Chapter 2181: Blue Water, Dragon's Lair and Tiger's Den

Lu Ye looked up and quickly stood, "Brother Yan!"

Yan Hong had actually arrived. This surprised him; he had tried to contact Yan Hong earlier and received no reply, inferring that Yan Hong was recuperating. Now, it seemed Yan Hong's injuries hadn't fully healed; his face was still pale, yet he had rushed over. Perhaps he had received news through some channel.

"Brother Yan!" Zhou Gu and Sun Yun also quickly stood up. The smile vanished from Zhou Gu's face, replaced by a look of apprehension. Even Sun Yun, who was usually quite arrogant, couldn't help but shrink back a little when she saw Yan Hong. Lu Ye watched impassively, secretly amused.

What Lu Ye didn't know was that the three, being of similar age, had essentially grown up together. However, from childhood, Yan Hong had always been the most outstanding junior among the major aristocratic families. Both Zhou Gu and Sun Yun had been beaten by him at some point. It was only after entering the Dao that Yan Hong became active in various battle zones, honing his skills and earning military merits. Zhou Gu and Sun Yun, however, remained comfortably on their home planet. After all, descendants of such families never lacked resources for cultivation and had no need to venture out and risk themselves.

Before arriving, both of them knew Yan Hong was also here and had specifically inquired about him. They learned he had been seriously injured and was now recuperating, so they hadn't expected to see him. To their surprise, Yan Hong had shown up uninvited. The two aristocratic heirs, who had been so condescending toward Lu Ye, suddenly became meek and submissive, as if facing their nemesis.

"Brother Yan, why are you so badly injured? Please, sit here!" Sun Yun solicitously walked over, supported Yan Hong, and helped him sit down.

"So Brother Yan was in Blue Water too. If I had known, I would have visited you first," Zhou Gu said, full of remorse.

Yan Hong snorted, "Rare for you to show such goodwill."

Zhou Gu quickly replied, "What are you saying, Brother Yan? Though we don't share the same surname, we grew up together since childhood; we're practically blood relatives!"

"Then tell me," Yan Hong said, "who was just spouting arrogant nonsense and threatening my little brother Lu?"

"Little brother Lu," he said... Although Yan Hong had previously intended to befriend Lu Ye, he had never called him that before.

Zhou Gu gave an awkward laugh and glanced at Sun Yun. Sun Yun's expression stiffened. She reached out and held Yan Hong's arm, playfully protesting, "Brother Yan, you must have misheard. No one was threatening anyone. We were just chatting with Fellow Daoist Lu."

Yan Hong's face remained cold. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Although both of you are talented, you've never set foot on a battlefield since you started cultivating. What do you need that Pífú for? Do you really think having it will allow you to surpass Huang Zhihuan? Even I'm not confident I could do that!"

"Yes, yes, yes," Zhou Gu nodded repeatedly. "Brother Yan is right to admonish us. Yun'er and I were being ignorant."

Yan Hong's expression softened slightly. "The Pífú belongs to my Yan family. Do either of you have any objections?"

At his words, both Zhou Gu and Sun Yun's faces stiffened. If it weren't for Yan Hong's usual intimidating presence, they would likely have turned hostile immediately. Moreover, they hadn't expected Yan Hong to state it so definitively, leaving them no room for negotiation.

"Brother Yan, I was sent by my mother..." Sun Yun stammered, looking at Yan Hong. Before she could finish, he glared at her, and she quickly lowered her head, saying somewhat resentfully, "Understood."

Yan Hong nodded. "I will personally speak to your aunt. Don't worry, I won't let your Sun family suffer any losses."

"That's good," Sun Yun said, still keeping her head down.

Yan Hong then looked at Zhou Gu, his gaze sharp and his threat implicit. Zhou Gu's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded like a pecking chick. "Whatever Brother Yan says, that's what it is. I, Zhou Gu, have absolutely no objections!"

"Excellent!" Yan Hong nodded with satisfaction and waved his hand. "The battle zone isn't safe. Both of you should return to your home planet now."

"Oh," Sun Yun replied, leading the Fusion Daoist behind her out. Zhou Gu followed suit, but from an unobserved angle, his gaze flickered several times, as if he had made a silent decision, and his spiritual sense surged.

The next instant, the Fusion Daoist who had been following Zhou Gu suddenly reached out and grabbed Lu Ye. This sudden move was completely unexpected; no one had anticipated such an event.

Lu Ye hadn't expected it either. He had assumed that with Yan Hong's appearance, Zhou Gu and Sun Yun would surely leave with their tails between their legs. It was only after the Fusion Daoist seized him that he reacted.

"Uncle Yi, run!" Zhou Gu shouted, overjoyed. As long as Uncle Yi could take Lu Ye away, the Pífú would belong to the Zhou family. As for Yan Hong's wrath... at most, Zhou Gu would just get a beating, which he wouldn't die from anyway. Hadn't he been beaten enough growing up?

Uncle Yi rushed out, carrying Lu Ye. For a moment, Lu Ye didn't know whether to resist... If he didn't resist, he would certainly be captured. If he did, he would undoubtedly expose his strength.

Sun Yun was stunned, utterly astonished that Zhou Gu would act this way, and still hadn't fully processed it.

Yan Hong was furious. "Zhou Gu, how dare you!" Ignoring his serious injuries, he grabbed a long spear and gave chase. However, he knew that with his current strength, he couldn't stop Uncle Yi; the opponent was far stronger than him. Even Pei Dan, whom he and Lu Ye had jointly killed that day, would not be a match for Uncle Yi.

"Hahahahaha..." Zhou Gu laughed uncontrollably from nervousness, also rushing forward. "Brother Yan, I'll apologize to you once I'm back on the home planet. Just let me off this time, uh..."

Just as he shot into the sky, Zhou Gu suddenly fell heavily to the ground, landing face-first in the dirt. He scrambled up, fixed his gaze, and was instantly dumbfounded. The reason was that Uncle Yi, who had originally seized Lu Ye, was now being beaten to the point of spitting blood, while Lu Ye had already escaped Uncle Yi's grasp and stood calmly to the side.

Upon closer inspection, Zhou Gu's scalp tingled as he recognized that the person mercilessly beating Uncle Yi was none other than Zi Ying, the Blue Water Garrison Commander!

"Fellow Daoist Zi Ying, please stop! I was just following orders, argh..." Another mouthful of blood spewed out, and Uncle Yi's chest caved in, a truly miserable sight.

With a thud, Uncle Yi was knocked to the ground, directly burying himself in the earth. Half of his body was submerged, leaving only a pair of legs outside, twitching slightly. Zhou Gu's eye twitched violently at the sight.

"And another one!" Zi Ying finished off Uncle Yi with a few swift blows, then shifted his gaze to the Fusion Daoist standing behind Sun Yun and flashed over to attack. That Fusion Daoist had been astonished by Zi Ying's power and even somewhat gloated at Uncle Yi's predicament, never expecting Zi Ying to suddenly target him.

"Miss, be careful!" He raised a hand and pushed the still-stunned Sun Yun away, while urgently pleading, "Fellow Daoist Zi Ying, I didn't make a move; please show mercy!"

"A Fusion Daoist daring to trespass into Blue Water without prior notification means you have no regard for me!" Zi Ying scoffed, striking down with a palm.

The Fusion Daoist struggled to resist but was no match for Zi Ying. He immediately sank a little, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "But I didn't..." he protested, feeling immensely wronged. It was Uncle Yi who had made the move; why was he also implicated? In that flash of lightning-fast combat, despite being a Fusion Daoist himself, he was virtually powerless against Zi Ying.

Moments later, another figure appeared beside Uncle Yi, also half-buried in the earth with only two legs dangling outside! Lu Ye sniffed, witnessing the formidable might of the Garrison Commander for the first time.

Zhou Gu and Sun Yun, who had fallen to the ground nearby, shivered like quails without nests in winter.

"Next time, if any Fusion Daoist dares to enter Blue Water without prior notification, they will be executed without mercy!" Zi Ying glared coldly at the two of them before turning and leaving. A significant portion of the frustration in his heart dissipated. Even long after Zi Ying had left, silence still pervaded the scene.

"Aren't you going to leave?!" Yan Hong prompted. Only then did Zhou Gu and Sun Yun snap out of their daze. The two Fusion Daoists, who had been buried in the earth, also scrambled up, and each led their young master and miss out of the heavens, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

They dared not stay in that cursed place any longer. It was a good thing they had feigned unconsciousness convincingly, otherwise their injuries would have been even worse. They also knew that Zi Ying wouldn't truly kill anyone, but being injured like that was still very humiliating. Blue Water was a true den of dragons and tigers, not to be entered lightly!

"My apologies for startling you, Brother Lu," Yan Hong said, looking somewhat apologetically at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye shook his head. "I should be thanking you, Brother Yan, for coming to my aid." Although even without Yan Hong, those two aristocratic juniors couldn't have truly done anything to him, choosing either family would have offended the other. Then, being without support, he would certainly be targeted and harassed. But with Yan Hong, it was different. Since he had stepped forward, the matter no longer concerned Lu Ye.

However, this also meant there was only one choice for the Pífú's destination, which had its pros and cons.

Yan Hong shook his head. "We should be thanking our Garrison Commander." He had only rushed over after receiving news, and it now seemed that the news must have been sent by the Garrison Commander himself.

Considering Zi Ying's actions just now, Yan Hong vaguely understood Zi Ying's intention: it was clear that the previous battle had caused the commander to harbor some dissatisfaction with the aristocratic families, and he was taking this opportunity to vent. The injuries to the two Fusion Daoist guards were minor and inconsequential; their home planets wouldn't even care. After all, it was a fact that they had come to Blue Water without prior notification, so Zi Ying had every right to hold them accountable.

After a slight hesitation, Yan Hong said, "Brother Lu, that Pífú... would you allow me to see it?" The day Lu Ye suddenly unleashed his power and joined him in killing Pei Dan, Yan Hong had already guessed that Lu Ye possessed this top-tier Dao artifact. If not for his recovery in the past few days, he would have sought out Lu Ye much earlier. He had long heard of the great reputation of the Pífú, but he had never actually seen it, and he couldn't help but be curious.

"Of course," Lu Ye said, taking out the Pífú and handing it over.

Yan Hong formally received it, examining it carefully with a look of fascination in his eyes. Only after a considerable time did he formally hand the Pífú back.

Lu Ye was surprised. "Brother Yan, don't you want it?" Since he had already taken out the Pífú, he had no intention of taking it back. He definitely couldn't keep this item, and it wasn't of great use to him anyway. He had planned to give it to the Yan family earlier, and Yan Hong clearly had the same idea, so going along with it now seemed like a good plan. As for the benefits the Yan family could offer him... Yan Hong seemed like a trustworthy person and wouldn't offer worse terms than the other two families.