The sudden appearance of Sheng Nu Shou Zuo clearly left everyone stunned and speechless.
Yan Wang and his companion felt a mix of shock and doubt in their hearts. Even though Xu Xiaoshou wasn't present at that moment, there was a slim chance that the person before them was impersonating him. But how to explain the Jian Nian?
Would a dignified Zhan Dao expert like Shuoshu Ren really go along with Xu Xiaoshou's absurd act? What could he possibly gain from it? As the strongest fighter in this situation, did Shuoshu Ren need to play along and pretend to be Sheng Nu Shou Zuo? What was in it for him? It couldn't be that the two of them were collaborating just for that single drop of Sheng Xue!
Jiang Chaodeng felt even more panicked. The two mysterious organizations with ties to the Lei family pupils—Sheng Nu and Shuoshu Ren—had arrived with overwhelming force. Now, with this unexpected Sheng Nu Shou Zuo, his last chance to turn the tables had been seized. He wasn't like Jiang Xian. He only had one life-saving trump card like Sheng Xue, not three.
Having lost the Sheng Xue, and with this Sheng Nu Shou Zuo wielding Jian Nian appearing, Jiang Chaodeng immediately recalled the fear that had gripped the Jiang family group in Tianyang Zhuang, dominated by this masked figure. Back then, the opponent hadn't even needed to lift a finger, and everyone had lost the ability to resist.
At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou saw that everyone was giving him face by stopping their fights, and he kept receiving passive values of "fear" and "shock." He nodded in satisfaction. Then, turning back to Jiang Chaodeng, he spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Ben Zuo has matters to attend to and won't play with you any longer. I'm taking Shuoshu Ren with me. Settle your disputes among yourselves. It's worth noting that San Yan Tong Mu holds no interest for me."
As he spoke, he glanced at Jiang Qi on the side. Jiang Qi was still standing there in a daze. In this Zhan Dao level standoff, she, a mere Wang Zuo, couldn't make any waves. Even with her clever strategies, at that moment, all Jiang Qi could read in Sheng Nu Shou Zuo's murky gaze was a hint of appreciation.
Then, everyone heard the masked figure let out a soft sigh: "If Ben Zuo wanted San Yan Tong Mu, your young master of the Jiang family wouldn't have been able to keep it back then..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the three from the Jiang family were instantly convinced. This was the real Sheng Nu Shou Zuo! This person was the same one who had visited Tianyang Zhuang before!
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chaodeng's target of hatred shifted immediately. He realized that the ones trying to seize San Yan Tong Mu must be these two mysterious figures from Yan Wang. After all, on that day in Tianyang Zhuang, he, Jiang Chaodeng, hadn't even gotten to see Sheng Nu Shou Zuo before being driven away. But because he knew Sheng Nu Shou Zuo had visited Tianyang Zhuang, the other side had lost any chance to lie about this. Sheng Nu Shou Zuo's disdain must be genuine.
"Yan Wang..." Hatred flashed in Jiang Chaodeng's eyes as he glanced toward the other two.
At this point, the two from Yan Wang felt like they couldn't clear their names even if they jumped into the Yellow River. They had only obtained one San Yan Tong Mu! The other was in Xu Xiaoshou's hands! But Sheng Nu Shou Zuo's appearance here was too late. He might not have seen it, so it was possible for him to dismiss San Yan Tong Mu. Yet Xu Xiaoshou coveted it! That kid had snatched half of the San Yan Tong Mu, and Sheng Nu Shou Zuo probably didn't even know.
But who dared to speak up now? With Sheng Nu Shou Zuo appearing and not holding them accountable for impersonating his identity, they were already lucky. At this moment, would Yin Cao or Bai Gui dare say anything in front of this being who rivaled Huang Quan Da Ren, like "You might not know, but one of the San Yan Tong Mu is actually in the hands of your Sheng Nu's Xu Xiaoshou"? Who would dare? Speaking too much would lead to death.
"Let's go." Seeing the silence in the field, Xu Xiaoshou turned to Shuoshu Ren: "The Yunlun Mountain Range situation isn't resolved yet."
He mentioned the Yunlun Mountain Range, but what Xu Xiaoshou truly cared about was the trading event site. Although the Tianqi Lin operation hadn't taken much time, every second counted now. He didn't know how things were progressing there—whether Sheng Nu's other reinforcements had arrived, or if everyone was still alive... Yin Cao's net over Tianqi Lin had been forcibly interrupted once. Sheng Li had leaked out. In this area, many people were probably rushing over by now. In short: It wasn't safe to stay here any longer.
His mind raced with thoughts, and after a while, Xu Xiaoshou realized Shuoshu Ren hadn't responded promptly. The other man was grimacing, as if resisting something, with Ling Yuan fluctuations surging from his body.
Everyone noticed this change and realized at once: Someone had arrived outside Shuoshu Ren's small world. Perhaps that person was trying to break through the space right now!
"Shuoshu Ren?" The only one unaware of this was Xu Xiaoshou. As a Xiantian, even with his broad experiences, he was too unfamiliar with such spatial combat techniques. He just frowned at Shuoshu Ren's lack of cooperation.
"This is bad..." At that moment, Shuoshu Ren spoke up. He looked like he'd finally relieved a bout of constipation, suddenly turning to Xu Xiaoshou with a bitter, forced smile.
Before he could say more, footsteps echoed from the distance in Tianqi Lin: "Tap, tap, tap."
Even if Xu Xiaoshou was oblivious, he realized that Shuoshu Ren's world power couldn't withstand the outsider and was being forcibly breached.
"Has Bai Yi arrived?" In that instant, Xu Xiaoshou panicked.
Everyone turned to look. The two from Yan Wang tensed up as well. Tonight's events had escalated wildly, all starting from the theft of one San Yan Tong Mu, snowballing into an uncontrollable mess. If Bai Yi's reinforcements arrived now, the only ones truly pleased would be the Jiang family, the real victims.
The Jiang family watched intently. If there was any hope... Among everyone present, only the three from the Jiang family held that faint glimmer.
"Tap, tap, tap." The footsteps grew closer, unhurried and steady. Accompanying them were clanking sounds of metal.
Everyone's Ling Nian probed outward at the same time. However, even Xu Xiaoshou's "perception" could only vaguely make out a mosaic-like silhouette of the approaching figure. This was a big shot! Indeed, even Shuoshu Ren hadn't been able to resist the intrusion. If it wasn't a big shot, what else could it be?
Everyone realized this. The atmosphere tensed instantly.
The clanking of iron and the measured footsteps grew louder in everyone's ears.
"Who is it?" Yin Cao shouted lowly. He could barely withstand the mounting pressure and had to break the building tension. But the newcomer was deliberately creating an oppressive aura and didn't respond, continuing to approach steadily.
After a long while, from the depths of the mist, a weathered figure finally emerged. Along with it came a voice that seemed to drift down from the heavens, ethereal to the extreme and hoarse beyond measure:
"I am... Bazun An."
The voice was gentle yet powerfully restrained, flat but with distinct inflections.
In another time, in another place, such an entrance, paired with those three words, even Tai Xu might have been shaken three times!
But now, as that resounding title echoed, out stepped a man with disheveled hair, tattered black robes stained with blood, dragging a sack... Though he had only eight fingers on one hand, a scar on his neck, murky eyes, and an exceptionally hoarse voice...
The scene fell silent. In the face of such silence, it was the greatest awkwardness.
Glances were exchanged, and silence was the only response from the crowd. Everyone was dumbfounded. Yan Wang, the Jiang family, Shuoshu Ren, and even Xu Xiaoshou were completely baffled by this sudden "Bazun An."
The scruffy uncle, who had been dragging his sack and building a strong aura, was also stunned upon arriving. His eyes shifted from their distant, mysterious look to one of dull confusion as he stared at the familiarly dressed masked figure behind Shuoshu Ren.
The entire carefully crafted entrance atmosphere vanished with that change in his gaze.
Then, the uncle's eyes moved down from the masked figure's murky eyes, as if confirming something. And he truly saw the other's black-gloved hands, clearly with only eight fingers.
The uncle's brow twitched suddenly. His heart lurched violently, and then his gaze slid past the masked figure to land on Shuoshu Ren in front. This was Shuoshu Ren... The uncle was absolutely certain! Completely certain!
Yet, when he turned his head to the other side, there, floating in the air, was another figure who looked just like Shuoshu Ren, and this one was dragging Yin Yang Sheng Si...
The uncle's mouth twitched. He felt his heart skip a beat. He had just won a great victory, full of momentum, and wanted to press his advantage to continue the mission here. But the intelligence he received didn't match this at all...
How could Sheng Nu be here? How could Sheng Nu Shou Zuo be here? How could Shuoshu Ren be here? And... there were two of them?!
In that fleeting daze, the uncle felt like he was dreaming. He closed his eyes, shook his head lightly, and opened them again. Before him, everything remained: the stunned expressions of everyone. The scene hadn't changed, and the people hadn't vanished.
Truly shocking, just like this new Bazun An, was everyone else originally present! The three from the Jiang family watched the self-proclaimed Bazun An enter, then murmured in disbelief, turning back to the original Bazun An. Yan Wang stared at this one who seemed "more like" Bazun An, then at the original "Bazun An."
Shuoshu Ren clutched his head in shock: "Bro... brother?" He only knew someone had broken through his Yin Yang Sheng Si rules, but he couldn't tell who it was beforehand. Because that person... was quite strong!
Among all present, few had seen the true face of Sheng Nu Shou Zuo, and Shuoshu Ren was one of them. The reason he exclaimed "brother" in surprise was because the face of this sack-dragging newcomer was exactly the one he remembered from his brother. Identical!
As for why his brother had changed back to this old style of dress and was dragging a sack... Well, that was his brother's previous look! Had he switched back? But something didn't add up! If this was his brother, then what about the original one?
Shuoshu Ren suddenly looked at the one he had thought was Xu Xiaoshou impersonating Bazun An, and his mind went blank, overwhelmed to the point of explosion. He couldn't fully confirm whether Xu Xiaoshou was still in his disappeared state or had truly activated his impersonation ability again.
But now, with a second "brother" appearing... And this one was so realistic that even their close relationship as brothers couldn't deny him based on aura, voice, or appearance. So, did that mean his earlier assumption was wrong? That this one in front of him was the real brother returning from Yunlun Mountain Range? Or was this the one Xu Xiaoshou was impersonating?
In his dazed state, Shuoshu Ren overlooked a key fact: This new Bazun An had forcibly broken in from outside the small world space, so he couldn't possibly be Xu Xiaoshou's impersonation!
The real impersonated Bazun An was already in an awkward spot. He didn't think this was the true Bazun An. Because as soon as the other appeared, he had recognized who it was. He recalled the time in Tiansang City, when he was cornered by the Wang Zuo assassin Red Dog for three incense sticks' worth of time, it was this very person—who Xu Xiaoshou had once thought was Bazun An—who had shown up and resolved his crisis with genuine Shiduan Jianzhi. In the end, the man had even given him the "Guan Jian Dian."
Xu Xiaoshou had always suspected this person's identity. He didn't believe the man was Bazun An. Because later, Xu Xiaoshou had met the real Sheng Nu Bazun An face-to-face, talked with him, and confirmed his identity. Yet the uncle's Shiduan Jianzhi that day was real, and the "Guan Jian Dian" he gave was also real...
In a way, Xu Xiaoshou's ability to impersonate Bazun An so effectively, with Jian Nian, was largely because of what this man had taught him. Strictly speaking, his Jian Nian hadn't come from the real Bazun An. It had come from this suspected impostor, possibly a die-hard fan of the real Bazun An.
But none of that changed the awkward scene now. Xu Xiaoshou never imagined that while impersonating Bazun An, another figure who was ninety-nine percent like Bazun An would show up. He had heard that Bazun An had many die-hard fans in the East Domain and plenty of impostors. He hadn't believed it.
But tonight, with two impostors meeting, Xu Xiaoshou believed it! This scene made it hard not to believe...
Taking a deep breath to withstand the questioning gazes from everyone—including Shuoshu Ren—Xu Xiaoshou asked: "You say you're Bazun An?"
Only then did the uncle snap back to his senses. He had seen impostors of Bazun An before, but never one this convincing, with two Shuoshu Ren figures to vouch for him. What a mess!
The uncle paused, not answering directly, and instead asked: "From what you're saying... you're also Bazun An?"
One night, after being questioned by the Yao estate guards and this fake Bazun An, his carefully built momentum was gone. Of course, he was annoyed, but he suppressed it.
However, Xu Xiaoshou just chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly, and in an even more dismissive tone, murmured: "I never thought I'd meet an impostor this convincing... You claim you're Bazun An—how do you prove it?"
The uncle instinctively wanted to retort, "The real Bazun An doesn't need to prove himself." But the words died on his lips as he recalled the Yao estate guard incident and didn't want to be embarrassed again.
So, glancing around at the expectant faces, the uncle raised two fingers and suddenly manifested Jian Nian. "I've got Jian Nian. What about you?"
Jian Nian appeared, shocking everyone.
But after a brief daze, Xu Xiaoshou also raised two fingers, and Jian Nian surged forth on them.
"What a coincidence, right? I've got Jian Nian too!"
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