Chapter 174. A Show of Force
Inside a spacious and tidy room.
Xu Yuan had only just arrived and had barely even sat down when a maidservant came knocking at the door. "Xu Yuan, Fishery Master Jiang asks that you come see her."
Xu Yuan raised a brow and asked, "Did she say what it was about?"
The maidservant replied, "She said she wanted to take a look at the new disciple."
"All right, understood."
Xu Yuan nodded and directly followed behind the maidservant.
The two of them crossed a stretch of wooden-planked walkway and headed toward a quiet courtyard.
Before long, Xu Yuan entered a broad and elegant courtyard.
Inside, Jiang Yu'an, dressed in blue, sat upright on a stone stool, quietly flipping through a book in front of her.
It was a lower-grade martial art called the Vajra Fist.
When used together with a martial artist's vital essence, it could make the fists incomparably hard and devastatingly powerful, enough to split mountains and shatter stone.
Why is this female fishery master looking for me?
After pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan stepped forward and asked her,
"May I ask why Fishery Master Jiang summoned me?"
Jiang Yu'an acted as though she had heard nothing and continued quietly turning the pages, her delicate little face utterly expressionless.
Xu Yuan frowned slightly and asked again, "Fishery Master Jiang..."
She still said nothing and continued reading the book in her hands.
Xu Yuan instantly understood.
So this was supposed to be a show of force?
But why?
Xu Yuan did not think he had offended her at all.
It was just as Jia Gui had said. This woman's temperament really was strange.
She takes sect rules very seriously... could it be because of what happened to me in the sect?
At that thought, Xu Yuan frowned, then stopped indulging her and said calmly,
"If Fishery Master Jiang has no business with me, then I shall take my leave. I still need to familiarize myself with the area around the fishery."
With that, he turned to leave.
"So you enjoy bullying the weak and laying heavy hands on your senior brothers?" a cool voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
Xu Yuan could not be bothered with her and continued walking toward the door.
When I spoke to you, you pretended not to hear me.
Now that you're speaking to me, I'm supposed to answer?
What, do you take me for some spineless fool?
"If you walk out through that door, I cannot guarantee what will happen," Jiang Yu'an's indifferent voice continued from behind him.
A smile appeared on Xu Yuan's face, but he ignored her completely and kept striding out of the courtyard.
"So the reports from the sect were accurate after all."
Jiang Yu'an narrowed her eyes and stared fixedly at Xu Yuan's back. "You truly are arrogant."
"Originally, I only wanted to temper your disposition a little, but you clearly have no intention of repenting. Since that's the case, then don't blame me!"
She closed the book, looked at Xu Yuan's back, and suddenly hurled it.
Boom!
The book in her hand turned into a blur and shot toward Xu Yuan's back at terrifying speed.
It looked like a simple throw, but in truth, it contained astonishing force.
If even a fierce tiger were struck by that book, its bones and sinews would probably shatter on the spot, and it would die miserably.
Yet Xu Yuan did not even look back. He casually caught the book in one hand.
Pfft.
All the force contained within it surged over, yet it failed to affect him in the slightest. He received it steadily.
"You want to make a move?"
Xu Yuan had just been about to tear the book apart when his eyes flicked down and caught sight of the writing on it.
Good lord, she's just throwing secret manuals around?
He casually flipped through it and discovered that it was actually a lower-grade martial art.
Damn these detestable people with connections. They ought to be hung from the lampposts.
Without the slightest courtesy, Xu Yuan tucked the book into his chest. "Since Fishery Master Jiang doesn't want it, I'll reluctantly keep it."
At the sight of that, Jiang Yu'an suddenly smiled. "What a greedy little thief. The manual may be good, but that depends on whether or not you can actually keep hold of it."
"I can keep hold of it."
"You cannot!"
At those words, Xu Yuan's face turned cold. "I had always heard that Fishery Master Jiang is someone who loves rules above all else. So what exactly is the meaning of this?"
"If you can't give me an explanation, then even if you are the elder's granddaughter, I will still argue it out with you and get to the bottom of it."
"Argue it out with me?"
Jiang Yu'an immediately laughed, though her smile was rather cold, and then rose from her seat.
How strange.
Ever since she had come to North Manor Fishery, no one had ever dared speak to her like this.
"I do not care whose backing you rely on, or whether you truly possess some unyielding pride. But let me tell you this: once you arrive at North Manor Fishery, you will listen to me."
Jiang Yu'an's voice was cool and detached as she stepped forward. Her clear eyes were cold and emotionless as they fixed on Xu Yuan.
"So, are you ready to admit your mistake?"
Boom!
The moment her words fell, Jiang Yu'an stamped her foot. Her body blurred from speed, wrapped in an extreme current of air, and in almost an instant she was right in front of Xu Yuan, striking viciously at him with a palm.
But Xu Yuan had no intention of dodging at all.
At almost the exact instant her palm came blasting toward him, his own hand was already surging forward with an equally immense and overwhelming force to meet it head-on.
Bang!
A thunderous crash rang out as a wave of air exploded.
Their palms slammed violently together in the middle of the courtyard. The surging hidden force from both sides collided and swept up all the tiny gravel around the yard, sending it whistling through the air.
Screech.
Xu Yuan's body was forced several steps backward, his feet gouging a long mark across the blue bricks below.
From that single exchange alone, Jiang Yu'an had clearly gained the upper hand.
Yet she showed not the slightest trace of pride. Instead, astonishment appeared on her face. "The Organ Nourishment realm?"
According to the disciple's report, this man had only entered Fangcun Sect not long ago, yet he had already broken through into Organ Nourishment?
"No wonder you're so arrogant. Breaking into the Organ Nourishment realm at your age does indeed count as outstanding. But unfortunately for you, you ran into me!"
A dazzling blue light seemed to flash through Jiang Yu'an's eyes, and an icy aura suddenly erupted from her body. Her other palm carried an extremely frigid power as it smashed toward Xu Yuan once more.
Bang!
Another explosive sound rang out.
Yet that palm did not strike Xu Yuan in the chest. Instead, it was firmly caught in Xu Yuan's other hand.
The dense freezing energy contained in Jiang Yu'an's palm seemed to have no effect on him at all.
"Enough with the nonsense. I think you're truly asking to be broken."
Xu Yuan's gaze turned icy. A red glow faintly appeared across his body, and several strands of vital essence suddenly burst out from within him, turning into layered white shockwaves. His figure flashed, and in an instant he seized hold of her and roared, "Up you go!"
Jiang Yu'an's expression changed violently. Her body felt as though it had been caught in a hurricane. She lost control and was lifted straight off the ground, then swung around by Xu Yuan and smashed viciously toward the ground at one side.
No matter how desperately she struggled, no matter what defensive methods she employed, all of it was useless. Xu Yuan's strength was vast and unfathomable, and he slammed her body directly into the earth.
Bang!
The impact thundered, and the bluestone paving instantly cracked apart.
Jiang Yu'an let out a muffled cry on the spot, but the fury in her eyes only grew stronger. "Very good. You have truly enraged me now!"
Smack!
Xu Yuan answered her with a solid, forceful slap that sent her flying sideways at once. Her hair fell loose, blood sprayed through the air, and her body tumbled like a torn sack.
Jiang Yu'an's body crashed heavily into a wall to one side with a dull thud.
Yet her reaction was incredibly fast. Almost immediately, she leapt up once more, her eyes burning with rage.
She simply could not believe any of this. No one had ever dared slap her across the face before.
It drove her nearly insane!