Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 319 Abnormalities (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
The leader watched in disbelief as the steward finished wiping himself down and stood perfectly unharmed in front of him.

The steward seemed completely unconcerned, as if nothing had happened, which truly startled the leader.

Before meeting the steward, he had never seen anyone remain so calm and composed after being splattered with blood, as if nothing had happened.

To this day, he still doesn't understand why the manager didn't care about him at all, didn't touch him, and didn't even ask him to keep the secret or make any threats.

Aside from handling the tasks assigned to him by the team leader, the manager left no other words for the team leader.

Since that day, the leader has been living in constant fear, terrified that the manager will cause him trouble.

The team leader was also on edge every day, and after returning to the team, he dared not mention the matter to his boss.

The core leader waited at "home" day after day, always ready to "welcome" the arrival of the person in charge.

However, as the days went by, the steward never made a fuss about the leader.

Even the team's leader was afraid. At that time, he didn't have the same influence and prestige he would later gain in the team, let alone win people's hearts.

He feared that the manager might not want his boss to know about it, and he was also afraid that his mishandling of the situation would displease the manager and bring trouble upon himself.

Therefore, after that day, he became more cautious and did not mention a word about the steward.

When others mentioned it, he kept his distance, showing no interest in listening, lest he hear something he shouldn't.

He knew he was weak, so it was actually a good thing that he kept to himself and lived a quiet life.

At that time, the leader would never dare to confront the unpredictable steward in the courtyard, so he naturally acted cautiously to avoid getting into trouble.

However, the leader was unsure whether the person in charge had forgotten about the matter, was not yet ready to take action, or simply disdained to get rid of him and did not care about the impact of the matter on him.

In short, the steward did not cause trouble for the leader after that day. When they met, his attitude was the same as before, neither good nor bad.

Over time, the tension that had been building up inside him eased a little, and he felt somewhat more at ease about what had happened that day.

However, even today, Zhu Xingu has not completely let go of this matter. It is because of this experience that Zhu Xingu has become wary of him and secretly feels that he is a dangerous person.

However, as long as the thorn in one's side is not removed, the danger to those who pose a threat remains, no matter how much time has passed.

When faced with a dangerous individual, a leader like him will only accumulate strength and then eliminate them in one fell swoop.

However, the reason why the steward has not been touched so far is that not only did the former leader not dare to confront the steward, but even the current leader is unsure of himself. That is why he needs to rely on the strength of Jiang Xian and Guard Li.

Initially, he didn't actually intend to have Jiang Xian and Guard Li help him remove the poisonous thorn that was laced with venom and could potentially pierce his flesh at any moment.

Because after Jiang Xian and his group initially gained the upper hand, he never imagined that he would end up on the land where he was standing, nor did he expect that he would come to see this manager.

Later, there were many things he couldn't do, so he could only bring Jiang Xian and Guard Li to where he was standing now and ask the steward for a few horses.

However, he did not expect that Jiang Xian, whom he thought was the young master, would also come along.

He originally thought that Jiang Xian would likely send either himself or one of his two guards, but now things have taken a completely different turn.

Since it's not absolutely bad for him, he can only take it one step at a time. If he finds an opportunity to turn the tables amidst potential friction between the two sides, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

Even if he hadn't had this idea before, he didn't want to scheme against Jiang Xian and his group at this point.

However, Jiang Xian's unexpected arrival made him start to plot against the steward inside, hoping that the two people beside him, Jiang Xian and Li Huwei, would fight each other, and that he would reap the benefits.

In his mind, it would be best if Jiang Xian, Li Huwei, and the steward all suffered heavy losses.

In this way, he had a chance to catch his breath and even escape on his own.

Even if he went back, he wouldn't be able to defeat Guard Li, whose strength was at the high level of the Heaven Rank. However, if only Guard Liu was left, things would become simpler for the leader.

He was confident that if only Guard Liu remained, he could easily shake him off and even rescue Xiao Lu.

That being said, if Jiang Xian and Guard Li hadn't clashed with the manager inside, and the two sides hadn't gotten into a fight or gotten entangled, he wouldn't have been too disappointed with this peaceful situation, and could have continued according to his original plan.

Li, the bodyguard, wanted to ask the leader something more, but Jiang Xian nodded to him. Li understood Jiang Xian's meaning and stopped asking the leader any questions.

Guard Li said to the leader, "Go knock on the door!"

Upon hearing this, the leader nodded to Guard Li and then proceeded alone toward the courtyard ahead.

The figure looked extremely weak, but as he approached the door, he slapped his cheeks a few times with both hands, trying to rouse himself.

He did that for Jiang Xian and Li Huwei's benefit.

Watching that receding figure, Jiang Xian naturally understood the intention of his leader.

One was trying hard to put on an act, while the other just watched him perform quietly, pretending not to know anything.

In fact, the core leader moves very slowly.

One reason was that he was trying his best to appear weak; another reason was that Jiang Xian stopped Li Huwei from asking any more questions, which left him somewhat confused.

In his view, the guard Li clearly wanted to ask him something. Even if he didn't want to answer the guard Li's questions properly, it was still better than not letting the guard Li speak at all.

Clearly, Jiang Xian and Guard Li could still get some answers from him, but Jiang Xian did not allow Guard Li to ask him any more questions.

He didn't understand Jiang Xian's intentions. Instead, he directly signaled to Guard Li to let him go knock on the door, but was unwilling to spend more time to find out the situation in the courtyard from the leader.

Knowing at least the general situation would make Jiang Xian and Guard Li more at ease.

If Jiang Xian and Guard Li are not aware of the situation inside or the secret codes, and are discovered by the manager inside, wouldn't that just cause them unnecessary trouble?

The leader was truly baffled and surprised. He suddenly realized that his cleverness might be easily seen through by Jiang Xian, which made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

Or there is another possibility: he felt that Jiang Xian and Guard Li's strength might be far beyond his previous guesses.

Jiang Xian didn't even bother to inquire about the strength of the steward in the main courtyard or the other possible individuals there, nor did he ask about their relationships with each other or with his team.
The young master didn't ask any of these questions, yet he could directly order him to go and knock on the door. This really puzzled him, and no matter how he thought about it, he still felt somewhat confused.

In his view, Jiang Xian was not a person who acted without considering the consequences. Since he believed that Jiang Xian was a thoughtful person who planned his actions carefully, the claim that Jiang Xian was impatient, averse to trouble, and lacked consideration in his actions was absolutely unfounded.

Therefore, since he could knock on the door so easily, it must be because Jiang Xian and his bodyguard Li had enough strength to deal with the situation and the people inside.

Whether Jiang Xian underestimated the people in this dilapidated courtyard, or underestimated the situation inside, or whether Jiang Xian truly possessed enough strength to be fearless, he had no way of knowing.

But in any case, no matter what Jiang Xian and Li Huwei's strength is, everything will probably become clear once they get inside, since that manager is no pushover.

The leader thought to himself, but his steps never stopped. Following Guard Li's instructions, he went to knock on the door of that courtyard.

The way the main figure knocked on the door wasn't like that of an ordinary person; instead, it seemed to have a special rhythm, gently pounding on the door without any discernible pattern.

The gate was made of wood, and it blended in with the surrounding woods in a surprisingly harmonious way, not at all out of place.

The situation inside the courtyard can also be seen from a relatively high vantage point.

For example, when Jiang Xian and Li Huwei were on horseback, they could have a clear view of the situation inside the walls.

Therefore, in terms of safety, this courtyard is not very safe.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this courtyard is completely unsafe.

If it weren't for the steward living there, but rather an ordinary family, they would probably have been devoured by nearby bandits or wild animals long ago.

Jiang Xian secretly noted down the key figure's knocking movements and rhythm, and pondered for a moment.

As soon as there was a knock on the door, and then the knocking stopped, a man came out from inside.

However, the man did not appear to be nearly fifty years old as the leader had said; instead, he looked like a complete elderly person.

However, judging from his expression, it is not something commonly seen in the elderly.

For some reason, the man, who was nearly fifty years old, did not look like a middle-aged man at all. Instead, he looked like a cold old man who could make people feel cold at first glance.

He wasn't tall, but he had a completely aloof and unapproachable demeanor.

His gaze alone was so sharp it sent chills down one's spine.

The leader spoke a few words to the man at the door. Jiang Xian and the guard Li could not hear clearly from a distance. They could only see the two men talking and could not know the content of their conversation.

While the leader was talking to that person, he would occasionally turn around and look in the direction of Jiang Xian and Guard Li.

In fact, after the man opened the door, he discovered Jiang Xian and Li Huwei's presence. Since Jiang Xian and Li Huwei did not intend to hide, it was difficult for the man to find them.

Jiang Xian looked at the two people in the distance. The two exchanged a few words, and then the leader followed the person who opened the door into the courtyard without inviting Jiang Xian and Guard Li to enter.

It's unclear what the leader said to that person, but that person seemed to completely ignore Jiang Xian and Li Huwei's presence.

However, the leader believed that the reason Jiang Xian and Li Huwei had been staying far away and had not yet set off was because they did not want to get involved in the matter.

This explains why Jiang Xian didn't allow Li, the bodyguard, to ask the leader too many questions, because the two of them had no intention of going into that courtyard in the first place.

But this is just the leader's guess; it's not actually the case.

To the leader's surprise, not long after he followed that person through the door, Jiang Xian and Guard Li rode up slowly and followed.

In fact, even Li, the bodyguard, hadn't expected Jiang Xian to be so bold. Jiang Xian could have easily avoided putting himself in danger, and Li truly hadn't expected Jiang Xian to have such confidence, walking straight towards that courtyard without saying a word.

But Li Huwei couldn't think that far ahead. He didn't know how to persuade others, especially someone as opinionated as Jiang Xian, who was also his young master. He was completely helpless.

Since there was no way to persuade him, Li, the guard, could only sway his body a few times on his horse and slowly ride forward, following Jiang Xian's back.

At this moment, Guard Li was ready for battle at any time.

Li, the bodyguard, knew that after spending time with Jiang Xian, she must have her own reasons for doing things this way, and she wouldn't act rashly.

As a guard, Li Huwei naturally couldn't interfere or ask any more questions; he simply needed to fulfill his duties as a guard.

Hearing the sound of horses' hooves slowly approaching, the people in the courtyard couldn't help but be startled.

The person who opened the door still had the same sharp and ruthless eyes as before, but his expression was extremely indifferent.

He followed the sound of hooves, turned his head and stared at Jiang Xian and Li Huwei as if they were dead objects.

Judging from the man's appearance, it seemed that he didn't take Jiang Xian and Guard Li seriously at all.

Upon seeing this, the leader was also greatly surprised. He never expected that Jiang Xian and Guard Li would take the initiative to follow him in and deliberately cause him trouble.

Looking at the expression of the person next to him, he immediately felt a chill run down his spine. Instantly, even through his clothes, he felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

He benefits from the conflict between the two sides.

Since the goal is to provoke a conflict between two parties, one side must start the trouble, and the other side must be unwilling to do so for the conflict to escalate.

Now it seems that this is exactly the result he wanted.

However, for some reason, he felt increasingly uneasy.

(End of this chapter)