Without his teacher by his side, Li Hao reverted to his cautious, guarded state.
There was no harm in keeping a low profile before influential figures.
Acting flamboyantly might catch Hou Xiaochen’s attention, but... was there any need for that?
He did not know Hou Xiaochen well, bore no affection for him, and had no need for his favor.
All he required in the short term was for Hou Xiaochen to shield him from some of the pressure. Even that was not a deal made between him and Hou Xiaochen, but an agreement his teacher had struck with the director.
Thus, Li Hao judged that Hou Xiaochen’s desire to see him prove his worth was not merely a matter of whether to grant protection.
Furthermore, would Hou Xiaochen hand him over?
Never!
A man capable of speaking of declaring independence would destabilize the Night Watchers entirely if he surrendered Li Hao at this juncture. Even though everyone understood that giving Li Hao up would save endless trouble, Li Hao was a Night Watcher—that was an indisputable fact. If a prospective rebel king traded away his own people for a fleeting peace, who would risk their life for him?
Exposing secrets might at best yield some resources, but the price paid could be vastly greater.
Such was Li Hao’s calculation.
Thus, he maintained a humble posture before Hou Xiaochen, showing no trace of anything extraordinary. As for his strength at the Hundred-Breaker culmination, Hou Xiaochen likely did not hold it in much regard anyway.
After all, he was not the Yuan Shuo who had run rampant across an era.
He was merely the newcomer, Li Hao.
Having comprehended sword momentum and earth momentum, Li Hao was currently in a phase of cultivating and strengthening his momentum, while also attempting to fuse the two. Though it felt as if he could step into Thousand-Battler at any moment, Li Hao was in no rush.
Stepping into Thousand-Battler now would merely make him the next Liu Long.
And Li Hao did not want to merely become an ordinary Thousand-Battler.
His teacher had blended five momentums; Li Hao had to fuse at least two. Only then could he grow rapidly stronger upon entering Thousand-Battler, rivaling the mid, late, or even peak stages of Solar Radiance, rather than being limited to defeating only early Solar Radiance opponents... That would be too much of a waste of time.
Walking behind the others, Li Hao turned these thoughts over in his mind.
Then he thought of the ruins.
"The exploration of the ruins should still go ahead. Hou Xiaochen and the others won't pass it up. Once too many eyes are on it, they won't have the chance anymore, so tomorrow's expedition into the ruins will most likely proceed without a hitch. It's just a matter of who enters..."
He considered it. Perhaps the numbers would be trimmed, or perhaps more powerhouses would join.
With the rest of Red Moon dead, would Ziyue go in?
It would not be a bad thing if she did. In fact, Li Hao even hoped she would. If she entered, she might even serve as an extra hand in a critical moment... For no other reason than that Red Moon currently did not want Li Hao dying inside the ruins.
It all depended on whether Ying Hongyue had given Ziyue such an order.
"Once I enter Thousand-Battler, I must also swiftly nourish my spirit. Teacher nourished five momentums; I can start by nourishing one—either sword or earth momentum. That will require sufficient earth or metal energy."
Swords belonged to metal, earth to earth.
When his teacher nourished the Heart Fire Ape, he had absorbed the life energy of an entire Three Sols expert and over a thousand cubic meters of fire energy before it was enough.
Li Hao had absorbed some previously, but he would still need to prepare at least a thousand cubic meters.
At this moment, he was pondering where to obtain a thousand cubic meters of earth or metal energy.
"A Three Sols expert, or four to five Solar Radiance supers."
"Setting aside the Night Watchers, Red Moon is down to just Ziyue. Bright Island has been wiped out. The situation with Sword Gate is unclear, so they're hard to target... Feitian or Yama? Yama is the primary target..."
He thought of Yama.
Yama was perhaps the best fit for his goals.
"Water momentum isn't urgent, though preparing to strengthen it in advance is also an option. Zhang Ting would be suitable."
"On Yama's side, I know that Li Dahu is of the earth element, though he's only at early Solar Radiance... Their leader is also a Three Sols expert..."
And then there was the Wheel-Turning King, who had arrived today. Li Hao wondered whether he would enter the ruins.
His thoughts had long since drifted far. Clearly only a Hundred-Breaker, he was already setting his sights on Solar Radiance and even Three Sols experts.
Anyone who knew would probably think he was mad.
"Li Hao!"
Just then, Hou Xiaochen called out from ahead.
Li Hao hurried forward and bowed his head. "Director!"
Hou Xiaochen glanced back at him and smiled. "You seem heavily preoccupied. Are you under some kind of pressure?"
Li Hao was startled. Heavily preoccupied?
I was just thinking things over; could you really read even that?
"No, I was just a little worried about my teacher."
"Oh, Yuan Shuo... Don't worry, he's weathered great storms. He won't stumble over a minor matter like this. Besides, since he left, he must have made preparations."
At that, Hou Xiaochen continued walking as he asked, "Do you have an effective method for extracting and absorbing Blood God Seeds?"
Li Hao replied immediately, "I have no special method. As for extracting Blood God Seeds, you already know how that's done, Director. As for absorbing them... that's even simpler. If a martial master absorbs one, their strength will certainly increase. However, ordinary breathing techniques might be less efficient, whereas the Five Animals Breathing Art yields higher efficiency."
"Low efficiency, is it?"
Hou Xiaochen lapsed into thought. After walking a bit further, he asked again, "Would your teacher mind having the Five Animals Breathing Art taught to others?"
"No, that can't be done!"
Li Hao shook his head. "Teacher didn't give permission, and I don't know his thoughts on the matter. Without his word, I cannot teach it to outsiders."
He had no idea what Hou Xiaochen was plotting, but the Five Animals Breathing Art could certainly not be shared outside right now.
Of course, if his teacher succeeded in his adaptations and the Five Animals Breathing Art proved effective for nourishing the five viscera in the later stages—allowing one to nourish them directly—then the current breathing technique would not be impossible to teach.
Just as his teacher had created the Five Animals Breathing Art, he had shared the simpler prior breathing technique with outsiders, which Wang Ming and the others now practiced.
This was the core principle of a martial master's heritage: always hold a card in reserve.
It was only passed to direct disciples.
No one would selflessly broadcast their core heritage to the world.
"Mm."
Hou Xiaochen did not press the matter further. As they walked on, he asked, "Do you want to enter the ruins tomorrow? Your teacher asked me to ensure your safety. The ruins are perilous. If you don't wish to enter, I won't force you; you can stay with me."
"You aren't going in, Director?"
"I'm not."
Hou Xiaochen smiled. "If I went in, the others wouldn't dare to enter. And I'm afraid that if I went in, by the time I came back out, the Night Watchers outside would be gone."
He had to remain outside to hold the line and await the arrival of powerhouses from various factions.
With him present, he could still serve as a deterrent.
If he entered and lost communication, the entire supernatural system of Silver Moon would fall into chaos.
"What about Chief Steward Yu?" Li Hao asked.
"She won't be going in either."
Hou Xiaochen chuckled. "She's just a secretary, not a combatant. Would she go in just to make people protect her?"
Beside them, a faint smile appeared on Chief Steward Yu's cold face.
Li Hao nodded and said nothing more.
Whatever you say.
...
Upon returning to the camp, Li Hao stopped following Hou Xiaochen.
He went back to his own tent.
Just this morning, his teacher had still been here, yet now his whereabouts were unknown. There was no telling whether his injuries could fully heal, nor how many powerful enemies this incident would draw against him.
Though his teacher was formidable, with the rise of the supernatural—leaving aside those above Three Sols—if several late Three Sols experts came at once, his teacher would likely be no match for them.
In the past, under his teacher's protection, even when facing enemies and danger, he had a pillar of support in the final moment.
But now, whom could he rely on?
Returning to the tent, Li Hao sat upon the simple stone bed, turning everything over in his mind.
A moment later, Liu Long walked in.
Seeing Li Hao sitting dazed in contemplation, Liu Long spoke: "Don't enter the ruins tomorrow."
"I'm going in!"
Li Hao looked up at Liu Long and smiled. "Why shouldn't I? Boss, do you also think that now that Teacher is gone, I should tuck my tail between my legs, hide away in some desolate place, and stay hidden until Teacher shows up again?"
"That's not what I meant. It's just that you're in grave danger right now..."
"Yeah, I know!"
Li Hao nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Boss, could you do me a favor?"
"Speak."
"Teach me how to extract mysterious energy."
Indeed, Li Hao did not know how.
Liu Long likely did. Previously, Yun Yao had handled it, but Li Hao figured it couldn't be too difficult, as plenty of people knew how.
Rather than asking the Night Watchers, he felt safer asking Liu Long.
Liu Long frowned slightly, but soon answered, "The old methods were quite troublesome, but it's much simpler now. Many Solar Radiance and Three Sols died this time; their bones make the finest storage vessels! In addition, energy storage boxes have recently been introduced—you know about them, they're good items too. After a supernatural dies, their energy doesn't dissipate immediately, but remains concentrated in their flesh and blood. If you have an energy storage box, you can just stuff the remains straight in.
"When you need to use it, simply pulverize the flesh and blood, and the energy will naturally diffuse out."
Li Hao nodded. With an energy storage box, it truly was much simpler.
In that case, he had best bring an energy storage box inside.
As the two were speaking, Wang Ming rushed in and said urgently, "People from Sword Gate, Yama, and Feitian have all arrived! Looks like the exploration of the ruins is definitely going ahead."
Li Hao quickly stepped out of the tent.
In the distance, a group of people had arrived. They had not entered the perimeter of the camp, but were waiting at a distance for the Night Watchers to come out.
Li Hao dashed toward them... Wang Ming could not even catch him and hurried to keep up, whispering, "What are you doing!"
"Going to watch the excitement!" Li Hao deflected offhandedly.
He wasn't watching the excitement; he was picking targets.
Earth and metal powerhouses were his primary choices. He needed to find out which experts from these factions met his expectations.
Furthermore, he wanted to see if there were any hidden powerhouses so he could keep his distance from them.
It was perfect that all these fellows had shown up now.
When his teacher fought Sun Yifei earlier, these people had been too far away. Even if he could see their light clusters, they hadn't been very clear. Now he could get a proper look.
Take Ziyue earlier, for instance. Li Hao had seen clearly that the woman was powerful and possessed an Origin God Armament. She was stronger than Sun Yifei—likely at peak Three Sols, or perhaps even above Three Sols?
The odds of her being above Three Sols weren't very high; she was most likely at peak Three Sols.
From a distance, he spotted another similar light cluster.
It likely belonged to the Wheel-Turning King.
The leader of Yama appeared to be at the same level as Ziyue, and he also seemed to carry an Origin God Armament. Looking at him from over a hundred meters away, Li Hao could vaguely see something resembling a dragon or a serpent swimming within his body.
Li Hao had also realized that these Origin God Armaments seemed to take the form of beasts.
Or rather, that was how their light clusters manifested.
Their physical forms might still resemble weapons.
Could it be that back when these Origin God Armaments were forged, they had been crafted from beasts... or rather, from spirit monsters that had gained sentience?
Like Black Panther?
Black Panther could barely count as having awakened demonic traits, not yet a true spirit monster. Black Panther hadn't appeared all day, but Li Hao didn't mind; the creature was clever enough and had probably sensed the presence of too many powerhouses, finding somewhere to hide.
"Not of the five elements!"
One glance at the Wheel-Turning King told Li Hao he was not of the five elements. Judging by the form of his light cluster, he looked somewhat like a wind-element powerhouse.
The light cluster was rather erratic and shifting, somewhat resembling Huang Yun's.
He looked further. Yama ought to have another Three Sols expert.
Sure enough, behind the Wheel-Turning King, he spotted a second Three Sols expert. The light cluster inside that person was somewhat smaller, comparable to Hao Lianchuan's, likely around the peak of early Three Sols.
"Mm... this one's good, seems to be metal element!"
Li Hao grew interested, but soon shifted his gaze.
Metal element was good, but unfortunately, the opponent was a Three Sols expert.
He continued observing. The arrival of these factions meant that nearly all their members were likely present, both to prevent incidents while their experts were away and because they were already prepared to enter the ruins and couldn't be bothered to return to their camps.
Yama did not have many people, around thirty-odd.
Feitian had even fewer, currently only about twenty, all clad in cloaks.
Sword Gate had quite a crowd, nearly fifty people.
Clearly, as a local organization, Sword Gate had recruited many supers, but their quality was significantly lower than the other two factions. Looking at their light clusters, some barely seemed to have entered Lunar Nether, and there were even Starlight Masters among them.
He looked over them one by one. Members of some smaller organizations had not left either, tagging along with the crowd.
"Two Three Sols from Yama. Feitian... Feitian actually has two as well!"
Li Hao was secretly startled. With so few people, Feitian still had two Three Sols present, though he saw none on par with the Wheel-Turning King.
He looked toward Sword Gate again... and was slightly surprised. Aside from Hong Yitang, Sword Gate seemed to have another Three Sols expert hidden in the crowd, keeping a very low profile and revealing nothing. Beyond that, Sword Gate appeared to have several martial masters whom Li Hao could not see through.
"Sword Gate actually has two Three Sols as well!"
Li Hao was astonished. In that case, aside from Hou Xiaochen and Chief Steward Yu, the Night Watchers might be inferior even to Sword Gate, since Hao Lianchuan was their only Three Sols.
What was going on?
Even if the Night Watchers were inferior to the Three Great Organizations, they shouldn't be weaker than Sword Gate, should they?
"Even without Red Moon, these guys are still so formidable!"
As for Solar Radiance, there were even more.
The faction with the most Solar Radiance was neither Yama nor the Night Watchers, but Feitian!
Li Hao was inwardly shocked. He counted carefully: Feitian had twenty-two cloaked figures in total, with two Three Sols, while thirteen of the others were likely Solar Radiance, leaving only seven at Lunar Nether, and even those were at Full Moon or above.
Damn!
Hadn't they said Solar Radiance was rare?
Because of the importance of this expedition, the Night Watchers had brought seven, which Li Hao thought was already plenty. As it turned out, it wasn't much at all?
Had these organizations mobilized in full force?
Just then, Hou Xiaochen stepped out. Dispensing with pleasantries, he said directly, "Regarding tomorrow's journey into the ruins, I've considered it and set the time for six in the morning. Does anyone wish to withdraw? If not, we enter first thing tomorrow morning! As for the ruins, we either go in together, and once inside there will be several branching paths where we can split up or stay together. If we don't enter together, once the entrance gates open, they can only be opened once a month. Afterward, you will have to wait until next month, or until everyone comes out..."
In the distance, the tall Wheel-Turning King said calmly, "That is acceptable, but we should also discuss other matters."
"Speak."
"Place a limit on numbers."
Hou Xiaochen smiled. "What kind of limit do you propose?"
"Twenty people per faction!" the Wheel-Turning King replied calmly. "Too many entering is not good. It easily leads to disputes and interferes with exploration. Yama, Feitian, the Night Watchers, and Sword Gate will each send twenty. As for the smaller organizations, twenty in total, making a round hundred."
Too many people was indeed bad.
Too much chaos would also trigger more mechanisms.
As they were speaking, a cold snort sounded. In the next instant, a purple figure descended through the air. Ziyue landed and said coldly, "Wheel-Turning, have you forgotten Red Moon?"
The Wheel-Turning King frowned slightly. "Not at all, but Red Moon's people..."
Hadn't they all been killed?
Even as he spoke, his eyes flickered.
At that moment, several figures wearing ghost masks rushed over from the distance.
Everyone felt a strange stir.
Red Moon... still had people!
After so many had been killed earlier, including several Three Sols, Red Moon still had people! Just how many personnel had Red Moon planted in Silver Moon?
One had to remember, this was merely a border province.
Among the ninety-nine provinces of the Heavenly Star Dynasty, this place was somewhat important, but only moderately so.
The Three Great Organizations took Silver Moon seriously, yet neither Yama nor Feitian had managed what Red Moon just did—rapidly assembling another cadre of experts after an entire batch of powerhouses was wiped out.
And they were clearly not weak!
Quite a few had arrived—over twenty people, several of whom possessed Solar Radiance auras. As for whether there were Three Sols among them, the others could not easily tell.
Li Hao, however, saw clearly: there were no Three Sols.
It seemed their Three Sols had truly all been slain.
Yet wasn't Ziyue herself a Three Sols?
Could Ziyue be planning to enter this time?
He was also shocked by Red Moon's strength. To lose so many people and still assemble another force so quickly—Red Moon's power was truly formidable.
Soon, however, Li Hao lowered his head.
He noticed that on Red Moon's side, not only Ziyue, but several of the newly arrived ghost-masked figures had their gazes fixed on him.
Though subtle, he felt it.
This was the perception of a martial master's momentum.
These people were all watching him!
Damn it!
That meant Red Moon's primary target was still him.
Was it because of what happened in Silver City?
Hou Xiaochen also chuckled. "Red Moon truly lives up to being the strongest of the Three Great Organizations! Impressive!"
These words were an obvious attempt to sow discord.
However, the Three Great Organizations did not fall for such tactics; provocation was useless.
Hou Xiaochen smiled again. "I see that none of the factions have that many people anyway, so limiting numbers doesn't really matter. Whoever wants to go in can go in. The Night Watchers don't have many either, and some won't be entering."
He paused, then added, "Since Ziyue has arrived, shouldn't we discuss who cannot enter?"
He chuckled softly. "I, Ziyue, and Wheel-Turning will stay out. Banshan from Feitian hasn't come, so we can leave that aside. How about the three of us exercise some restraint?"
The Wheel-Turning King had no objection, but Ziyue said coldly, "If Hao Kong hadn't died, I naturally wouldn't enter! Now that Hao Kong is dead, killed by Yuan Shuo no less, Hou Xiaochen, how about I kill Hao Lianchuan before we have this conversation?"
If she didn't enter, Red Moon would have no Three Sols experts inside. What would be the point of them entering then?
To throw their lives away?
Hao Lianchuan glanced at her, cursing inwardly.
When it comes to killing someone, you think of me. Why don't you talk about killing Director Hou?
Hou Xiaochen sighed. "You are at peak Three Sols and wield an Origin God Armament... If you enter, things become difficult. I originally hoped that everyone could cooperate to explore once inside. If you go in, with your temperament, wouldn't you attack almost immediately? That defeats the purpose of joint exploration.
"Furthermore, if you go in, Wheel-Turning will want to go in as well, and then I'll be forced to enter... In that case, wouldn't it be better if we just started fighting right here?"
Ziyue kept a cold face and didn't reply.
She was determined to enter!
Not merely for the ruins, but crucially, she wanted to capture Li Hao inside. Right now... with Hou Xiaochen present, she didn't dare make a move.
Of course, that was provided Li Hao entered as well.
Hou Xiaochen seemed somewhat troubled. At this point, the Wheel-Turning King smiled. "If Ziyue goes in, I can't stay out either. If Director Hou is interested, you can join as well!"
Did Hou Xiaochen dare?
If he entered and the ruins sealed, the entirety of Silver Moon would likely fall into chaos.
"You're putting me in check!"
Hou Xiaochen laughed, considered for a moment, and said, "It's a pity Yuan Shuo fled."
He pondered for quite a while before finally saying, "Wait a bit then. I'll notify someone to come over. Once he arrives, whether you go in or not is entirely up to you!"
The others felt a ripple of surprise.
Who would come?
And who could make Hou Xiaochen believe that their arrival would be enough to counter both the Wheel-Turning King and Ziyue?
Not only them, but even Hao Lianchuan was thoroughly curious.
Besides me, is there another Three Sols expert? And one capable of standing against the likes of Ziyue?
Hou Xiaochen did not elaborate, merely adding, "Then it's settled. Also, perhaps it's unnecessary to say, but I'll say it anyway: once inside, it's best if everyone cooperates! This ancient city is no simple place; otherwise, the Night Watchers would have finished exploring it long ago, leaving no share for the rest of you. Rushing to eliminate rivals right after entering is not a wise move! If you start slaughtering each other right away, you could easily bring about everyone's destruction!
"In addition, once the gates of the ruins open, the earliest you can leave is midnight of the following day. That means if you enter tomorrow morning, the soonest you can come out is midnight tomorrow night; otherwise, you won't be able to open the gates... Let alone Three Sols, even a Rising Light expert might not be able to force them open."
At these words, everyone reacted with solemnity.
The gates of the ruins were that sturdy?
Of course, this also proved that the ruins were truly extraordinary. On this point, Hou Xiaochen had no reason to deceive them.
Hou Xiaochen said no more, turning back toward his tent and calling out as he walked, "Disperse, everyone. Just follow us tomorrow morning. Crowding around like this makes it look as though you're besieging the Night Watchers."
Outside, the supers said nothing more and quickly dispersed.
However, they did not move far, still remaining close to the Night Watchers' camp.
...
Li Hao paid no heed to those people. He glanced at Liu Yan beside him, seeing her fierce gaze fixed on a single person. Following her line of sight, he saw a burly man.
Judging by the light cluster, he was a Solar Radiance expert.
That was probably Li Dahu, wasn't it?
"Sister?"
Ever since arriving at Hengduan Canyon, Liu Yan had been very quiet, barely speaking.
Li Hao knew it was likely due to her burning desire for vengeance.
Now that her enemy was right before her eyes yet out of reach, it was indeed agonizing.
"I'm fine," Liu Yan murmured. "I saw someone from Red Moon looking at you just now. You'd better not go in..."
"It's fine."
Li Hao smiled and shook his head. "Sister, when the time comes, we'll find a chance to kill that guy. Don't let your anger harm your health."
"You don't need to worry about that. Hao, just watch out for your own safety."
Liu Yan said no more. If she said too much, Li Hao and the others might recklessly seek trouble with Li Dahu, which would only make things worse.
Even after entering the ruins, one couldn't seek revenge immediately.
They had to bide their time for an opportunity.
At this moment, Wang Ming walked over, asking curiously, "Who do you think the director is calling over? For him to say that, the person must not be weak. Could it be a powerhouse from the Night Watchers' headquarters?"
Li Hao shook his head; how could he know?
Or would Chief Steward Yu enter?
Judging by Chief Steward Yu's light cluster, she was stronger even than Ziyue. Perhaps she was at the Rising Light level the director had just mentioned. Even if not, she was at least at peak Three Sols.
If she went in, she could certainly handle those two.
...
The Night Watchers were also waiting.
Since the director was definitely not entering, who came next was crucial.
Hao Lianchuan sulked alone, but no one paid him any mind.
Clearly, everyone felt he was incapable of withstanding Ziyue and the Wheel-Turning King.
It was not until midnight that a rumbling roar shattered the quiet, startling everyone awake. They wondered whether an expert had arrived.
Li Hao soon followed the others outside.
In the sky above was a flying craft.
Or rather, a helicopter.
The military!
The moment they saw it, the thought flashed through everyone's minds: only the military possessed such things.
Civilian versions were said to exist in the central region, but not in Silver Moon; only the military had access to them here.
In the next instant, a figure leapt down from the sky.
A thunderous crash echoed!
The ground cracked open. Such a massive commotion drew the attention of the outside organizations as well, and they began drawing closer.
Moments later, the dust cleared to reveal a man.
He looked to be in his forties, with cropped hair and an expressionless face.
He wore a black military uniform, somewhat similar to an inspector's uniform but distinctly different—more domineering.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Wang Ming was taken aback, staring blankly.
He looked at the man, stunned for a long while. "Good heavens, how could it be him..."
"You know him?" Li Hao asked in a low voice. He was powerful!
The moment this man arrived, Li Hao had noticed the difference. His radiance was blinding. While he might not be overwhelmingly stronger than Sun Yifei had been, that aura, that presence... was tremendously imposing!
"Do you know about the garrison?" Wang Ming whispered. "Silver Moon Province has a three-hundred-thousand-strong garrison. Didn't I tell you before? My Wang family has some influence there. The garrison is mainly divided into three divisions, about a hundred thousand per division. This is Commander Hu of the Tiger Wing Army, one of Silver Moon's three armies. He commands the Tiger Wing Army, but... the military and the Night Watchers rarely operate together..."
As they spoke, the middle-aged man nodded to Hou Xiaochen, who had just stepped out.
He then cast a glance outward, his gaze utterly frigid. "Get lost! If you want to die, I'll oblige you once we're inside the ruins!"
In the distance, several figures emerged.
Ziyue's expression turned grave as she said coldly, "Hu Dingfang, since when does the military meddle in such affairs?"
Hu Dingfang!
Those who did not recognize him previously now engraved the name into their memories.
Hu Dingfang swept a cold glance over her, then said impassively, "Ziyue, I told you to get lost. Who gave you the right to fly in my presence and look down on me while you speak? Director Hou doesn't hold it against you, but I, Hu Dingfang, will not tolerate you! If you don't clear off, I'll annihilate this branch of Red Moon right here and now!"
"Hmph!"
Ziyue snorted coldly, but said nothing further, turning to depart.
Hu Dingfang!
This was entirely outside their expectations.
They had assumed a powerhouse from the Night Watchers was coming, but instead, it was someone from the military.
And it was Hu Dingfang, commander of the Tiger Wing Army.
When had the Night Watchers reached an agreement with the military?
None of them had anticipated this.
Meanwhile, Hou Xiaochen chuckled. "Old Tiger, you're here now, why bother making a fuss with them?"
Hu Dingfang nodded slightly, his expression still cold, though that seemed to be his natural countenance rather than intentional aloofness.
Without further words, he swept his eyes over the surrounding Night Watchers and said coldly, "I am not familiar with you. Director Hou invited me here solely to counter Ziyue and Wheel-Turning. Tomorrow, proceed as you normally would... If Ziyue and Wheel-Turning do not intervene, I will not rashly step in."
These words were rather blunt.
Beside him, Hao Lianchuan curled his lip.
As if catching the gesture, Hu Dingfang snapped his gaze toward him. "Hao Lianchuan, were it not for your incompetence, why would I need to enter?"
"..."
Hao Lianchuan nearly burst with fury. Galled, he snapped, "Hu Dingfang, I'm not your subordinate!"
"You will be tomorrow!"
"..."
Hao Lianchuan was rendered speechless. He looked at Hou Xiaochen—surely not?
Was this fellow going to lead the team and act as the commander?
He knew Hu Dingfang; the man was genuinely iron-blooded and ruthless, showing favor to no one.
Being around him made Hao Lianchuan's skin crawl.
Hou Xiaochen wore a look of comforting resignation. He had no choice; since it was inconvenient for him to enter, he had to seek aid from the military. Hao Lianchuan would just have to endure it. The Night Watchers were accustomed to freedom.
Coming from the military, Hu Dingfang was used to discipline and strict rules—a very stern man. It was inevitable that the Night Watchers would find it jarring.
Seeing this, Hao Lianchuan wore an expression of complete despair.
They were doomed!
Deep in Hu Dingfang's eyes, a trace of amusement seemed to flicker.
Paying Hao Lianchuan no further mind, he swept his gaze across the surroundings, finally settling on Li Hao's direction, likely identifying which one was Yuan Shuo's disciple.
After looking for a moment, he nodded slightly.
Li Hao froze and looked at Wang Ming beside him. Sure enough, Wang Ming looked delighted and hastily called out, "Uncle Hu!"
Hu Dingfang was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Wang Ming, paused for a moment, nodded faintly, and resumed his indifferent expression.
Wang Ming was also stunned. What was that about?
Weren't you nodding at me?
Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered greeting him; he feared this man too.
Wang Ming was baffled, and so was Li Hao. It felt strange—it seemed as though Hu Dingfang had been greeting him earlier. Yet he didn't know this man. Did he know his teacher?
That was quite possible.
...
Hu Dingfang soon entered the tent with Hou Xiaochen.
Inside the tent.
Hou Xiaochen smiled. "It's good that you came; otherwise, things would have been difficult this time."
He added with a smile, "Did you see Li Hao? He insists on entering, nothing I could do to stop him."
"Very good. A disciple of the Five Animals lineage should be like that!" Hu Dingfang remarked indifferently.
Hou Xiaochen chuckled. "You say that as if you're a disciple of the Five Animals lineage yourself. Though, counting it up, you could be considered half of one. Before coming, did Yuhua say anything to you?"
At the mention of Yuhua, a faint smile actually appeared on Hu Dingfang's face—very subtle, but definitely a smile. He nodded slightly. "She did. Slay all of Red Moon's people! Also, see that her junior brother returns safely. Old Man Yuan has vanished, so as his senior sister, she has to look out for him."
Senior sister!
Had Li Hao been present, he would likely have been dumbfounded.
He knew he had a senior sister.
She was considerably older than him, in her thirties. In his teacher's words, her youth had faded, she had no great future, and she worked in White Moon City to earn money and support her family.
Yet Yuan Shuo had never mentioned that this senior sister of his had any connection to Hu Dingfang.
Hou Xiaochen was not surprised in the least, chuckling as he said, "Handle it as you see fit. Old Man Yuan's flight has left us with plenty of trouble. Yuhua is fine since she rarely shows her face and has your protection, but Li Hao is in quite a bit of trouble."
"If you ask me, why make it so complicated?" Hu Dingfang said coldly. "Strike tonight and slaughter them all! When the others arrive, conduct a blanket, indiscriminate bombardment and wipe them all out. That will naturally cow the rest into submission!"
"You... forget it, let's not discuss this." Hou Xiaochen shook his head, rejecting the suggestion.
"Inside the ruins, you may act. But outside, what would destroying a single branch accomplish? You're too rash, so just keep your mouth shut."
"Fine, then!"
Hu Dingfang said no more. Rising to his feet, he said, "I'll go rest. I'll be there tomorrow. Also, if Hao Lianchuan doesn't listen, can I hit him?"
Hou Xiaochen fell silent for a long time.
This question... was truly difficult to answer.
After a long pause, he muttered, "Suit yourself."
"Good, then I can hit him!"
With that, he turned and walked out.
Hou Xiaochen was caught between laughter and tears. Had Hao Lianchuan even offended you?
Why do you always want to hit him?
Wasn't it just that years ago Hao Lianchuan had met Yuhua, exchanged a few words, chatted a bit, and asked if she wanted to join the Night Watchers?
What was the point of holding onto that!
All these years had passed, and he was still nursing a grudge... Who said military men didn't hold grudges?
Hou Xiaochen sighed. It seemed he would have to drop Hao Lianchuan a warning. While Hao Lianchuan might have forgotten the matter, Hu Dingfang remembered it all too well.
The man held quite a grudge!
Chapter 86