Liu Xunjiang said matter-of-factly, "They just want to come in and rest for a few days. What’s the harm in letting them in? It’s just a bit of food. If we heartlessly turn them away, what will the Song Family disciples in the sect think when they find out how we treated their family?"
Xu Yang shook his head. "I don’t agree. We still need to verify if they’re actually from the Song Family."
Liu Xunjiang chuckled. "It’s fine. I’ve met several of the Song Family’s young masters before. I’ll know the moment I see them. If they’re impostors, I certainly won’t let them in."
’So they do have a connection!’
"I still don’t approve of letting outsiders in. Of course, if you insist... you’re the steward, so you have the final say. But if you let them in, I won’t be responsible for security. If they bring any trouble, or if anything happens, it’s on you.
Also, they must be searched before they are allowed to leave. Everything will be done according to the mine’s regulations," Xu Yang said.
Liu Xunjiang had the final say in the mine’s affairs, but Xu Yang had the authority to supervise him.
He could let people in, but they had to be searched upon leaving to ensure they weren’t secretly taking anything with them.
"Of course!"
Liu Xunjiang’s smile was a bit strained. He quickly departed with Zhou Jiang.
Xu Yang couldn’t be bothered with him. He had already stated the risks and benefits, and had made it clear he would not be responsible. If anything happened, it wasn’t on him.
He had just performed the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist and gained a new insight, so he simply continued to practice it.
The Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist was just a Qi Gathering Fist Technique. Like the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture, it was a very basic Cultivation Technique. He had stopped using it after reaching the Qi Cultivation Gang realm.
He wasn’t practicing it again because he thought its power had been underestimated. Rather, he felt the technique was part of the Fuyue Bear Scripture. If he could integrate it, the Fuyue Bear Scripture would be strengthened considerably.
Soon, he saw Liu Xunjiang leading three people in from outside the mine.
The one in the lead wore a brocade robe with a cloud-patterned, jade-inlaid belt. With his fair and delicate skin, he certainly looked like a young master from a wealthy family.
However, his condition was clearly off. His aura was weak and unstable, and his face was drained of color. He must have been injured.
The two middle-aged men behind him, who looked like guards, were in a sorry state. They had bloodstains and the imprints of palm strikes on them, and were clearly injured as well.
Liu Xunjiang was bowing and fawning the entire way as he led the three to his own courtyard.
’Rest and recuperate? More like taking refuge.’
Xu Yang shot them a glance from across the courtyard, then paid them no mind and continued practicing his Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.
"Brother Xu, you were right not to let them in. That Song Wenxuan told Steward Liu they ran here to take refuge because they’re being hunted by a powerful expert.
Now that Steward Liu has let them into the mine, I’m afraid we’re going to get dragged into their mess."
That evening, after his shift change, Zhou Jiang ran over to tell Xu Yang what he had learned.
’Trouble, just as I expected.’
Xu Yang’s brow furrowed. Anyone who dared to hunt down a young master of the Song Family was certainly no pushover.
"Tell everyone to be on alert. Don’t attack any unidentified people who show up. If our guests’ pursuers find their way here, we stay out of it, as long as they don’t attack us," Xu Yang instructed.
He had no connection to the Song Family and certainly wasn’t going to stick his neck out for Song Wenxuan.
He was just giving Zhou Jiang a heads-up. If Zhou Jiang and the others wanted to use this as an opportunity to curry favor with the Song Family, there was nothing he could do about it.
"I understand!" Zhou Jiang nodded.
"By the way, do you know who’s hunting them? And why?" Xu Yang asked.
He didn’t plan on getting involved, but the guests were already inside the mine. If their enemies showed up and decided to kill everyone, it was best to be informed.
Zhou Jiang said, "It seems to be over a Spirit Medicine. Apparently, Song Wenxuan and two experts from the Song Family snatched a Spirit Medicine right out of the hands of the Wushan Four Fiends—snatching food from a tiger’s mouth, as they say. Now the Four Fiends are hunting them."
Xu Yang’s gaze sharpened. He had never ventured into the Yunling Mountain Range himself, but Sun Tao and the others had gone treasure hunting there many times. Through them, he had heard of some of the vicious characters who roamed the mountains.
The Wushan Four Fiends were one such group—a notorious band of villains in the Yunling Mountain Range who often murdered people for their treasures.
Since Song Wenxuan had stolen from the Wushan Four Fiends, they would not let the matter rest. Thinking he could hide behind the Purple Sun Sect’s name to escape them was pure fantasy.
The Wushan Four Fiends had ambushed and killed many Purple Sun Sect disciples before; they weren’t afraid of the sect in the slightest.
The Yunling Mountain Range was vast and boundless. No matter how powerful the Purple Sun Sect was, once the fiends hid themselves deep within the mountains, the sect was powerless to do anything.
’Is Liu Xunjiang trying to bring disaster upon this mine, or does he really think I’ll step in to save them?’
The Wushan Four Fiends had run rampant in the Yunling Mountain Range for years. Their leader, Li Haoran, was said to have reached the Great Achievement in Bone Marrow Cleansing Cultivation many years ago. Their second-in-command, Xie Chengyou, was also suspected to possess a Great Achievement in Bone Marrow Cleansing Cultivation.
For years, people had only ever heard of the Wushan Four Fiends robbing others; no one had ever heard of someone robbing them.
He didn’t know how Song Wenxuan and his men had managed to snatch that Spirit Medicine from the Wushan Four Fiends, but he knew that once the fiends found this place, a huge battle was inevitable—even on Purple Sun Sect territory.
"Brother Xu, why don’t you go talk to Steward Liu and tell him to kick the Song Family members out," Zhou Jiang suggested.
Xu Yang gave him a cool glance.
’If he stepped in and had Liu Xunjiang throw the Song Family out, everyone’s problems would be solved, but he would be the one to offend the Song Family.’
’For something like this, he could only wait and see how things played out. He wasn’t about to go out of his way to make enemies.’
Meeting Xu Yang’s gaze, Zhou Jiang realized he had misspoken. Of course Xu Yang wouldn’t offend the Song Family for their sake.
Besides, with Xu Yang’s level of cultivation, he wouldn’t have much to fear even if the Wushan Four Fiends did show up. He certainly had the power to protect himself.
...
"The Wushan Four Fiends truly live up to their reputation as villains who have run rampant in the Yunling Mountain Range for years. That Profound Yin Gang Qi of theirs is a real nightmare to deal with."