Inside The Black Mist

The moment he saw Tianyang, Zhou Yao's fury flared up, recalling the humiliation Tianyang had inflicted on him and the contempt in his father's eyes when he came to see him as if he were looking at a piece of garbage!

Without much thought, Zhou Yao's starlight energy manifested externally, and the emblem on his brow began to glow. Grayish-white light flowed through his hands.

However, before he could throw this elemental spear, a long sword slapped heavily on his hand with the flat of the blade.

Zhou Yao almost felt like the bones in his hand were about to crack. Under the sharp pain, his starlight energy was interrupted, and the gray light vanished.

Only then did he see clearly that Adam had somehow inserted himself between him and Tianyang, sheathing his long sword.

"Mr. Zhou, what are you doing? How can you resort to violence within the base?" Adam's expression was stern, his tone laced with reproach.

Zhou Yao, clutching his hand which was swollen and red from Adam's slap, roared, "It's none of your business, move aside! This is a personal vendetta between him and me!"

Adam had no intention of moving his feet: "Even if it's a personal vendetta, it can't be settled within the base. This is not a place for you to run wild."

"Western Continent scum!" Zhou Yao gritted his teeth and shouted, "Stop giving me that look. This is the Yunxiang Base. If you want to strut around, go back to your Western Continent!"

At this, Adam's face turned unpleasant as well.

"What's going on here? What happened?" A gentle voice rang out.

Two figures approached, the one leading had an elegant demeanor. He wore a faint smile that felt like a gentle spring breeze, disarming any hostility.

It was Yunze, whom Tianyang had met once at Xun's house!

Seeing Yunze here, Tianyang was now certain that this person held a significant position within the Yun family; otherwise, how could he move freely within the Yunxiang Base?

Moreover, from his tone, he seemed to have the authority to question the captain of the Nightwalker squad!

Sure enough, Adam stood at attention, chest out, and placed his right fist over his chest: "Greetings, Mr. Yun!"

Behind Yunze was another man with black hair and a beard, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, holding a sword with an imposing presence.

When he glanced over, Tianyang felt a vague pressure. The boy was astonished; who was this person? He must be a master.

After all, even Han Shu had never given him such a sense of oppression.

"Oh, isn't this Mr. Tianyang? What a coincidence to meet you here at Yunxiang Base." Yunze's figure blocked the eagle-eyed man's view, and he extended his hand enthusiastically, surprising Zhou Yao behind him.

Tianyang shook his hand: "I happened to have a task here, so I came over."

"I see." Yunze smiled again and looked at Adam, "Captain Adam, I wonder how my man has offended you?"

My man?

Tianyang felt a slight sinking in his heart. Zhou Yao had indeed latched onto the Yun family, which was somewhat unexpected.

Adam did not hide anything and recounted the events honestly: "Mr. Yun, the Yun family is held in high esteem within the base. But even so, it does not mean that Yun family members can stir up conflicts within the base at will."

"You are right." Yunze nodded pleasantly and slightly shifted his gaze, "Mr. Wang Liangyi, please leave a lesson for Zhou Yao on my behalf."

The eagle-eyed man addressed as Wang Liangyi did not respond verbally but suddenly drew his sword.

Everyone saw a flash of the sword, and Wang Liangyi had already sheathed it again, as if nothing had happened.

It wasn't until a moment later that Zhou Yao let out a scream, his ear had been sliced off by Wang Liangyi, and blood gushed out!

Yunze's smile remained unchanged as he waved his hand: "Take him down for treatment."

Wang Liangyi glanced at Zhou Yao and then turned to leave. Zhou Yao, still clutching his ear, looked at Tianyang with resentment but eventually walked away.

Yunze then smiled and said, "Captain Adam, rest assured. If anyone makes a mistake, even if they are from the Yun family, I will never tolerate it!"

Adam had not expected Yunze to cut off his subordinate's ear without hesitation and was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Yunze, as if he had done something trivial, enthusiastically patted Tianyang on the shoulder and said, "It's a pity I have to go out tomorrow, otherwise I would surely entertain Mr. Tianyang properly. Mr. Tianyang, will you be staying at the base for a while? If so, let's gather properly when I return."

Tianyang, not adept at handling such situations, could only nod in agreement.

Yunze, clearly pleased, exchanged a few more pleasantries with him before departing.

Upon returning to his residence, Yunze entered a study where Wang Liangyi stood by the window, hands resting on his sword.

With a warm smile, Yunze asked, "Is Zhou Yao's injury serious?"

Wang Liangyi replied calmly, "He won't die, Mr. Yun, you can rest assured."

"That's good. If he died, I suppose no one would dare work for me anymore," Yunze said, self-mocking. "A master who maims his subordinates frequently isn't likely to be popular, right?"

Wang Liangyi laughed and turned, his sharp eyes fixed on Yunze. "So, Mr. Yun thinks I was too harsh?"

Yunze chuckled, "Not at all. Initially, I thought you would cut off his hand. Only cutting off an ear was lenient. The Yun family's reputation cannot be tarnished by a worthless cur."

Wang Liangyi smiled but said nothing.

A knock on the door sounded.

"Come in," Yunze said lazily.

The door opened, and Zhou Yao, his head already bandaged, walked in. "Greetings, Young Master Yun. Greetings, Mr. Wang."

Yunze nodded and smiled at Zhou Yao. "What were you planning to do earlier?"

Zhou Yao's face turned red immediately. "Young Master Yun, you don't know. That guy Tianyang is a bastard. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in such a miserable state!"

Yunze replied, "Oh? So working for me is so miserable?"

"No, no." Realizing his slip, Zhou Yao quickly tried to rectify it. "It's my honor to work for Young Master Yun. But that kid, I absolutely can't let him go!"

Yunze's expression remained indifferent. "Do whatever you want, but there's one thing—you must not do anything that would disgrace the Yun family."

"Yes, I understand."

Zhou Yao's eyes darted around before he continued, "Young Master Yun, that kid is definitely no good! I think he has feelings for Miss Xun as well."

Hearing this, Wang Liangyi chuckled lightly.

Yunze's face darkened.

"Really?" The young master of the Yun family walked up to Zhou Yao and suddenly slapped him hard, swelling one side of his face.

Zhou Yao was stunned, covering his face in confusion.

"Hitting people really hurts..." Yunze said with a playful smile. "Fortunately, I have the Heart of Elements and don't need to engage in direct combat. Otherwise, it would be tough for me."

Then he asked, "Do you know why I hit you?"

Zhou Yao ventured, "Because I embarrassed you earlier at the base?"

Yunze shook his head. "No, that matter is already past. I hit you because you're stupid. Not only are you stupid, but you're also malicious, daring even to plot against me. Don't think I don't understand your intentions. You know I'm also pursuing Miss Xun. Saying what you did was just to get me to eliminate that ascender named Tianyang for you."

"Using a borrowed knife to kill is a clever idea, but you actually dared to make me the knife. You've got guts."

All the color drained from Zhou Yao's face.