As soon as Hong Yuan finished speaking, both Yang Lie and Wu Duxiong froze.
"The New Dragon Cavalry Lord?"
Yang Lie's eyes in particular went perfectly round. All traces of sleepiness vanished, and he gulped down another great mouthful of wine to steady his nerves.
"Brother Hong, stop joking. That master I picked up on the cheap..."
"He isn't coming back," Hong Yuan interrupted. Meeting their puzzled gazes, he hid nothing and briefly explained Song Yinglong's relationship with the Red Lotus Cult and his current situation.
"In short, Song Yinglong has been refined into a Corpse Puppet. Both Crouching Tiger Manor and the Dragon Cavalry Army need a new leader now. Brother Yang, as Song Yinglong's disciple, you have every right to inherit what he left behind."
Hong Yuan looked at Yang Lie and clicked his tongue in admiration. "Brother Yang, you get to win your beauty's hand and take the seat of the New Dragon Cavalry Lord. A wife and a career, all in one step. You've hit the jackpot!"
Wu Duxiong had only just recovered from the shocking news that Song Yinglong had died and been turned into a puppet by the Red Lotus Demon Cult. Hearing this, he frowned. "Boy, this is no small matter. Song Yinglong spent years building his power, and experts gathered under his command like clouds. You also said he was involved with the demon cult... Even if he's dead, his adopted sons and daughters and his army commanders won't accept Yang Lie, a latecomer of a disciple with mediocre martial skills."
Yang Lie was already a martial artist who had mastered force, which was enough to run a local martial arts hall. But he was far from qualified to command one of a prefecture's foremost powers.
Hong Yuan smiled. "If his martial