Chapter 36

In the Luo Residence.

Dressed in his usual green robes, Butler Chen sat on the chair quietly as he gazed at the fishes in the pond.

He was not in the mood to care about the messy politics at the capital. His only goal was to protect the young lord and the young lady.

However, it seemed like someone was after the duo.

The young lady, Luo Xiaoxiao, remained safe inside the Luo Residence because he was there to protect her. No one dared to even come close to the residence, but Luo Hong was different.

“The young lord went out of the county to collect rent, but the guards were killed. He joined the bandits, and the bandits were massacred by the evil beings…Was it just a coincidence?” Butler Chen was serious about the question as he believed it was not mere chance.

There might be a mastermind behind all this, manipulating the events and the goal was obvious: Luo Hong’s life.

Butler Chen lifted his slim face and gazed into the sky as if he was able to see the convoy entering Anping County.

It was then something caught his attention. He turned to a certain direction within Anping County. Then, as he furrowed his brows and curled his fists, the expression on his face changed.

“Again and again, this is endless! The young lord has only started cultivating for a few days, yet he’s being chased after by those evil beings! He’s just an innocent boy! They are trying to distract the young lord to a wicked cultivation path, aren’t they? Vicious b*stards!”

Butler Chen’s gaze looked furious.

With Zhao Donghan around Luo Hong, he was not terribly worried, but he was furious about the fact and had to vent it out somehow.

Therefore, he grabbed a flower petal and pinched it with his fingers.

The green robes fluttered as he fired the flower petal out like a bullet. The flower petal turned into a sword qi and flew across the sky like a meteor, flying towards the county gate.

…

Outside Anping County, a group of merchants arrived in their caravan.

Magistrate Liu bowed respectfully at the person in the wagon whereas Luo Feng, together with Xin Wei and Fang Zheng, nodded at the person as a sign of respect.

They finally knew who the guest they were waiting for: the teacher of the crown prince, the deputy director of the Directorate of Astrology and Calendar, one of the ten greatest sorcerers of the Great Xia, Wen Tianxing.

Luo Feng expected a guest from the capital but not a guest of this caliber. However, when he thought of the senior he met at the Luo Residence, it was only natural for someone powerful to come all the way here.

Anping County would no longer be peaceful.

All of a sudden, a loud explosive noise burst in the sky as if a dragon roared.

Luo Feng felt a terrifying pressure above his head. He looked up with a petrified look and saw a sword flying across the sky like a meteor.

The flying sword left a trail of explosive noises that scared the horses. The single flying sword frightened the horses, causing them to neigh ceaselessly and messing up the formation of the caravan.

As Magistrate Liu was shocked beyond comprehension, his hands and legs turned cold.

Xin Wei and Fang Zheng were having a hard time breathing.

Only Luo Feng was able to look at the sky.

“This sword is from Senior Chen who’s making a stand!”

The flying sword was headed towards the person in the wagon.

Bang!

The terrifying sword qi seemed to have a destructive aura around it. Before it was even close to the wagon, its tremendous pressure shattered the wagon into pieces, revealing an elderly figure in official robes with cranes sewn on it.

“Hohoho, Chen Tianxuan, the Dragon Morph Sword! Nice one…”

Everything in the wagon, except for the bed, was already in pieces.

When the elderly figure stood up and lifted his hand, talismans appeared out of nowhere and converged before him. The talismans then took the form of a powerful man that shouted at the flying sword.

Bang!

The flying sword perforated the talisman figure, shredding it into pieces.

The world seemed to quieten down upon impact.

The elderly figure lifted his hand and his branch-like fingers caught the tiny lotus leaf.

“I haven’t even got into the county, but he’s thrown this at me. He must have lost his mind. Is he trying to assert dominance? If so, at least let me get out of the wagon first!” He cleared his throat helplessly.

…

In the Qinghua Theatre, the atmosphere was quiet while the bloody lantern hung high in the ceiling and blood flowed like rivers.

Luo Hong used the broken chair leg as a sword and overlaid five sword qi in it before he lunged towards Hu Zhishui.

He did not have a choice since he never learned any proper techniques before and had never seen any fancy techniques, so all he could do was break through with brute force.

The theory of overlaying sword qi was just an idea in his mind. In a normal situation, he would have to go through systematic training and research before he could put the theory into practice.

Unfortunately, time was not on his side. His life was hanging by a thread and he was forced to test his theory. Never did he expect it to be successful on the first try.

The power of five overlaying sword qi exceeded Luo Hong’s expectation.

“I’m a f*cking genius! What do I have to make a comeback? This slash, of course! It’s a one-on-one match now!”

Luo Hong’s blood-stained hands held the broken chair leg tightly as he lunged towards Hu Zhishui with a grin.

A powerful gale followed as he lunged his powerful sword qi at Hu Zhishui.

Hu Zhishui grinned coldly. The sword might be powerful, but it was too slow. He was not a newbie without any experience in combat. He swung his walking stick around swiftly and distorted the space around him, which formed a vortex around him.

It was then that Hu Zhishui felt chills go down his back. Before he knew it, a buff figure appeared behind his back.

Whoosh!

Scarlet red eyes shone in the dark as if it was a demon rising from hell.

“Who goes there?!” Hu Zhishui was shocked for a second. He managed to regain his composure in the next second though.

Di Shan’s shadow threw a punch that contained the best of an Eighth Grade martial cultivator at Hu Zhishui’s face.

Hu Zhishui was sandwiched by Luo Hong’s five overlaying sword qi and Di Shan’s explosive punch. He did not expect Luo Hong to have planned to this extent in such a desperate situation.

However, Hu Zhishui was calm since he was a veteran in battle, and the calmness enabled him to search for the best way out of the sticky situation.

He swung his walking stick at Luo Hong’s sword qi. He ought to kill him after dispersing that powerful sword qi.

In an attempt to catch his punch, he raised his other arm at Di Shan.

Because Di Shan’s punch could not kill him, he was paying a tiny cost for the largest gain out of the situation, and it would be worth it!

Bang!

When Luo Hong’s five overlaying sword qi clashed with Hu Zhishui’s walking stick, a loud screech exploded and the broken chair leg shattered into smithereens.

Hu Zhishui’s walking stick was as sharp as a blade as it thrust its way towards Luo Hong’s shoulder without any resistance.

Blood spewed on Hu Zhishui’s face, making his honest and naive face look rather ferocious. However, he was not delighted at the result at all because he realized that he had read the situation wrongly.

Di Shan’s shadow did not actually punch him. Instead, the shadow opened its arms and grabbed him, pinning him down and immobilizing him.

‘What the hell is this?!’

Hu Zhishui wanted to break free, but he realized that the strength of an Eighth Grade martial cultivator overpowered him.

A low chuckle came from Luo Hong, whose shoulder had been pierced. His mouth was bleeding as he chuckled. When he looked Hu Zhishui in the eyes, his gaze gave the honest and naive man chills.

“You…are an evil cultivator?!”

Hu Zhishui was astonished as the rumbling ominous yin energy from Di Shan’s shadow constricted him. “The representation of justice of Anping County is an evil cultivator?!”

“Why can’t I be one? You are the great philanthropist of Anping, and you are also an evil cultivator.” Luo Hong stared into Hu Zhishui’s eyes as he lifted his hand.

Hu Zhishui widened his eyes and wicked yin energy came out from his follicles, forming a layer of black armor around his body surface.

“You aren’t even powerful enough to penetrate my defense. You are just a Ninth Grade cultivator who can’t control the Eighth Grade shadow for long, and when the shadow is gone, you will die,” said Hu Zhishui as he calmed himself down.

“Do you think I can’t last that long?” Luo Hong widened his grin.

Di Shan’s shadow could never kill Hu Zhishui with a single punch, thus Luo Hong never planned to do it from the start. If he took the bet and failed, things would turn out much worse.

Slap!

Luo Hong put his bloody hand on Hu Zhishui’s forehead. The blood trickled from his forehead and rolled down his cheeks.

When Luo Hong closed his eyes, the human skin manual suddenly felt chilly. A powerful suction force appeared in Luo Hong’s dantian.

Hu Zhishui was shocked when he felt he felt his yin energy being sucked away by Luo Hong!

“What kind of wicked cultivation is this? You—”

“Shhh, quiet.” Luo Hong opened his eyes and shut the man’s mouth with his hand.

Hu Zhishui looked at Luo Hong in awe.

Luo Hong then turned to the dead scholars and courtesans that Hu Zhishui killed earlier. His hand was like the emperor that controlled death itself.

“Stand…” His powerful voice sounded like a requiem for the dead.

Hu Zhishui had goosebumps all over his body. He saw the dead scholars and courtesans moving before black shadows popped up from their dead bodies, materializing into a physical figure.

The shadows contained the grievance of their souls. They wailed and screamed and their grudge for the man was rumbling strongly.

With the human skin manual as a bridge, Luo Hong swiftly sucked Hu Zhishui dry of his yin energy.

He then took a step back to pull himself away from the walking stick. His shoulder was bleeding ceaselessly with the walking stick was yanked out. He clenched his teeth and stared at Hu Zhishui.

A dozen shadows slowly wiggled their way to Hu Zhishui.

They were only shadows of normal people, and after absorbing Hu Zhishui’s energy, Luo Hong was able to control them with ease. He could last longer than ever with the newly absorbed energy.

“Hold him down,” said Luo Hong.

The shadows swarmed over and grabbed Hu Zhishui’s body like vengeful spirits from hell, pinning him down on the spot.

Di Shan released Hu Zhishui’s body and put his hand around the man’s head as ordered by Luo Hong.

Death enveloped Hu Zhishui.

“No! Don’t kill me! Lady, where are you? Come out and help me!” Hu Zhishui nervously sweated as he screamed for help.

“Lady? Do you know penpals shouldn’t meet in real life to prevent disappointment? My cute Old Moon.”

Luo Hong took out the Black Iron Amulet from his sleeve, and it started to absorb the yin energy that it sucked from Hu Zhishui.

Soon enough, the amulet’s color started to transform from black to bronze.

Hu Zhishui’s eyes were covered with bloody veins when he saw the scene. “You!”

Crack!

Before he could finish his sentence, Di Shan’s shadow exerted its strength and twisted Hu Zhishui’s head by 180º.

Hu Zhishui locked eyes with the demonic eyes of Di Shan’s shadow. He struggled for a bit before his eyes lost focus and he died together with the lingering doubts in his heart.