Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

"What makes you say that?"

"You’re the ones who killed my father! The County Captain said you’d want to eliminate all loose ends, so he hid me here. And—and you actually showed up! You killed my father, and now you want to kill me! Why are you trying to destroy the Xu family... Urk."

Xu Ding’s voice grew louder and more agitated before coming to an abrupt stop.

Xie Yuan retracted his hand, catching the unconscious Xu Ding. His brow creased into a deep frown.

’You’re the real reason your father is dead, you troublesome brat. Don’t you know that?’

Xie Yuan thought for a moment, then sighed.

He had met Xu Ding before. Though arrogant and spoiled, the boy wasn’t a complete idiot.

Whether he had been brainwashed by Yu Chunsheng or had simply convinced himself, he couldn’t be left here.

"What was that noise...?"

Hearing the faint sounds from outside the woodshed, Xie Yuan shook his head. He hoisted Xu Ding onto his shoulder, leaped out of the cellar, and slipped effortlessly past a group of Martial Artists who hadn’t even reached the Second Training, leaving Yu Chunsheng’s residence behind.

「Yunzhao County Yamen.」

Shen Longteng sat serenely in the guest’s seat, cradling a cup of tea. He took a few leisurely sips, unable to suppress the smile curving his lips.

Yu Chunsheng was slumped in a grand armchair, his eyes vacant, as if his very soul and all his confidence had been torn from him.

’The Vajra Sect... is gone...’

’That man... he single-handedly shattered all my plans and killed everyone...’

A sharp pain suddenly lanced through Yu Chunsheng’s heart.

He inexplicably thought of someone long dead and ground his teeth in fury.

’Zhang Yufeng, why the hell did you have to provoke him, you son of a bitch! You damned bastard! Damn you, damn you!’

Yu Chunsheng took a harsh, ragged breath, his head starting to swim.

"County Captain, are you alright?"

Shen Longteng asked, a smile playing on his lips, not a hint of concern in his voice.

Yu Chunsheng exhaled and said in a hoarse voice,

"Shen Longteng, don’t think you’ve won. The boy is still in my hands."

Shen Longteng’s smile faded slightly. He said coolly,

"I suggest you don’t get any funny ideas. If anything happens to Xu Mo’s son, I guarantee your death will be ten thousand times more miserable than his."

Yu Chunsheng laughed hoarsely.

"Heh heh heh... die? Don’t worry, Chief. I won’t let him die. I’ll let him live a ’good life’ for a while."

The heavy emphasis he placed on the words "good life" made his sinister intentions perfectly clear.

Shen Longteng’s brows knitted together, a murderous glint in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, a man rushed in and whispered something in Yu Chunsheng’s ear.

After listening, Yu Chunsheng’s eyes bulged so wide they nearly popped from their sockets. He suddenly flew into a wild, uncontrollable rage, like a man possessed.

"What the hell are you good for?! Useless!

"Xie Yuan. It must have been Xie Yuan again! XIE YUAN!"

He backhanded the messenger, sending the man flying across the room. Then he drew the saber at his waist and, having lost all reason, hacked his desk in two.

Seeing this, Shen Longteng was stunned for a moment, despite his many years of experience.

’What could make him lose his composure like this now? It could only be...’

Connecting this to the few words he had faintly overheard, Shen Longteng chuckled. He tucked his hands into his sleeves and left the yamen.

’I don’t know how he pulled it off, but that Xie Yuan is really one of a kind.’

Back at the Escort Agency, Xie Yuan dropped Xu Ding on the floor under the strange gazes of several escorts, then announced he was going to rest.

From the nonstop journey from Yunzhou Prefecture, to cutting the Gordian knot at the Lin family estate, to the tournament at the Vajra Sect, and finally to infiltrating Yu Chunsheng’s home—Xie Yuan had been spinning like a top, with almost no rest.

Now that his mission was finally complete, even with his formidable stamina, Xie Yuan felt exhausted.

’Even if my Health-Nourishing Art were a level higher, I couldn’t keep this pace up.’

He walked into his room, closed the door behind him, and let out a long breath.

Just as he was about to undress, wash up, and fall into a deep sleep, Xie Yuan suddenly froze, as if hit by an Immobilization Skill.

On the bed sat a black-robed figure, cross-legged. Xie Yuan had no idea when they had entered.

’Wait...’

The black-robed figure shifted slightly, their voice as clear and pleasant as ice, yet tinged with a hoarse exhaustion.

"Master Xie, we meet again."