Chapter 771: A Word Once Spoken Cannot Be Overtaken Even by a Team of Horses!

"The Gu family? My spot originally belonged to the Gu family?" Ye Yuan frowned.

Pei Wenqiang nodded with a slightly awkward expression, clearly not expecting that the Gu family's brat would cause such a scene.

Ye Yuan glanced at him but said nothing more.

How could he not see through Pei Wenqiang's petty schemes?

Although Ye Yuan had saved Gu Qing, his relationship with the Gu family was far from good.

Not to mention anything else, the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion was now raking in money hand over fist, and since this was originally the Gu family's territory, how could they not be envious?

With this move, Pei Wenqiang had both given Ye Yuan a sweet date and cleverly stirred up relations between the two factions.

As the city lord, he could now navigate smoothly.

This kind of provocation wasn't particularly despicable; it was merely a ruler's method of controlling subordinates. Balancing relationships among various parties was something every ruler had to consider.

Ye Yuan might not have eaten pork, but he had seen plenty of pigs running. How could he not see through this?

Pei Wenqiang was new to the area, so using a few small tricks was understandable. Ye Yuan didn't think poorly of him for it.

Conversely, if Pei Wenqiang hadn't pulled these little maneuvers, he wouldn't be Pei Wenqiang.

Pei Wenqiang's small trick was merely opportunistic. After all, the value of a single spot far exceeded the provocation between the two families.

If the Red Cloud Valley truly held great fortune, then this spot would be invaluable to Ye Yuan.

A few small tricks were neither here nor there.

Ye Yuan glanced at Pei Wenqiang and said, "There's no need for the city lord to personally deal with such a nuisance. I'll take care of him. But... let this be the last time!"

"Ahem, last time! Last time! Um... Ye Yuan, are you sure you don't need my help? That Gu Hua is quite skilled, ranking among the top three of the younger generation in Gufeng City," Pei Wenqiang said.

Pei Wenqiang hadn't expected before coming that Ye Yuan would possess the golden token of the Tianyuan Trading Company.

With just this token, he was on an entirely different level from the Gu family. This trick now seemed quite superfluous.

However, Pei Wenqiang was no slouch; in just a few days, he had already mapped out the power distribution in Gufeng City fairly well. He even had a clear account of the younger generation's strength.

These three spots were extremely precious. How could Pei Wenqiang give them away casually?

If they lost in the competition, it would be his own face that was lost.

Moreover, although the Pei family was powerful, they also had many enemies in the Holy Land.

This matter concerned the entire Holy Land; if he was too perfunctory, it would leave him open to criticism.

Apart from Ye Yuan, he had carefully selected the other two spots for Gufeng City. One of them wasn't even from a major family, but that person's strength was truly impressive.

That Gu Hua outside was indeed quite strong. It was only to repay Ye Yuan's favor that he reluctantly squeezed out Gu Hua's spot.

...

"Ye Yuan, get the hell out here! You're an alchemist, what business do you have mingling with us martial artists? Once you leave Gufeng City, you'll disgrace us all..."

Gu Hua kept shouting outside the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion, his words growing increasingly harsh, attracting a crowd of onlookers.

At first, everyone was puzzled, thinking the Gu family was jealous of the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion's booming business and had come to cause trouble.

But upon listening closely, they realized that wasn't the case at all.

"What do you think? Ye Yuan is an alchemist, why is he butting in? The rewards from the Red Cloud Valley are tempting, but he has to have the ability to claim them!"

"Exactly! An alchemist should focus on the Dao of alchemy, not go off to compete in martial arts. That's just neglecting his proper work!"

"Gu Hua is already at the fifth level of the Boundless Realm, with a high comprehension of artistic conception. His strength ranks among the top three of Gufeng City's younger generation. Ye Yuan taking his spot is indeed a bit unfair; no wonder Gu Hua is so furious."

With Gu Hua stirring things up, everyone felt that Ye Yuan's move was somewhat overbearing.

This was clearly a case of occupying a latrine without shitting.

Just then, a large group of people emerged from the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion, with Ye Yuan at the lead.

Seeing Ye Yuan finally come out, Gu Hua couldn't help but look smug.

"Ye Yuan, you finally decided to show your face. I thought you'd be a turtle hiding in its shell forever! Come on, since you're out, let's have a match and show everyone who truly deserves to represent Gufeng City!" Gu Hua sneered.

Ye Yuan smiled faintly. "Are you sure you want to fight?"

"Of course! Do you think I'm joking in front of all these people? Enough talk, are you fighting or not? If you don't dare, hand over the spot obediently! City Lord, I know you and Ye Yuan have ties, but this is about Gufeng City's honor. I, Gu Hua, cannot back down!"

Gu Hua put on a righteous air, placing himself on the moral high ground, leaving Pei Wenqiang with little to say.

Ye Yuan sighed slightly. "Alright, here I come. You'd better be ready!"

Gu Hua hadn't expected Ye Yuan to strike so suddenly and immediately raised his primal energy to its peak!

But at that moment, a chill ran down his neck—a sharp sword was already pressed against it.

"You're dead." Ye Yuan's ghostly voice sounded in Gu Hua's ear.

Only then did the crowd realize that Ye Yuan had somehow already moved behind Gu Hua.

If Ye Yuan had simply let the Xuanying Sword slip, he could have taken Gu Hua's life.

Saying Gu Hua was dead was no exaggeration.

Pei Wenqiang's expression tightened as he stared at Ye Yuan in disbelief. With his cultivation level, he could easily track Ye Yuan's speed.

But was that speed something a Spirit Travel Realm martial artist should possess?

Could it be that this guy was actually that strong?

"Ye Yuan, that was a sneak attack! How despicable!" Gu Hua gritted his teeth.

Gu Hua himself didn't think Ye Yuan was that formidable; it was definitely a timing trick that caught him off guard!

Ye Yuan smiled. "Is that so? Fine, I'll give you five chances. If you can dodge even one of my strikes, I'll gladly give you my spot. How about it?"

Gu Hua was overjoyed. "You said it! Don't go back on your word when you lose!"

Though he was reluctant to admit it, he acknowledged Ye Yuan's strength. Defeating Ye Yuan wouldn't be easy.

But no matter how strong Ye Yuan was, surely he couldn't make it so that Gu Hua couldn't dodge a single strike?

Since Ye Yuan was asking for it, Gu Hua wouldn't be polite.

For the sake of this spot in the quasi-holy son competition, even if people said he won unfairly, he would accept it!

Ye Yuan smiled faintly. "A word once spoken cannot be overtaken even by a team of horses!"