Chapter Eighty-Six: The Reason Behind It

The old man with the filthy beard merely sought to catch Zhao Yin's attention, never intending to confront him directly; so when he saw Zhao Yin make his move, he turned and fled at once.

But at that moment, Zhao Yin’s mind was consumed by the urge to kill those who had caused his failure; he was almost possessed, bordering on madness.

“Don’t even think about escaping! Today, you will die!” Zhao Yin chased after him in a frenzy, utterly heedless of the ordinary people still present. He surged through the crowd with a powerful internal force, leaving burns on those unlucky enough to be close.

The injured writhed on the ground in agony; even those spared were terrified, trembling uncontrollably and begging not to be killed.

The scene devolved into chaos, and even the two constables were paralyzed with fear. They were only ordinary men, carrying out orders—how could they have known what martial artists truly were?

Jiang Xiaotian had no time to worry about them. He didn’t pause to wonder who the filthy-bearded old man was; since the man had aided him, the wisest course was to seize the opportunity and slip away.

Having suffered bullying since childhood, Jiang Xiaotian’s other skills were lacking, but his talent for escape was second to none.

So as soon as Zhao Yin disappeared from his line of sight, Jiang Xiaotian sprang up and shouted, “Run, everyone! The immortals are fighting! If you don’t want to die, hurry and get out!”

He was the first to bolt, heading straight for the exit.

Many quick-witted beggars followed him. The remaining constables paid them no mind, still busy reporting the situation to their superiors, for Zhao Yin had clearly overstepped all boundaries.

By regulation, martial artists were forbidden from bullying ordinary people, let alone killing them recklessly. Zhao Yin’s actions were nothing less than a challenge to the authority of the court.

The beggars had nowhere else to go and eventually returned to the alleys of East City, too frightened to wander.

Jiang Xiaotian was now safe, but what of the filthy-bearded old man? Who was he, and why had he helped Jiang Xiaotian so suddenly?

Despite the thousand questions swirling in his mind, Jiang Xiaotian could only wait here, enduring his anxiety; otherwise, all the old man’s efforts would have been for nothing.

But afternoon came and the old man still had not returned. Even Ouyang Ziqian, who usually brought food for the beggars, did not appear. Clearly, changes in Dragon City were becoming ever more pronounced.

Many had been injured; apart from Jiang Xiaotian, the others had suffered at least minor wounds, some with severe burns that were horrifying to behold, but none had money or could afford a hospital.

They didn’t dare buy medicine either, so badly were they frightened.

Jiang Xiaotian, seeing their misery, felt a pang of guilt. If not for him, they would never have been hurt so badly.

With a sigh, he gathered his meager coins and went to buy some Yunnan Baiyao.

At the counter, the shop clerk eyed him curiously. “What happened? Was there a brawl?”

Jiang Xiaotian shook his head, ignoring her.

She wasn’t offended, but continued packing the medicine, muttering to herself.

“Just now, an old beggar with a scruffy beard came to buy medicine. He was badly hurt, limping and bleeding. I told him to go to the hospital, but he refused.”

Jiang Xiaotian looked up anxiously. “Old beggar? Was his beard white and filthy?”

The clerk nodded. “Yes, he bled a lot. I had to mop the floor again because of him. If you know him, get him to a hospital. Brawling is dangerous!”

Jiang Xiaotian hurriedly asked where the old beggar had gone, but the clerk could only point vaguely in a direction.

Without delay, Jiang Xiaotian thanked her and set off to search.

Fortunately, he had some idea: since the old man had been wounded by Zhao Yin, he couldn’t have gone far, and would likely be hiding somewhere deserted.

He searched every empty street and alley nearby, but still found no trace.

Just as disappointment threatened to overwhelm him, a little girl ran up.

She looked about ten, sweet-faced and adorable.

“Big brother, are you a beggar too?” she asked, blinking her large, innocent eyes.

Before Jiang Xiaotian could answer, she pointed far off. “There’s a beggar lying still by the garbage dump. It’s scary!”

“Thank you!” Jiang Xiaotian dashed off without looking back, praying fervently that the old man was still alive.

If the old man had died protecting him, Jiang Xiaotian would never forgive himself.

At the end of the road stood the garbage plant, reeking so badly that no normal person could endure it without a mask.

Jiang Xiaotian spotted a figure lying beside a mound of trash, unmoving.

Who else could it be but the filthy-bearded old man?

Relieved, Jiang Xiaotian hurried to help him up.

The moment he touched him, the old man’s eyes snapped open; seeing Jiang Xiaotian, he began to cough violently.

Thankfully, he was alive—his injuries were severe, but had missed all vital points. Jiang Xiaotian breathed a sigh of relief; Zhao Yin had proved inept after all.

Still, the old man’s condition was far from ideal and he needed treatment, but a hospital was out of the question, and Jiang Xiaotian knew nothing of medicine.

Left with no choice, Jiang Xiaotian pressed the red button on his action tablet—the emergency medical support shortcut.

Immediately, the screen lit up, showing his coordinates and the estimated arrival time of the medical team.

It was impressively high-tech.

Taking advantage of the wait, Jiang Xiaotian helped the old man out of the garbage plant and into a nearby alley, where the environment was less harsh.

“Wait here. I’ve called a medical team. By the way, who are you really, and why did you help me?”

The old man gave him a tired look. “Me? I’m just a contact—Zhang Guodong’s contact. That’s all you need to know.”

Jiang Xiaotian barely had time to be excited that the old man was one of their people before he was doused with cold water.

“Don’t get too happy, kid. Do you realize you’ve caused a disaster?” The old man’s face was pale, but now flushed—not from resurgence, but from anger.

Jiang Xiaotian was bewildered. He’d barely escaped death and had saved Ouyang Zijing—how could he have caused trouble?

“Heh, you think the authorities do nothing and let people die in vain? Listen, Dragon City is far less peaceful than you imagine.”

The old man, enduring his pain, revealed a truth that stunned Jiang Xiaotian.

It turned out that the city park had always been a mysterious place. When the authorities tried to investigate, the Ouyang family got ahead of them and took control. With no other option, the authorities let them proceed, hoping to benefit later.

That was years ago. The Ouyang family investigated for a long time without progress, because all the authorities knew was that energy was leaking from the park—energy strong enough to alter the city’s feng shui, but impossible to capture or use.

The greatest beneficiary was the Ouyang family, who had grown powerful thanks to long-term exposure. Despite being women, they formed a stable triad with the other two families.

Dragon City, filled with this energy, became an ideal place to foster martial artists; its status as a martial city was no accident.

The three families were originally independent, but the Zhao family coveted the secrets of the city park, leading to frequent skirmishes, which the authorities largely ignored.

But a few months ago, the energy changed: instead of leaking, it began to flow back. For ordinary people, this meant little, but for the Zhao and Li families and the authorities, it was momentous.

Everyone suspected the Ouyang family, but official investigations found otherwise. Still, others refused to believe it, and this was the first source of resentment.

Then, a masked man appeared a month ago, often seen near the city park. It was hard to believe he had nothing to do with the energy reversal.

Hearing all this, Jiang Xiaotian realized the energy must be spiritual power. According to their account, it had previously leaked out, but now was flowing back in—a strange phenomenon indeed.

“I still don’t see how I caused trouble,” he said, confused.

The old man clicked his tongue. “You still don’t get it? The authorities wanted to intervene but lacked a legitimate reason. If you hadn’t interfered last night, the Ouyang girl would likely have been crippled, prompting a major uproar that would have allowed the court to send people to suppress it. Now, thanks to you, their plans are ruined!”

“There is a true treasure hidden in the city park!”