Chapter 53

Shang Xia came out of the quiet room, about to walk downstairs, when he heard a rough and hearty laugh coming from below.

Shang Xia’s face lit up with joy upon hearing the voice, and he quickly walked downstairs. Sure enough, he saw Shang Quan and a burly man with a beard smiling at him.

"Uncle Seven, why are you here?"

The burly man with the beard was none other than Yan Qi, Shang Xia’s constant companion.

"Little Master!"

Yan Qi smiled and said, "I heard about your disappearance in Tongyou City, so the young lady sent me to the Two Realms Battle Domain to look for you. I never expected that you would not only return safely but also have advanced in cultivation. I was overjoyed when I heard the news."

Shang Quan laughed from the side, "Little Seven also joined the patrol riders in the search for you and the abducted scholars, but his luck wasn’t as good as mine. However, he participated in the ambush against the Fengyan Tribe in the valley."

Shang Xia’s eyes brightened at this, "Uncle Seven, tell me about that battle. Did Tang Yuan really take action?"

Yan Qi’s expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "Yes! And Tang Yuan’s cultivation has reached the third level of the Martial Intent Realm. Because of his sudden attack, a second-level Martial Intent Realm cultivator from the Fengyan Tribe was instantly severely injured, which laid the foundation for the patrol riders' great victory."

"However, that second-level Martial Intent Realm expert from the Fengyan Tribe was a formidable opponent. After being severely injured, he realized he couldn’t survive, so he decided to fight to the death, creating an opportunity for his companions to break through the encirclement."

"Because of this person’s self-sacrifice, Tang Yuan hesitated at the last moment, and in the end, another Martial Intent Realm expert managed to break through with three or four others."

"Tang Yuan has actually reached the third level of the Martial Intent Realm!"

Shang Quan couldn’t help but frown, "No wonder! No wonder the patrol riders’ response was slow when the news of the convoy attack and the abduction of scholars first came in, and Tang Yuan was reluctant to show up. Later, we thought it was because Liu Jitang had withdrawn some of the patrol riders' elite forces, but now it seems this guy was probably in seclusion, breaking through to the third level of the Martial Intent Realm. Otherwise, Liu Jitang wouldn’t have been able to withdraw the forces so smoothly."

Tang Yuan is not only the head of the patrol riders in the College Guard but also the top confidant of Ji Wenglong.

With this person advancing to the third level of the Martial Intent Realm, the power under Ji Wenglong’s control will inevitably expand further.

The patrol riders, who were previously criticized for the convoy attack and the abduction of scholars, will inevitably have their morale boosted.

Furthermore, this ambush in the valley was a great victory, which will undoubtedly further elevate Tang Yuan’s status in Tongyou College.

Although Tongyou City is under the high authority of Tongyou College, which suppresses and coordinates everything,

there is still open and covert competition among the four major families below Tongyou College, and this competition even extends to the internal affairs of Tongyou College.

Shang Xia glanced at his uncle, roughly guessing that he was weighing the strength comparison between the two families in his mind.

At this moment, Yan Qi suddenly added, "However, during the final breakout, it seemed that someone outside the Fengyan Tribe’s breakout direction provided assistance, continuously attacking and injuring two ordinary patrol riders, causing some chaos, which ultimately allowed the opponents to escape smoothly. Otherwise, that battle would have at least captured two Martial Extreme Realm cultivators."

Hearing this, Shang Xia immediately thought of the female warrior Yan Ming.

Although he didn’t know who had secretly acted that day, Shang Xia felt that it might have been Yan Ming.

However, this was clearly not the time to consider these issues. Shang Xia had more important matters to verify.

"Uncle Seven, was everything well at home before you came? Is everything normal in Tongyou City?"

Shang Quan’s deep thoughts were interrupted, and he looked up at Shang Xia in surprise.

Yan Qi was a bit confused, thinking for a moment before saying, "There shouldn’t be any major issues in the family. However, when the news of your disappearance in the Two Realms Battle Domain came, the young lady seemed quite panicked."

"As for Tongyou City..."

Yan Qi paused slightly.

"What’s the situation in Tongyou City?" Shang Xia asked urgently.

"Tongyou City is under martial law, but it’s justified by the conflict initiated by the Cangling martial cultivators in the Two Realms Battle Domain. Is this considered abnormal?"

City-wide martial law in Tongyou City is not a new thing for its residents.

Whenever the situation in the Two Realms Battle Domain becomes tense, Tongyou City usually declares martial law.

It’s not that there are three or five such declarations every year, but on average, there are one or two city-wide martial laws each year.

This is partly because in recent years, the martial cultivators from both realms have maintained a high level of restraint.

If we go back to the early days of the Two Realms Battle Domain, over a decade ago, the martial cultivators from both realms fought to the death, causing rivers of blood to flow.

At that time, Tongyou City might have declared martial law only once a year, but that martial law lasted for an entire year.

Shang Xia’s expression turned serious, and he continued, "Uncle Seven, after the news of my disappearance was sent back, how many people did the family send to the Two Realms Battle Domain besides you?"

Yan Qi’s face showed a mix of embarrassment and anger, but he tried to justify it, "Little Master, don’t be upset. The young lady has it tough. At that time, many of the family’s martial cultivators were on external missions, and with Tongyou City under martial law, the four major families had the responsibility to cooperate with Tongyou College to protect the city, so the manpower was..."

Shang Xia’s expression grew even more serious, and he waved his hand in agitation, "Uncle Seven, you misunderstood. It’s not because of this..."

Shang Quan, who had been observing from the side after his deep thoughts were interrupted, saw through Shang Xia’s intentions and said, "Xia, it seems you think the martial law in Tongyou City is not because of the tense situation in the Two Realms Battle Domain but rather because of some problem in Tongyou City itself?"

"If it were just Tongyou City, that would be better..."

Shang Xia clearly had more to say but didn’t elaborate, instead looking at his uncle and asking, "Uncle Quan, has there been any news from Grandfather Wu after such a long time?"

Shang Quan was somewhat surprised, "I have already reported your urgent matter to Uncle Ke through the family’s secret communication, but Uncle Ke has not responded yet."

After a pause, Shang Quan asked cautiously, "Xia, have you learned something?"

Shang Xia forced himself to calm down, "I have indeed received some bad news, but the authenticity of the information still needs to be confirmed, so I’m eager to report it, but..."

Shang Quan nodded in understanding and continued with a bitter smile, "But recently, whether it’s the college’s high-ranking officials or the heads of the major families on Tongyou Peak, they have all disappeared. If it weren’t for the patrol riders’ recent victory and Tang Yuan’s return to Tongyou Peak, I would have thought all the Martial Intent Realm cultivators on Tongyou Peak had vanished without a trace."

Shang Xia took a deep breath, "There’s no other way. It seems I can only find Tang Yuan."

After saying this, Shang Xia turned to Shang Quan, "Uncle Quan, can you arrange for me to meet Tang Yuan as soon as possible?"

"I’ll take care of it!"

Shang Quan nodded, then asked hesitantly, "Xia, is the matter really that serious? Does it have a significant impact on our family?"

"Life and death!"

Shang Xia’s face was grim.

Shang Quan’s face turned pale, "I’ll go to the patrol riders’ hall right away!"

...

The patrol riders’ hall is not located on the main peak of Tongyou Peak but at the foot of the outer peaks, covering a vast area. From a distance, it looks more like a horse field.

"The patrol riders’ hall is built here for two reasons: one, for easy deployment, and two, because the main peak of Tongyou Peak has limited space and cannot accommodate so many people and horses."

Due to Shang Xia’s urgent request, Shang Quan directly took him to meet the head of the patrol riders, Tang Yuan.

The two were stopped at the entrance to the patrol riders’ hall.

"I am Shang Quan, the head of Shanglou, and I have an urgent matter to report to the patrol rider chief Tang!"

Shang Quan’s demeanor was very humble, more like a businessman with a friendly and profitable expression.

However, the guards at the entrance were not blind. They took Shang Quan’s visiting card, glanced at Shang Xia beside him, and said with a respectful smile, "Please wait a moment, sir. I will inform the chief immediately."

Shang Xia whispered from the side, "This Chief Tang seems to have quite a bit of arrogance."

Shang Quan smiled and whispered back, "He might become even more arrogant in the future!"

Shang Xia nodded in understanding, his uncle referring to Chief Tang’s recent advancement to the third level of the Martial Intent Realm.

After a while, the guard who had gone in to inform them came running out, "The two of you, the chief invites you in!"

Shang Quan nodded and walked in, seemingly familiar with the interior of the patrol riders’ hall.

As they passed a cobblestone path, Shang Xia could see patrol riders practicing their formation drills on the nearby horse field.

"Shang Xia!"

Suddenly, a loud voice came, and a rider galloped over, stopping abruptly about ten feet away, displaying excellent riding skills.

"What are you doing here?"

The rider lifted his mask, his eyes staring at Shang Xia with some hostility.

"Zhang Jianfei? You’re in the College Guard now?"

Shang Xia looked at the rider in surprise, frowning, "I have an urgent matter to report to Chief Tang. I don’t have time to chat with you."

With that, Shang Xia turned to leave.

"Don’t go!"

Zhang Jianfei dismounted, his foot touching the ground, and he floated towards Shang Xia.

Shang Xia suddenly turned and pushed out a palm towards the approaching Zhang Jianfei.

In mid-air, Zhang Jianfei felt an overwhelming force that sent him flipping backward.

He staggered a few steps after landing, barely regaining his balance, and said in shock and anger, "You..."

But before he could finish, his face changed as another force struck him.

Zhang Jianfei shouted, channeling his internal energy to resist.

However, the force was like a gentle spring breeze, completely unaffected by his energy, and struck him again.

The force seemed gentle, but the moment it hit him, it sent him rolling backward.

Zhang Jianfei struggled to control his body, trying to stand up, but the force of the palm strike continued in waves, making him tumble backward four or five times before landing on his buttocks.

At this moment, Zhang Jianfei was covered in dirt and grass, with several weeds in his hair, looking extremely disheveled.

However, he was not paying attention to his appearance, his face filled with the shock of being defeated by Shang Xia’s casual strike.

Shang Xia had already turned and walked forward, his voice carrying, "Since you’re in the patrol riders, didn’t Ju Xing tell you that I have advanced to the Martial Extreme Realm?"

"Martial Extreme Realm, is it the Soft and Hard Path or the Real and Illusory Path?"

Zhang Jianfei first said these words with a bitter smile, then his face turned angry, "What a scoundrel, Ju Xing! No wonder he was talking nonsense to me before. He must have been humiliated by Shang Xia and wanted to see me suffer too!"