Chapter 85: Chapter 82: Mysterious Old Man_1
Lu Yan halted and turned around, his face solemn as he looked behind him.
For he felt a chilling stare fixed on him, an unnerving killing intent locked onto him.
There was someone in the shadows.
"Lu Yan, why have you stopped?"
Wang Lin noticed something wrong with Lu Yan and asked.
"Brother Wang, do you feel anything unusual?"
Lu Yan asked in a low voice.
"No," Wang Lin shook his head, looking confused.
"It seems that they are targeting only me."
Lu Yan pondered inwardly.
"You all go ahead to the Green Bamboo Gang’s main base. This is the token. As long as you have this token, the members of the Green Bamboo Gang will follow your orders. Brother Wang, please take care of my parents."
Lu Yan produced an iron token and offered it to Wang Lin.
"You..."
Wang Lin’s face instantly changed, he had already guessed from Lu Yan’s reaction that danger was imminent.
"Yan, what’s happening?"
Lu Qingshan also realized that something was amiss.
"Father, Mother, you go ahead with Brother Wang. I have something to handle. I will join up with you soon."
Lu Yan said.
"Okay, then be careful."
As a former martial artist, Lu Qingshan was not one to fuss. He immediately took Wang Cui, who was about to say something more, and left swiftly.
"Be careful."
Wang Lin and Zhang Jun said in unison before hurriedly leaving.
They were well aware that if Lu Yan, with his skills, struggled to handle the situation, their staying would serve no purpose, and would in fact be a hindrance.
After Wang Lin and others had left, Lu Yan continued to stare into the darkness. That chilling feeling never dispersed.
The adversary was always watching him from the shadows.
"Who’s there? Show yourself."
Lu Yan called out sternly.
"Heh heh heh...."
A eerie, hoarse laughter emanated from the darkness, after which a figure gradually appeared.
It was an old man with pale skin and messy hair.
The moment Lu Yan saw the old man, his muscles tensed up instinctively. It was a natural response to a highly dangerous situation.
He was a Martial Marquis, this old man was definitely a Martial Marquis.
Just not known whether he was from the Liu Family or Wu Family.
"Senior, I have no interest in the conflict between the two Feudal Lords. I just want to take my family and leave. You need not keep an eye on me."
Lu Yan said, bowing his fists in respect.
"Whether the two Feudal Lords live or die, I couldn’t care less. Heh heh," the old man answered with a dry chuckle.
"If Senior is not part of the two Feudal Lords, may I ask why you are keeping an eye on me?"
Lu Yan asked, somewhat surprised.
"Naturally, it’s because of the strand of magic power within you."
Before the old man had even finished speaking, he had already dashed towards Lu Yan, his right hand reaching for Lu Yan’s chest.
Lu Yan was prepared and performed the Wind Chasing Step. He pushed off with his toe and his figure had shifted three meters to the side.
"What a great movement technique, quite interesting."
The old man was slightly surprised when his grab missed. He soon returned to the action, moving toward Lu Yan like a ghost, and once again outstretched his hand.
His movements were much faster than Lu Yan’s Unity of Man and Martial Arts with the Wind Chasing Step, making it hard for Lu Yan to dodge. He had no choice but to face the confrontation head-on by displaying his strongest combat power.
He activated both the Vajra Body and the Man Xiang Body, storing the power in his arms and landed a punch.
Boom!
His fist collided with the old man’s claw, throwing Lu Yan back over ten meters. He felt a piercing pain in his knuckles and his Qi-blood was churning. He was on the verge of spitting out blood.
This was formidable.
The old man’s strength surpassed even that of the Liu Family’s Martial Marquis who had previously fought with Lu Yan.
The old man looked Lu Yan up and down, a surprised and delighted expression on his face. "An Innate Martial Body, this is a good catch."
Then, he lunged at Lu Yan again, attacking him like a ghost. He swung his palm downward and suddenly, palm prints filled the sky, descending on Lu Yan.
Lu Yan drew his Red Blood Blade and slashed towards his opponent with a Broken Sky Blade, but his opponent simply flicked the blade with his finger. Lu Yan suddenly lost his grip on the Red Blood Blade, which flew out of his hand.
Reduced to his bare fists and palms, Lu Yan was easily dominated by his opponent, like a toy in his hands.
However, it seemed the old man had no intention of killing Lu Yan. He was merely testing him, occasionally striking a blow against him.
After a dozen or so moves, Lu Yan was sent flying a dozen meters backward by a powerful palm strike.
Delight brimming in his eyes, the old man said, "Looks like I’ve found a real treasure this time. Not only an Innate Martial Body but one that is extraordinary at that. His Qi-blood vigor is at least five times that of a regular person. It’s the rarest of the rare in the entire Lingdong Six Counties and has the perfect constitution for cultivating the Holy Sect Secret Techniques.
"Young man, join the Holy Sect. It assures that your future will be as bright as the sky and you’ll cultivate to the level of a Grandmaster in no time."
"Okay."
Lu Yan agreed without any hesitation.
It was apparent that he stood no chance in a fight, and the other party was much faster than he was. There was no possibility of escape either.
What else could he do if he didn’t agree? Wait for death?
No matter what the old man’s demands were, Lu Yan would initially agree.
This left the old man a little baffled. His response was so prompt?
"You’re not only strong but also cunning, cautious, and scared of death..."
One second the old man was commenting, the next he suddenly rushed towards Lu Yan, moving even quicker than before.
Obviously, the old man hadn’t been using his full strength previously.
Lu Yan tried to fight back, but he realized it was too late. Before he could even raise his arm, he was struck in the chest by a palm. Immediately, his body went numb, and his Qi-blood seemed to slumber like a lamb. He felt absolutely powerless.
Then, Lu Yan felt a strange power emanating from the old man’s palm. It seeped into his body, followed by a wave of black energy that emerged from his chest. As it pierced through his flesh, he could feel a chilling sensation.
"This... This aura..."
Lu Yan instantly recalled his first encounter with the Martial Spirit in Kaoshan Village.
A chilling force from the Martial Spirit had penetrated his body.
Since then, Lu Yan had frequently circulated his Qi-blood for inspection, but he never found a trace of that force. He thought it had dissipated long ago.
Now it seemed, it hadn’t dispersed, it was lurking deep within.
Hence, was the old man after him because he was tracking this force?
Lu Yan felt a chill in his heart. The Martial Spirit’s mystery was beyond his expectation. The force it had injected into his body years ago was still lingering within.
As for the old man, who could trace the force left by the Martial Spirit, what on earth was his background?
"Indeed, you’ve interacted with Hong Guan. Where is he now?" The old man asked in a cold voice.
"Who’s Hong Guan?" Lu Yan questioned.
"The Martial Spirit, you should know that. You’ve definitely had contact with him, or else he wouldn’t have inserted his magic power into you. Tell me, where did you meet Hong Guan? Where is he now?" The old man interrogated.
"That’s right, I’ve encountered him. I almost died at his hands too. But as for where he is now, I have no idea."
Lu Yan shook his head.
The old man’s eyes turned icy, "I appreciate you, yet it doesn’t mean I won’t kill you. Since you don’t know, there’s no use keeping you alive. I’ll kill you first, then wipe out your family. As for Hong Guan, I have plenty of time to find him."
"Wait a minute."
Lu Yan interjected hastily.
The old man’s bone-chilling murderous intent was palpable. Lu Yan got the feeling that the man was indeed considering killing him without any hesitation.
"While I may not know, there’s someone who definitely does. After he had a confrontation with this Hong Guan, the latter never showed up again," Lu Yan said.
"That person? Who is it?" The old man inquired.
Shaking his head, Lu Yan replied, "If I tell you, I’d be useless to you. Would I still be alive?"
The person Lu Yan was referring to was, of course, the Ancestor of Liu Family, but he was not going to disclose it easily.
"Young man, don’t be so scheming. You have great potential, and if you cooperate, I really wouldn’t want to kill you. But if you play tricks, I’ll kill you without a second thought. There’s an abundance of talented individuals with Innate Martial Bodies in this world. I won’t be missing anything if I lose one," said the old man with an ominous tone.
"I can lead you to him."
Lu Yan pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Where?"
Lu Yan pointed to the top of the mountain.
"Lead the way."
The old man commanded.
After retrieving his Red Blood Blade, Lu Yan began heading towards Liu’s Blood Land Vein once again.
