VIP Volume Chapter 046 Martial Arts Tournament

Ye Xiaoxuan’s theory was nothing short of shocking, and Wen Xiaoyu was the first to object. “If it was some kind of drug, then why are Captain Zhao and Sister Hua just fine?”

Ye Xiaoxuan looked at her with a strange expression, and even Ye Dajun and Hao Six-fingers were giving her odd looks.

Feeling uneasy under their stares, Wen Xiaoyu set her chopsticks down on the table and huffed, “Why are you all looking at me like that?”

Jiaran smiled gently and took her hand. “Sister, don’t you understand what Little Third means? That drug, it was probably administered by Captain Zhao and his people!”

“Impossible!” Wen Xiaoyu shot to her feet and looked at everyone around the table. “Sister Hua isn’t that kind of person! I may not like Captain Zhao much, but I don’t think he’s a murderer—he doesn’t even know martial arts!”

Ye Xiaoxuan pulled her down to sit beside him and sighed. “You don’t have to know martial arts to kill someone. And didn’t you tell me before that your father sent you here at the last minute to gain some experience, and you’ve only known Zhao Yanping and the others for a short time? How well could you possibly know them? Do villains need to tattoo the word ‘bad’ on their foreheads to be obvious?”

Hao Six-fingers spoke up, his face pale. “Now that you mention it, I remember! Right before I fell asleep, I caught a whiff of something—smelled a bit like alcohol, but I’d had some to drink, so my nose wasn’t sharp. All I know is, after that, I was out cold.”

Ye Dajun slapped his thigh. “Right, there was a smell like that!”

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded. “So, they used some sort of anesthetic gas to put everyone to sleep, then went around killing people one at a time. But you and Big Brother were in the lower hold, and when the waves hit, they must have thought you two went overboard like we did, so they didn’t check carefully.”

Hao Six-fingers wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Ye Dajun. “No wonder, when we came out of the lower hold and they saw us, their faces turned ashen—like their mothers had just died. They definitely didn’t expect us to still be alive!”

Ye Xiaoxuan felt a chill for the two of them. Though Zhao Yanping might not be a fighter, just the guys in the cockpit alone were no amateurs! The chief engineer and the first mate both had prominent temples—a sign of martial artists at the Guardian level! Who knew how many more experts were in on it? Ye Dajun and Hao Six-fingers would never have stood a chance.

But Wen Xiaoyu still couldn’t quite believe Ye Xiaoxuan’s deduction. She frowned and asked him, “But what would be their motive for all of this?”

Ye Xiaoxuan snapped his fingers. “That’s simple—we’ll know soon!”

Everyone pressed him eagerly, “What is it?”

Ye Xiaoxuan lowered his voice with a mysterious air. “When the case is solved, let the police tell you!”

The others all rolled their eyes at him in unison.

Hao Six-fingers sniffed the air and asked Jiaran, “Second Sister, are you stewing mutton?”

Jiaran shot him an annoyed look. “That’s not something I bother with!”

Ye Dajun said excitedly, “My master is back from his travels!” With that, he ran to the door and opened it. Sure enough, the old shepherd shuffled in, hugging an oversized wine gourd and staring at the dining table. “Oh, you’re eating? Did I come at a bad time? Should I come back later?”

He said it, but his eyes never left the food.

Jiaran picked up her bowl and said to the old shepherd, “Here, you sit here—I’m full.”

Wen Xiaoyu pinched her nose and said, “I’m full too!” She followed Jiaran into the kitchen, bowl in hand.

The old shepherd didn’t mind and plopped down next to Ye Xiaoxuan, set his wine gourd at his feet, grabbed an empty cup, filled it with wine from a bottle, and took a satisfied sip.

Hao Six-fingers glared at him and scolded, “You’ve got a whole gourd of wine, and you’re drinking ours?”

The old shepherd smacked his lips and gave a grunt. “If you want something good, don’t fuss about a little wine! It wasn’t easy for me, but I brought you a real treasure. As soon as I heard Old Third Ye was back, I hurried over!”

Ye Xiaoxuan and the others perked up at once and asked, “What treasure?”

The old shepherd ignored them, lost in thought as he eyed the dishes.

Ye Xiaoxuan nudged Ye Dajun. “Go get your master a pair of chopsticks!”

Ye Dajun snapped out of his daze and nervously held out his own. “Master, please use mine!”

The old shepherd glared at him. “Get out of here! I don’t want your dirty chopsticks!”

Hao Six-fingers chuckled. “Come on, old guy, you reek of sheep so badly from far away I thought we were stewing mutton, but up close you smell like you fell in the sheep pen. None of us complain about you being dirty…”

Ye Dajun bent his finger and knocked Hao Six-fingers on the head. “Don’t be rude to my master! Master, wait right here—I’ll get a fresh pair!”

Ye Xiaoxuan and Hao Six-fingers watched with patience as the old shepherd ate and drank with abandon, clearing the table like a whirlwind. At last, he set down the empty bottle, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and opened his mouth to speak. The three of them instantly leaned in, ears at the ready.

“Urp!” A belch, reeking of mutton and wine, blasted into their faces, nearly knocking them out.

Ye Xiaoxuan snatched up a brick from the floor and threatened, “If you keep dawdling and playing games, do you believe I won’t crack this over your head?”

Though the old shepherd was a martial master and could muster up some inner strength, Ye Xiaoxuan had his dragon-seal armor and could take a beating like nobody else—if it came down to blows, the old shepherd wouldn’t stand a chance!

The old shepherd knew he’d stretched things far enough. He calmly pulled a large envelope from his pocket, slid it in front of the three, and picked his teeth with a bamboo skewer. “Here, this is the treasure I went through all that trouble to get! This is your ticket to fame and fortune!”

Ye Xiaoxuan curiously took the envelope and pulled out three registration forms. The heading read: Letter of Registration for the Ninth Martial Arts Tournament of Zhuangyuan Township.

Ye Dajun was thrilled. “Master, are you entering this year’s tournament? I’ll cheer you on!”

The old shepherd flicked his forehead and snorted, “What would I, an old man, be doing entering? These are for you two brothers!”

“Are you kidding me?” Ye Xiaoxuan flung the envelope back at the old shepherd. “You old coot! I treat you to good food and drink, and this is how you repay us—trying to get us killed in the ring!”

Ye Dajun looked miserable and said, “Master, my skills are nothing special—I’m just a beginner at the Warrior level. If I go up there, I’ll only embarrass myself.”

Hao Six-fingers gloated. “No way! The tournament is organized by rank, and the old shepherd wants you to win the Warrior division and get yourself a big red flower to wear!”

The old shepherd snorted. “What kind of master would I be if I didn’t push you? The preliminaries start in six months. I’m going to raise both of you a level. Win the Eaglet Prize and there’s a hundred thousand yuan in prize money!”