Backlash

"Brother Tian is a full-fledged martial artist now... So what if Li Shan got a few days' head start? Didn't I catch up anyway?"

Tian Yang's delighted boasting echoed through the cramped communal bunkroom.

Only after quite a while did the numb expressions of the others finally show some reaction. In twos and threes, they offered a few dry, colorless congratulations.

Tian Yang did not care. As long as he got to show off this time, that was enough.

After all, once the night was over, he would basically never have anything to do with this lot again.

Besides, seeing them suffer only made him feel more delighted. A thick sense of superiority was practically spilling out of him.

It was useless no matter how envious or jealous they were. In this lifetime, they would never catch up to him!

On the neighboring bunk, Liu Hong listened to Tian Yang's bragging with an unreadable expression. His eyes were strangely calm. Tugging up the corner of his mouth, he said in an exaggerated tone:

"As expected, Brother Tian is still the most impressive. Once you become a martial artist, the sky and sea stretch boundlessly before you. We'll have to rely on Brother Tian to look after us in the future."

"Easy, easy!"

Tian Yang had long noticed Liu Hong. Seeing him speak up with congratulations now made him feel incomparably pleased.

People like this, always asking about others' progress, were only trying to ease their own anxiety and find emotional resonance.

This round of showing off had landed squarely on him, crushing all his confidence without mercy...

It simply felt too good!

Of course, this might offend people badly.

But who cared?

Tomorrow, the great road would lie open to the heavens, and each would go their separate way!

In the middle of the night, Xu Yuan suddenly heard a series of creaking noises.

How sharp were his senses now?

He immediately opened his sleepy eyes and looked to his left.

Everything around him was pitch-black, with only a trace of hazy moonlight filtering in.

In the dim light, Liu Hong had his head lowered and his body half-bent. Both arms trembled as though he were straining to lift something, producing a teeth-grating sound.

Then he suddenly raised his head, revealing a face that seemed to smile yet not smile. Half his face was shrouded in shadow, and he looked utterly possessed.

Below him, Tian Yang lay prone with his head tilted upward. His face was flushed crimson, his eyeballs bulged with bloodshot veins visible within them, and a "kekeke" sound came from his throat.

With Tian Yang's current strength, an ordinary person would have found it difficult to force him into such a state.

But their bunks were right next to each other, and Liu Hong had launched a sneak attack in the middle of the night while Tian Yang was completely unprepared. Naturally, he had succeeded in one blow.

The surrounding Laborers were all startled awake. Seeing this scene, they jumped in fright and instinctively backed away.

Then, as they watched Tian Yang, who had been so smug moments ago, reduced to such a wretched state—

The resentment and jealousy they had accumulated long ago immediately ignited, turning into a dark, sly pleasure.

Tian Yang's eyes were beginning to roll back. He was about to lose his life here.

Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes, his mind racing.

"Tian Yang has become a full-fledged martial artist. If something happens to him, the higher-ups will definitely investigate thoroughly. If I don't save him, I'm afraid I'll be punished!"

"On the other hand, if I save him, I'll have preserved a valuable asset for the Shangyang Family. Forget a reward—at the very least, there won't be any fault to find, and I might even earn Tian Yang's goodwill..."

All this took no more than an instant. Xu Yuan made his decision, but before acting, he could not help glancing at Xiao Sheng nearby.

The other man had actually intended to act as well. Clearly, he had also grasped the crucial point.

But the situation was urgent, so Xu Yuan did not pay him any further attention.

He covered three steps in two, rushing forward and locking Liu Hong in a hold. His tremendous strength forced Liu Hong to release his hands, and the strip of cloth cinched around Tian Yang's neck fell away.

"Hah, hah~" Like a dying fish dragged onto shore, Tian Yang's chest heaved violently as he greedily gulped down the surrounding air.

"Are you insane?"

Seeing Liu Hong still trying to struggle, Xu Yuan directly pressed a palm against him and sent him lightly flying off the bed.

Pfft!

Liu Hong crashed to the ground, feeling as though his back had been struck by a sledgehammer. His internal organs seemed to shift out of place, and he violently spat out a mouthful of blood.

After Xu Yuan's palm strike, everyone immediately snapped out of their stupor and cried out loudly:

"Someone's been murdered!"

"Quick, get someone!"

Several Laborers frantically lit the candles.

A burst of noisy shouting also rose outside, and the door was kicked open with a violent blow.

"Who was murdered?"

Several servants rushed in, their eyes sweeping around the room.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been one thing, but Laborers could not afford to have an accident these past few days. If the higher-ups held them accountable, no one could bear the responsibility.

The lead servant looked at Tian Yang on the bed. His face was pale, saliva hung from the corner of his mouth, a faint strangulation mark ringed his neck, and he looked thoroughly shaken.

Looking further down, the servant saw his thick knuckles, his lower abdomen trembling like a beating drum, and another rhythm hidden in his breathing.

"A martial artist?"

The servant's face filled with astonishment. He then ordered the person beside him, "Quickly call a martial instructor over to take a look. A martial artist was nearly killed—this is beyond our handling!"

Very soon.

A martial instructor with three horizontal stripes embroidered on his shoulder arrived. He wore a blue robe with a joined collar, his features lean and refined, and he carried himself with a distinctive air as he walked.

At once, everyone around lowered their heads in respect.

"Manager Zhao, it's here."

Zhao Qiusheng arrived at the Laborers' dormitory. Smelling the strange odor in the air, he frowned and asked indifferently, "What exactly happened?"

Though his voice was clearly very low, it carried an air that brooked no argument.

Zhao Qiusheng himself was extremely annoyed. As the manager of the outer courtyard, he had countless affairs to handle. He had finally managed to sleep until midnight, only to be abruptly awakened and told that a martial artist had been attacked.

It startled him fully awake. The higher-ups had been watching the matters of the Laborers and Martial Students very closely lately.

Especially now, after the Shangyang Family had come into conflict with the Bai Family, they urgently needed to replenish their ranks with fresh martial artists.

Yet after hearing the full sequence of events, Zhao Qiusheng's expression suddenly darkened.

What kind of nonsense was this? A Laborer, overcome by jealousy, had tried to strangle a martial artist to death that very night?

Was this pile of filthy, absurd nonsense meant to toy with him?

"Who is Liu Hong?" Zhao Qiusheng slowly asked. His tone was calm, yet faintly laced with anger.

Liu Hong's face was deathly pale. Trembling like a leaf in the wind, he was carried into the middle of the room.

He himself did not know what had come over him at the time. It was as though a ghost had possessed him. All he could see in his mind was Tian Yang's smug, hateful face. The more he thought about it while lying in bed at night, the angrier he became, until he could not sleep at all.

Then, as if bewitched by a nightmare, he had grabbed the inner garment beside him and looped it around Tian Yang's neck...

Liu Hong only felt his limbs turn icy now, filled with regret. "Manager Zhao, I..."

"You aren't even a martial artist?!"

Seeing him, Zhao Qiusheng was so angry he nearly laughed. He could not be bothered to wait for Liu Hong to finish speaking and directly pressed a palm against his chest.

The strike was swift and vicious. Before Liu Hong could react, his chest caved in. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply to the ground, his life already extinguished!

Xu Yuan's pupils contracted violently. He had clearly seen that Zhao Qiusheng's palm had not even touched Liu Hong. From several feet away, it had killed him.

"What kind of ability was that? Qi Projection from martial arts novels?"

A stormy sea surged within his heart.

He had thought he could now be considered a capable fighter, but facing such a method, he would have no way to deal with it at all!

Hiss!

The other Laborers had not seen that detail. They only knew that Zhao Qiusheng had casually executed a Laborer, as though slaughtering a dog or a sheep. Someone who had been laughing and talking with them not long ago had vanished in the blink of an eye!

They could not help but feel the sorrow of one creature mourning another's fate.

Zhao Qiusheng silently withdrew his hand and gave a few orders to the others. "Take him out and throw him away."

"Yes, Manager Zhao." Several servants stepped forward and dragged Liu Hong out like a dead dog, leaving the Laborers trembling in fear.

"Who was the one who saved him?"

Zhao Qiusheng had sharp eyes and had long noticed that Liu Hong had already been injured before.