Chapter 382 364: Top Credit

Inside the meeting hall, the atmosphere instantly dropped to a freezing point.

Su Yu's cold gaze met Zhao Sen's in mid-air. An unconcealed fire burned in both their eyes.

Su Yu knew full well. 'This old fox is jumping out to make trouble now, and he's definitely targeting me.'

If Li Jingxuan hadn't given him a heads-up beforehand, he might still have been in the dark.

This Great Commander position was originally the goal Zhao Sen was fighting for on behalf of his direct cousin. By swooping in and snatching it, Su Yu had naturally blocked his path and seized his prize.

But to expect him to spit out the juicy prize he'd already claimed and give up the Great Commander position?

'That's absolutely impossible!'

Since they were destined not to be friends, Su Yu's code of conduct had always been simple and direct: good wine for friends, and a shotgun for wolves!

"Commander Zhao, you can be careless with your food, but not with your words."

Su Yu's tone was laced with blunt sarcasm. "Last night, that Black Lotus Sect Incense Master activated the Divine Statue's blessing, and his strength underwent a qualitative change. If I hadn't struck him down with lightning speed and forcibly interrupted the blessing, I'm afraid certain people would still be lying somewhere, wailing in agony, wouldn't they?"

"You insolent whelp!"

These words, which picked at his scabs, were like a slap across Zhao Sen's face. As a scion of one of the three great families and a Great Commander, when had he ever been so defied?

His old face flushed red in an instant. He slammed his hand on the table and roared:

"You ignorant brat, you're outrageously arrogant! If I hadn't led my men to desperately hold back that Jiao Tendon Realm Demon last night, you wouldn't have even had the right to get near that Divine Statue! How could you have gotten the chance to pick up the scraps and interrupt the blessing?"

"Oh? Picking up the scraps?"

Su Yu's eyes narrowed, and a faint Ape Demon Evil Qi began to rise from his body. This powerful Evil Qi instantly caused the expressions of the other Great Commanders to shift.

'Such strong Evil Qi. Just how many people has this Su Yu killed to possess such an astonishing aura!'

A flash of alarm also crossed Zhao Sen's eyes, but he immediately suppressed it. 'He's just a brat who's barely entered the Muscle Forging Realm. His Realm and strength are right there for all to see!'

'If he were at the same Realm, I might need to take him seriously. But now, he's two whole Realms below me. He's not worth mentioning!'

"It seems Commander Zhao has some reservations about my accomplishments with that saber strike last night, and even feels my reputation is undeserved?"

"Heh, he was just a weakling at the Ape Tendon Realm. But for someone like Commander Su, who has just entered the Muscle Forging Realm, I suppose he was an opponent worth taking seriously."

Su Yu's expression remained unchanged. Instead, he smiled faintly. "Since Commander Zhao holds my strength in such contempt, why don't we exchange a single blow right here in the meeting hall, in front of all our colleagues?"

'Now that I've taken this Great Commander seat, I'm clearly being looked down upon. In the future, I'll be constrained in everything I do, despised by others. In that case, it's better to throw one punch now to avoid a hundred later!'

'If I empower my strike with the Taibai Primordial Magnetism, so what if he's at Muscle Forging Realm Perfection? If he takes a slash from my saber, even if he doesn't die, he'll be severely wounded!'

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sen reacted as if he'd just heard the most absurd joke in the world and burst into wild laughter. "Exchange a blow with me? Commander Su, have you been flattered into stupidity? You're just some mud-legged genius from the Outer City. Do you really think you're invincible?"

"BANG!"

Zhao Sen slammed the table and shot to his feet. A powerful aura enveloped the surroundings, as ferocious as an ancient giant bear.

With Shattering Illusion and Revealing Truth, Su Yu feared pressure from auras the least.

His expression didn't change in the slightest. He planted a foot on his chair, his right hand gripping the hilt of his Mo Yuan Saber, its blade drawn three inches from the scabbard.

The Saber Spirit of Mo Yuan seemed to sense its master's intent. It let out a low HUM, and a wisp of incomparably sharp killing intent surged forth, easily tearing through the aura pressing down on him.

"A Profound Tier Treasure Saber!"

Ye Xiaohong's eyes widened in shock, and a fiery glint immediately appeared within them.

He himself was a saber user, and his heart leaped with joy at the sudden sight of such a Treasure Saber. One had to know that Profound Tier Treasure Sabers were incredibly rare finds. Without the right Profound Tier materials, they simply couldn't be forged.

Even with his current status, he didn't possess one. 'To think this brat Su Yu actually has one... What astonishing luck this kid has!'

For a moment, a trace of greed even rose in his heart, but he immediately suppressed it.

'This brat most likely has a Grandmaster-level Path Guardian behind him. Offending him would be courting death.'

An extraordinary light shone in Wang Lingran's beautiful eyes. Su Yu was giving her more and more surprises.

'He miraculously interrupted the divine blessing last night, and today he's displayed such astonishing Evil Qi and saber intent. This level of talent, strength, and temperament... he's worthy of being treated as an equal. I could even pull him in as an ally!'

The auras between the two grew increasingly confrontational. A teacup on the table let out a CRACK and split apart, its contents spilling silently across the tabletop.

Su Yu was preparing. 'The moment I strike, I'll invoke the Taibai Primordial Magnetism!'

'We'll only have a chance for one move. After I slash him, I'll retreat immediately!'

Just as the two were about to clash, at the most critical moment...

Pang Xuan's aura suddenly erupted. A powerful pressure slammed down, shattering both of their auras before crashing down on them with brutal force.

Su Yu was shocked. His Martial Artist's intuition told him he was being targeted by a dangerous beast; if he dared to move even an inch, he would be torn to shreds in an instant!

It had been a long time since he'd felt this way. The last person to give him this feeling was his master, back when he was still weak.

This meant the gap in strength between him and Pang Xuan was enormous. He probably couldn't even take a single blow!

"Both of you, sit down! You are comrades of the Public Security Bureau, and Great Commanders at that. Are you going to fight here like a pair of hot-headed youths?" Pang Xuan's slightly irate voice rang out.

Both men were now enveloped by his powerful pressure. Knowing they were no match for him, they didn't dare act rashly. The next moment, they each let out a cold snort and sat back down.

"In last night's battle, both of you fought with your lives on the line and performed great deeds. As for the weight and priority of your contributions…"

Pang Xuan retracted his imposing pressure and swept his gaze coolly to the left. "Let's hear the fair opinions of our colleagues. Commander Li, what do you say?"

Li Jingxuan immediately stood up without hesitation and said with a booming laugh:

"Mansion Master, the matter is clear! If not for Commander Su decisively slaying the Demon and interrupting the divine blessing ceremony with lightning-fast methods last night, forget standing here arguing over credit—some of us would probably be lying in an infirmary, wailing in agony!"

Pang Xuan nodded slightly and turned his gaze to the quiet Wang Lingran.

Wang Lingran's red lips parted. "Commander Li is absolutely right. Commander Su's contribution to turning the tide of the battle last night was indeed immense. Besides, the west side of the city is a poor district; everyone knows the situation there. To pin the blame on Commander Su, who just took office, is a bit of a stretch."

When she said this, Su Yu glanced at Wang Lingran with considerable surprise.

This Wang Lingran had tried to recruit him before. Although she was polite, the arrogance of an Inner City native was bone-deep and very obvious.

Su Yu had originally thought she looked down on him, and since she was from the Wang Family and might have connections with the Zhao Family, she wouldn't speak up for him. He never expected her to say something so fair.

Beside her, Wang Yungui glanced at Wang Lingran impassively, his eyes then sweeping over Su Yu. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

"Alright. Since the two Great Commanders who were present last night both believe so, then Commander Su's primary credit is settled. As for Commander Zhao, his contributions last night were also immense and cannot be overlooked…"

Pang Xuan quickly finalized the rewards for the previous day's battle and then arranged for everyone to continue strengthening patrols.

"As for what follows, we'll discuss it after I return from the Inner City!"

...

Back at the Su Mansion, Su Yu lay in Zhen'Er's gentle embrace and fell into a deep sleep.

The night of toil and constant fighting had taken a great toll on his energy.

Soothed by the Wood Spirit Qi, he slept especially peacefully and soundly.

「The next afternoon.」

Su Yu woke up feeling refreshed. A lavish lunch was already laid out on the dining table.

"Brother Su, you're awake. Come and eat."

Ai'Er came to Su Yu's side on her long legs, her taut skin firm and supple, and helped him get dressed.

Su Yu wasn't really used to being served like this, having someone else even dress him. But he couldn't refuse Ai'Er's insistence. After getting used to it a few times, he suddenly realized: 'Hey, this is actually pretty nice...'

The girl's soft, warm hands carefully smoothed the wrinkles on his lapels, then tied the jade-inlaid silk sash around his waist…

After this meticulous grooming, Su Yu's already tall and handsome figure became even more dashing and heroic.

Yang Ai took a half-step back, growing more and more satisfied the longer she looked. Then, she playfully rested her delicate chin on Su Yu's shoulder.

Her large, watery eyes gazed at Su Yu's reflection in the bronze mirror, and she couldn't help but smile sweetly:

"Brother Su, you're so handsome!"

"You little rascal!"

Su Yu pinched her beautiful cheek and chided her. 'What's the big deal about a grown man being called handsome by a woman?'

'It's not like I get by on my looks!'

The two of them went to the dining table. Zhen'Er served Su Yu a bowl of delicious Golden Roe Spirit Sturgeon soup, which contained large, shimmering golden chunks of roe.

Su Yu was already starving. He took the bowl and began to eat heartily.

[Breakthrough Point Progress +1%]

[Breakthrough Point Progress +1%]

...

"Zhen'Er, was there any trouble at the Su Mansion last night?"

"Don't worry, Brother Su. The Protectors in the mansion are all loyal and true. When faced with the Black Lotus Sect Demons who charged into Anping Square last night, they all fought with great courage. After Third Brother Su Can killed one of the Demons, he drove back the dozen or so who were attacking."

Su Yu's brow furrowed. When he returned this morning, everything in the mansion seemed normal, so he had assumed nothing happened. It seemed they had been attacked after all.

Seeing Su Yu frown, Zhen'Er added, "Anping Square is mostly home to wealthy merchants and nobles. Every household has its own Protectors, so there wasn't too much chaos. You don't need to worry too much, Brother Su."

"Mm. The ones who suffered the most last night were the common people. These Black Lotus Sect Demons only care about bewitching people's minds; they don't actually want to help the common folk rise up. They truly deserve to be killed!"

A murderous glint flashed in Su Yu's eyes. The experiences of his two lives made him understand that the Black Lotus Sect didn't care about the lives of ordinary people at all. If they were allowed to conquer Black Stone City, what would follow would surely be a hellish existence.

"Reward all the Protectors who fought hard last night. For those who are qualified to break through to the Martial Artist realm, grant them Pills to help them advance. Things will only get more chaotic from here, so we need to strengthen the Protectors' forces. As for my third brother, supply him with more Black Scale Blood Orifice Pills so he can quickly break through his First Acupoint and enter the mid-stage of the Skin Tempering Realm!"

"And you, Zhen'Er, what Realm are you at now?"

"Brother Su, I am now at the Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm."

"What!"

Su Yu gulped down a mouthful of Spirit Wine to suppress his shock and stared at Zhen'Er.

A smile appeared on Zhen'Er's delicate and beautiful face. She picked up the nearby wine pot with her slender hand and refilled his cup. "Brother Su, your Zhen'Er is untalented. I only just broke through to the late-stage a few days ago."