Injured

Tang Yan's swordplay was exquisitely refined. Among opponents of the same rank, he would probably find few worthy matches.

Lin Dongxue had no choice but to reveal her yellow tier strength.

One Force Breaks a Hundred Acupoints!

Below the yellow tier, all were ants. With sufficiently overwhelming strength, Lin Dongxue was confident she could break through Tang Yan's defenses this time.

Facing Lin Dongxue's fiercely advancing sword, Tang Yan moved forward rather than retreating. The longsword in his hand swept like a white cloud, instantly enveloping her slender blade.

**Clang, clang, clang-**a rapid flurry of metallic clashes rang out. Under the two women's astonished gazes, Tang Yan's longsword successfully blocked Lin Dongxue's attack, then thrust toward her throat.

One Force Breaks a Hundred Acupoints, but One Skill Defeats a Thousand Pounds!

Tang Yan's movements left room for further changes, and his speed was extraordinary. This thrust carried an imposing momentum and deadly peril. Lin Dongxue actually froze on the spot, staring in terror at the rapidly approaching sword.

"Stop!" Seeing that Tang Yan's longsword had already broken through Lin Dongxue's defenses, Wu Xuan shouted sharply and struck out with an angry palm, trying to stop him.

"You lost!" Tang Yan's longsword stopped steadily an inch from Lin Dongxue's throat. Just as he was about to flash what he considered a handsome smile, he suddenly felt an immensely powerful gust rushing toward him. Alarm surged through his heart, but before he could even resist, a tremendous force hurled him away.

"Thud!" Tang Yan flew backward and slammed hard into an ancient cypress. Its thick trunk shook violently several times.

"Pfft!" Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Countless alpacas stampeded through Tang Yan's mind. Who the hell did I offend to deserve this?

"Tang Yan!" Lin Dongxue cried out and immediately ran over to check on him.

"Young Master Tang, are you all right?" Wu Xuan had never expected Tang Yan to be able to stop his attack under those circumstances, and she hardly knew how to describe her feelings. She took an elixir from inside her robes and placed it in his mouth.

From its aura, Tang Yan identified the elixir as a healing medicine of second tier low grade. Before he could swallow it, the Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron, which had remained motionless all this time, suddenly began vibrating with a hum. A cool stream of energy emerged from the cauldron and swiftly circulated throughout his body, forcibly suppressing his restless true qi! Although it did not instantly heal his internal injuries, it alleviated most of the damage.

Sensing the changes within his body, Tang Yan was overjoyed. The Heaven-Earth Creation Cauldron even protects its master automatically?

Feigning composure, Tang Yan swallowed the elixir, then furrowed his brow slightly and exhaled.

Fortunately, Wu Xuan had not used her full strength. Otherwise, even two lives would not have been enough for Tang Yan to survive a full-powered palm strike.

"Young Master Tang, I'm terribly sorry. I... I..." Wu Xuan gave Tang Yan a guilty look and asked softly, "Are you all right?"

"You were the one who asked me to spar with her, and now you're the one who injured me. You were also the one who didn't stop Lin Dongxue from raising her strength to the yellow tier. Miss Wu Xuan, I want an explanation." Although Tang Yan understood that Wu Xuan had only wanted to stop him, he had taken a palm strike for no reason and nearly suffered serious injuries. If he did not wring some benefits out of this, wouldn't he be letting himself down?

Faced with Tang Yan's aggressive questioning, Wu Xuan grew flustered for a moment and said quietly, "Young Master Tang, I thought you couldn't stop your attack. I panicked and lost control."

"You panicked? So you sent me flying with one palm strike? Wu Xuan, do you think my life is worth nothing?" Tang Yan demanded angrily.

"Young Master Tang, Sister Wu Xuan didn't do it on purpose. What's done is done, and there's no use saying more. I'll compensate you," Lin Dongxue said, stepping in to ease the situation.

"Do you think all I want after being injured is compensation?" Tang Yan questioned her with feigned anger, then abruptly changed his tune. "What are you offering?"

"Three First-Tier Mid-Grade Elixirs and one First-Tier High-Grade Elixir. What do you think, Young Master?" Lin Dongxue offered.

An ordinary person would have been ecstatic to hear of such elixirs. Some lineages might be able to purchase First-Tier Mid-Grade Elixirs, but First-Tier High-Grade Elixirs rarely circulated in Cloud City. Even a thousand gold pieces might not secure one.

Tang Yan, however, was different. In his previous life, this fellow had been a Ninth-Tier Alchemist. Never mind first-tier elixirs-even second-tier or third-tier ones were worth no more than the cost of their ingredients in his eyes.

Tang Yan kept calculating inwardly. Right now, he was only short a little over ten thousand taels of silver. He had just forced Lin Dongxue to use her yellow tier strength, and he had sparred with her for nearly two hours. Surely he could earn ten thousand taels in sparring fees? Besides, the Tang Family was now buffeted by wind and rain, surrounded by enemies on every side. If he could make the Wonderful Elixir Workshop owe the Tang Family another favor, it would give them another measure of protection.

Having made up his mind, Tang Yan feigned weakness and said, "Since Miss Wu Xuan's mistake was unintentional, accepting material compensation would make me seem petty. As it happens, I have some questions about martial arts. If you have time in the coming days, Miss Wu Xuan, I hope you'll visit the Tang Family and offer me a little guidance."

"The martial talent you displayed just now left even me feeling inferior, Young Master Tang. I wouldn't presume to offer guidance, but I'll certainly visit in a few days so we can discuss it." Wu Xuan's beautiful eyes shifted as she gave Tang Yan a meaningful look.

Although Tang Yan had said the matter was settled, Wu Xuan knew that, as the Wonderful Elixir Workshop's chief alchemist, merely paying a visit to the Tang Family would inevitably make outsiders speculate about the relationship between them and the workshop. It would also make some of the lineages eyeing the Tang Family like hungry tigers temporarily rein in their plans to swallow it whole.

"In that case, I'll await your esteemed visit at home, Miss Wu Xuan. Oh, Miss Lin, does our earlier wager still stand?" Tang Yan had been thinking about the silver all along and immediately asked.

"It does!" Lin Dongxue was secretly annoyed. The last time she had met this fellow, he had dazzled her with his literary talent and seemed as gentle and polished as jade. Why was he so greedy today? Could Old Master Tang still be withholding his spending money?

Smiling, Tang Yan accepted a banknote from Lin Dongxue. Seeing that it was worth twenty thousand taels, he tucked it away with a beaming face and said weakly, "In that case, I won't trouble you any longer. I'll go home and rest."

With that, he paid the two women no further attention and staggered toward the exit.

"Please wait, Young Master Tang. I'll have someone take you home." Lin Dongxue called out, and someone immediately came to escort Tang Yan outside.

Watching Tang Yan's departing back, Lin Dongxue pouted. "I don't know what sword technique that fellow used, but it was incredibly powerful. Even using yellow tier first grade strength, I still lost to him."

"He truly is a monster." Recalling the astonishing martial talent Tang Yan had displayed while sparring with Lin Dongxue, as well as the watertight calculations behind his words, Wu Xuan marveled inwardly. Is he really the wastrel everyone says he is?

Tang Yan returned home in a carriage from the City Lord's Residence, drawing the attention of quite a few watchful people. Young Master Tang, however, paid them no mind. With no sense of security whatsoever, he was desperate to strengthen the Tang Family.

Upon returning to his quarters, Tang Yan wasted no time. He took out paper and a brush, listed the medicinal ingredients he needed, and sent Xiao Cui to buy them from the medicine shop.