Chapter 128: Showdown
Inside the secret chamber, Tang Wen was completely unaware that he had just put several of his new and old friends in a bind.
Even a worldly old fox like Qian Sanduo had never encountered such a situation.
For a moment, no one knew what to say, and the atmosphere grew tense.
The only sound in the air was Tang Wen’s Shocking Fist.
By now, Bai You Ruo had long since realized that the Flame Camp suspected she had an ulterior motive.
Qian Sanduo and the others, in turn, knew that she was aware of their suspicions.
Neither side brought it into the open, both wondering how to smooth things over.
Their goal was to naturally get Bai You Ruo to reveal her intentions.
Bai Xue was muttering to herself.
After a brief pause in the sounds of the Shocking Fist, she suddenly spoke up:
"Miss! Twenty-eight punches?"
"What?" Bai You Ruo asked, then immediately understood.
Tang Wen had just thrown a total of twenty-eight Shocking Fists.
"You said twenty-eight punches?!"
Bai Xue said, dazed, "That’s right. I counted every single one."
Bai Ying said blankly, "There couldn’t be someone else down there, could there?"
It was a remarkably silly thing to say.
They had seen it just now; whether it was the seclusion courtyard or the secret chamber, neither was very large.
There was no way it could accommodate two Martial Artists in simultaneous seclusion.
Besides, they all had their own experiences with closed-door cultivation.
They all understood—how could it even be called seclusion if two people were doing it together?
Whether it was a man and a woman, or two men, spending all day and night in a small, cramped, semi-enclosed environment that rarely saw the sun, a place practically bursting with hormones and sweat—it was a recipe for something to happen.
If the genders were compatible, they might even create a new life by the time the seclusion was over!
Qian Dong’s eyes lit up. "Maybe, just maybe, Tang Wen’s fiancée is in seclusion with him."
It was an excuse that everyone immediately recognized as false.
But aside from Bai You Ruo, who felt a twinge of displeasure, everyone else was quite satisfied with it.
Qian Sanduo smiled. "In that case, let’s forget about the bet. We were poor hosts these past few days. Today, the General’s Mansion has prepared a banquet. Miss Bai, and you two young ladies, please!"
Bai You Ruo accepted.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Before they could get far, the sound of the Shocking Fist rang out again.
None of them looked back, but their steps suddenly slowed by half a beat.
’What a freak!’
’Is he even human?!’
Tang Wen, deep in his arduous training, remained completely oblivious to all of this.
「At the General’s Mansion」
The banquet was well underway.
Bai You Ruo recounted her experiences to the two generals.
She didn’t try to hide anything or make up a story.
The people at the table were not so easily fooled.
As the Thirteenth Miss of the dignified Bai Family, she wasn’t a fool.
She wouldn’t try to trick others by treating them like idiots.
Besides, Tang Wen had saved their lives, so Bai You Ruo had no desire to deceive anyone with a fabricated tale.
It had happened on a certain day, about two or three months ago.
Back then, this land, including the area around Sanlian City, the drought wasn’t as severe, and the weather wasn’t so scorching hot.
On a bright and beautiful day, Bai You Ruo and her two attendants, escorted by two Extraordinary-level Martial Artists, were riding Exotic Beasts toward Ganshan City.
On the very night they reached the borders of Ganshan City’s territory, they were caught in a premeditated ambush. Three Extraordinaries and five Martial Artists suddenly appeared and attacked in the pitch-black night, just before dawn.
The two Extraordinary escorts stayed behind to cover their retreat, and the women managed to break out of the encirclement only after riding three Wind Chasing Horses to their deaths.
Having lost their mounts, the three of them managed to shake off their pursuers.
Stumbling along on the run for many days, they eventually reached the Great Northwest, arriving near the Black Mountain Camp.
Everyone knew what happened after that.
Because of their remarkable beauty, they were targeted by men from the Black Mountain Battalion. They fled for their lives again and ran into Tang Wen.
After finishing her story, she looked at General Zhou and continued,
"I would like to ask your esteemed camp to take action, go to Ganshan City, and retrieve something for me! Once the item is in my possession, you will be generously rewarded!"
With that, Miss Bai fixed her burning gaze on everyone at the table.
She looked first at General Zhou.
General Zhou quickly lowered his head, picked up his teacup, and began to take small, deliberate sips.
Her gaze shifted to General Zhao.
General Zhao picked up his chopsticks and began continuously piling food into his bowl, as if he had just discovered that the dishes on the table were incredibly delicious.
Her eyes turned to Commander Qian Sanduo.
Commander Qian beat her to it, standing up. "I’ll go hurry them along with the next course!"
That left only Qian Dong.
Bai You Ruo glanced at him, her expression showing no particular hope, and calmly looked away.
The slightly tipsy Qian Dong: ’Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?’
’Am I, the dignified Forbidden Guard Commander, not allowed to voice an opinion? Not able to lend you a hand?’
’Can’t I?’
He sat up straight, about to say a few words.
General Zhao shot him a quiet, icy glare.
He immediately slumped back down, picked up his chopsticks, and began to stuff his face.
’Voicing opinions and all that... what’s more important than eating?’
Bai You Ruo remained calm; the Flame Camp’s reaction was entirely within her expectations.
It was precisely because she had worried about this sort of reaction, worried they wouldn’t be willing to get involved in this messy affair, that she had wanted to try and find an opening with Tang Wen first.
As long as she could persuade Tang Wen, she could seize the initiative.
And what’s more, she wouldn’t have to expend too many resources.
Right now, the Flame Camp hadn’t taken the bait, but they hadn’t outright rejected her either.
As a daughter of the Bai Family, Bai You Ruo understood.
It wasn’t that the people from the Flame Camp were afraid.
Rather, it was time to negotiate the price.
She picked up her wine cup, took a sip, then ate a piece of braised pork. Only after swallowing did she calmly drop her bombshell:
"Your camp’s Mountain-Opening Cannon Fist... it seems one can only cultivate it to the Gangwu Realm—what you call the Queen Level. Is that its limit?"
General Zhou immediately put down his teacup. General Zhao froze, his chopsticks stopping mid-air.
Commander Qian Sanduo stood up and poured a cup of wine for Miss Bai.
Qian Dong forgot to swallow the food in his mouth, gawking like an idiot.
Then, Qian Dong stared at Bai You Ruo in disbelief.
’What does she mean?’
’Could it be what I think it is?’
’She can provide a Cultivation Technique that goes beyond the Queen Level?’
Qian Dong suddenly felt like he was choking, struggling to breathe.
The two generals exchanged a glance, their hearts pounding with unease instead of excitement. ’Looks like this matter is even bigger than we imagined!’
’Otherwise, why would she use such a valuable Cultivation Technique to bait us?’
Setting down the wine pot, Qian Sanduo also came to his senses. His initial excitement faded. After glancing at the two generals, he took the initiative to speak.
"That’s right. We lack a Spiritual Power Meditation Method. Because of this, our Queen is stuck at her current stage."
Bai You Ruo was slightly surprised. ’These guys are really good at keeping their composure.’
She said, "If I were to provide a Spiritual Power Meditation Method to your camp, I wonder, would Her Majesty the Queen be willing to come out of seclusion to lend me a hand?"
Qian Sanduo didn’t dare to answer.
General Zhou’s expression changed slightly. After a moment’s thought, he shook his head slowly but firmly. "The Queen is the supreme commander of our camp. She will not be mobilized easily."
"What about the two of you, Generals?" Bai You Ruo hadn’t been confident she could move the Flame Queen anyway.
Over the past few days, she had found out that the Queen was not old at all and was definitely a bona fide genius.
If she weren’t so insistent on guarding this little camp, with her talent, she could have easily joined any of the major powers in Sanlian City as an Honored Guest Elder and obtained a higher-level Cultivation Technique.
She could even have become a core figure in a major power once her Realm was high enough; it would have been no problem at all.