Are You Threatening Me?

Li Xian simply did not know that because two Hall Masters had died this time, two Hall Master positions had been left vacant.

He had assumed one of those positions would belong to Li Xian, but it turned out Li Xian did not care about it at all.

Thus, the two Hall Master positions sparked another fierce round of open and covert struggle within the Cao Gang.

For the time being, however, none of this had anything to do with Li Xian.

Kui Shui Pier, inside the Cultivation Room.

"Would you like to use Proficiency Points to deduce Crimson Sun Nine Songs?"

"Yes!"

The moment the command fell within Li Xian's mind, an incomparably powerful current of inner force surged joyfully through his meridians.

If a comparison had to be made, Li Xian's previous Inner Breath had been like an endlessly flowing stream. Now, it was like a mighty river, rushing and churning onward.

Vast as an unceasing river, with no knowing where it would end.

In the darkness, Li Xian opened his eyes. A flicker of crimson light tore through the gloom, then vanished in an instant.

"What realm is my strength at now? Am I still only Mid-fourth Grade?"

Dagan had a very clear marker for Mid-fourth Grade experts.

It was four words—Bronze Skin Iron Bones!

At this realm, once a Martialist's inner force circulated throughout the entire body in a complete grand cycle, they could become impervious to blades and spears, untouched by water and fire.

Of course, that was merely a manner of speaking.

Under heaven, there were as many cultivation arts as grains of sand in the Ganges, and they varied in rank.

Cultivators differed in talent, comprehension, the mysteries of their techniques and moves, and the time they had spent training. Even at the same realm, Martialists would inevitably differ in strength.

Who would dare claim to be invincible within their own realm?

But Li Xian was different.

When he had mastered Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training, he had already achieved Bronze Skin Iron Bones.

Now that he had cultivated Crimson Sun Nine Songs to the sixth level, attaining the indestructible Crimson Fire Vajra Body, even he himself did not know just how far his strength had reached.

A Martialist who had trained to such a realm possessed a body seemingly cast from gold. When fighting others, they could charge headlong through everything, sweeping all before them.

"If I call myself invincible within my realm, no one should have any objections, right?" Li Xian joked to himself.

"Steward Li, pardon the interruption."

Brother Xin's voice came from outside the door.

"What is it?"

"The new Hall Master of Xiakou District wishes to see you," Brother Xin said.

The former Hall Master of Xiakou District had died on West Ridge Mountain.

Li Xian opened the door. "Xiakou District already has a new Hall Master so soon?"

"Yes."

"Who is it? What's his name?"

"His name is Zhang Fengyuan."

Li Xian quickly searched through the name in his mind, but it meant nothing to him.

"I've never heard of him. What's his background?"

With a mysterious look on his face, Brother Xin said, "He is Deputy Gang Leader Zhang Yangming's son."

"Oh..."

Understanding dawned across Li Xian's face.

No wonder he had seized the initiative and settled the matter in one stroke amid such a fierce power struggle, leaving no room for anyone to object.

"But why is he looking for me?" Li Xian asked, puzzled.

Brother Xin said, "I don't know either. He only said he had come to pay you a visit."

"Pay me a visit?"

What kind of talk was that? A Hall Master needed to pay a visit to a steward?

Li Xian was even more puzzled.

"Where is he?"

"He's waiting for you in the front hall."

Zhang Fengyuan was twenty-nine this year.

His aptitude was average. He had achieved nothing in either letters or martial arts; in the Cao Gang, that sort of accomplishment was beneath even a dog's notice.

Unfortunately, he had a good father.

By currying favor on all sides, borrowing the tiger's might like a fox, and relying on his father's support, he had forcibly seized the title of the Cao Gang's youngest hall master.

To say he wasn't pleased with himself would be a lie.

To say no one envied him would also be a lie.

Zhang Fengyuan knew perfectly well that countless people were waiting to see him make a fool of himself in his current position, waiting for the moment he could no longer sit firmly in that seat so they could kick him away.

After all, the Cao Gang had more than one deputy gang leader.

He understood that clearly, so the moment he took office, he planned to find himself a powerful enforcer.

The first person who came to mind was Li Xian.

Young, powerful, promising, with no patron and no background—he was practically a recruitment target crying out to be won over.

If not you, then who?

So, after Zhang Fengyuan expressed his intentions in an exceedingly roundabout manner, Li Xian could not help but laugh.

"So Hall Master Zhang came today for this matter."

If you think this book is good, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't have trouble finding it next time.

"Yes."

Zhang Fengyuan fanned himself with a folding fan, his face full of arrogance.

In his view, Li Xian had no reason to refuse.

For someone of his status to humble himself and personally come to a tiny place like Kui Shui Pier to meet him was already a show of utmost respect for talent.

If Li Xian still refused, then he would be refusing to give Zhang Fengyuan face.

"My apologies, but I have no such intention. Hall Master Zhang, please return."

Thus, the moment Zhang Fengyuan heard Li Xian's words, his expression immediately turned cold.

"Steward Li, you should know that I'm giving you an opportunity."

"What opportunity?" Li Xian asked, puzzled.

Zhang Fengyuan said, "An opportunity to climb higher in the Cao Gang!"

"Hahaha..."

Li Xian could not help but laugh aloud.

"Thank you, Hall Master Zhang. I appreciate your kindness. Please return."

With that, he rose to his feet, no longer in the mood to entertain this man.

Such a blunt rejection, coupled with Li Xian's laughter, thoroughly infuriated Zhang Fengyuan.

Humiliated into rage, he said, "Li Xian, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a penalty!"

Li Xian stopped, turned back, and stared at Zhang Fengyuan expressionlessly. "Are you threatening me?"

Zhang Fengyuan said with a sinister expression, "It isn't a threat. It's merely a kind reminder."

"I don't need it. Brother Xin, Wan Cai, see our guest out!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Fengyuan shouted furiously.

"Li Xian, you'll regret what happened today!"

Li Xian paid no mind to Zhang Fengyuan's threat.

The man surnamed Zhang would never understand where Li Xian's confidence and assurance came from.

To Li Xian, threats without strength were nothing more than empty promissory notes casually written.

But Zhang Fengyuan was a despicable man, and his nature dictated that his methods would be underhanded and vicious.

Open spears were easy to dodge; hidden arrows were hard to guard against.

Before long, Li Xian received Zhang Fengyuan's retaliation.

Five days later, Li Xian received a mission: to slay a river monster stirring up trouble in the canal and bringing disaster upon the area.

This river monster was not particularly strong, possessing only cultivation equivalent to the Mid-sixth Grade Martialist Realm, but it was still worth several hundred Merit Points.

Li Xian brought the river monster's head to Xingshang Hall, only to receive an answer that caught him completely off guard.

Steward Duan Sanping of the Merit Hall stared at the grotesque river monster head, his face filled with astonishment.

"Steward Li, someone has already claimed the merit for the canal river monster."

Before Li Xian could speak, Brother Xin behind him cried out.

"Steward Duan, what are you talking about? The river monster's head is right here. How could someone have already claimed the merit?"

Duan Sanping was somewhat dumbfounded as well. Somewhat flustered, he opened his merit ledger and pointed at the record inside.

"Look, it's written here in black and white. The merit for slaying the river monster was claimed by Lu Wu'an."

Li Xian frowned and asked, "Who is Lu Wu'an?"

Duan Sanping said, "A steward from Xiakou District."

"Xiakou District—Zhang Fengyuan's subordinate?" Li Xian asked.

"Yes."

Li Xian more or less understood.

"Without any proof, Lu Wu'an can just claim the credit for the River Monster like that?"

That question struck right at the heart of the matter.

Duan Sanping said with a bitter smile, "He came over and immediately invoked Zhang Fengyuan's name, saying Hall Master Zhang had sent him to collect the credit. There wasn't much I could say."

Li Xian stared into his eyes. "Are you afraid of offending people, or are you one of Zhang Fengyuan's men too?"

Duan Sanping's expression changed drastically. "Steward Li, don't talk nonsense. I have absolutely no connection with Hall Master Zhang."

"Oh?"

Li Xian said meaningfully, "You're afraid of offending Zhang Fengyuan, but not afraid of offending me?"

There was nothing unreasonable about that. Li Xian had only recently made a name for himself in the Cao Gang and was praised as having limitless prospects, but compared to the Deputy Gang Leader's son, he still seemed to fall a little short.

In Duan Sanping's eyes, the reason Zhang Fengyuan had managed to suppress Li Xian and become the hall master of Xiakou District this time was not because Li Xian had chosen not to compete, but because he could not win.

So Duan Sanping smiled and spoke bluntly. "Steward Li, you're very young, and you'll have a future ahead of you. But compared to Hall Master Zhang, you still fall a little short."

Upon hearing that, Li Xian knew exactly what sort of man this fellow was.

A weathercock, and short-sighted.

Li Xian gave him a long, deep look, then turned and led Brother Xin and the others away.

"Let's go."

After Li Xian left, Duan Sanping immediately changed his tune again, his face full of disdain. "Pah. Give you a couple of compliments and you really start thinking you're some genius. You've offended Zhang Fengyuan—just wait, you'll have a hard time ahead."

Once outside the Merit Hall, Brother Xin asked unwillingly, "Steward Li, are we just letting this go?"

Li Xian merely smiled without saying anything.

Of course he would not let it go just like that.