As it happened, the two men were discussing a topic directly related to Zhao Xuanqi.

"News just came in this morning. Zhao Qi easily defeated Li Zhaotong of the Sha Blade Sect at the Martial Arts Association. He shattered the bones in Li Zhaotong’s hand with a single palm strike, displaying an utterly overwhelming power. He dominated Li Zhaotong from start to finish and looked like he still had plenty of strength to spare. Now, everyone at the Martial Arts Association is talking, saying he might have a shot at competing for the top spot among the Ten Heroes."

Rong Zhenyu remarked with a sigh of wonder to the farmer-like Sun Yunyong.

"He can easily defeat someone in the top three of the Ten Heroes? This young man has only been practicing the Secret Transmission for a year, hasn’t he? His rate of progress is just too fast. I reported his file to headquarters before. Because of who his parents were, headquarters paid close attention to his evaluation. Otherwise, they never would have approved allocating so many Rare Beast Materials for trade with him. Our supply channels for those are heavily restricted; they’re in high demand."

"From the looks of it, we’ll have to raise his evaluation even higher. His parents were once renowned in the literary world; is their son now going to make a name for himself in the Martial Arts Realm? But I heard he has some serious misunderstandings about us?"

Sun Yunyong remarked with admiration.

"Yes. His parents died for the organization, but the organization failed to lend a hand. Not only did we fail to save them, but we also failed to provide timely support and arrangements, leaving him and his sister to suffer. It was truly a failure on the organization’s part."

"We failed to help in their time of need, yet as soon as Zhao Qi started making a name for himself in Celestial Sea Prefecture, our people contacted them again. Even if it was a coincidence, I doubt Zhao Qi sees it that way. The comrades who handled it were indeed too rash. It’s understandable that he and his sister harbor resentment. We can only let time prove our sincerity and resolve their feelings."

"Did you come here to get him to join the Divine Martial Department? With his current attitude, I fear that will be very difficult."

Rong Zhenyu asked.

"Not exactly. The Martial Arts Realm is incredibly treacherous. Since he has chosen this path and has the grand ambition to reach the Divine General realm, especially now that he’s drawing so much attention, his future will likely be fraught with bloodshed. My Divine Martial Department may not be the strongest in the Divine Land, but we can at least offer him some assistance."

"Some of our superiors were once students of his parents. They are very concerned now that they know the situation. I was ordered to come and make contact with him. If he doesn’t want to join the Divine Martial Department, that’s fine. We can maintain our current cooperative relationship. The Divine Martial Department is willing to act as his protector, within reasonable limits."

"After all, because of what happened to his parents, the organization owes their family a great deal."

Sun Yunyong said with a sigh.

"That would be for the best. We can’t rush this."

Rong Zhenyu nodded, agreeing with the Divine Martial Department’s approach.

TAP TAP TAP!

Just then, a flurry of urgent footsteps sounded from outside, followed by a knock on the door.

"Boss."

A young man’s anxious voice called from outside.

"Come in."

Rong Zhenyu said with a frown.

A young man dressed as a clerk from a fabric shop pushed the door open and hurried inside, glancing at Sun Yunyong.

"He’s one of us. You can speak freely."

Rong Zhenyu said.

Only then did the young clerk speak. "We just received an urgent telegram from our superiors. It’s news from the Giant Spirit Military Department. Zhang Hongyun, the first True Inheritance disciple of Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall, is a survivor of the old Southern Heaven Su Family. He has evaded capture and is now on the run. The Military Department has ordered the arrest of all of Zhang Hongyun’s relatives. I’m afraid Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall is in great danger. We await your instructions on how to proceed."

Upon hearing this intelligence, the color drained from Rong Zhenyu’s and Sun Yunyong’s faces.

"I understand. You’re dismissed."

Rong Zhenyu told the young clerk in a grave voice.

The clerk nodded, then exited the room and closed the door behind him.

"This is bad. By the time we got this news, the Giant Spirit Army had probably already made its move. Weng Xiaolin and Zhao Qi are likely in danger. What do you think we should do?"

Rong Zhenyu said, looking at Sun Yunyong.

"Save them. We have to save them. We failed to save his parents back then. If we let their children meet the same fate, we’ll have no way to answer to the organization, or to our comrades within it."

"What’s more, the Southern Heaven Su Family sponsored our organization in the past. It’s a tragedy that the cruel and tyrannical Giant Spirit Army, in its purge of dissidents, actually slaughtered the entire main branch of the Su Family. If we can, we should also try to protect this heir of the Su Family."

Sun Yunyong stated decisively.

"I’m relieved to hear you say that. Without the help of your Divine Martial Department, the forces our Intelligence Department has in Yuehai would be hard-pressed to succeed right now."

Rong Zhenyu nodded.

"Our priorities right now are to immediately ascertain Weng Xiaolin and Zhao Qi’s situation. At the same time, we must notify our people in Celestial Sea Prefecture to warn Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall as quickly as possible. And finally, we must move Zhao Qin. Her safety must be our first priority, no matter what. This is crucial."

Sun Yunyong said, rising to his feet.

"My thoughts exactly. I’ll immediately have someone send an urgent telegram to Celestial Sea. I hope it’s not too late."

With a grave expression, Rong Zhenyu immediately left the study to make the necessary arrangements. The National Salvation Association’s entire intelligence network in Yuehai sprang into urgent action.

Rong Zhenyu and Sun Yunyong waited in the study. Without solid intelligence, there was nothing to do, and worrying was pointless.

In less than half an hour, the National Salvation Association had gathered intelligence on Weng Xiaolin and Zhao Xuanqi.

"Weng Xiaolin, while a guest at the Taihe Tiger Form Boxing Martial Arts Hall, was ambushed by its master. He resisted fiercely but was ultimately unsuccessful. He has been captured. His current condition is unknown, and we are still investigating."

"As for Zhao Qi..."

As the young clerk relayed the intelligence to the two men, he couldn’t help but hesitate.

"What happened to Zhao Qi?"

Seeing his hesitation, both of their hearts sank. ’Did something terrible happen to him?’

"According to the intelligence from our comrades, about half an hour ago, Zhao Qi was on an errand at Guangdong University. He was ambushed in the first-floor lobby of the School of Arts and Humanities’ administrative building."

"His attackers included fifteen gunmen, five elite soldiers at the Cross-Training level or higher, and five Ten Heroes-level Martial Artists: Yu Dafeng of the Mountain and River Palm, Du Zhan of the Radiant Star Sword, Chen Pingguang of the Longming Skill, Nie Hong’an of the Turtle and Snake Hand, and Qi Shurong of the Hongyan Fist. On top of that, Zhou Lie, a True Inheritance disciple of the Giant Spirit Sect, was personally leading the team, accompanied by Melissa, daughter of the Jili Empire’s Director-General, who is also known as the ’Illusion Demoness’..."

As the young clerk continued his report, the hearts of Rong Zhenyu and Sun Yunyong sank lower and lower.

That was a terrifying lineup of opponents. Even someone like Sun Yunyong would have been in for a world of trouble.

In all likelihood, Zhao Qi had already fallen into the hands of the Giant Spirit Army, which would make things extremely troublesome.

However, the young clerk’s report continued, his voice now tinged with utter disbelief: "In the battle, Du Zhan of the Radiant Star Sword and Qi Shurong of the Hongyan Fist were killed. Yu Dafeng, Chen Pingguang, and Nie Hong’an were all severely injured and are unconscious; their conditions are unknown. All five elite soldiers were killed. Zhou Lie, the True Inheritance disciple of the Giant Spirit Sect, and Melissa were abducted by Zhao Qi. Zhao Qi’s current whereabouts are unknown. The Giant Spirit Army has ordered the city districts sealed, prohibiting anyone from leaving, and they’ve begun a city-wide search for him."

Hearing the full report, Rong Zhenyu and Sun Yunyong were both stunned into silence, unable to process what they had just heard.