A Huge Haul

Wu Yun's expression was calm. He stood still instead of leaving, merely watching the chaotic battle around him.

His strength had nearly been completely exhausted. Right now, he was weak as hell.

The Great Perfection Core Formation Stage truly wasn't so easy to kill.

At least equivalent to a hundred Wei Tongs... he calculated inwardly.

Because even if he could take out one Wei Tong with every punch, he would still need a hundred punches before running out of strength!

Seeing Wu Yun remain where he was for so long without moving, the others could not help but worry.

Three figures approached Wu Yun at the same time.

Ziyue: "Junior Brother, are you all right?"

Xuan Su: "Little Yun, are you okay?"

Lin Dong: "Big Brother, drink this!"

Wu Yun was startled and turned in a circle, sweeping his gaze over all three of them.

Lin Dong held a small bottle of Stone Talisman Spiritual Liquid, the purest form of energy.

He took the bottle, swallowed all the Stone Talisman Spiritual Liquid, then said to the two women, "Don't worry, I'm fine!"

Xuan Su and Ziyue exchanged a glance, and a faint, almost imperceptible hostility flashed through both their eyes.

They both instinctively ignored Lin Dong.

Wu Yun said, "What's done is done. Don't carry any psychological burden. If the Ten Thousand Gold Merchant Association, the Symbol Master Association, and the City Lord's Mansion hadn't stepped in today, and if the two of us hadn't turned the tide, the Blood Wolf Gang wouldn't just have killed the two of us here. They would have gone to massacre Qingyang Town. Those Yue Siblings might very well have been the ones to kill your father and mother, kill little Qing Tan, and then go claim credit for it!"

He earnestly tried to comfort Lin Dong.

"Big Brother, I understand your good intentions. I hesitated this time, but I definitely won't disappoint you again in the future," Lin Dong said firmly, secretly clenching his fists inside his sleeves.

Wu Yun's words had struck straight at his heart. His grandfather, father, mother, and sister were undoubtedly his weak spots.

In struggles between factions, it was either kill or be killed.

If he softened today and spared his enemies, they might not show the same mercy when their slaughtering blades were aimed at his defenseless family in the future.

Xia Zhilan, standing farther away, also looked over with curiosity at Wu Yun. She did not understand how, despite being the same age as everyone else, he could be so powerful.

"Girl, this Wu Yun is a rare genius, one seen perhaps once in a century. Not just in Flame City—even across the entire Great Yan Dynasty, it would be difficult to find a young man as outstanding as him. So, does he catch your eye? If you're embarrassed, your father can speak to him for you!"

Xia Wanjin suddenly walked to Xia Zhilan's side and spoke in the tone of an old father who only wanted what was best for his daughter.

"Father, what are you talking about? It's not like your daughter can't get married. Do I need to throw myself at someone like that?" Xia Zhilan blushed and turned away.

"You should learn more from your Sister Xuan Su when it comes to this."

Xia Wanjin said irritably, "Wu Yun is no ordinary man. If you don't fancy him today, then in the future, I'm afraid you won't even have the chance to get close to him."

He was indeed deeply moved. That morning, he had still been able to view Wu Yun as a junior.

But now, he no longer had the slightest desire to put on airs.

Xia Zhilan bit her lip without speaking. She still could not bring herself to take the initiative to approach Wu Yun.

Yan Xuan walked over with his cane and coughed.

"Cough, cough. Let's go back and rest first!"

As a master of spiritual power, he understood his beloved disciple's condition best. Wu Yun needed proper rest.

"Yes, yes. Brother Wu Yun should go back and rest first. Leave the aftermath to our Ten Thousand Gold Merchant Association. I'll have Xuan Su report the results of this battle to you afterward!"

Xia Wanjin hurriedly echoed him. His form of address for Wu Yun had become even more intimate, dropping the word "little."

Setting age aside, the word "little" no longer suited Wu Yun. Being able to kill Yue Shan had already proven that Wu Yun was greater than him! "Then I'll trouble President Xia!"

Wu Yun cupped his hands.

Then he draped an arm over Lin Dong's shoulder like they were close brothers and slowly headed toward Yan Xuan's carriage.

Upon arriving at the small courtyard of the Symbol Master Association.

The moment Wu Yun stepped down from the carriage.

"Roar, roar, roar..."

A white shadow darted out, letting out low, rumbling roars.

"Bai Yun!"

Bai Yun suddenly leaped up, spreading her two front paws as she pounced toward him, asking for a hug.

"Ow, stop, stop! If I'm ever down to my last breath, won't you finish me off with one pounce?"

Wu Yun hurriedly formed a spiritual power barrier to block Bai Yun's embrace.

Pets grew bigger. Sometimes, they only wanted to play with you, but their kind of "playing" was not something you could afford!

Like a mischievous elephant—it was having fun, while you were gambling with your life.

Bai Yun's fluffy, enormous head hit the barrier as if it had struck a glass door, then slid down.

"Whimper, whimper..."

She looked terribly aggrieved. Every greeting had always been a passionate big hug, and she had grown used to it.

"Pounce!"

At that moment, a red shadow darted out and leaped into Lin Dong's arms, sending him flying three meters away.

Then it stretched out its scarlet tongue and wildly licked Lin Dong's face!

Wu Yun watched with lingering fear. If Bai Yun had done that to him just now, he would have spat out the blood he had swallowed back earlier on the spot.

Bai Yun's little nose twitched. She leaned closer and sniffed Wu Yun, immediately sensing that he was in terrible condition.

"Whimper, whimper... Roar..."

She bared her teeth and gave a low, mournful growl, as though demanding, "How did you get hurt? Who hurt you?"

Her fluffy head rubbed back and forth against Wu Yun's chest.

"It's fine. I'll be better after resting a while. The person who hurt me has already been killed."

Wu Yun stroked her large head to comfort her while also sending her a message through spiritual power, making his meaning clear.

Bai Yun cared deeply about him. Many times, whenever anyone showed even the slightest hostility toward Wu Yun, Bai Yun would remember it sensitively and look for an opportunity to kill that person.

Riding Bai Yun into the room, Wu Yun took some elixir pills, then circulated his cultivation technique to heal his injuries and rest inside.

Bai Yun no longer went to play with Xiao Yan. Instead, she obediently lay at the door, guarding her master.

The next day!

Xuan Su, dressed in a red, off-the-shoulder qipao with a high slit, came to visit Wu Yun.

"How is Little Yun recovering? Big Sister came to see you!"

Xuan Su swayed her exaggerated hips as she walked in, her long, fair legs displaying graceful charm with every step.

"Sister Xuan Su, please sit!" Wu Yun welcomed her with a smile.

Then he made tea for Xuan Su.

The two sat facing each other. Xuan Su deliberately leaned slightly forward.

The view suddenly opened up—peaks and valleys, all laid bare before his eyes. Wu Yun's spirits instantly soared, and he was full of vigor, as if the one who had been weak yesterday had been someone else entirely!

Xuan Su said, "It was all thanks to you, little brother. We have already subdued or wiped out all the forces under the Blood Wolf Gang!"

As she spoke, she took out three Cosmic Bags and introduced them one by one. "This one contains ten thousand Yang Yuan Stones from the Song Family as an apology. The Song Family Head, Song Gang, originally wanted to bring Song Qing here to apologize in person, but the president said you probably wouldn't want to see them either, so he had me deliver it together. I hope Little Brother Yun can accept this Cosmic Bag and be magnanimous enough to let the Song Family off the hook!"

"It wasn't a major matter to begin with. President Xia and Sister Xuan Su have been too concerned about it. Since that's the case, I'll accept these ten thousand Yang Yuan Stones and put the Song Family's minds at ease. As long as they don't provoke me, why would I go looking for trouble?"

"Good. The second bag contains the wealth obtained from confiscating the treasure vaults of the Blood Wolf Gang, Ghost Blade Sect, and the other forces under the Blood Wolf Gang. There were too many different kinds of treasures, so the president feared it would be troublesome for you and exchanged everything for Yang Yuan Pills and Yang Yuan Stones. Ten percent was given as a reward to the brothers who contributed to the association, while the remaining ninety percent is all in here. It amounts to nearly one million Yang Yuan Stones!"

"Hiss!"

Wu Yun sucked in a sharp breath. This amount had far exceeded what he could accept.

His little heart thumped wildly! He had never seen so much money in his entire life! He was about to be knocked unconscious by it!

"President Xia is a businessman. Wouldn't he be taking a huge loss by doing this?"

"What are you saying, Little Brother Yun? The moment you killed Yue Shan, we had already made our profit." Xuan Su smiled. In truth, even her heart churned when she held this enormous sum of one million Yang Yuan Stones.

"And what does the third Cosmic Bag mean?"

Wu Yun looked toward the third bag.

He was already more than satisfied with the first two. They had exceeded his previous expectations.

"This one is a small token of Big Sister's affection. At the Auction last time, Big Sister noticed that you seemed to be in great need of spiritual medicines, so I kept it in mind. And you had just finished a fierce battle with Yue Shan. I thought, well, your body might have been drained dry, so you definitely needed spiritual medicines to nourish yourself properly. So I took it upon myself to suggest to the president that all the spiritual medicines of Third Grade and above obtained this time be given to you. Naturally, the president agreed, and he even entrusted me with a Sixth-Grade Spirit Medicine from his personal collection. He hopes you recover to your peak as soon as possible."

Xuan Su covered her mouth and smiled, looking like a gentle and affectionate older sister.

She pushed the third Cosmic Bag in her hand toward Wu Yun and placed it in his palm. Her smooth jade hand brushed past Wu Yun's inadvertently.

"There are one hundred and eighty Third-Grade Spiritual Medicines, seventy Fourth-Grade Spiritual Medicines, fifteen Fifth-Grade Spiritual Medicines, and one Sixth-Grade Spirit Medicine inside!"

"Thank you so much, Sister!" Wu Yun could not restrain his excitement as he accepted it. Even if he wanted to pretend to be calm right now, it was difficult to settle down!

Spiritual medicines were simply too precious. If they had to gather them themselves, who knew when they would be able to collect so many?

And there was even a sixth-grade one among them!

Sixth-grade spiritual medicines had not appeared in Flame City for several years. Even the varieties people knew of could be counted on one hand. Their preciousness was self-evident; they were useful even to those at the Great Perfection Core Formation Stage.

Xia Wanjin had truly spent a fortune!

Wu Yun had been worrying about how to gather cultivation resources for Bai Yun, but now they had been delivered right to his door in a package.

The generosity and thoughtfulness of Xia Wanjin and Xuan Su had completely exceeded his expectations.

The favor I owe them is growing bigger and bigger... Wu Yun could not help but sigh inwardly.

After accepting the three Cosmic Bags, Wu Yun would never be able to stand by and do nothing if the Ten Thousand Gold Merchant Association encountered any trouble in the future!

"Oh, right. These are only the immediate gains. The Blood Wolf Gang's territory, the mineral veins under its control, and the like have not yet been counted. The president has already brought people to take them over one by one. We're just waiting for Little Brother Yun to find the time to take charge!"

Xuan Su added with a bright smile, "The Blood Wolf Gang's territory is no small matter. If Little Brother Yun swallows it all, you can immediately replace the Blood Wolf Gang and become one of Flame City's four major forces. By then, Big Sister won't dare call you little brother anymore. Should I call you Lord Wu, Gang Leader Wu, or Young Master Wu? Hehehe, in the blink of an eye, little brother has become a grown man!"

"What are you saying, Sister Xuan Su? You will always be my, Wu Yun's, elder sister. No matter how great my achievements become in the future, I will always be beneath you. I would never dare place myself above you!"

Wu Yun spoke sincerely. In his heart, he respected Xuan Su immensely as an elder sister. He was practically one step away from standing at attention and saluting her.