After the Battle

Meng Zhao glared at Lü Yue irritably, then jumped down from the carriage and laughed as he scolded,

"What are you standing there like an idiot for? Can't you see I'm injured? Get over here and dress my wound."

Only then did Lü Yue snap out of it. Suppressing the gloom and disappointment in his heart, he jumped onto the carriage and went into the compartment to fetch the medicine.

To him, Meng Zhao's safety outweighed everything. Though the injury was minor, it could not be taken lightly.

Meng Zhao looked over the Meng Mansion guards. After this battle, there had not actually been many casualties. The worst injured were the four saber-wielding men who had shielded him earlier and been shaken by that Birdman. A few days of rest would see them recovered.

Considering the scale of the attack and the number of skilled fighters involved, they had been remarkably fortunate. It could be called a sweeping victory.

Of course, much of the credit went to the military Triple Crossbows carried by the black-clad guards. They had dealt the enemy a blow straight to the face, costing them a number of men and shattering their momentum, leaving them only able to scramble in response.

Before long, Lü Yue jumped down from the carriage, his round face still taut as he carried a brown wooden medicine case in his hand.

It contained all kinds of medicine, most of it for external injuries and poison, along with remedies for illnesses such as colds and fever.

He walked up to Meng Zhao, who had completely abandoned any sense of decorum and was sitting cross-legged on a patch of grass beside the road. Lü Yue bent one knee and squatted down, opening the medicine case.

When Meng Zhao held out his right hand, Lü Yue felt a pang of heartache and even deeper self-reproach.

As he took out ointment and gauze, he studied the wound on Meng Zhao's right hand and said softly,

"Young Master, these marks should have been left by the Great Strength Eagle Claw Hand. Fortunately, that man had not cultivated any poison arts. He only damaged some flesh and disrupted the circulation of your blood and qi. Apply our Meng Family's specially made Auspicious Ointment, and it will heal quickly."

After saying this, Lü Yue began applying the ointment to Meng Zhao's wound and continued,

"I never expected the Young Master's inner strength to be so profound, and his physique to be far stronger than that of an ordinary person.

If it had been this servant, there would have been no way I could have received that man's claw technique so easily."

Strictly speaking, this was not mere flattery.

In Lü Yue's eyes, that man's flesh-and-blood claws could shatter steel. They were fierce and razor-sharp, and his Great Strength Eagle Claw Hand had clearly reached the realm of great accomplishment. Coupled with his deep inner strength, he was unquestionably a formidable opponent.

Yet Meng Zhao had faced him head-on, suffered only a light injury, and forcefully broken his Eagle Claw Hand. That level of strength was already extraordinary.

Meng Zhao laughed heartily, grinning as he gazed toward the endless, shadowy wilderness in the distance. With full awareness of his own limits, he said,

"I was only holding on with the Arhat Young Monk Skill. In terms of true strength, I'm no match for that man.

If he had launched a second attack immediately after being knocked back, I would have had no power to resist.

I could only have relied on the Black Scale Horse's savagery and my movement technique to keep him occupied until reinforcements arrived.

As for you, Ah Yue, there's no need to be modest.

Your martial arts are excellent. I believe that one day, you'll be stronger than Uncle Zhong. With you managing the Second Branch, I have nothing to worry about."

Meng Zhao's words were not insincere; they came straight from his heart.

Lü Zhong was a great martial artist who had entered the Xiantian Realm.

He had rendered outstanding service to the Second Branch of the Meng Family, enduring hardship and earning great merit. He was the pillar holding up Meng Zhao's line.

Unfortunately, he had suffered hidden injuries in his early years. He had remained stuck at the Three Apertures stage of early Xiantian, unable to advance any further.

Now, he was already in the twilight of his years. How many more years he could hold on was truly hard to say.

Lü Yue was different. He was young, exceptionally talented, and already quite capable, as his earlier performance had shown.

With Meng Zhao's appreciation and cultivation, and the support of famous teachers and abundant resources, there was a strong chance that he could break into Xiantian, surpass Lü Zhong, and reach an even higher realm.

That was also why Lü Zhong had adopted Lü Yue: to cultivate a capable assistant for Meng Zhao who could take his place.

Upon hearing this, Lü Yue's round face reddened slightly. Uneasily, he said,

"Young Master overpraises this servant. This servant is naturally willing to ease the Young Master's burdens, to brave boiling water and tread through fire without hesitation.

But I would not dare compare myself to my adoptive father, much less surpass him."

The Auspicious Ointment was highly potent, carrying a faint, refreshing scent of mint. Once applied to the wound, it quickly took effect, giving Meng Zhao an icy, soothing sensation that drove away the pain.

At this moment, Scarface and Wang Tao hurried over with eight saber-bearing guards behind them. After saluting Meng Zhao, they reported the outcome of the battle.

In summary, they had killed thirteen enemies. Seven of their own men had suffered light injuries, and no one had died.

Furthermore, the guards' assignments had already been redistributed, so the defensive line remained unaffected.

"Have you examined those men's corpses? Can you find any clues and determine where they came from?"

Meng Zhao had thought that he had only just returned to the Meng Family and bore no grudges against anyone. He had brought these guards merely as a precaution, yet someone had truly set their sights on him. The fire in his heart burned fiercely.

Wang Tao stepped forward, his tone grave.

"Young Master, these people were all unfamiliar faces. There were no symbols or marks on their bodies, so we could not identify them or trace their origins.

"However, while one of them was retreating, this subordinate broke his spine with a palm strike. I had intended to capture him alive for interrogation.

"Unexpectedly, he acted decisively and immediately bit through a poison capsule hidden in his mouth, killing himself without the slightest hesitation.

"This subordinate then checked the mouths of the other corpses and discovered that each had a poison capsule fashioned into a false tooth.

"The poison is unknown, and its source cannot be determined. We must wait until we return to the manor and have Divine Doctor Tong examine it."

Divine Doctor Tong was a physician retained by the Meng Family. Although his constitution prevented him from practicing internal arts, he was well versed in both medicine and poisons.

The Auspicious Ointment currently applied to Meng Zhao's hand had been developed by Divine Doctor Tong.

Scarface also stepped forward at this time and said,

"The little dwarf who fought this subordinate was also very strange. His inner strength was clearly ordinary, and his realm was no more than Lesser Accomplishment of the Houtian Realm, yet he was as slippery as a loach. I couldn't catch hold of him no matter what.

"I had never heard of such a person in Nan'an Commandery City before."

Meng Zhao nodded. In truth, this information was already quite substantial. Poison capsules hidden in their teeth suggested they were dead soldiers trained by some organization.

As for their unfamiliar faces and lack of known deeds or reputations, that did not necessarily mean they were outsiders. They might simply have concealed themselves more deeply.

Once Scarface had finished speaking, Lü Yue took over, killing intent rolling off him in waves.

"There must be a spy within our manor exchanging information with them, and there are not many suspects. This servant already has several targets in mind.

"Once we return to the manor, I will investigate thoroughly and make them pay the price."

His words were decisive and resolute.

It now seemed that these people had selected the route in advance, dug pits beforehand, and concealed themselves underground.

They had also deliberately hidden among a group of refugees, driving them along and pretending to be part of them, waiting to catch Meng Zhao and the others off guard.

Without someone leaking information to them, how could they have grasped their movements so precisely?

Meng Zhao's plan to leave the city had only been decided that morning, and he had informed Lü Yue to make preparations.

There was also a high chance that the information had leaked from Lü Yue's side. Perhaps Scarface and Wang Tao had inadvertently revealed it as well.

But regardless, Lü Yue felt that his own carelessness had placed the Young Master in danger.

Perhaps that was why his mood had remained so low.

Meng Zhao raised his ointment-smeared, bandaged right hand before his chest and flexed it. His left hand continued unconsciously turning the Jade Prayer Beads, his expression unreadable.

"Then we'll leave it at that for now.

"Ah Yue, choose two uninjured men and return at once. Arrest the people you suspect immediately. We'll question them after we get back.

"Also, though we won this battle, it was no easy victory. Rest and regroup here for a while before we set out again."