The Modern Martial Immortal-Chapter 53: Joint Operation

The sword edge trembled lightly, stopping only three centimeters away from the man's brow, still vibrating.

Seizing that opening, the man who had been sent flying rapidly pulled away, retreating at full speed and only steadying himself after withdrawing to more than ten paces from Yaoguang. Only then did Yaoguang turn his gaze toward the figure who had hurried over from the side.

It's Zhang Tianji. Then this man must be... Yaoguang thought.

"The World-Saving Society?" Yaoguang asked.

The qi and blood within this man did not boil like Zhang Tianji's. Instead, it resembled the steady state of Yue Xingzhou and Xia Wuyuan, that of a conventional grandmaster. Because of that, Yaoguang had not initially associated him with the World-Saving Society.

"Yes," the man replied, his face slightly pale from the pain.

"Su Yaoguang, are you alright?" Zhang Tianji asked with concern after approaching.

Yaoguang nodded. Only then did Zhang Tianji turn to the man beside him. "Commissioner, do you need to head back for treatment?"

"A grandmaster like you can misjudge that badly?!" The man shot Zhang Tianji a resentful glance. He then spoke rapidly. "He has passed the test. Someone will contact him later."

After saying that, whether because he was eager to receive treatment or because his earlier remark about testing someone's strength had been slapped back in his face, he clearly had no desire to remain. After gathering his instruments, his figure flickered, and he vanished into Yunjing Mountain.

Watching him leave, Yaoguang realized something. "So this was an assessment by the World-Saving Society?"

Zhang Tianji nodded. At the same time, he looked at Yaoguang with a complicated expression.

A grandmaster! The youth before him was not what he had reported at all. He wasn't merely a nineteen-year-old martial master with extraordinary talent. He was a teenage grandmaster! Was this the terrifying aptitude possessed by those innately talented in martial arts?

"If this was meant to be an assessment, why wasn't there any prior notice?" Yaoguang said flatly.

"Advance notice can never reveal someone's full strength and potential as clearly as a sudden attack," Zhang Tianji explained.

Yes, potential. When someone was suddenly attacked and pushed to the brink between life and death, their latent potential was most easily forced out. That was why the World-Saving Society's assessors often fought as if they were trying to kill their target.

Of course, while their techniques were ruthless, they did not use lethal weapons, like the man just now, who had chosen a relatively safe baton rather than blades or firearms.

"That's still very dangerous." Yaoguang sheathed his sword. "Fortunately, before engaging him, I had already intended to cripple his combat ability first and force information out of him. Otherwise, he would probably already be dead by my sword."

Zhang Tianji said, "The World-Saving Society's assessors specialize in martial studies focused on interference and restriction. Compared to killing, they lean more toward prolonged engagements and sparring. Even so, very few within their same realm can truly threaten their lives."

Zhang Tianji's expression grew even more complex. "I originally thought that if you could hold on for a while against him, that would already be impressive. Given your age, surviving his first wave of attacks would have been enough to pass. I never expected that you would defeat him outright."

Yaoguang waved his hand dismissively. In truth, every daemon he had fought possessed strength that surpassed ordinary grandmasters. Especially fourth-tier daemons. Each of them wielded martial skills that placed them firmly above the grandmaster tier.

After growing accustomed to life-and-death combat against those overpowered daemons, facing an ordinary grandmaster now felt genuinely unfamiliar. Recalling what Yue Xingzhou had said earlier... 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"So what exactly does the World-Saving Society do?" he asked.

"I'm only a field personnel. I don't know much. A commissioner from the royal capital will arrive at the provincial capital tomorrow."

Zhang Tianji took a deep breath. "With your innate talent and your Martial Dao achievement of becoming a grandmaster at nineteen, once you enter World-Saving Society, you'll immediately gain higher-level access. By then, he should be able to answer all your questions."

Tomorrow, huh. After hearing that, Yaoguang didn't press the issue further. On one hand, there was no urgency. On the other hand, his interest in the secretive World-Saving Society was not particularly strong.

He turned and walked toward the villas below. Sensing Yaoguang's cool attitude, Zhang Tianji felt a trace of awkwardness. But when he thought of the bright future Yaoguang was destined for, he still shamelessly followed along.

***

When Yaoguang returned to his residence, he discovered that quite a few people had already arrived. Leng Jun, Su Chixin, and the others were all present. Along with them were Pang Long and more than a dozen members of the External Affairs Hall.

Clearly, Yaoguang's sudden departure and his order for Lei Yun to guard the residence had made her think something major had occurred. She had immediately notified Leng Jun, who then hurried over with his people.

Upon seeing Yaoguang, Leng Jun strode forward. "Young Master Yaoguang."

Immediately afterward, he cast a vigilant glance toward Zhang Tianji.

"It's fine. Just a misunderstanding," Yaoguang explained.

"A misunderstanding?" Leng Jun paused in surprise.

"Mhmm. Have everyone head back," Yaoguang said.

After a brief pause, he added, "If something happens in the future, I'll notify you. There's no need to mobilize everyone over the slightest disturbance."

He had always positioned the Su family and the Su family's External Affairs Hall as cleanup crews, responsible for finishing touches and disposing of bodies. If even he could not handle a crisis, sending in the External Affairs Hall would only amount to sending them to their deaths.

"Understood." Leng Jun nodded. "However, your safety concerns the future of the entire Su family. If there is anything we can do, Young Master Yaoguang, please give the order."

"Alright," Yaoguang replied.

Another sedan hurried over and stopped in front of Villa No.49. Su Chiming got out of the car at once. When he saw Yaoguang standing safely among the crowd, Su Chiming let out a small breath of relief. Clearly, he had also rushed over the moment he had received the news.

Someone quickly briefed him on what had just happened. He nodded, then walked over to Yaoguang. "It's good that you're alright."

After that, he shifted his gaze to Zhang Tianji. "Grandmaster Zhang, what brings you to our Su family today?"

"Old Master Su, you really kept us in the dark." Zhang Tianji gave a wry smile.

As soon as he heard that, Su Chiming understood. Zhang Tianji already knew that Yaoguang had reached the grandmaster tier. And as long as Zhang Tianji had any intelligence, he would know what a nineteen-year-old grandmaster truly meant.

When Zhang Tianji had merely suspected that Yaoguang was a martial master, he would still have tried every possible method to draw him back to the Zhang family. But now...

Su Chiming's thoughts raced. How he should treat the Zhang family flashed through his mind in an instant. Very quickly, a smile appeared on his face. "It wasn't that I deliberately concealed anything. I only learned this myself in the past few days. Yaoguang... truly gave me a tremendous surprise."

"That's certainly true." Zhang Tianji nodded. "A tree that stands out from the forest invites the wind to break it. Although Yaoguang already has sufficient ability to handle external risks, everyone in the Zhang family is still willing to help cover any gaps for him."

Su Chiming did not find this strange. He merely asked, "Is that your own opinion, or the Zhang family head's?"

"His opinion isn't important," Zhang Tianji answered bluntly.

"Then I understand." Su Chiming nodded. At the same time, he waved toward the members of the External Affairs Hall. "You can all leave."

Leng Jun immediately led the others away. He could tell that the patriarch had no intention of escalating tensions with Zhang Tianji. Not only was there no intention to escalate, but the patriarch even seemed inclined to accept the Zhang family and bring them onto this great vessel centered around Su Yaoguang.

Although Leng Jun personally felt that the Zhang family was not quite worthy, he had no intention of voicing objections.

"Yaoguang, may I borrow your place to invite Grandmaster Zhang inside for a chat?" Su Chiming asked with a smile.

"Sure." Yaoguang did not mind.

The group then entered the living room. In truth, Su Chiming had his own reasons for accepting the Zhang family's support. Earlier that day, he had gone to the hospital and had learnt that Su Huaifeng could not be saved.

Once Su Huaifeng died, aside from a thin blood connection devoid of real affection, there was little left between the Su family and Yaoguang that distinguished them from strangers.

Under those circumstances, if the Zhang family were to stake everything on the table, with Zhang Ya as the link between them, they could potentially surpass the Su family in their ability to influence Yaoguang's attitude.

Even if the Su family managed to compete, the petty disputes that could pop up along the way would inevitably leave Yaoguang deeply irritated. That would run completely counter to the original purpose of cooperating with him, which was to deal with trivial matters on his behalf.

Moreover, now that Yaoguang had been discovered as a priceless gem, it was no longer just the Su family and the Zhang family involved. The Yue family had entered the picture as well, and the Yue family's strength far surpassed that of either of them.

To avoid ending up with nothing and driving Yaoguang to leave the Su family altogether, Su Chiming naturally needed to resolve any potential trouble posed by the Zhang family as quickly as possible.

And the method was simple: Accept the Zhang family.

Cooperation would benefit both sides. After all, once Yaoguang progressed to the martial paragon tier, the benefits he would bring would be equivalent to controlling an entire province. The Su family could never monopolize that alone. Bringing in the Zhang family might not be a bad thing after all.

As these thoughts settled, Su Chiming also planned to apply a bit of pressure on the Zhang family.

"Yaoguang, Lei Yun said that the Yue family would step in to remove Zhang Mingde. Is that true?" Su Chiming asked.

"Zhang Mingde?" Hearing the name again from Su Chiming, Yaoguang immediately made the connection. "Zhang Yushu's real backer?"

"Yes." Su Chiming nodded. "Zhang Yushu is the front man of Zhang Mingde's family. Over the past few years, he's been trying to swallow our Buzhou Group whole."

He paused before continuing. "As of today, a quarter of Buzhou Group's assets have already fallen into their hands. And earlier this afternoon, close to evening, Zhang Yushu seized an opportunity and dealt us a heavy blow."

"Evening?" Yaoguang thought of the scene earlier, when various official vehicles had filled the area around the Xingyu Center. If one were to keep in mind Yue Xingzhou's talk about Zhang Mingde during his visit, it would become obvious that the Yue family's grandmaster understood that the key to resolving the Su family's troubles lay with the head of Tiannan's Development Bureau.

At this point, Yaoguang could not say much. He could only think that these people all spoke in riddles, forever hiding half of what they meant.

"Since Yue Xingzhou has spoken, it's probably true," Yaoguang said.

"Good!" Su Chiming said solemnly. "Zhang Yushu used the pretext of misappropriating corporate funds to force me to convene a board meeting tomorrow. In that case... I'd like to see how he plans to hold that meeting!"

Only then did Zhang Tianji find an opportunity to interject. He looked at Su Chiming in shock. "Old Master Su, are you saying that the Yue family wants a piece as well?!"

"Yaoguang is a pearl lost in the sea." Su Chiming glanced at him. "And those with discerning eyes are hardly limited to just our two families."

Zhang Tianji immediately understood what Su Chiming meant. With the Yue family involved, neither the Su family nor the Zhang family could do much on its own. If they still wanted to play any role at all, they had to unite.

Zhang Tianji quickly said, "Old Master Su, you mentioned that Zhang Yushu was using the excuse of you misappropriating corporate funds to force the board meeting. If funding is the issue, our Zhang family has it! We happen to have some liquid capital available. Not to boast, but we can scrape together eight or ten billion."

"That would be perfect. Then we can secure the treasures from the White Jade Pavilion," Su Chiming said with a smile.

"I'll contact Old Zhang right away and have him make preparations." As he spoke, Zhang Tianji took out his phone.

Su Chiming nodded. For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became extremely harmonious, with not a trace of the tension that had once existed between the Su and Zhang families after they had fallen out over Su Huaifeng and Zhang Ya.