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Chapter 507 Feigning Madness, Real Cunning
Xu Yuan went straight to his residence after leaving the government office.

Ma Tianshou caught up with them halfway there.

This time, the old man was not in a hurry. He appeared beside Xu Yuan slowly and said, "Sun Li, Sun Shou's second uncle, is a veteran fourth-rate alchemist. It is said that he has fused the sword pill with the fire in his abdomen, and his swordsmanship is unparalleled in the world. Be careful."

After telling Xu Yuan about Sun Li's main information, the old man couldn't help but complain, "I've practically become your old steward during my time in Champa!"

Xu Yuan expressed his gratitude, saying, "How can you be just an old housekeeper? You are my uncle, and in my heart, you are on par with Uncle Shen."

Ma Tianshou quickly waved his hand: "I can't compare to Brother Shen."

A year ago, Ma Tianshou and Grandpa Shen met for the first time late at night outside Hegong Lane.

At that time, Ma Tianshou still felt that his skill level was about the same as Master Shen's.

Now that it's been upgraded to fourth-tier, the difference is even clearer: the gap... is indeed quite large.

He would never dare to compare himself to Grandpa Shen now.

Ma Tianshou continued, "In Beidu, everyone knows that Sun Li has a fiery temper and smashed your front door... When you tell people about this, they all think that only a reckless person would do something like this."

Ma Tianshou still hoped to settle the matter peacefully.

Sun Li and the Sun family behind him are also extraordinary.

If Xu Yuan could forgive Sun Li and turn hostility into friendship, and if he could secretly spread the word, it would indeed enhance Xu Yuan's reputation for being "magnanimous".

This method not only worked in our Ming Dynasty, but it worked in every dynasty throughout history.

For example, some cruel and corrupt officials were able to leave behind a reputation for virtues like "rising at the crowing of the rooster to practice martial arts" and "stealing light through a hole in the wall" simply because they had a group of people who took money to write articles praising them!

But Xu Yuan was puzzled when he heard the old man's words: "Sun Li has a fiery temper?"

Ma Tianshou nodded: "Yes, everyone in Beidu says so."

"Hmph, I suppose he's all bark and no bite?" Xu Yuan said. "I don't usually stay in this house. Not many people in our yamen know that I own such a house. How did Sun Li find out so much about it?"

And if he wanted to cause me trouble, why didn't he go to the government office, but instead specifically chose such a small house?

Xu Yuan guessed that Sun Li was unaware that the destroyed house was his alchemy room.

Not many people in the government office knew about the house, and even fewer knew about the alchemy room.

Otherwise, he would probably have just destroyed the gate and stopped.

They had reached the outside of the house.

A lot of people have gathered around.

Neighbors, peddlers, and laborers all stood indignantly outside the door, pointing and whispering about Sun Li and the others inside.

Lord Xu was highly respected and beloved in Champa. If it weren't for the fact that everyone feared Sun Li, they would probably be cursing him and throwing stones and cow dung at him by now.

But the moment Xu Yuan appeared, the situation immediately changed!

Everyone immediately felt emboldened.

Several young men jumped up, pointed at Sun Li and his men in the courtyard, and shouted, "You madmen! Your death is nigh!"

Some elderly people also muttered curses: "You wicked thing! Lord Xu was such a good official, and you destroyed his house. May your son be born without an anus!"
"Having a daughter shows a lack of foresight!"

Xu Yuan stood at the entrance of his house and with just a glance, he could tell the power of Sun Li's sword pill from the damage to the gate and gate tower.

"Lord Xu," Sun Li pulled up a chair, sat down in the courtyard, and preemptively asked, "What has my nephew, Sun Shou, done to offend you?"

Xu Yuan frowned and patiently explained, "He is involved in a strange case, but it is not because of me that his freedom has been restricted."

"So you also handled this bizarre case. Can you swear to God that there wasn't a single injustice in the case you handled? What if my nephew was wronged? You would have ruined his promising future..."

He kept rambling on and on, saying things that were meaningless.

Xu Yuan frowned inwardly, sensing that something was amiss.

Sun Li kept shouting loudly.

It matches his outward impression of having a "fiery temper".

But... if someone really has a fiery temper, would they be so long-winded?
Xu Yuan thought to himself, "He's stalling for time."

"What are you waiting for?"

Suddenly, Xu Yuan saw His Highness, accompanied by Mr. Cao and Mr. Lan, arriving in plain clothes outside the crowd.

This should be the result of a compromise between Mr. Cao and His Highness.

His Highness insisted on coming, and Mr. Cao couldn't dissuade him.

So you just have to be less "obvious".

It is also because Mr. Cao and His Highness have received information that Sun Li's skill level is only fourth-rate, and he will not pose a threat to His Highness's safety.

After Xu Yuan discovered His Highness, Sun Li's tone suddenly changed: "There's no point in saying anything. Everyone in Beidu knows my temperament."

If someone thinks it's your fault, then it's your fault!
"I won't be happy unless I fight you!"

As he spoke, wisps of flame accompanied by lava-like substances drifted from his lips.

Before him, a fire dragon, three zhang long, coalesced.

This level of control even moved Ma Tianshou.

The fire dragon lunged forward, baring its fangs and claws, and arrived in front of Xu Yuan in an instant.

The dragon's mane was also flames, and it "licked" at Xu Yuan strand by strand. The flames quickly gathered into a cage of fire within a three-zhang radius around Xu Yuan, trapping him inside.

Sun Li said, "I intend to pass on my family's alchemy skills to my nephew, Sun Shou."

Sun Shou is a master craftsman and alchemist, both of the seventh rank.

If Sun Li were to pass on his mantle to him, Sun Shou would most likely become a fourth-rate alchemist in the future.

If he could become a fourth-rate craftsman, he would be no less than Xu Yuan—at least that's what Sun Li thought.

When Xu Yuan heard him say these words, he finally understood Sun Li's true purpose.

This was all an act for His Highness.

Sun Li wanted to adopt Sun Shou, but he didn't want an ordinary descendant.

What he wanted was for the prince's consort to be adopted as his child.

He deliberately smashed Xu Yuan's door to lure Xu Yuan over—which would naturally lead to His Highness being drawn over as well.

Sun Li then demonstrated his prowess in alchemy.

He secretly told His Highness: "Choose Sun Shou, and in the future you will have such a powerful alchemist by your side."

As long as you can persuade His Highness, Sun Shou will not be kicked out of Beidu.

The entire plan is now down to its final, and most crucial, step:
He dueled with Xu Yuan.

Let's all use pure alchemy techniques to have a match!
Defeating Xu Yuan—ideally shattering his sword pellet—would have an 80% chance of changing His Highness's mind.

Xu Yuan carefully sensed the surrounding fiery cage.

Sun Li's control was indeed superb.

After the flames enveloped him, they did not completely merge into one, and still retained the shape of "mane".

This cage is made of individual, growing, and elongating fiery manes.

It's much more difficult than simply connecting them into a single, simple cage of flames.

This is Sun Li showing off his skills to His Highness.

Sun Li also felt that he had done a good job.

He is rough around the edges but meticulous underneath.

Upon learning of his nephew Sun Shou's plight, he immediately came up with this idea.

He was very confident in his sword pellet, and even more confident in his "sword control".

Although Xu Yuan is highly skilled, he believes that he must have gone through some "forced growth" process during his development.

There's no way a fourth-rate alchemist as young as him could surpass me in sword pellets and sword control.

Sun Li was also ruthless.

Over the years, many people have been "accidentally injured" by using the excuse of "hot temper and being unable to control oneself once a tantrum is started".

He damaged the foundation of most of them.

Even after recovering from his injuries and wanting to seek revenge, he wouldn't have the strength anymore.

Xu Yuan also praised the skill in manipulating flames, saying it was indeed remarkable.

But Xu Yuan didn't intend to compete with him in this area.

As soon as Xu Yuan opened his mouth, the fire in his abdomen rushed out.

Then, without any suspense, he smashed the fiery cage around him into pieces.

The onlookers were initially worried when they saw Lord Xu surrounded by Sun Li's fire, but those who didn't know the truth were still cheering him on.

But Ma Tianshou, Lang Xiaoba, and the others remained calm.

As expected, Sun Li's proud fiery cage was instantly broken through by Xu Yuan's fire.

You only refined "Thunderbolt Fire," how could its quality possibly compare to Xu Yuan's six types of fire?

To Sun Li's surprise, he felt that the "Thunderbolt Fire" he had refined was of excellent quality and unparalleled in power.

Even though the cage was broken, he still wanted to salvage it, so he tried his best to activate the fire in his abdomen to repair the cage.

But they found that it couldn't be repaired at all; the more they tried to patch it, the more it leaked.

Xu Yuan's flames were like... a flash flood.

His fire was like a sandbag.

How could a mere sandbag possibly stop a raging flash flood?

When the flash flood came, the sandbags were washed away and disappeared.

The same condition is now present in his abdomen due to internal heat.

Just as he was about to repair the cage, he discovered that his fire had been completely extinguished by Xu Yuan's fire!
Sun Li was greatly surprised: How could there be such terrible internal fire?
But he didn't have time to investigate why Xu Yuan's internal fire was so terrifying; he had to suppress Xu Yuan as soon as possible, or all his plans would fail.

Sun Li's greatest asset was his sword pellet.

The sword pellet can take many forms!

He originally intended to use the form of a fire dragon to directly suppress Xu Yuan.

But after discovering that Xu Yuan's internal fire was extraordinary, he changed his strategy: he could not underestimate his opponent!
I estimate that the sword ball's duel will be quite intense before I can gain the upper hand.

Then the fire dragon exploded in the air with a bang, and dozens of fire meteors fell down.

Every fiery meteor was actually under Sun Li's control.

When they landed next to Xu Yuan, they all turned into fire loaches.

The ability to control dozens of fire loaches simultaneously truly demonstrates Sun Li's profound skill in sword pellet manipulation.

If it were a few days ago, he might have really caught Xu Yuan off guard.

but now……

Xu Yuan opened his mouth and spat out his sword pellet.

The sword pellet instantly transformed into hundreds of sword threads.

Each sword thread was strangely agile and sharp!
Its speed was incredibly fast, like wisps of clouds on the horizon.

With a whoosh, the sword thread darted into the group of fire loaches.

Moreover, each of the sword threads pierced a loach.

Just like a fishing line, it caught the loach!
Moreover, many sword threads are left free.

In their first encounter, Sun Li suffered a major loss.

This time, he had no time to think; any hesitation would lead to defeat.

Sun Li's expression was extremely solemn. In an instant, he melted all the fire eels and reformed them into three-zhang-long fire dragons.

However, Ma Tianshou and Mr. Cao could already see that the fire dragon's momentum had weakened somewhat compared to before.

The fire dragon soared into the air, baring its fangs and claws in front of Xu Yuan, striking a very imposing pose.

Just like the pattern embroidered on the emperor's dragon robe.

Almost everyone in the world would subconsciously feel a sense of awe upon seeing such a "dragon".

But when it comes to sheer presence, Xu Yuan is not afraid.

Hundreds of sword threads twisted together and then, with a loud bang, transformed into a giant mountain sword.

It was five zhang long, even larger than Sun Li's fire dragon.

The situation was now quite awkward.

Compared to Xu Yuan's sword, the original fire dragon had lost all its imposing presence and instead resembled... a small insect.

Xu Yuan's sword was like the palm-leaf fan in the hand of an old man sitting in the cool of the street.

The old man held a palm-leaf fan, not only to fan himself, but also to swat away mosquitoes and flying insects.

Sun Li's fire dragon was actually a small flying insect that was about to be swatted to death.

Sun Li immediately sensed something was wrong. He had changed his moves twice, but how come he was being suppressed by Xu Yuan?

He dared not delay and quickly dispersed the fire dragon into a cloud of fire.

His control is strong, which allows him to make the sword pellets change in countless ways.

After transforming into fiery clouds, Xu Yuan's mountain-shaped giant sword arrived as easily as wind blowing through clouds.

After Sun Li's sword pellet dodged, it reformed behind the mountain giant sword, transforming into a "sword rope" that coiled around the mountain giant sword.

Sun Li didn't know why, but even though he knew that Xu Yuan's strength made it difficult for him to win, he still felt he had a hard time winning.

But just seeing that sword pellet—no matter what form it took—filled him with extreme rage.

It was as if this sword pellet had touched a raw nerve.

But in reality, Sun Li didn't even know that he had a "reverse scale" (a metaphor for a perceived weakness or vulnerability).

If Sun Li were to express his true feelings at this moment, it would be: "That piece of junk Xu Yuan, just looking at him makes me angry!"

Sun Li used all his skills, and the sword pellet under his manipulation changed in countless ways. Sometimes it turned into a flock of fire crows, sometimes into a pool of fire and water, and sometimes into three strange swords that worked together.

However, during this period, Xu Yuan only appeared as the "mountain giant sword".

Sun Li also brought several of his family retainers.

At first, they were delighted to see their "Second Master" seemingly turn the tide and "play tricks" on Xu Yuan with the changes in the sword pellet.

But gradually, even they realized it.

First of all, the Second Master's fire was no match for Xu Yuan's.

Secondly, no matter how the Second Master's sword pellet changed, Xu Yuan could simply twist the huge flying sword casually, causing the Second Master to fail and have to change to the next form to deal with it.

The cheers gradually faded away.

The sweat on Sun Li's forehead grew heavier and heavier.

Xu Yuan couldn't help but curl his lip and scoff, "Fancy and useless!"

Sun Li's old face immediately turned bright red.

Upon hearing Xu Yuan's assessment, His Highness, who was watching the battle from a distance, couldn't help but chuckle.

Xu Yuan is not usually this harsh.

In a normal duel between two people, even if Xu Yuan wins, he will still give the other person some face.

But that old bastard Sun Li came here to trample on him.

That's not a normal competition or friendly exchange.

Xu Yuan not only showed no respect for him, but also humiliated him and even stepped on his face.

Sun Li already knew he couldn't win.

None of his many transformations could restrain Xu Yuan.

Change also means greater consumption.

Even if Xu Yuan doesn't retaliate, he can eventually exhaust his strength and suffer a humiliating defeat by waiting for the opportune moment.

Stopping at this point would have been the most sensible choice.

But Sun Li just wouldn't agree!
Seeing that five-zhang-long giant sword makes me angry!
It's so big, it's like it's being shoved right in my face—what does that mean?
Does it make you look older?

No children!

So I gritted my teeth and persevered, determined to prove that even though I wasn't that old, I was flexible, versatile, and skilled!

Xu Yuan's sword pellet now has another ability.

Xu Yuan kept it hidden and never used it.

First, they ascertained Sun Li's true strength and weaknesses.

It has now been clarified that Sun Li only possesses the abilities of the fire in his abdomen and the sword pellet.

There were no other trump cards.

Xu Yuan then activated the "flushing" ability within the sword pellet.

Sun Li was transforming his sword pellet from a giant fire tiger into six fire snakes.

This kind of change was something that Sun Li could easily accomplish.

But this time, something unexpected happened.

As the fire wheel was changing, Sun Li suddenly felt his own level drop.

Sun Li's sword pellet variations are based on his skill level.

Without the right technique, the sword pellet's transformations suddenly stalled.

This is quite embarrassing.

The hindquarters of the fire tiger had begun to change, but the front half of its body still retained the form of a tiger.

From the waist down, it turned into six snake tails...

Xu Yuan laughed heartily: "A promising start but a disappointing finish!"

The surrounding crowd burst into laughter.

Sun Li's face turned ashen.

My heart was filled with panic.

He discovered that his water level had dropped.

The biggest fear right now is that we don't know if the level that has dropped can be brought back up!
"What kind of trickery did this guy use on me?!"

Sun Li had never heard of this kind of trick before.

It's not easy to rise from fifth-rate to fourth-rate.

He absolutely cannot accept being forced to fall back to the bottom tier forever.

Then... we have to find a way to beg Xu Yuan to make an exception and let us off the hook.

It wouldn't be impossible to even sacrifice Sun Shou.

Between "future generations" and himself, Sun Li would naturally choose himself.

But... is Xu Yuan willing to let me go?!
His sword pellet was still in a "tiger's head and snake's tail" state, making it very inconvenient to control.

Xu Yuan's sword pellet had already struck down on his head!

"what!"

Sun Li let out a scream and was shoved to the ground.

Xu Yuan showed no mercy, pressing the giant sword down until Sun Li was completely embedded in the ground.

Dust rose in the courtyard.

It landed on the faces of Sun Li's retainers.

"Master Xu!"

A group of family retainers knelt down with a thud.

"Be merciful!"

Xu Yuan still did not lift the sword pellet.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Sun Li was simply slammed into the ground.

But this is a sword pellet, which is very different from ordinary swords.

Any part of the sword can become a sharp edge.

They can easily cut a person into several pieces.

Xu Yuan looked at him coldly and said, "My alchemy room has been destroyed. Do you know how valuable it is?"

The guards were dumbfounded: We're not alchemists, how would we know this?

Fortunately, there was Ji Ling among them, who immediately nodded: "We know, we know. As for the value of this alchemy room... whatever Master Xu says is the value."

Let's rescue the second master first.

Xu Yuan snorted again: "What you guys say probably doesn't count."

Then the giant sword rose into the air.

It rose high to a height of ten zhang.

The guards saw that Sun Li was embedded in the sword and was lifted up along with it.

The guards kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Please, sir, show mercy..."

Xu Yuan looked up at Sun Li and asked, "How much do you think my alchemy room is worth?"

Sun Li appeared to have no injuries, but he looked somewhat disheveled and covered in dirt.

But only he knew that when he was slapped—in that instant, countless sharp sword energies, like hair-needles, pierced into his entire body!
With just a thought from Xu Yuan, these terrifying sword energies could tear his entire body to shreds!
Would Xu Yuan dare to kill him?

Sun Li dared not gamble...

Life is your own, and you only have one.

Sun Li was filled with regret. Why did he have to cause trouble for Xu Yuan because of Sun Shou's mess?
Sun Li estimated his net worth and gave a quote: "Fifty thousand taels..."

The sword energy within his body was stirring restlessly!

Sun Li immediately changed his tune and shouted, "...That's impossible. It wouldn't even be enough to compensate for one of the alchemy furnaces in your alchemy room, sir."

Sun should admit his mistake; we certainly can't let Lord Xu suffer a loss.

This statement caused everyone around to burst into laughter.

The guards lowered their heads, filled with shame.

But Sun Li didn't care; the restless sword energy within him finally subsided.

Sun Li offered a new price: "One hundred thousand..."

The sword energy didn't erupt suddenly, but a portion of it gathered within his body and headed towards the middle of his lower body...

It was as if he was "negotiating" with Sun Li: 100,000 taels is fine, I'll take some more from you to make up the difference.

Sun Li gasped and hurriedly added, "...100,000 taels is only the price of the alchemy furnace to compensate Lord Xu."

The sword energy then stopped.

Sun Li breathed a sigh of relief.

His Highness, speaking from a distance, covered his mouth and muttered, "This Sun Li is quite adept at adapting to changing circumstances."

It's better to say it directly: Sun Li is very good at changing his stance depending on the wind.

Sun Li continued, "The other treasures in the alchemy room, two hundred thousand..."

Another portion of sword energy gathered within his body, traveled along his skin, and headed straight for Sun Li's eyes.

Sun Li's speech suddenly quickened as he spoke before the sword energy could react: "...Two hundred thousand taels is only half the price!"

The sword energy stopped.

Sun Li's eyes were saved.

He did a quick mental calculation: it totaled five hundred thousand taels...

It's half of my entire fortune!
The Sun family is wealthy, but for a large family like theirs, most of their assets are jointly owned by the family.

The annual profits are regularly distributed to family members.

Sun Li's personal assets are around one million.

Sun Li felt heartbroken and instinctively wanted to back out.

Then a wisp of sword energy suddenly became active and stabbed him in the heart!
Sun Li was in great pain, his face contorted.

"I was just... thinking about it..."

"I don't really want to go back on my word..."

But this thought truly broke his heart.

Fortunately, he was a pill cultivator, and he quickly activated his medicinal pills to rapidly repair the wound.

If it were someone else, they would probably bleed profusely, tearing the wound open wider and wider, and then die.

Sun Li was truly terrified: Could Xu Yuan read my mind?!
He didn't even dare to have bad thoughts anymore.

He said to his retainers, "Give them...give them money..."

The guards hurriedly took out silver notes, as they had come to Jiaozhi to do business and were carrying a large sum of money for goods.

This is the family's money. We've given it to Master Xu first, and Sun Li will make up the difference to the family later.

Xu Yuan happily accepted the silver notes—his only complaint was that he had earned another 500,000 taels this time, but the "Business Law" still refused to honor it!
After Xu Yuan accepted the silver, he had a thought, and the giant mountain sword transformed into a sword pellet, which he swallowed.

Sun Li then fell heavily to the ground from a height of ten zhang.

(End of this chapter)