Chapter 213 – Do Not Let Anyone Spoil the Lord’s Mood Tonight

“Boom!”

A loud crash echoed from within the well-lit villa courtyard, like a significant weight crashing to the ground. The people standing outside the villa, who had rushed out upon hearing the noise, exchanged puzzled glances.

“Whose place is this?”

“It seems to be… the Aikido Style residence.”

“What happened?”

“Let’s go check it out!”

The crowd surged forward, ready to rush over.

Suddenly, a large group of people streamed out from the front.

This group consisted almost entirely of men nearing two meters in height, each with a fierce look on their face but donning identical short-sleeve uniforms.

On the uniforms, the words “Organizer of the XXth Hundred Cities Martial Arts Tournament in the South” were clearly printed.

This group had appeared suddenly from the darkness, and in just a few breaths, they had thoroughly blocked the path leading to the villa.

“What’s going on? What’s going on?!”

From within the group of stout men, a small middle-aged man with a stern face stepped forward.

With his hands behind his back and a shiny work badge hanging from his chest, he exuded an air of authority.

“It’s late at night, why are you all out here?”

“The Aikido Style seems to have been attacked, and we want to check on them,” someone from the ancient martial arts sect said solemnly.

“Oh.”

The small middle-aged man nodded and said, “You misunderstood. It’s just a friendly sparring session between sects. They had already applied to the Tournament Committee beforehand. It’s part of normal, amicable pre-tournament exchanges…”

As the small middle-aged man was speaking, another loud crash suddenly echoed from the brightly lit villa behind them.

This was followed by grunts and screams, and then came a joyous and satisfied man’s laughter.

“Hahaha—”

The laughter was so sinister it resembled a night owl’s call, sending chills down everyone’s spines.

“Why does that… sound like the Poison-Handed Crane Demon?!”

Someone spoke up, his face full of confusion.

“It does sound like him. That guy’s laughter is just that creepy.”

Curious, the crowd chattered away, their curiosity only growing stronger.

However, the Tournament organizer’s representative adamantly refused to let them in and even went so far as to threaten them: “If you don’t disperse, you’ll be punished for deliberately making noise and disturbing other contestants’ rest. Your participation will be canceled!”

Good grief, Liu Daoyuan is in there laughing like a maniac, and he doesn’t consider that disruptive, but we are?

The members of the Ancient Martial Arts sects were full of indignation.

But since spectating wasn’t as important as the Tournament, they could only stifle their curiosity and reluctantly disperse.

After everyone left, Li Dong slowly strolled out from the side.

The small middle-aged man immediately stepped forward to meet him, the former’s face full of commendation.

“Well done.”

Turning to glance toward the villa, they could vaguely see a tall figure pushing a wheelchair coming out.

Li Dong quickly waved for everyone to clear out, making them retreat to the side.

Pulling the small middle-aged man into a shadowy corner, he solemnly instructed, “In any case, don’t let anyone spoil the Lord Spear Bearer’s mood tonight…”

“Understood.”

At the mention of the “Silver Spear Bearer,” the small middle-aged man’s expression shifted to one of intense fervor and admiration.

Li Dong pondered for a moment before continuing, “Those who got beaten by him have probably complained to the Penglai Holy Envoy. What do you plan to do about that?”

“Don’t worry.”

The small middle-aged man patted his chest confidently, “That lot won’t be able to reach the Penglai Holy Envoy today. With me here… no one will disturb the Lord Spear Bearer.”

“What about when the Penglai Holy Envoy finds out later?”

“Even easier to handle.”

The small middle-aged man looked disdainful, “That fool who only knows how to take money and play with women? I’ve got a hundred ways to get around him.”

“Good to hear.”

Li Dong nodded in satisfaction at the seamless arrangements.

By this time, the tall figure pushing the wheelchair had fully emerged from the villa.

Upon seeing him, both Li Dong and the small middle-aged man immediately bowed, their faces filled with respect and reverence.

…

Late Night.

Inside the large and luxurious room.

“Humm—”

A faint blue light screen lit up in the dimly lit corner of a partitioned area, accompanied by a slight vibrating sound.

This sound broke the silence in the room.

On a round bed, a sturdy figure sat up.

It was a braided middle-aged man. His skin was smooth and white, without a wrinkle, making it hard to determine his age.

His bare upper body had muscles that were evenly toned, perfectly symmetrical without an ounce of fat. A slight move of his hand conveyed a sense of surging strength.

Frowning, the man glanced in the direction of the partitioned corner, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face.

With a cold expression, he disentangled several delicate arms that were clinging to him and got up.

It was unclear what he did, but in a blink, he was already standing on the floor, draped in a snow-white bathrobe.

The man walked toward the partition with unhurried steps, as if treading on clouds. His right hand dangled casually at his side, the middle finger adorned with a rustic silver ring that occasionally reflected a misty light.

Soon, he entered the partition, and the door behind him closed silently on its own.

The man approached the translucent blue light screen and tapped it casually. The screen quickly displayed a figure.

It was a small middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance, looking slightly tense.

“Do you know what time it is?”

The braided man’s face showed displeasure as he looked at the small middle-aged man on the screen.

The latter immediately apologized, “It’s an urgent matter, so I had no choice but to disturb the Holy Envoy…”

“Urgent matter.”

The braided man snorted lightly, “In a place this insignificant, what could be urgent? Speak.”

Instead of speaking, the small middle-aged man sent over a briefing.

The braided man skimmed through it casually.

Quickly, his eyes focused, and he took a sharp breath.

[20:19, Crane Style challenged Southern Fight Sect, seriously injuring one True Intent level, three Martial Artist Master level, five Organ Training level, and two Bone Training level members of the Southern Fight Sect…..]

[20:42, Crane Style challenged Heart Refining Sect, seriously injuring two True Intent level, four Martial Artist Master level, one Organ Training level, and two Bone Training level members of the Heart Refining Sect…..]

[21:15, Crane Style challenged White Bird Sect, seriously injuring one True Intent level member of the White Bird Sect…..]

[21:59, Crane Style challenged…..]

The battle reports lined up neatly, thirteen in total.

All of them were about Crane Style challenging various sects and severely injuring their members.

In less than four hours.

Crane Style had challenged a total of thirteen sects, resulting in more than 150 members being severely injured. Among them were thirty-nine Martial Artist Master level practitioners and fifteen True Intent level experts!

“Crane Style?! The Crane Style of the Poison-Handed Crane Demon, Liu Daoyuan?!”

“How dare he?”

“How did he manage it?!”

A flood of questions surged through the braided man’s mind.

His face was a mask of shock and disbelief.

He stared at the battle reports for several seconds before snapping back to reality. His eyes bore into the small middle-aged man on the light screen. With a chilling tone, he demanded, “Why didn’t you inform me of such a major incident sooner?!”

The small middle-aged man seemed to be taken aback by the braided man’s sudden outburst. Fearful and somewhat helpless, he replied, “Holy Envoy, you had explicitly instructed me not to disturb you after 8 PM, regardless of the circumstances.”

“I was left with no choice as the sect members kept badgering me, not knowing how to handle the situation. I had to summon the courage to…”

“Alright, enough!”

Before the small middle-aged man could finish speaking, the braided man, visibly irritated and impatient, interrupted him.

It was true; he had given that order himself.

And now that the situation had escalated, dwelling on this point was meaningless.

His face darkened, and his eyes flashed coldly.

While he hadn’t paid much attention to this tournament, considering it just a task to complete, as long as he could choose some candidates, his mission would be accomplished.

But among the sects that Crane Style had disrupted, many had provided him with benefits.

Now, with all this commotion, he could anticipate a slew of people coming to him for justice by tomorrow.

It was going to be a major headache.

“Crane Style! Liu Daoyuan!”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn’t help but slam a fist onto the table in front of him.

“Bam!”

The entire table instantly shattered into pieces.

However, this act seemed to help him regain his composure.

The braided man’s eyes flickered, and he then spoke to the small middle-aged man on the light screen, “Notify the people from Crane Style for me.

Tell them that if they don’t want to be disqualified from the competition and want to continue existing in the martial arts world of the South, they should come to me with enough sincerity…”

The small middle-aged man remained silent for a while.

The braided man frowned, unhappy, and asked, “What’s the matter? Is there a problem?”

Shaking his head, the small middle-aged man contemplated for a moment before replying slowly, “There’s something I forgot to report to the Holy Envoy.

Crane Style already applied to withdraw from the competition half an hour ago.”

“What?!”

…

“11:57 PM.”

Lu Yuan stood under a streetlamp, checking the time. He then half-jokingly said to Liu Daoyuan, who was sitting in a wheelchair in front of him, “Is this what they call swift revenge?”

“If you say it is, then it is.”

At this moment, Liu Daoyuan appeared as if he were drunk, his cheeks slightly flushed. He lay comfortably in the wheelchair with his eyes half-closed, exuding a sense of immense satisfaction and relaxation.

Lu Yuan rarely saw Old Liu in this state and smiled gently.

After a moment of thought, he said, “We’ve vented our anger, so I won’t participate in the competition tomorrow…”

“Got something to do?”

The satisfaction on Liu Daoyuan’s face faded as he opened his eyes and looked at him inquisitively.

Lu Yuan didn’t hide anything, his mind involuntarily conjuring up an unknown yet pressuring figure, and he nodded slightly.

“Yes.”

“Then go ahead and handle your matters. Don’t worry about me.”

Liu Daoyuan waved his hand, looking as if he were eager to shoo him away.

“There’s no rush just yet.”

Lu Yuan casually responded and then looked up at a distant, brightly lit area. Slowly, he said, “I’ve been preoccupied these past few days, weighed down by another matter. It unsettled my mind, causing me to overlook many clues.

Just now, while I was venting your frustration, I was solely focused on helping you beat people up. My mind became clear, and I unexpectedly figured out something.”

Liu Daoyuan seemed surprised. “What is it?”

“It’s about this tournament…”

Lu Yuan turned his head, looking at Liu Daoyuan calmly, and said, word by word, “Who is the one behind the scenes, deliberately inciting others to target Crane Style, to target you, Teacher?”

Liu Daoyuan’s expression was blank as he slowly sat up straight.

Their eyes met.

“So, have you figured out who it is?”

Instead of answering, Lu Yuan countered with another question, “Have you, Teacher, figured out who it is?”

Liu Daoyuan was taken aback.

He then averted his gaze from Lu Yuan, lowering his eyelids.

After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, “Naturally, I have some ideas… but I’m not certain.”

“You and I must be thinking of the same person.”

Lu Yuan exhaled, placing his hands on the back of Liu Daoyuan’s wheelchair, and started pushing him slowly in the direction they came from.

In a soft voice, he said, “Teacher, you should take the students back tomorrow. Once I’ve dealt with my current matter, I’ll settle this last score for you—with interest.”

Liu Daoyuan didn’t speak but lowered his head slightly and gave a low “hmm,” as if agreeing.