Chapter 163: Letters

A murderous intent permeated Jiang Chen’s tone, and Shen Yinglong could clearly feel it.

Shen Yinglong, who had always remained calm and collected like a seasoned fisherman sitting atop his boat, finally felt a sliver of fear at this moment. Jiang Chen’s expression was telling him that killing the eldest young master of the Shen family was no big deal at all.

After all, this was a man who had even slain Xiao Tong, the formidable general of Northern Yan.

"Do you really dare to kill me?" Shen Yinglong raised his chin, attempting to exert pressure on Jiang Chen once more.

The entire Wangchuan City belonged to the Shen family. If he were to die in this prison cell, Jiang Chen would not be able to fly away even with wings. He wanted to take a gamble, because no one in this world would take such a reckless risk, wagering their own life in the process.

However, Jiang Chen only gave him a two-word reply: "It matters not."

"What do you mean it matters not? Jiang Chen, if I die, you die. At most, you will only outlive me by a few hours. Furthermore, once you open this cell door, you might not even be able to kill me. Even that Northern Man-Bear was no match for me in a single exchange."

Jiang Chen laughed, laughing heartily, because he had just heard something utterly laughable from Shen Yinglong’s mouth.

"As for how you dealt with the Man-Bear, though I do not know the exact methods, I presume you must have resorted to some petty tricks. Defeating the Northern Man-Bear in a single exchange was nothing more than a fine performance you put on for the townspeople."

"Your clumsy act could only fool those naive townspeople. Spouting such lies in front of me is a complete joke."

Shen Yinglong would not forget how he had previously mocked Jiang Chen for his clumsiness, never expecting that the exact same evaluation would be applied to him shortly after.

The prison cell door was opened without any hesitation from Jiang Chen. This action, however, brought immense pressure upon Shen Yinglong, for Jiang Chen would only dare to open the door so recklessly if he was entirely confident in his ability to control the situation.

Now, Jiang Chen and Shen Yinglong were facing each other directly, and the barrier separating them was completely gone.

"I find your stupidity pathetic."

As soon as Shen Yinglong finished these words, his entire body surged forward like a swimming dragon straight toward Jiang Chen’s chest. This battle was unavoidable, and Shen Yinglong was resolved to strike first and gain the upper hand.

Yet, no matter how clever Shen Yinglong was or how well he assessed the situation, he could never have imagined how unimaginably rich Jiang Chen’s combat experience truly was. In his past life, he was already a supreme martial arts expert who killed without blinking, emerging victorious from hundreds of battles of all scales without a single defeat.

To Jiang Chen, such petty tricks from Shen Yinglong were entirely meaningless, save for being utterly ridiculous.

The two of them exchanged blows, transitioning between offense and defense, trading over a dozen strikes in the blink of an eye. Shen Yinglong’s martial arts faintly seemed to incorporate the strengths of a hundred different schools, which was surely the result of the Shen family sparing no expense in inviting various martial arts masters from all over the world to instruct him.

However, learning extensively does not necessarily mean mastering anything proficiently. Moreover, as a young master accustomed to a life of luxury and fine garments, his strength was only slightly superior to that of an ordinary person.

With a sideways step and a hook of his hand, Jiang Chen’s figure dissolved into a blur. His fist strike was fierce as a crouching tiger—an unexpected blow that had been蓄力 (gathering power) for quite some time. Before Shen Yinglong could manage to dodge, he took the full force of the heavy blow squarely on his cheek.

His entire body tilted to one side, stumbling for a good while before he barely managed to steady himself and avoid falling to the ground.

With a cold expression, Jiang Chen said to him, "You haven't even paused to think—all those Northern Yan prisoners of war in the prison have been wiped out by me. Do you really think you stand a chance of winning?"

"Such a simple and obvious truth, yet you apparently failed to understand it."

Provoked by Jiang Chen’s words, Shen Yinglong rallied his spirits and lunged forward to attack once more. This time, his offensive was fiercer and his intent to kill was heavier. Yet, in front of Jiang Chen, he still appeared feeble and weak. Every single one of his moves was anticipated far in advance, leaving virtually no opening for him to exploit.

"Bang!"

Jiang Chen grabbed Shen Yinglong with a reverse arm-lock and slammed him hard against the prison door. This time, the self-important young master of the Shen family experienced firsthand what it truly meant to face a powerhouse.

The gap in strength between the two of them could be described as a chasm of difference. Jiang Chen never boasted; he only spoke of facts. No matter how unwilling Shen Yinglong was in his heart, he had no choice but to accept reality.

"Now, I hope you finally understand the value of telling the truth."

As Jiang Chen spoke, he gradually increased the pressure with both hands. Shen Yinglong, finally finding himself unable to hold out any longer, began to answer the question Jiang Chen had posed earlier.

"I communicated with the Northern Yan side through letters, exchanging messages once every ten days."

"The person corresponding with you—are they a figure in the Northern Yan officialdom?"

"Indeed, but I have no way of telling you who he actually is."

Applying more force with his hands, Jiang Chen warned, "Do not play any tricks at a time like this. Tell me everything you know. If you still attempt to conceal anything, you are the only one who will suffer."

"I truly do not know his true identity; I have always simply referred to him as 'Crouching Dragon'."

"The Crouching Dragon of Northern Yan? If you do not know who he is, how did you manage to collude with him in secret? If you had no confirmation of what benefits the other party could bring you, on what grounds did you trust him?"

Shen Yinglong replied, "Prior to this, Xiao Tong was our intermediary. All trust was built entirely on Xiao Tong’s personal connections. Now that Xiao Tong’s line has been severed, I haven't communicated with the other party for quite some time."

Jiang Chen could detect no flaws in this explanation, so he demanded that Shen Yinglong hand over all the previous correspondence. Those letters were bound to contain a great deal of classified military information, making them an extremely valuable source of intelligence.

Left with no other option, Shen Yinglong had to agree to hand over the letters under Jiang Chen’s coercion.

He led Jiang Chen out of the prison, preparing to head toward the Shen family estate. Although going to the Shen family like this was undoubtedly fraught with danger, Jiang Chen had already formulated a plan to visit under the guise of Shen Yinglong’s friend. As long as he could keep Shen Yinglong under his control, he should be able to withdraw safely.

The crucial point was that those letters were simply too important. It would be an immense pity not to seize this golden opportunity to acquire them.

The contents of the letters would undoubtedly be of immense benefit in the frontline battles against the people of Northern Yan, and they also served as an excellent means to keep a tight grip on Shen Yinglong. This temptation drove Jiang Chen to decide to take the risk.

However, before they could even leave the gates of the prison, a black figure flashed out mid-way, thrusting a sword straight at them without a word.

Jiang Chen sidestepped to dodge, and then realized that the target of this sword thrust was actually Shen Yinglong. However, this forced the two of them apart, providing Shen Yinglong with an opportunity to break free.

"Clang!"

A cyan-blue sword glare flashed in the moonlight. Shen Yinglong parried a couple of blows bare-handed, then fought while retreating. He quickly shook off the assassin's entanglement and hastily darted into a nearby small room.

Jiang Chen rushed in after him to capture him, but by the time he arrived, the small room was utterly empty. Shen Yinglong had vanished into thin air right before his eyes.

The sound of sword Qi piercing the air struck from behind once again. Jiang Chen dodged slightly and disarmed the assassin with a single hand. The entire movement flowed like moving clouds and flowing water, completed in the blink of an eye.

The assassin was shaken to the core, clearly not expecting Jiang Chen’s combat skills to be so terrifyingly high.

"Scoundrel! Protecting a degenerate like Shen Yinglong is a crime punishable by death!"

A delicate female voice reached Jiang Chen’s ears.