"Liu Clan hired assassins?"
"Mm."
"..." x2
Xiang Yuan rubbed his temples, annoyed at himself for developing True Heart Dao PTSD—whenever he encountered something unreasonable, he immediately dumped the blame on True Heart Dao.
At least this time, True Heart Dao had been wrongly accused.
Come to think of it, Jian'an Circuit was the Liu Clan's stronghold. The convoy had only just left the capital of Tai'an Prefecture and had not even departed Jian'an Circuit. The assassins of Stellar Palace would have to be insane to set an ambush here.
Case solved. Certain junior brothers had spent money to hire killers, hoping to create an atmosphere where their senior brother could play the hero saving a beauty—then spring would last through all four seasons.
Look at you, with nothing better to do. Why didn't reviewing memorials work you to death?!
Xiang Yuan roughly understood the whole story. He glanced at the pitiful-looking Pang Wanjun, saw the helpless clarity in the man's eyes, and waved a hand. "Go. If there's a next time, it won't be as simple as taking a spatial ring."
"Rest assured, Daoist. The Liu Clan harbors sinister intentions and seeks to harm you. If there is a next time, Pang will certainly kill himself to repay Daoist for the grace of sparing my life." Pang Wanjun spoke with resounding conviction.
"..."
His humility was so extreme it was painful to watch.
Xiang Yuan had always been lenient toward such mature, honest people. He shifted through space and returned in a single step to the convoy carrying Carefree Valley.
Seeing the Spirit Transformation experts still struggling against the formation on the official road, he threw a punch skyward, smashing across the heavens and grinding the formation into scraps on the spot.
"The ringleader has been eliminated. Continue onward!"