Chapter 1030: Official and Minister

"Yo..." Chen Jun Nan immediately became alert. "I thought it was someone else... how is it you two again?"

Yan Zhi Chun stepped forward to the "He Dao" first, leaving Zhang Shan behind, and said softly, "After all, I'm from the 'Invasion' squad, and the mission isn't finished yet, so I have to go back and continue the fight."

"Yo, then I won't join you." Chen Jun Nan said, "I'm also from the 'Invasion' squad, but now I'm heading to your side. We'll each go our own way and not interfere with each other. How about that?"

"I don't mind." Yan Zhi Chun said, "I'm not close to them anyway. Feel free to deceive, kill, or attack whoever you want."

"That's great." Chen Jun Nan said, "So let's swap places. What about that big guy behind you?"

"Sorry." Zhang Shan said, "I still have some loyalty to Chu Tian Qiu and Jin Yuan Xun. If you want to come here and cause trouble, you'll have to get past me first."

"Come on, how can you say that?" Chen Jun Nan said, "To be honest, even though I act carefree, my real identity is Xu Liu Nian."

Qiao Jia Jin froze, staring blankly at Chen Jun Nan.

"From now on, don't trust any Xu Liu Nian." Zhang Shan replied, "So you're not getting through."

"Fine, then I'll just be Chen Jun Nan." Chen Jun Nan shrugged. "If I'm Chen Jun Nan, can you believe me now?"

Zhang Shan didn't respond; he just stared at Qiao Jia Jin. His massive frame nearly filled the entire doorway, but he didn't step out.

"If you're Chen Jun Nan, I can barely trust you for now." Zhang Shan said after a pause.

"Good, since you trust me, I'll tell you—I'm actually Xu Liu Nian."

"...?"

Zhang Shan and Yan Zhi Chun both lost all expression on their faces upon hearing this.

"You're something else, Jun Nan Zi—this is what they call 'striking to the heart'?" Qiao Jia Jin asked with a laugh.

"This is just the beginning." Chen Jun Nan laughed. "I haven't even gotten started yet."

"You're too dangerous." Zhang Shan said, "If I let you through, this whole side will be in chaos."

"So what do you want to do?" Chen Jun Nan said, "Why won't you come out, big guy? The 'He Dao' is so open—come out and talk."

Qiao Jia Jin knew exactly why.

Once Zhang Shan officially entered the "He Dao", the two of them would have to settle things right there.

But the team on the other side didn't seem reliable, and Zhang Shan was like their most stable "guardian".

If the "guardian" couldn't protect their territory and ended up fighting in the "He Dao", it would be a huge disadvantage for them.

Qiao Jia Jin understood this too, and the more unfavorable the situation was for the other side, the more he wanted to lure them into the trap.

"Big guy." Qiao Jia Jin said, "Didn't we agree that we'd fight right away if we met in the 'He Dao'? So what's it going to be? We've 'met', but you're acting like we haven't."

Zhang Shan silently stared at Qiao Jia Jin, his expression darkening.

"Are you thinking of giving up?" Qiao Jia Jin said, "Or are you just canceling our agreement?"

Seeing Zhang Shan's hesitation, Qiao Jia Jin stepped forward and pulled a chain with a "Zi" from his pocket, letting it dangle neatly in front of him.

"Xiang."

"I've shown all my sincerity." Qiao Jia Jin said, "I've been standing here for a while and even revealed my 'Zi'. If you still refuse to fight me, then I don't have to honor any agreements either."

Zhang Shan glanced back at the spinning "Xiang" hanging from the chain in Qiao Jia Jin's hand, then turned to look behind him.

In his team, there weren't many people he could trust—Chu Tian Qiu and Jin Yuan Xun were about it.

If he got held up here and the other side launched a full "attack", those two would be in danger.

But the other side had already made their stance clear—there was no way to avoid a fight now.

If he didn't hold back this tattooed man in front of him, his own team would be at risk too.

This was the toughest choice he faced.

"I've been a soldier." Zhang Shan said, "It's been years, but I still remember four words: 'Never retreat'."

With that, he lowered his head, maneuvering his towering frame through the doorway, and stepped into the "He Dao".

In that moment, Qiao Jia Jin's face turned cold. He slowly removed his shirt and tossed it aside.

"Oh...?" Zhang Shan stared at Qiao Jia Jin's upper body for a moment. "Strange, you seem skinnier than I imagined."

"That's a long story." Qiao Jia Jin said, "The tattoos are still there, but my body has been reshaped."

"Does that mean I'm bullying you?" Zhang Shan slowly took off his own shirt. His build was much larger and more muscular than Qiao Jia Jin's.

"I've gotten used to this body over the past few days." Qiao Jia Jin said, "So it's not like I'm bullying you either."

An intense aura began to radiate from both of them, making Chen Jun Nan and Yan Zhi Chun feel uneasy.

"In that case... I'll head out first." Chen Jun Nan whispered to Qiao Jia Jin, "Be careful."

"Don't worry." Qiao Jia Jin rolled his neck again, his eyes deadly serious.

Chen Jun Nan had seen that look before—Qiao Jia Jin became a different person when he fought.

Yan Zhi Chun glanced at Zhang Shan, and the two exchanged a nod.

She and Chen Jun Nan brushed past each other without a word, each heading straight into the other's territory.

For Zhang Shan, holding back Qiao Jia Jin was all he could do now.

Staring at the serious man in front of him, Zhang Shan's mind was in turmoil.

They were both climbing up by following someone capable, but he felt Chu Tian Qiu was far more dangerous than Qi Xia.

He wasn't sure if Chu Tian Qiu truly valued his loyalty or if he could become the "master" here as promised.

But since fate had placed him on Chu Tian Qiu's side, he had to win every battle he fought.

Thinking of that, he spread his arms and stretched his body.

A one-on-one fight with Qiao Jia Jin, uninterrupted—this wasn't common. This brawl was nothing like a regular fight; one small mistake could mean total defeat.

"Big guy..." Qiao Jia Jin twisted his waist and said softly, "We've both seen each other's 'Hui Xiang', so whether we activate it at the same time or not doesn't make much difference, right?"

"Yes." Zhang Shan nodded.

"In that case, I won't worry about the 'Hui Xiang'." Qiao Jia Jin said, "Let's just fight it out here until one of us wins."