"I didn't mean it like that..."
Feng Bing Cao Jia frowned, "It's about one thing at a time. Otherwise, our Xinghe will have to go to war with both Han Ye Chang and Sheng Shi Mu Dan on two fronts. If anything goes wrong, will your military be responsible? Besides, matters have their own importance. The monster resources that just respawned at Que Yu Lake are quite abundant, and the battles happening there involve tens of thousands of people. Naturally, we should prioritize fighting for the resources at Que Yu Lake."
"I just have one question."
Rong Xing's expression turned icy. "A hundred-person team from our Xinghe was ambushed and annihilated. Can this matter just be ignored? Are the grievances of our brothers to be left unaddressed? If you, Feng Bing Cao Jia, cannot manage this, I will go to the Alliance Leader. I refuse to believe that our Xinghe has no one who can seek justice."
"..."
Feng Bing Cao Jia also had a temper. He sneered, "I've been explaining myself earnestly, but you still don't understand human language, what's wrong? I said we'll put it aside for now. Must you, Rong Xing, demand immediate revenge for your entire guild for a minor grievance? If everyone in Xinghe did this, would Xinghe's wars ever end?"
"Fine..."
Rong Xing's gaze was chilling. "I understand your attitude."
With that, Rong Xing directly shut off his communicator and sent a message to Su Xinghe: "Alliance Leader, my sister's and my hundred-person team was ambushed and completely wiped out by Sheng Shi Mu Dan's cavalry north of Xue Yu Tian Chi. I hope the guild can give us justice. Furthermore, they've attacked us directly, and it wouldn't be right for Xinghe to do nothing. I spoke with Feng Bing Cao Jia, but he only knows how to deflect and is unwilling to spare even a sliver of effort to resolve the issue with Sheng Shi Mu Dan. I feel... has our Xinghe changed? How can even the Vice Alliance Leader be so afraid of taking responsibility? If he's unwilling to do it, there are plenty of people who would want to be Vice Alliance Leader. What do you think, Alliance Leader?"
After sending the message, Rong Xing sat down in the snow, waiting for a reply!
...
Que Yu Lake.
The chaotic battle between the Xinghe guild and the Han Ye Chang guild was underway.
Under a large tree, Su Xinghe, mounted on his warhorse and holding a blood-stained longsword, frowned. He shared Rong Xing's message with Feng Bing Cao Jia and Yun Mi Wu Suo, asking, "What do you think?"
"Rong Xing is a troublemaker," Feng Bing Cao Jia frowned. "I explained it to him patiently. Xinghe's main battlefield is now Que Yu Lake. We can deal with Sheng Shi Mu Dan later. But he, Rong Xing, thinks the entire guild should revolve around him, and his revenge must be immediate. The message he sent you is essentially an impeachment, seeking to remove me as Vice Alliance Leader so he can take my place."
"Rong Xing has always been ambitious," Shen Ling Yuan said with a cold laugh from the side. "He joined Xinghe in the first place for a better future. But the Alliance Leader only gave him leadership of a hundred-person team. Rong Xing has always held a grudge and complained to the brothers in his team more than once."
Yun Mi Wu Suo smiled faintly. "Think about how Rong Xing and Ai Chi Xin De Yao Guai came to Xinghe. It was when the Scarlet Moon Knights were in dire straits that they 'resolutely' abandoned their former master and wholeheartedly joined Xinghe, determined to achieve great things with us. To put it bluntly, Rong Xing's only principle is that a wise bird chooses a tree to nest in. He never thinks about sharing hardships with a guild. Such people can only share prosperity, not adversity. After all, he is ultimately just a sophisticated egoist."
Su Xinghe frowned. "How should we handle this?"
"No need to handle it," Yun Mi Wu Suo said with a smile. "Rong Xing will soon be choosing another suitable tree to nest in. What Xinghe needs are brothers who will charge forward at the Alliance Leader's command, not a team leader who is so opinionated and only thinks of himself. The fewer such people, the better. If he leaves Xinghe, it will be a good thing for us."
"Understood," Su Xinghe nodded. "Then we'll deal with this silently. His future path will depend on Rong Xing's own choice."
"Indeed!"
...
Around nine o'clock in the evening.
Rong Xing still hadn't received a reply from Su Xinghe. Su Xinghe's inbox seemed to be locked, and even the voice and video calls Rong Xing attempted were all rejected. Rong Xing became furious. He sat silently in the snow, frowning, "Su Xinghe no longer intends to manage this for us..."
"Boss."
A young knight frowned. "Are we being treated as disposable pawns?"
"Yes."
Rong Xing found it somewhat amusing. He looked at the Xinghe insignia on his arm and brushed off the snow, laughing. "When we first came to Xinghe, how much we cherished this opportunity. But now, Xinghe, the number one guild on the national server, seems to have become a joke. They can turn a blind eye when their own brothers are PKed. Aren't they afraid of chilling people's hearts with such a cold attitude?"
"Boss!"
A sword cultivator frowned. "Damn it, why hang ourselves from one tree? If Xinghe doesn't care about us, let's go to other guilds. Where else can we earn a living? Why endure this humiliation in Xinghe?"
"Don't rush, everyone." Rong Xing waved his hand. "Find a good next home first. At least... someone needs to cover our breach of contract fees, right?"
"Yes!"
Everyone nodded in unison.
Meanwhile, Ai Chi Xin De Yao Guai, holding a battle bow, looked at her brother with her watery eyes, wanting to speak but hesitating. Changing guilds again, when will it end? They were doing well in the Scarlet Moon Knights, even if it was a bit tough, why did they leave? Now in Xinghe, it's not such a big deal, and they want to leave again just because of a little grievance? If they leave again, they'll truly become the "three-time turncoat" that others call them.
The next moment, Rong Xing sent a message to Chang Ye Yu Huo, a stranger: "Alliance Leader Chang Ye Yu Huo."
"Oh?" Chang Ye Yu Huo narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Isn't this Rong Xing, one of Su Xinghe's Ten Great Sword Cultivators, my dear brother?"
"Let's not talk about it." Rong Xing sounded disheartened. "What Ten Great Sword Cultivators? I'm just a mere leader of a hundred-person team."
"Tsk tsk." Chang Ye Yu Huo was a sharp individual and immediately detected the resentment. He chuckled, "Brother Rong Xing, you have both skill and prestige. Why must you be subservient? Our Han Ye Chang is currently contesting map resources with Xinghe at Que Yu Lake. If Brother Rong Xing is willing, bring your people over, and I'll directly give you command of a 5,000-person team."
"Ah?!" Rong Xing was overjoyed. "Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?!" Chang Ye Yu Huo exclaimed. "Su Xinghe has individual strength, but he's suited to be a general, not a lord. He doesn't know how to utilize people. To have talent like Brother Rong Xing sitting idle, his head must have been kicked by a donkey. As long as you come over, I, Chang Ye Yu Huo, will cover the breach of contract fees for everyone you bring. How about it?"
"Deal, it's a promise!"
"Yes, it's a promise!"
Late at night, Rong Xing led Ai Chi Xin De Yao Guai and others to withdraw from the Xinghe guild one by one. Shortly thereafter, they joined the Han Ye Chang guild, becoming the leader of a 5,000-person cavalry unit for Chang Ye Yu Huo. They even appeared on the Que Yu Lake battlefield with their swords drawn. From then on, Rong Xing and his followers abandoned their human player identities and joined the demon race faction.
...
Demon Race Ancestral Land.
In the evening, as the sun set, a large lake shimmered with broken golden scales.
By the lake, Huang Ting Yu and Lin Zhu Jie, each with a fishing rod, were constantly catching fish. In recent days, Huang Ting Yu and Lin Zhu Jie had been traveling the martial world with great comfort, almost indistinguishable from leisurely sightseeing. They stayed in inns when available and slept outdoors when not. Huang Ting Yu, when he was still a big yellow dog back then, had even eaten feces, so enduring hardship was a trivial matter for him. Now, with abundant catches, Lin Zhu Jie's skills in grilling and roasting fish were still intact. Coupled with plundering some taverns along the way, they had wine and meat, living a rather comfortable life.
As they were fishing, the Golden Gu Lake suddenly rippled, and a small boat slowly approached. On the boat, an old man was poling. With his fur, it was obvious he wasn't human. The old man wore a straw cloak and a bamboo hat, with a bronze ancient sword hanging from his waist. He placed the bamboo pole down nearby, sat down at the bow of the boat, and squinted at Huang Ting Yu and Lin Zhu Jie.
"Two gentlemen, do you seek death?" he suddenly smiled.
Huang Ting Yu looked up. Seeing the eleventh-realm old wolf badger dressed in human clothes, he couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "We don't seek death, we don't seek death. We haven't lived enough yet! We still want to taste the world's fine wines, still want to touch the thighs of those delicate demon girls. How could we seek death?"
"Oh?" The old wolf badger smiled. "Since you don't seek death, why are you doing things that lead to death?"
Huang Ting Yu narrowed his eyes. "Daoist friend, are you referring to yourself?"
"Foolishness!" The old wolf badger's gaze turned icy. He slowly stood up at the bow of the boat, cupped his fists, and smiled. "I am Luo Gan, the ancestor of the wolf badger clan, eleventh realm. Do you have any last words before you die?"
"No." Huang Ting Yu stood up, put away his fishing rod, and laughed. "I truly envy you, Old Brother Luo Gan. Although you are ugly, you have countless descendants, and surely many wives. Unlike me, Old Huang, I haven't even married a wife in this life. I have extraordinary skills but no one appreciates them."
Lin Zhu Jie pinched his nose. "Old Brother Huang, I can barely listen to these words."
As he spoke, Lin Zhu Jie looked at Luo Gan. "Ancestor Luo Gan, listen to me. Turn around and leave now, and you might live a few more years. It wasn't easy to reach this eleventh realm. Why seek death?"
Luo Gan's expression flickered. The aura of these two only seemed to be in the middle fifth realm, so why did they have such a haughty tone? Could it be that there truly were methods in this world that could make him, an eleventh realm expert, unable to discern their true strength?
"Still not leaving?" Huang Ting Yu slowly drew his sword.
"You court death?!" The old wolf badger was enraged.
But the moment Huang Ting Yu completed drawing his sword, water droplets danced on the surface of the lake. Each droplet was suspended upside down, and almost every droplet was filled with Old Huang's sword intent. What a profound swordsmanship accomplishment this was!