Chapter 16 : Chapter 16
Chapter 16. Backlash
“Tian Yang is already a Formal Martial Artist now… so what if Li Shan got a few days’ head start? Didn’t I catch up anyway?”
Inside the cramped communal bunkroom, Tian Yang’s self-satisfied boasting echoed loudly.
After quite some time, the others finally showed some reaction on their numb faces. In twos and threes, they offered a few dry congratulations, their voices completely devoid of enthusiasm.
Tian Yang did not care in the slightest. As long as he had managed to show off, that was enough.
After all, once tonight passed, he would have little to no interaction with this group ever again.
Besides, seeing their discomfort only made him feel even more pleased. A thick sense of superiority seemed ready to spill out of him.
No matter how much you envy or resent me, you will never catch up in this lifetime!
On the neighboring bed, Liu Hong listened to Tian Yang’s bragging. His expression was unreadable, his eyes unusually calm. Then he curled his lips upward and said in an exaggerated tone,
“As expected, Brother Tian is truly formidable. Now that you have become a martial artist, the world is yours to roam freely. We will have to rely on your support in the future.”
“Easy, easy!”
Tian Yang had long been paying attention to Liu Hong. Seeing him speak up with congratulations now filled him with immense satisfaction.
People like this—those who constantly asked about others’ progress—only did so to ease their own anxiety and seek emotional reassurance.
Now that his display of superiority had landed squarely on Liu Hong, crushing all his confidence in one blow…
The feeling was indescribably satisfying!
Of course, this might offend people.
But who cared?
By tomorrow, they would each go their separate ways, never to cross paths again!
…
In the middle of the night, Xu Yuan suddenly heard a faint creaking sound.
With his current level of perception, he was extraordinarily sensitive.
He immediately opened his drowsy eyes and looked to his left.
The surroundings were pitch dark, with only a faint trace of hazy moonlight filtering in.
In the dim light, he saw Liu Hong and another servant named Wang Shun pinning Tian Yang down together.
Liu Hong knelt halfway on the bed, using a strip of cloth to tightly strangle Tian Yang’s neck, while Wang Shun held down Tian Yang’s flailing legs to prevent him from making noise.
Tian Yang’s entire face was flushed red, his eyeballs bulging and bloodshot. A choking “gurgling” sound came from his throat as his hands clawed helplessly at the air.
Although Tian Yang had become a martial artist and possessed far greater strength than an ordinary person, Liu Hong and Wang Shun’s beds were close together. Taking advantage of his deep sleep and striking suddenly, while working together to restrain him, they actually prevented him from breaking free for the moment.
The surrounding servants were all startled awake. Seeing the situation, they instinctively backed away.
Then, looking at Tian Yang—who had been so full of himself earlier—now reduced to such a miserable state…
The resentment and jealousy they had long accumulated ignited instantly, transforming into a dark sense of pleasure.
As Tian Yang’s eyes began to roll back, on the verge of dying—
Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes, thoughts racing.
“Tian Yang has become a Formal Martial Artist. If something happens to him, the higher-ups will definitely investigate thoroughly. If I do not save him, I will likely be implicated!”
“On the other hand, if I save him, I will have preserved a valuable asset for the Shangyang Residence. Even if there is no reward, at least I will not be at fault—and I might even gain Tian Yang’s goodwill…”
All of this passed in an instant before Xu Yuan made his decision. But before acting, he could not help glancing at Xiao Sheng nearby.
The other man had also shown signs of preparing to intervene just now. Clearly, he had reached the same conclusion.
However, the situation was urgent, and Xu Yuan did not dwell on it.
He suddenly sprang up from his bed, crossed the distance in two strides, grabbed Liu Hong’s wrist with one hand and twisted it forcefully, while his other hand struck directly at Wang Shun’s shoulder and neck.
“Ugh—ah!”
Liu Hong cried out in pain and released his grip. The tightened cloth immediately loosened, while Wang Shun let out a muffled groan and was knocked sideways.
“Gasp—gasp—”
Tian Yang was like a dying fish dragged ashore, his chest heaving violently as he greedily sucked in the surrounding air.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Seeing Liu Hong still trying to struggle, Xu Yuan pressed a palm onto him and effortlessly knocked him off the bed.
“Pfft!”
Liu Hong crashed to the ground, feeling as though his back had been struck by a heavy hammer. His internal organs seemed displaced, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood.
A commotion erupted.
After Xu Yuan’s strike, everyone snapped out of their daze and began shouting loudly,
“Murder!”
“Someone come quickly!”
Several servants fumbled to light candles.
From outside came a burst of noisy shouting, and the door was suddenly kicked open.
“Who committed murder?”
Several attendants rushed in, their eyes scanning the room.
Under normal circumstances it would be one thing, but in these past few days, nothing could happen to the servants. If higher authorities pursued responsibility, no one could bear the consequences.
The leading attendant glanced at Tian Yang on the bed. His face was pale, saliva hung from the corner of his mouth, and a faint ligature mark was visible on his neck. He looked utterly shaken.
Looking further, the attendant noticed Tian Yang’s thickened knuckles, his abdomen pulsing like a drum, and a distinct rhythm in his breathing.
“A martial artist?”
The attendant was full of astonishment. Then he immediately instructed the others beside him, “Go call a martial instructor. A martial artist was nearly killed—this is beyond our authority to handle!”
Very quickly,
A martial instructor arrived, with three horizontal stripes embroidered on his shoulder. He wore a blue robe with a straight collar, his face lean and refined, carrying an air of composure as he walked.
Upon seeing him, everyone immediately lowered their heads in respect.
“Steward Zhao, it is here.”
Zhao Qiusheng entered the servant dormitory. Smelling the unpleasant odor in the air, he frowned slightly and said in a calm tone, “What exactly happened?”
Though his voice was low, it carried an unquestionable authority.
Zhao Qiusheng himself was quite irritated. As the steward of the outer courtyard, he had many duties. He had finally fallen asleep when he was suddenly awakened in the middle of the night with news that a martial artist had nearly been assassinated.
The shock had immediately snapped him awake. Recently, the higher-ups had been paying close attention to matters concerning servants and martial trainees.
Especially now, with the Shangyang Residence in conflict with the Bai family, there was an urgent need to replenish fresh martial talent.
However, after hearing the full account of events, Zhao Qiusheng’s expression darkened abruptly.
What nonsense was this? A servant, driven by jealousy, tried to strangle a martial artist to death in the same night?
Was he being toyed with over such ridiculous matters?
“Who are Liu Hong and Wang Shun?” Zhao Qiusheng asked slowly. His tone was calm, but a hint of anger lingered beneath it.
Liu Hong was already pale as death, supported as he was brought forward. Wang Shun trembled all over, barely able to stand.
At this moment, Liu Hong was filled with regret. He did not even know what had come over him. It was as if he had been possessed—Tian Yang’s smug face kept replaying in his mind, making him angrier the more he thought about it, until he could not sleep…
Later, he quietly woke Wang Shun, who harbored the same resentment.
Now, Liu Hong felt ice-cold all over, filled with remorse. “Steward Zhao, we… we were just momentarily confused…”
“You are not even martial artists?!”
Upon seeing them, Zhao Qiusheng nearly laughed from anger. He could not be bothered to hear them finish. He directly pressed a palm onto their chests.
The strike was both fast and ruthless. Liu Hong and Wang Shun did not even have time to react. Their chests caved in, their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed limply to the ground—dead on the spot!
Xu Yuan, standing nearby, felt his pupils constrict violently. He clearly saw that Zhao Qiusheng’s palm had not even touched them. From several feet away, he had already taken their lives.
“What kind of ability is this? Is this like the external release of True Qi from martial arts novels?”
His heart churned with shock.
He had thought that he was already quite capable, but if faced with such a technique, he would have no way to resist!
“Hiss—!”
The other servants did not notice this detail. They only saw that Zhao Qiusheng had casually executed two servants, as if slaughtering livestock. People who had been chatting and laughing with them not long ago were now gone in an instant!
An involuntary sense of shared fear arose in their hearts.
Zhao Qiusheng calmly withdrew his hand and instructed the others, “Take them out and dispose of them.”
“Yes, Steward Zhao.”
Several attendants stepped forward and dragged Liu Hong and Wang Shun away like dead dogs. The sight made the servants tremble in fear.
“Who was the one who intervened and saved him?”
Zhao Qiusheng’s gaze was sharp. He had already noticed that Liu Hong and Wang Shun had been injured beforehand.