Chapter 202: Wei Yanwu: Would You Feel It If the Sky Fell? (Patreon)

"Things are going smoothly on the Syndicate's end right now. Lord Kashena sent me over to give Wei Yenwu a great big surprise!"

Honestly, having someone like Koschei as a teammate was a love-hate thing.

The upside was that he always laid out preparations for every contingency well in advance, and when it counted he was nine out of ten reliable, if not ten out of ten. The very picture of a gold-medal teammate.

The catch was that you had to be okay with him dropping some earth-shattering news on you every now and then.

"Just keep Endfield out of whatever's going on between you and Wei Yenwu."

Saito rubbed his temple gently. What could be more alarming than finding a Snake Scale standing right here? As for their feud, well, after hearing what Wei Yenwu had done from Talulah, Saito didn't think much of the man anyway.

As long as ordinary people and Endfield's interests weren't dragged in, they could fight it out as much as they liked.

"Of course, Lord Saito. Compared to the future of Ursus, that old dragon is hardly worth mentioning."

"But the problem now is that you may not want anything to do with him, but whether Wei Yenwu feels the same is another matter."

Beck spread his hands. As Wei Yenwu's old rival, he knew exactly what that old dragon was thinking.

"Because of Little Chen?"

Beck nodded. The first time he'd laid eyes on the girl, he had foreseen this day. Chixiao swordsmanship, the surname Chen, and that face all gathered in one person. Even he couldn't help reading too much into it, let alone Wei Yenwu.

With Saito leading Chen Qianyu into Wei Yenwu's territory, the old dragon was bound to make a move.

"On top of that, you came from Ursus. That old dragon will absolutely, positively pin the blame on Koschei."

But that only explained the problem of Chen Qianyu's identity. It didn't explain where she'd gotten her Chixiao swordsmanship.

Talulah had still been young back then, and being someone caught up in the events, she could hardly see the whole picture of what had happened.

Koschei, though, Wei Yenwu's old rival, had seen all of it clearly. He alone understood best what that old dragon Wei Yenwu feared most.

"Rest easy, Lord Saito. I'll handle this myself. You and Lord Little Chen only need to stay in Lungmen for a few days, then head off to Dahuang City and Yumen with an easy mind."

The more you say that, the less at ease I feel, pal.

Beck all but had the words "I have a grand scheme" carved across his face. Even from several meters away, Saito could hear him laughing inside.

He spent a few seconds offering silent condolences to the Governor Wei he'd never met. In the end Saito chose not to meddle. Just as Beck said, this had nothing to do with them, and watching how things played out served Endfield's interests best.

Saito rose from the sofa, brushed the dust off his clothes, and gave one last warning before heading out.

"Oh, and keep your people in line. Don't let me find out about anything like this happening again."

"Yes, my lord."

Beck's smile faded too. He would deal with that brainless fool properly. By his own morals, he had no real objection to the dirty business the man had done, but since Lord Saito had found out, it could only be called the fool's bad luck.

"Done talking?"

When Saito stepped out of the Ursus settlement, Lin Yühsia was standing at the door of the building. The few gatekeepers had huddled together not far off, watching in nervous silence.

"Yeah. The medicine business is sorted out."

Lin Yühsia gave Saito a thoughtful look but didn't press him. Since her father had told her to just bring Saito and Chen over, the aftermath of this matter was no longer hers to worry about.

"I'll take you back."

"Thanks, we'd appreciate it."

…

…

"Old Wei? What brings you to the slums all of a sudden to see an old friend like me? You didn't even call ahead."

In the Lin family courtyard, Lin Kojui feigned surprise at the sight of Wei Yenwu in front of him. The long whiskers at the corners of his mouth trembled slightly, and he couldn't suppress the smile tugging at his lips no matter how he tried.

"Hmph. Shouldn't I be the one asking you? My dear old friend."

Wei Yenwu's gaze was sharp, and he looked every bit the man who had come to demand an explanation. He strode to the edge of the pavilion and poured himself a cup of tea without a shred of courtesy.

"What did I tell you over the phone? You promised to keep an eye on those two young people, didn't you?"

Lin Kojui looked horrified at once.

"What's the matter, Old Wei? I did exactly what you asked. I even sent my own daughter out to watch those two. Isn't that enough?"

You call that watching them? I'm too embarrassed to even expose you!

Wei Yenwu set the teacup down on the table with a heavy thud, and his expression shifted from anger to a sigh in an instant.

"Old Lin, after all these years, I know you've always held a grudge."

"You resent me for not taking our brothers' promises to heart. You resent me for being a Lungmen governor who only cares about his own interests."

Wei Yenwu's voice seemed laden with helplessness, but Lin Kojui was no pushover. The old Zalak lay in his chair, unmoved as a mountain, listening quietly to the complaints.

"You know how much hardship we've been through all these years. Internal strife never ends, and there's never been a shortage of threats from outside." At the mention of outside threats, Wei Yenwu paused and looked at the Rat King. "Do you know why I had you watch those two?"

"Why?"

Lin Kojui seemed to take some interest.

"Because those two are connected to that old Black Snake!"

Wei Yenwu declared flatly, as though he had already settled on the connection.

At those words, Lin Kojui could no longer keep up his carefree act. His tone turned serious, and his eyes held a trace of alarm and doubt.

"Are you sure about that?!"

"Of course."

Wei Yenwu then laid out his speculation in full. But as Lin Kojui listened, his expression grew even grimmer. He suddenly slumped back into the chair behind him, and the wooden rocker let out a faint creak. He kept muttering to himself:

"Impossible. How… how could that be?"

Lin Kojui's reaction made Wei Yenwu frown. It was clearly not what he'd expected, and he pressed at once:

"Old Lin, do you know something?"

"…"

Lin Kojui stayed silent for a long while, his eyes on Wei Yenwu full of complicated feelings.

"Old Wei, your speculation does hold water. But there's no way they could be Black Snake's people."

"What makes you say that?"

Lin Kojui gripped the armrest and slowly rose to his feet. Leaning on his cane, he walked to one side of the pavilion and, with his back to Wei Yenwu, said word by word:

"Do you know what that little girl, Chen Qianyu, was carrying when she came here?"

"What?"

Wei Yenwu stood and asked curiously. But the next moment, when he heard the two words from Lin Kojui's mouth, he collapsed back into his chair as though struck by lightning.

"Chixiao."