Chapter 21: Injured

Tang Yan's sword intent at this moment was exquisitely refined — within the same cultivation grade, he would be hard-pressed to find a match.

Lin Dongxue had no choice but to reveal her Yellow Realm strength.

One overwhelming force shatters all technique!

Below the Yellow Realm, all are mere ants. With sufficiently overwhelming power, Lin Dongxue was confident she could break through Tang Yan's defense this time.

Facing Lin Dongxue's fierce incoming thrust, Tang Yan advanced instead of retreating. His longsword moved like drifting white clouds, instantly enveloping Lin Dongxue's slender blade within its arc.

Clang, clang, clang — a rapid flurry of metallic clashes rang out. To the astonishment of the two women watching, Tang Yan's sword successfully deflected Lin Dongxue's assault and drove straight toward her throat.

One overwhelming force shatters all technique — but one clever move overcomes a thousand pounds of brute strength!

Tang Yan's technique was fluid and unhesitating, his speed extraordinary, and this final thrust carried a ferocious momentum that left no room for error. Lin Dongxue froze on the spot, her eyes wide with alarm as the approaching blade drew ever closer.

"Stop!" Seeing that Tang Yan's sword had broken through Lin Dongxue's guard, Wu Xuan cried out sharply and struck out with her palm in fury, trying to stop him.

"You've lost!" Tang Yan steadied his longsword at exactly one inch from Lin Dongxue's throat. Just as he was about to flash what he considered a dashing smile, he suddenly felt a tremendous gust of force bearing down on him. His heart lurched — he had no time to react at all before a massive power sent him flying backward.

Thud! Tang Yan crashed hard into an ancient cypress tree, the thick trunk shuddering violently from the impact.

Pfft! A mouthful of fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Tang Yan's mind erupted with a stampede of furious thoughts — just who the hell did I offend?

"Tang Yan!" Lin Dongxue cried out in alarm and immediately rushed over to check on him.

"Young Master Tang, are you alright?" Wu Xuan had not expected that Tang Yan, even in that state, would still have been able to hold back his strike. She didn't quite know how to describe what she felt. Reaching into her robes, she produced a pill and placed it in Tang Yan's mouth.

From its aura alone, Tang Yan identified the pill as a healing medicine — a second-grade lower-tier one. Before he could even swallow it, the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron, which had been completely still until now, suddenly let out a low hum and began to vibrate. A cool, soothing energy radiated outward from within the cauldron, swiftly circulating through his entire body and forcibly suppressing the turbulent True Qi raging inside him. While it didn't instantly cure his internal injuries, it did alleviate the greater part of the damage.

Feeling the changes within his body, Tang Yan was inwardly overjoyed. The Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron could even protect its master automatically?

Feigning calm, he swallowed the pill and only then furrowed his brow slightly, letting out a slow breath.

It was fortunate that Wu Xuan hadn't used her full strength. Had she struck with everything she had, not even two lives would have been enough for Tang Yan.

"Young Master Tang, I'm so sorry — I… I…" Wu Xuan looked at Tang Yan with guilt-ridden eyes and said softly, "Are you alright?"

"You're the one who made me a sparring partner, you're the one who injured me, and you're the one who didn't stop Lin Dongxue from drawing on her Yellow Realm strength. Miss Wu Xuan, I want an explanation." Though Tang Yan understood that Wu Xuan had only meant to stop him, he had been struck out of nowhere and nearly seriously injured. If he didn't squeeze some benefit out of this, wouldn't he be doing himself a disservice?

Faced with Tang Yan's forceful questioning, Wu Xuan was momentarily flustered. "Young Master Tang," she said quietly, "I thought you wouldn't be able to hold back in time, and I panicked and lost control."

"You panicked — and sent me flying with a single palm strike? Wu Xuan, do you think my life is worth nothing?"

"Young Master Tang, Sister Wu Xuan didn't do it on purpose. What's done is done — there's no point dwelling on it. I'll compensate you," Lin Dongxue interjected to defuse the tension.

"You think that because I got hurt, all I want is compensation?" Tang Yan feigned indignation for a moment, then shifted his tone: "So what exactly are you offering?"

"Three mid-tier first-grade Pills and one upper-tier first-grade Pill — would that be acceptable, Young Master?" Lin Dongxue laid out her terms.

For an ordinary person, hearing such an offer would have been cause for wild excitement. Mid-tier first-grade pills could perhaps be purchased by certain families, but upper-tier first-grade pills circulated very rarely in Yun City — they were worth a fortune and nearly impossible to find.

But Tang Yan was different. As a ninth-grade Alchemist in his previous life, never mind first-grade pills — even second-grade or third-grade pills were worth no more than the cost of their raw ingredients in his eyes.

Tang Yan's mind was already calculating. Right now he was short roughly ten thousand or so silver taels. On top of that, he had just forced Lin Dongxue to draw on her Yellow Realm strength, and they had sparred for nearly two hours — surely he could claim ten thousand taels in sparring fees? And with the Tang Clan currently battered from all sides, if he could once again make Miaodan Pavilion owe the Tang Clan a favor, it would add another layer of protection for his family.

His mind made up, Tang Yan put on a show of weakness and said, "Since Miss Wu Xuan's actions were unintentional, demanding material compensation would make me seem petty. As it happens, I have some questions about certain martial techniques. If Miss Wu Xuan has time in the coming days, I hope you might visit the Tang Clan and offer me some guidance."

"The martial talent Young Master Tang displayed just now left even Wu Xuan in admiration. I wouldn't dare call it 'guidance' — but in a few days I will certainly pay a visit to your home and have a proper discussion with you." Wu Xuan's beautiful eyes shifted with a meaningful glint as she looked at Tang Yan.

Though Tang Yan said the matter was settled, Wu Xuan understood perfectly: as the head Alchemist of Miaodan Pavilion, her visiting the Tang Clan in person would inevitably prompt outside speculation about the relationship between the two. This would cause certain families who had been eyeing the Tang Clan hungrily to hold back their ambitions of swallowing it up — at least for a time.

"In that case, I shall await Miss Wu Xuan's visit at home with great anticipation. Oh — Miss Lin, our earlier wager still stands, does it not?" Tang Yan, who had never stopped thinking about the money, asked immediately.

"It stands!" Lin Dongxue seethed inwardly. The last time she had seen this fellow, he had been all literary grace and refined elegance — so why was he so utterly money-grubbing today? Could it be that Old Master Tang was still withholding his allowance?

Tang Yan smiled as he accepted a silver note from Lin Dongxue's hand. Seeing the amount — twenty thousand taels — he broke into a broad grin and tucked it away, then said weakly, "Very well then. I won't impose any further. I'll head home to rest."

With that, he paid no more attention to the two women and hobbled his way toward the exit.

"Young Master Tang, please wait — I'll have someone escort you home." Lin Dongxue called out, and someone immediately came to guide Tang Yan out.

Watching Tang Yan's retreating figure, Lin Dongxue pursed her lips and said, "Who knows what sword art that fellow was using — it was terrifyingly effective. Even with first grade of the Yellow Realm strength, I was still beaten by him."

"He is… truly a prodigy." Recalling the stunning martial talent Tang Yan had displayed during the sparring session, as well as the airtight cunning he had shown in their exchange of words, Wu Xuan shook her head in silent wonder. Was this really the scoundrel the outside world had been talking about?

Tang Yan rode back home in the City Lord's Manor's carriage, drawing the attention of more than a few watchful eyes. But the young master of the Tang Clan paid it no mind — feeling deeply insecure about his family's position, he was urgently focused on strengthening the Tang Clan.

Returning to his quarters, Tang Yan wasted no time. He took out paper and brush, wrote down the medicinal ingredients he needed, and sent Little Cui off to the apothecary to purchase them.