At the Door

Thus, another three days passed.

"The overall situation is settled!"

"Enter the city!"

A force marched in tight formation, like a grim giant python slowly slithering into Xuzhou City.

At the center of the army rode a man of around thirty. He was tall and lean, with unusually long limbs, a weathered face devoid of expression, and deep, unfathomable eyes that carried the chill of polar ice, along with a faintly revealed aura of domineering might that shook the heart.

He was Yuwen Huaji, the Yuwen Clan's second greatest master and the current Commander of the Imperial Guards under Emperor Sui!

Behind Yuwen Huaji rode three others: Yuwen Chengdu, Yuwen Wudi, and Yuwen Shiji.

The Four Great Masters of the Yuwen Clan had all arrived!

The four led the Yuwen Clan's private troops and the Xiaoguo Imperial Guards into the city. Outside the city, orders had also summoned Xuzhou's local garrison. Together with the original city defenders, they sealed off the vast city of Xuzhou so tightly that not even water could trickle through.

It was no wonder they had put on such a display.

Originally, Yuwen Huaji had traveled lightly, bringing only Yuwen Chengdu, Yuwen Wudi, and a few trusted subordinates south to Yangzhou to seize the Longevity Art from Shi Long, the Mountain Pusher.

In the end, Shi Long had been killed, but the tome had not fallen into his hands. Instead, it had ended up with two petty thieves and a woman.

Left with no choice, he could only pursue them with his men. Yet he was repeatedly intercepted along the way and besieged by a group of mysterious experts skilled in joint attacks and battle formations, leaving him in a mess of chicken feathers and duck blood, utterly bedraggled.

Though those mysterious people were experts, none could compare to him in cultivation. They merely had great numbers and were skilled in joint attacks and battle formations; joining forces, they could barely hold him back.

After being intercepted several times, Yuwen Huaji could endure no longer. He ruthlessly gave up the pursuit of the three and instead gathered the Yuwen Clan's experts and the Xiaoguo Imperial Guards, intending to deal with those mysterious people first.

Yet the other side had vanished without a trace.

Seeing this, Yuwen Huaji did not dismiss his forces. Instead, he led the large army northward and continued hunting the three who had fled with the Longevity Art.

Among the three, the woman in white with the highest martial arts had been injured by his Ice Profound Force. Cold Poison had invaded her heart meridians, and throughout the world, there was scarcely anyone who could save her.

Without the woman in white to obstruct him, how could the remaining two street punks, who barely knew any martial arts, possibly escape from Yuwen Huaji's grasp? It was simply the dream of an idiot!

The only problem now was that Divine Doctor Xu.

"Xu Xian?"

"Xu Qingyang?"

"For a beggar to reach his present position, he could not possibly be ordinary!"

"Who was backing him from the shadows?"

"Lingnan? That should not be it. The Li Clan? No reason for that. Dugu... even less possible!"

"Both the black and white paths—the demonic sect has long lain dormant, the Buddhist sect watches from the sidelines, the Daoist sect's decline cannot be reversed, while the Confucian Sect is the strategy of aristocratic families. No, no, none of them fit!"

"This man... what exactly was his background?"

Yuwen Huaji furrowed his brow tightly, unable to resolve his doubts.

"Brother!"

At that moment, Yuwen Shiji urged his horse forward and came to his side. In a low voice, he said, "Something seems wrong."

"Hmm?!"

Yuwen Huaji's gaze sharpened as he looked around. Every household had shut its doors, and not a single person could be seen on the streets.

To avoid alerting the enemy, they had not cleared the area or evacuated the city's residents beforehand.

Yet after entering the city, they saw no one. What did that mean?

"The news leaking out is only to be expected."

Yuwen Huaji shook his head. "If he did not even possess this much ability, how could he have gained a foothold in Xuzhou and grown so powerful?"

"True!"

Yuwen Shiji nodded and said no more.

The force advanced in silence, heading straight into the city.

At the same time, within Bao'an Hall...

"Ugh!!!"

Fu Junzhuo's body trembled as she spat out blood. There was still ice within it, but it was now so faint as to be nearly imperceptible.

"It is done."

Xu Yang rose with his hands tucked into his sleeves and studied her with interest. "Your body recovered a little faster than I expected. The Nine Profound Great Law truly lives up to its reputation."

"You flatter me, sir."

Though it was her sect's cultivation method and her proud martial art, faced with Xu Yang's praise, Fu Junzhuo still acted exceedingly modestly—or rather... exceedingly apprehensively.

Over the past few days, though they had not spent much time together, she had discovered one thing: this Divine Doctor Xu was extremely, extremely interested in the martial arts of famous masters throughout the world, especially martial arts of "Spirit Condensation Dao Integration."

For others, this was perfectly normal. As Children of Jianghu and people of the martial world, who did not yearn to cultivate profound martial arts?

But this Divine Doctor Xu was different. His martial arts cultivation was already among the finest in the world. By all reason, he should not lack profound martial arts, and now he had acquired the Daoist wonder tome, the Longevity Art. Why was he still so interested in other martial arts?

Could it be that he wished to master every martial art under heaven, achieve Mastery Through Comprehension, and create a peerless sacred canon of Martial Dao unmatched throughout antiquity and the present?

Fu Junzhuo shuddered and cast this mad speculation from her mind. Then, in secret, she prayed that Divine Doctor Xu would not set his sights on her Nine Profound Great Law and Yi Jian Shu.

Xu Yang had no idea she had thought so much. He simply said, "This treatment has completely expelled the Cold Poison from your body. Rest and recuperate for several more days, and you will be fully healed."

Having said that, he had his chief disciple, Su Beixuan, bring over two newly copied books and hand them to Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, who stood there stunned and absent-minded. "I have already stored away the original Longevity Art. These are copies I transcribed, and there should be no omissions or errors. You may take them and cultivate from them. If you encounter any problems, come find me."

"This..."

The two hesitated for a while, but ultimately accepted them.

Xu Yang smiled and continued, "Furthermore, if you or those around you need medical treatment in the future, you may come to me. You need only offer martial arts manuals as the consultation fee."

"This... many thanks, Divine Doctor."

Hearing this, the two did not know how to respond and could only cup their fists in thanks.

"Then that will be all. Rest well."

Xu Yang said no more. Having given his instructions, he turned and left.

Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling!

He knew these two, yet did not know them entirely.

In his memories, they were the protagonists of a novel, Legend of the Twin Dragons.

Thus, the question arose: was this a world that truly existed, or an illusion fabricated within a book?

Did the two protagonists possess traits such as a "Protagonist Halo" or being "children of destiny"?

This was an extremely important matter. Worlds of this kind were unlikely to be isolated cases. So long as he continued Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly, he would surely travel in the future into worlds of novels, biographies, histories, and myths, encountering those classic tales that had long been told and retold.

Therefore, he had to determine whether worlds like this possessed things such as a "Protagonist Halo" and "children of destiny"; how great their power was; whether they could correct the world, preserve the original course of history, and even erase the influence and traces left by an "outsider" like himself.

This would determine his future strategies and his attitude toward "protagonists."

Thus, he had copied two versions of the Longevity Art and given them to the Twin Dragons, the "protagonists," wishing to see what encounters and developments they would have in the future, and whether they would still achieve the same legends as in the original work.

To put it simply, he had treated the two brothers as test subjects, testing whether something like a Protagonist Halo existed.

It was not only a test of the Protagonist Halo, but also a test of martial arts cultivation. Though the Longevity Art had already fallen into his hands, he had not yet completely deciphered it, nor did he know whether it could be cultivated. Thus, he needed some test subjects to scout the path for him. If they gained anything from it, that would naturally be best; if not, he lost nothing.

To bestow a favor without spending a thing—such was the way of it!

"This Divine Doctor Xu... truly is a good man!"

The two flipped through the Longevity Art in their hands. Though it was a copied edition, the transcription was exquisite and the illustrations superb, identical to the original without the slightest discrepancy. At least, as far as they could tell, there was no difference.

They could not help but marvel that this Divine Doctor Xu truly possessed a healer's gentle hands and benevolent heart. Though he had accepted their Longevity Art as payment for treatment, he had not claimed it entirely for himself, instead giving them copies. All told, it was equivalent to treating them for free. This, this, this...

Just as the two held the Longevity Art and sighed again and again...

Outside Bao'an Hall, a voice suddenly arose.

"Yuwen Huaji has come to pay a visit. Might I ask where Mister Qingyang is?"

The deep shout penetrated with force. Even the walls of the surrounding courtyards could not block it, showing just how profound the speaker's internal energy cultivation was.

"Yuwen Huaji?"

"He came?"

"This is bad!"

Hearing that voice, Fu Junzhuo and the Kou and Xu Youths were all startled. They hurriedly rose and rushed toward the entrance.

At the same time...

Outside Bao'an Hall, Yuwen Huaji stared at the tightly shut gates, which remained still and gave no response. His expression was icy as he spoke again. "Mister Qingyang is known for his healing hands and benevolent heart. This General greatly admires him. However, there is one matter Mister Qingyang may not know. Several days ago, three criminals wanted by the Imperial Court disguised themselves as patients and entered Bao'an Hall seeking treatment."

"This General has come today for this very reason. I hope Mister Qingyang will distinguish right from wrong and hand over these three criminals wanted by the Imperial Court, lest the tranquility and harmony of this medical hall be marred."

"..."

With a round of courteous words, he laid out the whole story and made his own stance clear.

Yet the other side still gave no reply.

"Hmm!"

Yuwen Huaji frowned, his eyes growing colder. At last, he could no longer restrain himself. "Since Mister Qingyang refuses to heed advice, do not blame This General for being discourteous. Men, break down the gate!"

As he spoke, he was about to send the troops forward.

At that moment...

"Creak!!!"

The bolt shifted, and the medical hall opened. A group of people walked out. At their head was a man in plain blue robes, yet his bearing was extraordinary. With his hands behind his back, he was calm and composed, as steady as Mount Tai.

"Hmm!?"

Yuwen Huaji's gaze sharpened. He raised a hand to halt the soldiers, then cupped his fist in salute. "I have long heard that Mister Qingyang achieved greatness at a young age and was born a grandmaster. Now that I see you, the reputation is indeed not false. Admirable, truly admirable!"

Xu Yang smiled but gave no response.

Yuwen Huaji's gaze shifted for a moment before he continued, "As I said earlier, I ask Mister Qingyang to hand over those three criminals wanted by the Imperial Court. Otherwise, this place of healing the dying and saving the wounded may see a bloody storm, and living beings may suffer ruin!"

"Dog thief!"

As soon as the words fell, a fierce shout rang out. Everyone turned to look, only to see three people appearing atop the high wall: Fu Junzhuo and the Kou and Xu Youths.

Kou Zhong shouted, "This matter has nothing to do with Divine Doctor Xu. If you want to make a move, come at us."

"Hmm?"

Yuwen Huaji glanced at him, then immediately turned his gaze back to Xu Yang. "I have long heard that besides possessing peerless Medical Arts, Divine Doctor Xu is also devoted to Martial Dao, often using martial arts manuals from across the world as consultation fees to treat heroes of Jianghu. The Longevity Art... should be in your hands now, should it not?"

Xu Yang smiled, wholly unconcerned. "What if it is?"

Yuwen Huaji looked at him, but in the end still cupped his fist in salute. "Mister Qingyang possesses healing hands and a benevolent heart, hanging his gourd to save the world. This General truly does not wish to meet blades with you. I ask that Mister Qingyang hand over the Longevity Art. It is a treasure of the Forbidden Palace, stolen by others. This General acts under orders to recover it and present it to the Son of Heaven!"

"You certainly know how to talk."

Xu Yang smiled. "For that, I shall give you one chance. Hand over the Ice Profound Force Manual, and today I will spare your life!"