"Alright then." Seeing Xu Ke's sincere deanor, Hu Deyao found it difficult to say anything more.
"Additionally, Elder Hu, I have so questions for you," Xu Ke said.
"Please, go ahead," Hu Deyao eagerly responded.
"I'd like to know, what is the current situation at Tao Ranju?" Xu Ke asked.
Asking about such things was delving into private matters and was quite impolite. But since Xu Zhentai said he entrusted Hu Deyao to , he must already know that I am the new master of Tao Ranju. My question shouldn't be too abrupt.
The reason Xu Ke wanted to ask was because of what his uncle had said. If his uncle still wished to conquer the world, he had to know the extent of Tao Ranju's assets to have a starting point, right?
Upon hearing this, however, Hu Deyao was stunned. He stamred, "Er, that, um..."
"What is it, Left Envoy Hu?" Han Wang and Ye Lang couldn't help but ask, their curiosity piqued. They also wanted to know how strong Tao Ranju was now.
Even Tang Yingchang leaned forward to listen. He was utterly astounded. So the power behind Xu Ke's uncle was Tao Ranju, which had vanished from the Jianghu for many years? No wonder they were so formidable! Tang Yingchang then realized that Tao Ranju would inevitably be in Xu Ke's hands in the future, and he could no longer contain his excitent. I knew it! I didn't make a mistake following Xu Ke. Tao Ranju and the dical Saint... this will definitely help Xu Ke rapidly reach the peak of Dragon Country.
"Uh..." Under everyone's gaze, Hu Deyao managed to say, "The only people left in Tao Ranju now... are that group you saw last ti."
Having said this, even Hu Deyao, who had weathered many storms in the Jianghu, couldn't help but blush.
"Last ti? Which ti?" Xu Ke looked completely baffled.
When had he ever seen people from Tao Ranju? He couldn't rember at all.
"Ah, the incident at Tianhai University. Didn't your people follow them to their hideout?" Hu Deyao explained awkwardly. He avoided ntioning Xu Yi's na, fearing he would expose their connection.
At his words, Xu Ke froze, his eyes widening in realization. He rembered! When Xu Yi returned to school, Tang Yingchang had told him a group was blatantly monitoring her. He'd had Duan Jia send n to tail them and warn them to leave Xu Yi alone, and they had obediently agreed...
As the mory surfaced, Xu Ke's expression beca rigid. He now understood why Hu Deyao was hemming and hawing. Because that group was incredibly weak.
Thinking this, Xu Ke patted Hu Deyao's shoulder and sighed, "It's alright. I understand now."
If that group was all that was left of Tao Ranju's strength... then what hope was there of conquering the world!
After pondering for two seconds, Xu Ke imdiately discarded the idea of fulfilling his uncle's wish. He decided it was better for his uncle to just stay ho and behave himself.
"Mister Xu, I apologize," Hu Deyao said, looking sheepish. "But of our forr elite backbone, the dead are dead and the rest have left. Hardly any remain."
As soon as he said this, the other three imdiately understood Tao Ranju's current situation.
"That's normal. It's a classic case of 'once the person leaves, the tea grows cold.' Look, didn't these two also leave?" Xu Ke said, pointing at Ye Lang and Han Wang.
Their expressions imdiately turned unnatural. Han Wang coughed dryly and protested, "I had to make a living."
Xu Ke ignored him and continued, "So, what's the situation with the Assassin's Alliance? Can we gather any viable forces from them?"
"No." Hu Deyao shook his head. "The Assassin's Alliance was founded by people who left Tao Ranju, but in reality, it has long since had little to do with us. If we were to command them to return in Tao Ranju's na, it would depend entirely on their own willingness. If you don't believe , Mister Xu, you can ask them."
Xu Ke looked towards Han Wang and Ye Lang, and they both nodded imdiately.
Han Wang explained, "The Assassin's Alliance doesn't have a unified organizational structure. At most, there's a ranking list and bounty orders that create a unique form of self-managent. As for the Alliance Hierarch, we haven't seen him in a very long ti."
"I see." Xu Ke nodded in understanding, then asked curiously, "So what is the Alliance Hierarch's relationship with him?"
The "him" Xu Ke referred to was Xu Zhentai.
"In the past, Yin Li was the most powerful and loyal general under the Helmsman, but he was naturally vicious. He killed without blinking and had even hard the innocent. So even though he was incredibly strong, the Helmsman never sent him on missions," Hu Deyao began.
"Later, when the Helmsman decided to disband Tao Ranju, Yin Li was the first to oppose him. He even challenged the Helmsman to a fight, declaring that the Helmsman could only leave if he was defeated.
"With the Helmsman's strength at that ti, and with no intention of killing Yin Li, he hardly used any True Qi and won with ease. Yin Li had no choice but to let the Helmsman leave. Afterwards, he rounded up the other assassins from Tao Ranju, went overseas, and established the Assassin's Alliance.
"After that, he disappeared without a trace."
The reason Hu Deyao emphasized that "hardly any True Qi was used" was to let Xu Ke know that fighting Yin Li wouldn't have triggered Xu Zhentai's Sorrowful Heart Art.
Xu Ke understood and nodded, lost in thought.
"Alright then, let's not think about getting outside help," Xu Ke finally said, dismissing the idea of "borrowing" people from the Assassin's Alliance.
It all cos down to ! His uncle can only be used to bluff people at critical monts.
"Mister Xu, with the Helmsman's formidable strength, why would you need to borrow people from elsewhere?" Han Wang said hurriedly. "Even if Alliance Hierarch Yin Li were here, he wouldn't last a single exchange against the Helmsman."
Hearing this, Xu Ke and Hu Deyao, the two who knew the inside story, shared an involuntary, awkward look.
Last a single exchange? If Xu Zhentai really rolled up his sleeves to fight, everyone would probably die.
Their expressions looked strange to Han Wang and Ye Lang. "Is there a problem?"
"There is," Xu Ke said, coughing twice as he started to smooth things over. "What's the use of the Helmsman? Didn't you hear him say he wants to train ? He won't make a move unless I'm in a life-or-death crisis. Don't count on him."
Hearing this, Han Wang had a mont of realization and nodded. "That's true..."
"Ah, my life is so hard," Xu Ke lanted with a sigh. "I'm just struggling to survive, caught between all you great families and master assassins, enduring humiliation like a dog... It's just too difficult."
Han Wang instantly lost any desire to talk to Xu Ke.
You, struggling to survive? Who the hell is the one playing everyone for a fool? Even without the Helmsman's appearance today, I'm sure Xu Ke had so other strange trump card to escape this deadly situation...
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