CHAPTER 695: 695 HE IS MY PARTNER IN LIFE AND DEATH!

"This Wooden Sword..."

If Tao Chengju and Lu Yuanpei were previously embarrassed by their undue attention to the seemingly inconsequential wooden sword, their thoughts could not be more different now after witnessing Yun Xiao’s move.

A common weapon would only follow the wielder’s intent for a brief moment when certain specific Meridian Techniques are used, and certainly not as if it were an extension of one’s own limb.

With just a light gesture, the wooden sword flew back to his hand. This seemed like something only possible for the legendary Ancient Divine Artifacts. Could it be that this wooden sword is one such artifact?

As these thoughts rose in their minds, Tao Chengju and Lu Yuanpei exchanged glances, both seeing a deep greed and fervor in the other’s eyes.

Especially for Tao Chengju, who suddenly felt relieved - if that were a Divine Weapon, then his instinctual dodge earlier would hardly be something to be embarrassed about; it might even be considered a stroke of genius.

In fact, Tao Chengju’s guess wasn’t wrong. If he hadn’t instinctively dodged just now, he would likely have lost his right arm. A fortunate misstep showed that his luck was quite extraordinary.

"Yun Xiao is it? This Family Head is giving you one last chance. Hand over the Fire Cloud Rat and the wooden sword, and I guarantee your life will not be harmed!"

This time, Tao Chengju’s offer explicitly included the wooden sword that could potentially be an Ancient Divine Artifact. However, the ruthless light in his eyes revealed his truest desires as he spoke.

"You want this sword? Then take it!"

In response, Yun Xiao only gave a slight smile. Back on the Hidden Dragon Continent, many had coveted the Dragon Taming Sword, but sadly, those people had already gone to meet King Yan.

Swoosh!

As soon as Yun Xiao’s words fell, he flicked his wrist, and the wooden sword flew toward Tao Chengju, looking as if he had truly buckled under pressure.

However, seeing the wooden sword flying towards him, Tao Chengju was no fool. He knew if it truly were an Ancient Divine Artifact, it would likely require blood recognition before use, and blindly catching it would not lead to a satisfactory outcome.

"Refuse the wine and you drink the penalty!"

Tao Chengju did not reach out to catch the wooden sword flying towards him. Seeing that the young man was unappreciative, he would waste no more words. With a flash of movement, he was already several feet in front of Yun Xiao.

"Die!"

The cold command issued by the Tao Family Head, he believed that once he killed the coarse-clothed young man, both the Fire Cloud Rat and the wooden sword would be his.

But...

Just at that moment, a strong gust of wind suddenly struck from behind Yun Xiao, coincidentally colliding with Tao Chengju’s palm strike to create an intense burst of energy.

"Who is it?"

Feeling the turbulence within his body and retreating a few steps involuntarily, Tao Chengju was profoundly shocked. After all, within the confines of Yujiang City, it was rare for him to be put at such a disadvantage.

"Ha-ha, Family Head Tao, we haven’t seen each other in a few days. How could you have forgotten about Lin Zhenjiang?"

As Tao Chengju was in the midst of his surprise and suspicion, a voice so familiar it chilled him to the bone rang out. Subsequently, a group of figures appeared beside the coarse-clothed youth, with the foremost person being all too familiar to him.

"Lin Zhenjiang, so it’s you, old man!"

At this revelation, Tao Chengju understood instantly. His expression darkened even as he breathed a sigh of relief. Though Lin Zhenjiang was at the same stage of the Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage, he was not without means to counter him.

And after recognizing it was Lin Zhenjiang, Tao Chengju felt released from the minor embarrassment he had experienced before. It was simply due to his lack of vigilance and the fact that his opponent was fully prepared that he had been caught off guard.

At that moment, Tao Chengju had merely intended to kill a young man, there was no need to use his full strength. Under such circumstances, it was already an impressive feat that he hadn’t sustained serious internal injuries when seized by a chance by Lin Zhenjiang, who was also at the Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage.

The Tao Family and the Lin Family were the two major families in Yujiang City, and on the Tenglong Continent, there was no such thing as an Empire’s City Lord’s Mansion. A powerful family was the rightful ruler of the city.

Exactly because the overall strength of the Tao and Lin families were so closely matched, and their struggle for Yujiang City was a stalemate, they ended up each occupying half of the city, resulting in an odd balance.

Although there was an apparent balance, the covert struggles between the two major families never ceased. For instance, the recent Pine Forest Poison Array was an attempt by the Tao Family to wipe out the Lin Family in one fell swoop to gain control of Yujiang City.

"Qiao Guinong, it’s been several days since we’ve seen each other, your Meridian Refining Technique has indeed improved!"

Setting aside the somewhat gloomy expression on Tao Family’s Family Head, Tao Chengju, the chief Meridian Refining Master of the Tao Family, Lu Yuanpei, also had an ugly look on his face. His words were filled with a hint of surprise and doubt.

After all, the starter of the Pine Needle Poison Array was none other than the chief Poison Vein Master of the Tao Family, and those poisons were of Earth Rank severity. Once contaminated, even some Earth Rank Low Level Medical Pulse Masters wouldn’t be able to easily neutralize it.

But now, the people from the Lin Family had appeared here. Although it looked like they had suffered significant losses, judging by this pace, the Lin Family certainly did not take a detour but had instead passed directly through that Pine Forest Poison Array.

In view of this, Lu Yuanpei suddenly realized that he might have underestimated that chief Meridian Refining Master of the Lin Family, Qiao Guinong. Being able to so easily neutralize his Earth Rank severe poisons, his abilities should not be taken lightly.

However, what Lu Peiyuan didn’t see was that when his words were spoken, including Qiao Guinong, everyone from the Lin Family had a strange expression on their faces, and at the first opportunity, their gazes turned towards a certain roughly dressed youth.

The Pine Needle Poison Array set up by the Tao Family had once placed the Lin Family at a complete loss, but it was precisely because of that youth that they had safely crossed the Poison Array and now stood in this valley.

"Eh? That rat-shaped Vein Demon..."

However, in the next moment, as the people from the Lin Family turned their gazes toward Yun Xiao, they noticed the fiery red mouse on his shoulder, and even Lin Zhenjiang’s eyes lit up.

This time, the Lin Family had come out in full force, for that fiery red rat-shaped Vein Demon. But at this moment, the Vein Demon was quietly lying on Yun Xiao’s shoulder, as if there was a special relationship between the two.

"Big Brother Yun Xiao, do you know this little guy?"

Lin Xuanhao, with his honest nature, didn’t harbor any other strange thoughts. Seeing that he walked directly to Yun Xiao’s side, he looked curiously at the rat-shaped Vein Demon and spoke.

"Uh-huh, his name is Chi Yan, and he’s my life-and-death companion!"

Yun Xiao’s voice was not hidden – it was meant for Lin Xuanhao to hear, and also for the other members of the Lin Family to hear. However, their reactions varied upon hearing his words.

Lin Zhenjiang might have been indifferent, but the expressions on the faces of Qiao Guinong and Lin Xuantian became gloomier. The Lin Family had suffered such heavy losses this time, all for the sake of that Fire Attribute rat-shaped Vein Demon, but now, it seemed they would have to give it up because of Yun Xiao’s words. How could they accept this?

"Yun Xiao, you wouldn’t be thinking of monopolizing this rat-shaped Vein Demon, would you?"

Lin Xuantian always had issues with Yun Xiao and now directly voiced his suspicions coldly. As soon as he spoke, even Lin Zhenjiang turned his doubtful gaze over, appearing somewhat skeptical.

To tell the truth, Lin Zhenjiang didn’t know much about Yun Xiao. He only knew that Yun Xiao inadvertently saved his son’s life and was impressed by the skills demonstrated earlier in the Pine Forest Poison Array.

But if this was just someone who coveted small advantages, relying on the life-saving favor to monopolize the rat-shaped Vein Demon, Lin Zhenjiang’s attitude towards him might have to change drastically.

"Big brother, I believe Big Brother Yun Xiao isn’t such a person!"

While everyone was staring at Yun Xiao, Lin Xuanhao already spoke up in his defense. If anyone in the Lin Family truly believed in Yun Xiao, perhaps it was only this genuine second young master of the Lin Family.

"Lin Zhenjiang, do you think we, the Tao Family, don’t exist?"

Seeing the people from the Lin Family arrive and immediately start disputing the ownership of the Fire Cloud Rat, without giving any regard to himself, Tao Chengju couldn’t suppress his anger and directly spoke out coldly.

"Damn it, how did I forget about these guys!"

Hearing this, Lin Zhenjiang finally reacted. After all, whether the fiery red mouse belonged to the Lin Family or to Yun Xiao was an internal matter. The pressing concern was to deal with these people from the Tao Family first.

Because Lin Zhenjiang knew that with the Tao Family present, it would be no easy task to bring the fiery red rat-shaped Vein Demon back to Yujiang City undisturbed. These people were not likely to hand over what they were determined to have so easily.

However, after assessing the strength of both families, Lin Zhenjiang’s face couldn’t help but turn a bit ugly. After the previous Pine Forest Poison Array, the Lin Family had lost almost ten of their best men, and the remaining guards from the Lin Family totaled less than ten.

On the other hand, even though Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan had fought fiercely just now, only three or four guards from the Tao Family had been killed. Moreover, the Tao Family had brought far more people than the Lin Family, and the disparity in strength was somewhat unequal.

This was also why Tao Chengju felt confident; even if the top-tier combatants from both sides were not far apart, in the battle of middle and lower-tier guards, the Tao Family clearly had the upper hand.

It seemed Tao Chengju wanted to use this opportunity to eradicate the Lin Family’s living strength here. If he could deal with Lin Zhenjiang, the Family Head, and his chief Meridian Refining Master Qiao Guinong, the future of Yujiang City would potentially become dominated by the Tao Family alone.

With such a perfect plan in mind, Tao Chengju failed to see the slightly upturned corners of a certain roughly dressed youth’s mouth. Perhaps his meticulous plans would crumble because of this person.