"You already know?"

Xu Shi was a little shocked, but upon closer reflection, it made sense. Silver Pine Island was such a small place, strictly speaking, it was just a slightly larger village. Luo Yu's residence wasn't deep in the mountains, so if something happened, the news would definitely spread very quickly.

"Nothing serious, just a bit of a fright at most?"

He gently rubbed his daughter's cheek. "I have to thank Miss Xingchuan for saving me a lot of trouble."

"...It was my negligence, I'm sorry."

Even though he said that, Xia Wuyou still felt a little guilty. It was too painful for her not to protect Xu Shi in time. No matter what their relationship was, protecting her was her duty.

Before she left, Sister Su Lin even gave her special instructions... Who would have thought that something would happen in a place like this so early in the morning?

"You flatter me, young master."

Seeing her like this, Yu Xingchuan became even more smug. Protecting Xu Shi isn't something only you can do; this is a real demonstration of your abilities.

"...No, I'm going to demand an explanation from them!"

Xia Xiaomao didn't notice how she addressed Xu Shi, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she couldn't hold back for a moment.

Although I heard that those people were seriously injured, that's not an excuse!

You only lost an arm, but my Anada suffered a great injustice!

Saying she wanted "an explanation" was already a very restrained statement; she couldn't wait to get rid of those bastards.

The reactions of the others were similar. Apart from Shen Qin, no one—whether it was Xia Ke'an, Jiang Chengcheng, or Xie Qingyan and Ye Shanshan—looked too unhappy.

What happens between them is an internal matter. To the outside world, they represent Night City, which is a unified entity. If anyone encounters this situation, it's like slapping everyone in the face.

Especially since everyone here is proud and arrogant, it would be strange if there was no reaction.

"My god, I haven't said anything, why are you all acting like you want to eat me alive?"

Xu Shi was a little touched by this. "Alright, let's leave it at that. Even if we want to settle scores later, it's not now."

"Besides, this might not be a bad thing, right?"

"Too."

Xie Qingyan was the first to calm down. "At least they know now that we are not to be trifled with. This will save us a lot of trouble when we go to the main city of the Hualan Empire later."

The people of Silverpine Island are a good example. As mentioned before, the people here treat them with respect, which is not just because of the debt of saving their lives. Witnessing their strength firsthand is also a very important factor.

At least Pan Cheng knew that with their strength, it would be difficult for them to contend with Xu Shi, so it would be better to find a way to befriend him. A powerful friend is always more reassuring than a powerful enemy.

The same principle applies to the Hualan Empire.

People go through all sorts of hardships to sail the seas to build relationships, which is essentially diplomacy. A crucial aspect of diplomacy is to intimidate the other party and let them know that you are not to be trifled with.

On this basis, you can then discuss this and that politely; otherwise, simply trying to curry favor won't work. To put it bluntly, that's called being obsequious.

What just happened is a great opportunity. Regardless of whether they go with Luo Yu and the others in a few days or not, the big stick has already been thrown down, and people will naturally start to take them seriously.

This is much more effective than having others say it; seeing is believing. Of course, Xu Shi also didn't want to use Pan Cheng to tell Luo Yu and the Hua Lan Empire about their strength. People who didn't know better might think that he was boosting the morale of others while diminishing his own.

This would put the people of Silver Pine Island in a difficult position, something Xu Shi definitely didn't want to see.

Regardless of their relationship, this place is their first base for overseas expansion, and maintaining stability is very important.

It's good as it is now. Our situation is laid out here for us to see and feel for ourselves.

Thinking about it, Xu Shi couldn't help but laugh. Luo Yu was trying to give him a hard time, right? He never expected to be outmaneuvered in the end. He must be feeling terrible.

If he were truly petty, he might indeed do what Yu Xingchuan said and seize any opportunity to make things difficult for him.

Oh dear, I've become the bad guy again without even realizing it... No, I should be the one being bullied and vulnerable.

"In short, everyone should not be petty."

As he gave instructions, he pointed at Xia Wuyou, "Especially you, Aunt Xia. I promised someone I would learn swordsmanship from you."

"Okay."

Xia Wuyou had long since calmed down. She could still tell right from wrong. Besides, when had she ever been petty? The person who said that was clearly the pettiest...

Um?

She suddenly realized what was happening.

"Why am I an auntie again?"

First I was called "older sister," then "mom," and now "auntie"... What am I supposed to be called next?

Xu Shi burst into laughter.

...

The fact is that the conflict between Xu Shi and Luo Yu did not affect their lives on Silver Pine Island. At least the islanders were tactful enough not to mention it and continued to get along as usual.

It's likely that Pan Cheng gave them a heads-up, and Luo Yu and his group haven't made any moves since, remaining quite well-behaved for the past few days.

This was his hometown, and no matter what, he couldn't really break off relations, otherwise he wouldn't be able to face anyone... In the end, he stayed on the ship with those few bronze-level soldiers for a few days. After they had their arms reattached and recovered from their injuries, he found an excuse to return to the Hualan Empire first.

I originally intended to send others back to the ship, but ended up sending myself back – it's quite amusing.

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