Chapter 13: From Today Onwards, the Ocean is Wide Enough for Fish to Leap!

"You... you...."

"You killed Master Wu Yuan?!"

Wu Yuan became a fiery corpse, and each of the five servants looked at Lu Qingfeng with eyes that were as if they had seen a ghost, even forgetting to run away.

The Inner Chamber Disciple Wu Yuan, so mighty in their eyes, was killed in just one encounter by this seemingly frail youth?

This youth, wasn't he the elder brother of Lu Qingshan, whom they had bullied in the past?!

The shock was too great; they had lost the ability to think.

"Qingshan, how are you?"

Lu Qingfeng didn't entangle himself with these servants. Pulling Qingyu along, he came up to Lu Qingshan.

He hadn't expected Wu Yuan to be so impulsive and severely injure Lu Qingshan even before he had made a move himself.

Fortunately, it was just one kick.

If Wu Yuan was crazed enough to have struck down with his saber first, Lu Qingfeng would be in lifelong regret!

"No.. no problem, cough cough!"

"Those few... cannot be spared!"

Lu Qingshan was in extreme pain at his chest. In the time it took to say two sentences, he had already coughed up several mouthfuls of fresh blood. Even so, he still pointed at the other five servants standing dumbfounded on the spot.

"Alright!"

Lu Qingfeng didn't want to deal with these five servants, as they too could be unfortunate people with similar fates as Lu Qingshan.

But since Lu Qingshan had asked him to act, there must be a reason for it. Now was not the time to ponder the reasons; acting quickly and leaving was the right thing to do!

"Luo Smoke Step!"

A move of Lu Qingfeng's feet, he deployed the Luo Smoke Step, his body like a ghost appearing directly in front of a servant. This servant, about twenty years old, was already scared stupefied.

Holding a simple knife in his hand, he just couldn't lift it.

Crack!

Lu Qingfeng reached out and twisted the man's head, breaking his neck instantly, ending his life.

"Demon!"

"Run!"

The remaining four servants finally reacted, desperately throwing down their simple knives and running for their lives!

But like Lu Qingshan, they were all servant disciples who had not entered the threshold of cultivation; how could they possibly outrun Lu Qingfeng.

In less than twenty breaths, all were killed by Lu Qingfeng.

Strangely, the night before the killing, Lu Qingfeng was extremely nervous. Now that he was on a killing spree, he felt nothing.

"Let's go!"

There was no time for reminiscence now.

Lu Qingfeng scooped up Lu Qingshan on his back, tucked Qingyu under his arm, and bundled several simple knives and the Nine-Ring Saber together.

Then he sprinted towards the docks.

It was soon after dawn, and the dock was empty.

With the Returning to Truth Sect's fearsome reputation, who would dare to steal a boat at the foot of Yellow Ganoderma Mountain unless they were tired of living?!

Lu Qingfeng, carrying Lu Qingshan and holding Qingyu, haphazardly jumped onto a wooden boat.

There were seven or eight boats here, none of them large; the biggest could only accommodate about a dozen people, the smallest just enough for three or five.

He chose the smallest one and released the ropes from the other boats. This way, it would also cause some trouble for the Returning to Truth Sect's pursuit.

Within the past three days, Lu Qingfeng had found a turbulent river next to Black Sand Town and had practiced controlling the boat for two months. Maneuvering a small boat was no issue for him.

Without an anchor and releasing the ropes, he pushed off with an oar and directly shot into the Chengyang River.

"It took Wu Yuan and the six of them all to die, the Returning to Truth Sect, even at its fastest, would need at least half an hour to respond and investigate."

"Traveling downstream by boat, they can only follow by water to catch up to me."

"But as long as I don't stop midway, they'll never catch up!"

It wasn't until this moment that Lu Qingfeng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The biggest uncertainties and difficulties of their plan lay in killing Wu Yuan and seizing a boat. As long as these two steps were completed, the subsequent escape and pursuit were not as perilous as imagined.

The boundless Chengyang River stretched on for countless miles.

The Returning to Truth Sect had great power in Jiuzhai County, but once they left Jiuzhai County, they should be safe!

"Hu hu!"

"From now on, the vast sea for fish leaping, the high sky for birds to fly!"

Lu Qingfeng with an oar in hand, steered the boat. Glancing back at the direction of Yellow Ganoderma Mountain, his face revealed a smile of relief he had never felt before.

"Black Wood Village!"

"Returning to Truth Sect!"

"I will return!"

But by then, it would be the day the Returning to Truth Sect is overthrown!

...

By the dock near Yellow Ganoderma Mountain.

A dozen people wore dark strong shirts, their expressions grave.

The leader, with a sabre tied at his waist and brows tightly furrowed, looked to be in his forties with an unfathomable depth of aura.

This man named 'Zhao Zhou', was an influential figure within the Returning to Truth Sect, holding great power as the head of the Punishment Hall!

"Head, from the scene, the burnt body is identified as Wu Yuan. The remaining five bodies are servants picked by Wu Yuan. Among them, a servant named 'Lu Qingshan' is missing."

"Lu Qingshan is a servant disciple, coming from Black Wood Village. His family still has an elder brother and a sister who were admitted to the Sect five months and twenty-four days ago."

A disciple reported to Zhao Zhou.

"Lu Qingshan."

Zhao Zhou's eyes showed a pondering look, then he ordered, "Take a trip to Black Wood Village, see if his brother and his sister are still there. If they are, bring them here directly."

"Yes!"

The disciple obeyed the command, bringing manpower and rushing towards Black Wood Village.

Zhao Zhou then walked to Wu Yuan's charred corpse and crouched to inspect it.

Beside him, a disciple specialized in the art of forensic science, Chen Shang, respectfully said, "The fatal injury on Wu Yuan was on the head; the fire started burning from the face until it covered the whole body. The chest wound was caused by a kick, and judging from the angle and force, Wu Yuan was already powerless and lying on the ground when the kick was delivered, indicating that the kicker's strength couldn't have been beyond the Fetal Breathing Third Level."

The forensic examination was indeed extraordinary, almost fully reconstructing Wu Yuan's state at death.

"What about the fire?"

Zhao Zhou asked.

"The fire—"

Chen Shang's face showed a troubled expression as he shook his head and said, "The fire was very powerful. Wu Yuan activated his Inner Breath to form a Turtle Shell defense, but it still couldn't withstand it. It appears to be caused by Fire Attribute martial arts, but I cannot think of any Fire Attribute cultivation technique in Jiuzhai County or even Guangyuan County that can produce fire out of thin air to injure someone at the Fetal Breathing level!"

At these words, Zhao Zhou bowed his head and thought deeply.

Half an hour later.

"Six of the boats swept away by the river have been recovered; the whereabouts of the remaining two are unknown."

"In Black Wood Village, the siblings Lu Qingfeng and Lu Qingyu have not been seen since early this morning, and their clothes are still at home. Additionally, residues of seventeen types of medicinal herbs including White Atractylodes, Licorice, Yellow Ginseng, and a box of bark with writing, meridian acupoints, the First Layer of the Returning to Truth Technique, and Barbaric Bull Fist were found in their home."

After hearing the report, Zhao Zhou showed a hint of amusement on his face.

"Secretly imparting teachings."

"Stealing a boat to escape."

"A rural youth with such audacity."

Zhao Zhou murmured softly, then promptly announced loudly, "Groups of five, take boats to pursue the Lu siblings. Also, send word to the nearby villages of Dianshui, Yellow Stone Stockade, Pingyan, and Ningkou, organize search parties along the riverbanks. Report immediately upon sighting any suspicious persons!"

"Yes!"

The black-clothed deacons took their orders and dispersed.

Zhao Zhou stood in place, looking towards the surging eastbound Chengyang River, and muttered softly, "Such injuries cannot be caused by ordinary martial arts but must be the result of Fire Attribute techniques beyond a doubt. If the Lu siblings received no help, they must have had a fortuitous encounter, mastering some techniques. Even if they had help, the person's strength is certainly not strong, otherwise, they would not have chosen to escape by boat."

"The vast Chengyang River, the Lu siblings must have thought they could follow the current and escape from Jiuzhai. Little do they know, the river at Ningkou is turbulent and riddled with hidden rocks. Neither large nor small boats can pass through."

"I want to see, under the circumstance where only wings could enable escape, how you would elude the palm of my hand!"

"Sorcery! Fortuitous encounters!"

Zhao Zhou chuckled lightly and strode away.

...

Departing from White Emperor City amongst the colorful clouds, one returns to Jiangling from a thousand miles away in a single day.

The ceaseless cries of monkeys on both banks, while the small boat has already passed through countless mountains.

Lu Qingfeng controlled the small boat, following the current downstream.

The mountains on both sides of the Chengyang River gradually rose higher, with cliffs becoming steep, and the sounds of monkeys and tigers roared incessantly.

In the center of the boat, Lu Qingshan's blood-stained mouth was disordered, his head tilted as he lay in the weeping Lu Qingyu's embrace.

"Big brother, second brother is not going to last much longer!"

Lu Qingyu's voice with sobs rang out.

Lu Qingfeng's mouth twitched slightly, as he both controlled the balance of the small boat and comforted her, "Qingshan has just taken some medicine and fallen asleep; he'll be fine when he wakes up."

Actually, Wu Yuan had controlled his strength very well and did not strike lethally.

After all, he still needed to take Lu Qingshan to the other side of Chengyang River.

Having an extra pawn might provide an additional chance for survival when necessary.

Therefore, Wu Yuan did not intend to kill or severely injure Lu Qingshan.

Even Lu Qingfeng, he did not want to kill.

Although his motives were impure, who would have predicted that in the end, he would perish at the hands of the brothers whom he never took seriously.

Such was his loss.

Lu Qingshan's injuries were not severe.

During the three days Lu Qingfeng spent in Black Wood Village, he had refined three furnaces totaling thirty-six Fasting Pills, as well as various medicinal powders for external injuries, internal injuries, expelling parasites, antidotes, and more. After taking a dose of medicine, with proper rest for a few days, Qingshan's injuries would soon heal.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingyu blinked, the tears still clinging to her long eyelashes, and the thought of throwing Lu Qingshan into the Chengyang River crossed her mind!

Just now.

Her second brother held her in a long conversation, first expressing how much he missed her, and then telling her to be a good listener in the future. Then, with a tilt of his head and a smile on his face, he 'fainted' in her arms.

Anyone would think this person was not long for this world.

"Bad second brother!"

Lu Qingyu slapped Lu Qingshan's arm, causing the already torn clothes to tear further. Through the gap, new and old scars could be seen on Lu Qingshan's arm.

In his sleep.

Lu Qingshan felt the pain, his brow slightly furrowed as he turned over, revealing the injuries on his back.

Whip marks, bruises...

Lu Qingyu lifted Lu Qingshan's top garment, and the countless scars were horrifying to behold.

"Those bastards from the Returning to Truth Sect!"

"Bastards!"

Lu Qingyu clenched her fists tightly, cursing out loud.

Hearing her, Lu Qingfeng turned back to look, and immediately saw the wounds on Lu Qingshan's body. He had seen these injuries while examining Lu Qingshan earlier. He wanted to keep them from Qingyu, but she found out nonetheless.

"Big brother! We'll come back, won't we? To kill all those bastards in the Returning to Truth Sect!"

Lu Qingyu looked up at Lu Qingfeng.

"Mhm."

"We'll definitely come back!"

Lu Qingfeng nodded.

Not to mention how the Returning to Truth Sect had harmed the heavens and violated ethics, and their Demon Dao practices, the suffering his family had endured over the years inspired enough resentment in Lu Qingfeng to last a lifetime.

As long as the Returning to Truth Sect remained, his obsession would not diminish!

...