As Ye Wenjing waited for Huang Rongrong to finish speaking, she finally inquired, "Miss Huang mentioned that the Tianle Gang sent two of their Four Great Elders to Pingzhou. Does Miss Huang happen to know the martial arts realm of these two, or roughly what style of combat they employ?"

Huang Rongrong offered no reply, her face clearly conveying the sentiment: I know, but why should I tell you?

Since she wouldn't answer, Ye Wen didn't take offense. Instead, he smiled at Xu Xian and said, "Since this young lady is unwilling to disclose, I must trouble Junior Brother Xu to make a trip and scout the situation of these two..."

Before Ye Wen could finish his sentence, Huang Rongrong jumped up, stamping her foot and shouting, "Are you insane? You’d actually send Xu Xian to do something so dangerous? Are you trying to get him killed?"

Even Xu Xian was surprised by Huang Rongrong's intense reaction. Judging by her posture, she was barely restraining herself from drawing the two short swords at her waist and engaging Ye Wen in a fight right then and there. In truth, it didn't seem far off. He was certain that if Ye Wen had simply said, "I am sending Xu Xian, and what can you do about it?" this girl would have instantly drawn both swords and lunged for Ye Wen's vital points. Observing the way her eyes constantly darted toward Ye Wen's vital acupoints was enough to give one a rough idea.

Ye Wen had anticipated this. Many of this young woman's behaviors were strikingly similar to a certain type of person from his original world—her emotions fluctuated violently whenever Xu Xian was mentioned. She was an absolute, fervent fan of Xu Xian!

Dealing with such a person was simplest by using Xu Xian as a lever. After all, this girl became jumpy and her mind became less functional the moment anything related to her junior brother came up. If he didn't exploit this now, should he wait until her normal intelligence returned?

That would be far too troublesome! Fooling an easily excitable person was much simpler.

"Junior Brother Xu is my sect's junior brother and an important member of our Shu Mountain Sect. Now that our sect has faced a great upheaval, Junior Brother Xu, as a sect elder, naturally must contribute his strength. Furthermore, I am only asking him to investigate; I am not sending my junior brother to fight to the death. Where does the talk of sending him to his death come from?"

Hearing this, Huang Rongrong's face flushed crimson with anger, her hands already gripping the hilts of the two short swords. She cursed loudly, "You, surnamed Ye, don't know what's good for you! I specifically brought a disciple here today to take Young Master Xu away and leave your wretched Shu Mountain Sect! Do you truly think you amount to anything? Don't assume you're a person of consequence in the Jianghu just because you occupy a broken hilltop and stuck up a sign. In my eyes, you are nothing! Moreover, Young Master Xu's precious body is not meant for doing all those messy things, let alone confronting desperadoes!"

With that, she drew both swords with a snap and shouted, "I am definitely taking Xu Xian today! You’d better accept what’s offered before I force the issue!" She then turned to Xu Xian and said, "Young Master Xu, hurry and leave! I'll hold them off!"

Xu Xian rubbed his nose, then mumbled, "It seems I never said I was leaving!" He then turned to Ning Ruxue and asked, "I've been quite happy staying here. Why does it sound like I was dragged up the mountain based on what this Miss Huang is saying?"

Ning Ruxue shot Huang Rongrong a look. She had no idea what was going on with this girl. She found her inexplicable, even completely unreasonable. She burst in shouting, demanding to take Xu Xian away, and more importantly, her words consistently showed utter disrespect for the Shu Mountain Sect—a point Ning Ruxue could absolutely not tolerate.

Seeing that Huang Rongrong was not only speaking wildly but had also drawn her weapons, Ning Ruxue could bear it no longer and spoke plainly, "If this young lady wishes to leave, no one will stop you. Our Shu Mountain Sect does not welcome you either. The door is right behind you. Safe travels!"

However, Huang Rongrong failed to detect Ning Ruxue's impatience. She continued speaking to herself, "Xu Xian hasn't left, so how can I go?" She swung her twin swords back and forth, the tips subtly pointing toward Ye Wen.

The situation had reached a point where Ye Wen was also growing impatient, especially since this girl had drawn a weapon and pointed it at him. A layer of frost spread across Ye Wen's face: "It would be best if Miss Huang put away her weapons. Although our Shu Mountain Sect does not explicitly require guests to disarm, we will not tolerate being casually pointed at with a sword!"

Huang snorted and tossed her chin up, "I'm pointing at you. So what?"

Ye Wen let out a soft sound but offered no verbal reply. He merely flipped his hands, and two copper coins spun out simultaneously, flying perfectly to the left and right, heading toward the two short swords.

Ye Wen’s Zixia Divine Skill was now perfected. With every movement, the Zixia True Qi flowed naturally. The speed and power of these two copper coins were already far superior to what they had been in the past. Huang Rongrong didn't even have time to react before feeling a massive tremor transmitted through the short swords in her hands. She could no longer hold them; the swords flew out of her grasp and landed directly near the front entrance of the main hall.

Having her swords knocked away was one thing, but Huang Rongrong discovered her hands were violently numb, completely devoid of sensation. Looking back, although the two short swords were still intact, faint cracks were visible along the blades—they were clearly scrap metal. Everyone in the hall had decent martial arts skills, and even Huang Rongrong, the weakest among them, possessed sharp eyes, so all of them saw the incident clearly.

Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian merely thought to themselves, When Senior Brother achieved mastery in the Zixia Divine Skill, his kinetic force has become even more formidable!

Huang Rongrong was terrified by Ye Wen’s casual move, sweat beading on her forehead. She thought inwardly, What exactly struck and sent my swords flying just now? If that fellow hadn't aimed for the swords but struck me directly...

She judged that if those two objects had struck her directly, she would have been severely wounded on the spot. The only reason she wouldn't have been killed instantly was if the attacker had shown mercy; if they had aimed for a vital point, she would have had absolutely no chance of escape.

Ye Wen’s demonstration caused the main hall to fall into a bizarre silence. Ning Ruxue held little fondness for Huang Rongrong and had no inclination to bail her out. As for Ye Wen, he felt this girl hadn't shown him, the host, any respect since she entered, so a suitable warning was necessary. Thus, neither spoke.

Huang Rongrong was frightened and didn't know how to react. Only Xu Xian, seeing everyone silent and recalling that he did have some connection with Huang Rongrong—it was she who had agreed to help him run away from home, even suggesting in a letter that he stay at her stockade for a while—spoke up. He hadn't gone to Dongzhou as promised, and although he had sent appropriate compensation afterward and used a trusted confidant to deliver a letter, their contact hadn't been completely severed. Huang Rongrong would write every so often, and Xu Xian would reply when he had nothing else to do. Therefore, he couldn't just let Huang Rongrong stand there awkwardly. He stepped in to ease the situation: "Miss Huang is from the Green Forest. She usually associates with a crowd of riff-raff; her speech can sometimes be impolite. Senior Brother, please do not be angered!"

With a way out offered, Ye Wen stopped maintaining his cold expression. He nodded, his tone softening slightly: "Miss Huang came today primarily out of concern for my junior brother, and our Shu Mountain Sect is quite grateful for that. However, asking my junior brother to leave..." He glanced at Xu Xian, "...that is Xu Xian's own matter. You two discuss it between yourselves!" Ye Wen didn't mention the sect rules—once one joins the sect, they cannot freely depart. Xu Xian, living, belonged to Shu Mountain; even in death, he would be a Shu Mountain disciple. He refrained from uttering those severe words for two reasons. First, he trusted Xu Xian wasn't that type of person; otherwise, he would have long since fled when the sect first fell into enmity with the Tianle Gang, rather than waiting until now, let alone personally killing Lu Tianzhe.

Second, it was a gesture of respect toward Xu Xian, while also conveying a message: My Shu Mountain Sect is not some gang of hooligans where you can't leave once you join. You are still a free man; I haven't placed any restrictions on you! Even in the sect rules Ye Wen had sought Xu Xian's help to draft, there were no clauses restricting personal freedom. As long as one didn't commit treason, murder fellow disciples, or casually leak profound martial arts secrets, one could generally make their own decisions on minor matters. In a sense, the Shu Mountain Sect probably had the loosest rules in the entire Jianghu—Ye Wen essentially practiced a form of laissez-faire education.

It had to be admitted that under such a lax organizational structure, the development of the Shu Mountain Sect was almost miraculous. However, Ye Wen couldn't devise a better solution for the moment; they could only continue developing this way for now, gradually perfecting the sect's system and lineage structure over time. These things couldn't be accomplished overnight; those great sects in the Jianghu took generations, even a dozen generations of sect leaders working diligently to reach their current status.

By shifting the decision to Xu Xian, Huang Rongrong immediately recovered her composure and rushed in front of him: "Xu Xian, hurry up and come with me! Otherwise, when the people from the Tianle Gang arrive, it will be too late..."

Xu Xian shook his head: "Since I have already pledged allegiance to the Shu Mountain Sect, how can I leave while the sect faces a major crisis? Am I that kind of person, Huang?" Huang Rongrong dismissed this: "Of course, Young Master Xu is not a faithless person, but you can say you were kidnapped by me! That way, no one can criticize you!" She added, "Furthermore, the Tianle Gang is a renowned force in the Jianghu. Now they are set on crushing Shu Mountain. What use is a scholar like you staying here? Are you planning to lecture the Tianle Gang on reason?" Xu Xian continued to shake his head: "Naturally, I will fight the enemy with all my strength!" Huang Rongrong seemed unprepared for Xu Xian to say something like that. She pulled her lips back several times before finally being unable to stop herself and laughed: "You? You are just a scholar. What ability do you have to fight renowned martial arts experts in the Jianghu?"

Xu Xian was taken aback by this profound underestimation. But thinking about it, his fame originally stemmed from his literary talent. When he later joined the Shu Mountain Sect, most people assumed that Young Master Xu was merely indulging a whim out of boredom or perhaps seeking a quiet place to focus on his studies before sitting for the Imperial Examinations next year.

Even Huang Rongrong, who knew Xu Xian intended to run away from home, only saw this as him finding a more suitable refuge. No one believed Xu Xian was actually learning martial arts.

Even though Xu Xian had shown a glimpse of his skills on the mountain and at the Youjian Inn in Shushan County a few months prior, the rumors remained confined to a certain radius. Most people assumed Xu Xian had only learned superficial techniques while staying at Shu Mountain, and the shock stemmed only from his previous deeply ingrained image as a scholar.

In the words of others: "A frail scholar, how long would it take him to become an expert? Only those bumpkins in Shushan County who haven't seen the world would say that! If I met him, I would certainly show that bookworm scholar what a true expert is like..."

This situation had not changed much, even as the reputation of the Shu Mountain Sect grew louder now. Most people believed that Ye Wen was the only expert in Shu Mountain (Ning Ruxue was also strikingly ignored)—the fame of Shu Mountain was largely built by Ye Wen, and secondly, thanks to the Yue Shan Escort Agency.

As for Xu Xian, his evaluation remained low. This was partly because too few people had seen him fight, and partly because his original image was too deeply rooted. Changing people's impressions was not a matter of a day or two.

It was the same for Huang Rongrong. Although she admired Xu Xian immensely, her admiration was for his outstanding talent, having nothing to do with martial arts. The Xu Xian in her mind was a slender scholar, handsome, eloquent, and possessing peerless talent, with robes fluttering in the wind. His two most standard characteristics were that he couldn't lift a shoulder pole or handle a heavy object. Huang Rongrong even thought that to bring Xu Xian down from such a high place as Shu Mountain, she would certainly need to help.

"Perhaps I can carry Xu Xian down the mountain!" Whenever she thought of this, her face would flush red, and then she would hop around nervously saying, "Oh dear... how could I do something like that? If I said that... would Young Master Xu think I was a promiscuous woman?" Along the way, Huang Rongrong must have talked to herself countless times. If Guo Aniu, who accompanied her, hadn't been a simple and dull-witted person, anyone else might have taken her for a lunatic.

Xu Xian was well aware of this situation, but he couldn't directly change others' impressions of him. He could only wait for the opportunity to slowly turn things around.

However, if someone openly questioned whether he knew martial arts, the matter became much simpler. Xu Xian merely smiled slightly, and his figure suddenly flashed—Huang Rongrong felt a gust of strong wind wash over her, and Xu Xian, who had been close enough to touch, instantly vanished.

While she was still astonished, she felt a hand clap on her shoulder. She turned around to find Xu Xian standing quietly behind her, smiling as he said, "Miss Huang understands now, don't you? I am no one who is ignorant of martial arts. After joining the Shu Mountain Sect, I have also studied diligently. In the way of martial arts, while I dare not claim to be invincible under heaven, I am certainly not someone who can be casually looked down upon..."

After speaking, Xu Xian realized that everything he had just said was wasted, because Huang Rongrong was staring at him with her mouth agape in shock—clearly in a state of extreme surprise, she hadn't absorbed a single word.

He stopped talking and waited for Huang Rongrong to regain some composure before continuing, "Now you understand? I actually know martial arts!" Huang Rongrong nodded dumbly.

Xu Xian patted her shoulder again: "Since you know now, there's no need to worry about me anymore! I will not be leaving Shu Mountain with you!" Huang Rongrong continued to nod, but immediately switched to shaking her head.

Xu Xian was puzzled; why did she nod and then immediately shake her head?

Huang Rongrong said, "You still have to come with me. You have no idea how formidable the people coming this time are..."

This time it wasn't Xu Xian who spoke, but Ye Wen, who had been standing by the side all along: "Are you referring to Guo Nu, the leader of the Four Great Elders you mentioned, and Pei Fu, who is also an Elder? Are the martial arts of those two very formidable..."

Hearing Ye Wen ask, Huang Rongrong let out a scornful laugh: "For a Sect Master, you actually don't even know these things?" After uttering this taunt, perhaps remembering that the young Sect Master wasn't someone to be easily provoked, and that angering him might lead to her being hacked to pieces—which would be a serious loss—she continued before Ye Wen could flare up: "Guo Nu has been less active in the Jianghu for the past ten years or so, so few people recognize him..." Ye Wen muttered softly, "Then how do you recognize him?" Huang Rongrong ignored him and continued: "My father told me that Guo Nu first appeared in the Jianghu twenty years ago. He was young then, but he earned the nickname 'Wrathful Vajra' with a set of Rulai Vajra Fist and a body-guarding technique. After traveling for several years and establishing considerable fame, he suddenly vanished. Later, it was learned that he had become an Elder of the Tianle Gang. Since then, he has rarely been seen in the Jianghu, and no one has witnessed his martial arts. However, considering he had already established fame in the Jianghu over a decade ago, his skill now can only be stronger, not weaker!" "As for Pei Fu, this person frequently appears in the Jianghu. He looks to be around thirty years old. Among the Four Great Elders of the Tianle Gang, he is the one who often handles matters. His martial arts likely originate from the North Sword Sect, and his specialty is the North Horse Sword Style of the North Sword Sect!" Hearing this, Ye Wen's expression shifted slightly. This time, the Tianle Gang had truly invested heavily, sending two Elders to deal with the affairs of his Shu Mountain Sect. Moreover, Guo Nu had remained the head of the Four Great Elders despite no one seeing him fight for twenty years.

There could only be one possibility: anyone who had seen this man fight was now dead. This meant either Guo Nu's martial arts were overwhelmingly powerful, or he was extremely cautious, refusing to act easily unless he was certain he could kill his opponent.

Whichever the case, it was not a favorable prospect.

"Indeed, a bit tricky!" Ye Wen stroked his smooth chin: "I wonder how Guo Nu's martial arts compare to that Crimson Sun Divine Lord, Pei Gonglie..." At this point, he had only personally experienced Pei Gonglie's prowess, so comparison had to rely on this gentleman.

"Crimson Sun Divine Lord?" Huang Rongrong was confused why this person was suddenly brought up: "Although Pei Gonglie, that madman, isn't entirely sound of mind, his skills are formidable! As for comparing him to Guo Nu, I believe Pei Gonglie might be stronger..." Huang Rongrong wasn't entirely certain, as the two had never clashed. But who could argue when Pei Gonglie had been making such a splash in recent years?

"Is that so..." Ye Wen continued stroking his chin: "If he is comparable to Pei Gonglie, then it isn't so troublesome. Even if I cannot defeat him, maintaining a stalemate is certainly possible!"

"Ah..." Ye Wen's words, however, startled Huang Rongrong. After she explained so much, how could this person still be so confident? The look she gave Ye Wen immediately turned into: Is this Ye surnamed fellow a great fool?

... PS: What does it mean, 'no matter how foolish, it doesn't matter'? Am I supposed to be angry about that? Also, the premium content is gone. I'll save the refined content for tomorrow!