Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 93: Chapter 83: Meeting a Titan in Person

Xiaoqi was taken away.

The injured team members were rushed to the hospital, their fates unknown.

At Jiangkou.

Frustrated, Liu Zhengming raised his foot and kicked hard at the sandy ground.

Zhai Jia, however, offered no comfort, just watching with a cold gaze. ”So this was your meticulously planned, so-called ’foolproof’ operation? You didn’t even uncover that they were hiding something as deadly as Hallucinogenic Incense. Your intel was so far off it’s outrageous. It’s not my place to say, Liu Zhengming, but next time you feel like dying, don’t fucking drag us brothers along with you.”

Liu Zhengming wanted to retort, but he knew Zhai Jia was right. His face was cold and he felt awful, so all he could do was spit out resentfully, ”There’s definitely a mole inside Yu Yang! The intelligence source must have been compromised. Hallucinogenic Incense isn’t something you can just whip up at a moment’s notice!”

Zhai Jia waited for him to finish venting, then spoke slowly. Though his tone was harsh, he offered a reminder out of respect for their old friendship. ”You’d better look into it. If Ah Ze hadn’t fought through the hallucinations and acted at the critical moment... Hmph. Your losses would’ve been far worse than this.”

Liu Zhengming took a deep breath, suppressing the bitter feeling of defeat.

He looked at Wan Ze, his tone more serious than ever. ”This time... Thank you. I, Liu Zhengming, owe you a favor.”

He said it bluntly, without mincing any words.

Wan Ze was a little surprised, not expecting him to be so formal.

Zhai Jia initially thought Old Liu was showing his true character, but after a moment, he wasn’t having it. ”Hey, hey, hey, Liu Zhengming, what’s the meaning of this? You only thank him? What about me? I suppose I just had it coming, right?”

Liu Zhengming pretended not to hear Zhai Jia’s shouting and continued speaking to Wan Ze, ”This operation had a major screw-up. I’m cutting off all non-essential contact with the local Yu Yang personnel and reporting this directly to the higher-ups. As for your part in this, don’t worry, I won’t let you down... With your abilities, you won’t be overlooked.”

He shot a final glance at Zhai Jia, as if he knew exactly what the two of them were thinking, then said to Wan Ze with a serious expression, ”To be honest, with the strength you’ve shown tonight, you’re already qualified to get their attention... The Holy City really is too small. It might not be long before you can change your environment and encounter a much bigger world.”

He took the initiative and extended his hand.

Seeing his sincerity, Wan Ze did not hesitate to shake it.

”I’m off. We’ll meet again!” Liu Zhengming was decisive. He let go, turned, and strode toward a car parked by the road.

He did, however, remember to leave a car for Wan Ze and his friend.

”Fuck! That guy has no sense of loyalty!” Zhai Jia flipped the bird in the direction Liu Zhengming had driven off, then sauntered over to Wan Ze. ”What the hell was that all about? So damn unreliable. We almost got dragged down with him.”

Wan Ze chuckled. ”Life is full of surprises. Plans can never keep up with reality.”

”Heh, true enough.” Zhai Jia laughed too. ”But then again, my original intention in bringing you here tonight was to let you show them what you’ve got. The whole thing didn’t go as expected, but you were the one who saved the day in the end, and that’s enough... Just you wait. Something good might be coming your way very soon.”

”Something good?” Wan Ze’s smile froze on his face, and his expression turned grim. ”Bro, please don’t say that. Every time you do, I get a bad feeling.”

”What’s there to be afraid of? The higher-ups provide the platform, and we get things done based on our own abilities. Naturally, that means we get access to better resources. Take the Secret Pills our master has, for example. He’s given you one before, right? That stuff is only considered valuable here in our Holy City.

But if you were in the top-tier circles, like in the Royal City or Longcheng, it wouldn’t even make the cut. It’d be considered a basic consumable.”

Zhai Jia gazed at the sparse starry sky, his tone filled with a strange longing. ”Why do you think our eldest brother and second sister got so strong so fast? It’s because they’ve made contact with inner circles we can’t even touch. Every one of those circles has a barrier to entry, and getting in... is next to impossible. Someone like me can only throw my weight around here in the Holy City. My strength will never reach their level.”

Wan Ze recalled what Zhai Jia had said before and grew even more confused. ”Top-tier circles? Isn’t Master at the level of Refining Force Great Perfection? Can’t a Body Refining Grandmaster like him still secure a place for himself at that level?”

Zhai Jia shook his head, his expression unreadable. ”I’ve said it before... even Grandmasters have their own pecking order. Wherever you have people, you have politics and factions. Our master... sigh. If he were ten years younger, with his aptitude and ambition, he might have actually had a chance. But now...

Staying in the Holy City, managing the Dragon Eagle, and protecting disciples like us is the best choice for him.

Ah Ze, you have to remember this... the closer you get to the top, the more cutthroat the competition becomes. It’s a meat grinder for geniuses. One wrong move and you’ll be crushed to pieces. I can... I can pull you into my circle and protect you to some extent, but when you start forging your own path, the only one who can protect you is yourself.”

Wan Ze nodded silently, understanding what he meant.

In fact, after the Secret Palace had come after him time and time again, he had already begun to suspect... that the Dragon Eagle’s reputation might only carry weight within the Holy City.

The world outside... was bigger, and far more ruthless.

”I understand.”

He smiled.

Then he patted the bag slung over his right shoulder. ”Let’s talk about something more tangible.”

He pulled the zipper open.

The inside was filled with a golden gleam.

After throwing the middle-aged, curly-haired man out, he had immediately gone back and emptied the safe.

Twenty-some stacks of cash, and twelve or thirteen gold bars.