Xu Ning heard the voices and quickly went outside.
Before Han Huxiao left, he said that it would take a month before he would return, but now it had only been a few days before he returned in a hurry—something must have happened.
When Xu Ning saw Han Huxiao, he had already passed through the foyer and arrived at the backyard.
Currently, Han Huxiao had lost his previous mighty aura.
His clothes were torn, his face was pale, and the corners of his mouth were bloody. In his current dilapidated state, he was being held up by Han Yue and Du Che.
There were several people behind them with injuries ranging from minor to severe.
“What happened?”
Xu Ning quickly asked.
Du Che looked mournful. “We were targeted!”
“The caravan hiring our escort team was actually a cover.”
Du Che explained, “After they lured us to a valley, warriors immediately jumped on us. We couldn’t react in time, and they just attacked us. There were even masters in the intention realm.”
“When Master saw that the situation was bad, he asked us to run away. But the enemy were prepared, not only did they kill most of our partners, but they seriously injured Master. If it weren’t for Master’s last efforts to kill them and fend off the intention realm warrior, we wouldn’t have been able to come back alive.”
Du Che’s tone was full of grief and anger.
“Do you know who did it?”
Xu Ning asked again.
“The other party did not reveal their identity, so we don’t know who did it.”
Du Che clenched his fists, his eyes were full of unwillingness.
“Hall Master Han…”
When Xu Ning heard what had happened, he quickly went forward and held Han Huxiao’s hand.
He could clearly sense that Han Huxiao was seriously injured.
In addition to his visible injuries, his internal organs also suffered severe damage.
“It’s okay.”
Han Huxiao forced a smile on his face. “I am hurt, Deputy Hall Master Xu, so please take care of the hall for the time being.”
“Han Yue.”
Han Huxiao breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting to show his fragile side in front of the instructors and apprentices. “Take me back to my room to rest.”
“Dad…”
Han Yue was uncomfortable seeing Han Huxiao like this, but she cheered herself up.
“Du Che, go find a doctor to treat my brothers.”
Han Huxiao asked Du Che before being carried back to his room by Han Yue alone.
After Du Che received the request, he quickly left the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall.
Although the enemy was sinister and fierce, Du Che was well protected by Han Huxiao, so he was not injured.
‘Was ambushed…’
After Xu Ning helped the wounded, he began to think.
‘Using the caravan as bait, then ambushing the team. Obviously, they targeted us.’
Xu Ning thought, ‘The mastermind behind this must be an old enemy. Either a former enemy of Hall Master Han, or a competitor in the city.’
Xu Ning had already formed some suspicions towards the several martial arts halls in Chun Rin Canton.
‘Whether or not a competitor did this, this incident will definitely cause a chain reaction.’
Xu Ning knew very well that while Han Huxiao was the face of the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall, he was also its biggest trump card.
If he was injured, the other forces in the city would highly likely exert pressure on the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall.
When one’s own strength did not match the resources one possessed, there would inevitably be people trying to grab it.
‘If I stay in the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall, then the outside pressure will be very high.’
Xu Ning foresaw this.
According to Xu Ning’s gauge of Han Huxiao’s injuries, he believed that it would take a long time for Han Huxiao to recover from his injuries.
But even then, this was definitely not the time to just jump ship.
He needed to wait until the subsequent state of affairs became clearer before making a decision.
If Han Huxiao still had a back-up plan, if he could resolve the trouble, or if he could coordinate with every party and return the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall to a stable state.
Xu Ning still had a good impression of the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall.
But if the enemy was too tough, it would then be a matter of life-and-death. At that point, Xu Ning could only protect himself first and get himself out of the quagmire.
‘I’ll wait for Hall Master Han’s response.’
Xu Ning decided not to move for the time being. He decided that he would still be the deputy hall master of the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall.
…
After being brought back to the room by Han Yue, Han Huxiao no longer hid the injuries in his body and began to spew out blood.
Han Huxiao’s weakened breath was even weaker this time.
“Dad!”
When Han Yue saw this, her eyes began to tear up.
“Why did this happen?”
Han Yue helped Han Huxiao onto the bed, then grabbed a porcelain bottle from the cupboard.
She took out a dan medicine from the porcelain bottle and helped Han Huxiao eat it.
“Ahem…”
After Han Huxiao ate the dan medicine, he coughed out twice, and his face slightly brightened up.
“Han Yue, our Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall may be in serious trouble.”
Han Huxiao did not comfort his daughter. Instead, he directly explained the seriousness of the situation.
“I’m sure this ambush must have been done by some of the forces in the canton city.” Han Huxiao said, “Although I traversed many paths when I was young, I never made enemies with others. But ever since the establishment of my martial arts hall, others have begun to create problems for me.”
“This time, although I don’t know who is behind the scenes, during the fight, I can tell that they have a strong intent to kill me. Even if they don’t kill me, they will try and cripple me.”
“You know, the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall is quite famous in the canton city, but in the end, our foundation is relatively shallow. The whole martial arts hall is relying on me. Before Deputy Hall Master Xu came, the strongest person below me was only in the internal qi realm. Our loss of strength is serious.”
“And now that I’m injured, it won’t be long before our martial arts hall and affiliated businesses fall apart.”
Han Huxiao was obviously worried. “The situation is critical right now. Our opponent is clearly prepared, and they will take action soon.”
“Dad, what should we do?”
Han Yue already understood their current predicament. Although she was anxious and worried, she still insisted on keeping her calmness.
Han Huxiao did not immediately respond to Han Yue’s question.
He closed his eyes, frowned, and fell into deep thought.
After a long time, Han Huxiao opened his eyes.
He didn’t answer Han Yue’s question right away, instead he asked, “Someone must have come to seek trouble while I was away, right?”
“Yes.”
Han Yue replied, “Tie Guanxiong from the Fierce Metal Martial Arts Hall came, but he was defeated by Deputy Hall Master Xu.”
“Tie Guanxiong was defeated by Xu Ning?”
Han Huxiao’s eyes showed a look of surprise.
He had previously fought against Xu Ning, so he knew that Xu Ning was talented.
He believed that Xu Ning, who was in the state mind realm, was equally as strong as Tie Guanxiong.
Although Tie Guanxiong had not cultivated a perfection realm external skill, his body was strong and possessed oppressive strength. In addition, he had been promoted to the state mind realm for a long time, causing his strength to be unrivaled among those below the state mind realm.
Han Huxiao didn’t expect Tie Guanxiong to lose to Xu Ning in combat.
“When Deputy Hall Master Xu and Tie Guanxiong fought, he went up and fought hard. He didn’t give up an inch.” Han Yue continued, “But after a while, Deputy Hall Master Xu changed his fighting style. I think he also might have changed his method of force. Immediately after that, Tie Guanxiong was forced to be on the defensive, and after a dozen exchanges, he was defeated.”
“Um…”
A different color appeared in Han Huxiao’s eyes. “A head-on fight with Tie Guanxiong. This young man is amazing!”
When Han Huxiao and Xu Ning were sparring, Xu Ning only showed him one type of force method.
But according to Han Yue, Xu Ning was proficient in other ways of using force.
Even some intention realm warriors could not control their force to this level of precision.
“Except for Tie Guanxiong, has Xu Ning fought against anyone else?”
Han Huxiao then asked.
“No.”
Han Yue shook her head. “When Tie Guanxiong came to cause trouble for us, he also came with a lot of spectators in the city. And after Deputy Hall Master Xu defeated him, this matter quickly spread. Now, everyone knows about Deputy Hall Master Xu’s strength. With him here, no one else dared to find trouble with us.”
Han Huxiao nodded thoughtfully. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something.
‘Sh*t!’
Han Huxiao’s face changed. “After the strength of Deputy Hall Master Xu spreads, there will definitely be martial arts halls or martial arts clans in the city who have secretly contacted him. After all, he has only recently arrived at the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall, and we can’t easily keep him. As long as they offer enough benefits, they can easily poach our talent!”
“Han Yue, have you noticed any strangers contacting Deputy Hall Master Xu?”
Xu Ning heard the voices and quickly went outside.
Before Han Huxiao left, he said that it would take a month before he would return, but now it had only been a few days before he returned in a hurry—something must have happened.
When Xu Ning saw Han Huxiao, he had already passed through the foyer and arrived at the backyard.
Currently, Han Huxiao had lost his previous mighty aura.
His clothes were torn, his face was pale, and the corners of his mouth were bloody. In his current dilapidated state, he was being held up by Han Yue and Du Che.
There were several people behind them with injuries ranging from minor to severe.
“What happened?”
Xu Ning quickly asked.
Du Che looked mournful. “We were targeted!”
“The caravan hiring our escort team was actually a cover.”
Du Che explained, “After they lured us to a valley, warriors immediately jumped on us. We couldn’t react in time, and they just attacked us. There were even masters in the intention realm.”
“When Master saw that the situation was bad, he asked us to run away. But the enemy were prepared, not only did they kill most of our partners, but they seriously injured Master. If it weren’t for Master’s last efforts to kill them and fend off the intention realm warrior, we wouldn’t have been able to come back alive.”
Du Che’s tone was full of grief and anger.
“Do you know who did it?”
Xu Ning asked again.
“The other party did not reveal their identity, so we don’t know who did it.”
Du Che clenched his fists, his eyes were full of unwillingness.
“Hall Master Han…”
When Xu Ning heard what had happened, he quickly went forward and held Han Huxiao’s hand.
He could clearly sense that Han Huxiao was seriously injured.
In addition to his visible injuries, his internal organs also suffered severe damage.
“It’s okay.”
Han Huxiao forced a smile on his face. “I am hurt, Deputy Hall Master Xu, so please take care of the hall for the time being.”
“Han Yue.”
Han Huxiao breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting to show his fragile side in front of the instructors and apprentices. “Take me back to my room to rest.”
“Dad…”
Han Yue was uncomfortable seeing Han Huxiao like this, but she cheered herself up.
“Du Che, go find a doctor to treat my brothers.”
Han Huxiao asked Du Che before being carried back to his room by Han Yue alone.
After Du Che received the request, he quickly left the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall.
Although the enemy was sinister and fierce, Du Che was well protected by Han Huxiao, so he was not injured.
‘Was ambushed…’
After Xu Ning helped the wounded, he began to think.
‘Using the caravan as bait, then ambushing the team. Obviously, they targeted us.’
Xu Ning thought, ‘The mastermind behind this must be an old enemy. Either a former enemy of Hall Master Han, or a competitor in the city.’
Xu Ning had already formed some suspicions towards the several martial arts halls in Chun Rin Canton.
‘Whether or not a competitor did this, this incident will definitely cause a chain reaction.’
Xu Ning knew very well that while Han Huxiao was the face of the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall, he was also its biggest trump card.
If he was injured, the other forces in the city would highly likely exert pressure on the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall.
When one’s own strength did not match the resources one possessed, there would inevitably be people trying to grab it.
‘If I stay in the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall, then the outside pressure will be very high.’
Xu Ning foresaw this.
According to Xu Ning’s gauge of Han Huxiao’s injuries, he believed that it would take a long time for Han Huxiao to recover from his injuries.
But even then, this was definitely not the time to just jump ship.
He needed to wait until the subsequent state of affairs became clearer before making a decision.
If Han Huxiao still had a back-up plan, if he could resolve the trouble, or if he could coordinate with every party and return the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall to a stable state.
Xu Ning still had a good impression of the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall.
But if the enemy was too tough, it would then be a matter of life-and-death. At that point, Xu Ning could only protect himself first and get himself out of the quagmire.
‘I’ll wait for Hall Master Han’s response.’
Xu Ning decided not to move for the time being. He decided that he would still be the deputy hall master of the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall.
…
After being brought back to the room by Han Yue, Han Huxiao no longer hid the injuries in his body and began to spew out blood.
Han Huxiao’s weakened breath was even weaker this time.
“Dad!”
When Han Yue saw this, her eyes began to tear up.
“Why did this happen?”
Han Yue helped Han Huxiao onto the bed, then grabbed a porcelain bottle from the cupboard.
She took out a dan medicine from the porcelain bottle and helped Han Huxiao eat it.
“Ahem…”
After Han Huxiao ate the dan medicine, he coughed out twice, and his face slightly brightened up.
“Han Yue, our Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall may be in serious trouble.”
Han Huxiao did not comfort his daughter. Instead, he directly explained the seriousness of the situation.
“I’m sure this ambush must have been done by some of the forces in the canton city.” Han Huxiao said, “Although I traversed many paths when I was young, I never made enemies with others. But ever since the establishment of my martial arts hall, others have begun to create problems for me.”
“This time, although I don’t know who is behind the scenes, during the fight, I can tell that they have a strong intent to kill me. Even if they don’t kill me, they will try and cripple me.”
“You know, the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall is quite famous in the canton city, but in the end, our foundation is relatively shallow. The whole martial arts hall is relying on me. Before Deputy Hall Master Xu came, the strongest person below me was only in the internal qi realm. Our loss of strength is serious.”
“And now that I’m injured, it won’t be long before our martial arts hall and affiliated businesses fall apart.”
Han Huxiao was obviously worried. “The situation is critical right now. Our opponent is clearly prepared, and they will take action soon.”
“Dad, what should we do?”
Han Yue already understood their current predicament. Although she was anxious and worried, she still insisted on keeping her calmness.
Han Huxiao did not immediately respond to Han Yue’s question.
He closed his eyes, frowned, and fell into deep thought.
After a long time, Han Huxiao opened his eyes.
He didn’t answer Han Yue’s question right away, instead he asked, “Someone must have come to seek trouble while I was away, right?”
“Yes.”
Han Yue replied, “Tie Guanxiong from the Fierce Metal Martial Arts Hall came, but he was defeated by Deputy Hall Master Xu.”
“Tie Guanxiong was defeated by Xu Ning?”
Han Huxiao’s eyes showed a look of surprise.
He had previously fought against Xu Ning, so he knew that Xu Ning was talented.
He believed that Xu Ning, who was in the state mind realm, was equally as strong as Tie Guanxiong.
Although Tie Guanxiong had not cultivated a perfection realm external skill, his body was strong and possessed oppressive strength. In addition, he had been promoted to the state mind realm for a long time, causing his strength to be unrivaled among those below the state mind realm.
Han Huxiao didn’t expect Tie Guanxiong to lose to Xu Ning in combat.
“When Deputy Hall Master Xu and Tie Guanxiong fought, he went up and fought hard. He didn’t give up an inch.” Han Yue continued, “But after a while, Deputy Hall Master Xu changed his fighting style. I think he also might have changed his method of force. Immediately after that, Tie Guanxiong was forced to be on the defensive, and after a dozen exchanges, he was defeated.”
“Um…”
A different color appeared in Han Huxiao’s eyes. “A head-on fight with Tie Guanxiong. This young man is amazing!”
When Han Huxiao and Xu Ning were sparring, Xu Ning only showed him one type of force method.
But according to Han Yue, Xu Ning was proficient in other ways of using force.
Even some intention realm warriors could not control their force to this level of precision.
“Except for Tie Guanxiong, has Xu Ning fought against anyone else?”
Han Huxiao then asked.
“No.”
Han Yue shook her head. “When Tie Guanxiong came to cause trouble for us, he also came with a lot of spectators in the city. And after Deputy Hall Master Xu defeated him, this matter quickly spread. Now, everyone knows about Deputy Hall Master Xu’s strength. With him here, no one else dared to find trouble with us.”
Han Huxiao nodded thoughtfully. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something.
‘Sh*t!’
Han Huxiao’s face changed. “After the strength of Deputy Hall Master Xu spreads, there will definitely be martial arts halls or martial arts clans in the city who have secretly contacted him. After all, he has only recently arrived at the Shadowmoon Martial Arts Hall, and we can’t easily keep him. As long as they offer enough benefits, they can easily poach our talent!”
“Han Yue, have you noticed any strangers contacting Deputy Hall Master Xu?”
