KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Chu Jiaxuan had no idea how much time had passed while she was unconscious. As her mind began to clear, she seemed to vaguely hear a rhythmic knocking.

’Who am I? Where am I?’

Still in a daze, Chu Jiaxuan felt the world spin around her. Gradually, memories of what happened before flooded into her mind, and her consciousness rapidly returned.

’I... I’ve been captured?’

Finally, her memory settled on the familiar face that had looked down on her from above.

SNAP!!

She snapped awake, her eyes flying open. She found herself in an unfamiliar room. The light was a bit dazzling, and she instinctively squinted, wanting to raise a hand to shield her eyes.

But she couldn’t. Only then did she realize she was trussed up, bound to an iron chair. Her captor was highly skilled; the ropes were positioned perfectly to pin down her body’s power generation points. Even as a master of the Cross-Training realm, she couldn’t move an inch.

As her vision cleared, the first thing she saw was a wooden desk in front of her. A man sat behind it, reading a stack of documents in one hand while rhythmically tapping his other hand on the tabletop.

’That’s...’

Her face paled when she saw the documents. At the same time, she got a clear look at the man’s face.

Just as she’d thought. It was all too familiar.

Zhao Qi!!

’It really is him! I’d heard the legends about him in the Upper River District, but I never imagined he’d become this powerful!’

’I didn’t even have a chance to escape him. And he’s been practicing the Martial Dao for less than a year!’

A storm of complex emotions raged within her. Amid her shock and uncertainty, she also breathed a secret sigh of relief.

’At least it’s not the Giant Spirit Army or some other enemy. If it’s Zhao Qi, maybe things aren’t completely hopeless yet.’

’After all, he still has some connection to our organization. If Zhao Qin hadn’t objected, we probably would have been the ones to contact him back then.’

But she simply couldn’t figure out what kind of game he was playing today.

"Zhao Qi, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Chu Jiaxuan took a deep breath and asked Zhao Xuanqi in a low voice.

"The National Salvation Association certainly has a long reach. It hasn’t been that long since the last Warlord suppression campaign, has it? The eight great Warlords have a high price on your heads now. What do you think I could get if I dug up one of your networks and handed it over?"

Zhao Xuanqi slowly lowered the documents in his hand and spoke to Chu Jiaxuan, his expression calm.

Having read through some of the information, he could generally confirm that this Chu Jiaxuan was not a key figure in the National Salvation Association, just a low-level grunt on the front lines.

’Then again, that makes sense. If she were more important, I wouldn’t have been able to find her so easily.’

"Zhao Qi, we’re practically family. There’s no need to speak like strangers. Back then, your parents shed their blood for the Divine Land. They are paragons for our generation. We are not your enemies. We are your friends, even your family. Whatever the matter is, we should sit down and talk it over properly."

Chu Jiaxuan said to Zhao Xuanqi in a low voice.

Zhao Xuanqi slowly rose from his seat and walked toward Chu Jiaxuan, one step at a time.

"Nice words. Friends? Family? When my parents died, where were your people? When my sister and I were displaced and homeless, where were you then?"

Zhao Xuanqi said coolly.

"We were more heartbroken by what happened to your parents than anyone. We actually thought about trying to rescue them, but unfortunately, the entire Divine Land was cracking down on the National Salvation Association at the time. Our organizations everywhere were in disarray, and most lost contact with each other. We simply couldn’t muster the strength. Afterward, we wanted to find you and your sister, but we had lost contact and had no idea what your situation was!"

"The organization doesn’t abandon anyone. You see? We’ve found you now, haven’t we?"

Chu Jiaxuan explained hurriedly.

"You’ve found us *now*?"

Hearing this, Zhao Xuanqi couldn’t help but laugh. "You didn’t find us when we were about to be killed by bandits on the road. You didn’t find us when we were about to be sold in Celestial Sea. But now that I’ve become the fourth True Inheritance of the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall, *now* you’ve found us? I almost have to admire your keen sense of smell."

"No, it’s not like that! It’s really just a coincidence! We only noticed you because your reputation skyrocketed."

Chu Jiaxuan said, her expression turning ugly.

"Enough. I don’t care about that. Coincidence or not, it has nothing to do with me. I just need you to understand one thing. The two lives of my parents were heavy enough. Friends, family, ideals, ambitions—none of it has anything to do with me. We don’t owe you anything. On the contrary, you owe *me*!"

"And now, you dare to reach out to my sister? Do you think the two lives of the Zhao Family weren’t heavy enough?!"

Zhao Xuanqi’s hand shot out and grabbed Chu Jiaxuan by the neck. He lifted her, along with the iron chair weighing dozens of kilograms, right off the ground. "Your reach is too long!"

Only when Chu Jiaxuan’s eyes started to roll back in their sockets and she seemed about to pass out did Zhao Xuanqi put her down and return to his seat.

"For what happened this time, you had better pray your people can give me a satisfactory explanation."

Zhao Xuanqi said coolly.

...

...

「Elsewhere.」

Baisheng Road, Haixing Trading Company.

This was a relatively small trading company in the Upper River District. On the surface, it only dealt in tea, but in reality, it was a crucial channel for the National Salvation Association to secretly transport medicinal materials.

Ma Maocheng was the person in charge of this channel, as well as Chu Jiaxuan’s superior.

At this moment, inside the Haixing Trading Company, a lamp was lit in Ma Maocheng’s study, where two figures sat opposite each other, drinking tea.

Across from Ma Maocheng was a middle-aged man in a black robe, dressed as a merchant.

"I didn’t expect you to come to Celestial Sea personally this time, sir."

Ma Maocheng said respectfully to the middle-aged man, proactively picking up the teapot to refill his cup.

"This matter is rather important, but I can’t reveal the specifics to you. By the way, you all need to be especially careful recently. The organization has heard some rumors. These peaceful days may be coming to an end soon. During this time, you must pay close attention to the movements of the Giant Spirit Army and the Civil Affairs Department."

The middle-aged man said to Ma Maocheng.

Hearing this, Ma Maocheng’s expression changed slightly. "Is it because of the three provinces of the Northern Territory?"

"Yes and no. Which of the eight great Warlords doesn’t want to unify the Divine Land? These years of peace have just been a time for them to endure each other while building up their strength. The Six Nations are also watching like hungry tigers, just waiting for an opportunity. The Chengtian Army is merely the fuse. This whole powder keg is about to explode; it’s only a matter of time."

The middle-aged man said, shaking his head.

TAP TAP TAP!

Just then, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. Both men immediately fell silent.

"Boss, it’s me."

A man’s voice came from outside the door.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

Ma Maocheng excused himself and stepped outside. After a short while, he returned to the room and said to the middle-aged man:

"There’s been a problem."