The Southern Faction’s Inside Story

"Second Brother, Chen Fengyun told me he's a student in the Archaeology Department at Capital University, so he has a keen interest in old artifacts. Since he often frequents the antique market, it seems to be true," the man said.

"It's too early to draw any conclusions. But his fondness for antiques must have a reason. Let's wait until I've investigated his background," the sharp-eyed man finally replied.

"Everyone, take a look—has anyone seen this guy, or knows anything about him?" After a moment's thought, the sharp-eyed man sent a photo of Chen Fengyun to a group chat, one that only well-known figures in the Southern Faction could enter.

"Second Brother, I've seen this guy before," someone finally replied in a private message.

"Eighth Brother, when did you see him? Did you have any dealings with him?" The sharp-eyed man perked up and asked.

"Second Brother, to be honest, I feel a bit embarrassed about this. Half a year ago, I ran into him in the small town at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain. At the time, he and Fourth Brother were tomb raiding and got discovered by the forest police. We bumped into each other in that town. He snatched two things from me and even found out the location of that ancient tomb we couldn't open.

Later, we went together, only to discover the tomb had already been plundered. I suspected it was him, but I was too ashamed to admit I'd been robbed on the road, so I kept quiet." As it turned out, this Eighth Brother was none other than the man Chen Fengyun had previously robbed.

"Eighth Brother, you really are something. Not only did you get robbed, you even covered for him. If I hadn't asked today, were you planning to keep this a secret forever?" the sharp-eyed man asked, somewhat irritated.

"Second Brother, that was my intention. But I had no choice—his skills were too impressive. I couldn't beat him, and he threatened to turn me over to the police. That's why I revealed the tomb's location," Eighth Brother replied honestly.

"What exactly did he take? Did he say anything else?" The sharp-eyed man changed the subject, pressing for more details.

"He took a thumb-sized gray stone and a rusty short sword, about three inches long. Those were the only two things he wanted. He ignored the other dozen or so relics after looking them over.

He then asked where I’d dug up those items. I didn’t want to tell him either, but he threatened me with the police, so I had no choice. I just didn’t expect that he’d have the ability to open the stone door that Fourth Brother and I couldn’t blast open, and loot the inner tomb before us."

"Hmph, daring to repeatedly steal from the Southern Faction—he certainly has guts. Once I’ve gotten to the bottom of his background, I’ll make sure he returns what he took," the sharp-eyed man said, a strong aura flashing across him.

"Second Brother, did he steal something else from us?" Eighth Brother asked cautiously.

"A few days ago, he defeated Fourth Brother in YN, ruined one of his operations, and snatched something away," the sharp-eyed man replied coldly.

"What? Even Fourth Brother isn’t his match?" Eighth Brother exclaimed in shock.

"Fourth Brother said the kid’s a martial arts prodigy. During their fight, he actually learned Fourth Brother’s Eight Trigrams Step and Eight Trigrams Palm. Coupled with his iron-body skills, he was a tough opponent."

"That’s right, his skills are very unusual. I remember swinging an entrenching tool at his back, but he was unscathed. The recoil nearly made me lose my grip—definitely iron-body training. But our fight was over quickly. When I was thrown off balance by the recoil, he pounced, kicked me, and pressed me to the ground. We didn’t tangle for long, so I’m not sure what other techniques he knows," Eighth Brother quickly added.

"So young and already so skilled. It seems his background isn’t simple—perhaps he was groomed by some organization. But if they mean to oppose our Southern Faction, even if I have to call on Thirteenth Uncle, I won’t let them off," the sharp-eyed man said coldly.

"What? Second Brother, you’d trouble Thirteenth Uncle himself? Isn’t that unnecessary?" Eighth Brother said, a trace of panic in his voice.

"Since Fifth and Seventh Brothers failed in Japan, and Eldest Brother vanished in the Changbai Mountains, our Southern Faction has been suppressed by the Northern Faction. If not for Thirteenth Uncle holding the line, we wouldn’t have the influence we do now.

This time, no matter what, we can’t let anyone walk all over us. Once I’ve figured out the kid’s background, I’ll settle the score," the sharp-eyed man said darkly.

"Second Brother, you know Thirteenth Uncle’s condition. He hasn’t made a move in years. If we can handle it ourselves, we shouldn’t trouble him," Eighth Brother advised.

"I know that. If we can resolve this ourselves, we won’t disturb Thirteenth Uncle. But I have a feeling this kid’s not easy to deal with. Without Thirteenth Uncle, I fear none of us can handle him," the sharp-eyed man sighed.

Chen Fengyun, of course, had no inkling he was being watched by a powerful faction. Upon returning home, he helped his mother with dinner, and after the meal, watched TV with his parents, all while waiting to check his college entrance exam results.

That’s right—tonight, the results would be out, but not until after ten o’clock. So the whole family stayed up, chatting and watching TV as they waited.

"Fengyun, how do you think you did? Old Zhang said his daughter did really well. She’ll get into any of the top nine universities for sure. You’re not going to lose to a girl, are you?" his father asked, a little anxious.

"Old man, what are you saying? With so many people taking the exam, who can predict the results? And what’s wrong with losing to a girl? Half the students are girls—are you saying they can’t do well?" his mother interjected, standing up for Chen Fengyun.

"Don’t worry, Mom and Dad. I promise I did better than Zhang Qingyan. I’m thinking of applying to Capital University—what do you think?" Chen Fengyun said quickly.

"As long as you did better than Old Zhang’s daughter, that’s fine. Wait—are you sure you can get into Capital University? Are you bragging?" his father nodded, then suddenly realized and asked in shock.

"If you really get into Capital University, our Chen family must have ancestors smiling upon us! We should light incense in thanks. Why not?" his mother said excitedly.

"Heh, if my son can enter Capital University, I’ll have so much face when I go out in the future!" his father laughed, already picturing the envious greetings from everyone.

Seeing his parents so happy, Chen Fengyun decided not to mention his chosen major in archaeology for now. He figured they might not approve, so it would be better to wait until the admission letter arrived—break the news after the fact.