Nord York Dong grew increasingly perplexed. What if a young powerhouse like Gan Jing managed to defeat Lei Yueyue? His father was a mighty expert who had forged a Battle Soul! Even if Gan Jing had the backing of the Torrent Fortress, his father was the City Lord!

"Father," Hong Seryork whispered, standing quietly beside Lyddo York. "If that brute from the Torrent Fortress stirs up trouble again over my younger brother's incident..."

Lyddo York's face was gloomy; this was precisely what gave him a headache. Mu Gui Wuxin looked like a bear and often acted with the same heavy-handed arrogance.

"What do you suggest we do?" Lyddo York looked admiringly at Hong Seryork. "Should I make this brat apologize to Gan Jing in person? If I let him do that, the other factions in the city will think I fear the Torrent Fortress and Gan Jing. It will be even harder to step in as a mediator later to profit from the situation..."

Hong Seryork nodded slightly. The City Lord's reputation had to be maintained; they couldn't have the wronged party apologizing to the aggressor just because Gan Jing had struck someone.

"Forget it. I'll talk to Gan Jing personally during my birthday banquet in a few days," Lyddo York sighed helplessly, shaking his head. Gan Jing was troublesome enough residing in the Torrent Fortress, but he was also Fabredis's son-in-law, possessed formidable warrior skills, and had even slain Lei Yueyue.

"Yes! Father is right..." Hong Seryork glanced at Nord York Dong curled on the floor. "I heard that Guild Master Siustark of the Crystal Magic Tower, along with his daughter, also had issues with Gan Jing. Today, Gan Jing seems to have been at the Academy and tossed Aibijia into the mire."

"There's this, too?" Lyddo York's frowning face finally showed a hint of pleasure. "That proud girl probably won't let Gan Jing off easily. Add the Lei family; if they learn Gan Jing is back, there will be even more excitement. After all, their Patriarch's death is indirectly related to Gan Jing, and Lei Yueyue's was directly related."

Hong Seryork nodded repeatedly. Duels between factions were not uncommon; most of the time, defeating the opponent was enough. Gan Jing had executed the man, which, while not violating the dueling rules, was still unacceptable to the Lei family. The Lei family had already dismissed the fact that Lei Yueyue had intended to kill Gan Jing when Gan Jing killed her.

"Actually, Father, this is for the best," Hong Seryork leaned closer to Lyddo York. "This way, as the mediator, you can gain more benefits."

Lyddo York cast an approving glance at this son, then looked irritably at Nord York Dong, who was huddled on the ground, his eyes darting around wildly. The Stars had given him one smart son, so why another fool?

"What are you still doing here? Get out!"

Nord York Dong scrambled away from the hall entrance, rolling and scrambling. Turning back, a sinister smile played on his lips: "...Heh heh! The Magic Guild, the Lei family! Excellent! Since you all hold a grudge against Gan Jing, I can easily ally with you."

"Enough, you go down too..." Lyddo York picked up the cold white towel and placed it back on his forehead, waving his hand. "I need some quiet."

"Yes, Father."

Hong Seryork bowed and withdrew from the hall. As he straightened his back outside, a smug smile graced his face. He had deliberately let slip information to the idiot Nord while pretending to talk. Eager for revenge, Nord would surely seek out the Lei family and the Crystal Magic Tower.

"By then... whether Gan Jing dies, or the Lei family and the Crystal Magic Tower lose, Hong Seryork sneered twice. If the Crystal Magic Tower and the Lei family still couldn't handle the Torrent Fortress, the York family would reap immense benefits from mediating, and he could seize the opportunity to eliminate Nord.

"If Gan Jing dies..." Hong Seryork's eyes gleamed with more satisfaction. "Then that woman, Luo Qingqing, should be mine! Such a beautiful woman... she should belong to me, Hong Seryork! Oh, right, I forgot to tell Father—the merchant convoy doing business with the Demon Race should have returned the day before yesterday, but they haven't shown up. Could they have run into trouble?"

"They indeed ran into trouble."

Gan Jing walked into the room with Biluo and saw a mercenary, nursing fresh wounds, reporting with a miserable expression to Luo Qingqing.

"Our goods also met with misfortune beyond the Borderlands?" Luo Qingqing's delicate face turned ugly. This was her first significant venture into trade with the Demon Race, and to have the returned cargo intercepted by bandits beyond the Borderlands during transport back to the mainland!

Gu Yue Jiaying emerged from the inner room in a white dress, her expression also darkening. Intercepted by bandits beyond the Borderlands? How could this happen? While many trade routes beyond the Borderlands were controlled by bandits, if proper fees were paid in advance, they usually wouldn't interfere. After all, everyone relied on these trade routes for survival; if merchants were pushed too far and couldn't do business, the bandits would starve too.

"Wasn't the bandit group guarding the passage paid off?" Gu Yue Jiaying walked slowly to the mistress's seat and sat elegantly, looking at the mercenary. "Do you know who did it?" The mercenary repeatedly shook his head: "No... the Borderlands are very chaotic right now, even more so than before..."

More chaotic? Gan Jing looked at Gu Yue Jiaying, puzzled. The previous chaos was caused by the Demon Race searching for them. Normally, the Borderlands were chaotic but in an orderly fashion. Why did this current situation seem unusually disordered?

"I don't know the specifics..." the mercenary said grimly. "I only know this chaos beyond the Borderlands is worse than the last time. Our Three Bells Mercenary Group failed in our escort duties. We will compensate the necessary Gold Coins. For any shortfall, we will work for you without pay to cover the compensation..."

Gu Yue Jiaying waved her hand. "You rest here at the Guild for a while. We will discuss the compensation in a few days."

The mercenary withdrew. Luo Qingqing looked at Gu Yue Jiaying and asked lightly, "Were you lying?"

"No." Gu Yue Jiaying shook her head gently. "It seems they were genuinely attacked..."

Gan Jing then understood that neither woman had fully trusted the mercenary leader's words; they had even suspected the mercenaries themselves might have engineered the robbery. In these times, not all mercenaries adhered strictly to order. They risked their lives daily; if enough life-changing cargo appeared before them, mercenaries might easily turn to banditry.

"Could something really have happened outside the home?" Luo Qingqing's childish shyness vanished, replaced by the broad perspective of a business leader on her beautiful face, her body radiating the aura of a powerful woman. "It seems we need to buy intelligence from the Adventurer's Guild to see which bandit group did this."

"How about..." Gan Jing's words drew the attention of everyone present. "...we ask the bandits directly?"

Bandits? Gu Yue Jiaying shook her head lightly. That idea was perhaps too naive. While bandits fought amongst themselves, they rarely disclosed direct information to merchants. However, they might inadvertently reveal details to the Adventurer's Guild—that was professional courtesy.

"I'm somewhat familiar with Heilong," Gan Jing mused, rubbing his chin, though uncertain after such a long time without contact with Hua Yanbujian. "He's a leader-level figure." Heilong? A leader? Hua Yanbujian's expression showed a flicker of interest. If the relationship was good enough, it wouldn't be hard for a leader-level figure to pry some information loose.

"He was the leader who gave us a place to recuperate when Burong and the others were injured."

Gu Yue Jiaying's gaze shifted to Luo Qingqing, seeking her opinion. Regarding internal family matters, Luo Qingqing was the senior wife, but when it came to commerce, Gu Yue Jiaying deferred to Luo Qingqing's arrangements.

"Then, can Brother Gan Jing contact them?" Luo Qingqing asked with a mixture of doubt and concern. "If it requires Brother Gan Jing to venture into the cold outer wilderness, then never mind."

"That won't be necessary..." Gan Jing shook his head. He was busy establishing the Hundred Battles Ranking at the Academy and truly had no time to travel beyond the Borderlands. The Headmaster didn't seem to be joking. He only needed to find someone trustworthy to contact Hua Yanbujian. This task could be delegated to Mu Gui Wuxin for assistance.

"Then..." Luo Qingqing paused in thought. "Brother Gan Jing, how long will it take? Honestly, we must find them before the bandit group fences the goods so we can negotiate for their return."

"Deal! It will be fast!" Gan Jing responded with a cheerful grin, secretly calculating that he would ask the Torrent Fortress to help wipe out that bandit group entirely! As the primary guardian of the Luo family, allowing the Luo family's goods to be plundered by bandits... Gan Jing took a sip of his tea; he absolutely could not tolerate this. Otherwise, Luo Lin would descend from the Stars in his dreams just to mock him.

"What are you two talking about? So happy?" Mu Gui Wuxin, holding two wine jars the size of water troughs, cheerfully squeezed through the doorframe. "It's time to eat! Let's eat first, eat..."

Two sea-bowls, each as large as a washbasin, were placed before Gan Jing on the table. The fragrant, rich wine slopped into the bowls, creating ripples and splashing out foam. Looking at the washbasin-sized bowls, Gan Jing felt, for the first time, a desire to retreat rather than advance. Wouldn't one bowl of this knock him out instantly?

Soon, steaming, fragrant dishes were served. Gan Jing's mouth watered continuously. In the desolate Arid Sea these past few days, he had only drunk clear water when thirsty and had to venture out to hunt to survive when hungry, often targeting relatively weaker magical beasts, sometimes even eating plant-type beasts like the Ferocious Cactus for sustenance.

"Come, lad, let's have a bowl! I'll down mine, you drink as you please!" Mu Gui Wuxin, with eyebrows that looked like they had been heavily inked, winked and grinned at Gan Jing. "Since you just got back, I know you have other plans tonight, so don't drink too much, don't drink too much."