When Brother Lei was in Xinxiang, he finally lost track of the person they were following.
The "Roadside Friends" in Xinxiang couldn't provide any valuable leads.
Li Qingshan was furious about this, but Brother Lei, on the other hand, cald down.
That was because he had already received a text ssage reply from Chen Nuo.
The ssage contained two instructions:
The first was for Brother Lei.
"Understood, no need to follow anymore. Head to Xi'an and wait for ."
The second was for Li Qingshan: "Return to Jinling imdiately. Go to XXX Road, XX Lane, look for a noodle restaurant, and find a woman nad Fourth Miss. Contact once you find her."
Li Qingshan and Brother Lei obediently split up. Bald Lei took his n towards Xi'an, while Li Qingshan returned to Jinling City to find the woman.
When Chen Nuo's plane landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, he already had a dossier on the Snow Domain Sect on his computer.
In this world, truly hidden sects don't actually exist. Any sect, organization, or group of people will inevitably interact with the outside world. Food, clothing, shelter, and all of life's necessities cost money. Unless one lives deep in the forests... but in this day and age, regions completely untouched by human civilization barely exist anymore. These so-called hidden sects are only nominally secluded—most ordinary people don't know they exist, have never heard their nas. But in reality, they live among the common world. There may still be hermits in this world, but they tend to be solitary. Living in the deep forests where few humans tread, dwelling in simple huts... Finding even one such person is almost legendary. Chen Nuo didn't believe that a so-called sect, one that had been passed down for over a hundred years through generations, could have hundreds of people gathered together playing at being hermits. A few hundred hermits together? That's not being a hermit anymore.
The so-called [Snow Region Sect], according to the information Chen Nuo had carefully reviewed, seed more like a family business than a martial sect.
This was not at all surprising; in this day and age, even Shaolin Temple had beco comrcialized. The famous abbot also held the title of Chairman of Shaolin.
The Snow Domain Sect was no exception.
The information that Chen Nuo had purchased for two hundred thousand US dollars was quite detailed.
The origins of the Snow Domain Sect could be traced back to the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty. It started as a military household stationed at the border; then, as a martial family, it took root in the northwest. When border conflicts arose, this group began to grow and continued to evolve through successive dynasties to its current scale. It had taken on the model of a family enterprise and had already beco corporatized.
The dossier showed that the main livelihood and financial resource of the Snow Domain Sect was the jade trade. In the northwest, they owned several jade mines, a few mining bases, and jade processing factories.
As they were involved in the jade business, they naturally needed to sell their wares in prosperous cities. The Snow Domain Sect had a publicly operating jade sales company, the Snow Region Jade Sales Company. This company conducted business with several well-known dostic jewelry brands, supplying them with jade materials, as well as finished or semi-finished products.
The scale of the business was not very large, but not small either. Moreover, it had always been run as a family model, controlled by a family surnad Guo.
This fact indeed confird Boss Guo's status as a man who married into his wife's family; his surna Guo was probably adopted after being raised in the Guo Family from an early age.
However, Chen Nuo had no sympathy whatsoever for Boss Guo at the mont.
News from Jinling City had already co back. Li Qingshan and his n found the noodle restaurant that Boss Guo and Fourth Miss had later opened, but naturally, they didn't find anyone there.
Combining this with the multiple clues provided by Brother Lei's previous ssages, Chen Nuo could naturally piece together a rough outline.
He reasoned to himself that he had no ties or grudges with the Snow Domain Sect; they wouldn't just kidnap Sun Keke from his house for no reason. The only possibility was that this couple had brought the trouble upon them. Regarding this speculation, Chen Nuo thought that if his investigation confird it... he planned to break every bone in that man's body the mont he found him!
The so-called Snow Domain Sect, rather than a martial arts sect, could be considered a clan known as the "Guo Family."
The Snow Domain Sect had a sales company headquarters in Xi'an. It was located not in so remote, sparsely populated area, but in a bustling district, a very prosperous spot. It was situated in a comrcial building, with a spacious parking lot on the ground floor and property security at the entrance.
The Guo Family's Snow Region Jade Sales Company was on the eighth floor of the comrcial building.
The information Chen Nuo reviewed showed that the general manager of this sales company, who was also in charge of the Guo Family's business in Xi'an, was Guo Weidong. He was the third son of the senior branch of the family, a 39-year-old man with a na that strongly reflected his era. He was robust, in his pri, and reportedly doing very well in business.
Unfortunately, his martial arts skills were not impressive.
This last bit of information was personally tested by Chen Nuo.
At noon, Chen Nuo walked into the comrcial building, took the elevator to the eighth floor, and then barged straight into the Guo Family's company.
A few minutes later, Chen Nuo was holding Guo Weidong by the arm, escorting him down to the parking lot in the elevator. Guo Weidong's arm had already been twisted and broken by him! His face was pale as Chen Nuo propped him up, then stuffed him into the passenger seat of a BMW.
Guo Weidong's face was ghastly. As Chen Nuo started the car and drove off, he gritted his teeth and said, "Aren't you afraid of the Guo Clan by doing this..."
"Afraid? Not at all." While driving, Chen Nuo opened the window, lit a cigarette for himself, and then turned to glance at Guo Weidong. "Don't bother with the threats. I didn't kill you. The only reason I'm keeping you alive and breathing is that I haven't found the person I'm looking for yet... not because I'm wary of your so-called Snow Domain Sect."
Guo Weidong pursed his lips. The excruciating pain in his arm almost made him pass out. However, he didn't know what thod this young man had used; astonishingly, he showed no signs of fainting—instead, the more it hurt, the more alert he beca! Just as Guo Weidong couldn't comprehend how this man had managed to barge into his company and even knock down several skilled martial artists from the Guo Clan assigned to protect him!
Guo Weidong himself had no talent for martial arts—or rather, he simply disdained the hardship required to learn them. He had intentionally given up when he was first exposed to the Guo Clan's martial arts as a child. Now that the family business was so large and established, he didn't see the need to painstakingly train his body in so godforsaken martial arts. Tis had changed; it was no longer an era where individual martial prowess could dominate the world. The family's growth and developnt, especially in the jade mining business, naturally required strong martial power for protection. In remote mining areas, martial strength was needed for security and to deter covetous thieves and bandits. However, Guo Weidong believed he didn't need to do these things himself. There were plenty of people in the family who could handle it. As a descendant of the senior branch, he just needed to learn how to manage and control these resources. Martial artists could be his enforcers, while he could be the brain directing them. That was how Guo Weidong saw his role.
But that didn't an he had no discerning eye for martial arts. He was well aware of the skill level of the few clan mbers he kept by his side; all of them were among the best martial practitioners in the Guo clan! One of them had even been praised by their ancestors as having good potential for martial arts.
The battles over mineral veins on the Gobi Desert were no milder than the local disputes in so remote villages. Oftentis, blood was shed. And in the great Northwest, the Guo Clan of the Snow Domain Sect was not the only power! Many tis, in places untouched by sunlight, so unseemly things existed in dark corners.
Guo Weidong was very clear about how skilled his entourage, who served as his followers and bodyguards, really were! Any one of them, he believed, could take down at least ten n like himself. The most formidable among them had even achieved a high ranking in the clan's internal competition.
However, in front of this unfamiliar young man, that most formidable guard didn't withstand a single blow. The young man directly lifted him with one hand and slamd him into a cent wall!
In Guo Weidong's judgnt, that man had broken several bones at least and would probably have to spend a long ti in the hospital!
"I don't know who you are... or what sche you have against the Guo Clan! But regardless of what you want to do, you'd better think carefully. The Guo family is not without solid backing! If you're thinking of using violence against the Guo family, the Guo family will be even more ruthless!" Guo Weidong still tried to use words to unsettle the young man's mind.
"Good." Chen Nuo took a drag of his cigarette, casually tossed it out of the window, then looked at Guo Weidong and grinned. "I really like it when others try to outdo in ruthlessness."
Chen Nuo casually picked up a packet of tissues from the car and handed it to Guo Weidong.
"Take this."
"Huh?" Before Guo Weidong could react while holding the tissue pack, Chen Nuo had already grabbed him by the back of his neck.
With a THUD, Guo Weidong's head was slamd against the car's dashboard, blood instantly gushing from his forehead!
Chen Nuo continued driving, smiling gently. "Use the tissues to cover the wound. Yes, just like that. Hold it tight, okay?"
Guo Weidong roared, "Who the hell are you!! Why are you targeting our Guo Clan!! What grudge do you have against our Guo Clan!!"
"Oh, actually, there was no grudge at all, originally." Chen Nuo shook his head as he kept driving, passing through an intersection. "However, unfortunately, just two days ago, your people ca to my doorstep. They smashed my door and kidnapped my girlfriend from my ho. You see, I'm a very reasonable person. Because of this, even though we originally had no grudge, now we do."
With that, the car stopped in front of a building. This was another comrcial tower, housing a jade processing and exhibition hall, which also belonged to the Guo family. According to the information, the one in charge of managing this place was a mber of the senior branch of the Guo family of this generation.
Gazing at this familiar place, a hint of fear flashed in Guo Weidong's eyes. "What—what do you want to do?"
Chen Nuo looked at him with a smile and gently patted his head. "You take a little nap; I'll be back soon."
As Guo Weidong stared at the handso young face of the man before him, it seed increasingly blurry, and he quickly closed his eyes.
It was unclear how much ti had passed. When Guo Weidong woke up, the car was on the road again, and this ti, there was an additional person in the back seat. It was a middle-aged man in a suit, but he didn't seem to be in good shape. His arms were hanging limply, and all he could do was moan while slumped lopsidedly on the back seat.
"Fourth Uncle!" Guo Weidong cried out in alarm.
"Your Fourth Uncle is much better at martial arts than you are," Chen Nuo said, driving and lighting another cigarette. "His bones are harder too. Four broken ribs, and I shattered both his shoulder blades, yet he didn't say a single word begging for rcy."
"..."
Chen Nuo drove all afternoon, and by evening, two more people had been added to the car. Including Guo Weidong and his Fourth Uncle, the four highest-ranking people responsible for the Guo Clan's overt business in Xi'an were now all in Chen Nuo's car.
During the capture of the third Guo family mber, they encountered strong resistance. The kidnapping of Guo Weidong and his Fourth Uncle had alerted the Guo Clan. Consequently, Chen Nuo had to knock down a dozen or so of his henchn.
Capturing the fourth guy, however, turned into a farce.
The fourth guy was one of Guo Weidong's nephews. This fellow didn't hold an important position in the Guo family business, but because he was young, good-looking, and had always been a sweet-talker since childhood, he was favored by the Guo family head, making him a typical spoiled prodigal son.
When Chen Nuo caught him, no one from the Guo family was there to protect him because this spoiled scion had turned off his phone that afternoon and snuck off to one of his mistresses' hos for a secret rendezvous. After searching two places in vain, Chen Nuo finally caught the guy at one of his mistresses' hos. When he caught him, he was doing so unspeakable things in bed with a woman who was clearly much older than him.
And the place where he was caught also made Guo Weidong practically spit blood with rage.
"You worthless piece of shit! What the hell are you doing at your third brother's house late at night! Your third brother is on a business trip to Hong Kong! What are you doing at his house late at night!!" Guo Weidong cursed the youngest mber of his family harshly.
Chen Nuo remained silent.
Well, that's quite a bit of information.
Chen Nuo parked the car at the entrance of a slightly remote park and looked at the four people from the Guo Clan in the car. Guo Weidong's injuries were relatively minor; his Fourth Uncle and the third one captured were seriously injured. The spoiled prodigal son was so scared he had wet his pants.
Chen Nuo frowned, glancing at Guo Weidong. "Now we can talk."
"It's no use." Guo Weidong shook his head. "There's nothing I can negotiate with you! We are only responsible for the Guo family's surface business! Jianghu matters are decided by our ancestor with a single word! We are completely in the dark! Unless the ancestor speaks, that's the only way!"
Chen Nuo nodded. "So where is this ancestor of yours?"
Guo Weidong remained silent.
Chen Nuo ignored him and reached over, grabbing the spoiled prodigal son.
The young man had no backbone at all and imdiately began to cry and scream, "The ancestor is at the old house! The ancestor usually lives at the old house, guarding the ancestral hall!"
Chen Nuo smiled, freed one hand, and squeezed Guo Weidong's neck, who was trying to shout and stop the young man, silencing him.
Then, with a gentle tone, he continued to ask, "So, this old house you speak of, you surely know where it is, right?"
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