He explained the events in detail.
"That’s it? That doesn’t prove anything."
Ling Yu didn’t hesitate to say.
Besides, whether that woman is truly a True Essence Realm Martial Artist.
Even if she is, then what?
The strength gap between Meridian Refining Realm Martial Artists is already vast, let alone True Essence Realm Martial Artists.
Several people lowered their heads upon hearing this.
"I’ll give you all another day or two. By then, I don’t want to hear such answers again. Is that clear?"
He asked.
"This..."
The people around him all showed hesitation.
"Young Master Ling," someone cautiously said, "If this were a normal time, we could definitely do it. But now, the situation is more complicated."
"More complicated?" Ling Yu sneered, "How complicated can it be?"
"Young Master Ling, have you forgotten that the Beast Tide has already erupted?"
With these words, the atmosphere in the private room instantly fell silent.
The faces of the women present turned pale in unison.
Some of them had heard similar rumors but didn’t dare to believe them.
Seeing the expressions on the faces of the men now, did that confirm it? Has the Beast Tide really erupted?
"Beast Tide."
Ling Yu’s face changed slightly.
If it weren’t for the reminder just now, he would have almost forgotten about this matter.
After all, it had been ten years, and living in Jiangnan City, he hadn’t seen such an event in a long time.
"Yes, the Beast Tide. According to reliable information, this time the Beast Tide is much larger than before. It’s likely to spread to large cities. The small and medium cities outside surely won’t be able to hold. Anshan City is just a small city, isn’t it?"
"Young Master Ling, in a day or two, Anshan City might have already been overrun by Fierce Beasts, and that Chen fellow might also die in the Beast Tide."
"Yes, even if he’s a True Essence Realm Martial Artist, he’s still weak in the face of a Beast Tide. If he manages to escape, finding his whereabouts would be just as difficult."
"If he dies in the Beast Tide, that would be letting him off easy."
Ling Yu snorted.
He had to admit, what these people said did make some sense.
The Beast Tide’s arrival has disrupted even first-tier families’ control over the situation, let alone the families of the people in front of him, who only have some influence in Jiangnan City.
"If we can’t break through by dealing with Chen, maybe we should try another angle?"
Shen Si had mentioned Chen Fan when she called her master.
Most likely, Shen Si was also involved or knew what had happened.
Starting from Shen Si’s perspective might be a good strategy.
At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck his mind.
Because that very morning, something related to Shen Si had stirred up quite a discussion at headquarters, and he hadn’t given it much thought.
Thinking about it, he pondered for a moment before asking, "Has anything happened to the Song Family recently? You all know, the relationships between these noble families and our Jiangnan Sub-district Martial Arts Association aren’t particularly good. Yet today, the Patriarch of the Song Family himself came to our headquarters. It’s rather odd."
"The Patriarch of the Song Family went to the headquarters?"
Everyone was shocked by these words.
"Young Master Ling, you’re right. The Song Family recently experienced a major event," Ye Cheng quickly said. "Song Gang of the Song Family, along with Werewolf John from the Revival Association, went to the Rainforest to compete for the Cyan Dragon Fruit. They were ambushed midway and killed."
"Something like that happened?"
Ling Yu’s face showed surprise,
The Song Family’s strength was significant. If his master hadn’t broken through to the Celestial Human Realm, he wouldn’t easily provoke them.
Even so, avoiding conflict with them was for the best.
The Revival Association, in some respects, was even more troublesome than the Song Family, not only due to their strength but also because they had considerable support from other noble families secretly.
Who would dare offend them both together? It’s outrageous.
"Do you know who did it?" he curiously asked.
"Young Master Ling, if we knew, we wouldn’t be sitting here." A young man smiled bitterly.
"Exactly, this matter has nearly shaken the entire Yan Country. Rumor has it that upon learning this, the Revival Association erupted in fury, demanding that the Song Family find the murderer within three days. Otherwise, they would cancel all cooperation with the Song Family. The Song Family mobilized their entire family and even offered a high reward—a million points for anyone providing valuable information."
"A million points! If we knew, we’d have claimed the reward already."
"Really?"
Ling Yu frowned.
"Young Master Ling, do you have any clues?" someone asked.
"How could I have clues?"
Ling Yu smiled and shook his head, "I didn’t even know something had happened to the Song Family. I only learned of it from you."
"That’s true."
Upon hearing this, several people nodded.
"The Song Family Patriarch must have come to gather some information from your association then?"
"I wonder if they found anything?"
"I doubt it. Whoever dared to do this must have had a well-laid plan. They’re not easy to find."
"Exactly, it’s a shame about the reward."
"Yes, a million points are nearly equivalent to our family’s entire annual income."
Upon hearing this, Ling Yu’s mind started formulating a plan.
He had heard that this time the Song Family specifically asked for Shen Si.
If they wanted to gather information, why specifically seek Shen Si and not someone else?
Is there a possibility that Shen Si might know something? And the Song Family discovered this from somewhere?
Tying this with that phone call,
Ling Yu made a bold guess.
The mastermind behind the killing of Song Gang and the Revival Association’s member could be Chen Fan!
The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Why else would Shen Si avoid letting him listen to the call?
But then,
Ling Yu had a lingering doubt.
Is that guy’s strength really that formidable?
It’s said that Song Gang had been in the True Essence Realm for some time. Even he wouldn’t be confident against him, not to mention Werewolf John, who could transform, making his combat power no less than a True Essence Realm Martial Artist.
"Maybe that Chen guy teamed up with Shen Si?"
Ling Yu nodded to himself.
If that’s the case, then everything makes sense.
Instantly, his previous frustration vanished, replaced by a sense of joy.
Chen Fan, Chen Fan, last time I underestimated you, letting you succeed.
But this time?
This time, up against the Song Family, what will you do?
Even if it weren’t for the million points reward, he would still be pleased to leak the information.
However, he refrained from showing this on his face, sipped some red wine, and stood up:
"Alright, continue the investigation. That guy is a True Essence Realm Martial Artist; he won’t die so easily. Don’t worry, if you do this well, I won’t treat you poorly. And if you don’t find anything, I won’t hold it against you either. Just do the best you can."
"Yes, yes."
"Don’t worry, Young Master Ling, we will give our best!"
They quickly stood and assured him, thumping their chests.
After seeing him off, they each sighed with relief.
"Is that Chen fellow really that important? Worth all this commotion?"
Someone muttered softly.
Moreover, a True Essence Realm Martial Artist under twenty, is that even possible? Even first-tier families don’t necessarily have such prodigies, right?
"He may not be important to us, but he is to that person."
"Yes, whoever gets their limelight stolen would feel unhappy. We’d feel the same if it happened to us."
They nodded,
They were unaware of the deep animosity between Chen Fan and Ling Yu.
They merely thought the two were rivals.
After all, such situations were more common and more malicious in their own families.