C9 Chen Family!

Early the next morning, Xuan Yi was roused by a commotion.

"Why all the racket so early?" he grumbled, frowning as he made his way to the door and swung it open.

"You must be the gentleman who saved my life. I can't thank you enough, sir. I've come specifically to express my gratitude."

To his surprise, the visitor was none other than the Champion Marquis, Wu Guang.

"You're back on your feet already? That's the Champion Marquis for you. Most folks laid low by Shadow Poison would be bedridden for days before making a full recovery."

Xuan Yi greeted Wu Guang with a warm smile.

Wu Guang, a bit embarrassed, replied with an eager smile, "Sir, you've saved my life, and I owe you a great debt. Should you ever require anything, I'll spare no effort to assist you."

"Let's not talk of life debts. Please, come inside," Xuan Yi said, leading the way into the room.

Once they were seated, Xuan Yi produced a token and handed it to Wu Guang, his voice grave as he inquired, "Take a look at this token. Does it belong to the same person who poisoned you?"

Wu Guang examined the token he picked up from the table and confirmed, "Indeed, this is the one. After I was poisoned, the assassin was captured, and this token was found on him. But how do you have it? Were you targeted by an assassin as well?"

"No, nothing like that. Do you know who's behind it?"

Wu Guang's brow furrowed as he pondered the question. After a brief moment, he hesitantly offered a bamboo scroll to Xuan Yi.

"This contains information on the Thanid Empire. I may not know the individuals, but I'm familiar with their organization, the Shadow Squad."

Xuan Yi scanned the scroll briefly, his expression darkening with the rise of his killing intent. The information Wu Guang provided suggested that the leader of the Shadow Squad had some connection to him, as their techniques were derived from his own Shadow Arts.

As a seasoned soldier, Wu Guang was acutely aware of the shift in Xuan Yi's demeanor.

"Sir, what's the matter?" he asked, taken aback.

"It's nothing," Xuan Yi replied curtly before exiting the room and heading directly to Yao Ling's quarters.

Yao Ling's spirits had been lifted thanks to Xuan Yi's guidance. She had been diligently honing the pill refining skills she had long neglected.

"Master, you've arrived. What do you think of the pills I've made?"

Upon seeing Xuan Yi, Yao Ling eagerly presented some of her crafted pills for his inspection.

Xuan Yi examined the pills in Yao Ling's hands and shook his head. "The quality is passable, but it seems you've allowed a significant amount of the medicinal potency to dissipate during the refining process. That's not good."

"I'll heed your advice, Master."

Yao Ling nodded in agreement, taking the feedback to heart.

"I must attend to some matters and will likely be leaving soon. Once I'm gone, you should be extra vigilant. Your residence has attracted unwanted attention, likely from someone within the Thanid Empire, and this individual happens to be your junior brother. I must go now."

Xuan Yi was visibly concerned. His Shadow Technique was the deadliest and broadest-reaching of all his arts, primarily based on poison. He was uncertain how many people his disciple might have harmed with it.

"Junior brother?"

Yao Ling, not dwelling on the matter, asked with curiosity.

"Yes, he's my tenth disciple. It's hard to believe that he was once so conscientious, tending to even the slightest injury he caused to a wild animal. It's baffling to see how much he has changed," Xuan Yi said with a sigh.

Yao Ling looked at Xuan Yi, puzzled by his words.

"Never mind, it's not your concern. Just keep your guard up. Your junior brother is quite ruthless, and you need to be cautious."

With those final words, Xuan Yi turned and departed from Yao Ling's estate.

Leaving the Imperial City behind, Xuan Yi surveyed his surroundings and set off in the direction of the Thanid Empire.

After a day's journey, Xuan Yi realized he had a problem—he lacked a map. Without one, he had no idea when he would arrive at the Thanid Empire.

As darkness fell and no city was in sight, Xuan Yi resigned himself to the situation.

"Looks like this is where we'll rest for the night."

With that, he began to set up his tent.

At that moment, a raucous clamor interrupted Xuan Yi's actions.

"Second Master, the woman we found today wasn't half bad. Too bad we didn't get the chance to let the boss have a little fun with her."

"No worries. We'll have another look, but let's not get our hands dirty this time. We'll save the fun for the boss, so he doesn't accuse us of keeping all the spoils to ourselves."

Xuan Yi didn't need to think twice to understand the situation. For these men, he had only one response: Kill.

But before Xuan Yi could act, the clash of combat reached his ears.

"Hmm?"

He stealthily approached the source of the commotion.

There, a caravan was locked in battle with a band of bandits.

The caravan's defenders were fiercely protecting a carriage, clearly indicating that its occupants were of paramount importance.

Yet, the caravan's defenders were no match for the bloodthirsty bandits, who were quickly overpowering them.

They stood their ground, fiercely protecting the carriage, resolved not to let the bandits anywhere near it, even at the cost of their lives.

"Captain, we can't hold them off. What do we do?"

A young guard approached an older one, his voice laced with panic.

"We must get the young miss to safety, no matter what," the captain resolved.

As he prepared to make his way to the carriage, he fortuitously spotted Xuan Yi lurking in the shadows.

"Sir, could you lend us a hand? We are from the Chen family of the Thanid Empire. We will be sure to reward you handsomely upon our return."

The captain wasn't sure if Xuan Yi had the skills to assist them, but they were out of options.

Xuan Yi had no intention of intervening, but upon learning they were from the Thanid Empire, the opportunity felt like a godsend. He was already set on dealing with the bandits, and now he'd have a guide to the empire. It was an ideal situation.

"I have no need for your riches. Just guide me to the Thanid Empire," Xuan Yi said, unhurried.

"Absolutely, no problem at all."

The captain was growing desperate as his numbers dwindled. Any further delay in reaching an agreement with Xuan Yi, and he might have no men left to save.

Upon witnessing the scene, Xuan Yi allowed himself a small smile. With a casual flick of his wrist, a myriad of flames burst forth, spiraling directly into the bandits' bodies.

"Ah!"

One by one, the bandits collapsed, their cries of agony piercing the air until, abruptly, silence fell.

"Was it over that quickly?"