Chapter 190 - 189: The Tables Turn

"Since you don’t want to go see the old boss, I’ll just have to notify him and let him come find you," Vermilion Bird said, making a show of reaching for her phone.

Xuanwu was truly helpless against her. He quickly stopped her, saying, "Alright, alright, I’ll go see the old boss myself in a bit. You don’t need to call him."

Seeing his agreement, Vermilion Bird finally put her phone back into her pocket with satisfaction.

The car soon arrived at the military headquarters. Xuanwu stared at the familiar surroundings, remaining seated in the vehicle for a long while before finally opening the door and stepping out. Many people were coming and going at the main entrance, and upon seeing Xuanwu, they all cast surprised glances his way.

"Isn’t that the former Black Tortoise Chief? Why is he back?"

"I don’t know. Didn’t he voluntarily resign from the position of Black Tortoise Chief two years ago and sneak away on his own?"

"Tsk, the Cyan Dragon Chief is back. Now that he has a backer, he naturally returned."

Hearing the discussions of the others, Xuanwu felt incredibly conflicted. Once again, a sense of cowardice welled up in his heart.

How could Ye Xuan stand to see his brother humiliated by these people? With a cold expression, he swept his gaze around the area and said sternly, "Are you all too idle? Since that’s the case, your punishment is a five-kilometer run!"

The onlookers froze for a second or two before letting out wails of despair. They thought this was far too miserable. They had merely gossiped a little, yet they were being punished with a five-kilometer run. They wondered if this was something a reasonable person would even do.

"Cyan Dragon Chief, we belong to the Qilin Hall. It doesn’t seem like we are under your jurisdiction, are we?" a man with a scar on his face stepped forward and said in a defiant tone.

Ye Xuan met his gaze and raised an eyebrow, wondering if all the members of the Qilin Hall were this arrogant. "Add another kilometer," Ye Xuan said coldly, without a second thought.

"You!" The scarred man was so furious that his face contorted. He pointed his finger at Ye Xuan, speechless for a long time.

"Me what? What does it matter that you’re from the Qilin Hall?

"Over the years, the Qilin Hall has indeed grown a lot, but in the military, the leading Hall Chief is still from the Cyan Dragon Hall.

"You can choose not to listen to me, but at worst, you’ll all be punished for disobeying military orders."

Giving the scarred man no face whatsoever, Ye Xuan delivered these words right in front of everyone. He was making it crystal clear to the crowd that no matter how arrogant the Qilin Hall was, their status was still inferior to the Four Palaces. This deeply stung the pride of the Qilin Hall members.

"What right do you have to say such things? Over the past five years, the military has relied entirely on our Qilin Hall to develop to this stage.

"If the Old Chief hadn’t been protecting your Four Palaces all along, do you think those trash could have kept the Four Palaces secure?

"Ye Xuan, I admit you were indeed very badass and formidable in the past, but that was five years ago.

"The tables have turned, and it’s time for a change of personnel in your Hall Chief position!" the scarred man boasted shamelessly, meeting Ye Xuan’s gaze without any fear.

Vermilion Bird’s face instantly turned cold. She narrowed her eyes, exuding a dangerous aura.

"Oh? The tables have turned? Then tell me, who should sit in my position?" Ye Xuan flashed a humorless smile at the scarred man, a trace of killing intent in his eyes.

The scarred man was suppressed by the awe-inspiring aura emanating from Ye Xuan and was almost speechless for a moment. He swallowed hard, then braced himself and puffed out his chest. "T-Then, of course, it should be our Qilin Chief! Not only is he immensely powerful, but he has also established an illustrious military record.

"I think he is completely suited for the position of Hall Chief!"

As soon as the scarred man’s words left his mouth, they immediately resonated with the rest of the Qilin Hall members. They stepped forward one after another to speak up for the Qilin Chief, claiming that he was far more suited to hold the position of Chief of the Four Palaces than Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan looked at those who opposed him and let out a cold sneer. It seemed that the Qilin Chief’s brainwashing of these people had been highly successful. In truth, if this Qilin Chief were truly someone capable of shouldering great responsibilities, Ye Xuan wouldn’t have minded yielding the position of Chief of the Four Palaces to him. Unfortunately, the Qilin Chief was far too narrow-minded. Not only did he want to seize Ye Xuan’s position, but he also wanted to force the members of the Four Palaces to a dead end. Therefore, under no circumstances would Ye Xuan ever allow him to become the Chief of the Four Palaces.

"A truly capable person would never shamelessly advertise themselves in such a high-profile manner," Ye Xuan said. With just one sentence, he choked the scarred man and the others into silence.

CLAP CLAP CLAP—

Right at this moment, a sudden round of applause rang out. Two people walked out of the military headquarters building, smiling as they approached Ye Xuan.

"As expected of the Cyan Dragon Chief, your words are always so profound. I, Lu Yi, truly admire you," one of them—a gentle-looking man wearing gold-rimmed glasses—said with a faint smile.

Ye Xuan’s pupils shrank slightly, a flash of heartache passing through the depths of his eyes. He never expected that the person who used to tail behind him, eagerly begging to be his disciple, would actually follow the Qilin Chief and become his enemy. "Lu Yi, long time no see."

Hearing this name, the expression on Lu Yi’s face shifted slightly. Beside him, the Qilin Chief looked back and forth between him and Ye Xuan with a playful expression.

"My current codename is Cyan Wolf, the number one assassin of the Qilin Hall. I hope the Cyan Dragon Chief will refrain from calling me by my past name in the future," Cyan Wolf said to Ye Xuan, his eyes flickering as he emphasized every word.

This response seemed to greatly satisfy the Qilin Chief. He smiled and patted Cyan Wolf on the shoulder before finally speaking up. "Cyan Wolf, there’s no need to be so blunt when speaking with the Cyan Dragon Chief. After all, he can be considered half a master to you.

"Besides, we’ll all be seeing each other in the future. It wouldn’t be good to damage the harmony between us."

Ye Xuan stared at the hypocritical Qilin Chief, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes. "Qilin Chief, your subordinates are acting with such immense authority. Are you saying my orders are completely useless now?" he asked bluntly, meeting the Qilin Chief’s gaze.

The Qilin Chief didn’t answer him immediately. Instead, he turned to glance at the scarred man and the others. "Tell me what happened."

Hearing this, Ye Xuan’s face instantly darkened. The Qilin Chief’s attitude was already blatantly obvious—he was going to back up his subordinates.

"Qilin Chief, we were merely gossiping about an outsider just now. When the Cyan Dragon Chief heard it, he decided to punish us with a five-kilometer run.

"Cheetah wasn’t convinced, so he argued a few sentences with the Cyan Dragon Chief," another member of the Qilin Hall recounted smugly, looking at Ye Xuan with an arrogant expression.

The Qilin Chief raised an eyebrow, putting on an expression of realization. "Sigh, I thought they had committed some massive mistake. So it was just because of this.

"Cyan Dragon Chief, while having a loose tongue indeed isn’t good, it isn’t a major offense either. Furthermore, since he’s just an outsider, it shouldn’t matter if they gossip a few words about him, right?

"Give me some face and let it slide this time."

When the Qilin Chief said the word ’outsider’, his gaze noticeably flicked over toward Xuanwu, carrying obvious disdain and mockery. Provoked by that look, Ye Xuan pressed his lips into a tight line.