Chapter 116: Suspecting Lu Yan

Li Xuan lunged forward, but Li Cangqing was faster. He appeared before Lu Yan and struck out with his own palm.

With a loud thud, Li Xuan was sent stumbling back a dozen steps. He landed hard on his backside, blood already trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"You refuse to provide compensation, and now you want to kill to silence witnesses and sully the reputation of the Li family? Do you believe I won't cripple you?"

Li Cangqing’s gaze was icy, brimming with murderous intent.

"I... I will pay."

Li Xuan finally gritted his teeth and relented. Having been caught in the act by Li Cangqing, he knew that if he were branded with such severe accusations, he could legitimately be crippled. Even if he weren't, being beaten half to death would leave Li Wenxuan unable to intervene on his behalf.

Li Xuan fumbled through his robes and said, "I don't have that much silver on me."

"Have your men go back and fetch it. I will wait here," Li Cangqing replied.

Left with no choice, Li Xuan instructed a subordinate to go to his residence. The man was quick, returning in half an hour with a stack of silver notes. Li Xuan counted them, handed the money to Lu Yan with a dark expression, and turned to leave immediately, unwilling to stay a moment longer.

"Lu Shanchuan thanks Young Master Cangqing for your help. Without you, the Three Ultimates Martial Hall would likely have been forced to close today." Lu Yan cupped his hands in gratitude.

"Haha, no need for thanks. Wang Dao is my friend, and since you are Wang Dao's friend, you are my friend as well. How could I sit idly by when a friend is in trouble?" Li Cangqing laughed and waved his hand dismissively.

"Wang Dao..." Lu Yan understood. Wang Dao must have guessed his identity. It was reasonable enough; the martial hall taught the Sky-Breaking Saber technique, and it wouldn't be difficult for Wang Dao to piece it together once he saw it.

Regardless, it didn't matter. Previously, when his cultivation was weaker, he hadn't wanted to reveal his "Unity of Man and Martial Arts" in a second-rate art, as it would have drawn too much attention. To put it bluntly, his previous strength couldn't support the weight of that reputation. But now that he had reached the rank of Martial Marquis, he could handle the scrutiny. Appropriately revealing his strength would actually be more beneficial for his development.

"Young Master Cangqing, come inside and have a drink," Lu Yan said, pulling out a stack of silver notes, totaling about three thousand taels, to hand to Li Cangqing. He had only initially asked for three hundred; having gained four thousand seven hundred taels, he couldn't keep it all.

Li Cangqing pushed the money back. "This is compensation from Li Xuan for breaking your property. It is yours to begin with; why give it to me? Keep it." He added, "I have matters to attend to today, so I won't drink. I will surely visit another day, and we shall not stop until we are both drunk."

With that, Li Cangqing left with his men in a graceful manner. Seeing Lu Yan and Li Cangqing speaking so amicably, as if they were old friends, the martial hall disciples felt their hearts settle, and they returned to their training.

Ten days later, early in the morning.

Zhou Zhengkong arrived at the Three Ultimates Martial Hall in a rush and found Lu Yan. "It’s not good, Brother Lu. You arrived in Baicao City earlier than me; you must give me some advice." Zhou Zhengkong paced back and forth, visibly anxious.

"Brother Zhou, what has happened?" Lu Yan asked.

"Recently, Li Canglin and Li Cangqing have both visited me repeatedly, wanting me to join their respective factions. I didn't want to join either side, but it seems I no longer have a choice. I must pick one. Brother Lu, between the two factions, which one do you favor?"

"I see." Lu Yan fell into deep thought. The Zhou family had nearly two hundred people here, most of whom were skilled in martial culinary arts. Their arrival in Baicao City could not be hidden from the two major factions. It was no surprise that both sides were coveting such a force and trying to pull them into their camps.

Lu Yan’s initial intention was for the Zhou family to join neither side. If they joined the Li family, would they eventually be assimilated and become true members of the Li clan? What would that mean for his connection to them? But clearly, he had to choose.

What should he do? Lu Yan felt a pang of uncertainty. After a long while, he laughed at himself. "Why am I overthinking this? Ultimately, it is because my own strength is insufficient. As long as my power continues to grow, the Zhou family will be mine sooner or later. It is not even impossible to harbor designs on the Li family itself. Without strength, one is merely a man guilty of possessing a treasure."

Having reached this realization, he felt lighter.

"Li Canglin is known in the streets for having high martial talent and being capable of great restraint, but he is suspicious by nature," Lu Yan said slowly. "As for Li Cangqing, he is praised for his immense martial talent, a heroic spirit, and a generous, unconstrained personality. He loves to befriend heroes of the martial world."

"In that case, is it better to choose Li Cangqing?" Zhou Zhengkong asked. As a descendant of a powerful clan, he knew the cruelty of factional infighting all too well. His own branch of the Zhou family had been the main line, but it had been suppressed and pushed down, with their Martial Marquises dying one after another. He knew that if he chose the wrong side, he would eventually be liquidated.

"Not long ago, Li Cangqing helped me," Lu Yan replied.

"Then Brother Lu has chosen Li Cangqing. Very well, I understand. The Zhou family will stand with the Three Ultimates Martial Hall." Zhou Zhengkong made up his mind. After discussing the details with Lu Yan, he hurried away.

Three days later, at Li Canglin’s residence.

*Bang!*

Li Canglin slammed his hand onto the table, his eyes icy. The Zhou family had defected to the faction of Li Wenxin and Li Cangqing, and the realization burned him with rage. The Zhou family was not like the Three Ultimates Martial Hall. That the martial hall had joined Li Cangqing was one thing—it was just a small school, and its master was only at the fifth-stage limit. He had no shortage of such experts.

But the Zhou family was different. They had Martial Marquises who were also martial cooks. This value was immense; such a group of martial cooks was more useful than several Martial Marquises.

Seeing Li Canglin’s fury, the others lowered their heads, not daring to speak. Eventually, once the anger subsided, Jia Xun stepped forward. "Young Master, you asked me to investigate Lu Shanchuan, the master of the Three Ultimates Martial Hall. I had my men look into it, and we found something unusual."

"What do you mean by unusual?" Li Canglin asked coldly.

"During the time the Zhou family was selling the Jade Bone Tiger in Nanyi City, Lu Shanchuan happened to be away from his hall. To be precise, he was not in Baicao City. Once the sale concluded, he returned."

Li Canglin narrowed his eyes. "Are you suggesting that Lu Shanchuan might have been in Nanyi City during that time?"

Jia Xun nodded. "Furthermore, shortly after he returned, he disappeared again for over a month. If you count the time, that was exactly when the mysterious person who killed Young Master Cangxin was asking Lu Wenxuan to cook the Jade Bone Tiger."

Li Canglin’s eyes turned cold, and murderous intent appeared on his face. "Such a coincidence—that Lu Shanchuan disappeared during those two periods. Have you verified this?"

"My subordinates confirmed it through several disciples of the hall. They all said their master was indeed absent during those times."

"So, Lu Shanchuan is likely the mysterious person who killed Cangxin and seized the Jade Bone Tiger? But he is only at the fifth-stage limit. How could he kill Li Wenlong and Li Wenyan? Perhaps he has been hiding his cultivation from the beginning?"

"I cannot be certain, it is merely a guess," Jia Xun reported honestly, afraid of taking responsibility if he were wrong. "I also investigated his family and his subordinates, Li Quan and Wang Lin. They are all from Changfeng City, some former Liu family Red-Clad Guards, others gang members. I suspect Lu Shanchuan is also from Changfeng City, having fled here during the war. Other than the original Liu and Wu families, I have heard of no powerful Martial Marquises from Changfeng."

He had not discovered Lu Yan’s parents, Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui. After the incident with the Liu family, Lu Yan had become more cautious. His parents did not live at the martial hall but in a separate residence. Every time Lu Yan visited them, he took hidden paths and appeared in his true form. Aside from a few trusted men like Li Quan and Wang Lin, no one knew they were his parents. He was afraid they would be used as leverage against him.

"Whether he is or isn't, we shall see once we test him," Li Canglin said.

"And who shall we send?" Jia Xun asked.

"If Lu Shanchuan is indeed that mysterious person, it means he has the strength to kill Li Wenlong. The person I send must be strong enough, or they will be throwing their life away. I have my own plans for this."

"Yes," Jia Xun bowed.

At the Three Ultimates Martial Hall, Li Quan hurried over to report. "Someone is investigating me through our disciples?" Lu Yan frowned.

"Yes. I had planted eyes among the disciples, and they discovered someone was questioning them in secret. I found those disciples, and they told me everything," Li Quan said.

"What are they investigating?"

"Mainly your identity, Master, and your whereabouts during the periods when the Jade Bone Tiger was being sold in Nanyi City. They told the truth: that you were not in the hall." Li Quan added, "Master, I suspect it is either Li Wenxuan or Li Canglin."

Lu Yan’s expression grew grave. "It seems they suspect me because I was away during both the Jade Bone Tiger sale and the time Lu Wenxuan was hired to cook the bone-strengthening soup. They will likely send someone to test me soon."

"Master, how should we respond?"

Lu Yan fell into deep thought. He couldn't think of a good strategy. If the enemy sent a master to test him, should he expose his strength or not? If he exposed it, he couldn't stay in Baicao City. If he didn't, and they struck with lethal intent, he might be crippled.

"Li Wenxuan, Li Canglin... I only wanted to cultivate in peace, but you keep pushing me. Is the only way to make you stop to kill you?" Lu Yan gritted his teeth.

Just then, Wang Lin walked over with an invitation. "Master, Senior Wang Dao sent this. Please have a look."

Lu Yan opened it, and his eyes brightened. The content was simple: Wang Dao had successfully broken through to the rank of Martial Marquis, his blood energy having reached his bones. He was hosting a banquet the next day to celebrate.

"I have it," Lu Yan thought, a plan forming. It was as if someone had handed him a pillow just as he was starting to doze off.