Chapter 107 : Chapter 107
Chapter 107. Imbalance
About half an hour later,
a sharp rush of wind suddenly sounded from the distance.
Everyone was startled and turned to look, only to see a tall, powerfully built figure sweeping rapidly toward them, his robes snapping in the wind.
Chief Overseer Yang Cang had finally returned to the medicinal fields.
His gaze was as sharp as lightning. The moment he swept his eyes over the devastated medicinal fields and the bloody stench still lingering over the lake, the face of this seven-meridian martial artist turned livid, and fury mixed with shock surged into his eyes.
The immense pressure radiating from him could no longer be restrained. It burst outward with a roar, making the surrounding people’s breathing hitch as their legs trembled.
“What happened?!”
Yang Cang’s voice was deep as thunder, filled with rage compressed to its limit.
Enduring his injuries, Xie Yun hurried forward and quickly gave a careful report of the entire chain of events.
With every sentence he heard, Yang Cang’s face darkened further.
When he heard that all the high-grade medicinal treasures in the C-sector fields had been looted, the corner of his eye twitched. When he heard that the Purple-Gold Eel had nearly been taken away by the Bai Family using Dragon-Bewildering Incense, the veins on his forehead bulged.
“What a Wang Tao… What a Bai Family. What methods indeed.”
Those words were forced out almost from between Yang Cang’s teeth.
The medicinal fields had suffered such grievous losses. Several Chief Guards had died in battle, and the Purple-Gold Eel had nearly been lost. As the Chief Overseer stationed here, he could not escape blame.
Once he returned to the Shangyang Residence, severe punishment was inevitable. The merits and resources he had accumulated over many years would likely be drastically cut to make up for it.
Just as thoughts raced through his mind and he considered how to deal with the aftermath and lessen his punishment, his gaze swept across the crowd. His brows knit, and he asked,
“Where is Chief Guard Yang? Why do I not see her?”
A trace of hesitation flickered across Xie Yun’s face. Steeling himself, he stepped forward and quietly reported what had happened to Yang Caiyu: how she had encountered Wang Tao, been forced to use the Thunderbolt Bead, and most likely been blown apart without even a corpse left behind.
“What?!”
Hearing that, Yang Cang looked as though he had been struck by lightning. For an instant, the terrifying force roiling around him spilled out of control. Several martial artists standing nearby immediately turned pale and nearly lost their footing.
This niece of his was the most talented among the younger generation of the Yang Family and had been deeply cherished by her mother, Yang Cang’s own elder sister.
When she had first been sent into the Shangyang Residence, his sister had repeatedly urged him to look after her well.
And he truly had treated Yang Caiyu like half a daughter. Though he knew she was spoiled and arrogant, he had still done his utmost to protect her, provide her with resources, and hope for her success.
But now she has actually perished here?
“Wang Tao!”
Yang Cang’s eyes turned bloodshot as he growled the name. Killing intent soared into the sky, making the temperature around them plummet.
But what rose in his heart immediately after was an even greater chill, along with endless regret.
That Thunderbolt Bead… it had been something he had given his niece for self-defense, a life-saving treasure. Who could have imagined that it would instead become part of the chain of cause and effect that ended her life?
He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. His chest rose and fell violently. Only after a long while did he barely manage to suppress the surging blood and emotion within him.
When he opened his eyes again, he turned toward Azure Dragon Lake and asked in a deep voice,
“According to Chief Guard Xie, in the end it was someone who awakened the Purple-Gold Eel, forcing the Bai Family’s plans to fail and sending them fleeing in panic. Who was that person?”
At those words, Xie Yun naturally turned his gaze toward Xu Yuan at the side. He had just opened his mouth to report—
“Chief Overseer, this subordinate has recalled something.”
A voice suddenly cut in and interrupted Xie Yun.
“At the time the Thunderbolt Bead exploded, the commotion was enormous and the smoke was thick. But this subordinate vaguely caught sight of Chief Guard Yang, seeming not to have… died on the spot.”
The moment those words were spoken, a low uproar rippled through the surroundings.
Everyone looked at one another, not expecting such a twist.
Xu Yuan was momentarily taken aback as well. He raised his eyes toward the speaker, somewhat surprised.
Yang Cang whipped his head around and fixed the man with a hard stare. Word by word, he asked, “Is that true? Did you see clearly?”
“This subordinate would not dare speak recklessly.”
Zhang Cheng stepped forward, cupped his hands in salute, and with a grave expression added in a firm tone,
“The blast was blinding and the smoke was heavy, so I could not see everything clearly. But I did notice the direction Chief Guard Yang was sent flying, as well as the movement of the grass where she landed.”
“Later, Wang Tao seemed as though he wanted to chase after her, but then something on the island drew him away, and no one paid any more attention to that direction. So perhaps…”
“Good, good!”
The grief in Yang Cang’s eyes was instantly replaced by a flicker of hope. He nodded repeatedly, and even his voice became more hurried.
“If there is even a possibility, then we must not give up. With Caiyu’s cultivation and quick wits, there may yet be a sliver of hope!”
At that moment, Xie Yun gave a light cough and finally managed to continue what he had been about to say. Pointing at Xu Yuan, he said,
“Chief Overseer, the one who awakened the Purple-Gold Eel and forced the Bai Family to retreat was none other than Xu Yuan, Chief Guard of the Ding Fields.”
Yang Cang followed the direction of his finger and looked at Xu Yuan.
The young man before him stood tall and straight. Though his clothes were torn and he bore injuries, his gaze was upright and clear, and his bearing was steady and composed. For someone his age to possess five-meridian cultivation truly was rare.
But with his niece’s life and death weighing on his mind, Yang Cang merely nodded to Xu Yuan and said in a mild tone,
“Not bad. Chief Guard Xu remained calm in the face of danger and preserved the medicinal fields’ treasured assets. You have rendered a service to the family. I will remember it and will certainly request merit on your behalf.”
Xu Yuan immediately stepped forward and bowed, his face filled with grateful emotion.
“Many thanks, Chief Overseer. This subordinate does not dare accept such praise. It was only by luck that I managed to fulfill my duty.”
His tone was sincere and his posture humble, but in his heart, things slowly sank.
If no one had mentioned that Yang Caiyu might have survived, then her death would have been treated as a certainty, and Xu Yuan would have been the meritorious figure who stepped forward at the crucial moment.
But once Yang Cang became convinced that Yang Caiyu might still be alive and began searching for her with all his might, many things would grow complicated.
Sooner or later, Yang Cang would learn about the grudge between him and Yang Caiyu.
Even if Yang Caiyu’s corpse could not be found, and there was no evidence proving that she had died by his hand, once the seed of suspicion was planted, who would still care whether the evidence was conclusive?
On this little patch of land that was the medicinal fields, Yang Cang was a local king whose word was law.
If suspicion made him develop ill will toward Xu Yuan, then that so-called recommendation for merit would very likely be greatly diminished. He might even secretly throw obstacles in Xu Yuan’s path with ease.
This merit… was likely hanging by a thread now.
At that thought, the corner of Xu Yuan’s eye quietly swept toward Zhang Cheng, who stood there with his hands lowered at his sides.
At that moment, Zhang Cheng had his head slightly bowed, his eyes resting on the scorched earth beneath his feet. His expression was utterly calm, as though those words just now had been nothing more than an objective statement made out of collegial concern.
Xu Yuan sighed inwardly, his feelings complicated.
This imbalance born of jealousy… truly harmed both others and oneself.
He did not even need to ask to know the reason behind Zhang Cheng’s action.
It was nothing more than seeing a newcomer like him stumble into great merit through luck, while Zhang Cheng himself had fought desperately and gained nothing, leaving his heart unbalanced and unable to accept it.
To put it in the words of Xu Yuan’s previous life: he could bear to see his brother suffer, but not to see his brother prosper.
And yet Xu Yuan still felt a little sad.
He had never expected that this easygoing, openhearted, free-spirited good man, someone with whom he had shared quite a bit of drink and laughter lately, someone he had thought was becoming almost a friend, would choose to side with profit in the end.
Such was the changeability of human hearts, and the chill of worldly affairs.
“Enough.”
Yang Cang had no time for further thought. With a wave of his large hand, his voice rang across the entire scene.
“Pass down the order. Everyone still capable of moving is to search immediately, taking the explosion site by Azure Dragon Lake as the center and combing the surrounding forest, riverbanks, and grasslands for any trace of Chief Guard Yang!”
“Whoever finds her, I, Yang Cang, will be rewarded with a great treasure. I will not go back on my word!”
The moment the order was given, all the remaining manpower in the medicinal fields was mobilized at once. Filled with urgency and hope, they surged toward the direction where Yang Caiyu might have escaped.
Amid the noisy clamor of voices, Xu Yuan stood where he was, watching Zhang Cheng’s back vanish in haste along with the crowd.
His gaze was deep and still, without another ripple.