Chapter 2: Unrelated to the Mission

Meanwhile, after leaving the Civil Affairs Bureau, Ye Xuan took a taxi to the foot of Panlong Mountain.

As the only mountain in Jianghai City, Panlong Mountain featured steep, treacherous cliffs and rarely saw tourists.

Because the area was entirely deserted, no one noticed a dark silhouette scaling the mountain toward the peak at an unfathomable speed.

This figure was none other than Ye Xuan.

Five minutes later, at the summit.

Ye Xuan stared at the wooden cabin before him with mixed feelings, his heart heavy with melancholy.

The cabin was uninhabited and clearly showed its age. However, it was spotless, evidently cleaned on a regular basis. In front of the cabin stood a pitch-black, nameless tombstone.

Ye Xuan pulled out two wine gourds from nowhere and plopped down in front of the tombstone.

"Old man, I’ve fulfilled our three-year agreement," he said with a bitter smile. "It’s just that... I actually got dumped. Your great-granddaughter is just too proud and aloof. No wonder you were so worried about her. Heh..."

Talking and drinking all by himself, Ye Xuan sprawled out on the ground, completely lacking in grace or image.

Who could have imagined that he was the most powerful existence in the border region of Xia Country, known as the Invincible War God!

The Supreme Leader himself had personally awarded him a Guardian Medal!

A Guardian Medal that was renowned as an Immunity Token!

Five years ago, he had been ambushed during a clash with enemy forces, suffering critical injuries that left him at death’s door.

In his dying moments, Ye Xuan was saved by an old beggar. The old man spent two years remolding Ye Xuan’s physique and imparting supreme Martial Arts techniques to him, causing Ye Xuan’s strength to skyrocket!

But there was no such thing as a free lunch. The old beggar’s condition was for Ye Xuan to take his place and protect Lin Aoxue for three years as the Lin Family’s son-in-law!

And that old beggar was Lin Zhennan, Lin Aoxue’s great-grandfather!

Ye Xuan lay sprawled on the ground just like that, motionless as a corpse.

An unknown amount of time passed until he almost seemed to blend into the surroundings.

Suddenly, bathed in the moonlight, several dark figures flashed into existence a short distance away from him.

They dropped to one knee, placing their right fists over their chests, and spoke with absolute reverence, "Cyan Dragon Hall is here. We pay our respects to the Cyan Dragon Chief!"

Cyan Dragon Hall stood at the pinnacle of Xia Country’s border region as one of the four great mysterious organizations!

And Ye Xuan was the Cyan Dragon Chief, the leader of this very group!

This identity alone was enough to make anyone look up to him in awe.

"Mhm." Ye Xuan slowly opened his eyes, completely unsurprised. He had summoned Cyan Dragon Hall here himself!

It was his first time summoning them in five years!

The members of Cyan Dragon Hall were visibly thrilled, their voices trembling slightly. "Dragon Chief, you’ve finally returned!"

Ye Xuan stood up. With his back facing the members of Cyan Dragon Hall, he asked calmly, "How have things been... these past few years? Have you found them?"

Five years ago, he and the other three Chiefs had led their teams on a six-star mission. Yet, this nearly invincible lineup had been severely crippled by an enemy ambush!

Ye Xuan’s narrow escape from death back then had been bought with the White Tiger Chief’s life!

Recalling those memories, the killing intent within Ye Xuan surged uncontrollably. His boundless rage felt as though it could devour everything in its path!

Under this oppressive aura, cold sweat trickled down the faces of the Cyan Dragon Hall experts, their knees buckling!

They exchanged glances, seeing the mutual shock in each other’s eyes.

The Dragon Chief had become even stronger!

A scrawny young man stepped forward, his expression somewhat grim. "To answer the Dragon Chief, the White Tiger Chief’s death has been confirmed. The Black Tortoise Chief has been found, but his meridians were severely damaged, and his cultivation is completely ruined. Only the Vermilion Bird Chief suffered the lightest injuries, having fully recovered three months ago."

Though the young man looked like a sickly invalid, he was actually Cyan Dragon Hall’s top assassin, codenamed Long Jiao!

His assassination skills were terrifying enough to make anyone shudder.

"Vermilion Bird’s injuries were the lightest?" Ye Xuan paused for a moment before a self-deprecating smile touched his lips.

White Tiger was dead, Xuanwu was crippled, and Vermilion Bird had only recovered three months ago. Meanwhile, he had recovered three years ago.

To say that the Vermilion Bird Chief had the lightest injuries—wasn’t that incredibly ironic?

"You scum from the Celestial Ranking, I swear in the name of the Cyan Dragon Chief, I will slaughter you with my own hands!"

At that moment, White Snake spoke up, asking, "Dragon Chief, when do you plan to return to the organization? Cyan Dragon Hall is gradually declining. We’re even on the verge of losing our position among the four groups!"

Hearing this, two cold glints shot out from Ye Xuan’s eyes. "What’s going on?"

White Snake then explained everything.

Cyan Dragon Hall had originally been the strongest of the four groups, but their vitality had been severely drained due to the mission’s failure five years ago. With Long Zhua and Long Lin killed in action, their overall strength had plummeted.

More importantly, the up-and-coming Qilin Group was eyeing them like a predator!

One wrong move, and Cyan Dragon Hall could be stripped of its title as one of the four groups and disbanded on the spot!

"The Qilin Group?" Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes with a cold sneer. "After you go back, closely monitor their every move. Then, leak the news of my reappearance to the Jingcheng border region. Let’s see if those guys still remember the might of the Cyan Dragon Chief!"

Even if the news leaked, Ye Xuan wasn’t worried about the Qilin Group extending their reach to him.

After all, Jianghai City was located in the south, while the border region headquarters was in Jingcheng. Even if the Qilin Group wielded immense power, their reach would fall short.

This would not only serve as a deterrent but also allow Ye Xuan to establish a commanding presence in the south, threatening the north.

White Snake and the others hastily complied.

Ye Xuan thought for a moment before sighing. "Also, I need you to find a girl for me. She is White Tiger’s younger sister, named Chen Bingyu. She’s been wandering outside since childhood. If nothing unexpected happened, she should be somewhere in the southern region."

Before executing that mission, the White Tiger Chief had entrusted Ye Xuan to find his biological sister and protect her at all costs.

Perhaps, he had anticipated his own end long ago.

However, because Chen Bingyu had gone missing at a young age, coupled with the complex and massive population of the south, trying to find her with just a name was like looking for a needle in a haystack!

But to his surprise, White Snake’s answer made Ye Xuan’s body tremble in shock. "To answer the Dragon Chief, Chen Bingyu has already been found!"

"Where... is she?!" Ye Xuan asked, somewhat agitated.

Beside White Snake, Long Ci, who was clad in a sleek combat outfit, stepped forward and said respectfully, "Dragon Chief, Chen Bingyu is right here in Jianghai City. However, her current identity is the eldest daughter of the Jianghai Yang Family, and she has changed her name to Yang Bingyu!"

Ye Xuan asked suspiciously, "Where did you get this information?"

He had searched for three years without finding Yang Bingyu, yet his subordinates had found her. Wasn’t that a bit too bizarre?

Pausing for a moment, Long Ci gave a dry laugh and scratched his head. "The Commander already knows about your return. Therefore, he sent us to pass on a mission to you—to protect the White Tiger Chief’s sister, Yang Bingyu."

"So it was that old man who dug up this intel." Ye Xuan chuckled and shook his head, though his expression quickly turned solemn. "Since that old man issued this mission, it means Yang Bingyu’s identity as Chen Hao’s sister has already been exposed!

"Go back and tell that old man that I won’t accept this mission!

"But as for Yang Bingyu’s life... I’ll protect it!"

This was what Ye Xuan owed Chen Hao, and it had nothing to do with any mission.

Chen Hao was the true name of the White Tiger Chief!