Qiao Wei, seeing his deception exposed, made no attempt to hide it further. "That's right, I was indeed a disciple of the Fu Men before, but I have since left."
Yu Daochen's voice turned serious. "Then what is your intention, sir?"
Qiao Wei smiled faintly, cupping his hands. "I hope Master Yu will do me, Qiao, a favor and let this matter... go."
Before Qiao Wei could finish, Zhang Xiaoqiang retorted, "Damn it, what kind of ghosts and monsters are coming out to ask for favors? I am Zhang Xiaoqiang of the Yan Shu Men. I hope Master Qiao will do the Yan Shu Men a favor and not meddle in this business."
Yu Daochen looked at Zhang Xiaoqiang beside him, who gave him a raised eyebrow.
Qiao Wei did not get angry. He looked at Zhang Xiaoqiang and smiled, "This must be the new elder of the Yan Shu Men, Elder Zhang, isn't it? Truly young and promising."
Zhang Xiaoqiang cleared his throat. "Nonsense, I am handsome, dashing, talented, and wealthy. Can you find another like me in this world?"
Qiao Wei gave an awkward smile, unsure how to respond for a moment.
This fellow was truly shameless.
Yu Daochen beside him was also somewhat speechless.
How could you dare to utter the word "charming and graceful" for yourself?
Seeing Yu Daochen's speechless expression, Zhang Xiaoqiang whispered, "Master Yu, what's with that look? Isn't it true?"
Yu Daochen did not reply, leaving him with a meaningful smile for him to ponder.
"Elder Zhang, this matter..." Qiao Wei tried to struggle a bit more, but Zhang Xiaoqiang cut him off, "There's no room for negotiation. Either leave, or we'll deal with you too."
Qiao Wei fell silent. Zhou Yan behind him was also somewhat confused.
He didn't know Qiao Wei personally, so why would he help him without reason?
When things are out of the ordinary, there must be a reason. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Zhou Yan, not being foolish, asked, "Fellow Daoist, for what reason are you helping me like this?"
Qiao Wei turned to look at the profusely bleeding Zhou Yan. "I need your strength to achieve my plan."
Upon hearing Qiao Wei's words, Zhou Yan understood that Qiao Wei wanted him to work for him.
But there was no other way at the moment, so he could only nod in agreement.
After all, being alive was better than anything else.
Qiao Wei looked at Zhang Xiaoqiang, thought for a moment, and then said, "How about this, Elder Zhang? Let's have a duel to decide the winner. If I win, this matter will be considered over. If you win, Zhou Yan will be at your disposal. What do you say?"
Zhang Xiaoqiang looked at Yu Daochen beside him. Seeing him nod, he agreed, "Alright, I'll have a match with you."
Yu Daochen glanced at the confident Qiao Wei and reminded him, "This fellow's strength is unfathomable. Don't be careless."
Zhang Xiaoqiang patted his chest and guaranteed, "Absolutely. Don't you trust me? I'm completely reliable."
The more Zhang Xiaoqiang said this, the more uneasy Yu Daochen became.
Qiao Wei slowly walked forward, raising his hand in a gesture of invitation. "Elder Zhang, please!"
Zhang Xiaoqiang wasted no words, gripping his copper coin sword and slashing it forward.
Since the end of the Fengtian Assembly, Zhang Xiaoqiang had been diligently cultivating, and his strength had improved considerably.
Seeing the copper coin sword coming at him, Qiao Wei dodged to the side at a leisurely pace, then clenched his fist and lunged towards Zhang Xiaoqiang's face.
Zhang Xiaoqiang reacted quickly. Seeing Qiao Wei's punch, he retreated, dodging the blow.
Qiao Wei chuckled inwardly and suddenly shot an explosive talisman from his sleeve.
Seeing the explosive talisman flying towards him, Zhang Xiaoqiang swung his copper coin sword to block it.
Bang!
With an explosion, dust billowed around Zhang Xiaoqiang.
Within the dust, a crackling sound of electricity could be heard. Qiao Wei watched the movement in the dust with a serious expression.
Suddenly, Zhang Xiaoqiang burst out of the dust, his hand crackling with countless arcs of electricity, lunging towards Qiao Wei.
Qiao Wei quickly took out a talisman from his pocket, grasped it in his palm, and caught Zhang Xiaoqiang's incoming hand.
Bang!
The moment their palms touched, a powerful surge of energy erupted.
"What!"
Zhang Xiaoqiang couldn't believe it. He saw the electricity from his palm travel up Qiao Wei's arm, then return to strike him.
Zhang Xiaoqiang quickly withdrew his palm and retreated, simultaneously kicking towards Qiao Wei's abdomen.
Qiao Wei slightly retracted his abdomen and retreated, appearing to have been kicked.
Zhang Xiaoqiang stabilized himself, his arm already stinging from his own electricity. He frowned, "That talisman earlier could actually reflect spells? How bizarre."
If he hadn't withdrawn in time, he might have been seriously injured by his own Five Thunder Palm.
Qiao Wei, who had also retreated, stabilized himself and praised, "Elder Zhang has excellent skills."
That strike, which seemed to give Zhang Xiaoqiang an advantage, was actually not the case.
"Such profound Tai Chi."
Tang Yan, who was quietly watching the excitement, sighed inwardly.
Zhang Xiaoqiang's retreat kick earlier was not fast, nor was it powerful. Even someone not ranked among the top Earth-tier experts could have blocked it with a raised leg.
However, Qiao Wei chose not to block, using the force-dispelling technique of Tai Chi to neutralize the kick's impact. It appeared as if he had been hit, but there was no damage.
Yu Daochen also noticed this, his brow furrowed tightly.
This fellow's strength was at least in the top thirty of the Heaven-tier rankings.
It seemed that Strongy was likely to lose this time.
Zhang Xiaoqiang, unwilling to believe it, condensed his Five Thunder Palm and struck again.
The Heavenly Master's Mansion was known for the formidable power of its spells, and the might of the Five Thunder Palm was even more so.