called an established sect. Apart from the Southern Shaolin, we are looking at the two large houses—the Chens from Min Nan and the Seven Invincible Sect from Min Bei!
“Lin Sheng is the disciple of the Seven Invincible Sect. Not only that, but he is also the direct disciple first in line. The Seven Invincible Sect and the Chens have been feuding for the past hundred years or so!”
The square-faced fatso began to explain about the feud between the two factions. Tracing back to the origins, we would need to dial the clock back to the previous century, during the era of late Qing and early Republic.
In those olden days, the Chens were hugely influential in the Min Province as they were one of the firsts to pledge their loyalties to the KMT, joining the revolution to overthrow the Qing dynasty. After the success of the revolution, the Chens began to dig their roots into the Min Province and quickly swell in power. They later forced the Seven Invincible Sect far into the northwest, who then joined our current party during the revolution.
After the founding of our Republic, the Seven Invincible Sect soon rose to high power. Sectmasters over the generations were even granted free access within the Inner Palace and often made up the team of bodyguards protecting our leaders.
The Chens, on the other hand, were curbed of their power and were forced to retreat to Min Nan. However, because some from the Chen family also joined the prevailing party when they threw themselves into the revolution, the Chens escaped obliteration, although they did suffer significant weakening.
Because of their opposing political beliefs, the two houses had been at each other’s throats for many many years. Both had countless forefathers who died in the hands of the other, and it was no longer possible to elucidate the feuds between them.
Years later, under negotiations led by a particular leader in the Inner Palace, the two houses finally relocated to two distinct regions, with one residing in the south and the other in the north. They had lived physically apart since and went on their separate ways.
1After the reformation and opening of the country, descendants from both sides both pursued business paths. And so, the political feuding spilled over to the business world as well.
Between the two factions, they made it an unspoken rule to settle whatever business or even political disputes they had through martial sparring.
No matter how far the two factions had developed, deep down, they were still warriors who took pride in their tradition.
The participation of the two houses this year was also why this relatively unknown martial arts competition had drawn the attention of warriors and magnates alike.
“So, there’s such a story behind this!” Lu Xuan only knew about this piece of history after hearing it from Square-faced Fatso. In his past life, this was when he was still drowning in despair. Many years would pass before he finally stepped onto the way of cultivation once again. His past incarnation trudged in muddledness, and for many things, all he could recall were pieces of rumor. For much more, he had not even heard about them at all.
However, he now knew that Lin Sheng was a disciple of the highly reputable Seven Invincible Sect. However, if he weren’t from a distinguished sect, there would be no way that he could attain mastery of HuaJin before the age of 30, and was now a mere half-step away from becoming a Baodan Grandmaster.
“The sparring contests held back in the day were all warm-up matches. The bigwigs of the two houses would only arrive at night. When that time came, that would also be the moment where they decide the stakes they would hold in the various industries!” added Square-faced fatso. “Also, the bad blood between these two houses runs deep. Many lost their lives during the fights. Meanwhile, handicapping and debilitation were frequent!”
Lu Xuan frowned slightly. “Since it’s an unspoken tradition between those two houses, anything that happens during the fight would be their responsibility alone. Can the Agency of Special Affairs even step in?”
The authorities couldn’t have been in the dark regarding such matters, yet they had always turned a blind eye. Therefore, it was apparent that someone had already taken care of everything.
That was also the policy of the ruling courts through the generation. So long as they did not affect the grand scheme of things, they would turn a blind eye towards such things. Out of sight, out of mind.
Square-faced Fatso took a glance at their surroundings before saying, “This time’s different. I received news that the Chens have come prepared. They are planning to cripple the Seven Invincible Sect once and for all!”
“They’re capable of doing that? Why didn’t they do that earlier then?” Lu Xuan asked.
“You might not know about this, Mr. Lu, but the Chen family had split when the KMT retreated to Taiwan in defeat. A portion of them stayed on the mainland and joined our current party, while the rest went overseas with the KMT. Therefore, there are currently two Chen families.” Square-faced Fatso clarified patiently, “This time, the overseas Chens were also planning to gain ground in the mainland. The Chens of Min Nan is their best springboard, and the faction blocking right in their way is none other than the Seven Invincible Sect. They have come to sweep away their obstacles!
“According to the intel received by the Agency of Special Affairs, the overseas Chens were hugely influential overseas, not just in Taiwan. The Flying Dragon Sect, formed with the Chen family as its core, is extremely respected within the overseas Chinese circles. The organization is so prominent that they outrank even the Chens in the mainland!” Square-faced Fatso finally concluded, “The overseas Chens are most probably planning to wipe out the Seven Invincibles Sect with the power of the Flying Dragon Sect!
“Frankly speaking, this has little to do with the Agency of Special Affairs. However, one of the Vice Sectmasters of the Flying Dragon Sect was a defected Chief of the Agency of Special Forces. He used to wield extreme amounts of power within the agency, but for reasons unknown, he defected overseas. Over the years, we have tried to chase him down, but to no avail!”
Lu Xuan immediately understood. No existing powers could ever tolerate traitors often considered to be far worse than the enemy. No wonder the Agency of Special Affairs would go to such lengths.
“Will the traitor show up in person?” Lu Xuan asked.
“Probably not. He knows that within the country, we have laid nets above and snares beneath to catch him. It was challenging to catch him when he’s overseas, as we were often tied up by restrictions. However, if he dares step foot into the country, the Big Boss of the State Bureau will come down personally. He would have no chance to escape!” Square-faced Fatso declared. When mentioning the Big Boss, one could see slight admiration from his face.
Comments