Chapter 401: Tense Stand-Off at the Market

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.

The once bustling market fell silent, as if every sound had been muted.

With synchronized steps, a squad of Awakened Soldiers formed a C-shaped encirclement around Yenir and his group.

A throng of survivors nearby instinctively stepped back, clearly trying to steer clear of trouble. Even the slowest among them sensed that the situation had shifted dramatically from a bidding war to outright hostility.

“Sir!!”

“Are you really going to resort to force because the Bloodshadow Legion’s bid fell through? Isn’t it your claim to fairness, never bullying anyone?”

“What does that mean?! Our Canglang Region has always maintained close ties with you!”

Reacting swiftly, two men standing before Yenir swallowed hard and shouted in nervous alarm.

One by one, hats were placed on the would-be aggressive officer—they hoped that a show of respect might prevent any real harm.

Because if they were captured and interrogated, it wouldn’t just be Yenir—Tang Hai himself would be in deep trouble!

Damn it! This is a huge mess now!

At the same moment, Huang Yuanhao, standing beside Yenir, turned utterly pale. He hadn’t expected that a simple slave purchase would blow up into such commotion.

It was all his fault. Perhaps he got too excited, causing Committee Member Yenir to impulsively buy these soldiers!

He was filled with self-reproach and guilt.

He knew well that although Committee Member Yenir wasn’t well-regarded in the Capital and often acted autocratically—sometimes even extremely—every high-up recognized Yenir’s brilliant judgment and razor-sharp instincts. Clearly, Yenir had been swept up by his own momentum.

After all, as members of the Military, how could they just stand by and watch someone die?!

Now, not only were lives lost, but they had also dragged themselves into this calamity.

These members of the Bloodshadow Legion were playing by their own rules!

“Bullying? Fairness?”

A Bloodshadow officer sneered coldly as his slender eyes venomously scanned Yenir and his group.

“We in the Bloodshadow Legion never bully! You can drop those labels!”

“Now I seriously doubt your identity!”

“Tang Hai’s nephew? I’ve met Tang Hai several times—how come I’ve never heard him mention a nephew?!”

“Not to mention, since when did you in Canglang start splurging on a bunch of Military lackeys? Just two days ago, I got intel that a traitor had infiltrated our Safe Zone, planning to rescue his comrades.”

“It sounds like you’re talking about yourselves!”

A flash of murderous intent quickly vanished.

At his words, Tang Hai’s two confidants fell into an icy stupor, unable to find a retort.

Sure enough, the Bloodshadow bid was on the table. Given the sensitive nature of dealing with the Military, no one could fault them for taking these measures.

On stage, the captured soldiers looked on in baffled silence, turning to stare at Yenir’s back. Hearing the Bloodshadow officer’s words, could it be that the youth about to be taken away is actually with the Authorities?! That thought deepened the despair in their eyes.

Yet, while everyone else was on edge, as a massive hand reached for him, Yenir’s expression remained inscrutably calm.

Without dodging, he spoke in a composed tone:

“Blood Helmet Captain, is it?”

“Check your private messages. Are you about to move against Long Commander’s guest?”

His voice was soft, but when it reached the Bloodshadow Third-Stage’s ears, his right hand stiffened abruptly. For everyone in the Bloodshadow Legion, the mere mention of Yinglong was akin to invoking a deity—no one dared defy him.

“Private message?! Guest?!”

Ignoring the suspicious fellow who had suddenly spoken, he checked his private messages as a beep sounded.

In the next second, he stared at Yenir in disbelief as his expression shifted repeatedly. Moments later, his earlier suspicion and murderous intent melted into sheer bewilderment.

Almost simultaneously with Yenir’s words, he saw an urgent message from his superior!

Taking a deep breath with no time to ponder further, the Bloodshadow Third-Stage forced a grim smile and blurted out:

“Ye… Ye Shao?!”

“Sorry, sorry. It’s been a madhouse—I’ve completely misunderstood the situation!”

“Are you about to attend the evening banquet? I’ll have a guard team escort you right away!”

Disregarding any awkwardness, the Third-Stage Awakened waved his hand, signaling the soldiers surrounding Yenir to disperse.

“Guards! Immediately escort the guest of the Canglang Safe Zone to the core area—no mistakes!”

In an instant, the situation flipped.

The onlookers, previously engrossed in the unfolding drama, gaped in shock. Even Manager Sui Gu, who had been resentful about competing with Yenir, now stared in wide-eyed disbelief.

“What the hell is going on?! Wasn’t this kid about to be taken away by Bloodshadow?! Why aren’t they arresting him now?!”

Seeing the Blood Helmet Captain show such deference made him question his own eyes.

Remember, the officer’s first words were to dismiss him coldly, not even glancing his way. In stark contrast, his current expression was unmistakably appalled.

No one could answer his questions. Even those beside Yenir looked like they’d seen a ghost, completely baffled by the sudden turn of events. Meanwhile, the captured soldiers on stage stood frozen. What was happening?! Didn’t the Bloodshadow Legion suspect these people were one of their own? How could their attitude flip 180 degrees in a heartbeat?!

The change was so abrupt that even the soldiers encircling Yenir’s group were left dumbfounded.

Whose orders were these?! Orders that made their captain act so cautiously?! These people really do seem suspicious!

Ignoring the expressions of shock, respect, and confusion all around, Yenir simply nodded and then turned his gaze to the stage, casually instructing Huang Yuanhao:

“Uncle Huang, take these people away and set them up somewhere. I’ll check the goods later.”

“Also, purchase the previous batch as well—Canglang Hall is short on supplies. I reckon these female slaves will do nicely.”

As if it were just another routine transaction, Yenir issued the order without a backward glance and walked away.

Yet, as his eyes briefly caught the Military woman on stage, a subtle, calculating glint flashed in his eyes.

That was nothing short of a miracle…

Who would have thought her humble origins were so tragic? No wonder the old records barely mentioned her…

Too bad he had no time to chat with the girl; otherwise, Yenir was itching to take her along and get some answers!

Listening to Yenir’s commands, the Bloodshadow Third-Stage suppressed the uneasy feeling bubbling inside him.

He had suspected something earlier, but the claim of traitors infiltrating was just a pretext. As for the Canglang Hall Yenir mentioned, he knew it was a high-end club that genuinely needed slaves.

The previous batch of captives too? That seemed to hold water.

Of course, everything hinged on the message from his superior.

“Lord Yinglong personally summoned representatives from Canglang to attend the banquet…”

After re-reading his private message a few times, the Bloodshadow Third-Stage exhaled and decided not to overthink it.

When Lord Yinglong himself passes down orders, people like him dare not question it. That was the real reason behind the drastic change in attitude!

Escorted by a squad of soldiers onto a hastily arranged vehicle, Yenir patted Tang Hai’s Confidant’s shoulder calmly, signaling him not to worry.

Yet, as the vehicle began to jolt toward the core area, one man couldn’t help but regard Yenir with a suspicious glance.

They might have appeared impressive, but Yenir’s intervention could well have been orchestrated by Blood Nightingale.

But…

Judging by the situation, they were about to meet Lord Yinglong!

The mere thought of facing such a top-tier presence—knowing Yenir was with the Military—made them tremble with fear!

Sure, they might smooth things over, but why make the trip at all? And with the two of them so cunning, it was evident that the Bloodshadow Legion’s deep respect wasn’t down to Blood Nightingale alone—it had to be higher-ups lending a hand!

It was highly likely that Lord Yinglong himself had spoken directly!

It’s hard to say—the situation on the other side might be even trickier than before!

The unknown is always the scariest!