"What happened?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man furrowed his brow slightly.

"There was just a problem at Chu Records. Jiaxuan was abducted from there. Ya from Chu Records just came to report it. The other party left a name: Zhao Qi of Wind Shadow Hall."

Ma Maocheng’s expression was a little strange. He truly hadn’t expected Zhao Qi to do something like this.

’What on earth is his motive?’

"Zhao Qi? The orphan of Mr. Zhao and Mr. Zhou?"

the middle-aged man said in a low voice.

"Yes. You should be aware of the relevant intelligence. Zhao Qin joining us, and the organization’s decision not to contact him—those were all your decisions,"

Ma Maocheng said with a nod.

"As I thought. Contact was inevitable, after all."

The middle-aged man shook his head.

"What do you think Zhao Qi’s purpose is in doing this?"

Ma Maocheng asked, puzzled.

"For Zhao Qin. Since he himself is unwilling to associate with us, he naturally doesn’t want Zhao Qin associating with us either. It seems what happened to Mr. Zhao and Mr. Zhou back then had a great impact on him."

"Actually, the day I agreed to let Zhao Qin join, I already foresaw that a day like this might come. I just didn’t expect it to arrive so quickly."

"In less than a year, he went from a Named Disciple to legitimately obtaining the Martial Arts Hall True Inheritance, and from a novice he advanced to Cross-Training. His methods are ruthless and decisive. They don’t seem like the actions of a young man at all. He’s truly remarkable."

the middle-aged man said with a sigh.

"Zhao Qi is indeed remarkable. His personality is so vastly different from Mr. Zhao, Mr. Zhou, and even Zhao Qin. But according to you, he seems hostile toward us. Since he’s luring us to meet him this time, will it be dangerous? Should we contact Zhao Qin first?"

Ma Maocheng said worriedly.

"Zhao Qin absolutely cannot be involved in this matter. I will handle it myself."

"Since he has resorted to such methods, he must have a goal. Some things must be brought to a close, after all. I also want to talk to him, to hear what he’s thinking."

The middle-aged man stood up, his expression calm.

The two of them walked out of the room and into the main hall, where two figures were waiting. One was Ma Maocheng’s subordinate, the person who had just delivered the message. The other was a tall young man.

"He, let’s make a trip."

the middle-aged man said to the tall young man.

"Yes, Mr. Li."

The tall young man immediately stood up and followed behind the middle-aged man.

...

...

The group quickly arrived near the Xiaolin Escort Agency under the cover of night.

"You wait here. He and I will go."

the middle-aged man said to Ma Maocheng.

"Mr. Li, this..."

A hint of worry appeared in Ma Maocheng’s eyes.

"Don’t worry. Nothing will happen."

The middle-aged man patted Ma Maocheng’s shoulder before leading He toward the Xiaolin Escort Agency. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Outside the Xiaolin Escort Agency, disciples from Wind Shadow Hall, arranged by Zhao Xuanqi, were standing guard for the night.

"Li Wenwei of Chu’s Embroidery requests an audience with the Wind Shadow Hall Master. I trouble you to pass on the message."

the middle-aged man said, cupping his hands to the two Wind Shadow Hall disciples.

The two Wind Shadow Hall disciples glanced at each other. One immediately left to deliver the message and returned shortly after. After a simple search of the two visitors, he led them to the entrance of a side courtyard.

"The Hall Master is inside. Please, go ahead."

The Wind Shadow Hall disciple made a gesture of invitation, then turned and left.

Li Wenwei narrowed his eyes slightly and walked into the side courtyard. He saw a figure standing there. The moonlight spilled down, illuminating half of the person’s calm, young face.

"Li Wenwei of Chu’s Embroidery. I have long heard of Hall Master Zhao’s great name."

Walking into the courtyard, Li Wenwei cupped his hands and spoke to Zhao Xuanqi. Although he was approaching middle age, he didn’t put on the airs of an elder, instead addressing Zhao Xuanqi as an equal.

However, Zhao Xuanqi did not respond. In his eyes, illuminated by the moonlight, a sharp glint suddenly erupted.

BANG!!

Zhao Xuanqi moved. Qi Surge circulated through his arms, and his ten fingers turned a blackish-purple, like the claws of a Purgatory demon. He stamped his foot and shot forward like a ferocious tiger pouncing on its prey, clearing the nearly ten-meter distance in a single leap!

The moment they met, without a single word, Zhao Xuanqi attacked brazenly!

A Tiger Claw strike shot toward Li Wenwei’s throat, the force of it whistling through the air.

Hmph?!

The pupils of the tall young man, He, standing behind Li Wenwei, suddenly constricted. Spurred by that gaze, the hair on his body stood on end, and his muscles tensed in an instant. The Qi and Blood within him surged on their own, and in a flash, he entered a state of Qi Surge.

He took a step forward to block Li Wenwei, his entire body swelling by a full size.

Although his clothes obscured the view, making it impossible to see the extent of his body’s Qi Surge coverage, judging by the degree of his physical transformation, his Qi Surge definitely covered more than just his arms, chest, and back. It had at least reached the level of his chest and abdomen!

This meant that his strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Cross-Training Martial Artist. He had, at the very least, reached the level of a Martial Arts Hall True Inheritance!

He crossed his arms to block, his knees bending slightly. He was as steady as a mountain, like a dam on a riverbank, remaining unmoved no matter how the floodwaters raged.

’Iron Bridge Skill!’

However, in the middle of his pounce, Zhao Xuanqi’s figure came to a sudden halt. The moment his Tiger Claw made contact with the other’s Iron Bridge Hand, his Force shifted from Firm and fierce to soft and yielding. Like a whip, his arm suddenly coiled around He’s hands. His dark fingers, like a viper flicking its tongue, sought out He’s joints and pressure points.

He was shocked by Zhao Xuanqi’s bizarre transition between Firm and soft. He took a sharp breath, clamped his arms up and down, and turned his body to the side. Releasing Force over a short distance, with power rising from his feet, he slammed into Zhao Xuanqi’s chest like a giant brown bear crashing against a massive tree.

If Zhao Xuanqi were hit by this blow, his internal organs would be completely displaced.

WHOOSH!

But as he leaned in for the attack, he felt a black shadow flash and his vision cleared to emptiness. Zhao Xuanqi’s body had bizarrely vanished from in front of him. Instead, his own attack had missed, leaving his body frozen in place for a moment.

’Damn it!!’

He was alarmed. In this brief exchange, he had already fallen into Zhao Xuanqi’s trap twice. Now, having made a mistake in his own move, he himself wasn’t in any danger, but Mr. Li behind him had lost his protection!

However, Zhao Xuanqi didn’t take the opportunity to continue his attack on Li Wenwei. Instead, with a light tap of his foot, he floated backward, returning to his original position.

"Zhao Qi, what in the world are you trying to do?"

He broke out in a cold sweat. If their opponent had harbored malicious intent toward Mr. Li just now, the consequences would have been unthinkable. At the same time, he also understood: if he fought the man head-on, he wouldn’t necessarily be at a disadvantage, but if he tried to protect someone from him, he wouldn’t be able to do it!

The man’s reactions, experience, and foresight were all as hard to grasp as a shadow, bizarre and unpredictable. It was truly impossible to imagine that he had only been practicing martial arts for less than a year.

’He’s a genius!’

"To enter my Gate, you need to be qualified. You both barely meet the qualifications, but that qualification refers not to you, but to him."

Zhao Xuanqi said flatly to He, his gaze then shifting to Li Wenwei.

Although this man was just an ordinary person with no Secret Transmission, he hadn’t taken a single step back from start to finish. Even the look in his eyes hadn’t changed.

’He’s quite a character.’

As for He, even with his True Inheritance-level strength, Zhao Xuanqi didn’t give him a second thought.