Chapter 45 - 45 42 Planning

45: Chapter 42 Planning 45: Chapter 42 Planning On the following day, before dawn had broken, at the gates of Tianyang County City, more than a dozen fine horses quietly set off. Astride these steeds were some of the Ye family’s experts, with the leader riding a fierce Two-headed Demon Tiger, majestic and powerful. He was none other than Ye Xuan, who had been assigned this mission. Such an eye-catching mount made the accompanying scores of strong men green with envy. But beyond that envy, there was admiration. A Demon Beast like the Two-headed Demon Tiger was something ordinary people would flee from at the sight, yet the young Ye Xuan had managed to tame it, which was quite impressive indeed. The group spurred their horses on, racing towards the south of the county city like a blast of wind and lightning. “Young Master Ye Xuan, the Blood Dragon Gang is filled with experts. Aren’t we a little understaffed for a reinforcement mission?” asked one of the Ye family’s experts, doubt tainting his voice as they galloped on the wide imperial road. “Quality matters over quantity. Too many would only get in the way. No matter how strong the Blood Dragon Gang may be, they’re merely a band of bandits, and not difficult to handle,” Ye Xuan, atop the Two-headed Demon Tiger leading the team, responded indifferently to the question from behind. Not to mention that he had never intended to bring many people, the Ye family was currently spread thin, struggling on all fronts. If he took too many people on this mission, it could inevitably affect other areas. Hearing how casually Ye Xuan spoke, the expert did not inquire further. Sёarᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Despite Ye Xuan’s youth, he was the top winner of the family’s prestigious autumn hunt and had made a name for himself across the Great Xia Kingdom. Naturally, the Ye family’s experts all respected him, and now since Ye Xuan had spoken, there was no need for further doubts. … Five hundred li south of the city. Breeze Manor—this was where the Ye family cultivated its Spiritual Medicine. The family had specifically assigned clan members to guard and manage it. The Spiritual Medicine harvested from Breeze Manor was a significant source of income for the Ye family, which had become even more crucial after starting cooperation with the Spiritual Items Workshop. This Spirit Medicine Garden had become a priority, as it greatly affected the production of Life Extending Pills. The person in charge of overseeing and managing Breeze Manor was Ye Xuan’s fourth uncle, Ye Zhan. This uncle rarely returned to the clan and spent most of his days within the confines of the Breeze Manor, having managed it smoothly without a hitch over the years. The attack from the Blood Dragon Gang must have caused considerable damage to the garden; otherwise, Ye Zhan’s character would have never allowed for asking the family for help. After a morning’s worth of travel, Ye Xuan and his companions had reached Breeze Manor around noon. Ye Xuan rode the Demon Tiger to a small hilltop, peering down at the slope below. At the end of the broad road lay a sprawling manor towering in the distance, a manor whose borders seemed endless at a glance. Looking out far into the distance, a faint mist of spiritual energy enveloped the airspace above the manor, constantly morphing into various vivid shapes. “The gates are tightly shut, and the defenses are strict. It truly does look like they’ve suffered an attack,” Ye Xuan remarked with eyes narrowed, gazing at the closed manor doors. “Go!” Pushing the Two-headed Demon Tiger he was riding, Ye Xuan swooped down towards Breeze Manor like a black whirlwind, kicking up dust along the way. Clatter, clatter! Following Ye Xuan’s lead, more than a dozen figures also rapidly followed suit, and within a few short minutes, amidst clouds of dust, they reached the locked gates of the manor. “This is a key location of the Ye family. State your identity!” demanded a voice, as cold gleams appeared on the towering wall and bows were drawn taut, aimed at Ye Xuan and his group down below. Roar! Apparently sensing hostility, the Two-headed Demon Tiger under Ye Xuan let out a fierce roar, a sound that seemed to make the entire Breeze Manor tremble. “I am Ye Xuan, commanded by the Family Head to come to the aid of Breeze Manor!” Ye Xuan shouted towards the figures on the wall, his voice wrapping in True Qi, carrying far and wide. “Is that Young Master Ye Xuan?” “The mount is a Two-headed Demon Tiger; it must be him. Hurry, go inform the fourth master.” The news of Ye Xuan taming the Two-headed Demon Tiger and winning first place in the autumn hunt had by now spread throughout the entire Ye family. Even those residing in the Breeze Manor were well aware of these feats. After only a short wait outside, the great doors of Breeze Manor swung open, and from within, a troop of guards emerged, led by a middle-aged man exuding a bold martial presence—Ye Xuan’s fourth uncle, Ye Zhan. “Fourth Uncle.” Ye Xuan leaped down from the back of the Two-headed Demon Tiger and greeted the man with a clasped hand bow. “Xuaner, I never expected father to send reinforcements and actually trust you to lead the team,” Even though there was little interaction with Ye Xuan on regular days, perhaps due to being far from the power center of the Ye family, this Ye Zhan seemed to have a bit more humanity than the others. “What must be experienced, must eventually be faced. I can’t stay cooped up at home forever.” Ye Xuan just smiled. He actually had some fondness for this uncle he rarely met. Even though the latter seldom returned to the Ye family, he would usually visit Ye Xuan each time he did. “Let’s go, we’ll talk inside.” Ye Zhan certainly had no doubts about Ye Xuan’s strength now; what worried him was the latter’s experience. Facing the sinister and fierce Black Powers like the Blood Dragon Gang, young masters from noble families who had never experienced the slaughter and hadn’t even killed someone could often not hold their ground in such situations. But what he didn’t know was that Ye Xuan had already stained his hands with lives back in the Panlong Mountain, not to mention his past life—if that were relevant, there wasn’t a killing field he hadn’t seen. … “Uncle, how bad was the loss to the Spirit Medicine Garden from the Blood Dragon Gang’s last attack?” Upon entering Breeze Manor and taking his seat in the hall, Ye Xuan opened with this question. “Alas, last night’s losses amounted to nearly a quarter of this year’s Spiritual Medicine harvest. The blow to the Spirit Medicine Garden was significant; otherwise, I wouldn’t have called for help from the family.” Ye Zhan sighed slightly. The defenses of Breeze Manor had never been relaxed these past few days, yet last night it had still been breached. Fortunately, they had put up a fierce resistance, and the Blood Dragon Gang had retreated. Otherwise, the losses would have been much greater. “The bandits from the Blood Dragon Gang are indeed ferocious. They have over a hundred skilled men. Their leader, the Blood Dragon, is a Fifth Grade Martial Master. The two underbosses are known as Tang Shan and Gai Hong, both at the realm of Fifth Grade Martial Masters as well, just less powerful. With such a lineup, if the Blood Dragon Gang were to come out in full force, it would probably not be difficult for them to slaughter my Breeze Manor. The people you’ve brought this time, I’m afraid, might not be enough.” Ye Xuan had only brought a dozen or so people with him this time, which seemed to be of little help for the situation at hand. “Uncle, don’t worry. Although the Blood Dragon Gang is fierce, they are really just a ragtag bunch. It is not difficult to exterminate them. Tonight is dark and windy—I think it’s an excellent opportunity to send them to their graves.” Ye Xuan said calmly, with a faint smile. “Oh? Do you mean to take action tonight, setting an ambush, ready to strike?” Some surprise flickered in his eyes as Ye Zhan looked at Ye Xuan with astonishment. But then he furrowed his brow, “But the people from the Blood Dragon Gang are notoriously cunning. Whether they will attack tonight is still uncertain.” “Then we’ll create the conditions to lure them in,” Ye Xuan’s eyes revealed a gleam of sharpness. “Tonight, Breeze Manor doesn’t need to be too well guarded; on the contrary, we should deliberately expose several obvious defensive flaws to be discovered by the Blood Dragon Gang.” “Why is that?” Ye Zhan’s expression changed. If Breeze Manor, with its strict defense, was still breached last night, wouldn’t the outcome be even more dire if they were lax in their defenses today? Perhaps the entirety of Breeze Manor would be at risk of destruction. “We can only feign weakness deliberately to attract the full assault of the Blood Dragon Gang. Otherwise, if they attack us every few days, we will surely be worn out trying to fend them off. The gang is adept at hit-and-run tactics, so we cannot play to our weaknesses against their strengths. If they see us let our guard down, they will surely attack with all their might. Then, we can finish them off once and for all!” A glint of sharpness flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes. Hiss! Ye Zhan couldn’t help but take a sharp breath, never expecting Ye Xuan to be so audacious! He had been pondering all day how to strengthen the defense to ward off stealth attacks from the Blood Dragon Gang, yet Ye Xuan planned to attract them in full force and swiftly annihilate them, settling the matter once and for all. This plan was nothing short of brilliant and was sure to draw in an attack from the Blood Dragon Gang, given that their strength still greatly surpassed their own, and they would grab any opportunity without hesitation. But the key rested in whether they had the capability to encircle and defeat the Blood Dragon Gang. If things went awry, Breeze Manor could well be doomed. However, he believed that Ye Xuan would not undertake something completely uncertain. Lately, the latter had been devilishly effective. Should he take this risk? Seeing Ye Zhan hesitate, Ye Xuan did not rush him. He knew that convincing the former to make a decision was not an easy matter. “Let’s do it! Damn it, let’s have a proper fight tonight, uncle and nephew. To think that a small Blood Dragon Gang believes they can just trample over the Ye family like we’re soft fruit easy to squish!” Slamming the table, a rare ferociousness emerged on Ye Zhan’s face—the battle spirit surged within him, “Tonight, we must make sure they come but never return!”