Chapter 228: Cheng Yu: I Hear You Want to Discipline My Subordinates for Me?
On the platform.
Su Wei nudged Yang Li with his foot and discovered that the man no longer moved. Looking at Yang Li’s battered face, he sighed helplessly.
“If we are sparring, then spar normally. Why did you have to say so much? There was no need for things to end up like this.”
The practical combat task Cheng Yu had arranged required ten fights.
They also had to challenge the strong as the weak. Win or lose, they could not use their own advantages to crush their opponents.
If Yang Li had not run his mouth, Su Wei would have lost, and that would have been that. As long as he gained something from it, it would have been fine.
In the end, Yang Li had insisted on spouting nonsense, only to be knocked unconscious by one punch and lose in an extremely ugly manner.
Su Wei did not have it easy either. This round did not count!
Just as he was wondering whether he should find someone else and spar again, a terrifying force suddenly erupted and pressed toward him.
“You struck viciously, without the slightest regard for your fellow Jinyiwei! Su Wei, do you know your crime?!”
Zhang Fen’s voice boomed like thunder as he suddenly reached out and grabbed at Su Wei.
The strength of an Eighth-Rank martial artist was an entirely different world.
Just the pressure of his Internal Energy alone made Su Wei’s Internal Energy tremble throughout his body, leaving him without any courage to resist.
Zhang Fen’s Internal Energy transformed into a pair of giant black-fog hands and lifted Su Wei’s entire body into the air.
The entire venue immediately turned pale with shock.
Zhang Fen, a dignified Assistant Commissioner, was actually attacking someone just because his subordinate had lost a sparring match!
“You surnamed Zhang, what are you doing?!” Su Wei cursed outright.
Too damned shameless!
Yang Li was no match for him, and Zhang Fen had actually become anxious!
Although he had been seized by someone far stronger than himself, he still struggled madly with the strength of his Vital Blood.
“Oh?”
Zhang Fen raised his brows. The strength of Su Wei’s struggle far exceeded his expectations.
This was not the kind of power a martial artist of the Middle Three Ranks should possess.
What exactly had Cheng Yu done?
Zhang Fen grew increasingly curious and fearful. Fortunately, he had discovered this so early.
If he had failed to notice it for a time and allowed these Jinyiwei to continue growing, then given enough time, Cheng Yu’s force would become terrifying!
He glared viciously at Su Wei.
“Sparring between colleagues should stop at a proper point. You did not restrain yourself at all and seriously injured one of our own. Do you know your crime?!”
Su Wei struggled even more fiercely and glared back at him.
If this had been the past, he might have backed down in a situation like this. If he could not afford to offend someone, then he simply would not.
But things were different now.
He was now someone under Cheng Yu, Lord Cheng. Before Cheng Yu, the two Zhang Brothers were nothing more than laughable clowns.
How could he disgrace Lord Cheng?
“The two of us were sparring normally. Naturally, life and death depend on fate. Could it be that he is allowed to injure me, but I am not allowed to injure him?”
“There is no need for sophistry. Come with me and receive punishment!”
As an Assistant Commissioner, Zhang Fen had no intention of listening to the explanation of some minor figure.
The urgent matter now was to understand exactly why Su Wei’s Vital Blood had increased. If this was left unchecked, it would likely brew into a great disaster that affected the situation within the Jinyiwei!
Zhang Fen abruptly unleashed his Internal Energy again.
The giant black-fog hands clenched Su Wei even tighter, leaving him with even less room to struggle.
“You bastard, let go of me...”
Su Wei’s curses grew weaker and weaker.
Zhang Fen sneered. A useless ant like this actually dared to resist.
He now had to find his elder brother, Zhang De, and properly investigate how Cheng Yu had increased his subordinates’ strength.
If it was truly valuable, they could even contact Elder Grand Secretary Qi and the others, think of a way to seize it, and place it in the hands of their own people.
“Carry this trash away.”
Zhang Fen casually arranged for the handling of Yang Li, who was lying to the side, and was just about to leave.
But a cold voice suddenly stopped him.
“Put him down!”
Zhang Fen looked over strangely and found that Xiao Qi and the others had blocked his path.
His heart immediately filled with cold laughter.
A group of trash who overestimated themselves actually dared to stop him?
“All of you, get lost!”
The terrifying Internal Energy of an Eighth-Rank martial artist swept outward, pushing Xiao Qi and the others until their bodies swayed and they retreated half a step.
Yet they still gritted their teeth and endured it. They did not back down.
Xiao Qi stepped forward and placed his hand on the deep-blue longsaber at his waist.
He said coldly, “What is Assistant Commissioner Zhang trying to do? Su Wei is Lord Cheng’s man. Are you not afraid of angering him?”
Hearing Xiao Qi threaten him with Cheng Yu, Zhang Fen recalled the recent matter of Duke Dingguo, where he and his elder brother had lost all face. Not only had he missed his chance at promotion, but he had also been cursed out by the Elder Grand Secretary.
He flew into a rage from shame, his brows standing on end.
He shouted angrily, “Get lost! It is not your place to threaten me!”
Xiao Qi showed no fear at all. He and the others still firmly blocked Zhang Fen’s path.
With righteous sternness, he said, “I am not threatening you, my lord. Rather, what you are doing is wrong. How can someone be blamed for injuring his opponent in a sparring match? If you insist on persisting in your mistake, then take me away with him!”
As soon as those words came out, Su Wei looked at Xiao Qi gratefully and felt strength return to his whole body.
Good brother!
Zhang Fen, however, gritted his teeth and frowned. Xiao Qi was a member of the imperial clan and the grandson of Duke Zhongyi. He could not be dealt with casually like the others.
This was somewhat troublesome.
But his thoughts quickly stirred, and he looked toward Lu Lin, who stood not far away.
“Lord Lu, explain it to them. After obtaining tremendous strength from a breakthrough, instead of thinking about killing enemies, he deliberately used a sinister sneak attack during a sparring match between colleagues. Is that something we can allow?”
Lu Lin frowned. He could hear the meaning in Zhang Fen’s words.
There was something wrong with the increase in Su Wei’s Vital Blood and strength. Behind it might be a great secret of Cheng Yu’s, and it absolutely could not be ignored!
The moment he thought of how this concerned the Lu Family’s interests, Lu Lin nodded coldly.
“Sparring and exchanging pointers are meant for mutual improvement. Abandoning one’s saber to launch a sneak attack is a crooked path. How can my Jinyiwei tolerate such a thing?”
“All of you, disperse. Do not commit insubordination by blocking Lord Zhang!”
As a direct-line scion of the Lu Family, Lu Lin was precisely the person present with the greatest authority to interpret the Jinyiwei’s rules.
Once he defined the matter this way, it became reasonable and proper for Zhang Fen to take Su Wei away!
“No!”
Xiao Qi still shook his head and refused to yield. “No matter what you say, without Lord Cheng’s approval, do not even think about taking Su Wei away!”
The others shouted along with him.
“Do not even think about taking Su Wei away!”
How could Lord Cheng’s subordinates retreat?
Lu Lin’s expression immediately turned ugly. The words of a member of the Lu Family actually had no effect within the Jinyiwei?
Cheng Yu’s people were too arrogant!
“Lu Zhao, go and take down that ignorant fool!”
“Yes!”
A young Jinyiwei Commandant obeyed the order and walked in front of Xiao Qi, saying viciously, “Move aside!”
Among the Lu Family’s younger generation, Lu Zhao was second only to Lu Lin. His strength had always been ahead of Xiao Qi and the others.
Dealing with this group of small fry was naturally as easy as reaching out his hand.
“Get lost!”
Xiao Qi had no intention of paying attention to him at all.
Lu Zhao flew into a rage. “You do not know what is good for you!”
He drew the Xiuchun Saber at his waist and suddenly attacked Xiao Qi. He had to give them an initial show of force first. Only then would these people obey!
But in the next instant, Xiao Qi drew his saber and swung it. Brilliant deep-blue saber light poured out, tracing a strange arc.
SNAP!
The Xiuchun Saber in Lu Zhao’s hand broke into two pieces, and the tip fell to the ground.
He stared blankly at the weapon in Xiao Qi’s hand, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Not far away, Lu Lin’s surprised voice also rang out.
“A Spiritual Armament? How is that possible? Was it given by Duke Zhongyi? But that is not right. Even Xiao Ping does not have a Spiritual Armament...”
After his shock passed, Lu Lin’s gaze instantly turned cold. Lu Zhao was no match for Xiao Qi in a single exchange. He could only act personally!
“How bold! I will discipline all of you properly on Cheng Yu’s behalf...”
He shouted loudly and was just about to attack Xiao Qi.
Yet he suddenly felt a chill behind him. All the hair on his body stood on end, as though he had been thrown into the cold of winter.
Lu Lin’s body stiffened. He silently looked down at the ground and saw a tall shadow appearing behind him.
He turned his head.
Cheng Yu stood there expressionlessly, reached out, and pressed one hand onto Lu Lin’s shoulder.
CRACK!
Lu Lin’s entire body trembled, and the floor beneath his feet suddenly shattered.
A voice like the cold wind of deepest winter rang out.
“I hear you want to discipline my subordinates for me?”