I am a high-level martial arts master.

On the ninth day, the caravan finally reached the wilderness less than a hundred miles from Yan City.

The fatigue from days of trekking, coupled with the sense of relief that their destination was near, and the relatively safe conditions along the nearby official road, allowed everyone to relax a little.

A solitary, cold moon hangs in the sky, casting a hazy silver glow that outlines the undulating wilderness and the silhouettes of caravans encamped there.

Dozens of horse-drawn carriages formed a loose semicircle, and a bonfire was burning brightly in the open space in the middle.

A caravan of dozens of people gathered around a campfire. The dry branches crackled and popped in the flames, sending up tiny sparks. The group chatted merrily under the moonlight.

They sat in rough earthenware bowls filled with warm, cheap wine, chatting idly about everything under the sun while eating dry rations.

The conversation gradually shifted from the sights and sights along the way to the prominent figures in Guangming City.

"Young Master Du, your profound principles are really hard for us rough folks to understand!"

A burly bodyguard with a full beard chuckled, "Weren't you at the Poison Wolf Gang's scene that day? Why don't you tell us the story of Young Master Ye's solo incursion into the Poison Wolf Gang?"

"Storybooks?"

Du Yuanzhou was taken aback by this sudden turn of events, a look of embarrassment and confusion flashing across his face.

"Yes, the young master single-handedly stormed the Poison Wolf Gang, and the whole town is talking about it."

A bodyguard stood up and vividly performed: "The poisonous wolf is treacherous [terrified] How should Azure Dragon deal with it? [thinking] A fierce battle would only waste resources [helpless] It's better to endure for now [clever] The younger generation has all perished [crying] Who dares to be Azure Dragon's vanguard [thinking]"

His performance was so lifelike that it drew laughter from the crowd around him.

The other man chuckled and took a few steps to his companion, puffing out his chest, chin held high, his face instantly contorted with rage: "What is there to be afraid of? [Angry] Having inherited my senior brother's will, [Raises eyebrow] how can I remain stagnant? [Angry] Hmm hmm hmm~ Ha!! [Angry, angry] I!! [Angry] Ye Li [Angry] will only advance, never retreat!!! [Angry angry]"

"If the Poison Wolf advances hundreds of times to temper his body, I will annihilate them all for my master [Raging Fist]! Even if the Poison Wolf leads the entire gang to invade [Fist Fist Fist Raging], I can still forcefully repel them and defeat the enemy for the gang [Fist Raging Raging Raging Fist]!"

Du Yuanzhou stared blankly at the lifelike bodyguards performing one by one, thinking that he had reached the end of his life.

In fact, ever since Ye Li broke the Poison Wolf Gang that day, with Canglong's secret encouragement, similar stories have been widely circulated.

However, because Du Yuanzhou was engrossed in cultivation in the city lord's mansion during that time, he was completely unaware of these matters and felt as if he were out of touch with the rest of society.

Du Yuanzhou: As a bard, why can't I keep up with the jokes these people are making? Am I out of touch with the times?

As the group chatted, the topic suddenly shifted to Ye Li:

"By the way, what is Young Master Ye doing right now? We haven't seen him for the past few days?"

Having finally found a topic to talk about, Du Yuanzhou continued, "He spends all day meditating and regulating his breathing in the carriage, and when he rests, he practices his boxing about a mile away from us."

Even Du Yuanzhou, who had some reservations about Ye Li, couldn't find fault with Ye Li's hard work.

In Du Yuanzhou's eyes, this guy was an absolute martial arts fanatic. He was highly talented and hardworking, so he deserved to succeed.

As the night breeze grew cooler, it swept across the wilderness, bringing with it the monotonous chirping of insects in the distance, which only accentuated the profound and boundless darkness beyond the campfire.

The group chatted and drank for another half hour. As the effects of the wine and weariness set in, and seeing that the night was deep, they yawned and returned to their carriages to rest, leaving only a few experienced bodyguards to keep watch on the outskirts.

Lifting the curtain, Du Yuanzhou stepped into the carriage. At this moment, they were sleeping in the wild with no rest stops, so they could only squeeze into the carriage.

Ignoring Ye Li, who was moving his qi and blood with his eyes closed inside the carriage, Du Yuanzhou then looked at Yang Shichang.

At this moment, Yang Shichang had completed a full cycle of internal energy circulation, reaching his peak condition. He opened his eyes and calmly greeted Du Yuanzhou. Du Yuanzhou inexplicably felt a strong liking for this acquired elder of the Azure Dragon Gang.

During this period, the elders at the Acquired Realm were the most supportive of him when he gave speeches.

Although the emotional energy gained was minimal, proving that the old man wasn't particularly interested in his words and was merely trying to avoid embarrassing him, it was still enough to make Du Yuanzhou grateful.

Upon seeing Du Yuanzhou enter the carriage, Yang Shichang greeted him, picked up his nearly empty water bottle, and went out.

Seeing Ye Li diligently cultivating beside him, Du Yuanzhou lost his sleepiness, sat cross-legged in the carriage, and began to circulate his energy.

As his breathing rhythm changed, the blood and qi in his body gradually surged, and he entered a state of cultivation.

But the next moment, he was shocked as he entered a meditative state and felt a strong wind rushing towards him!

Du Yuanzhou didn't even have time to fully open his eyes before his vision was completely filled by a rapidly enlarging shadow—Ye Li's right leg! "This... guy..."

It happened so suddenly that there was no time to react.

Du Yuanzhou felt a sharp pain in his cheek, and his entire body flew backward uncontrollably like a kite with a broken string. The wooden carriage could not withstand such force and shattered into pieces upon impact.

"Damn it, you just wait!"

In mid-air, Du Yuanzhou, who was completely unaware of why Ye Li had suddenly attacked, was filled with rage. Once he regained his footing, he was determined to kill this madman! However, just as he was flying backward, he caught a glimpse of a scene out of the corner of his eye that made his blood almost freeze.

A powerful, large hand slammed out with a piercing shriek that tore through the air!

"boom!!!"

The air seemed to be smashed by a giant hammer, producing a deafening thunderous roar!

The entire dilapidated carriage shuddered violently, groaning under the strain!

The spot where Du Yuanzhou had been sitting was instantly crushed into dust by the violent energy!

If Ye Li hadn't kicked him away, this palm strike would have left him half-dead, if not dead!

"What's going on? He... he's... saving me?!"

Du Yuanzhou was in a state of confusion. He steadied himself during the backward flight, and after landing, he took several steps back to dissipate the force of the impact.

"Enemy attack! There's an attack on the camp! Be on alert!"

Du Yuanzhou roared angrily, only to be met with Ye Li's indifferent voice: "Stop shouting. There are only three of us left alive here." "Isn't that right, Elder Yang!"

Upon hearing Ye Li's words, Du Yuanzhou's heart skipped a beat. He looked around and found the entire camp as quiet as if it had fallen into a ghost town, showing no reaction to the disturbance.

In the silence, only the night wind howled through the campfire, but that was all.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the wrecked carriage, the flickering campfire casting dappled light on his face.

"Heh heh." Yang Shichang chuckled softly, the sound particularly jarring in the deathly silence of the wilderness: "Brother Ye, you're quite the vigilant fellow, I'm truly impressed."

"I tried to be discreet enough, but I didn't expect you to find out anyway."