Xingyang Jie was so angry that he almost coughed out a mouthful of blood. He thought that by announcing his name and his family, his opponent would tremble with fear before kneeling and licking his shoes. Instead, it took away the guyâs doubt and made him kill even more wantonly. That had dealt him a blow greater than when his fingers were cut away.
In the face of Yunxiao, Martial Masters were nothing but cannon fodder. Soon, only a Great Martial Master was left. With his pupils constricted, the guard drew his sword and unsealed it as he rushed over.
Amidst the crowd of onlookers in the distance, a girl in red gently curled her hair with a finger as she frowned and said, âSir Yu, is that the young man Master Yuan Hao was talking about, a third-tier alchemist, Li Yunxiao?â
Standing next to her, an old man with a head of white hair and a youthful face smiled and said, âYes. Iâve been following him ever since he stepped into the trade fair. He is a boy with a pair of sharp eyes. Luckily, I had hidden myself deep enough. Otherwise, he would have discovered me.â
The girl looked surprised. âHowâs that possible? Look, although he is only a four-stars Martial Master, that three-stars Great Martial Master is already showing signs of losing. If Iâm not wrong, heâs only about fifteen, isnât he? And yet, heâs already such a genius in martial arts. How can he also be a third-tier alchemist?â
There was a look of amazement in Yu Rongâs eyes as well as he said, âEach age brings forth new geniuses on this noble land. You, for one, are a peerless genius, but I didnât expect this Li Yunxiao to be so inhuman.â
The girl gave him a sweet smile. âYouâre flattering me, Sir Yu! Iâm not a genius. Do you think we should stop them? Heâll be in trouble if he really kills Xingyang Jie.â
Her words put a frown on Yu Rongâs face, and he said worriedly, âThe Xingyang Family itself is nothing, but one of their ancestors is the elder of Jutian Sect, and we cannot overlook that. I think I better stop them.â He took a step and vanished instantly.
âStop it!â
Yu Rong lightly pointed at Yunxiaoâs sword with a walking stick, knocking it back. The Great Martial Master, who thought he was about to die, trembled with fear and fell to his knees, staring gratefully at Yu Rong.
âBe lenient wherever it is possible, lad! You donât have to be so ruthless. Besides, the Xingyang Family is an existence you cannot afford to offend,â Yu Rong said with a kind smile.
Yunxiaoâs eyes turned cold as he mocked, âSince I stepped into the trade fair, someone had been watching me, and now he has finally showed up. So, it is you, old man.â
âWhat!â Yu Rong was shocked, and his eyeballs almost dropped out. âHow⦠how could you possibly sense my presence?!â he said in horror. He had thought he was well hidden, but it turned out that he was long under his targetâs observation.
âHmph! Move aside, Iâm not in the mood to talk to you now. Iâll deal with you after I have killed these two men!â He lifted his sword as he moved around Yu Rong and stabbed the blade toward the Great Martial Master again.
âForget it, lad!â Yu Rongâs walking stick moved in a cunning pattern and tapped three times in a row on Springwater, sending a great force down the blade that broke the skin in Yunxiaoâs palm and knocked the sword out of his grip.
A trace of anger flashed through Yunxiaoâs eyes as he said, âA seven-stars Martial King, Plum Blossom Spear Technique!â
Yu Rong was shocked once again. âHowâ¦how did you know my cultivation level? How did you know Iâm using the Plum Blossom Spear Technique?â
âHmph!â Yunxiao snorted angrily. âIf you save this man today, you will be my enemy, and you will bring yourself a great disaster in the future!â
Yu Rong found that it was getting harder for him to see through this young man. He smiled wryly and said, âI did this for your own good, Li Yunxiao. Although the Xingyang Family is nothing, they have an ancestor who is the elder of Jutian Sect. If you kill Xingyang Jie, you will bring yourself a great disaster!â
Meanwhile, Hong Bing and the Martial Lord had stopped fighting as well. With a venomous look on his face and holding his injured hand, Xingyang Jie said, âSo, your name is Li Yunxiao. I swear I will kill your whole family! Letâs go!â
After saying that, he turned and left hurriedly with the Martial Lord and the Great Martial Master.
Yunxiao stared coldly at Yu Rong. âYou heard him. You ask me to be lenient, and now he wants to kill me. Besides, he took away the herb that I urgently needed to save my friendâs life. How am I going to save him now?â
He was boiling with rage, not only because he had failed to kill Xingyang Jie, but also because the Hundred Water was taken away from him. He gave Jia Rong a meaningful glance, who understood at once and immediately brought Meng Wu, Meng Bai, Chen Zhen, and Han Bai away, melting into the crowd.
âThisâ¦â Yu Rong smiled wryly. âXingyang Jie has always been arrogant. He will naturally not let this matter rest easily after taking such a big hit from you today.â
âSince only death can resolve our grudge, you have caused me harm by releasing him. Donât worry, Iâll make you pay for what youâve done today in the future.â After saying that in a cold voice, Yunxiao turned to leave.
âHold on!â Yu Rong did not take his threatening remark to heart, and instead he chased up and said, âA young lady I serve wishes to have a word with you.â
âIâm not free!â
âYou! Donât be a fool who canât tell good from bad!â
âWhy? Are you going to force me? Donât think a seven-stars Martial King is invincible!â
Yu Rong was a little angry. As a Martial King, he was held in high respect wherever he went, and yet he was already mocked many times by this young man today. Had it not been because of a reason he could not speak now, he would have killed this ungrateful lad.
âAlthough Hundred Water is rare, I do have some.â
A sweet voice rang out, and then the girl in red walked slowly out of the crowd with a bright smile on her face. âDonât be too impetuous, young man! It is really for your own good that Sir Yu stopped you from killing Xingyang Jie. Although there is still resentment between you, at least there is still room to talk it over. But, if you had killed him, there would be no turning back.â
While frowning, Yunxiao sneered, âRoom to talk it over? What if he brings some other expert to kill me again?â
The girl in red chuckled and said, âHow about I take charge of the reconciliation? I believe I can manage it. Let me introduce myself, my name is Ding Lingâer.â
Yunxiao smiled and said faintly, âWell, Ding Lingâer, itâs up to you now. Turn and look behind you.â
Ding Lingâer and Yu Rong froze for a moment and turned back at the same time. They saw Xingyang Jie, who was fuming with rage, walking toward them with a group of men. His malevolent eyes were fixed on Yunxiao, and there was a ferocious look on his face.
The crowd around them quickly dispersed in all directions, as if a storm were coming. No one dared to stay in this street, and everyone was watching from a distance.
The leaderâs face was calm, with a hint of a smile on his lips. Judging from the aura of the people around him, he should also be the son of some super aristocratic family, and his status was even higher than Xingyang Jieâs.
When the man saw Ding Lingâer, the smile on his face turned into astonishment. âI didnât expect to see you here, Miss Lingâer,â he said in surprise.
Ding Lingâer had a wry smile on her face. She had just promised that she would settle this for Yunxiao, and in the next moment, Xingyang Jie had come back. âI didnât expect to see you here either, Young Master Cheng Feiche. I have witnessed this matter from the beginning to end, and I know there are many misunderstandings. I hope I can be a peacemaker for them.â
âOh?â Cheng Feiche gave a weird smile. He glanced at Yunxiao, then said thoughtfully, âWho is this guy? To have Miss Lingâer intercede for him?â
Xingyang Jieâs face flickered. Fearing that Cheng Feiche would agree to her, he said hastily, âBrother Feiche, you mustnât be fooled by her. This Ding Lingâer is a merchant who sees only profits. She must have been paid handsomely by this boy to intercede for him!â
âHmph! Paid?â Yu Rong tapped the end of his walking stick against the ground, breaking several bricks. âIf I hadnât saved you just now, would you still be standing here? Have I been paid by you?â he said angrily.
Xingyang Jie was ungrateful, as he said with a sneer, âYou saved me just to save him, because if I die, he will be doomed, even if he has a powerful background!â
âHaha!â Yunxiao burst into laughter, then he said mockingly, âWhat else do you have to say now, old man?â
Yu Rongâs face turned livid with anger. âThink of me as saving a dog!â
A trace of a sulky look crept up Ding Lingâerâs face. The grace of saving oneâs life was greater than anything, but Xingyang Jie did not appreciate it at all, which proved him to be a bad guy. Looking at Cheng Feiche, she said, âYoung Master Feiche, think of this as a favor you sell to me. Although Iâm just a merchant, my company, Tianyuan Trading Company, is involved in many businesses with the four major families of the Firecrow EmpireâZhou, Wang, Mo, and Cheng. Moreover, we have a very wide network, and you can find our men in almost every corner of the Heavenly Martial Continent. So, what do you think?â
Yunxiao was slightly taken aback. âSo, they are from Tianyuan Trading Companyâ¦â
Tianyuan Trading Company was one of the members of the Commerce Alliance. Its influence was widespread, spanning the entire Heavenly Martial Continent. The Commerce Alliance was formed by numerous trading companies of different sizes on the continent, including seven permanent members and thirteen ordinary members. Tianyuan Trading Company was one of the permanent members while Myriad Treasures Store was not only a permanent member, but also the leader.
These trading companies were originally business organizations scattered across the continent. Later, to avoid being bullied by others, seven of the strongest companies and thirteen smaller companies formed the Commerce Alliance under the call of Myriad Treasures Store. At present, the council had developed into one of the superpowers on the continent that no one dared to underestimate.
Cheng Feiche thought about it for a while, and then said, âMiss Lingâer, itâs not that I donât want to sell you this favor. We came here together, and Brother Jie represents the face of all the aristocratic families in the Firecrow Empire. This guy not only killed Brother Jieâs men, but also cut off his five fingers. This is a slap in the face of our families. I canât just forgive him like this.â
He looked up with a trace of cruelty in his eyes. âBut, I have to give Miss Lingâerâs some face as well. As long as this guy kneels and kowtows ten times, destroy his dantian, cuts off his hands, and kneels at the entrance of the trade fair until the end of the fair, Iâll not kill him. What do you think?â
With a grateful look, Xingyang Jie said excitedly, âBrother Feiche, you are such a compassionate person. This boy should count himself lucky to be punished so lightly!â