Cao Linxuan's wretched state was enough to make everyone present struggle to keep a straight face. Once the proud Third General, he was now groveling for mercy without the slightest trace of dignity.
A Yao and Jiang Ling exchanged a glance, both sighing inwardly at the fickleness of fate. Before the game, who could have imagined that this "trial" would force Cao Linxuan to kneel and beg in front of so many military district figures — even before the famed Cao Baiqing himself?
Zhang Longqi and Zhao Yuanhang were barely holding back their laughter. Chen Xiao, the Mad Ghost Boss, was on their side. That alone made everything satisfying.
The Chai Dao General held Cao Linxuan in place, suppressing the fierce battle intent rising within him.
Then An Dingping spoke first.
"Are you the Mad Ghost Butcher, Chen Xiao?"
Chen Xiao, noticing that he resembled An Xinning, answered calmly, "I am. What do you want?"
An Dingping snorted. "I heard you wiped out the top three families? Reckless. Do you know—"
"Dingping! Watch your mouth!" Li Taisheng coughed sharply. He was genuinely worried. He had finally brought An Dingping back; he did not want him to provoke another disaster, especially now that Cao Linxuan had already been reduced to this state and three National Fortune slots had been spent just to save him.
Chen Xiao chuckled.
Then he vanished.
A wave of danger crashed over An Dingping's heart. Everyone was stunned. Pei Tianyuan and Cao Baiqing were already numb — when would this ever end?
Chen Xiao reappeared behind An Dingping and said coldly, "If your sister weren't An Xinning, you'd already be dead for speaking to me like that."
An Dingping's face went pale. That overwhelming pressure made it impossible to fight back, but he still gritted his teeth and spat, "She is not my sister..."
Chen Xiao raised an eyebrow, slowly lifting the silver Bone Saber in his hand. The blade was nearly two meters long, and in his grasp it looked even more terrifying.
"She's not your sister?"
Nine-Foot Seal.
Weak Point.
In an instant, An Dingping was completely suppressed. Sweat poured down his face, but he still insisted, "She is not my sister..."
"She is!"
"She is your sister!"
Li Taisheng suddenly stepped between them, his tone softening. "Little friend Chen, don't be too hard on the kid. We've already prepared a banquet for the heroes of the National Fortune Game."
Chen Xiao shrugged and lowered the saber, deciding not to make a scene over the National Fortune slots.
"I'll skip the banquet. I have something to do."
In the next moment, he flashed to A Yao's side.
"A Yao, pack up. I'm taking you back to Jiangbei."
A Yao nodded obediently.
Pei Tianyuan immediately stormed over. "Chen Xiao! What are you doing? You can't poach our military talent!"
Chen Xiao put on an innocent look. "Old Pei, don't slander me. A Yao thinks I'm too handsome and insisted on following me."
A Yao rolled her eyes at the shameless excuse, then politely apologized to Pei Tianyuan. "Commander Pei, thank you for taking care of me. It's just that, for personal reasons..."
Pei Tianyuan waved his hands in frustration. "No way! Resigning is out of the question!"
A Yao corrected him quickly. "Not resigning — transferring me to Jiangbei..."
Pei Tianyuan went silent.
That was basically the same thing. Jiangbei was Chen Xiao's territory.
Chen Xiao patted his shoulder. "Old Pei, you still owe me a favor. Just transfer A Yao. Consider it settled."
Pei Tianyuan felt like he was being ordered around, but he had no room to refuse.
After handling A Yao's matter, Chen Xiao glanced at Zhang Longqi, Zhao Yuanhang, and Jiang Ling one last time, then vanished from the courtyard.
Pei Tianyuan let out a long sigh. "Leaving aside Cao Linxuan and Chen Xiao, we only had four second-form awakeners to begin with — and now one of them has been poached..."
Zhang Longqi quickly comforted him. "Commander Pei, look on the bright side. It'll get worse."
He immediately coughed. "I mean, it'll get better."
Cao Baiqing walked over to Cao Linxuan. "Rest well. I'll find a way to restore your body." When Cao Linxuan tried to speak, he cut him off. "Guarding the Western Capital is non-negotiable. You will not leave for three years."
Cao Linxuan gritted his teeth and nodded.
Li Taisheng looked in the direction Chen Xiao had disappeared and shook his head. "Dingping, why did you provoke him?"
An Dingping refused to yield. "I don't believe he's that strong... He only awakened recently. I've had so many opportunities. Why is he stronger than me?"
His pride as Modu's famed fighter still burned.
He vowed that one day, he would challenge the Mad Ghost Butcher himself.
In the Capital Military District, inside An Xinning's office:
Chen Xiao idly plucked feathers from an owl specimen while waiting. Not long after, Pei Tianyuan entered.
He asked directly, "Where is An Xinning?"
Pei Tianyuan sighed. "Honestly? I don't know. This is her first leave since joining the military district — half a month off. My workload has doubled because of it."
Chen Xiao frowned. "Leave? She took leave... Is she avoiding me? Is the Bunny Girl outfit really that bad?"
Pei Tianyuan caught that reaction instantly. "Chen Xiao, do you know something?"
Chen Xiao hesitated. "No idea. Let's talk business. Can you buy Opportunities?"
Pei Tianyuan smiled. "Of course — if you're willing to sell."
Chen Xiao took out two items from the Mountain River Diagram: the Blood Hourglass and the Pig Head Dagger. Both were sinister Opportunities, one sacrificing potential, the other exchanging pain for strength. He had no use for either, so he sold them to the military district.
Pei Tianyuan immediately recognized the hourglass — it had originally been given to Cao Linxuan, and now Chen Xiao had taken it back.
Next, Chen Xiao produced a silver bracelet veiled in mist — the Super Dimensional Bracelet, a rare storage-type Opportunity looted from the Samba heathens. He also took out two pieces of Samba clothing as proof.
Pei Tianyuan's eyes lit up.
Then Chen Xiao finally tossed out one more item: a silver-white glove — another Opportunity, clearly taken from Cao Linxuan's severed hand.