Chapter 141: The Agreement
Chapter 141: The Pact
Chapter 14: The Nine Rivers Surge, Fish and Dragons Leap; The Six Divisions Bring Chaos, Immortals and Demons Run Wild (Part Four)
Zhou Ziyuan shook his head and was about to reply when a young man hurriedly came running from the opposite shore of the lake, calling out loudly, “Brother Zhou! The Duan family from the Northern Xi Six Divisions have arrived! And there are more than ten cultivators from the Western Regions…”
Liu Ruoming angrily said, “They must have heard that my father has left, so they dare to come knocking now! How shameless!”
Zhou Ziyuan furrowed his brows slightly and said in a low voice, “Let’s go see what’s going on!”
Ye Hua looked worried and said, “If the Northern Xi Six Divisions have found this place, it must be for me! I’ve really brought trouble to my senior brothers…!”
Liu Ruoming hastily waved her hand. “Senior Brother Ye, don’t say that! If it weren’t for you, we’d have been dead and gone long ago! Besides, although the Northern Xi Six Divisions are powerful, our Enlightenment Hall is not to be bullied! Even if we lent them a bit more courage, they wouldn’t dare use force here at Beining Lake! The reputation of the Sun and Moon Divine Alliance still carries some weight!”
Ye Hua felt uneasy and hurriedly said to Zhou Ziyuan, “Zhou…”
Zhou Ziyuan’s eyes gleamed sharply as he said in a deep voice, “Junior Brother Ye, don’t overthink it! Just come with us openly and honestly. If Enlightenment Hall can’t even protect its honored guests, heh heh…” With that, he leapt up and headed straight for the reception hall.
Liu Ruoming tugged at Ye Hua’s sleeve and said, “Senior Brother Ye, with Brother Zhou here, you can rest easy! Let’s go take a look.”
Ye Hua forced a faint smile, jumped up, and thought to himself, “The Northern Xi Six Divisions are indeed powerful in Jiujin. Not to mention that the Duan family’s scion is known as the Tiger of Northern Xi, one of the Three Heroes of Northern Xi. If it really comes to a fight, I’d better leave quickly to avoid bringing trouble to Enlightenment Hall!”
Before they entered the hall, they heard a loud voice inside: “Ha ha! Enlightenment Hall truly is no ordinary place! The Northern Xi Six Divisions have come to pay a visit, yet the door is shut tight and no one comes to see us! Which sect in Jiujin dares to behave like this? If we are not allowed to meet Brother Wu Hao again, humph, we won’t be polite anymore!”
Zhou Ziyuan’s expression darkened slightly, and Liu Ruoming said angrily, “How arrogant!”
They entered through the door and saw that the vast hall was occupied by nearly half the people present—no fewer than thirty. Leading them was a young man with striking features: heavy eyebrows, double pupils, a face as perfect as a jade crown, a nose like precious jade, elegant brows extending to his temples, strong arms and graceful shoulders—handsome beyond compare. He wore splendid, embroidered robes, a purple cloud crown on his head, a long sword at his waist, and a pendant of clustered gold and purple-red jade, radiating an aura of wealth. Behind him stood the Duan family’s young master, angrily scolding several Enlightenment Hall disciples inside the hall. Further back stood Xu Tieshan, Wang Yu, and others.
“Ha ha! Brother Wu Hao, you’ve finally come out! Ah ha ha! In the past, I would have patiently waited without complaint, but now that an honored guest has arrived, your behavior is truly discourteous!” the Duan family’s young master said with a smile upon seeing Zhou Ziyuan step forward.
Zhou Ziyuan smiled faintly, “Heh heh, I wonder who this honored guest might be gracing our humble place? If I have been discourteous, please pardon me!” He made a slight bow, his gaze flickering sideways as he looked at the leading young man, thinking, “This must be the honored guest he mentioned. His cultivation and bearing are extraordinary, but I’ve never seen him in Jiujin City before. I wonder what his background is.”
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The Duan family’s young master laughed heartily, “No offense taken, but you really should show some courtesy. If others hear you brush it off like this, they might think you look down on my brother Yuan! I have a way for you to make amends, ha ha!”
Liu Ruoming’s anger flared up. “I’ve heard that the Duan family’s young master is shameless and arrogant, and it’s true! Brother Zhou treats you with courtesy, yet you are so ungrateful!” She sneered, “I don’t know who you are, but Enlightenment Hall may be small, yet we do not welcome those shameless and arrogant ruffians! I suggest you show some respect!”
The Duan family’s young master scowled at Liu Ruoming’s sharp words, glanced at the leading youth, then smiled again. “Ha ha, you young lady are quite pretty, though your mouth is a bit sharp. You might find it hard to get married in the future, ha ha. If you can’t marry, I’d be happy to help, ha ha…”
Liu Ruoming’s face flushed with both anger and embarrassment. “Garbage never comes out of a dog’s mouth!”
Zhou Ziyuan was suddenly struck by a thought. “Brother Yuan? Although the Yuan surname is common, very few people would be called ‘brother’ by this Duan young master. Could it be him…?” He recalled someone and was stunned for a moment. After careful observation, he nodded quietly. “Such bearing and cultivation—it must be either the elder or the younger Yuan son. Which one, I wonder?”
Turning to the leading youth, he smiled, “I did not expect the Regent Prince, Young Master Yuan, to grace us with his presence. It is truly a blessing of three lifetimes. Young Master Yuan, please take the seat.”
Hearing the title “Regent Prince Young Master Yuan,” Ye Hua and the others were greatly surprised and quickly looked toward him. Ye Hua thought, “Young Master Yuan? In the capital, I once heard Zhang Ke say the Regent Prince Yuan Wang has two sons. The elder, Master Hui Neng Yuan Ding, is one of the Four Great Young Masters of the capital and highly renowned. Could this be him? Or perhaps it is the younger son?”
Everyone took their seats as attendants served tea. The finely dressed young man smiled slightly and said, “I am Yuan Wen, also called Han Yun Master. I am here to pay respects to Brother Wu Hao.”
Although Zhou Ziyuan had already guessed, he was still a bit surprised. “So it’s Yuan Han Yun, the second son, also known as Han Yun Zi, Han Yun Master, Yuan Han Yun!” He smiled and said, “Young Master Yuan, it is an honor to meet you!”
Ye Hua and the others silently thought, “So it’s not the elder of the Four Great Young Masters of the capital, but the second son!”
The Duan family’s young master stepped forward. “Brother Wu Hao, we’ve come partly because our brother Yuan wishes to meet Enlightenment Hall, and partly because you’re surely aware of the matter we came for, right? Ha ha.”
Zhou Ziyuan was somewhat surprised. “Oh? I truly do not know what this is about.”
The Duan family’s young master nodded and laughed, “Ha ha, Brother Wu Hao, you do have a bit of forgetfulness. Do you remember a few days ago at the Holy Sage Sect branch near Qinglong Lake, where someone was abducted? That was the person we’ve been searching for!” He pointed at Ye Hua with his hand, then coldly snorted, “I hope you’ll hand him over, Brother Wu Hao. He killed Bar Meng, the son of General Miza, the Western Regions' envoy of the Garan Kingdom. He won’t escape his fate!”
Zhou Ziyuan laughed heartily, “Young Master Duan, you’re joking. There must be some misunderstanding. How could Junior Brother Ye have killed General Miza’s son? That is impossible. I suggest you investigate more carefully!” The Duan family’s young master’s face darkened with anger. “How could there be any mistake? I saw it with my own eyes! It was him! Using a flying sword, he severed Bar Meng’s head…!”
The dozen or so Western Region cultivators behind him glared angrily at Ye Hua, whispering and growling under their breath. Only Yuan Han Yun sat calmly, smiling quietly as he listened to the dispute.
Ye Hua thought to himself, “That Western Region cultivator suddenly attacked that day. I barely sensed it and narrowly avoided it—truly lucky! Had I been a moment slower or dodged less, I would have died. Later, I used the Fire Cloud Chain to pierce his Qi Sea and Dantian. Whether he lives or dies, I don’t know. But considering the strength of my strike, if he’s not dead, he must be badly wounded or crippled.”
Zhou Ziyuan laughed heartily, “If Young Master Duan were present, I would be even more skeptical. How could Junior Brother Ye alone fight off so many and kill one before escaping? Ha ha, that’s truly hard to believe!”
The Duan family’s young master seethed with hatred. “You, Wu Hao, if it weren’t for the Sun and Moon Divine Alliance, and my father’s orders not to make things worse, I’d flatten Enlightenment Hall with just a finger!” His face turned dark with frustration. He then turned to Yuan Han Yun, “Brother Yuan, what do you think?”
Yuan Han Yun smiled slightly, “Brother Wu Hao, since this matter concerns the dignity of the kingdom—and General Miza is the envoy of Garan—it’s difficult to explain if the matter isn’t resolved. I hope you understand. Since both sides cannot agree, why not settle this by the rules of cultivators? A duel to decide. The loser accepts the consequences. What do you think, Brother Wu Hao?”
The Duan family’s young master laughed, “Good, good. Each side picks three fighters of the same realm, best two out of three matches. If you don’t agree, the Northern Xi Duan family will station dozens of Third Truth Realm cultivators outside Enlightenment Hall. When that young man steps out, we’ll capture him. He can’t hide in Enlightenment Hall forever, ha ha!”
Liu Ruoming shouted angrily, “How dare you! I’d like to see how mighty your Northern Xi Six Divisions really are!”
Ye Hua glanced at Zhou Ziyuan, who looked back, and they nodded slightly. Zhou Ziyuan smiled at Yuan Han Yun and said, “Alright, I accept. We’ll set the match for best two out of three! But we will decide the time and place.”
Hearing Zhou Ziyuan’s words, Liu Ruoming grew anxious and wanted to step forward, shouting, “Zhou… Brother Wu Hao, we can’t agree to this!”
Ye Hua quickly pulled her back and whispered, “Don’t worry! It’ll be fine!”
Liu Ruoming angrily threw up her hands, “How can it be fine?”
The Duan family’s young master laughed, “Good, Brother Wu Hao, then it’s settled! You name the time and place!”
Zhou Ziyuan pondered briefly and said, “Ten days from now, at the Great Industry Square in the city center.”
The Duan family’s young master nodded, “Good, good. Then we’ll be waiting for your esteemed presence in ten days! Brother Yuan, what do you think?”
Yuan Han Yun nodded, “Then it’s decided! Since this matter is settled, we won’t trouble you any further. We take our leave of the brothers of Enlightenment Hall.” Saying this, he stood, bowed respectfully, and prepared to depart.
Zhou Ziyuan also stood, bowed slightly, and saw the Northern Xi party off.
As soon as they left, Liu Ruoming anxiously asked, “Brother Zhou, we agreed to their terms—do we have a chance of winning?”
Zhou Ziyuan smiled slightly. “Don’t worry. Best two out of three—rest assured. I have a clever plan to ensure no trouble.” Liu Ruoming looked at him with doubt, speechless and unsure what to say.