Chapter 49: Chapter 46: Intense Battle with the Feudal Lords at the Fifth Breakthrough (Please Continue Reading)_1
A thought struck him,
Lu Yan remembered, Zhou Hezhen was already poisoned before his death.
But for an outsider, it’s not easy to poison Zhou Hezhen. However, if the poisoner was someone from within the Zhou Clan, it would be much simpler.
He guessed that the one who poisoned Zhou Hezhen was this manager.
But as members of the Zhou Clan, why would they harm their own Martial Marquis?
The Zhou Clan is already weak, with only two Martial Marquises left. Now another one has died, making the clan even weaker. Aren’t they afraid of being swallowed by other Feudal Lords?
Lu Yan had many questions in his mind.
"Her death, indeed, leaves no one to testify against us, which is beneficial to us. But who knows if she let out any secrets before her death."
The manager’s voice rang out again, cold and filled with strong murderous intent.
"The manager is referring to that Red-clad Guard?"
Zhou Zhengde asked.
"Was it Lu Yan who claimed to have killed Bai Lin by himself? Without anyone else’s help?"
The manager queried.
"It was him alone. This Bai Lin was worth thirty thousand Silver Taels. If others were involved, would they let Lu Yan take all the rewards? Of course, they would want a share."
"Lu Yan said, he identified her by the smell of blood..."
Zhou Zhengde relayed the details of what Lu Yan had told him.
"It sounds reasonable. Where is Lu Yan now?"
The manager asked.
"He is waiting in the side hall. I had Zhou Zhenghai and Zhou Zhengshi guard him and not let him leave. Manager, I can dispose of him right away to eliminate any potential threats."
Zhou Zhengde suggested.
"Wait."
The manager ordered: "If he could kill Bai Lin, he couldn’t be that simple. Maybe he’s playing the fool while hiding his true skills. To be safe, I’ll take him out personally."
He not only wants to withhold the reward but also murder to silence the witness.
Lu Yan was left speechless with anger, his heart welled with a strong intent to kill.
"If you wish to kill me, I’ll kill you first."
A cold light gleamed in Lu Yan’s eyes.
Retreat was not an option. Even if he retreats now, the other party might still go after him, fearing that he might spill the secret.
Instead of being passive, he might as well take the initiative.
"Wait, perhaps, there’s a better choice than killing them." Suddenly, an idea flashed through Lu Yan’s mind.
Squeak!
The hall door opened, and the manager and Zhou Zhengde came out.
Bang!
Directly from the roof, Lu Yan pounced, aiming a punch at the manager.
He dared to take action because he had a clear judgment of the situation.
Currently, the Zhou Clan had only one Martial Marquis left. But as a Martial Marquis, it was impossible to act as a manager.
Therefore, this manager could not possibly be the sole remaining Martial Marquis of the Zhou Clan.
If he’s not the Martial Marquis, Lu Yan had no fear.
Even if he can’t beat the manager, he is sure that he can escape.
Of course, it would be best to defeat the manager and firmly grasp the initiative.
The manager’s reaction was sharp; as soon as Lu Yan made his move, the man instantly turned around. His Qi-blood surged; his hand formed a crimson claw and grabbed towards Lu Yan.
Qi-blood clashed, fists and claws confronted each other. With a thump, the manager’s robust figure retreated six steps. Lu Yan flipped and landed steadily on the ground.
"Fifth Breakthrough."
Lu Yan had a clear gauge of the manager’s cultivation level. He was very strong, but Lu Yan was not afraid. He propelled forward as if shot from a bow, and swung out his fists continuously.
"Seeking death."
The manager sneered, his full-bodied Qi-blood surged as his hands turned crimson, just like heated iron.
He swung his claws through the air, killing intent aiming towards Lu Yan along with a scorching heat.
Both of their speeds were unimaginably fast, and within a few breaths, they exchanged seven or eight moves. Lu Yan changed his fist into a palm, striking it hard onto the manager’s left wrist, causing five bloodied claw marks to appear on his own left arm.
"The Qi-blood is so abundant it is verging on overflowing, this is the peak of the Fifth Breakthrough."
Lu Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of seriousness.
This manager was incredibly powerful. His Qi-blood had reached the extreme limit of the Breakthrough, and in terms of its abundance, it was no worse than Lu Yan’s.
Moreover, his cultivation method was a top-tier martial art. Hence, in terms of the concentration of Qi-blood, the manager was even above him.
Additionally, the level of his martial art was not weak, likely having reached Mastery.
To temper a top-tier martial art to Mastery requires tremendous effort.
Like Liu Xingren in the past, although his cultivation level also reached the Fifth Breakthrough, his martial art level at most was at "Integration," far from reaching Mastery.
Cultivation level and Qi-blood can be boosted through Martial Food, but the level of martial arts cannot.
Not only does it require talent but also time for reflection and understanding.
Therefore, the combat effectiveness of the manager was even stronger than Liu Xingren’s>.
Although top-tier martial arts are difficult to cultivate, their power is incredibly mighty.
Lu Yan estimated that a top-tier martial arts skill at Mastery was almost equivalent to a secondary martial arts skill in the "Transcendent" level.
Of course, Lu Yan also had his advantages, and they were even greater.
With his four stacks of Martial Body enhancing each other, his body was robust, and his strength far surpassed his opponent’s.
He also cultivated two ’Unity of Man and Martial Arts’ secondary martial arts.
In a blink of an eye, Lu Yan had made a rough judgement about both parties’ power levels and was full of confidence.
"It’s you, Lu Yan, you really did hide your cultivation level."
Zhou Zhengde whispered in surprise.
He secretly felt relieved, thankful that he hadn’t attacked Lu Yan on the road earlier. Otherwise, his corpse would have already been cold by now.
"The one who could kill Bai Lin is indeed extraordinary. Did you hear everything just now?"
The steward stared at Lu Yan, murder in his eyes.
"I heard it all very clearly."
Lu Yan nodded earnestly, then said, "I really didn’t expect it, the dignified steward of the Zhou Clan, actually conspiring with outsiders to assassinate our clan’s Martial Marquis. I wonder what the consequences would be if this got out."
The steward’s face was as cold as ice. He stared intently at Lu Yan and then suddenly smiled, "Brother Lu, perhaps, we can cooperate."
"How do we cooperate?"
Lu Yan asked.
"This female assassin is worth thirty thousand Silver Tael. I can send someone to collect the reward and give it all to you. Additionally, I’ll give you another ten thousand Silver Tael, as long as you promise not to reveal my secret, to let it rot in your belly. How about it?"
The steward proposed.
"This deal is not bad, I agree."
Lu Yan thought for a moment and nodded.
"Good, I’ll send someone to get the Silver Tael right away."
The steward was overjoyed and laughed heartily.
"Happy cooperation."
Lu Yan also pretended to be overjoyed. Suddenly he attacked, launching a punch at Zhou Zhengde.
Zhou Zhengde’s cultivation level was not weak, he had achieved the fourth Limit Breaking. But he didn’t expect Lu Yan would suddenly attack, he was hit in the chest and flew out, coughing up blood. He was clearly on the verge of death.
"You, you’re reneging on your promise!"
The steward was enraged, he leaped forward like a falcon and attacked, his reddish claws aiming for Lu Yan’s eyes and throat.
Lu Yan stepped back to avoid the brunt, and then swung his fist to meet the attack.
"Do you take me for a three-year-old, wanting to cooperate with me? How can you rest assured without killing me? What you call cooperation is nothing but a trick. You want to deceive me, wait for me to let down my guard, then suddenly attack and kill me."
Lu Yan sneered.
The reason he attacked Zhou Zhengde and not the steward just now was that he noticed the steward’s muscles were tense with restrained Qi-blood, he was clearly on guard.
Zhou Zhengde was also a master, killing him would eliminate a significant threat.
"Join forces and kill him!"
The steward roared in anger, simultaneously attacking repeatedly. His moves were as fast as the wind, each and every one aimed at Lu Yan’s vital points.
As Lu Yan pointed out, he indeed had such a scheme in mind.
Would he trust Lu Yan’s verbal promise? Only a dead person can be trusted.
He didn’t expect Lu Yan, young as he was, to see through his plan and turn it against him, eliminating his greatest helper.
Such hatred!
His killing intent was extremely intense. Today, Lu Yan must die.
If Lu Yan doesn’t die, he has no way out.
At the moment, they’ve already clashed eight times.
Lu Yan didn’t have the upper hand, the Falcon Red Flame Claw was unpredictable, each strike aimed directly at his vital points, if he couldn’t grab his vital points, he would go for Lu Yan’s joints.
Lu Yan’s wrist was grabbed, his entire arm went numb, barely able to gather strength.
Not only that, where he was grabbed, piercing pain spread, like being branded by a hot iron, emitting a burnt smell.
What made Lu Yan worried were these two guards. They each took out a iron crossbow, aiming at the vital points of Lu Yan’s brainstem, heart, and temples, making Lu Yan feel like there is a sword hanging over his head.
Lu Yan wasn’t afraid of ordinary crossbows, but he feared the army’s armor-piercing crossbow.
The armor-piercing crossbow has the effect of breaking through defenses, specifically breaking Qi-blood defenses. Even the Qi-blood of someone who has achieved Fifth Breakthrough would be hard to completely block.
Chi! Chi!
The steward’s sharp claws swiped through the air, making a tearing sound. One claw went for Lu Yan’s elbow joint, the other for his throat.
And the two guards seized the opportunity to fire their crossbow bolts, aiming for Lu Yan’s brainstem.
"Huh!"
Lu Yan shouted softly, his muscles writhed, and his body quickly pulled up, turning completely golden.
His arm swung out like an iron rod, blocking the steward’s sharp claws.
And the two crossbow bolts hit Lu Yan’s back.
His powerful Vajra Body couldn’t entirely stop the bolts, they pierced the skin and entered half a finger’s length into his flesh, before being stopped by the muscle.
"It’s really an armor-piercing crossbow."
Lu Yan thought grimly.
An ordinary crossbow bolt couldn’t break through his Vajra Body, only an armor-piercing one could.
And this was a small armor-piercing crossbow. It was said that the army also had a large armor-piercing crossbow, even a Martial Marquis had to avoid its sharp edge.
With a bit of exertion, his muscles expelled the two bolts. At the same time, he switched from fists to palms and faced the steward for three rounds.
Those two guards, after firing a bolt, reloaded them, aiming at Lu Yan.
Lu Yan dared not be careless, if the armor-piercing crossbow hit his vital points such as the brainstem, throat, temples, the consequences would be very serious.
Being distracted by the armor-piercing crossbow, the steward seized the opportunity and grabbed his shoulder, almost dislocating the joint. Even though he launched a fierce counterattack and escaped danger, his entire arm was numb, burning with pain.
Lu Yan had no doubt, if it weren’t for his Vajra Body reaching the Unity of Man and Martial Arts, his entire arm would have been ripped off.
"A full-strength Feudal Lord’s Fifth Breakthrough expert is indeed powerful."
Lu Yan silently sighed, reminding himself not to underestimate the masters of the world.
He had previously faced two Fifth Breakthrough masters who practiced first-rate Martial Arts, Liu Xingren and the female assassin, Bai Lin.
But both of them were injured, their strength was far from their peak, and it was impossible to judge their true combat power.
This steward was the first full-strength Feudal Lord expert Lu Yan faced.
Whew! Whew!
At this moment, the two guards attacked again. One fired from behind aiming for Lu Yan’s brainstem, while the other aimed for Lu Yan’s temples from the side.
Lu Yan dodged the bolt from behind by turning his body and reached out to grab the bolt coming from the side.
The steward took the opportunity to scratch at Lu Yan’s throat with a claw.
"I’ve been waiting for this."
Lu Yan suddenly did a backbend, his body leaning back to avoid the bolt, while his right hand grabbed the steward’s wrist.
