Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 320 The Courtyard Steward (Seeking monthly votes!)
Looking at the current situation and the state of those around him, the leader found himself increasingly unable to calm himself down.

As the sound of hooves subsided, Jiang Xian and Guard Li arrived at the vicinity of their leader and the man.

Jiang Xian did not show any friendly expression to the person next to her key figure. Of course, with her hood up, the person should have had a hard time sensing Jiang Xian's state.

However, the man's intentions were unclear, but both the leader and the bodyguard Li sensed Jiang Xian's hostility.

Not only was the man unsettling to look at, but Jiang Xian himself exuded a chilling aura.

Although Jiang Xian was wearing a hood, both Li Huwei and the leader of the group had the same feeling, for reasons unknown.

Perhaps that's why Jiang Xian hasn't stepped down?

Riding on horseback and making eye contact with someone certainly gives one a sense of superiority, but Jiang Xian's expression conveyed not only that feeling, but also a chill that could reach straight to the core of one's being.

But the core of the group couldn't explain how he felt, and for some reason, Jiang Xian seemed like a different person.

I clearly gave him water to drink before...

Seeing that Jiang Xian did not dismount, Guard Li naturally followed suit and did not dismount either.

After spending some time with Jiang Xian, Li Huwei realized that although Jiang Xian was very bold and his actions were somewhat unexpected, he was not someone who would provoke others at will.

He even felt that although Jiang Xian was aloof, he was a kind person, which could be seen from Jiang Xian's various behaviors.

Therefore, Li Huwei guessed that the reason why Jiang Xian did not give the person in front of him a good look or show any friendliness was not only because the person was an accomplice of the thugs, but also very likely because of the person's eyes.

The man's eyes were extremely unfriendly, as if he wanted to devour Jiang Xian and Li Huwei alive.

Therefore, not only Jiang Xian, but even Li, the bodyguard, was very unwilling to be stared at like that.

As for the backbone, even he didn't expect that Jiang Xian and Guard Li would confront the person standing next to him head-on right away.

He thought Jiang Xian and Guard Li would handle things well with the people around him, but he didn't expect it to turn out like this.

This made it even more difficult for the leader to understand Jiang Xian and Guard Li's thoughts.

This time, Jiang Xian and Guard Li again didn't ask many questions and went straight for the kill. This made Guard Li suspicious of the extent of Jiang Xian and Guard Li's strength.

Didn't they come to ask for their horses back?
Why not just wait a while, and we can get the horse without much trouble and take it away smoothly?
Why make such a fuss and create trouble for yourself when they could have simply not come?
The leader pondered the current situation, finding it impossible to fathom the thoughts of Jiang Xian and Guard Li.

The man's eyes were full of hostility. When he saw the two men in front of him mount their horses and land, he glared fiercely at his leader.

The leader was genuinely flustered by that glare; it was the first time he had ever seen such an expression on the face of the person beside him.

That man was the manager of this courtyard.

Even when the leader had broken into him and he was standing in front of the leader covered in blood, the man was still able to calmly continue to straighten his clothes and wipe the blood off his body.

However, the steward was now forced to show such an expression for the first time by Jiang Xian and Guard Li.

The leader could guess that he wasn't angry because Jiang Xian and Guard Li were riding high on horseback in front of him. In the leader's opinion, it was more likely because the steward felt that he had brought the two in without his permission.

The manager got angry, and naturally, the key figure couldn't escape either.

Because he brought the people with him, the leader had already reached an agreement with the manager, who also agreed that the leader could take a few horses with him.

The steward did not doubt the leader much, nor did he disagree with the leader's request.

The manager also knew that the core leader's intentions often reflected those of his boss.

In this way, the manager could know that the two people outside should be considered "one of their own".

This "one of our own" can be categorized into several types.

In the first scenario, Jiang Xian and Li Huwei are members of their team, but this is not the case, as can be seen from their attitudes.

In the second scenario, Jiang Xian and Li Huwei have a cooperative relationship with their team, and it is even very possible that Jiang Xian and Li Huwei are more important to the team.

Even in a collaboration, judging from Jiang Xian and Guard Li's expressions, one could roughly guess that Jiang Xian and Guard Li would bring more benefits to the team, and the team would likely have to rely on them.

This is easily seen from the fact that Jiang Xian and Guard Li didn't take the steward seriously and didn't give their leader much face.

If it can bring benefits to the team, then it is natural to act more domineeringly.

The third possibility is that Jiang Xian and Li Huwei are likely some tough nut to crack, and since the authorities couldn't crack them immediately but didn't want to let them go, they had no choice but to go along with the two's wishes and bring them here.

This is a tactic their team is familiar with. They do use this method when dealing with wealthy individuals who possess valuable items but cannot acquire them immediately.

They would first go along with Hard Bones' wishes, pretending to be good people. Or, if they had already openly robbed Hard Bones and the opponent's strength exceeded their team's expectations, they would first pretend to be obedient and beg for mercy, and then do something for Hard Bones, pretending to want Hard Bones to let them go. This was their usual method.

However, the team has a backbone that always finds a way to swallow the tough nuts; in their eyes, they are all lambs to the slaughter.

Now, in the manager's opinion, Jiang Xian and Guard Li are also very likely to be in this situation.

He neither participates in nor questions the specific methods or the extent to which his team operates.

He only does things that his boss directly assigns to him, or things that are conveyed through trusted confidants or former key figures.

As for anything else, he doesn't do any of it.

The leader himself understood perfectly well that he knew he was taking a gamble this time.

Since the steward was undoubtedly a confidant of his boss, he was also very likely aware that the relationship between his boss and him had broken down.

So, he was also observing what the manager actually knew, and to what extent his boss trusted him. He wanted to know if his boss could be so heartless.

Actually, while he was somewhat worried and nervous about the tense standoff between Jiang Xian and the steward, he was also relieved at this moment. After calming down and thinking it over, he still felt it was somewhat unrealistic to think the steward had agreed to let him take the horses.

The leader brought outsiders to this courtyard, but the steward agreed to let the leader take the horses without even asking any questions.

After he followed the steward into the courtyard, he felt a vague sense of unreality and a premonition of something ominous.

Looking back now, he feels a bit scared.

He was afraid that the steward would agree to the matter first, and then quietly get rid of him after the steward led him into the courtyard.

This is very likely a pre-arranged code between the manager and his boss.

Since the steward likely knew that the relationship between the leader and his boss had broken down, it was very likely that the steward would take action against the leader when he came alone.

Because it's unlikely that someone like the "backbone," who is no longer valued by his boss, would be allowed to come alone to give instructions to the steward.

Therefore, if the leader comes alone, there are only two possibilities.

The first possibility is that his boss was hinting to the steward that it was time to deal with the key figure, and that the steward should get rid of him.

The second possibility is that the core leader himself "falsely conveyed the imperial edict".

If there really was such an agreement between his boss and the steward, then when the key figure came here to deliver a false order, it would also be the time when the key figure was buried.

Therefore, thinking about this, the leader was still very uneasy.

Although he couldn't figure out Jiang Xian and Guard Li, and didn't understand why they had deliberately come along, he was still glad that they had.

As for the core of the group, he still trusted Jiang Xian and Guard Li more, at least they weren't ruthless killers.

After all, he had witnessed the manager's prowess firsthand. The manager before him was someone who kept a low profile, and his true strength was unfathomable.

He had never seen the steward display any of his own strength, yet he willingly stayed in this dilapidated courtyard, in this desolate place, guarding this stronghold for his boss year after year.

Therefore, the relationship between the steward and his boss must be quite extraordinary.

The core members have been with this team for so many years, and they all know this very well.

Therefore, if Jiang Xian and Guard Li could take this opportunity to get rid of the steward, it would be a great thing for the leader.

"who are they?"

Just as the leader was calculating everything in his mind, the steward glared at him fiercely and spoke to him.

The sound sent chills down one's spine and filled one with dread.

It was an extremely deep yet penetrating sound with a very unique timbre, but it could instill fear in many people.

When the core member first came to this courtyard, he was definitely not a core member of the team, but his boss had already placed some trust in him.

Since his leader was the one who brought him back personally, he was qualified and had the opportunity to be brought to this courtyard by his leader.

When first arriving at this courtyard and seeing a stranger's face, the manager would need to be personally brought over by the boss so that the manager could recognize the person. Otherwise, the manager would not readily believe anyone who claimed to be a member of the team.

Some were envious of their team and followed them into the courtyard, but they were all dealt with by the steward without fail. None of them escaped and never left this desolate place.

The manager only believed the people his boss brought, and only acknowledged those his boss had brought as members of the team. Apart from this, no matter how much others pleaded, he wouldn't believe them, and he never acknowledged any indirect connections.

Thus, basically, everyone who comes to this courtyard is someone his boss can trust.

Take the core member, for example. He had been in the team for quite some time before he learned about this courtyard and the people in charge of it.

He didn't know about this courtyard as soon as he joined the group, so when the leader was first brought here by his boss, he was startled by the voice of the steward when he first heard it.

The sound had a slightly terrifying quality to it.

Not only did the leader think so, but even team members from other teams who had been to this courtyard were invariably frightened when they first heard the manager's voice.

Therefore, some teammates who had met this manager were inevitably intimidated by him when they first met him, which is why they respected him so much, for fear of angering him.

But as time went on, they saw that the steward had no special skills. Every time they came to the courtyard, they saw him sweeping or cooking, just like an ordinary person.

For the team members, after spending time with him, they found that the steward had become increasingly ordinary, while they, being martial artists, naturally stopped taking the steward seriously as their strength continued to improve.

There was only one exception among them: the core leader.

Only the core leader, who had always treated the steward with utmost respect, and who, having encountered the steward's situation, dared not underestimate him.

The core leader is not someone who treats people differently based on their status. For such a person, the way to conduct himself is to avoid offending anyone as long as his own interests are not harmed.

Moreover, the core leader didn't know why he was still somewhat afraid of the manager's voice.

The leader always had a premonition that something terrible might happen after the person in charge spoke.

Although this has never come true, he still believes it.

He felt that this was very likely related to the fact that he had seen the manager covered in blood.

At that time, the leader had not seen much of the world and had not yet matured. However, he witnessed such a scene when he was still inexperienced, which inevitably frightened him.

Since then, the image of the steward dripping blood has haunted his mind, and he is always waiting for the steward to make a move against him.

(End of this chapter)