“Zhao Yan?”
Bai Jinwu’s expression changed, but he quickly recovered his calm and said flatly, “Old man, shouldn’t you be staying in the Chief Overseer’s residence instead of coming here to join the fun?”
“Join the fun?” Zhao Yan let out a scornful laugh. “You’re trying to make a move on one of my people, and I’m not allowed to come?”
He turned to look at Xu Yuan, and a trace of approval flashed through his eyes.
“Kid, you did well. Leave the rest to me.”
Bai Jinwu sighed inwardly. It seemed this trip would likely end in failure after all.
And in the next moment—
Whoosh, bang!
The Bai Family’s retreat signal exploded in the air, and the crimson flare vanished in an instant.
Xu Yuan looked at Bai Jinwu, whose face was full of unwillingness even though he had no choice but to stop. With perfect cooperation, Xu Yuan revealed the expression of someone who had narrowly escaped death and finally relaxed, then let out a long breath.
“That was close. I almost died at your hands today!”
‘Like hell I believe you!’
When Bai Jinwu heard that, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
He was not stupid. After this much time, how could he have failed to notice anything?
This kid truly did have some skill. That movement art of his was downright bizarre. He was clearly only seven-meridian, yet he was as slippery as an eel, to the point that an eight-meridian martial artist like Bai Jinwu had failed to catch him several times.
Even stranger, Xu Yuan had clearly taken several of his palm strikes. If it had been an ordinary seven-meridian martial artist, his qi and blood would already have been thrown into disorder and his movements hindered.
But this kid acted as if nothing had happened and was still lively as ever. How the hell was that reasonable?
What Bai Jinwu did not know was that although Xu Yuan’s cultivation was slightly inferior, under the enhancement of Berserk, both Iron Garment Art and Wandering Dragon Step had been greatly strengthened.
On the surface, he looked badly injured, but in truth, the damage had not touched his foundation.
“Interesting…”
Bai Jinwu gave Xu Yuan a deep look, then chuckled.
“So you’re Xu Yuan? I’ll remember you. The next time we meet, I definitely won’t give you another chance!”
Then he shouted loudly, turned, and called for his men to withdraw.
The Bai Family martial artists had already been low on morale, and now that even their chief overseer had given the retreat order, they immediately fell into total disarray and fled in panic.
“You killed one of my Shangyang Residence’s Workshop Masters and still think you can run?”
Zhao Yan, however, had no intention of returning empty-handed. His figure flashed as he gave chase.
Since Huo Gang had died here, the final merit calculations might very well be affected. In that case, he might as well take a few Bai Family heads to make up the difference.
In the distance, screams rose one after another.
Bai Jinwu’s cursing could be heard from afar, followed by the sound of force erupting in violent bursts.
A short while later, Zhao Yan returned in time, drawing back from the pursuit. There were bloodstains on his robe, yet his face was full of satisfaction.
“I killed two more Workshop Masters from the Bai Family. This trip wasn’t a loss at all, hahaha!”
As for Bai Jinwu, Liu Zhensi, and the others, although their hearts burned with shock and fury, they could only flee in disgrace.
‘Next time you want to settle life and death with me? Sure. By the next time we meet, you’ll be the one who dies.’ Xu Yuan remained where he was, withdrew his gaze with a calm expression, and began checking on his subordinates.
This time, the Bai Family’s surprise attack had a very clear objective: they had come for him. On top of that, they had moved quickly.
So on the lower battlefields of the one-meridian to five-meridian martial artists, quite a few people had been injured, but fortunately only a small number had died… Chen Sanli, Hong Qianshan, Lin Yue’e, and the others were all safe and unharmed.
As for the Workshop Masters, only Huo Gang had died.
The situation at the time had been urgent, and everyone had been fighting separately. They had only seen a blur before Bai Jinwu had already struck.
Huo Gang’s death had been a little strange. He had just so happened to be standing right along the path Xu Yuan had used to lure the enemy over, but most people did not think too deeply about it.
After all, Xu Yuan was only seven-meridian. He had been struggling desperately just to survive against Bai Jinwu, so how could he have had the spare attention to kill with a borrowed knife?
Could it be that, just to get Huo Gang killed, he was willing to risk his own life too?
As they watched the Bai Family’s defeated remnants flee in panic,
the martial artists of the Shangyang Residence erupted into thunderous cheers on the spot.
This time, they had earned plenty of battle merits and kept their lives as well. Next, they would be able to improve their strength in peace. What could be better than that?
At that moment, Xiao Han and the others crowded around him, their faces full of excitement.
“Battle Overseer Xu, you were incredible! You took several moves from an eight-meridian opponent head-on and still ran him all over the battlefield!”
“You beat Liu Zhensi until he was half dead. The Bai Family is finished for good this time!”
“We should finally get some peace now!”
Xu Yuan ignored their flattery and merely nodded faintly.
Just then, Zhao Yan strode over to Xu Yuan, his eyes filled with admiration.
“Kid, you’re really something. You even dared to take on an eight-meridian opponent head-on. You’ve got guts.”
Xu Yuan’s face was pale as he cupped his hands toward him. “I still have to thank Chief Overseer Zhao for arriving in time.”
“Enough of that.”
Zhao Yan waved a hand and grinned. “I’d already been watching that old bastard Bai Jinwu. Did he really think I wouldn’t know what he was trying to do? What a joke.”
As he said that, he gave Xu Yuan a heavy slap on the shoulder.
“Recover properly. The Level Three zone should be much more stable from here on.”
“Many thanks for Chief Overseer Zhao’s guidance.”
But the moment those words left his mouth, Xu Yuan’s pale face suddenly flushed red. His body swayed, then he tottered and collapsed to the side.
“Battle Overseer Xu!”
“Brother Xu?”
The martial artists around him were all alarmed, and Xiao Han and the others hurriedly moved to support him.
As an eight-meridian martial artist, Zhao Yan’s senses were naturally extremely sharp. When he saw this scene, the corner of his eye twitched, and he chose to understand without exposing it.
Xu Yuan had nearly died tonight, fought a bitter battle, suffered injuries, and rendered great merit. It was only natural that he would be extremely exhausted. Pretending to faint in order to avoid some of the troublesome aftermath was hardly unreasonable.
Xu Yuan really did not want to deal with the mess that came afterward—answering endless questions from colleagues, listening to people flatter him and try to build ties, and winning himself a bit of sympathy…
Of course, it was not entirely an act either. Maneuvering against a veteran eight-meridian martial artist for that long had not been an easy thing.
Thus, the war in the Level Three zone was officially declared over.
And in the end, all the territory Han Li had worked so hard to seize ended up benefiting Xu Yuan.
…
That very night after Xu Yuan “fainted,” he was sent back to Changlin Ward.
Once the news spread, many visitors came calling the next day. Xiao Han, Chen Sanli, Gao Yuan, Hong Qianshan, and others came one after another, asking after his condition with great concern.
But the most eye-catching thing was that even Second Young Master Shangyang Qingcheng had sent someone.
In the Workshop Master’s front hall,
when Xu Yuan stepped inside, he saw a figure standing with his hands behind his back, staring at the calligraphy and paintings on the wall in a daze.
It was Gao Sheng, Second Young Master’s personal attendant.
“Elder Gao.” Xu Yuan cupped his hands in greeting.
Gao Sheng turned around and swept his gaze over Xu Yuan, immediately revealing a look of concern.
“Battle Overseer Xu, how are your injuries? Are they serious?”
“Thank you for Elder Gao’s concern. They are only superficial injuries. A few days of rest will be enough,” Xu Yuan replied politely.
Gao Sheng nodded and did not waste words on courtesy before getting straight to the point.
“Battle Overseer Xu, I came this time to deliver a message on behalf of Second Young Master.”
Xu Yuan’s expression sharpened slightly, and he adopted the posture of respectful attention.
“Second Young Master already knows what happened last night.”
Gao Sheng spoke slowly. “With a seven-meridian cultivation, you forcibly held off an eight-meridian chief overseer, circled with him for so long, and ultimately withdrew unscathed. Second Young Master greatly admires your ability.”
“I don’t deserve such praise.”
Xu Yuan answered modestly, “If Chief Overseer Zhao had not arrived in time, I fear my chances would have been grim.”
Gao Sheng smiled but did not respond to that. Instead, he changed the subject.
“However, Battle Overseer Xu, do you know that a major incident also took place last night in the Level Four zone?”
Xu Yuan frowned and looked toward Gao Sheng.
Judging by the current situation, the fighting in the Level Four zone should have been nearing its end as well.
But from the sound of it, it seemed that some kind of unexpected change had occurred.