Chapter 115 : Chapter 115
Chapter 115. Martial Seed?
Xu Yuan’s eyes shone brightly, and he immediately decided to test it out.
In the corner of the quiet chamber stood an iron post half the height of a man.
It had been left behind by Xue Zhan and was forged from solid iron, weighing no less than four or five hundred jin.
Xu Yuan walked up to the iron post, took a deep breath, and stirred his thoughts.
Berserk activated.
Boom!
It was as if a ball of fire had exploded inside his chest.
A vast surge of blood and qi poured out from his dantian, rushing wildly through his body like a river bursting through a broken dam.
Xu Yuan could clearly feel every inch of his muscles swelling and expanding, as though strength were suddenly erupting out of nowhere.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands. The muscles were knotted tight, the veins slightly raised, and a faint red glow flowed beneath his skin.
With only a slight clenching of his fist, the muscles instantly bulged, brimming with explosive force.
Xu Yuan planted his stance and threw out a fierce punch.
Clang!!
A deafening metallic crash exploded outward, startling the birds perched on the distant eaves into flight.
The iron post buried deep in the ground was actually uprooted by that single punch, flying three or four meters before slamming into the wall with a thunderous crash!
Xu Yuan walked over to inspect it.
At the exact center of the iron post was a fist-sized dent that had nearly punched straight through the entire slab of iron. There were even several fine cracks along the edges.
His pupils contracted slightly.
The power of that punch was probably already infinitely close to that of a seven-meridian martial artist.
“Let’s test the movement technique too.”
His feet shifted slightly as he unfolded Wandering Dragon Step, his whole body turning into a streak of white that darted back and forth through the quiet chamber.
The wind whistled around him, so fast that it was almost impossible to make out his figure.
In just a few breaths, he had already circled the room more than a dozen times before coming to a steady stop in place, his breathing only slightly uneven.
At that moment, a hurried burst of footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate, followed by Xiao Qi’s voice:
“My lord, are you all right?!”
Right after that came the voices of Chun’er, Qiu’er, and Old Madam Wang as well, all tinged with alarm.
Xu Yuan immediately reined in his aura and said calmly, “Nothing is wrong. Go back to sleep.”
The area outside the door fell silent for a moment, and then Xiao Qi’s relieved voice rang out. “Yes, yes, my lord.”
Very soon, the footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
But even through the courtyard wall, Xu Yuan could still hear their hushed whispers drifting into his ears.
“Good heavens, that noise just now… was that made by my lord?” Chun’er’s voice was full of shock.
“What else could it be?”
Xiao Qi kept his voice low, but he could not hide the pride in it.
“I’m telling you, my lord is no ordinary martial artist. If you ask me, he’s already beyond the mortal realm. He’s a martial immortal!”
“A martial immortal…” Qiu’er sucked in a cold breath.
“Look at how little it takes to amaze you.”
Xiao Qi gave a smug snort. “Serve my lord well, and there’ll be plenty of benefits in the future. Back when we were in the medicinal fields, I was lucky enough to eat a few pieces of spirit fish meat. Now no matter what I do, my waist and legs never ache anymore!”
“Really? Hurry up and tell us about it…”
“Exactly, exactly, tell us, Brother Xiao Qi…”
Their voices gradually drifted farther away, though Xu Yuan could still faintly hear Xiao Qi’s self-satisfied laughter.
Xu Yuan shook his head and withdrew his thoughts.
Suddenly, a wave of weakness surged up from within him.
His brows drew together slightly. After sensing the state of his body, he found that his blood and qi were much more sluggish than before, and his meridians ached faintly as well, though it was nowhere near the point of injuring his muscles and bones.
It would recover in about four hours.
A side effect like this was entirely acceptable.
A gleam flickered in Xu Yuan’s eyes.
What a tyrannical skill!
He wondered what kind of attributes would be extracted once Wandering Dragon Step and Iron Garment Art were both trained to Perfection.
He found himself looking forward to it more and more.
…
The next day, the eighth day of the ninth month.
By the time morning light streamed through the window lattice into the room, Xu Yuan was already awake.
The weakness from last night had long since vanished, replaced by blood and qi even fuller than yesterday.
He stretched his limbs and only felt comfortable from head to toe, as if even his meridians had widened a little.
When he walked out of the quiet chamber, the courtyard was already bustling with activity.
Chun’er was wiping down the railing beneath the corridor, Qiu’er was carrying a wooden basin toward the kitchen, and smoke was already drifting up from Old Madam Wang’s stove.
Xiao Qi was leading two young attendants as they cleaned up the traces left behind from the previous night.
The broken section of the spiked training post had already been hauled away, and the crater in the ground had been filled in. Only the crack in the courtyard wall, where the iron post had smashed into it, remained.
When he saw Xu Yuan come out, Xiao Qi immediately came up to him with a smile spread across his face.
“My lord, breakfast is ready. Old Madam Wang specially made ginseng-and-astragalus porridge and said it would help restore your strength.”
Xu Yuan nodded, but his gaze fell on those busy figures.
He suddenly remembered the days when he himself had worked as a menial servant in the outer courtyard.
Back then, he had to get up before dawn every day to sweep the courtyards, carry firewood and charcoal, and attend to the food and daily needs of those martial instructors.
Those days were neither truly distant nor truly near. They simply left him feeling a little dazed.
After reflecting for a moment, he withdrew his gaze.
After breakfast, Xu Yuan changed into a clean white robe embroidered with dark patterns and went out to keep an appointment.
The invitation he had received yesterday had been jointly sent by several ward masters from the Level Three zone. It was essentially a meeting to discuss the war situation, and they had arranged to meet at noon in the Hongyun Restaurant.
Xu Yuan’s arrival was neither especially early nor particularly late.
Inside a private room on the second floor of the restaurant, three people were already seated.
All three wore white robes embroidered with dark patterns, and their auras were as steady as mountains. At a glance, it was obvious that they were all six-meridian martial artists.
The middle-aged man seated in the center was strongly built and had an honest-looking face. The moment he saw Xu Yuan enter, he immediately rose and cupped his hands with a smile.
“This must be the newly appointed Ward Master Xu, yes? I’ve heard so much about you. I am Xiao Han, ward master of Qingyun Ward.”
Xu Yuan returned the greeting. “You are too courteous, Ward Master Xiao.”
The younger man beside him, however, did not stand.
He lounged against the back of his chair, lifted his eyes to look at Xu Yuan over once, and said in an indifferent tone, “Qunlong Ward. Huo Gang.”
It was as if words were made of gold to him. After saying that much, he offered nothing more.
Xu Yuan raised a brow.
This man really was full of himself.
Seeing this, Xiao Han hurriedly smiled and tried to smooth things over.
“Please don’t mind him, Ward Master Xu. Ward Master Huo is just that kind of person. Cold on the outside, warm on the inside. But he is very famous in the Level Three zone, deeply trusted by the Third Young Master, and quite formidable in strength as well.”
Xu Yuan immediately understood.
He should have said so earlier.
No wonder the man was so arrogant. He had someone powerful backing him.
The Third Young Master, Shangyang Jinrong, might not hold the same status within the residence as the Second Young Master, Shangyang Qingcheng, but he was still a figure of real authority, in charge of part of the family’s business interests.
Since Huo Gang enjoyed his trust, he naturally had the right to be arrogant.
Xu Yuan nodded and said nothing more.
The last ward master was a woman around thirty years old. Her face was cold and distant, her features delicate and refined, yet she carried an aloofness that warned strangers not to come near.
She only gave Xu Yuan a slight nod and said in an even, detached tone, “Hewen Ward. Yuan Danqing.”
Xiao Han smiled again and introduced her as well. “Ward Master Yuan also arrived in the Level Three zone not long ago. Her movement technique surpasses all her peers.”
After speaking, he lowered his voice and leaned close to Xu Yuan’s ear. “She grew up at the Fifth Young Miss’s side. Their bond is quite extraordinary.”
Xu Yuan froze for a moment. Good heavens, did all of them have backing?
He looked at Xiao Han, a trace of curiosity in his eyes. “What about you?”
Xiao Han scratched his head somewhat sheepishly and chuckled. “My father… before he passed away, he served as one of the Family Head’s personal guards.”
After hearing that, Xu Yuan honestly did not know what to say. He could only laugh and shake his head.
So everyone seated here had some kind of background.
And he, the one who had truly climbed up from being a menial servant, had somehow become the odd one out. That alone had not been easy.
Xiao Han was clearly a warmhearted man. Not long after the two of them sat down, he continued by introducing Xu Yuan to the situation in the Level Three zone, as well as the Overseer who controlled the overall picture.
“The Overseer is named Zhao Yan. He’s an old eight-meridian expert, the rigid and methodical type, swift and decisive in everything he does. What he hates most is when people drag their feet and waste time.”
Xiao Han lowered his voice. “If you work under him, don’t even think about slacking off. Whatever task is yours, you won’t be allowed to shirk even the smallest part of it.”
Xu Yuan nodded and kept all that in mind.
Just as they were speaking, the door to the private room was pushed open.
A middle-aged man strode in with broad steps.
His complexion was dark, his brows and eyes sharp. There was a seasoned efficiency to the way he walked, without the slightest bit of wasted motion.
The moment he entered, everyone in the room rose to their feet.
Zhao Yan’s gaze swept across the room before coming to rest on Xu Yuan, lingering there briefly as he spoke in a flat tone, “So you are Ward Master Xu, the one who came from the medicinal fields?”
“That’s right.” Xu Yuan nodded and cupped his hands to him.
Zhao Yan studied him for a moment, then said calmly, “I heard that all the battle merits you earned in the medicinal fields were just things you coasted into?”