Provocation

Ji Ning, dressed in a tight-fitting martial outfit, stepped out.

Behind him followed a proud-looking young man clad in cloud-patterned martial robes.

Behind them were six or seven broad-shouldered, muscular men.

“Everyone!”

Ji Ning raised his hand to quiet the clamor, his voice steady and powerful as it carried far into the night wind.

“Tonight's feast is held first to reward you all, and second to fill our vacancies. Traitors like Lu Ya deserved to die. The main family has dispatched new Patrol Envoys and guards to reinforce our squads...”

He turned his head and called out:

“Chen Xu, Liu Cheng, Tian Sanming...”

“Present, sir!”

“The three of you will join Team A.”

“Understood!”

Team A had previously lost three guards due to Lu Ya's reckless actions.

Thinking back, that bastard had surely done it on purpose to weaken Yunyi Island's strength.

“Lu Jie, Sun Xuanlang...”

“Present, sir!”

“The two of you will serve under Team B and Team D respectively.”

“Understood!”

“...Luo Feng.”

Ji Ning called out once more.

A tall, sharp-looking young man stepped forward at the call.

“Present, sir.”

“From now on, you will...”

Ji Ning looked left and right, his gaze finally settling on Shen Xiuhan.

“Patrol Envoy Shen, what do you think?”

He was asking for Shen Xiuhan's input.

Luo Feng, along with the arrogant young man standing behind Ji Ning, both froze slightly, a strange look flickering in their eyes.

Compared to the other squads, Ji Ning's attitude toward this Patrol Envoy Shen was clearly much more polite.

A touch of anticipation rose in Luo Feng's eyes.

Meanwhile, the arrogant young man sized up Shen Xiuhan with a meaningful gaze.

Meeting Ji Ning's gaze, Shen Xiuhan clasped his hands and said, “I will follow your arrangements, Garrison Master.”

“Good!”

Ji Ning nodded with a smile and looked at Luo Feng. “From now on, you will serve under Patrol Envoy Shen in Team C.”

“Understood, sir!”

“Mm.”

Ji Ning nodded in satisfaction. “Patrol Envoy Shen possesses extraordinary talent and formidable strength. If you have any questions regarding the martial path, you may ask him for guidance.”

“Yes, sir!”

Luo Feng walked over to Shen Xiuhan, bowed, and clasped his hands respectfully.

“Luo Feng greets the Patrol Envoy!”

He had large, broad hands with prominent knuckles, and his palms were covered in thick calluses, showing he had put in serious, hard work. Slung across his back was a saber wrapped in black cloth, its hilt carved with two small characters:

“Blood Shadow”

Shen Xiuhan nodded slightly.

“Take a seat.”

As soon as Luo Feng sat down, Hu Zhi, who had just rushed over with Ruan Linhuan, poured him a bowl of wine and introduced him to the other members of Team C.

Then, Ji Ning stepped aside, revealing the arrogant young man behind him.

“This is Ji Yuande, a distant relative of my Ji family. From now on... he will take over as the Patrol Envoy of Team A.”

As Ji Ning's voice fell, a few polite murmurs of agreement echoed from the crowd.

After all, he was a member of the Ji family, and everyone here relied on the Ji family for their livelihood.

Ji Yuande, however, raised his chin slightly.

His gaze swept over everyone's faces with a patronizing scrutiny, as if inspecting his own territory.

This display made Ji Ning frown slightly, but he didn't say much. After letting the newcomers familiarize themselves, he announced the start of the feast.

The atmosphere instantly grew lively.

The clinking of wine bowls echoed continuously as the savory aroma of roasted meat drifted in the night wind.

Shen Xiuhan had just torn off a piece of roasted mutton leg, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Juice dripped down his fingers, but before he could put it in his mouth, his ears twitched, and he looked up.

Ji Yuande was walking toward him.

The man was about twenty-one or twenty-two, a year or two older than Shen Xiuhan.

His tight-fitting robes were perfectly tailored from high-quality Shu brocade. He wore buckskin boots, and a longsword hung at his waist. Its scabbard was inlaid with green jade, and the sword tassel swayed gently with each step.

From head to toe, he exuded an air of noble arrogance.

Stopping in front of Shen Xiuhan, he curled his lips into an amused arc and smiled.

“I've long heard that a young genius emerged on Yunyi Island, one who could escape from Qu Bushi and even win the hearts of my two younger cousins... You indeed seem somewhat extraordinary.”

Escape?

Win their hearts?

What is this fool talking about?

Shen Xiuhan's brow furrowed imperceptibly.

Without waiting for a reply, Ji Yuande drawled:

“I hear Patrol Envoy Shen has broken through to the Bone Tempering stage... Coincidentally, I have also reached Bone Tempering not long ago. Why don't we have a sparring match in a few days to see how the Bone Tempering of the countryside compares to the quality of the main family?”

The moment these words were spoken, the surrounding atmosphere instantly grew cold.

Several guards from the other squads froze with their wine bowls mid-air, stealing glances at Shen Xiuhan's expression.

Yan Chuan, Hu Zhi, and the others all changed expression, instinctively preparing to stand up.

“Sit down.”

“Envoy...”

“Sit.”

“Yes, sir...”

The two sat back down, their faces flushed with indignation.

Shen Xiuhan calmly stuffed the mutton into his mouth and chewed, not even lifting his eyelids.

He didn't know why Ji Yuande had come to provoke him out of nowhere, nor did he care to find out.

What he did know was...

This guy was a greenhorn who had never experienced a life-or-death battle!

Just standing there, he was completely full of openings.

Shen Xiuhan had at least ten ways to take his life within three moves.

“You should thank yourself,” Shen Xiuhan finally spoke, his voice indifferent.

“Huh?”

Ji Yuande's brows knit together, confusion and displeasure surfacing on his face. “What do you mean? Thank myself for what?”

“Thank yourself for being named Ji.”

Shen Xiuhan pulled out a handkerchief and slowly wiped his grease-stained fingers.

“If you weren't, you would already be on your way to meet Qu Bushi.”

“...”

Ji Yuande's mouth fell open in a daze, seemingly not expecting the other party to dare speak to him this way.

He was a disciple of a branch of the Ji family and hadn't been highly regarded initially.

However, he had recently managed to break through to the Bone Tempering stage at just twenty years old. With the potential to break through to the Anjin Rank, his family had immediately begun to view him in a new light, even sending him to Changyun County.

In the bustling county seat, he had met the two young ladies, Ji Xue and Ji Yao. Their exquisite, flower-like beauty had completely infatuated him.

But every time he tried to get close to them, he would always hear the two sisters discussing the name of a mud-legged commoner from the Outer City.

Shen Xiuhan!

How heroic he was!

Patrol Envoy Shen!

How extraordinary he was!

The seeds of jealousy had sprouted in his heart.

Thus, when he heard that the family was recruiting Patrol Envoys of the Blood Tempering Rank and above for Yunyi Island, he had volunteered.

This move had won the approval of Ji Wen, the Martial Hall Master.

He had heard that even the family head had praised him upon hearing about it, saying,

“A promising youth who dares to exert himself for the family. In a few years, he may take charge of family affairs.”

Ji Yuande naturally understood the meaning behind those words.

Having gained the family head's approval, he was destined to become a high-ranking member of the Ji family in the future.

Yet now, a mere Patrol Envoy who relied on his family for a living dared to be so insolent?

Have you forgotten your place?

Ji Yuande's face turned the color of pig liver, and his right hand slammed onto the hilt of his sword.

“You court death!”

“Ahem!”

Not far away, Ji Ning let out a light cough.

His cold gaze swept over Ji Yuande like a blade, freezing his movements.