Chapter 4464 — Exchanging Pieces Once More

Down below the arena, the crowd was all eagerness, craning their necks to watch the contest. As yet no one could say who held the upper hand, but the shape of the fight was plain at a glance: the vast arena had somehow been split into two halves—on one side Qi Wenmo fought two alone, on the other the wedge formation held four against three, each half going its own way with nothing to do with the other.

In all the many Southland Escort Agency Gatherings over the years, they had seen every manner of agency duel, however savage—but this strange configuration was a first.

Zhao Shanying suddenly clenched his fist. Though the situation was still deadlocked, and by any reckoning he could not see how he stood to lose, for some reason a fierce unease rose in his heart and his spine went cold in waves. It was like sinking unawares into a marsh: at first no danger is felt, but the deeper one sinks, the later regret comes when the truth is finally known.

His heart gave a sudden lurch, and at once he meant to change his strategy. But in that instant the field shifted: on Qi Wenmo's side it was still one against two, yet on the other, one man from each of the opposing sides had been gravely wounded and tumbled wretchedly off the arena.

The Qingtian Escort Agency had spent one peak late-stage Gold Core expert, and in return had taken out a full Gold Core consummate expert. Every eye twitched at the sight—exchanging pieces, exchanging pieces once again!

It had happened before: a single exchange so hugely profitable that it had shattered the last of the Wuma Escort Agency's spirit and swept them to utter defeat. And now the Qingtian Escort Agency had worked the same trick twice, the same scene replayed—only this time the opponent was the Xuanying Escort Agency.

"Excellent! Young Hero Ling is truly formidable—the pains he took to create this one exchange!" Qi Mingyuan's heart settled at the sight, and his praise ran on without end.

Before, all had been shrouded in mist; but matters had come this far, and if he still could not read Wei Zhao's design, then he would not be sitting where he sat today.

The exchange strategy was simple enough, but to pull it off—and above all to profit hugely by it—that took real skill. After all, no one was a fool; no one would be so water-brained as to trade a fine Gold Core consummate expert for a peak late-stage one. The other way round, perhaps.

That the Qingtian Escort Agency could manage it was entirely thanks to Wei Zhao's direction of the formation. Had the wedge formation not deliberately and successfully engineered a position of many against few, there would have been no chance to force this exchange at all, and naturally no profit to be seized.

"Indeed. Not only is Young Hero Ling's trapping elegant, Wenhan's execution deserves equal praise—he cannot be left out of the credit," Steward Song said, nodding again and again.

The breakthrough in this exchange had come from the four-man wedge formation, but any clear-eyed observer could see that the crucial root of it all lay with Qi Wenmo. Had he not successfully tied down two Gold Core consummate experts, how could the other four of the Qingtian Escort Agency have fought many against few?

Above all, facing two Gold Core consummate experts, Qi Wenmo had been unhurried and untroubled from first to last. One could only marvel: this young master of the Qingtian Escort Agency was no ordinary man! To face two at once with such ease, at the same cultivation level—at the very least, ordinary folk could never do it.

"Yes. Setting him against two looks a little risky, but it is still within the boy's capacity. So long as the other side does not do anything wild, there should be no danger." Qi Mingyuan nodded, his former worry and tension gone, his spirits soaring—for at this rate, the odds of taking down the Xuanying Escort Agency were at least six in ten, perhaps more!

If they succeeded, this would be the first five-great-agency-caliber power the Qingtian Escort Agency had devoured, enough to inject a shot of vigor into every soul in the agency, and to show all the world that the Qingtian Escort Agency was no empty name, no top dark horse riding on a streak of dung-luck, but a force with the true strength to claim the throne of escort overlord!

"Damn it!" By contrast, Zhao Shanying's mood at this moment was exceedingly heavy.

To outside eyes, the Xuanying Escort Agency had certainly lost a little in this exchange, but at present each agency still had four men on the arena: the Qingtian Escort Agency with three Gold Core consummate experts and one peak late-stage expert, the Xuanying Escort Agency with four Gold Core consummate experts. In raw strength they still held the advantage!

Even if that advantage was slight, it was enough to tip the scales of victory a fraction further toward the Xuanying Escort Agency—at the very least, they would never fall to a disadvantage.

But Zhao Shanying was not so shallow as the rest. What he watched was not the gain or loss of a single position, but the drift of the whole tide—and plainly, after this last exchange, the tide had turned to the Qingtian Escort Agency's side.

On Qi Wenmo's side, two Gold Core consummate experts harried him together; even if they could not bring him down soon, there was no need for great worry. But on the other side, the three remaining men of the Qingtian Escort Agency could still form the wedge formation, while the Xuanying Escort Agency had only two—and that was where things began to look grim.

Before, it had been three against four, and little disadvantage showed; now it had become two against three, and they were clearly struggling. Zhao Shanying's real fear was that if the other side worked the same trick again, trading yet another peak late-stage expert for one of his Gold Core consummate experts, then their position would collapse utterly.

It was not merely possible—it was highly likely. After all, on the wedge formation's side the enemy still held the advantage in numbers and the initiative, fully capable of launching another exchange.

By then, the arena would be left with nothing but Gold Core consummate experts, and both sides would be split into one against two—only Qi Wenmo had the strength to fight two alone, while the Xuanying Escort Agency simply could not manage it. They might well be cut down in an instant by two foes striking as one!

What to do? Zhao Shanying was frantic, and at the same time shot a look of deep dread toward Wei Zhao in the distance. Both were field commanders; his own habit was to look two moves ahead, a cut above the common run—but set beside this calm young man, he was no better than a three-year-old child.

The other was not merely reading two moves ahead: before a single piece was placed, he already held the whole game in his hand!

No—a countermove had to be found at once!

Zhao Shanying dared not wait so passively any longer. If he truly waited for the other side to strike again, he would not even have a chance to hit back.

"Pick the soft persimmons to squeeze! Vulture, hold Qi Wenmo down; Falcon, go help!" Zhao Shanying decided on the spot. Outsiders might not catch on at once, but the several Xuanying escorts on the arena understood instantly. (To be continued...) R640