Chapter 48: The Scapegoat Girl Returns (Seeking Your Continued Reading)

In the end, the steward gave in. He had no other choice if he wanted to survive.

He fetched brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and wrote in detail how he had befriended an assassin, poisoned Zhou Hezhen, and colluded with the killer to assassinate Zhou Hezhen. At the end, he signed his name: Zhou Zhengkong. Then he pressed his handprint upon it.

Lu Yan put away the “evidence” with a beaming smile and said, “Now, bring me the five thousand taels of silver.”

Zhou Zhengkong had no choice but to hand over his entire fortune to Lu Yan.

“As for that female assassin, she’s worth thirty thousand taels. I trust you’ll know how to collect the reward. Three days from now, bring me both the silver and the martial arts manuals.”

“I warn you, don’t try any tricks, and don’t even think about sending anyone after me. The moment something happens to me, this written confession will find its way straight to Zhou Hejian.”

Lu Yan’s tone became stern.

“Rest assured,” replied Zhou Zhengkong, utterly helpless. No matter how much he resented it, his fate was firmly in Lu Yan’s grasp.

“I look forward to our meeting in three days,” Lu Yan said, then strode away.

This venture, though it had its twists and turns, turned out better than expected. Not only did he have Zhou Zhengkong under his thumb, but he didn’t have to claim the reward himself, thus reducing the risk of exposure. Previously, he had been wary of the forces behind the female assassin; now, with Zhou Zhengkong collecting the reward, no one would know she had died at his hand. Zhou Zhengkong certainly wouldn’t dare give him away.

After Lu Yan left, the guards of the steward’s estate quickly gathered around Zhou Zhengkong. This time, an old man with a full head of white hair accompanied them. Like Zhou Zhengde, he was one of Zhou Zhengkong’s most trusted confidants, a master who had broken through his limits four times, and also Zhou Zhengkong’s elder—Zhou Hemu.

“Sixth Uncle, stay. The rest of you, leave,” Zhou Zhengkong instructed.

“That man is gone? What terms did he set?” Zhou Hemu inquired.

Zhou Zhengkong recounted the events in full.

Zhou Hemu’s expression darkened. “So now you’ll be under his thumb for the rest of your life, at his mercy?”

“This may not be entirely a bad thing,” Zhou Zhengkong replied, pressing his broken rib with force and reconnecting it, then channeling his energy to heal.

“How so?” Zhou Hemu asked, helping Zhou Zhengkong mend his fractured leg in the meantime.

Lu Yan had shown restraint earlier and hadn’t gone for the kill. Though Zhou Zhengkong had suffered multiple fractures, all could be set. With the powerful vitality of someone who had broken through five times, and with the aid of martial food, recovery wouldn’t be difficult.

A healthy, living Zhou Zhengkong could provide a steady stream of benefits over the long term.

“That man, though young, possesses terrifying strength. When I fought him, I found he was astonishingly strong, his vitality immense—he’s surely blessed with an innate martial body,” Zhou Zhengkong analyzed.

“Innate martial body?” Zhou Hemu’s face changed.

“And that’s not all. His mastery of martial arts is profound. Though he practiced secondary-level techniques, he cultivated two arts simultaneously to an exceptional level. He’s a natural-born martial prodigy. If, in the future, he acquires top-tier martial arts, he’s destined to soar.”

“If we establish good relations with him now, there’s no telling what benefits we might reap when he rises to power,” Zhou Zhengkong said, his expression one of shrewd calculation.

…

Lu Yan returned to his lodgings to find the others had yet to return. After tidying up the traces of the fight, he went to his room and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, news swept through the city: the female assassin who had targeted Zhou Hezhen had been brought to justice. As for who had captured her, no word leaked out. Many sighed in disappointment—the prize that was almost in their grasp had slipped away.

“That was fast,” Lu Yan remarked with a slight smile.

Soon, more news arrived from the Zhou clan: Zhou Hezhen was dead, and since others failed to cook the mutated nine-headed heart meat with any success, the clan decided to sell the raw mutated heart meat directly, open for bidding to all noble families.

Of the ten portions, the Zhou clan would keep three for themselves and auction off the remaining seven in three days’ time.

All the noble clans were eager, preparing in earnest. If they couldn’t acquire the cooked nine-headed heart meat, purchasing the raw ingredient was the next best thing. By summoning martial chefs to work together, they might yet succeed, even if the chances were lower.

In the blink of an eye, the day came for Lu Yan to meet Zhou Zhengkong as agreed. Lu Yan met him again and successfully received thirty thousand taels of reward silver along with four martial arts manuals.

Two were secondary-level martial arts, two were tertiary-level.

“I look forward to our next collaboration,” Lu Yan said with a smile.

“As do I, as do I,” Zhou Zhengkong replied, his face wreathed in a forced smile.

Stowing the manuals in his robe, Lu Yan returned to his quarters and began to study them.

The two tertiary-level arts were Point Star Finger and Flying Antelope Leg. The former was a standard offensive technique with nothing remarkable, but Flying Antelope Leg caught Lu Yan’s eye immediately.

According to the manual, the technique was inspired by the mythical beast, the flying antelope, whose leg strength was immense. Each leap could cover more than ten meters, its speed surpassing that of a cheetah.

Thus, Flying Antelope Leg specialized in speed. Unlike the Six Harmonies Leg, which balanced attack and swiftness, Flying Antelope Leg focused entirely on speed, perfect for pursuit or escape—a favorite among military orderlies.

Lu Yan liked it as well and decided to devote himself to mastering it.

The two secondary-level arts were Skybreaker Blade—a blade technique where each strike cut through the air with lethal intent—and another that intrigued Lu Yan even more: the Shifting Form Technique.

Strictly speaking, Shifting Form was a special martial art. The energy channels it required resembled those of secondary-level arts, so it was classified as such.

Lu Yan had some knowledge of special martial arts; most lacked direct offensive power and were largely auxiliary. Some enhanced vision, others hearing or sense of smell.

The Shifting Form Technique, once mastered, allowed the practitioner to control their muscles and bones to alter their body and facial features. Unlike Vajra Body’s crude method of compressing height, Shifting Form enabled precise manipulation of subtle muscular and skeletal structures, including those of the face.

To Lu Yan, it was essentially an art of disguise. Though it had no direct offensive capabilities, in skilled hands it could prove more useful than a first-rate martial art.

Lu Yan resolved to practice Shifting Form and Flying Antelope Leg first, leaving Skybreaker Blade, Point Star Finger, Fierce Tiger Fist, and Iron Sand Palm for later.

He picked up the Flying Antelope Leg manual and began to study it closely.

The next day, the auction for the mutated heart meat began, and competition among the noble families was fierce. What had once cost ten thousand taels per jin soared to over fifteen thousand taels.

In the end, each of the seven portions went to a different clan. The Liu and Wu clans each secured one.

“Let’s go. Back to Changfeng City,” Liu Yuansong ordered.

The mutated heart meat was placed in a special food box, carried personally by Liu Yuansong.

Thunder rumbled as iron-hoofed riders galloped forth, the ground of Qingyang City shaking. Columns of cavalry streamed out from the city’s three gates like dragons, disappearing into the wilds.

No clan dared linger, fearing they’d be targeted for their prize.

The Liu entourage raced non-stop toward Changfeng City. As the distance shrank, their hearts gradually eased.

Just then, a massive boulder appeared in the middle of the road ahead. Atop it sat a girl, her long legs swinging idly in the air. On her back was a pitch-black iron cauldron, impossible to miss.

“It’s her—the girl with the cauldron.”

Lu Yan’s heart stirred; he remembered her well. On his first day in Qingyang City, he’d seen her on the fifth floor of Zhou Martial Food. Two members of the Situ clan had tried to accost her, only to be crippled by a “burrower.”

Rumor had it those two were truly ruined, unable to recover, and became eunuchs. The Situ clan had searched the city for the girl but never found her.

Who would have thought she’d appear here, blocking the road with a boulder—clearly no friend.

“Move,” shouted a Liu clansman as he spurred his horse forward, his voice booming like thunder.

“This road doesn’t belong to you. Why should I move? I won’t,” the girl replied, pouting as she hopped down from the boulder and slowly approached.

“So, you’re here to make trouble?” The Liu clansman narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings warily.

He was on guard for an ambush. After all, what woman would dare block their way alone?