Chapter 126 - 118: The Master Attacks_1

The three discussed for a while, the Martial Chef had prepared six Martial Dishes for them. They drank and ate meat until nightfall, before going back to their own rooms, agreeing to continue the discussions the next morning.

That night, no one came to probe them.

The next day, they practiced their Knife Techniques, drank and ate meat.

Still no one came to probe them.

The third day, they practiced their Knife Techniques, drank and ate meat.

The fourth day, they practiced their Knife Techniques, drank and ate meat.

On the evening of the fourth day, after Wang Dao and Yang Zhihuan had returned to their rooms to rest, Lu Yan stayed in the Practice Room alone. For two hours, he accumulated Qi-blood to refine his Bone Strength.

After practicing, Lu Yan walked out of the Practice Room, planning to take a shower and then return to his room to rest.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a dark shadow descended from the rooftop under the cover of nightfall, like a bat.

"It’s here."

On these few nights, Lu Yan had been highly concentrated once it turned dark, always on guard.

Without thinking, he threw out a palm strike.

Crash!

After exchanging a palm strike with the other person, Lu Yan felt a surge of massive Bone Strength.

"Martial Marquis Level Four, but not using his full strength."

A thought flashed through Lu Yan’s mind.

The opponent hadn’t made a killing move, it was clear that they were focusing more on probing; three parts attack and seven parts defense, wanting to force out his real strength.

Shaken, Lu Yan staggered back and shouted, "Who are you? Why did you attack me?"

The man in black was silent, his face covered with a mask, revealing only his nostrils and eyes. His gaze was cold, and he continued to attack Lu Yan, increasing the power of his palm.

This attack could be lethal to an ordinary Martial Marquis Level One.

Lu Yan’s muscles swelled, his veins bulging, and his eyes bright red. With his power seemingly at its peak, he threw out a ’full-force’ palm strike.

Bang!

The two exchanged another palm strike, this time, Lu Yan was thrown back like a kite with its string cut, hitting the ground hard.

Then his Bone Strength shook, and blood spurted out from his mouth.

He couldn’t help it, the other person’s palm strength was so light that it couldn’t hurt him, so he had to hurt himself.

The man in black had a trace of confusion on his face. He leapt up and charged towards Lu Yan once more. This time, his palm strength increased several times, intending to deliver a fatal blow.

"Brother Yang, if you don’t make a move now, I’ll be exposed..."

Lu Yan yelled in his mind.

"Thief, how dare you..."

With a roar akin to thunder, a War Knife span out from a bedroom behind Lu Yan, slashing towards the man in black like a rapidly spinning knife wheel.

The man in black’s face changed.

Obviously, he came after nightfall and didn’t know that Yang Zhihuan also lived here. In haste, he shot out a palm, hitting the blade and deflecting the War Knife, while his own figure was blocked and he landed on the ground.

Yang Zhihuan’s burly figure rushed out and caught the thrown War Knife in mid-air. He took two steps forward, nearing the man in black, and swung a mighty knife that resonated like thunder.

Angered, Yang Zhihuan attacked with full strength, his might vastly exceeding that of when he was practicing with Lu Yan.

The man in black dared not underestimate him and quickly retreated, trying to avoid the blade.

But Yang Zhihuan’s attack was relentless. One blade after another, the rolling blade lights covered his opponent.

At this point, Wang Dao had also rushed out and helped Lu Yan up.

"Brother Lu, are you okay?"

Wang Dao asked with concern.

"I’m fine, thank god Brother Yang arrived in time, otherwise my life would have been lost here."

Lu Yan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then shouted, "Everyone, go back to your rooms! This is a Martial Marquis. You can’t interfere."

Because of Li Quan and Cao Hu, many students from the martial arts hall had come out because of the commotion. Hearing Lu Yan’s voice, they trembled and obediently retreated.

In just a few moments, Yang Zhihuan and the man in black had already exchanged more than ten moves.

The man in black was thoroughly suppressed by Yang Zhihuan and could only rely on his physical maneuvers to dodge, hardly able to fight back.

"You hide your face and don’t dare to show your true martial arts. Are you afraid that I will recognize you? Then, I will tear off your mask."

In a cold voice, Yang Zhihuan let out Bone Strength throughout his body. His knife technique became even more fierce and tyrannical, and also faster.

Purr!

The man in black’s chest almost got cut. His clothes had been ripped open by the knife.

Zip!

Yang Zhihuan shot out a knife with full force, slashing towards the man in black’s head. It was quick, accurate, and ruthless.

It was a fatal blow that could not be avoided.

At a critical moment, the man in black’s palm quickly deflated and turned black, like the palm of a millennium-old corpse.

He pushed his palm forward from his chest, clashing with the blade. Surprisingly, a sound of metal clashing could be heard. Both of them were shocked and stepped back.

"Ink Jade Zombie Palm, Martial Marquis Level Four, you are Li Changshan."

Yang Zhihuan roared.

The man in black didn’t answer, nor did he intend to continue fighting. He turned to leave.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Yang Zhihuan jumped up and chased after him, slashing down with his knife.

The man in black fought back with his palm, not losing in the least. After a few moves, he struck the blade with his palm, using the force to vault onto the roof. After a few leaps, he disappeared into the night.

Yang Zhihuan didn’t continue the chase.

"Brother Yang, was that really Li Changshan?"

Wang Dao walked over and asked.

"There’s no mistake. Only Li Changshan from the Li Family can cultivate the Ink Jade Zombie Palm to this level and also be at Martial Marquis Level Four."

"But Li Changshan is Li Wenxuan’s right-hand man, why would he suddenly attack Brother Lu?"

Yang Zhihuan frowned, looking somewhat puzzled.

"Perhaps, because I previously refused Li Canglin and humiliated Li Xuan, they wanted to kill me. I heard that Li Canglin is not very magnanimous."

Lu Yan said.

"It’s not impossible, we need to inform Young Master Cangqing about this as soon as possible. Brother Lu, just in case, why don’t you come with us?"

Yang Zhihuan spoke.

Lu Yan nodded his head.

The three of them headed towards Young Master Cangqing’s residence.

Upon arriving at Young Master Cangqing’s residence, Lu Yan took a break in the living room, while Yang Zhihuan and Wang Dao went to see Young Master Cangqing.

"Li Changshan attacked Lu Shanchuan in the middle of the night? He is rather bold."

Young Master Cangqing’s face was cold, a hint of anger flashed through his eyes.

The two factions within the Li family were indeed in fierce competition, but the assassination of experts from each side was strictly forbidden.

If they casually carried out assassinations, the experts on both sides would be seriously harmed. How could the Li family continue to exist then?

Lu Shanchuan, even though he has not expressly joined Young Master Cangqing’s faction, essentially, he could be counted as part of it.

Such an act definitely crossed the line.

"I will go find Li Canglin immediately."

Young Master Cangqing stood up.

"Young Master, I still have a favor to ask."

Yang Zhihuan said with his fists clasped.

"What is it?"

"In the past few days, I have been exchanging knife techniques with Lu Shanchuan and found that he is a genius in the Way of the Sword. His talent in knife techniques far surpasses mine. I heard that he achieved the Unity of Man and Martial Arts with a second-rate knife technique at the Limit Breaking stage. But the top-grade martial arts he primarily studies are not knife techniques, which is a waste of his talent. If Young Master could bestow the Nine Divine Lightning Slash to Lu Shanchuan, I’m sure his progress would be rapid, and he could greatly spread its influence."

Yang Zhihuan spoke.

"Young Master, Brother Yang is right. I also sincerely request that the Young Master bestow the Nine Divine Lightning Slash to Lu Shanchuan to practice with. I can guarantee that he will definitely make a name for himself in the six counties of Lingdong one day with this knife technique."

"Moreover, Lu Shanchuan has not clearly expressed his intention to join Young Master’s side, but if he accepts the Nine Divine Lightning Slash, needless to say, he will definitely ally himself with the Young Master."

Wang Dao also chimed in.

Young Master Cangqing pondered for a moment, then sighed, "Regarding the imparting of top-grade martial arts, the Li family has strict rules. Only those who have passed the Li family’s rigorous tests, demonstrated absolute loyalty, or have made great contributions to the Li family, are eligible to receive top-grade martial arts. After all, Lu Shanchuan has just joined the Li family and is yet to gain recognition. I’m afraid I would have difficulty persuading the Clan Elders."

"Young Master, considering Lu Shanchuan’s talent in the Way of the Sword, if he can get a top-tier knife technique, he will at least become a Martial Marquis Level Five expert in the future. Coupled with his Acquired Martial Body, he will be formidable within the Martial Marquis realm, hard to defeat. One Lu Shanchuan is equivalent to ten Martial Marquises."

Wang Dao, not willing to give up, continued to persuade.

"Do you hold him in such high regard?" Young Master Cangqing spoke.

Wang Dao nodded seriously.

Young Master Cangqing thought for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, after seeing Li Canglin, I will pass the Nine Divine Lightning Slash to Lu Shanchuan."

In the Li family, there are more than ten top-grade martial arts techniques.

Although the instruction towards outsiders was strict, supervised at every level.

But with Young Master Cangqing’s current status, occasionally passing a top-grade martial art technique to someone he trusts was entirely possible, without needing to apply to the Li family elders, or even the clan elders.

But one cannot do this too frequently. Doing it occasionally was acceptable, doing too often could lead to others’ reprobation, especially from opponents.

"Wang Dao, you stay here with Lu Shanchuan. Yang Zhihuan, come with me."

Young Master Cangqing walked towards the door, also bringing two experts with him. The four of them then headed towards Li Canglin’s residence.

...

"Yang Zhihuan was actually in the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall?"

Li Canglin’s face looked very unpleasant, "Does that mean you exposed yourself?"

"Yang Zhihuan’s Nine Divine Lightning Slash is powerful and domineering. In a face-to-face fight, even if I could win, it would take me more than a hundred moves. If I don’t make use of the Ink Jade Zombie Palm, I would certainly be no match for him, and probably die under his sword."

Li Changshan said, looking helpless.

"How did Yang Zhihuan come to be at the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall? Could it be that Lu Shanchuan had anticipated it beforehand?"

Li Canglin spoke.

"Probably not. I saw Wang Dao there as well. Not too long ago, Wang Dao just hosted a Martial Marquis banquet, which Lu Shanchuan also attended to show his respect. They are both proficient in knife techniques, so I guess they agreed to exchange and practice knife techniques together. I just didn’t expect to run into them."

Li Changshan spoke.

"No matter what, you’ve exposed yourself and Young Master Cangqing is likely to show up soon."

Li Canglin, with a cold face, asked again, "What about Lu Shanchuan? Did the test reveal anything? Is he hiding his cultivation level?"

"I tried a few moves against him, He only showed Martial Marquis Level One cultivation level. On the surface, it did seem like he was indeed at Martial Marquis Level One. But Yang Zhihuan showed up too quickly, so it can’t be absolutely determined that Lu Shanchuan is not hiding his cultivation level."

Li Changshan spoke.

Li Canglin’s face grew even grimmer, he felt suffocated and really wanted to slap Li Changshan to death.

But that was just wishful thinking.

Li Changshan was also a member of Li family, though not a direct descendant, he was one of Li Wenxuan’s trusted generals.

The sad thing was that this time they sent a person to test Lu Shanchuan but didn’t discover anything. Instead, they were caught red-handed by Young Master Cangqing.

"Young Master, Young Master Cangqing is here."

At that moment, a guard walked in to report.

"Let him in."

Li Canglin gritted his teeth.

There was definitely no escaping from this.

Then he waved his hand to let Li Changshan leave and not show up.

Soon after, Young Master Cangqing walked in with three experts.

"Haha, cousin, what brought you here? So rare. Come, we must drink today."

Li Canglin greeted him with a beaming smile.

Young Master Cangqing and Li Canglin were of the same age, but Young Master Cangqing was a few months older.

"There’s no need for drinks. I came here today to seek justice for my people."

Young Master Cangqing spoke coldly.

Li Canglin feigned surprise, "Seek justice? What happened?"

"Li Canglin, let’s not beat around the bush, there’s no need for pretense in front of me. You sent Li Changshan to secretly attack Lu Shanchuan. I demand an explanation for this."

Young Master Cangqing spoke.

"Is there such a thing? Cousin, are you misunderstanding something? Did you see the actual face of the assassin?"

Li Canglin was still unwilling to admit.

"Misunderstanding? Well, if you weren’t apprehensive, why would call me cousin?"

Young Master Cangqing ridiculed.

Li Canglin was momentarily silent.