Attack, Exposure

Xiasheng Restaurant, secret chamber.

Duan Hongyan and Ji Haoyang were meeting here to exchange information.

Most of the people in the restaurant had already relocated to a new stronghold, so this place was used solely for receiving messages from Su Yuan.

However, they had always been passive recipients, never having had the opportunity to send a message to Su Yuan themselves.

It was not that they hadn't thought about tracking Su Yuan down, but they had always been evaded, and even warned by him.

Consequently, no one dared to provoke this expert again.

The list of crimes for each lackey in the letter was ranked from highest to lowest based on how much the Liang People valued them.

Ji Haoyang read the names aloud, his teeth clenched: "Song An, Zhang Shun, Lin Mengnian... Su Yuan!"

To hide his identity, Su Yuan had also included himself on the list, marking himself as not yet a martial artist.

"Junior Brother Duan, why don't we go hunt down Su Yuan first?" Ji Haoyang proposed.

"That would likely be unwise. The Su brothers are highly valued by the Chai family and possess considerable strength themselves; they are not easy targets. Senior Brother Ji, our primary objective is to breach the Void Cloud Horse Ranch. Dealing with these lackeys is merely to create a diversion, to scatter their forces so that we may rescue our people," Duan Hongyan advised.

They were not only looking to rescue Yun Xu, but also their fellow clansmen who were suffering in the ranch.

They firmly believed that the contrast between the cruel oppression of the Liang People and their own desperate rescue efforts would eventually awaken the fighting spirit of the people of Ji City.

"I understand, but precisely because the two of them are valued, if we spread rumors of an attack, it might attract more troop deployments. As for that Su Tie Niu... I would also like to cross paths with him to see who is stronger," Ji Haoyang said.

Beyond the national vendetta, he also harbored a desire to compare the martial arts of the two nations. The martial arts of the Jing People were far superior to those of the Liang People; otherwise, how could Great Liang have been blocked by the Cloud Mist Sect?

Someone like Su Tie Niu was truly putting the cart before the horse, wasting his natural talent.

Duan Hongyan did not immediately agree: "This matter still requires discussion. We must see how Master and the Jiguang Society plan to proceed."

"Fine."

Su Yuan and Tie Niu returned to their home on Shangning Street, near the Chai Family Martial Academy.

This had been Tie Niu's suggestion; Fengxing Street was ultimately not peaceful, so the two had rented a large courtyard on Shangning Street instead.

Because it was adjacent to the Chai Family Martial Academy, although it was on the west side of the city, all kinds of necessities were convenient to obtain, though the price was high.

The monthly rent was two taels of silver.

Since the incident last time, Su Yuan had brought the four children and Granny Lu to live with them, which provided some mutual support.

Children played in the courtyard, their laughter constant, and Tie Niu often played along with them, treating them like younger siblings.

The house finally had a bit of long-lost liveliness and vitality; in a trance, it felt as if he had returned to the years when the Su family was still flourishing.

It was just that Su Yuan no longer had any way of knowing where his parents and younger brother were now, or whether they were alive or dead.

Granny Lu approached and said in a low voice: "Master, it will be New Year's Eve in seven days. Should we prepare some festive items for the New Year?"

"Is it already the New Year?" Su Yuan was slightly startled.

The entire Ji City was shrouded under the iron-fisted rule of the Liang People, oppressive and grim; there was not a hint of the joy that usually accompanied the approaching festival.

"Just buy whatever you like. Buy plenty of food to help the children build up their strength." He handed over five taels of silver.

"Aye, very well." Granny Lu accepted.

When she first arrived, she had heard of Su Yuan's notorious reputation and felt uneasy.

After spending time together, she realized that although this master had a somewhat cold temperament, he was generous and kind to others, and by no means as terrible as the rumors suggested.

The two returned to the martial academy.

Several people were carrying coarse cloth bundles, walking silently out of the courtyard gate with their heads bowed.

During these days, many more disciples had attempted to break through to the Blood Condensation realm.

Very few succeeded; only Lin Fan had managed it.

He had shamelessly asked Tie Niu for advice on the key points repeatedly, though, of course, the most critical part had to be overcome by himself.

Some failed the breakthrough and damaged their foundations, while others lacked the financial means to continue and had to leave in dejection.

Zhou Xun'er was among those leaving.

She looked haggard, with dark circles under her eyes.

Qin Ming had not only failed to save his leg, but he had also failed to survive.

When the tragic news arrived, she seemed to have lost her soul. This time, while attempting to break through the bottleneck, her mind was scattered, and naturally, she suffered a total defeat.

She took one last look at the high threshold of the martial academy, turned around, and merged into the scattered crowd of people leaving, never looking back.

Seeing this, Su Yuan could only sigh softly. After staying at the academy for a short while, he quietly went out again and returned to the old residence on Fengxing Street.

There was only a month left until the Wolf God Festival.

In his message, he had already suggested that they could strike while the Liang People's attention was diverted during the festival.

This was an important tradition of Great Liang; at that time, their troops and focus would surely be concentrated on the sacrificial rites and the grand hunt.

[Fate: A Further Step Forward]

[Golden Horse-Head Technique: 427/1000 (Second Layer)]

[Origin-Returning Finger: 573/1000 (Great Success)]

[Flying Horse Leg: 106/1000 (Great Success)]

[Cloud-Covering Art: 375/500 (Minor Success)]

[Horse Spear Technique: 215/500 (Minor Success)]

[Painting: 1987/2000 (Perfection)]

[Literacy: 1432/2000 (Perfection)]

His current cultivation had firmly stepped into the second stage of Blood Condensation, also known as Second Blood.

By the time of the festival, he was confident he could break through to Third Blood.

The Horse Spear Technique was a spear style that held a distinct advantage when performed on horseback.

From Gao Mian, he had learned that for this Wolf God Festival, Great Liang would still require Jing People martial artists at the Blood Condensation stage to participate.

To the Liang People, this was both a grand spectacle to display their martial prowess and a strategy to win over and divide the Jing People.

The results of this competition would not only affect the participants but also influence the allocation of resources the young masters could obtain from the higher-ups.

That was why they placed such importance on it.

When the time comes, relying on my combat skills alone should be enough to handle most people.

However, this was ultimately a hunting competition, and the final outcome would still depend on everyone's hunting techniques.

Su Yuan could not leave the city at present, so he had no way to practice that aspect.

He had once asked Tie Niu to request an exit permit from Chai Nian, but Chai Nian only said that before the festival, he would take everyone out of the city to experience hunting and make early preparations.

Su Yuan, however, thought of another method.

He gathered some low-level demonic beast fur, bones, and even excrement, carefully distinguishing their scents.

This was the feces of an Iron-Claw Mountain Cat, pungent and fishy; that was the tail fur of a Red-Eyed Wolf, carrying a dry, scorching stench; and there was a piece of molted skin from a Black-Scaled Python, emitting a damp, rotting odor.

[Olfactory Identification: 3/1000 (Great Success)]

Ugh!

Su Yuan forced himself to suppress his nausea, mocking himself inwardly: I've truly reached the point of identifying demonic beasts by their stench.

Just as he was buried in his work, two figures silently snuck into his home.

They were none other than Duan Hongyan and Zhang Li.

After several discussions, they had decided to capture Su Yuan first and use him as leverage to turn Su Tie Niu against his masters.

Although they had been planting spies, very few could get close to the core.

If they could take down the Su brothers, they might be able to shed their over-reliance on that mysterious informant and cultivate their own loyalists.

Just as the two closed in on Su Yuan, two dark, messy objects were suddenly thrown from his hands, smashing toward their faces!

Their presence was exposed, and they were literally facing a pile of filth.

They had no choice but to dodge in a panic.

"People from the Cloud-Striding Martial Hall?" Su Yuan's heart tightened.

He had relied on Tie Niu and the Chai Family as his backing, and he had downplayed his own importance during communications, thinking that even if he didn't reveal his identity, the other side wouldn't easily move against him.

He hadn't expected to be targeted after all.

Reflecting on his actions, he had only carved a few statues and painted a few pictures; he had never actively harmed anyone.

It seemed that Yun Xu's weight in their hearts was far greater than he had estimated.

In a flash, Su Yuan didn't linger to fight. He retreated rapidly, slammed open the door, and bolted outside!

"So fast!" Zhang Li exclaimed in shock.

"He's practiced leg techniques!" The two gave chase, but to their surprise, they couldn't close the distance.

"How is this possible? Could he already be a martial artist?!"

The two suddenly felt something was wrong; this was definitely not the speed an ordinary person should possess.

"Help! There are remnants of the Cloud-Striding Martial Hall! Someone, come quick!" Su Yuan shouted as soon as he rushed out of the alley, sprinting straight toward the martial academy.

"Sigh, the intelligence was wrong. I didn't expect this brat to have a hidden card. Retreat!" Duan Hongyan ordered urgently.

Although they hadn't succeeded this time, they had managed to probe some of his true strength.

Their original intention had been to lure the Liang People into splitting their forces to protect the Su brothers, and since they had already alerted the enemy, they had no choice but to give up.

Su Yuan ran wildly, leaving the squads of Liang soldiers who had heard the commotion behind him, and only stopped when he reached the gates of the Chai Family Martial Academy.

He straightened his slightly disheveled robes.

It seemed the identity of a martial artist could no longer be concealed.

However... the timing was just about right.

At this moment, everyone within the martial academy had been startled by the earlier shouts, and Tie Niu was the first to charge out through the academy gates.

Immediately following, disciples such as Huang Jiangyue, Lin Fan, and Jiang Yu, along with the two instructors Chai Lang and Liu Chang, all appeared brandishing their weapons.

The crowd saw only Su Yuan standing alone before the gate, while in the distance behind him, a large group of Liang soldiers were panting as they gave chase, a scene that appeared rather comical.

The leading officer, Rong Qi, gasped for air and demanded angrily, "Where are the remnants of the Cloud-Striding Martial Hall? Where are they?"

"I was just at home smelling incense when two people suddenly snuck in to ambush me. Fortunately, I reacted quickly and displayed my skills to beat them back. Their techniques and footwork were exactly that of the Cloud-Striding Palm. I didn't expect them to have reinforcements, and three or four more arrived, so I had no choice but to flee, running all the way back. I assume I've managed to shake them off." Su Yuan patted his chest, putting on a look of lingering fear.

Rong Qi was skeptical. "The remnants of the Cloud-Striding Martial Hall are almost all martial artists. How could you possibly escape?"

"It's simple. I just became a martial artist myself," Su Yuan said indifferently, turning to face the people of the martial academy with a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

He looked at Tie Niu again, his smile carrying a lightness of relief:

"Tie Niu, I've succeeded."