See the Clan Leader Again

After carefully putting away the golden token and the small blue-green bottle, Wu Yuan cleared all the books out of the room.

Everything in the cultivation chamber was back to normal.

"These next few days, Li City is likely to be in turmoil. Even if no one is likely to suspect me, I still have to be careful." Wu Yuan quietly regulated his breathing.

For martial experts, resting did not necessarily mean falling completely asleep.

He had been on the move for the past two days, then fought a fierce battle on Nine Cloud Mountain. Wu Yuan had spent a great deal of energy. Now he was still resting in peace, letting his exhausted muscles, tendons, and bones return to normal.

Some elderly martial artists might exhaust themselves to death after using the Force Extreme Saber dozens of times. Even if they survived, they would suffer severe damage to their vitality.

But Wu Yuan had no such worries. Compared with many older martial artists, his greatest advantage was—

His youth!

That was a gift of nature.

And with his exceptional control over his body, all he needed was a few days of rest.

"My body isn't especially tired, but why was I so bloodthirsty during last night's battle?" Wu Yuan fell into deep thought.

During the bloody battle, he had no time to think. But after leaving the fight and regaining his composure, the more he recalled, the more alarmed he became.

At the time, his mind had seemed clear. Yet after killing the first two guards, a bloodthirsty impulse seemed to invade his brain. He had even struggled to control himself.

"It definitely wasn't my imagination."

As a Martial Dao Grandmaster, Wu Yuan trusted his own judgment. "At the time, every time I killed a member of the Fierce Tiger Gang, it was as though a rush of warmth coursed through my body, constantly dispelling my fatigue."

It had been an incredibly strange state.

"Could there be something abnormal inside my body?" Wu Yuan wondered. Using Internal Vision, he examined every inch of his muscles, bones, skin, and membranes, as well as his internal organs and limbs, but found nothing.

Once he had left the battle, that strange state had quickly disappeared, too.

It was as though it had all been an illusion.

Unable to find the cause, Wu Yuan had no choice but to set the matter aside for now. "If I enter that strange state again, I must stay alert and figure out what's causing it."

Wu Yuan did not like being in a state he could not control.

He cast aside his many distracting thoughts.

Closing his eyes, he controlled the muscles, bones, skin, and membranes in his body, quietly recovering and regulating his breathing. At the same time, he recalled his fight with that mysterious expert, reviewing it for oversights and summing up his mistakes.

A fight to the death was a form of tempering, but more was not necessarily better.

Reflection and review were just as important.

One battle that was thoroughly analyzed and reflected upon could be more valuable than ten pointless fights to the death.

In his previous life, Wu Yuan had been good at reviewing his experiences. That was how he had managed to grow so rapidly.

Night passed, and dawn broke.

"The Clan Leader's back?" Wu Yuan asked, meeting Wu Dongyao, who had hurried to the Martial Academy to find him.

"Yes!"

"A mysterious expert broke into the Fierce Tiger Gang's stronghold. Fierce Tiger Yang Long was killed on the spot, and the whole gang fell apart." Wu Dongyao was a scholar who usually paid close attention to his manners, but now his face was alight with excitement.

It was clear just how thrilled he was.

"The Fierce Tiger Gang has fallen apart?" Wu Yuan also looked excited. "I was worrying just yesterday. The dean only promised to make a recommendation to the prefect, and I was still concerned about the Clan Leader's safety."

"Haha, Wu Yuan, it's kind of you to worry. But there's no need now. The news only spread last night, so it's no wonder you hadn't heard." Wu Dongyao smiled. "The Fierce Tiger Gang's stronghold was breached, and the Clan Leader and the others who were held captive all escaped. The Clan Leader only returned to the ancestral residence a little while ago."

"As soon as I heard, I came straight to find you," Wu Dongyao said.

"Good. Let's go see the Clan Leader right away," Wu Yuan said.

Wu Yuan sighed inwardly.

The Clan Leader had returned to Li City in just a day and a night, despite his serious injuries. He must have been worried about the Wu Clan, too!

"Not so fast. The Clan Leader was badly injured. Let's buy some things before we visit him at the ancestral residence."

Wu Dongyao smiled. "Besides, people from the Prefect's Mansion and the Garrison General's office have already gone to see him. We won't get a chance to meet him for a while."

"Oh? The Prefect's Mansion? The Garrison General's office?" Wu Yuan pretended to be surprised, though he was calm inside.

"This is a serious matter. That mysterious expert swept through the Fierce Tiger Gang alone. He must be a First-class Expert!" Wu Dongyao exclaimed. "An expert like that could shake all of Li City with a single stomp. Of course the prefect and the others would take this seriously."

"Anyone who escaped from the Fierce Tiger Gang's stronghold will be questioned..." Wu Dongyao explained to Wu Yuan.

"Uncle Dongyao, let's head back first. You can tell me on the way," Wu Yuan said with a smile.

"All right."

Wu Dongyao nodded repeatedly. He had witnessed Wu Yuan's strength, so he naturally did not treat him like an ignorant child. He showed him a great deal of respect.

Otherwise, the Wu Clan Ancestral Residence would not have sent him to notify Wu Yuan first.

By the time Wu Yuan and Wu Dongyao had bought several things and returned to the Wu Clan Ancestral Residence,

it

was already crowded with Wu Clan members. Compared to the gloom and dejection of the previous few days, everyone now looked exhilarated and triumphant.

"I heard those Fierce Tiger Gang bastards were all wiped out!"

"Not all of them. There were too many gang members. But their leader, Yang Long, is dead." Wu Clan members discussed the news among themselves.

"Good riddance!" one of them ground out through clenched teeth.

"Wu Yuan and Uncle Dongyao are here." Someone spotted their carriage through the gate, and many people turned to look.

"I heard Wu Yuan's strength is already close to that of a Martial Master. He's quite something."

"Our Wu Clan may have to rely on him in the future."

"The Clan Leader certainly had a good eye." Many Wu Clan members whispered among themselves.

The Wu Clan's higher-ups had not revealed what happened in the council chamber a few days earlier, but they had let slip a little about Wu Yuan's strength. Most of the clan members now knew he was nearly as strong as a Martial Master.

Naturally, that heartened them.

Wu Yuan followed Wu Dongyao along. As he glanced over the many Wu Clan members and felt their gazes on him, warmth stirred in his heart.

This was his root in this world.

Suddenly,

the doors of a house deep in the courtyard swung open with a creak. A group of armed men strode out.

Wu Long, Sixth Master Wu, and the other Wu Clan leaders followed close behind.

"All right, we'll be on our way. If Clan Leader Wu has anything else to tell us, be sure to inform the Prefect's Mansion right away." The red-armored saber-wielder at the head of the group spoke softly.

"Certainly. You can count on it." Sixth Master Wu hurried to reply. "Please rest assured, Senior Meng."

The red-armored saber-wielder nodded slightly, then led his party toward the mansion's gate. His gaze swept casually over the assembled Wu Clan members.

Then he abruptly stopped.

"You must be Wu Yuan." The red-armored saber-wielder looked at him.

"Senior." Wu Yuan cupped his hands respectfully.

Wu Yuan's hearing was exceptionally sharp. He had heard Sixth Master Wu's form of address just now, and after observing the man's build and frame, he had more or less guessed who he was.

The second strongest expert in Li City—Meng Qiang!

He was also the captain of Prefect Jiang Dongque's guard. Why had such a powerful expert come to the Wu Clan?

"Your progress over the past few months has been astonishing. I hear you're nearly as strong as a Martial Master." Meng Qiang's eyes held a note of admiration. "I suspect you deliberately lost at the Martial Academy Grand Competition."

"What are you talking about, Senior? This junior doesn't understand." Wu Yuan lowered his head.

"Heh, don't worry." Meng Qiang smiled. "I've already explained some things to Clan Leader Wu. Just remember this: Li City belongs to the Hengyun Sect. No one can rule with an iron fist."

"If you've suffered an injustice, the prefect will see that justice is done."

"All right, I have other matters to attend to. I'll be on my way." Meng Qiang strode off, leading his party away from the Wu Clan Ancestral Residence.

Wu Yuan's expression did not change as he watched Meng Qiang leave, but his mind kept turning.

"Wu Yuan!"

Sixth Master Wu, his beard streaked with white, caught hold of him. "The Clan Leader gave instructions. As soon as you arrived, you were to go see him."

"Yes, Sixth Grandpa. Please lead the way," Wu Yuan replied at once.

"Everyone else, stay here." Sixth Master Wu gave another order, stopping Wu Long, Wu Dongyao, and the others. Then he led Wu Yuan quickly inside.

They walked along a corridor.

At last, Wu Yuan reached a small but fairly tastefully decorated room. There he saw Wu Qiming lying in bed, resting beneath layers of white bandages.

A maid stood nearby with medicine.

"Clan Leader, what happened to you?" Wu Yuan's eyes reddened slightly. He rushed forward and looked at Clan Leader Wu Qiming.

"Haha, don't worry. I'm not going to die." Clan Leader Wu Qiming looked at Wu Yuan with deep affection.

He had no sons, and his two daughters had married years ago. Over the past several years, he had helped Wu Yuan and, in truth, treated him like half a son.

"Sixth Master, I have something to discuss with Wu Yuan alone," Clan Leader Wu Qiming said softly.

"All right."

Sixth Master Wu nodded and asked no questions. He led the maid out of the room and gently shut the door behind them.

Only Wu Yuan and Wu Qiming remained inside.

"Clan Leader, what did you want to see me about?" Wu Yuan asked.

"The Garrison General's office is behind the Fierce Tiger Gang!" Wu Qiming said slowly. "They never let the matter with Xu Yuanhan go. The Fierce Tiger Gang's oppression of our Wu Clan this time was ordered by Xu Manor."