A Son of a Wealthy Family Does Not Sit Beneath the Eaves

Li Xiaoxiao, standing beside Zhang Guangmu, was speechless at this Wolf Rider's decisive surrender.

Did he really have to be so cheeky? Was it really that amusing?

He had nearly rushed over and smashed this man's dog head in!

As for Zhang Guangmu poisoning everyone in Wolf Fortress...

Li Xiaoxiao did not know whether it was true or false, nor could he understand whether there was some deeper meaning behind it, but he still insisted on standing beside this Vice Fortress Lord.

Not for the antidote, but because of those words: "little brother."

He believed that this Young Vice Fortress Lord, as the only person in all of Wolf Fortress with eyes, was definitely ten times better than those blind fools!

"I refuse to accept you!"

The second Wolf Rider to step forward was different from the previous one. He was clearly not a prankster, but genuinely disliked Zhang Guangmu.

His face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulging, and his voice rang like a great bell. "You don't act openly and honorably! What kind of hero uses poison!"

"I... I, Wang Ergou, am going to teach you a good lesson today!"

As he spoke, he charged toward Zhang Guangmu.

This time, Zhang Guangmu, Li Xiaoxiao, and the two newly defected Cub Wolf Guards did not move. Instead, the people in the dining hall swarmed Wang Ergou and pinned him to the ground, leaving him completely unable to move and utterly confused.

"Why are you stopping me? Let me beat him properly! Force him to hand over the antidote!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone threw a chilling question at the brawny brother: "What if he refuses?"

Wang Ergou froze on the spot, his red face turning dark.

After a long while, he muttered, "Then beat him! Beat him hard! Beat him until he hands it over!"

"What if he'd rather die than hand it over? Or, let me put it another way—what if he hasn't made the antidote yet?"

"..."

The brawny Wolf Rider fell silent.

As it turned out, the only chance a thick-headed simpleton had of defeating a contrarian was to use his fists to shut the other party's mouth.

Among the Wolf Riders present, someone suddenly realized something terrifying—after "Tian Guang" said he had put a poison called the Ten-Day Death Potion into everyone's food, hardly anyone had questioned whether it was real. At most, they had grumbled a few words, then taken what he said as fact!

Throughout this process, "Tian Guang's" identity as Vice Fortress Lord was the first layer of assurance.

His identity as the inventor of the Flame Artifact was the second.

A young man in a high position would normally be looked down upon by those beneath him because of his youth and inexperience. They might even pay lip service while openly defying him, or brush him off casually. Yet this Vice Fortress Lord radiated a maturity that did not belong to his age. Every gesture and every word seemed to carry some inscrutable meaning, making people wary, unwilling to approach him, and even less willing to act recklessly.

It had to be known that Blood Thorn, who was quite famous within Lin Xuan's team, had now come to this Vice Fortress Lord's side as well, looking completely ready to follow his lead!

Whether it was due to charisma or coercion and enticement, the result was plain for anyone with eyes to see!

Therefore...

All these reasons had jointly forged the Young Vice Fortress Lord's credibility.

After hearing that they had been poisoned, some were furious and some were enraged, but few thought he was joking.

"All right. Judging from everyone's reactions, your emotions have settled down now."

Zhang Guangmu smiled faintly and said in a clear voice, "Congratulations on passing my test."

"The poison formula was naturally not written on paper."

"I have it all memorized."

"Besides..."

"It is worth mentioning that there is currently no finished antidote for the Ten-Day Death Potion."

After saying this, Zhang Guangmu pointed outside the door. "Just now, while I was speaking, some people turned a deaf ear and left directly, while others tried to take advantage of the situation and chose to go inform Lin Xuan."

"I am a broad-minded person. I will not quibble over what they did, much less settle accounts with them later."

"But neither will I repay enmity with kindness by giving them the antidote for free."

At this point, Zhang Guangmu paused before saying calmly, "Of course, if I am still alive after my duel with Lin Xuan, every commoner will be able to receive a free antidote. There is no need to worry about that."

"As for the Wolf Riders and Flame Artifact Users..."

He said meaningfully, "Only warriors who fight for me will qualify to receive the antidote."

Zhang Guangmu suddenly turned his head, his gaze landing on Li Xiaoxiao. "Perhaps everyone does not know this, but this Blood Thorn brother researched the Flame Artifact almost simultaneously with me, without anyone guiding him."

"People often say that the capable are capable of anything."

"In my opinion, throughout Wolf Fortress, aside from me, he is the only one who might be able to formulate the antidote through his own intelligence."

"But... working backward from the formula takes time."

"I guarantee that even if he can deduce the antidote, it will take more than ten days!"

After this speech, the Wolf Riders who had still been skeptical about whether the poison was real were completely shaken.

They felt that if this was a deception, it should have been impossible to perform it to this extent!

Besides, many people understood the implication behind Zhang Guangmu's words.

Either help him defeat Lin Xuan, or stand by and watch before being poisoned to death!

Even if this Young Vice Fortress Lord were defeated and killed, everyone else would have to accompany him in death!

Ruthless!

Absolutely ruthless!

Anyone who was not utterly unscrupulous could never do something like this!

Although everyone did not quite understand why he did not use the poison to threaten Young Fortress Lord Lin Xuan, those minor details were not important.

"I am willing to submit to you. I only hope that you will keep your promise and give me the antidote afterward."

"I am also willing to serve the Vice Fortress Lord to the best of my ability!"

"I am willing to be the Vice Fortress Lord's hawk and hound!"

Humans were herd animals. Once the first person spoke, the other Wolf Riders also spoke up one after another, expressing their willingness to fight for Zhang Guangmu.

"Good."

Zhang Guangmu knew very well that loyalty was a luxury. There were certainly many hypocrites among this group. When the fighting truly began, most of them would already count as paragons of integrity if they did not immediately flee or betray him!

It had to be known that even in commercial warfare, there were many instances of bribery, betrayal, and infiltration, let alone a power struggle involving life and death.

Now that the storyline of "Wolf Fortress" had progressed this far, the only major point of interest left was the struggle between the two factions led by the Vice Fortress Lord "Tian Guang" and Young Fortress Lord Lin Xuan.

At this critical juncture, every additional bit of strength was equivalent to placing another weight on his side of the scales of victory.

Zhang Guangmu did not care how loyal the two turncoat Cub Wolf Guards behind him were, nor did he care whether the Wolf Riders in the dining hall were truly united with him.

As long as they could stand behind him and bolster his presence, that was enough.

Suddenly, the sound of battle boots trampling across the ground came from outside.

Just from the sound, it was clear that there would be quite a few people.

Li Xiaoxiao's ears twitched, and his expression immediately tightened. He lowered his voice and said, "At least two hundred Wolf Riders! Lin Xuan has sent out everyone!"

Zhang Guangmu raised his brows, his tone as calm as ever. "Got it."

After saying this, he strolled out of the dining hall as though taking a leisurely walk.

The newly surrendered Wolf Riders could only follow with stiff expressions, afraid that the moment this man stepped outside, flames would splatter across his face and kill him on the spot, dragging them down to die with him.

After leaving the special dining hall, their view suddenly opened up!

Surrounded by two hundred people and two hundred Flame Wolves, the Wolf Riders in the Vice Fortress Lord's faction immediately felt the disadvantage in numbers. Their hands and feet went limp, cold sweat poured from their bodies, and their legs trembled nonstop. If they had not been protected by the loyal Flame Wolves beside them, they might have fallen directly to their knees.

Zhang Guangmu, however, looked like a young man heading out for a spring excursion. Not the slightest hint of tension could be seen on his face, and every movement displayed composure.

He even extended a finger and pointed around in the air before him, seemingly calculating the enemy's numbers.

A moment later, Zhang Guangmu lowered his hand and said to Li Xiaoxiao beside him, "You were right."

"There are exactly two hundred and one Wolf Riders."

For some reason, after hearing this, the Wolf Riders in the Vice Fortress Lord's faction, who had been so nervous that they could barely stand, instinctively straightened their backs and puffed out their chests. As long as they were not made to fight immediately, they even looked rather imposing from a distance.

"What courage!"

Among the Wolf Riders surrounding the dining hall, a young man stood at the very front and spoke. "The Vice Fortress Lord truly is a young prodigy!"

"This is our second time meeting, isn't it?"

The young man's clothes and appearance were almost identical to those of the late Fort Master Lin Yan. He was spotless from head to toe, with an exceptionally handsome face, and beside him was a small Flame Wolf with black-and-red fur.

If he was not the Plot Protagonist Lin Xuan, then who else could he be?

Zhang Guangmu noticed that compared to their previous meeting, less than two months had passed, yet tremendous changes had already taken place in the other man.

At this moment, Lin Xuan habitually wore a stern expression, looking utterly humorless. It was difficult to discern his emotional fluctuations from his face. Overall, it seemed that he had grown more calculating.

Lin Xuan's starry eyes locked onto Zhang Guangmu, and his sword brows lifted slightly. "Although we parted not long ago, I feel as if an entire day has passed."

"Arguing with you on the street last time feels like something that happened in a previous life."

At this point, Lin Xuan said expressionlessly, "Last time, I fell behind in the argument and could not outdebate you."

"This time, the one who will lose is you."

"Originally, I wanted to wait a while, fully digest the Flame Artifact technology, and equip every warrior with it before deciding who was superior."

"But who could have expected you to be foolish enough to personally walk into danger?"

"A son of a wealthy family does not sit beneath the eaves. I will learn from your experience and lesson."

"As for you..."

"You will not have a chance to make a comeback."

After saying this, Lin Xuan tilted a pitch-black Wolf Bone Mask over his face, covering only half of it.

Full of confidence, he raised his hand and swept his forearm out in a dashing gesture.

Just as the words "Kill them" were about to leave his mouth, Zhang Guangmu's sudden question blocked them in his throat.

"Young Fortress Lord, I have a question for you."

Although Lin Xuan felt somewhat annoyed, not the slightest trace of it appeared on his face. He merely said indifferently, "For the sake of our having met once before, I will allow you this one question."