CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: ENVY AND HATRED!

Although we won this ambush, Jade Cauldron Tower’s side only managed a Pyrrhic victory, having suffered heavy losses, and no one could feel happy about it.

"Brother Luo, you handle the rest of the matters. I’ll not get involved,"

Old Mo shook his head, not intending to interfere, and turned back into the carriage.

Chief Manager Luo Sheng glanced at the extremely weakened Yang Han, then looked at Gu Yuan:

"Gu Yuan, right? You’ve performed excellently. Not only did you accomplish a great deed for our Jade Cauldron Tower, but you also saved the Third Miss. When we return, I’ll report to the Pavilion Master, and surely you’ll receive a handsome reward!"

Exactly as I guessed... Gu Yuan felt steady inside like an old dog, but outwardly he showed a look of surprise and gratitude, promptly thanking, "Thank you, Chief Manager!"

"Yes, of course, that’s a matter for when we return."

Luo Sheng nodded and said, "For now, Gu Yuan, and Third Miss, as neither of you are injured, both of you should come with me. Although most bandits at Black Wind Stronghold have been eliminated, the remnants are still a lingering threat. We must eradicate them entirely to prevent future troubles!"

He said sternly, "Moreover, with our Jade Cauldron Tower having suffered such heavy losses, we need to use Black Wind Stronghold’s resources to compensate a little."

Perhaps your primary motive is the latter... Gu Yuan speculated silently.

However, if he could go to Black Wind Stronghold, he might gain some benefits, plus he had something he needed to handle.

So Gu Yuan naturally had no objections.

Not far away, Yang Jianfei, who was silently tending to his severed arm, heard Luo Sheng’s words, widened his eyes, and looked at Gu Yuan with a hint of jealousy, even showing a bit of gritted teeth on his face.

Clearly, this mud-legged person whom he never regarded is starting to turn over a new leaf!

If it were just that, it would be fine, but the key is that this guy even saved Third Miss Xia Xiuxue and has won Chief Manager Luo Sheng’s favor. When they return, he will inevitably catch the attention of Pavilion Master Xia Mingyang. What an honor!

Yang Jianfei himself had excellent aptitudes, considered a rare martial arts talent, held in high regard by the elderly of his family, and held himself in high esteem, determined to become an Innate Martial Master and even reach the Celestial Human Realm!

Since joining Jade Cauldron Tower, he had also gained considerable recognition, and with a steward uncle as a backing, his future seemed bright.

But now, a mud-legged nobody was actually surpassing him, which he found hard to accept.

Why?!

His own status, background, and martial arts were all superior to that of this guy, and now this guy was climbing above him!

Yang Jianfei was unwilling, but when he saw his second uncle, Yang Han, barely able to stand, sitting down cross-legged with a pale face to heal, he fell silent immediately.

Luo Sheng was the Chief Manager of Beiliang County’s Jade Cauldron Tower, and also an Innate Martial Master. Even Yang Han dared not say anything, let alone himself.

Besides, Yang Han was seriously injured this time. If he couldn’t recover quickly, his position might become unstable, which would be a hindrance to Yang Jianfei himself!

Thinking of this, he had the idea of earning more merits. He glanced at Gu Yuan, gritted his teeth, and saluted Luo Sheng with his one arm: "Please allow me to go to Black Wind Stronghold as well so I can contribute my small part!"

Luo Sheng glanced at his broken arm and, without saying much, nodded, "Alright, you can come too."

Gu Yuan was unaware of Yang Jianfei’s thoughts, but he noticed Yang Jianfei’s strange look and couldn’t help but think to himself:

"Why does this guy’s gaze seem so off? Could he be harboring ill intentions and is jealous of me?"

But he didn’t dwell on it. He glanced at the long sword in his hand, corroded with pockmarks by corpse fly venom, sighed, and casually discarded it.

"What a pity for this fine sword; it’s ruined."

He found another sharp long sword on the ground, and just then, Luo Sheng called, leading several people towards Black Wind Stronghold.

As for Old Mo and the others with severe injuries, they stayed behind.

...

On the way, Xia Xiuxue occasionally glanced at Gu Yuan quietly, as if wanting to say something but hesitating.

This scene fell into Yang Jianfei’s eyes, who had always regarded Xia Xiuxue as off-limits, and he felt intense hatred, almost as if a green light was shining from his head, and his gazes towards Gu Yuan were somewhat unkind.

Have I dug up your ancestral grave or stolen your wife for you to look at me this way... Gu Yuan couldn’t help feeling a bit depressed, wondering if this guy had some brain problem.

After holding her thoughts for a while, Xia Xiuxue finally couldn’t resist asking the question lingering in her mind.

"Gu Yuan, you’ve only been practicing martial arts for a month, so how... how can your swordsmanship be so adept and exquisite?"

Before today, she hadn’t really paid much attention to Gu Yuan, the Medicine Gatherer.

But Gu Yuan’s performance today was simply astonishing!

Having practiced martial arts for less than a month yet performing so exceptionally naturally aroused her curiosity. But realizing that the question was quite abrupt, especially as it involved Gu Yuan’s privacy, she felt a bit regretful as soon as she asked.

She was about to tell Gu Yuan he didn’t need to explain when she saw him scratch his head, appearing just as puzzled as she was:

"Perhaps it has something to do with my enlightenment. Initially, when I was cultivating the ’Spiritual Snake Swordsmanship’, I couldn’t grasp the essentials, but after catching a snake and observing it day and night, I made rapid progress and gained increasingly deep insights into this swordsmanship."

Catching a snake to observe?

Upon hearing this, Xia Xiuxue was taken aback, and her bright, beautiful eyes circled around Gu Yuan, clearly showing disbelief.

Even Luo Sheng and Yang Jianfei wore a slight air of incredulity on their faces.

Many martial arts were indeed created by predecessors who observed nature, and various wild and spirit beasts. So Gu Yuan’s method had some reasoning to it, and many people did that; it wasn’t a secret.

As for its effectiveness...

If it were truly effective, then wouldn’t the martial world be full of masters?

However, truth be told, some individuals with extraordinary enlightenment do achieve some results, so Gu Yuan’s words had a hint of probability.

But if what Gu Yuan said were true, wouldn’t that imply his enlightenment was also remarkable?!

Thinking like this, Yang Jianfei’s heart felt even more discontent, like having swallowed fly feces, feeling utterly uncomfortable.

On the other hand, Luo Sheng took a deep look at Gu Yuan.

....

Black Wind Stronghold wasn’t far. After walking along the mountain road for a while, they reached halfway up the mountain.

In this relatively flat area, a stockade made of wood and stones was built, looking rather rugged and simple.

At the moment, at the guardhouse at the entrance of the stronghold, no one was on watch, and there were even two bodies lying at the gate, both decapitated, their situation unknown.

"It was Iron Tiger’s doing, but this guy has probably left already. He likely came back specifically to retrieve valuables, and to prevent anyone from leaking his whereabouts, he chose to kill them to silence them."

Luo Sheng’s eyes were quite sharp. Just with a glance, he deduced most of what had happened from the various subtle clues.