Chapter 25: Brother, Let’s Talk This Over!

Who exactly is this Master Sima? How much influence does he wield in the capital? And why would he order bandits to kill Chen Xuan? Is there a connection between him and Chen Tian? To Chen Xuan, all of this remained a mystery for now.

Of course, regardless of whether this Master Sima had any ties to Chen Tian, he was already someone Chen Xuan had to kill. After all, it was he who ordered the men of the Jinfeng Stronghold to ambush Chen Xuan’s carriage. Aside from Yang Ying’er, everyone in the Yang Family’s Ping’an Escort Agency had perished at the hands of the Jinfeng Stronghold. This Master Sima was the mastermind behind it all. He must die.

"You're the leader, right? I'm asking you, who is this Master Sima?" Chen Xuan didn't waste his breath or bother with pleasantries; he asked directly.

Liu Jinyu frowned. He had expected Chen Xuan to either make empty threats or resort to verbal abuse. He never imagined Chen Xuan would inquire about Master Sima.

"He is a man from the capital. How could you not know him?" Liu Jinyu spoke instinctively. But as soon as he finished, he seemed to realize something and immediately shook his head. "I almost forgot. Master Sima is a high-ranking figure in the capital, while you—though you belong to the Chen family—are ultimately just a piece of trash at the bottom of the hierarchy. You wouldn't be qualified to come into contact with someone like him, so it’s only natural you don't know him."

Chen Xuan did not refute this, nor did he fly into a rage; after all, the man was speaking the truth.

"I am asking about Master Sima's identity, yet you drone on about my past. You aren't answering my question." Chen Xuan shook his head. "It seems you bandits only understand force. Since you won't listen when I try to speak reasonably, I’ll have to use a language you bandits understand."

Chen Xuan’s eyes sharpened instantly as he locked his gaze onto Liu Jinyu.

"Hmph, then I’d like to see if you have the ability to back that up!" Liu Jinyu retorted with a cold snort.

With a sudden burst of energy, he flexed his arms, and a terrifying aura exploded outward. His upper garments tore apart, revealing his thick, sturdy muscles.

"Bring me my great blade!" he roared, his voice booming like a thunderclap, making ears ring.

A subordinate immediately handed him a blade. It was a full 1.2 meters long—considerably larger than an average weapon and seemingly quite cumbersome. An ordinary man would be unable to lift it with one hand, requiring both hands just to carry it. Yet, Liu Jinyu grabbed the hilt with a single hand and hoisted it with ease, radiating an air of wild ferocity.

"Let me see what you’re made of!"

With a shout, Liu Jinyu lunged, swinging the blade directly at Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan squinted, instantly realizing that this man’s strength was at the eighth level of the Martial Artist stage—the exact same realm as his own! He immediately dismounted and slapped the horse’s flank, sending it running to safety. There was no choice; if he hadn't, Liu Jinyu’s blade could have easily cleaved the beast in two.

*Boom!*

The great blade smashed down toward Chen Xuan. He dodged nimbly, and the weapon struck a stone lion statue beside him, shattering it with a massive crash. The power of the blade was evident. It might not have been razor-sharp, but its sheer weight was enough to crush bone upon impact.

Liu Jinyu spun around, retracted the blade, and swung again. He didn't need technique; he intended to rely on brute force to take Chen Xuan down. It had to be said that this man’s strength was astonishing. Chen Xuan had no proper weapon, and even if he did, he dared not clash head-on with Liu Jinyu, whose blade could easily snap ordinary swords and staves.

"Haha! That brat is no match for our leader; he's scurrying around like a turtle!"
"Hey kid, weren't you being arrogant earlier? If you've got guts, stop hiding!"
"I thought you had some real talent, but it turns out you're just a mediocre hack. You dare to break into our Liufeng Stronghold with these puny skills? Today, you are a dead man!"

The surrounding bandits jeered, cheering for their leader as he fought with the ferocity of a war god. However, the next moment, their cheers died away, and they stared in disbelief.

Chen Xuan, who had been forced on the defensive by Liu Jinyu’s blade, suddenly seized the moment when Liu Jinyu retracted his strike. With lightning speed, he transformed his fingers into claws and gripped Liu Jinyu’s throat.

It was the critical hit reward from the system—a high-tier Profound-grade martial art: the Dragon Claw Technique!

Martial arts were divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, with each tier further divided into high, middle, and low grades. A high-tier Profound-grade skill was already incredibly powerful across the entire Great Qian Dynasty!

Liu Jinyu had never expected such a move. Having relied on his blade to act lawlessly, he had grown careless and was caught off guard by Chen Xuan’s grip.

"Don't move. If you dare twitch, I will snap your neck right now!"

Chen Xuan’s fingers dug into Liu Jinyu’s throat, casting a shadow of death over him. With a single exertion of force, he could easily break his neck and send him to the afterlife.

Horror washed over Liu Jinyu’s face. In that moment, his spirit broke. He loosened his grip, and the heavy blade fell to the ground with a loud thud, shattering the floor tiles. He raised both hands in surrender, forcing a smile that looked worse than a sob.

"Brother, let's talk this out."

"Know how to talk properly now?" Chen Xuan looked him over with a mocking smile.

Liu Jinyu laughed bitterly. "It's just that I didn't know you were at the eighth level of the Martial Artist stage, brother. Had I known, I never would have dared to raise a hand against you!"

The nearby bandits, who had been shouting threats about making Chen Xuan pay if he didn't release their leader, fell deathly silent upon hearing that Chen Xuan was at the eighth level.

"Eighth level? How is that possible? He’s only in his early twenties!"
"Our leader is nearing thirty, hasn't touched a woman, and practices diligently every day, yet he's only at the eighth level. This kid is barely twenty and already has that much strength?"
"Weren't they saying he was the Chen family's trash? Damn it, since when is trash this powerful?"

Their expressions were a vivid mix of shock, confusion, and fear.