VIP Chapter 102: Rescuing Chen Tianlei

Ye Xiaoxuan smiled bitterly at the squad leader and asked, "Could you please stop pointing that gun at me?" The squad leader shook his head, replying, "I cannot! Because I can’t think of any other weapon that would be able to hold you down!"

Ye Xiaoxuan shrugged. "You don’t need to hold me down at all. I have no intention of running, and as you can clearly see, I don’t know a thing about martial arts."

The squad leader took a deep breath. "That is precisely what I find so bizarre! It is true that you lack any martial arts training, and most of the time, your movements are quite clumsy." He looked Ye Xiaoxuan up and down, his expression filled with confusion. "And yet, when you snapped that Fire Kid’s sword a moment ago, the strength and speed you displayed surpassed even the level of a Martial King!"

Ye Xiaoxuan’s lips curled into a wicked smirk. He lowered his head and looked at his own hands. "Really? Was it that fast? Like this?"

Before the words had even faded, the squad leader felt his hand lighten. The Browning that had been in his grip was now in Ye Xiaoxuan’s hand.

"Swish!" The two men guarding Ye Dajun and Hao Liuzhi turned pale, instantly drawing their own weapons and aiming them at their prisoners' heads.

Hao Liuzhi’s legs went weak, and he shouted, "Don't shoot, whatever you do!" Ye Dajun roared, "Get that damn gun away from my head!"

Ye Xiaoxuan extended his hand, presenting the gun to the squad leader, grip first. "Here, take it back. You can aim it at my chest if you like, but I don't like having guns pointed at my head. Someone else tried that once, and the result was that I chopped his hand off."

The squad leader’s face turned pale. He hesitated, weighing the credibility of the threat, but eventually took the gun back and shoved it into his pocket. He waved his men down, signaling them to lower their weapons, and asked Ye Xiaoxuan, "What is this kid to you? Why are you interfering in this?"

Before Ye Xiaoxuan could answer, Chen Tianlei, struggling against the pain of his wounds, lifted his head and spoke to the squad leader. "I have absolutely nothing to do with him. We actually despise each other and have fought before! If you don’t believe me, ask anyone in the village! My business with your Qitian Group has nothing to do with them—let them go!"

Ye Xiaoxuan was stunned. He hadn't expected the kid to have such backbone, taking the blame entirely upon himself. His impression of Chen Tianlei shifted slightly. It was a rare display of character; considering Chen Tianlei had personally hidden the treasure in the trunk of the Honda, most people would have confessed under such life-threatening pressure.

The squad leader smiled faintly and turned to Chen Tianlei. "Rest assured, I won't give them any trouble. That wasn't part of our mission anyway."

Suddenly, Hao Liuzhi whispered to Ye Xiaoxuan, "Xuanzi, Single-Arm, the dog is here. Shall we sit down?"

The group of assassins looked at each other in confusion, unable to grasp his meaning. Ye Xiaoxuan and Ye Dajun, however, looked delighted and nodded without a word.

The squad leader, wanting to avoid further complications as dawn approached, was eager to leave with Chen Tianlei. Ye Xiaoxuan pressed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Friend, let's talk. Can you leave him behind?"

The squad leader froze, his eyes turning cold. He slowly reached into his jacket, saying frostily, "Little brother, you want to keep him? I know you’re a strange one, and your companions are just as bizarre..."

"Damn it!" Hao Liuzhi shouted, hands on his hips. "You’re the strange one! Your whole family is strange!"

Ye Xiaoxuan looked at the squad leader with a half-smile. "Do you believe me if I say I could snatch your gun, empty the magazine into you, and shove it back into your pocket before you even realized it was gone?"

The squad leader turned white with fear. He wanted to doubt it, but he dared not gamble his life. He obediently pulled his hand back.

One of the assassins near Hao Liuzhi refused to believe it. Just as he reached for his own weapon, a rope snare flew down from above, binding his arms and body tightly like a trussed chicken.

A figure leaped down from the trees, snorting, "What? You dare draw weapons on me?"

Hao Liuzhi cooperated by shining his flashlight onto the newcomer’s face. The assassins, including the squad leader, turned pale and dropped to one knee in unison, calling out, "It’s Seventh Master Gou!"

With their sudden movement, two unfortunate souls—Chen Tianlei, who had been shot in the abdomen, and the still-unconscious Fire Kid—tumbled to the ground.

Ye Xiaoxuan had Ye Dajun and Hao Liuzhi help Chen Tianlei up, then walked to the newcomer. "Seventh Master Gou, thank you for your help!"

Seventh Master Gou grunted. "Ye the Third, you know my identity, and I thank you for keeping my secret. But you must give me a reason for saving Chen Tianlei—he should be your enemy!"

Ye Xiaoxuan snorted coldly. "Because the Qitian Group has no reason to deal with him! Did he steal something belonging to Zhao Yanping? Those treasures belong to Daxian Lake; no one has the right to take them!"

Everyone present turned pale. The squad leader and Chen Tianlei gasped in unison, "You knew?" Meanwhile, Seventh Master Gou and Ye Dajun asked in shock, "What treasures?"

Ye Xiaoxuan shook his head. "That doesn't matter. The fewer people who know about this, the better. Regardless, I am not letting you take Chen Tianlei tonight. I owe my brother an answer!"

The squad leader took a deep breath and looked at Seventh Master Gou. "Seventh Master, may I ask if you are still with the Qitian Group?"

Seventh Master Gou looked conflicted. He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, eventually coming to a decision. "Jin-wa, do me a favor. Don't take him tonight. If you catch Chen Tianlei again in the future, his life or death is no concern of mine!"

The squad leader nodded dejectedly. "Seeing you here is enough of an explanation for us. We return empty-handed tonight; this mission won't fall to us again. If the Wolf Squad is sent, you know what the consequences will be."

Seventh Master Gou nodded. "I will handle it. The leader of the Wolf Squad, Scarhead, and I are on decent terms. I will take care of it."

The squad leader gave a cryptic smile. "He rarely leads teams himself anymore; it's usually his foster daughter, the Faceless Woman. She is terrifying. You must be careful."

Hearing it was a woman, Seventh Master Gou didn't pay it much mind and nodded at the squad leader.

The squad leader wiped the rain from his face and looked at Ye Xiaoxuan. "The Five Elements Assassins have been brought down by someone who isn't even a martial arts initiate. It seems there is no reason for us to exist anymore. Brothers, retreat! We return to the Awakening Dream Pagoda to reflect on our mistakes."

Ye Xiaoxuan stood with his hands behind his back, speaking calmly. "Go back and tell the boss of the Qitian Group: whatever was taken from Daxian Lake, one day I will take it all back, down to the last piece!"