Chapter 123 : Chapter 123
Chapter 123. Tactful?
It would have been discourteous not to return the favor.
Chen Donghai had schemed against Xu Yuan, so Xu Yuan sent a return gift of his own. He simply had not expected that the gift would carry such weight that it would make the man cough up blood from sheer anger.
By the time the news was brought back, Xu Yuan was in the quiet chamber regulating his breath.
After hearing it, he merely smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Angered into vomiting blood?
That was only because Chen Donghai was small-minded. Who else could be blamed?
Still, after this incident, Xu Yuan understood clearly that the enmity between himself and Chen Donghai had now become a true blood feud.
But so what?
From the moment he stepped into the Level Three zone, his grievances with the Bai Family had already been set in stone.
Whether there was one more Chen Donghai or one less made little difference.
What mattered most right now was still improving his strength.
...
Over the next several days, Xu Yuan devoted himself to lying low in the rear.
Other than the necessary official business each day, he spent all his remaining time in the quiet chamber, single-mindedly tempering his blood and qi and studying his arts.
To outsiders, he simply seemed steady by nature, uninterested in fighting over gains, but they had no idea that he had his own calculations in mind.
Meanwhile, the fighting on the front line was carried out by Huo Gang and Yuan Danqing, who led the forces of their respective wards forward.
After that battle, the Bai Family’s morale had plunged, and since their strength had never held the advantage to begin with, they were forced steadily backward.
Shangyang Residence’s offensive came like wave after wave of a rising tide, pushing forward almost every single day.
Against the backdrop of such overwhelming advantage, everyone’s eyes had gone red.
Battle merit! More battle merit!
Every street, every Bai Family martial artist’s head, was solid merit in war, capital for future promotion, bargaining chips for status and resources.
Huo Gang and Yuan Danqing were even more like tigers released from a cage, leading their subordinates in attacks everywhere and reaping rich rewards all the way.
And yet Xu Yuan never once got involved.
He simply remained in the rear, quietly cultivating, occasionally listening to reports from the front as though this grand feast had nothing to do with him.
And this kind of “good sense” clearly pleased Huo Gang and Yuan Danqing.
One day, the four of them happened to run into each other in a restaurant. For the first time ever, Huo Gang actually gave Xu Yuan a nod. Though his tone was still cold, it had softened considerably.
“Workshop Master Xu is certainly able to keep his composure.”
Xu Yuan only smiled. “The two of you have worked hard, Workshop Masters.”
Huo Gang snorted and said nothing more, leaving at once.
Yuan Danqing also gave him a slight nod by way of greeting.
At the side, Xiao Han clicked his tongue in wonder. “Has the sun risen in the west? He actually took the initiative to greet you?”
Xu Yuan shook his head with a smile and offered no comment.
He knew very well that the subtle change in Huo Gang’s attitude did not come from any personal recognition.
It was because Xu Yuan knew how to conduct himself.
He had not jumped out at a time like this to fight for gains, nor had he disrupted the existing balance of interests.
In Huo Gang’s eyes, that probably counted as “understanding the rules.”
But what Xu Yuan was thinking about was something else entirely.
Would the Bai Family really submit so obediently?
He did not believe it.
He had fought Chen Donghai before. The man was sinister and cunning, and there was no way he would simply sit there and wait for death.
Their current step-by-step retreat either meant they truly lacked the strength to resist, or they were holding back some move.
And the more ferociously Huo Gang and the others charged ahead, the greater the chance that they would step into a pit.
Of course, Xu Yuan would never say such things aloud.
If others were willing to scout the road ahead for him, he was more than happy to let them.
What was more, his battle merit was already quite substantial.
Unless it became necessary, the key was to stay on one side and keep improving his strength.
As for whether his subordinates might grow dissatisfied watching the other wards madly rake in battle merit, or whether his peers might think him afraid to fight, Xu Yuan did not care in the least.
So long as he broke through into the seven-meridian level, all the contempt and dissatisfaction of today would melt away like snow under the sun.
In this world, strength had always been the only thing that truly spoke.
...
And so, in the blink of an eye, five days passed.
The date became the seventeenth day of the ninth month.
Over those days, although the Bai Family occasionally launched one or two counterattacks, Shangyang Residence’s offensive quickly crushed them back each time.
The course of the battlefield had turned out to be even smoother than Xu Yuan had expected.
And on the day when the two wards were due to rotate out, Huo Gang actually declared in righteous tones,
“Workshop Master Xu and Workshop Master Xiao got things off to an excellent start, but Workshop Master Yuan and I have yet to make any truly notable achievements. We are honestly rather ashamed.”
“In my opinion, why not let us remain for a few more days? At the very least, we can fully open up the situation for the two of you. Then when the merit records are written, things will look better as well.”
Naturally, everyone knew he was talking nonsense.
What did he mean by “fully open up the situation”?
He was obviously just greedy for the battle merit and unwilling to let go.
Xiao Han’s face darkened on the spot, and his tone turned sharp.
“The way Workshop Master Huo says it, it almost sounds as though the territory we fought to seize was merely paving the way for you.”
“The rules are the rules. Once it is time to rotate, we rotate. You have already fought two extra days. What more do you want?”
Yuan Danqing sat at the side with her eyes lowered, saying nothing.
She was one of the beneficiaries, so naturally she had no intention of objecting.
But Huo Gang paid no attention to Xiao Han’s challenge. He merely looked at Xu Yuan with a half-smile.
“And what does Workshop Master Xu say?”
Xu Yuan glanced at him and said calmly, “I will follow Chief Overseer Zhao’s decision.”
At those words, Huo Gang’s smile deepened. He nodded at Xu Yuan.
“Workshop Master Xu truly sees the bigger picture.”
Xiao Han opened his mouth as though to say something, but a single look from Xu Yuan stopped him.
Chief Overseer Zhao sat in the seat of honor, taking in all of their reactions. After pondering for a moment, he finally made the decision.
“In that case, let Workshop Master Huo and Workshop Master Yuan hold the line for a few more days. After all, they truly have yet to establish any particularly notable achievements. When the merits are reported upward, it would not do for things too unbalanced.”
Xiao Han’s expression turned ugly, but there was nothing he could do.
Huo Gang and Yuan Danqing accepted the order and left. As he departed, Huo Gang did not forget to turn back and look at Xu Yuan once more. There was a trace of satisfaction in his gaze, as though he were looking at a junior who knew his place.
After the meeting ended, Xiao Han dragged Xu Yuan out the door and lowered his voice.
“Workshop Master Xu, what are you doing? That battle merits...”
“Workshop Master Xiao,” Xu Yuan interrupted with a smile, “there is no end to battle merit. Let them fight over it. Would it not be good for us to rest a while?”
Xiao Han looked at him, then suddenly seemed to realize something.
“You think there is something more to this?”
Xu Yuan shook his head. “The Bai Family is still an old-established clan. They will not let us swallow them whole so easily.”
“Huo Gang and the others may seem bold and unstoppable, but in truth every step they take is on a tightrope. It all depends on when the Bai Family can no longer hold back and finally shatter this balance.”
...
Over the next two days, Huo Gang and Yuan Danqing grew even more eager for battle, leading their subordinates in attacks everywhere.
Reports from the front came back one after another.
By the sound of it, they seemed almost eager to charge straight into the Bai Family’s main stronghold.
It was said that Huo Gang had been in soaring spirits these past few days, striding about as though the wind itself followed him.
Xu Yuan merely smiled faintly when he read these reports, then set them aside.
Naturally, he had not wasted his time over these past days.
Ever since his aptitude had risen to “one in ten thousand,” his comprehension of cultivation arts and martial techniques had become ever clearer and more thorough.
Those key points that once required repeated reflection now became clear to him with only a single glance.
Under his concentrated cultivation, his accumulation of blood and qi grew richer and richer, and his meridians continued to widen.
The feeling was like a dried-up sponge being thrown into water, greedily absorbing every drop of nourishment.
He closed his eyes and sensed the flow of blood and qi within his body.
After the Sixth Meridian, every further step became incomparably difficult.
For an ordinary martial artist, merely accumulating enough blood and qi to attempt a breakthrough into seven-meridian would take at least half a year, if not longer.
But at the pace of his current progress...
Xu Yuan opened his eyes, and a glint of light flashed through them.
By his estimate, in another seven or eight days, he would be able to break through.
...