In an instant, the big man, already riddled like a hornet's nest, was blasted into ruin again, his surface a blur, white flesh exposed. It was only thanks to his Grandmaster realm attainment and the abundance of True Essence within him that he avoided instant death; anyone else would have been pulverized...

"Thunderbolt Mine?" the big man exclaimed, recognizing the legendary weapon. He knew it was a secret armament possessed only by the Thunder Legion, one of the four great corps of the Shu Yun Kingdom—Wind, Cloud, Thunder, and Lightning. It functioned like a grenade, exploding upon contact with an object, with devastating lethal range. Even a Grandmaster was hard-pressed to survive the epicenter...

Yet, this was one of the Thunder Legion's most prized weapons. Even Xiao Geng, the Emperor's most favored, never had access to the formula for the Thunderbolt Mine. How could this fellow possess one?

Although... although this Thunderbolt Mine's power seemed considerably diminished...

He couldn't possibly know that Zhuge Yi Shi, in his idle years, besides tinkering with mechanical beasts, had also concocted numerous such devices. Upon acquiring the Qiankun Bracelet, Ye Jing Yu had mercilessly stripped him bare of these treasures...

Seeing the big man still clinging to life, Ye Jing Yu grumbled about the shoddy quality of Zhuge Yi Shi’s pirated Thunderbolt Mines. He plunged a hand into the Qiankun Bracelet and yanked upward with force. A pitch-black iron cannon, a full foot in diameter, emerged directly into Ye Jing Yu’s grasp...

Staring at the dark, gaping muzzle, the big man was utterly dumbfounded...

Even if you were Doraemon, you wouldn't play like this, would you? (Of course, the big man had no concept of the robot cat Doraemon.)

This was no longer a duel between two martial arts masters; it was a skirmish between a miniature army. Fine, using a repeating crossbow was one thing, and accepting the use of Thunderbolt Mines was another, but now, he was even pulling out siege artillery?

Admittedly, the cannon before him was slightly smaller than the fiery weapons mounted on the city walls, but gazing into the black maw of the muzzle, the big man simply stood there, frozen, forgetting that at such close range, how dare the opponent fire? Unless he intended suicide?

Ye Jing Yu seemed to register this oversight. He scratched his head but made no move to retract the cannon. Instead, he hefted the iron piece and hurled it directly at the big man...

Using a cannon like a common stone—Ye Jing Yu was surely the first in the history of the Dou Hun Continent to commit such an act...

Seeing the monstrous object hurtling toward him, the big man finally snapped back to his senses. He shouted and tried to evade, but his severe injuries had dulled his reflexes. Though he managed to stumble back several paces, both of his shins were struck by the iron cannon...

Even smaller than a true siege cannon, this piece was forged entirely of iron and copper, weighing over ten thousand pounds. For Ye Jing Yu, this demon to use it as a blunt weapon against flesh and blood—there was no defense...

A sharp crack echoed, and the big man's lower legs were smashed clean in two. Blood and gore sprayed forth. The cannon smashed into the ground, gouging out a deep pit, the massive impact causing nearby residents to clutch their ears, convinced an earthquake had struck. They scrambled to their feet, ready to investigate the disturbance...

"Aargh..." The big man shrieked like a slaughtered pig...

Sensing the growing commotion, Ye Jing Yu knew the situation had escalated. He dashed forward, carelessly tossing the deformed iron cannon back into the Qiankun Bracelet. He then touched the big man’s forehead, instantly knocking him senseless, and hoisting both the unconscious man and the felled Fei Yu, he bolted back the way he came...

In mere moments, he reached the banks of the Tian Yun River, but Qin Yu Ting was nowhere in sight. Assuming she had returned to the Marquis’s residence, Ye Jing Yu gave it no further thought. Carrying his two captives, he sprinted toward the Zhen Guo Residence, vanishing completely into the night within a few breaths of time...

When the nearby residents and local constables finally reached the scene, they found only a massive, freshly dug pit and a pool of crimson blood. Beyond that, not a single trace remained...

At the Zhen Guo Residence, within the rear courtyard, Ying Xiao Xiao, Ye Long Yi, Chen Qi, and the others stared at the big man on the ground with both legs utterly shattered, the still-unconscious Fei Yu, and the smiling Ye Jing Yu. Their expressions were complex...

"General, what in the world did you do? Abducting two grown men in the dead of night? Even if you have that particular preference, did you have to choose someone so hideous?" Ying Xiao Xiao, known for her sharp tongue, asked with unconcealed curiosity...

"Get lost!" Ye Jing Yu roared, delivering a powerful kick to Ying Xiao Xiao’s rear. The force sent her flying into a flowerbed, yet she merely rose with a grin, rubbing her backside before scampering back to Ye Jing Yu, a fawning smile plastered on her face...

"General, I was only joking! Why take it so seriously?"

"Enough nonsense. Five men were sent to kill me. I've dealt with three. These two are my live specimens; I need to know who sent them," Ye Jing Yu stated flatly, utterly devoid of jest...

Too many people wanted him dead now, but few could casually dispatch four Innate Masters and a Grandmaster...

Seeing the grim severity on Ye Jing Yu’s face, the others fell silent. Ye Long Yi stepped forward, studying the ravaged face of the big man closely. His expression shifted dramatically...

"My Lord, this... this is Mu Tian Hu from the Mu family, one of the Mu family’s foremost Grandmaster experts. You..." As he spoke, everyone turned to look at Ye Jing Yu with expressions bordering on awe...

A veritable Grandmaster expert, reduced to this state by him, while he himself remained unharmed? Just how terrifying was his true strength?

At that moment, the conviction to follow Ye Jing Yu only solidified further among them...

"The Mu family?" Ye Jing Yu frowned, entirely unconcerned by the almost fanatical admiration in their eyes. If they knew how he had crippled Mu Tian Hu, they might not be so fervent...

What puzzled him was that the Mu family was one of the great houses of Yun Jing, holding hereditary Marquis status. The current Second Young Master's birth mother was the eldest daughter of the Mu family's current patriarch. If this man belonged to the Mu family, did that mean the Second Young Master had finally grown impatient and started moving against him?

Reflecting on his humble origins as a commoner now provoking assassination attempts from the young lords of Yun Jing’s elite, Ye Jing Yu was unsure whether to feel pleased or distraught...

"General suspects the Second Young Master?" Chen Qi inquired, noticing the deep furrow in Ye Jing Yu's brow...

"What? You think not?" Ye Jing Yu arched an eyebrow...

"Everyone knows now that the General is one of the greatest meritorious subjects of the Shu Yun Kingdom, enjoying the Emperor's favor. No one could risk provoking the General at this time. If they did, it would be a massive liability in the eyes of others. While the Second Young Master isn't as cunning as some of the others, he is certainly not so reckless. Therefore, I suspect the Second Young Master is completely unaware of this matter..."

"Oh? Then tell me, who could possibly arrange for the Mu family’s involvement without informing the Second Young Master?" Ye Jing Yu smiled faintly, quite satisfied with Chen Qi's analysis...

"Why not just ask him yourself, General?" At this moment, Ying Xiao Xiao interjected. Coincidentally, Mu Tian Hu, whom Ye Jing Yu had knocked unconscious, chose that very instant to awaken.