Upon reaching the third floor, the attendant originally wanted Lu Li to take a room in the row at the back of the building, but Lu Li insisted on a room facing the street. Unable to persuade him otherwise, the attendant could only agree. He wondered if this guest was incredibly bold or just a fool, actually daring to sleep facing the hundreds of vengeful spirits of the Liu Manor.
After helping Lu Li open the room, the attendant went back to his duties.
Lu Li leaned alone against the windowsill, gazing out at the stone monument in the Liu family square. "Someone actually bought this mansion. It seems... I still need to do something."
Not long after, the attendant brought some food and said apologetically, "Esteemed guest, business has been poor lately, and our provisions are limited. Please make do with this. I sincerely apologize."
Lu Li nodded and casually tossed out a silver ingot. "Take it. Do not disturb me unless there is a matter of importance."
Seeing the silver ingot, the attendant's eyes instantly lit up. "Understood, sir!"
After a simple meal, Lu Li stepped onto the windowsill, leaped down toward the long street, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.
City Lord's Manor.
The night was not yet deep. Within a side hall of the City Lord's Manor, the lights still burned bright. City Lord Wang Qitai was laughing and chatting with a pot-bellied fat man, bursts of hearty laughter echoing out from time to time.
Wang Qitai did not know the man's exact origins, only that his surname was Mo and that he was exceedingly generous with his wealth.
The two were discussing the matter of the old Liu Manor.
This 'Mr. Mo' was willing to buy the Liu Manor for a million taels of silver. For Wang Qitai, it was truly a windfall dropped from the heavens.
For a place like that, let alone a million taels of silver, even if he gave it away for free, no one would be willing to take it.
The two sat side by side in the hall, separated only by a tea table. Wang Qitai leaned over the table, writing something. After a short while, he handed the paper filled with characters to Mr. Mo, his face beaming. "Mr. Mo, please see if this contract is satisfactory."
Mr. Mo picked it up and gave it a casual glance, then burst into laughter. "The City Lord is straightforward. It's settled, then."
As he spoke, he waved his hand. Three large chests materialized out of thin air in the center of the hall. "Three million taels of silver. City Lord, please count them."
He was actually a cultivator.
Wang Qitai's expression abruptly changed. His face filled with panic as he repeatedly waved his hands. "No need, no need to count."
He was merely a mortal. How could he dare to question an Immortal Master?
"Hahaha, good!" Mr. Mo contentedly tucked the contract away. He stood up and prepared to leave with a hearty laugh.
Whoosh-!
Suddenly, a thin sheet of paper shot in from outside the hall doors.
Spinning at high speed, the paper seemed sharp enough to slice through steel. In the blink of an eye, it flew straight toward Mr. Mo's neck.
"Such audacity!" Mr. Mo's pupils shrank. His obese body violently twisted to the side. Although he barely dodged the fatal blow, the paper still left a bloody gash across his neck.
A few more sheets of paper followed closely behind, shooting forward until, with a sharp crack, they severed the armrest of the main seat at the northern end of the hall into two pieces. Only then did they flutter to a stop.
As the papers drifted down, Wang Qitai discovered to his horror that they were actually thousand-tael silver notes.
He raised his head to look toward the hall entrance.
A youth in dark green tight-fitting clothes slowly walked in.
Tap, tap, tap...
The youth's face was devoid of expression, but each step seemed to land directly on Wang Qitai's heart. His pulse hammered in time with the youth's footsteps.
Finally, Wang Qitai could bear it no longer. He stood up and slowly retreated a few paces.
The youth did not even glance at Wang Qitai. He stared at the fat man with the ferocious expression ten feet away and said calmly, "The land of the Liu Manor... you cannot touch it."
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist has impressive skills." Mr. Mo touched his bleeding neck. "However, are you certain you want to oppose us?"
"Us?"
Upon hearing that single word, the youth instantly moved. Fast as lightning, with a sharp tap, he left the ground, and then... threw a punch.
Only when the youth's fist was a foot away from Mr. Mo's Dantian did Mr. Mo finally react. Horrified, he reached toward his robes to retrieve something, but before his hand could slip inside, a heart-wrenching, excruciating agony erupted in his lower abdomen.
Then, he was violently smashed backward. With a loud crash, he shattered the main seat at the northern end into splinters.
Lu Li's control of his strength was excellent; he did not take the man's life.
Mr. Mo struggled a few times but ultimately failed to stand. With bloodshot eyes, he screamed at Lu Li, "Brat, you dare to cripple my Dantian... you're dead! Neither heaven nor earth can save you! Ah-!"
Wang Qitai was already frightened out of his wits. This Immortal Master had been knocked down and crippled by a single punch from that youth?
He gulped heavily, retreating several steps until his back hit the wall. Weakly, he slumped into the corner. "Y-young hero, spare my life."
Lu Li looked coldly at Wang Qitai and said placidly, "Wait here for me to return. If you dare leave even half a step... not a single person in the entire City Lord's Manor will survive."
Wang Qitai nodded frantically in agreement, not daring to utter a single unnecessary word.
Only then did Lu Li look back at Mr. Mo on the ground. Grabbing the fat man by the collar, he bounded away. After a few leaps, he landed in the square outside the City Lord's Manor.
With a heavy thud, he tossed the man onto the ground. Staring at that plump face with keen interest, he asked, "Tell me, who do you mean by 'us'?"
Mr. Mo raised his head and only then realized there was not a trace of fear in the youth's eyes. True terror finally seized him, and his body began to violently tremble. "I-I was joking. I was just trying to scare you. Let me go, please let me go. I'm already a cripple, I won't seek revenge..."
"Revenge?" Lu Li smiled. "It's fine if you seek revenge on me. Tell me... who is the person behind you?"
This man had blurted out 'us' without thinking. Lu Li did not believe he was working alone. When it came to matters that could be dealt with decisively, Lu Li never left hidden dangers behind.
"N-no one. J-just myself, it was all my own idea. S-Senior, spare my life."
"It seems without tasting some suffering, you refuse to speak." Lu Li said, opening his palm. A pitch-black axe appeared in his hand. He crouched down and gestured with the blade toward the fat man's plump cheek.
He raised his hand, and the axe fell.
Half of a cheek was sliced clean off. Blood dripped down uncontrollably, pattering against the stone.
Ah, ah, ah...
Mr. Mo wailed in agony. He instinctively reached up to cover the wound, but the touch only flared the pain higher. Supporting himself with one hand, he desperately tried to drag himself backward.
"Where can you escape to?" Lu Li slowly shifted his body, grabbed the man's ankle, and dragged him back. He raised the axe, aiming a vicious chop right at the foot.
"No, I'll talk, I'll talk!"
At the critical moment, Mr. Mo's resolve completely shattered. He shrieked at Lu Li in terror, a dark, shameful stain spreading rapidly across his crotch.
"You should have said so earlier."
Lu Li withdrew the axe and casually wiped it clean on the fat man's robes. "My patience is limited. You had best speak the truth. If I think you're spinning tales to deceive me, you will bear the consequences yourself."
"U-understood."
Mr. Mo nodded repeatedly. Lying broken on the ground, he stammered out:
"I-it's a Senior. He-he promised me a thousand True Essence Pills to help search for places with heavy resentment and Yin energy. Passing through Qinglei City, I happened to hear about the Liu family in the east city. After investigating, I decided to b-buy it..."
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