Chapter 116: I Still Underestimated Him
Fifth Master Hou’s Tea House.
It was already the early hours of the morning, yet Fifth Master Hou, who usually valued his health, had not gone to rest. Instead, he remained seated in the tea house, waiting.
Along with him were Fang Ru and Lawyer He.
The tea on the table had long gone cold, but none of them had the mind to drink.
Because Bin Zi was reporting on the battle from tonight.
According to Fifth Master Hou’s original plan, he intended for Chen Xue Wen to clash with Snake. Based on his assessment, Chen Xue Wen was still too green and lacked the strength, so he would be forced into a dead-end by Snake. At that moment, Fifth Master Hou would step in, saving Chen Xue Wen and bringing him fully under his wing.
To ensure this, he had even dispatched men to closely monitor the situation, ready to intervene at any time to rescue Chen Xue Wen.
But reality unfolded in a completely unexpected way.
Despite having only five men, Chen Xue Wen had managed to outmaneuver both Snake and Zhou Jing Hui, leaving them utterly disoriented.
Even Fifth Master Hou himself couldn’t discern Chen Xue Wen’s true strategy.
When news came that Chen Xue Wen had stormed the snake farm, it took Fifth Master Hou by surprise.
After all, Snake was no weakling—his combat skills were formidable. Furthermore, the snake farm housed a monstrous, man-eating python, an absolutely terrifying creature.
Even if Fifth Master Hou had to take down Snake, he wouldn’t have chosen to do so in the snake farm.
That giant python was a nightmare, capable of taking down even an elite fighter.
Yet, against all odds, Chen Xue Wen had broken into Snake’s domain and come out victorious. This alone was enough to shake Fifth Master Hou.
He had anticipated that Chen Xue Wen would suffer greatly at the snake farm, but instead, not only had he emerged unscathed, he had also managed to kill the python.
When Bin Zi described how Chen Xue Wen wore barbed hook iron armor, even Lawyer He couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
“This young man is truly exceptional—to come up with such a method to deal with that beast!”
“He’s got skills! Truly impressive!” Lawyer He continued to praise.
Fang Ru covered her mouth, laughing lightly. “Chen Xue Wen really is a genius strategist.”
“Even if someone thought of that method, they’d never dare risk facing a massive python in direct combat!”
“He walked into that place alone and took the beast down. That kind of courage—few can match it.”
Fifth Master Hou nodded slowly, genuinely impressed by Chen Xue Wen’s intellect and bravery.
Bin Zi, however, looked visibly uneasy. The ongoing praises for Chen Xue Wen grated on his nerves, but he dared not interrupt and instead continued his report.
The moment he mentioned that Little Ma had attacked Snake, Fifth Master Hou could no longer remain seated.
“What did you say?”
“Little Ma didn’t attack Chen Xue Wen but instead struck Snake!?”
Fifth Master Hou’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Bin Zi nodded. “Yes.”
Fifth Master Hou shot to his feet. “How could this be?”
“Was this Zhou Jing Hui’s doing?”
“No… That doesn’t make sense!”
“Zhou Jing Hui despises Chen Xue Wen. And that man is as cowardly as they come—he wouldn’t dare cross Snake. There’s no way he’d help Chen Xue Wen!”
“Could it be that Chen Xue Wen turned Little Ma against Snake?”
The last time Chen Xue Wen had taken Little Ma aside, even Fifth Master Hou’s men had failed to detect what had transpired. Naturally, Fifth Master Hou had no idea what had happened during that encounter.
Bin Zi nodded again. “Master Hou, you’re right.”
“Zhou Jing Hui did, in fact, plan to kill Chen Xue Wen.”
“But somehow, Little Ma switched sides. At the last moment, he turned his blade on Snake.”
“Snake’s wife tried to capture Zhou Jing Hui’s wife and child to use them as leverage against him, but Zhou Jing Hui’s driver unexpectedly went berserk, broke free from his restraints, and rescued them.”
“In the end, Snake suffered the most—his wife was killed, several of his men perished, and he himself fled. His whereabouts are currently unknown.”
Listening to this, Lawyer He once again clapped his hands and laughed. “This Chen Xue Wen is truly something else.”
“Master Hou, I think we all underestimated this young man.”
Fifth Master Hou sighed deeply. “I’ve always reminded myself—it’s better to overestimate him than to underestimate him.”
“But no matter how much I thought I accounted for him, in the end, I still underestimated him.”
Fang Ru recalled how she had previously scoffed when Fifth Master Hou had warned about the danger of underestimating Chen Xue Wen. Now, after witnessing tonight’s events, she finally understood what he meant.
Taking a deep breath, Fang Ru asked in a low voice, “Master Hou, what should we do next?”
Fifth Master Hou stood up and paced back and forth several times.
The situation had developed completely beyond his expectations, rendering all his previous preparations useless. It seemed that his plan to subdue Chen Xue Wen had completely fallen apart this time.
Bin Zi looked at Fifth Master Hou and couldn’t help but whisper, “Fifth Master, don’t be too anxious.”
“Though Snake escaped, the ultimate winner is still Zhou Jing Hui.”
“Chen Xue Wen only has five people; he can’t amount to much…”
Before he could finish, Fifth Master Hou shot him a glare. “Shut up!”
Bin Zi froze instantly, not daring to speak further.
Fang Ru glanced at him and sneered, “Bin Zi, you’re still too naive.”
“Tonight’s biggest beneficiary isn’t Zhou Jing Hui, but Chen Xue Wen.”
Bin Zi was unconvinced. “Snake just escaped, he didn’t die. How does Chen Xue Wen benefit?”
“As I see it, Snake won’t let him go. It’s still uncertain if Chen Xue Wen will even dare to show his face after this!”
Fang Ru scoffed, “Bin Zi, you yourself said Snake escaped, not that he died.”
“If Snake returns, who do you think he’ll seek revenge on first?”
“Chen Xue Wen, or the one who killed his wife, Zhou Jing Hui?”
Bin Zi was momentarily stunned.
That’s right—Lu Jin Huan was hacked to death by Zhou Jing Hui’s subordinates. In the end, that debt had to be settled with Zhou Jing Hui.
Since Snake was still alive, he would eventually return for revenge. That meant that his primary target would be Zhou Jing Hui, not Chen Xue Wen.
Thinking about it this way, the ultimate beneficiary, the true winner, was indeed Chen Xue Wen!
Feeling embarrassed, Bin Zi argued, “Even if Snake wants Zhou Jing Hui dead, he still won’t spare Chen Xue Wen.”
“In the coming days, Zhou Jing Hui will be in trouble, but will Chen Xue Wen have it any better?”
“Unless Snake is completely eliminated, Chen Xue Wen will never know peace!”
Fifth Master Hou glanced at Bin Zi and sighed lightly. “Bin Zi, whatever you can think of, Chen Xue Wen has surely thought of as well.”
“Since Chen Xue Wen set up this game, Snake will never escape it.”
Bin Zi frowned. “But didn’t Snake already run away?”
Fifth Master Hou smirked coldly. “He won’t get far!”
“I’d wager that before long, Chen Xue Wen will force Snake out and push him into a fight to the death with Zhou Jing Hui.”
“I had thought Chen Xue Wen merely wanted to eliminate Snake and seize his power.”
“But now it’s clear—Chen Xue Wen had a far more precise goal from the start: to eradicate both Snake and Zhou Jing Hui.”
“From this moment on, Chen Xue Wen will become a true big boss in Peaceful City.”
Bin Zi was dumbfounded, trapped in a dead silence.
If anyone else had said this, he wouldn’t have believed it. But since Fifth Master Hou said so, he had no choice but to accept it.
Was Chen Xue Wen really about to rise overnight and step into the heavens?
Fifth Master Hou waved his hand. “Bin Zi, go get some rest.”
Reluctantly, Bin Zi left.
Inside the room, only Lawyer He and Fang Ru remained.
Fang Ru stood up and whispered, “Fifth Master, it seems that forcing Chen Xue Wen into a desperate situation won’t be possible this time.”
“Should we intervene again and lead Snake straight to him?”
Fifth Master Hou sighed and waved his hand. “Forget it.”
“If we did it once, Chen Xue Wen might not suspect anything.”
“But twice? He would surely grow suspicious.”
“If I want him to work for me, I can’t let him harbor resentment toward me.”
Fifth Master Hou walked to the table, lifted a teacup, and took a slow sip. “Since Chen Xue Wen has gained power, let things unfold naturally.”
“Lawyer He, make sure this matter is handled so it doesn’t cause too much of a stir.”
Then, he turned to Fang Ru and spoke softly, “Little Ru, when you have time, get closer to him.”
“You young ones have more in common.”
Fang Ru smiled and nodded, but in her eyes, a barely perceptible chill and mockery flashed.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation