Chapter 23 Third Grade swiftness technique (2/2)

Zhou Donghuang instructed the middle-aged guard who was driving the carriage as he finished speaking, “Uncle, let’s enter the town.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

With a shake of the reins, the middle-aged guard sent the ferghana horse galloping towards the main gate of Ningping Town, pulling the carriage behind it and leaving Freezing Wind and his men behind them.

Freezing Wind held the swiftness technique in his hand, watching the receding figure of the carriage, a bitter smile on his face.

Given the way Zhou Donghuang had put it, he could not have refused to accept it.

“Second-In-Command, take a look… is there really a swiftness technique recorded there?” a bandit prompted with a gleam in his eyes.

The other bandits, including the knife-scarred man, You Hengkun, all turned to look at Freezing Wind with light in their eyes.

Hearing this, Freezing Wind unrolled the paper in his hand with an expression of excitement and curiosity and read it at a glance.

You Hengkun, and the others waited silently.

After roughly the time it would take for ten breaths, Freezing Wind’s expression changed completely, and moving his fingers rapidly, he tore the paper into countless bits.

A gust of wind blew, and the bits of paper were scattered through the air. Now, no one could piece them together again, even if they had wanted to.

“Second-In-Command, what are you doing?”

“Perhaps the swiftness technique was fake?”

…

With the exception of You Hengkun, the other four bandits were all looking at Freezing Wind with uncertainty and some suspicion.

“It’s fake.”

Freezing Wind said with a downcast expression, “I never thought that the dignified owner of Yunxuan Restaurant would take pleasure in toying with people!”

As he spoke, Freezing Wind managed with some difficulty to cast a discreet glance at You Hengkun, who caught the meaning in his glance and immediately chimed in, “No matter how great his ability is, he is still a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, it’s normal for him to be a little childish.”

“That makes sense… how could he have so casually given away such a valuable thing as a swiftness technique.”

You Hengkun’s words had the other four bandits nodding their heads, the suspicion in their gaze dissipating.

However, there still remained a trace of suspicion.

It was no secret that the second-in-command of Green Wolf Bastion, Freezing Wind, had a photographic memory. If it had really been a swiftness technique, that span of ten breaths would have been enough for the second-in-command to memorize it completely.

But after thinking about it, the four bandits felt that the owner of Yunxuan Restaurant really had been making fun of them. The second-in-command of Green Wolf Bastion was not a man who was uncaring towards his brothers and not one who would keep a swiftness technique for himself.

“Let’s go back,” Freezing Wind commanded and led his men back to Green Wolf Bastion.

On the journey back, Freezing Wind could not hide the shock, surprise, and disbelief in the depths of his gaze.

When they arrived at Green Wolf Bastion, Freezing Wind called You Hengkun over once he saw that the other four bandits had returned to their quarters.

“Second-In-Command, that swiftness technique… it wasn’t a fake, was it?” You Hengkun asked in a low voice.

“Indeed, it wasn’t.” Freezing Wind smiled bitterly.

“If it wasn’t a fake, why did you lie to our brothers?”

You Hengkun’s eyes were full of incomprehension at receiving this confirmation from Freezing Wind. He knew the character of the second-in-command of Green Wolf Bastion, and he was not the kind of person who would keep a swiftness technique for himself.

“Scar, I lied to them for their own benefit.” Freezing Wind smiled even more bitterly.

Hearing this, You Hengkun was even more lost.

“Do you know what kind of swiftness technique it was that Young Master Donghuang gave us?” Freezing Wind sighed deeply.

“Wasn’t it that lesser-grade swiftness technique he used when he killed the second-in-command of Black Tiger Bastion, Qian Tongtian?” You Hengkun countered.

“It really was that swiftness technique…” Freezing Wind nodded, then continued with difficulty, “but, it was not a lesser-grade swiftness technique, it was a… third-grade swiftness technique!”

“Third… third-grade swiftness technique?”

You Hengkun was stunned speechless at this, and it seemed that he had been struck by lightning, leaving him frozen with a blank stare.

“Now, I think you understand why I said… I lied to them for their own benefit?”

“Second-in-command, you have really thought it over.”

You Hengkun finally regained his wits after a long while, a bitter smile on his face.

People talk, and word spreads, and the fewer people knew about this, the better.

Third-grade swiftness technique.

It was easy to imagine how the entire Green Wolf Bastion would have invited catastrophe upon themselves once it became known that they possessed such a swiftness technique!

“What kind of person is this new owner of Yunxuan Restaurant? Within the country of Yunyang, only the Imperial Court and the Royal family possess third-grade techniques, and yet he not only possesses it, but gives it away casually?”

As he muttered, You Hengkun’s expression was full of surprise and incomprehension.