vstars Chapter 94 The guests from Yanjing, the tea wasn't brewed properly.
Chapter 94 The guests from Yanjing, the tea wasn't brewed properly.
The man's hand suddenly dropped, and he fell into a deep coma again.
Lu Yuan stood up.
The rain intensified, with large raindrops pelting the corrugated iron roof of the abandoned factory with a loud pattering sound.
Shen Qingci stood a few meters away, the beam of her flashlight shining on the scattered pieces of flesh, the beam filled with blood and foam washed away by the rain. She swallowed hard, forcibly suppressing the churning acid in her stomach.
"I'm taking him with me."
Lu Yuan bent down and hoisted his emaciated uncle onto his shoulder with one hand.
"You're responsible for cleaning up this mess. I need to see the files in three days. If a page is missing, I'll personally go to the Astronomical Bureau's warehouse and search for it."
Shen Qingci wiped the rain off her face.
"Mr. Lu, rest assured, my word is my bond. However..."
She glanced at Tiger's remains on the ground.
"The Jiangnan Martial Arts Association has lost a vice president, the provincial bureau is definitely going crazy. You'd better not show your face in the next few days, they have heavy firepower, they're capable of anything if pushed too far."
Lu Yuan didn't even turn his head, and walked straight out of the factory.
"Let them do it."
"Just bring enough bags to put the bodies in."
Jiang Huichun knelt in the mud, clutching the blackened bronze well-suppressing nail tightly in her hand. Seeing Lu Yuan walk out, she suddenly shuddered, scrambled to her feet, and followed closely behind him.
She is not stupid.
Tonight, the situation has completely turned upside down. The Astronomical Bureau can't protect her, and those people in the Provincial Bureau are determined to grind her to dust. Right now, in the entire Jiangnan region, only this ruthless figure in front of us offers her a chance of survival.
The two walked one after the other through the accumulated water to get past the warning line.
A black SUV was parked by the roadside; it was driven by Jiang Huichun.
"Open the door."
Lu Yuan walked to the car and shoved his uncle into the back seat.
Jiang Huichun quickly opened the car door, climbed into the driver's seat, and started the engine. The car roared into the rainy night like a startled wild boar.
The lights in the carriage were off, with only the instrument panel emitting a faint blue glow.
Lu Yuan sat in the passenger seat, his fingers resting on the edge of the car window.
Tell me about that box.
Jiang Huichun's hand holding the steering wheel trembled slightly.
"I...I've never actually seen that box."
Lu Yuan didn't speak, but turned to look at her.
With just one glance, the temperature in the carriage dropped by more than ten degrees, and Jiang Huichun felt as if even his breath was covered in ice crystals.
"I've never seen it before!"
She spoke rapidly, her words coming out like beans being poured out.
"Ten years ago, on the night Gu Ku had his accident, I was hiding in the ventilation duct. The people who led the charge in weren't from the Jiangnan martial arts world; they were dressed in black with golden cloud patterns embroidered on their cuffs. My father desperately tried to stop them, but the leader shattered his skull with a single blow."
"After that man killed my father, he ransacked the entire warehouse."
"I heard him swear, saying, 'That madman Lu Changfeng, where did he hide the meteorite disk?'"
Meteorite disk.
Lu Yuan leaned back in his chair.
To escape persecution, my father fled to Jiangnan with my pregnant mother, even changing their names. It seems it was all because of this so-called meteorite compass.
"A member of the Yanjing family."
Lu Yuan considered it in his mind.
My uncle was imprisoned in a well for twenty years as a living target, and my father was hunted down to Jiangnan. These people were trying to kill the direct descendants of the Lu family for a broken box.
These bumpkins on Earth aren't very capable, but their methods of infighting are even dirtier than those demonic sects in the cultivation world.
"What was written on that half-page of 'The Record of Town Wells' that your father gave you back then?"
Jiang Huichun held the steering wheel with one hand, and with the other hand, she took out a yellowed, tattered page from her inner pocket and handed it to Lu Yuan.
"This map shows the distribution of the thirty-six earth eyes in Jiangnan. But my father covered part of it with his blood before he died, leaving only the Gu Ku one."
Lu Yuan took the torn page and glanced at it.
A faint fluctuation of spiritual energy remained on the paper. This was not a well-suppressing record at all; it was a tattered blueprint for a spirit-gathering array.
Use living people to fill the array's core, then use the Spirit Gathering Array to extract the Yin energy from the earth's veins.
This is definitely not to suppress any evil spirits, but rather someone is using the earth's veins to nurture something.
"Let's go to Yunding Mountain Villa."
Lu Yuan put the torn pages into his storage ring.
Jiang Huichun floored the accelerator, and the SUV sped through the rainy night.
Abandoned textile factory.
Less than half an hour after Lu Yuan left, three black bulletproof SUVs with provincial license plates crashed through the police cordon and drove directly into the factory area.
The car door opened, and several wiry men in black raincoats jumped out and quickly took over the scene.
The last person to get off the bus was a middle-aged man wearing a long trench coat. He didn't use an umbrella, letting the rain soak his bald head, and he was playing with two walnuts that he had polished until they were shiny.
Lei Dong, Vice President of the Jiangnan Martial Arts Association.
"Vice President Lei."
Shen Qingci stepped forward, her tone neither humble nor arrogant.
"I have brought the situation under control. The underground borehole has been resealed, and the crisis is over."
Lei Dong ignored her and walked straight to the pile of minced meat.
He crouched down, picked up a piece of broken scapula with his gloved fingers, and examined it closely.
The bone fragments broke off extremely smoothly, as if they had been instantly crushed by some invisible hydraulic press.
"Tiger is at the peak of internal strength, and his external martial arts skills are among the top ten in Jiangnan. Even I would have to put in some effort to kill him."
Lei Dong stood up and threw the piece of bone into the muddy water.
"Director Shen, the outside help you found was ruthless. They completely overwhelmed him physically, leaving not even a trace of internal force released on the scene."
Shen Qingci's heart tightened.
This old fox is not easy to fool.
"Vice President Lei, the people were invited by the Astronomical Bureau, and the matter is settled. It is a fact that Brother Hu led people to break through the Astronomical Bureau's blockade. I will personally write a report to the Provincial Bureau to explain."
"explain?"
Lei Dong laughed, but there was a chilling undertone to his laughter.
"You think this is some trivial matter of the Martial Arts Association and your Celestial Surveillance Bureau fighting over territory?"
He pulled a red-headed document from his pocket and waved it in front of Shen Qingci.
"Two hours ago, Yanjing issued an urgent secret order: everyone involved in the Gu Ku case must be executed without exception. Especially the offspring of Lu Changfeng, who escaped back then."
Shen Qingci's expression changed drastically.
"What do you want to do!"
Lei Dong stuffed the document back into his pocket, fiddling with walnuts in his hand, making a dull cracking sound.
"That kid named Lu Yuan, no matter what kind of evil martial arts he practices, being able to crush Hu Zi proves that he has at least the strength of a Grandmaster in the Transcendent Realm."
"I, Lei Dong, don't fight battles I'm not confident of winning. A direct confrontation with a Grandmaster of the Transcendent Realm will result in death."
He turned to look at his men behind him.
"Investigate that kid's background. I heard he has a younger sister who lives with him."
Shen Qingci suddenly drew her spare pistol and aimed it at Lei Dong.
"Lei Dong! Family members shouldn't be implicated; that's the rule of the martial arts world! If you dare touch Lu Qingxue, the Celestial Surveillance Bureau will absolutely not let you off!"
The men in black behind Lei Dong instantly drew their guns, all pointing their dark muzzles at Shen Qingci.
"Rules are made by living people."
Lei Dong didn't even lift his eyelids.
"Director Shen, I advise you to put down your gun. You should be praying that the kid named Lu Yuan is a smart man and obediently hand over what Yanjing wants. Otherwise, there will be two more corpses floating in the Qinhuai River tomorrow."
Yunding Mountain Villa, Villa No. 1.
The SUV was parked in front of the villa.
Lu Yuan carried his uncle into the hall and laid him flat on the large leather sofa.
Jiang Huichun huddled at the doorway like a maid who had done something wrong, not even daring to step on the carpet.
"Go boil some water and make the beds in the guest rooms."
Lu Yuan gave an order.
Jiang Huichun felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly ran to the kitchen to boil water.
Only Lu Yuan and his uncle remained in the hall.
Lu Yuan pointed his fingers like a sword and touched his uncle's forehead.
The Golden Core stage cultivator's divine sense probed into his uncle's meridians along his fingertips.
The situation is worse than we imagined.
Twenty years of yin energy had eroded my uncle's internal organs to the point of rotting. If it weren't for the well-suppressing nail that kept him alive until the very end, he would have been dead long ago.
Even more troublesome is that a dark red cocoon of light is coiled around the uncle's heart meridian.
"Soul-Locking Curse".
Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes.
In the cultivation world, this thing is a low-level spell used to torture enemies. It can lock a person's soul inside their body, causing them to suffer the pain of being devoured by thousands of ants day and night.
The person who cast the curse used crude methods, but were extremely vicious.
Lu Yuan snorted coldly.
"Trying to manipulate my soul is like showing off your limited skills before an expert."
He flipped his palm, and a dazzling golden spirit fire ignited out of thin air.
The martial artists on Earth don't understand what true power is. They're still pursuing quantitative changes in internal energy, while the spiritual fire of cultivators represents a dimensional reduction attack at the level of laws.
The golden spiritual fire transformed into hundreds of fire needles as thin as cow hair, piercing into the major acupoints all over Uncle's body.
"laugh!"
A burnt smell emanated from my uncle.
Under the scorching heat of the spiritual fire, the dark red cocoon of light emitted a shrill scream like a mouse whose tail had been stepped on, before crumbling inch by inch and dissipating into black smoke.
My uncle suddenly convulsed and spat out a mouthful of foul-smelling black blood.
As he coughed up the blood, a trace of life-giving color returned to his previously ashen face. His breathing also became steady.
His life was saved.
All that's left is to slowly nurture it with spiritual herbs. For Lu Yuan, who possesses the Nine Heavens Storage Ring, this is only a matter of time.
The moment the Soul-Locking Curse was broken.
Lu Yuan's divine sense detected a wisp of remaining spiritual imprint.
This was left behind by the person who cast the curse.
Without hesitation, he probed into it with his divine sense.
A picture suddenly exploded in my mind.
In a spacious and ancient hall, men and women dressed in Tang suits sat on both sides.
In the very center, on a grand armchair, sat an elderly man with gray hair. He held a covered teacup in his hand, his eyes filled with malice.
My uncle was kneeling on the ground, covered in blood, with his limbs chained together.
The old man put down his teacup, his voice as cold as a poisoned knife.
"Changfeng ran away. He took the Starfall Disc with him."
"You're his older brother, tell me, where did he go?"
The uncle spat out a mouthful of blood and gave a bitter laugh.
"I don't know. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you, you old dog."
The old man sighed.
"The Lu family's bloodline is perfect for filling that key point in Jiangnan's formation. Since you refuse to talk, then go to the bottom of the well and reflect on your actions. Come up when you've figured it out."
The scene abruptly ends there.
Lu Yuan withdrew his divine sense.
The Lu family of Yanjing.
He silently repeated the name in his mind.
It turns out that the seemingly accidental car accident my mother had years ago wasn't caused by some powerful family speeding at all. The perpetrator was just a front man; the real mastermind was in Beijing all along.
They thought their father and mother were dead, and that the half of the meteorite disc had fallen into their hands and their sister's hands.
Lu Yuan took out a palm-sized rusted iron plate from his storage ring.
This sign is neither gold nor wood; it is heavy and has some messy lines engraved on its surface.
This was sewn into his underwear by his mother before she passed away. He ascended to the immortal realm nine thousand years ago, and this iron plaque has been lying quietly in the corner of his storage ring ever since.
He had once scanned the iron plate with his Mahayana stage divine sense and found that it contained an extremely complex spatial array seal. With his current peak Golden Core cultivation, forcibly breaking it open would destroy what was inside.
"Is this the box you're looking for?"
Lu Yuan tossed the iron plate twice before putting it back into his ring.
Just then, the phone on the coffee table vibrated.
Caller ID: Qingxue.
Lu Yuan paused for half a second.
It's three in the morning. Lu Qingxue just had her marrow cleansed by his spiritual energy last night, she should be sound asleep at this hour.
He pressed the answer button.
I didn't hear my sister's voice on the other end of the phone.
Instead, a crisp clinking sound of porcelain clattering was heard. Someone was leisurely skimming the tea foam.
"Is that Young Master Lu Yuan?"
A male voice with a heavy Beijing accent came through the receiver, speaking slowly and deliberately, exuding a superior and composed air.
Lu Yuan remained silent, his hand holding the phone as steady as a rock.
"Let me introduce myself. I am the steward of the outer courtyard of the Lu family in Yanjing. You can call me Uncle Zhao."
The man's voice was tinged with laughter.
"I'm so sorry to disturb the young master's rest so late. But I just arrived in Jiangnan and thought I should at least come and see Miss Qingxue."
Lu Yuan glanced at the torrential rain outside the window and let out a cold laugh.
"You've entered my home."
"Young Master, you're being too polite. We're all family members; what's wrong with going back to our own home?"
The sound of a chair being moved came from the other end of the phone, as if Manager Zhao had shifted to a more comfortable sitting position.
"Miss Qingxue is very thoughtful. Knowing we had guests, she specially got up to brew me a pot of pre-Qingming Longjing tea. But..."
Manager Zhao drawled out his words.
"The water in Jiangnan is too soft, and the tea brewed here is always a little bit undercooked. Tea boiled with water from Yanjing (Beijing) is much more satisfying to drink."
Threat.
An undisguised threat.
He didn't mention kidnapping, nor did he threaten to kill her. He simply told you casually: "Your sister is now under my control. I can make her make tea whenever I want, and I can kill her whenever I want."
This is the modus operandi of the powerful families of Yanjing. They manipulate people's hearts and kill without shedding blood.
Lu Yuan walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at his reflection in the glass.
What do you want?
"The young master is a straightforward person."
Manager Zhao smiled.
"The old master has spoken. The item that Young Master Changfeng took away back then must be returned to its rightful owner. Hand it over, and I guarantee Miss Qingxue won't lose a single hair."
"If you don't pay, or if you want to call the police or ask the Forestry Bureau for help..."
"Smack."
The sound of a teacup shattering came from the other end of the phone.
Immediately following was Lu Qingxue's suppressed gasp.
"Brother! Don't worry about me! They have guns!"
"Shut up!" A rough voice interrupted Lu Qingxue, followed by a dull thud.
Lu Yuan's eyelid twitched.
The rain in the surrounding air seemed to have been paused at that moment.
"Manager Zhao, right?"
Lu Yuan's voice was completely flat, as calm as a stagnant pool.
"Hmm? Young Master, have you thought it through?"
"You just said that the water used to brew tea in Jiangnan is not hot enough."
Lu Yuan raised his hand and placed his palm on the cold glass.
"Where are you located?"
"Young master, don't bother. Since I dared to make this call, I'm not afraid of you coming here. I'm sitting in the living room of your old house. You have half an hour; come over alone with your things."
Manager Zhao was fearless and had nothing to fear.
He brought four assassins at the early stage of the Transformation Realm, armed with modified foreign military-grade weapons. Even if Lu Yuan were truly a reclusive genius, he couldn't cause any trouble under the combined onslaught of modern firearms and martial arts masters.
Moreover, they have hostages in their hands.
"Half an hour is too long."
Lu Yuan suddenly clenched his five fingers.
"Click!"
The entire bulletproof glass shattered with a crash, turning into countless glittering powders.
"Wash your neck clean and wait for me. I have a bad temper; if anyone harms my sister, I usually don't leave them alive."
The phone hangs up.
Lu Yuan turned and walked towards the gate.
Jiang Huichun had just brought hot water out of the kitchen when she saw the broken glass all over the floor and Lu Yuan's expressionless face. She was so frightened that she knelt down on the ground.
"I have high hopes for him."
Lu Yuan pointed to his uncle on the sofa.
"I'm going out to kill a few people. I'll be right back."
Before he finished speaking, a gust of wind swept through the hall.
When Jiang Huichun looked up again, Lu Yuan's figure had already disappeared into the vast rainy night.