In the tea room on the second floor of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall.

The hall’s master, Situ Bai, raised a cup of tea and took an unhurried sip. With just a single glance, the pressure became nearly unbearable for the man across from him. His legs trembled and he almost buckled to his knees, but he grit his teeth, desperately holding on... It was likely the last vestige of his dignity as a Martial Artist.

"So you wanted to kill my disciple? Your Tie Shizhe has some nerve, doesn’t it?"

"Elder Situ..." Tie Qingyang, a man in his forties who had seen his fair share of life’s storms, found himself utterly powerless in the presence of this Grandmaster from Dragon Eagle.

Of course, under normal circumstances, he would never have had the opportunity to even be in the presence of a Martial Dao Grandmaster like Situ Bai.

Situ Bai’s gaze remained placid, yet it was enough to make Tie Qingyang swallow his next words. "I don’t care what you’ve done in Guandong. Now that you’re in the Holy City, you will abide by the Holy City’s rules."

"You are right, Elder Situ. This was all a complete misunderstanding... I was only after money. I never expected my subordinates to break the rules..." Tie Qingyang replied in terror, his head bowed, not daring to look at Situ Bai.

He silently cursed that idiot, Lu Zhao. ’Why didn’t he find out who the Ling Family dealt with beforehand? Of all the rotten luck, to run into two of Situ Yun’s disciples in one go!’

He had panicked the moment he received the news that evening.

Situ Yun!

A Martial Dao Grandmaster!

Even in his prime, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand a single finger from him.

Standing to the side, Wan Ze could clearly see the sweat beading on Tie Qingyang’s temples. For the first time, he felt a deep, genuine reverence for his master.

’So this is how powerful my backer is!’

Originally, he had imagined the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall stepping in to arrange negotiations with Tie Shizhe... He’d even braced himself for them to act unscrupulously, perhaps even launching a sneak attack.

But instead...

’It all went this smoothly?’

’Master is actually this incredible???’

"This matter was trivial in itself, but a death changes its nature entirely," Situ Bai said unhurriedly.

Tie Qingyang bowed his head even lower.

He was filled with bitterness.

’Someone had died, yes, but it was one of *his* men!’

’But what could he do? His men were outmatched!’

"You are right, Elder. It was my failure to discipline my men. Whatever compensation you require, I will fully cooperate."

"One hundred thousand for each of my two disciples," Situ Bai stated flatly. It wasn’t a negotiation; it was a demand.

One hundred thousand!

Wan Ze was stunned.

’His parents’ combined annual salary wasn’t even ten thousand!’

’Yet his master had gotten him one hundred thousand with a single sentence!’

This...

He looked at Tie Qingyang.

No matter how unwilling Tie Qingyang felt, he knew the matter was not up for negotiation.

Forking over two hundred thousand would practically be a deathblow to his Tie Shizhe.

But compared to his own life, what was spending a fortune to avoid a catastrophe?

Ignoring the sweat on his brow, he nodded firmly. "It’s only right."

"Furthermore, this matter ends here. The Ling Family is down to one little girl, all alone and helpless. You’ve already driven her grandfather to his death, so why continue to hound her? Wouldn’t you agree?" Situ Bai said slowly.

Tie Qingyang stiffened and paused for a moment.

It showed he was unwilling to let the matter drop.

Situ Bai seemed to know what he was thinking and said nonchalantly, "You must have heard the secret of the Rain Bell. But don’t forget, the Rain Bell has existed for far longer than you can imagine... Since so many great heroes have been unable to verify the rumor, what makes you think you can? On what grounds?"

Tie Qingyang’s face changed in a flash, turning deathly pale. He stared at Situ Bai with wide eyes, as if he had just seen a ghost.

But meeting Situ Bai’s lukewarm gaze, he shuddered and immediately said in shame, "You knew, Elder? Of course... how could a matter like this be hidden from you... But... but I am truly unwilling to give up. I once reached the second stage of Body Refining, but now my vitality is declining. If I don’t find another opportunity, I won’t meet a peaceful end!"

But when he finished, Situ Bai ignored him, his expression one of utter indifference.

’We are neither friends nor family. Why should I care if you live or die?’

Tie Qingyang understood this principle—after all, he could be just as iron-hearted. He straightened his expression, cupped his fist, and said, "Since you have spoken, Elder, I know what must be done. I hereby guarantee that the matter concerning the Ling Family is over! From now on, Tie Shizhe will stay on the straight and narrow!"

Situ Bai turned to Wan Ze. "Do you accept these terms?"

The question made Tie Qingyang’s heart skip a beat. He stared at Wan Ze in stunned surprise, apparently never having expected this young brat to be held in such high regard by Situ Bai.

"I will follow your arrangements, Master." Wan Ze knew perfectly well that without his master presiding over this, Tie Shizhe would never have backed down, let alone offered compensation.

"Then it’s settled." Situ Bai set down his teacup, bringing the matter to a close.

After Tie Qingyang’s hasty departure.

He finally turned to Wan Ze and said with a chiding laugh, "Do you know why Lei Ming didn’t dare to show up? That little rascal knew I’d give him a piece of my mind! He’s your senior brother, but instead of teaching you anything worthwhile, all he knows how to do is cause trouble all day!"

"Master, it’s not Senior Brother’s fault. I was the one who wanted to tag along and see the world," Wan Ze said hurriedly.

"You brat, sticking up for him already," Situ Bai chuckled, but then his tone shifted. "You handled this well. In the life-and-death struggles of the Martial Dao, your own Power is paramount, of course. But you can’t just be reckless all the time; you have to learn how to borrow Momentum! Right now, I am your Momentum. So while I can still shelter you from the wind and rain, you must make yourselves stronger."

"I understand, Master."

Wan Ze had intended to hand over the hundred thousand to his master, but Situ Bai practically shooed him out of the room.

Lei Ming was hiding at the bottom of the stairs, snickering. When he saw Wan Ze emerge from the room, he sidled over conspiratorially. "So? Got shot down, didn’t you? You seriously underestimate the old man. To him, money is just a number. Unlike us... damn, that’s some sweet cash!"

Wan Ze couldn’t help but laugh.

Just as Lei Ming was about to say something else, his communicator suddenly vibrated. He glanced at it and grinned. "It’s a call from Miss Ling. Looks like Tie Shizhe works fast."

He answered the call. After listening for a few moments, he chuckled and said, "...That’s right, the matter is over now... No need to be so formal... Huh? Sure, that works. Let me ask Ah Ze what he thinks."

Covering the communicator’s mouthpiece, he said to Wan Ze, "Tie Qingyang returned the Rain Bell to Miss Ling. She’s inviting us to Lingyun Manor for a visit, and to take a look at what this thing actually is."

Wan Ze was curious as well, so he nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Lei Ming arranged a time with Miss Ling and told her he would invite Professor Song as well.

"...I’ve already told Old Zhao and the others. Miss Ling offered compensation and originally wanted to give each of us a big two-thousand-yuan red envelope, but I made the call and turned it down. You’re not mad at me for that, are you, Junior Brother?"

"Why would I be mad about that?"

"Sigh, your big brother took advantage of you on this one. I’ll definitely make it up to you with a great opportunity someday!"

Hearing Lei Ming’s repeated promises, Wan Ze just shook his head and smiled.

「In the car.」

Lei Ming tuned the radio. After a burst of static, a rapid-fire news report came on: "...According to the latest reports from the Slavic Kingdom, mass casualties have occurred in the southern town of Kanledu, suspected to be the result of a clash between Martial Artists. The town is currently under military lockdown... It has been confirmed by multiple sources that this was one of the Secret Palace’s hidden strongholds... As of now, no organization has claimed responsibility for the incident..."

Wan Ze and Lei Ming suddenly exchanged a look, an unspoken sense of awe and shock passing between them.

A certain possibility surfaced in both of their minds.