Chapter 117: Tiemu City

Yang Long stood motionless. Seeing the sword light slash toward him, he suddenly formed a golden spear in his right hand and pointed it at the incoming attack. The fierce sword light broke into countless glowing specks and dispersed with a “boom.”

A figure slowly emerged from the darkness—Xu Haoliang, his expression grave. Xu Haoliang had not expected his sword light to injure Yang Long. After all, it was merely a sword beam; it could not extend for a hundred meters and still harm a Foundation Building Stage expert of the same realm as him. Xu Haoliang had executed that strike as a warning to the Yang Family of Nanlin City that members of the Xu Clan had arrived.

“Xu Haoliang!” Yang Long spoke slowly.

“Yang Long!” Xu Haoliang responded sternly.

Yang Long snorted coldly. The long spear slanted across his back hummed and sprang into the air on its own, hovering above his head. Yang Long formed a hand seal, and the spear suddenly grew larger, thrusting toward Xu Haoliang with a menacing force.

Before now, the Yang Family and Xu Clan had been outwardly cooperative though inwardly estranged. But ever since their confrontation days earlier at the Xu Clan, they had no need to keep up appearances. Hence, Yang Long wasted no words and struck first.

Xu Haoliang cast a glance at Yang Long, his eyes filled with warning, then suddenly vanished into the night, leaving behind only a fading trail of “Heh heh” laughter.

Yang Long reached out, and the golden spear immediately shrank, flying back behind him to hang on his back.

“Hmph, since when did Xu Haoliang, that vicious and combative man, become as timid as a mouse?”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to fight until he finds the members of his clan,” Yang Bu said slowly.

“Coward! Wimp! Drawing weapons against someone like that is simply a disgrace!” Yang Long seemed extremely angered by Xu Haoliang’s retreat without a fight. He flicked his sleeve in frustration and declared, “Let’s go. We don’t need to bother with someone like him.”

Yang Bu gazed thoughtfully in the direction Xu Haoliang had gone, feeling a little puzzled. Xu Haoliang was famously vicious and combative in the Northern Region—the type who would rather die fighting than run away. Although he was likely on a mission for his clan this time, his behavior today made Yang Bu barely recognize him, almost doubting if that was really Xu Haoliang.

But just as they turned away, Xu Haoliang suddenly reappeared, launching another fierce sword light slash.

If Yang Long was as combative as Xu Haoliang, seeing Xu Haoliang return to fight again made him realize—being an experienced person—that Xu Haoliang intended to delay them. The people Xu Haoliang brought were probably searching everywhere for their ten clan disciples. He immediately shouted to Yang Bu, “Yang Bu, go find the clan disciples and have them intensify the search immediately. The Xu Clan’s fleeing disciples are likely nearby.”

“Yang Long…”

“Go! He can’t handle me!”

As soon as Yang Long finished speaking, he gripped his golden spear and charged at Xu Haoliang. Watching Yang Long disappear as he pursued Xu Haoliang, Yang Bu inwardly worried. Was Xu Haoliang an easy opponent? In the Northern Region, he was notoriously fierce and combative, a tough opponent no one wanted to face. Though his senior brother was also fearsome, what would happen—what outcome might arise—when two such aggressive men clashed?

※※※

Meanwhile, in an inn at Bowang City, Zhou Shengcheng from Canglang City stood behind a table in his room. One hand was behind his back, while the other held a brush. By the flickering candlelight, he wrote a name on a piece of paper on the table: Xu Ziyan.

He had witnessed Xu Ziyan defeat Yang Linglong on the Central Plaza of the Xu Clan that day. Xu Ziyan gave him a puzzling impression, because throughout her fight with Yang Linglong, from start to finish, Xu Ziyan remained extremely calm—not a trace of the tension one would expect facing someone of much higher cultivation level, not even showing strong fighting spirit. Yet the outcome had stunned everyone.

This made Zhou Shengcheng briefly suspect that Xu Ziyan was hiding her cultivation level. But after investigating her further, he dismissed the idea. How could a girl not yet sixteen, who had only just started cultivating, possibly be concealing her strength, especially when reaching the Second Layer of Qi Refining Stage was already a miracle? Thus, Zhou Shengcheng concluded that Xu Ziyan was an extremely deep and calculating person, adept at concealing herself. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have shown no tension or fighting intent against Yang Linglong—she must have hidden them well.

So, with Xu Ziyan and the other ten elite disciples of the Xu Clan nowhere to be found, it must be Xu Ziyan leading them in their escape.

Zhou Shengcheng heavily underlined Xu Ziyan’s name and sighed inwardly: This Xu Ziyan is clearly extraordinary! If she manages to return safely to her clan, she will surely become a powerful rival for our Zhou Family in the future.

He gently set down the brush, doing so with care—he was always meticulous and thorough, even in trivial matters. Frowning slightly, forming a delicate crease between his brows, he murmured to himself: “The Xu Clan treasure…”

※※※

“What are you thinking about?” Xu Ziyan, who had been feigning sleep with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them and spoke softly.

“Nothing,” Xu Meiruo replied, turning her head away and discreetly wiping tears from the corner of her eye.

“Missing your parents?” Xu Ziyan asked gently.

Xu Meiruo nodded silently. Xu Ziyan sighed softly and said nothing more. After a while, wanting to break the silence—since they were on the run and needed fighting spirit, not longing or grief—Xu Ziyan said, “It’s getting dark, right?”

“Mm, the sun will set soon,” Xu Mei said, lifting a corner of the carriage curtain to look outside.

“Let’s take some meditative rest. The senior brothers outside have been riding continuously, unable to rest; they’re probably just enduring by now. If something unexpected happens, we four girls are the real combat force.”

With that, Xu Ziyan closed her eyes, her breathing becoming even. Xu Mei, Xu Lan, and Xu Meiruo also fell silent and began meditative rest. They knew Xu Ziyan was right—even sitting in the carriage felt exhausting, let alone for those driving and riding outside.

Time passed quietly. After two quarters of an hour, Xu Ziyan slightly opened her eyes and said softly to the three beside her, “Your breathing is a bit unsteady.”

“How can we calm our minds for meditative rest? Not everyone can be like you!” Xu Mei pouted. “Sister Ziyan, I admire you more and more! In such a fleeing situation, you still act as if nothing’s wrong.”

“Eating and drinking enough builds strength for battle, to handle any sudden events. Meditative rest keeps spiritual power focused and vigorous, so we can make accurate judgments. You’ll manage it too, in time,” Xu Ziyan said gently.

“Then, Sister Ziyan, can you judge if our clan will be alright?” Xu Lan asked timidly.

“Stop thinking about the clan. The clan leader will handle it. Our task now is to ensure our own safety. If the clan is fine, this is just a valuable experience—believing that when we successfully return, we’ll become true elites in the clan. If the clan has trouble, we must hide even deeper. We might have to leave the Northern Region and try to join a sect, even a small one. When we return to the Northern Region, it will be the end of the Yang Family of Nanlin City, the Zhou Family of Canglang City, and the Han Family of Juque City,” Xu Ziyan said calmly, though a chilling glint of killing intent flashed in her eyes.

“Alright, we’ll listen to you,” Xu Lan said, nodding. She took out some dried provisions from her storage pouch and began chewing.

Hearing Xu Ziyan’s words and seeing Xu Lan eating so heartily, Xu Mei and Xu Meiruo, who hadn’t eaten properly, also felt hungry. They took out dried food and water from their storage pouches and began eating.

The horses were gradually losing strength, so it wasn’t until midnight that the group entered a small grove. From inside the grove, Tiemu City could be faintly seen.

“Little Sister Ziyan, why are we stopping here?” Xu Lin asked, puzzled, as Xu Ziyan stepped out of the carriage.

“Let everyone rest first,” Xu Ziyan said with a smile.

“We could rest in Tiemu City, and even find an inn for a proper meal,” Xu Meiruo said softly, having just eaten some dry rations. She still felt the food stuck in her throat uncomfortably and, seeing the city ahead, couldn’t help thinking of proper food.

“Heh heh…” Xu Tianhai chuckled beside her. “Little Sister Meiruo, have you ever seen a city that doesn’t close its gates at night? Even if you want to enter, you can’t now.”

“Oh…” Xu Meiruo made an embarrassed face and lowered her head without another word.

Xu Ziyan laughed lightly. “Alright, everyone, have some dried provisions and water, take meditative rest, and we’ll see when it’s light.”

When the first rays of sunlight dappled down through the trees, Xu Ziyan and the others awoke from their meditative rest.

“Senior Brother Tianhai!” Xu Ziyan called.

“Mm, what is it?” Xu Tianhai turned to look at Xu Ziyan.

“You’re familiar with this area. Could you go into Tiemu City to check for anything unusual? Best if you can buy some food too. When you return, we’ll go straight through Tiemu City without stopping. To avoid suspicion, only you should go. Is that alright?”

“Alright, I’ll go now. Wait for me to return.”

Xu Tianhai rode off from the grove. The remaining people stood watching his departing figure, their eyes full of concern…