Chapter 2255 — They Have Returned?

"Our master has already learned of his death by special means," Old Twelve said. "Now tell us—what exactly did the Grand Protector go off to do? Before he left, what did he say, what did he do? You are to recount it to us, word for word, without omitting a single thing!"

Old Twelve had to get to the bottom of how Old Thirteen had died, and why; and whether anything strange had happened here before his death.

"Yes!" Tagan Gao hurriedly invited the two of them to sit in the reception hall. After brewing tea with his own hands, he dared not conceal anything, and began his account from the moment Tagan Long discovered a young fire-lion of the fire attribute and resolved to take it as a contracted spirit beast: "It began like this. The adventurers' guild under our family's control openly recruited adventurers to go and surround and capture the young fire-lion..."

True, this matter sounded as though it had no necessary connection to the Grand Protector's death, but since Tagan Gao had chosen to begin here, there was surely a reason for it. So Old Six and Old Twelve were in no hurry; they sat and listened carefully to Tagan Gao's account.

When they heard how perilous it had been after going up the mountain—how the great fire-lion had appeared and nearly taken Tagan Long's life—Old Twelve could not help but knit his brows: "Tagan Gao, are you aware that Tagan Long's safety is of great importance? Even our master values him highly. How could you let him do something so dangerous? If anything had gone wrong, could your Tagan family bear the consequences?"

"I... I am sorry!" Cold sweat broke out at once on Tagan Gao's forehead. Though he did not understand that place very well, if it could lift his Tagan family from a third-rate clan to the foremost family in Ruileida, then it could likewise reduce the Tagan family to utter worthlessness. So he hastened to explain: "At the time, none of us thought it would be so dangerous, and the timing had all been calculated in advance. Who could have known that Zhang Nai Pao would secretly make trouble, covertly aiding that young fire-lion and delaying us—and so bring about such a consequence..."

"Enough, Old Twelve. Since Tagan Long is unharmed, let us not pursue this matter further. Just be more careful in the future!" Old Six waved his hand and cut Tagan Gao off: "The pressing task now is to determine the cause of Old Thirteen's death..."

"Sixth Brother is right!" Old Twelve nodded, then said to Tagan Gao: "You mean to say that Zhang Nai Pao concealed his true strength, and that his wife bears a striking resemblance to the woman in the photograph—the one we are searching for?"

"Yes!" Tagan Gao nodded. "It was precisely because of this that the Grand Protector, upon hearing these things, insisted on going up the mountain alone..."

"Could it be... that those people really have returned?" Old Twelve cast an inquiring glance at Old Six.

Old Six nodded. "In that case, summon Tagan Long and have him recount the details of that time to us once more, carefully."

"Yes. If the two lords would wait a moment, this old one will go and fetch Tagan Long himself!" Tagan Gao said hurriedly.

With that, Tagan Gao quickly left the residence.

Once only Old Six and Old Twelve remained in the room, Old Twelve spoke: "Sixth Brother, what do you make of this?"

"Your guess is likely correct. It should be that the heirs of that sect have returned. Only, I do not know what connection they have to the two people we seek—are they their descendants, or have those two come in disguise?" Old Six paused, then offered his conjecture.

"Those are the only two possibilities," Old Twelve said. "But one is only a mid-stage Earth-Rank expert, and the other a cultivator who has not even set foot on the Yellow Rank. Without the aid of the great fire-lion, even someone of the Fifth Protector's strength could deal with them at will—how could they possibly stand against Old Thirteen?"

"That is precisely what puzzles me. That is why I want Tagan Long brought here, so that he may recount the details of that time to us carefully, and we can form a proper judgment," Old Six said.

"Could it be that the great fire-lion lent them its aid?" Old Twelve asked with a frown.

"No!" Old Six shook his head. "Though that fire-lion has some ties to this sect, it would not meddle in the affairs of human cultivators. Spirit beasts—apart from contracted ones, which will join in human battles—are for the most part not easily commanded by men. Besides, when we surrounded and exterminated that sect back then, this fire-lion did not act. Why would it act now?"

At the time of that sect's extermination, Old Twelve and Old Thirteen had not yet set foot on the Heaven Rank, so naturally they had not taken part; even Old Six had been no more than a bystander then—only he knew more of the secrets of those years than Old Twelve did.

"Then that is strange. Could it be that because Zhang Nai Pao secretly aided the young fire-lion, the great fire-lion chose to act?" Old Twelve was likewise utterly bewildered.

"Hard to say. So let us wait for Tagan Long and hear what he has to say!" Old Six said.

Before long, Tagan Gao returned, with Tagan Long following close behind him, striding quickly inside. Seeing the two men in the room, he at once clasped his fists in salute: "Tagan Long pays his respects to the two martial uncles!"

"No need for ceremony. Tagan Long, you should understand why we have summoned you?" Old Twelve asked. "Tell us once more, in complete detail, everything that happened before the Grand Protector departed!"

"Yes..." Tagan Long nodded hurriedly. He dared not conceal anything either, and recounted the whole affair from beginning to end, including certain details Tagan Gao had not noticed. At last he asked cautiously: "Martial Uncle, my master—is he really..."

"It is true. The Grand Protector has perished!" Old Twelve sighed.

"It must have been those two who did it! Martial Uncles, you must avenge my master!" Hearing this news, Tagan Long spoke with profound grief.

"Whether it was them cannot be determined for now, but this debt must be repaid, without question. Now, describe to me in detail the techniques that Zhang Nai Pao used..." Old Six suddenly asked.

"Zhang Nai Pao's techniques?" Tagan Long was slightly taken aback. He had not paid much attention to Wei Zhao's techniques before; now, after thinking hard for a long while, he said: "I remember he had a move—he seemed to shout something like Frenzied Fire Fist..."

"Frenzied Fire Fist?" A sharp light flashed in Old Six's eyes! So it was indeed the Frenzied Fire Fist. Others might not know, but he did: this martial art was the crowning secret of that sect. Since this Zhang Nai Pao used the Frenzied Fire Fist, then without a doubt he was of that sect!

It seemed that Old Thirteen's death truly could not be disentangled from those two.

.RT