Chapter 397: Chapter 222: Lead the Way, Today We Visit Le Shen Temple
Lu Yuan watched the every move and stance of the three Daoists before him. The Daoist Skills they used were from Le Shen Temple.
Unfortunately, the last time he was on the Northern battlefield, Lu Yuan had only sparred in Martial Arts with those old Daoists from the Celestial Dynasty Palace and Le Shen Temple. He hadn’t made a single friend among them.
If only Lu Yuan could name one of the old Daoists from Le Shen Temple right now.
He wouldn’t be tangled up in this fight. After all, connections and social graces worked in any era.
Fortunately, Lu Yuan’s two trusted men were Travelers. Their opponents were three Celestial Masters whose strength approached that of a Grand Celestial Master.
When facing Xingzi or evil spirits, a Celestial Master naturally had the upper hand. But in a spar between people, a Traveler would not be at a disadvantage.
The two men Lu Yuan brought with him coordinated with exceptional tacit understanding. For the moment, neither side could gain an advantage over the other.
Lu Yuan was out enjoying the day with his mother-in-law and didn’t want to waste too much time.
Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly, sighing to himself. ’Looks like I’ll have to step in after all.’
Lu Yuan leaped into the air, landed in the middle of the group, and kicked the Celestial Master Sword from one of the Daoist’s hands.
Seeing this, the other two Daoists surrounded and attacked Lu Yuan, seeming to chant some kind of Spell.
Su Liyan’s mother, who was protecting the mother-daughter pair selling long fruits nearby, shouted, "Son-in-law, be careful!"
Two fists are no match for four hands. Lu Yuan was unarmed, and apart from dodging and kicking, he didn’t use any Techniques.
Outside the Imperial City, it was better to keep a low profile. There was no need to show all his cards just to win a fight.
If he wanted to win, Lu Yuan had no fewer than three ways to quickly defeat them. The most direct was one shot, one kill. ’Bang, you’re dead!’
"Young Master, catch!" one of his men shouted, seeing that the Young Master was empty-handed. He then tossed his Treasure Sword over.
Lu Yuan sidestepped to dodge an opponent’s vertical slash and caught the Treasure Sword his man had thrown.
Lu Yuan secretly channeled his energy, concentrating his strength into his right arm as he swung the sword.
The Daoist who had made the vertical slash stepped back to block.
A crisp CLANG of metal colliding was followed by the sharp CRACK of it snapping.
The Celestial Master Sword in the Daoist’s hand was forcefully shattered into two pieces.
Seeing Lu Yuan break the man’s sword, the old woman’s daughter shouted excitedly, "Big Brother, you’re so cool!"
The old woman tugged on her daughter’s sleeve and whispered, "Have some composure!"
Su Liyan’s mother beamed with pride for her son-in-law. Her daughter had married a man who was both capable and could earn money. She said to the old woman, "That’s our son-in-law!"
The old woman agreed, heaping praise on him with phrases like "so accomplished at such a young age" and "a true hero upholding justice," which made Su Liyan’s mother’s heart swell with delight.
’If I were young again,’ she thought, ’I’d have asked that matchmaker to find me an outstanding man just like my son-in-law.’
The Daoist holding the Broken Sword stopped his attack. He stared at the hilt in his hand, his face a mask of anguish.
The Celestial Master Swords were all issued by the temple. When he returned, punishment would be unavoidable.
When the other two Daoists saw their companion’s Broken Sword, they didn’t dare to rashly advance either.
And so, the two sides separated, ending the fight.
Lu Yuan returned the sword to his trusted man and stood at the forefront.
The man who took the sword flicked his long sleeve and used it to wipe the blade of the Treasure Sword.
The Treasure Sword glinted in the sunlight, without a single nick on its edge. It was clear that its materials and forging process were of the highest quality.
As he wiped the sword, the man thought, ’The sword the Young Master gave me is amazing. This is the first time it’s seen action, and it really brought me honor.’
In the ten-odd seconds since Lu Yuan had made his move, the three of them had come to realize they were no match for him. To continue fighting would only bring themselves more shame.
The arrogant Daoist retreated two steps, but not before making a threat. "You just wait! My senior brother is nearby. He’ll be here to take care of you soon."
Lu Yuan didn’t respond, simply raising his right hand and making a shooing gesture, indicating they could get lost.
Taking the hint, the three Daoists quickly departed.
His two men sheathed their swords, cupped their fists behind Lu Yuan, and said, "We are charged with protecting the Young Master’s safety, yet we required the Young Master to intervene. It is a sign of our incompetence."
Lu Yuan turned, using his hands to lift their cupped fists. "You two, it’s not like you just started following me. Why are you still being so formal?"
Hearing this, the two men straightened up and laughed awkwardly. "The Young Master’s lesson is correct."
"Big Brother, thank you for saving us," the old woman’s daughter said, jogging over.
Lu Yuan glanced at his mother-in-law first, then looked at the young woman before him and said coolly, "No need to thank me. It was the right thing to do."
The old woman slowly walked over, even preparing to kneel before Lu Yuan and his men.
Lu Yuan waved his hand, and an invisible wave of air stopped the old woman’s knees from bending. "Ma’am, that’s not necessary," he said.
Lu Yuan placed the silver taels he had originally intended to use to send the Daoists away into the old woman’s hand. "Ma’am, please take this money."
The old woman’s hands trembled as she spoke, her voice choking up slightly. "Sir, this is too much. The long fruits aren’t worth this much."
The old woman’s daughter supported her mother, watching Lu Yuan with a smile.
Lu Yuan explained, "This money is for you. We don’t want the long fruits. The ones being sold at this time of year are next year’s seeds, right? You should keep them."
Hearing this, the old woman was overcome with gratitude and tried to kneel again, but Lu Yuan stopped her once more. "We don’t do that sort of thing."
Su Liyan’s mother added her encouragement from the side, "That’s right, Sister. You should just accept it."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lu Yuan and his group bid them farewell.
After they had walked a few hundred more meters, Su Liyan’s mother spoke up. "What a poor mother and daughter."
Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Mother, since when did you become so sentimental?"
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