Chapter 1984 - 1565: Kick First, Talk Later!

"Want to settle? Do you think our Mercenary Alliance is a place where anyone can come and go as they please, settle as they wish?"

An aged voice echoed from the group of mercenaries, carrying an air of arrogance!

Upon hearing this voice, Jin Luoyi immediately showed a look of delight on his face, quickly squeezing through the crowd to meet him.

In fact, after Zhou Mu had disarmed Wang Quan and the others with a single move, Jin Luoyi realized something was wrong. This contest between Wang Quan and Zhou Mu was a matter of reputation for him. Jin Luoyi, who always regarded himself highly, would never want to believe Zhou Mu was capable. He firmly believed Zhou Mu must have won through some hidden trickery, and thus had already sent someone to call for his supporter!

Elder Jin, one of the elders of the Mercenary Alliance, before joining the Mercenary Alliance, was merely a side family member of the Jin Family. However, as Elder Jin’s overall strength in the Mercenary Alliance grew, his status rose, and his family’s status in the Jin Family also rose accordingly, making his relationship with the main family member Jin Luoyi even closer!

"Second Uncle, you’re here. You need to discipline these people. That man used some unknown method to win against Wang Quan and his six men. His victory is not just, and he’s turned the Mercenary Alliance into a mess. Such underhanded tactics should not be allowed to spread within the Mercenary Alliance, or else what would become of it?" Jin Luoyi complained immediately upon reaching Elder Jin’s side.

Gu Changsheng, hearing these words, rolled his eyes speechlessly.

Damn, I’ve seen people misrepresent before, but never to this extent!

This is a complete reversal of black and white, adding guilt without cause!

"Young Master Jin, don’t speak nonsense. Everyone has seen with their own eyes that Brother Shui Mu indeed has superior skills and won the contest. How come in your words, it became underhanded tactics?" Even-tempered Yong Shu, upon seeing this, couldn’t hold back more than Gu Changsheng and stepped forward, fearlessly pointing at Jin Luoyi, speaking sternly, "Moreover, our Mercenary Alliance affairs do not allow an outsider like you to meddle!"

"Can it be that my nephew cannot meddle in Mercenary Alliance affairs, and the old me, too, cannot meddle?" Elder Jin, upon hearing this, immediately tapped his withered wooden cane and spoke sternly. "Yong Shu, you, being a disciple of the Alliance Hierarch, and even if you are on the list for succeeding the Alliance Hierarch, everything is not yet settled. Who knows where the flower will fall? You might be getting too arrogant, even putting me out of your consideration!"

"Elder Jin is the elder of the Mercenary Alliance, naturally able to preside over Alliance matters. However, the newcomer selection contest in the Mercenary Alliance has continued for a hundred years, always based on strength, not methods! Young Master Jin openly claims Brother Shui Mu used underhanded tactics, huh..." Facing Elder Jin’s threat, Yong Shu stand undeterred, glanced disdainfully at Jin Luoyi, clearly looking down on such bullying behavior, "Little do they know, in the Mercenary Alliance, regardless of tactics, underhanded or noble, as long as one can win and survive, that’s the true way. What, Elder Jin, would you ignore the Mercenary Alliance’s rules for the sake of your nephew?"

"You!" Elder Jin, hearing this, almost fell back in anger, repeatedly tapping the floor with his withered wooden cane.

The force—even measured by Gu Changsheng watching—made him slightly uncomfortable...

"Aha, turns out a master already on the edge of breakthrough..." Gu Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke indifferently.

On the edge of a breakthrough, a line away from the Transformative Realm—and to think the Mercenary Alliance still hides such prowess, even Elder Jin being a master on the brink of breakthrough!

However, he’s merely a master, Gu Changsheng wasn’t fazed at all!

After all, this barrier separates the Nine-Layer Heavens!

"Yong Shu, who are these people? You keep referring to Shui Mu; even let him challenge six people alone, joining the Mercenary Alliance with women and children!" Elder Jin tapped the floor with his withered wooden cane, shifting from the contest matter to finding Yong Shu’s fault.

As an elder of the Mercenary Alliance, Elder Jin knows well, despising survival of the fittest, winner takes all, these are Mercenary Alliance rules, rules that even he cannot break.

But turning an eye, Elder Jin took notice of Gu Changsheng’s group and had other ideas.

Called by those sent by Jin Luoyi, firstly because Jin Luoyi is indeed his clansman, secondly, today happens to be Yong Shu’s duty, a popular candidate for succeeding the Mercenary Alliance hierarch in competition with his disciple Jin Hao!

Any chance to trouble Yong Shu, Elder Jin wouldn’t miss!

Pity Yong Shu’s honest nature, working meticulously without leaving evidence, yet this time Elder Jin finally found the chance to strike.

"To fight against several, there’s already convention in the Mercenary Alliance. What I did was merely follow convention, nothing overstepped!" Yong Shu raised his neck, fearless.

"Even if it’s convention, it should vary by person. Included among those he despises are women and children. While dismissing women is one thing, as she managed to reach Smelting City, I take her as a person of the Itinerant World; however, this tiny infant here, tell me, can he become a mercenary of the Mercenary Alliance? Can he take on tasks? Protect employers up a mountain? Come off it, it’s great if someone isn’t needed to protect him!" Jin Luoyi turned to Baby Jin Bao, speaking disdainfully.

"You!" Hearing this, the Baby Jin Bao in Yuan Bao’s arms turned red with anger and growled to act.

As the Lord of Divine Mount Qilian, the Overlord of the area, Baby Jin Bao never faced such disdain through childhood; how could he bear it?

Yet, just as about to act, Gu Changsheng cut him a sharp look.

That sharp look sent a chill down Baby Jin Bao’s spine...

Baby Jin Bao dared not act; Gu Changsheng’s darkened expression somewhat eased...

Watching the glaring Elder Jin and Yong Shu, although Gu Changsheng knew Yong Shu suffered because of him, it seemed Elder Jin was focusing more on the person rather than the issue, targeting Yong Shu!

"Gentlemen, could you set aside your scheming for a moment? Let’s settle matters with us first?"

Gu Changsheng rarely held his temper, speaking during the gap in their verbal conflict.

"Shut up, there’s no place here for a woman to speak!" Elder Jin roared immediately.

Gu Changsheng was stunned by Elder Jin’s shout, staring incredulously at him with a trembling raised finger, feeling somewhat chaotic...

"Yong Shu, what do you have to say now? Just tell me, you allowed such women and children to join the Mercenary Alliance, placing our centuries-old reputation in jeopardy! If this gets out, won’t it become a laughingstock?" Elder Jin finished yelling at Gu Changsheng, then turned to Yong Shu, relentless.

"Brother Shui Mu can defeat six on his own, more than qualified to bring people into the Mercenary Alliance, those are the rules!"

"Rules are dead, people are alive, what good is this bunch of women and children to the Mercenary Alliance? Yong Shu, your poor judgment is disgraceful for an Alliance Hierarch disciple, not to mention taking over the Mercenary Alliance as the new Hierarch?"

"I operate by the rules, how am I wrong?"

"Your inflexibility is your mistake!"

"..."

"..."

As Elder Jin and Yong Shu exchanged sharp words, the mercenaries watching the scene had long bowed their heads, remaining silent.

These high-level confrontations were certainly not something these bystanders could intervene in!

And amid the verbal clash, Gu Changsheng finally understood why they were exploiting the situation—it interfered with their major plans!

Evidently, this was just used as Elder Jin’s excuse to reproach Yong Shu!

Setting aside Yong Shu’s previous benevolent suggestions, the fact that Elder Jin used them as a pretext was one thing, but yelling at Gu Changsheng too—that was something Changsheng could not tolerate under any circumstances!

Therefore, as Elder Jin and Yong Shu engaged in verbal sparring, Gu Changsheng took several deep breaths and couldn’t hold back that pent-up frustration anymore. She abruptly shook off Zhou Mu’s support, lifted her sleeves and the hem of her robe, and stepped forward with a kick...

"Damn it! If you want to argue, do it somewhere else, don’t interfere with my business! I need a room, need accommodations! Who the hell are you to question women and children? What’s wrong with women and children? Am I bothering you? Is my bringing along children bothering you? Why are you sticking your nose into my business?"

As the kick landed, Gu Changsheng’s angry roar immediately erupted.

She had had enough—couldn’t anyone see her pale face, her drained spirit, barely able to stand?

This lack of empathy really deserved a beating!

"Oh!"

"Whoa!"

"..."

Until Gu Changsheng finished her tirade, the mercenaries watching were startled, gasping as they watched Elder Jin fall to the ground.

This woman...

This woman... she’s simply defying the heavens!

One wrong word, and she went in with a kick!

And she kicked their Elder Jin!

Elder Jin!

He is one of the few top experts in the Mercenary Alliance!

And he was just kicked over like that?

This...

Watching mercenaries instantly forgot about spectating because they were completely stunned...

Someone—a woman, a sickly-looking woman—managed to kick down Elder Jin at the edge of the Transformative Realm, this was the most earth-shattering event they had ever witnessed in their lives...

No, at that moment, they even wondered if they were dreaming?

Even the watching mercenaries were dumbstruck, and Yong Shu himself was utterly bewildered. He hadn’t even realized what had happened, only feeling a strong gust of wind blowing past him, and then the Elder Jin he was confronting had fallen?