Chapter 39: Sneak Attack, Injured

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Sneak Attack, Injured

"You definitely have a way, right? You’re the one who struck it in." Yu Qiuyang was incomparably anxious.

"As you know, I only got the manual yesterday. I haven’t practiced much," Lu Yuan said, looking troubled and somewhat embarrassed. He knew the needle would be ruined; he had to get compensated.

"You..." Yu Qiuyang suddenly felt a wave of despair. Was he going to...

"Three hundred taels! Give me three hundred taels, and I’ll take it out perfectly intact!" Lu Yuan quickly said. He was afraid Yu Qiuyang would reach over and pull it out himself.

"Three hundred taels!" Yu Qiuyang was stunned, then realized he had been bluffed by Lu Yuan. He felt slightly relieved, but his expression couldn’t help but turn a bit ugly. He had already forked over two hundred taels yesterday; how could he possibly have another three hundred taels on him today? Did the guy really think his money was endless?

"I only have two hundred taels on me..." He quickly pulled out two silver notes from his chest.

"No!" Lu Yuan shook his head. Did this guy really think he could bargain?

"I also have a Bone Tempering Pill!" Yu Qiuyang took out a porcelain bottle and handed everything over to Lu Yuan.

"Mhm, that’s more like it." Lu Yuan nodded and flicked his hand.

SWISH.

He extracted the Silver Needle.

"Done!"

"Thank you! Thanks..." Yu Qiuyang expressed his gratitude, but then froze. "@#&*..." He had the urge to kill Lu Yuan right now, and yet he was thanking him?

Yu Qiuyang’s eyes narrowed. Gathering his Gang Qi, he prepared to strike at Lu Yuan. His earlier oath hadn’t explicitly forbidden a frontal assault! However, when he looked up and saw the Silver Needle held upright in Lu Yuan’s hand, his heart skipped a beat. At such a close distance and completely unprepared, if he attacked, he might not make it out unscathed...

"It was just pulled out. Aren’t you going to rest and recover? If you recklessly use your Gang Qi, what if you injure yourself again?" Lu Yuan reminded him kindly.

"You... I..." Yu Qiuyang’s expression shifted wildly before he quickly forced a smile. "I just wanted to say hello. Farewell!" With that, he hastily departed, not even glancing at Jiang Hongfei.

"I’ll be taking my leave too. Farewell!" Seeing this, Jiang Hongfei also hurried away. Having suffered losses twice, truth be told, he was somewhat afraid of Lu Yuan now. He would probably never set foot in this alley again; it was truly a humiliation. Furthermore, from now on, he had to wear his Inner Armor every day! Every single day!

"Brother Lu, you..." Liu Zhi watched dumbfounded, only recovering his wits at this moment. Those were Jiang Hongfei and Yu Qiuyang... Yet they were subdued in just a few moves. It was practically godlike! He couldn’t help but recall Lu Yuan’s previous words. Had he anticipated all of this back then?

"A share for everyone present. Here, take one." Lu Yuan pulled out a silver note and handed it to Liu Zhi.

"No! I don’t want it!" Liu Zhi hastily declined. How could he have the nerve to accept it? He didn’t want to take it, and he certainly didn’t need it!

"You’re the one who refused, so forget it." Lu Yuan stowed away the silver notes and the pill. Today was another massive harvest. Since Liu Zhi was standing by his side, their association was already set in stone, whether he took the money or not. Besides, Liu Zhi wasn’t short on money, whereas Lu Yuan desperately needed it. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

The two continued on their way and parted shortly after. Lu Yuan headed home alone. However, for some unknown reason today, he felt a bit uneasy, as if he were being watched.

"Who’s trying to mess with me?" Lu Yuan wondered, gripping the hilt of his saber tightly.

WHOOSH.

As he passed an alleyway, a tall figure suddenly dashed out. The person wore coarse hemp clothes and a cloth mask, with disheveled hair and bulging muscles.

BANG.

The figure swayed and rapidly expanded, transforming in the blink of an eye into a small giant over two meters tall. With surging vitality and a terrifying aura, the giant extended a hand as large as a palm-leaf fan and slapped fiercely toward Lu Yuan’s head, seemingly intent on blowing it wide open.

"Middle Tier Eighth Grade, Blood Exchange Great Success!" Lu Yuan noted in shock, retreating at top speed.

BANG.

Turbulent Gang Qi surged between the giant’s palms, blasting directly across the distance of over two meters.

CLANG.

Lu Yuan drew the long saber at his waist and slashed with all his might.

SLASH.

The Saber Qi cleaved the astral wind in half.

BANG.

The giant lunged forward, striking another palm at Lu Yuan, completely fearless of the long saber in his hand. And he didn’t need to fear! The short-distance ambush speed of a peak Middle Tier Eighth Grade martial artist was beyond imagination; he simply wouldn’t give his opponent that many chances.

SWISH.

Lu Yuan had no choice but to execute the Wind-Breaking Nine Slashes with all his strength to counter the attack.

CRACK.

The Saber Qi shattered, and the massive hand clashed directly with the blade...

BANG.

Lu Yuan was sent flying by the palm strike. It was like crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood—an unstoppable force! The opponent was simply too strong.

WHOOSH.

Lu Yuan hastily deflected the force and used the momentum to leap onto the wall. "Who are you, you scoundrel?" he shouted. "How dare you ambush a warrior of the Demon Suppression Bureau!"

The man looked up, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes as large as brass bells. He glanced at Lu Yuan before suddenly withdrawing his vitality and shrinking his stature, quickly retreating. He came abruptly, and left just as fast.

Lu Yuan watched him go, his heart churning with turbulent waves. However, he didn’t give chase. Even if he caught up, he wouldn’t be able to defeat the man, and catching up would be difficult anyway. There was no need to take such a risk! Thus, with a shift of his body, he too swiftly departed.

Not long after, Lu Yuan arrived home.

SPURT.

He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of dark, bruised blood.

"Young Master!" Yaoyao exclaimed, quickly running over.

"Shh." Lu Yuan hastily made a hand gesture and quickly wiped his mouth clean.

"Young Master, are you alright?" Yaoyao grabbed Lu Yuan’s arm, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"I’m fine. I was just ambushed by a rat earlier." Lu Yuan shook his head. A peak Middle Tier Eighth Grade martial artist going all out was indeed incredibly strong. Fortunately, his Cloud-Brushing Hand had reached Great Success, giving him masterful force-deflection techniques. Furthermore, he possessed the Undying Body. His injuries were already close to fully healing.

However, he was wondering whose subordinate that man was. Jiang Hongfei and Yu Qiuyang had just left; the timing was too rushed, so it was unlikely to be them. Besides, they had sworn oaths on their future in the Martial Dao, which couldn’t be broken so easily. Then there was...

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered. He had two candidates in mind, but he couldn’t be certain yet because he had too little information.

"Ayuan is back," Wei Huiling said with a smile as she appeared.

"Mhm," Lu Yuan responded with a smile, using his foot to rub away the bloodstain on the ground. "I’m going to cultivate for a bit first."

"Go ahead and practice. Dinner will take a little while longer," Wei Huiling said, turning around and heading back into the kitchen.

HISS... PHEW...

Lu Yuan let out a long breath. Never mind all that; the enemy would eventually reveal their flaws. The most important thing was to improve his own strength.

Before achieving Great Success in Gang Qi and Organ Tempering, the internal organs were extremely fragile—far incomparable to the limbs and torso—yet incomparably vital. After layers of force deflection, Lu Yuan’s injuries weren’t severe, though they were internal. Fortunately, with the Undying Body, he could rapidly recover from any wound, no matter how severe, without any lingering aftereffects. The only drawback was that it consumed his own energy—his true Qi—far too intensely. In no time at all, it was already depleted by half.

However, this brought another benefit. Once Lu Yuan’s injuries were fully healed, his physical toughness had noticeably improved. The progress was roughly equivalent to two days of all-out tempering using a Qi Nourishing Pill. Originally, Lu Yuan would have needed two more days to complete his Gang Transformation, but now, he felt he could finish it tonight.

"I still have three Qi Nourishing Pills. That should be just enough," he thought.