"If you really want to know, after Xu Da is discharged from the hospital, I'll tell you everything. There won't be any more secrets," Chen Zheng said with deep affection.

Hearing this, Wei Zixuan froze, her struggles gradually slowing. She made a choice: to trust Chen Zheng one more time.

***

Meanwhile, in the command camp of the Central Plains Army.

"What? Did I hear that right? He beat our young lord in public and now demands the Marshal personally apologize? This Chen fellow has gone too far!"

"Marshal, this is the Central Plains, our territory. We can't let that Chen Zheng walk all over us and do as he pleases, can we?"

"Absolutely not! Marshal, give me two battalions right now. I'll go confront him and ask just who gave him the guts to be so arrogant!"

Several imposing, middle-aged men had gathered to discuss the matter, their faces filled with rage. As two of them spoke, they slammed their fists on the table and began to roar furiously.

To them, this was an absolute humiliation. If they couldn't properly handle something like this on their own turf, what was to stop anyone from trampling all over them in the future?

"Gentlemen, please, don't be so rash..." At that moment, Long Tianyun stood up. "We have many problems right now, and the situation in Yanzhou is still unresolved. This is not the time for a large-scale conflict with the border."

At the mention of Yanzhou, the men were stunned for a moment before falling silent.

The Central Plains Army was facing a major dilemma. If it wasn't handled correctly, it could lead to disastrous consequences. This was indeed not the right time to provoke a conflict with the border forces.

"Marshal..."

"When War God Chen returned this time, he brought the Iron Pagoda with him. As for their capabilities, I believe you, Uncle, know more about them than I do," Long Tianyun said respectfully, turning slowly to face a shorter middle-aged man in the center of the group.

Wang Jin had only suffered a minor injury. A mild concussion was nothing. Chen Zheng had already shown considerable restraint. Therefore, in Long Tianyun's view, there was no need to escalate the situation.

The shorter middle-aged man didn't look particularly remarkable, but his eyes were filled with wisdom and a deeply hidden cunning. Though he lacked an imposing physical aura, this was Wang Yuanchang, the Wolf King of the Central Plains, a man so powerful that a single stomp of his foot could make all of Jingzhou tremble.

At the mention of the Iron Pagoda, the room grew even quieter. Even the man who had just demanded two battalions to go question Chen Zheng wisely shut his mouth.

To the entire army, the Iron Pagoda was a non-replicable legend, as dazzling as the sun in the sky. It left them able to do nothing but look up with awe and respect.

"Hahaha..." Just then, Wang Yuanchang chuckled, his voice a hoarse rasp. "Damn it all. The martial world runs on favors and relationships!"

"You've all followed me since our days in Liaodong. You should understand this by now, shouldn't you?"

"Besides, I know my son's temperament. He's incredibly unruly. War God Chen did me a favor by teaching him a lesson. If anything, I should be thanking him!" As he finished, a gentle smile appeared on Wang Yuanchang's face.

"But... but how can we just swallow this insult?" the man who had wanted to take action grumbled resentfully.

In reality, if he were actually given two battalions to confront Chen Zheng, he wouldn't have the guts to do it.

"There's no time to worry about that now. Attending to official business is what's important," Wang Yuanchang said, still smiling. "We might even need to ask for War God Chen's help with the problem in Yanzhou. The more critical the moment, the steadier we must remain."

"Tianyun, go and make the preparations. I will go apologize to him personally," Wang Yuanchang said with a wave of his hand.

But as he turned away, his expression turned colder than ever before...

***

Chen Zheng had just returned to the villa when Gao Feng rushed over, looking utterly panicked. If Chen Zheng hadn't steadied him, he likely would have collapsed.

"Mr. Chen, this is terrible..." Gao Feng said, his voice laced with urgency. "You should go lie low for a while! Liu Changyun is on his way back!"

"That old coot is coming back, so why should I go lie low?" Chen Zheng frowned, a sense of irritation rising within him. That old man is coming back specifically for me, so why should I hide?

"Mr. Chen, we've received solid intelligence. Liu Changyun may have already reached the threshold of the Grandmaster Stage!" Gao Feng said, wiping sweat from his brow, his face pale.

"Our men saw it with their own eyes. Liu Changyun walked on water from his ship to the shore. Then, with a strike from a distance, he shattered the seaside rocks!"

"These details are more than enough to prove he has reached the state of mobilizing his True Qi!"

This state wasn't a distinct realm in itself, but rather the ability to command True Qi in battle at will. Shattering rocks from afar and walking on waves were just concrete manifestations of this power.

While someone at this level was still technically considered an Inner Force Master, the power gap was immense. Reaching this point was equivalent to having one foot in the Grandmaster Stage.

It was this news that had sent Gao Feng into such a panic.

He had previously seen Chen Zheng shatter a huge boulder with a simple snap of his fingers, but that boulder had already been struck hard by someone else beforehand. Therefore, Gao Feng believed Chen Zheng was still a long way from reaching such a level and absolutely could not afford a head-on confrontation with Liu Changyun right now.

"He's only reached a half-step into the Grandmaster Stage. There's no need to be so tense," Chen Zheng chuckled, his expression betraying no hint of alarm. "Besides, even if we wanted to leave, it's too late."

"Too late? What do you mean..."

"You've got some sense, brat. It's too late because you have no chance of leaving!" Before Gao Feng could finish his sentence, a booming roar echoed from outside.

Instantly, the doors and windows of the entire villa began to shake violently. A moment later, they burst inward as an incredibly powerful shockwave surged in from outside, rampaging through the room.

In the space of two breaths, the room was left in complete disarray...

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