Who on earth did I offend?

Zou Huainan departed in great peace.

Today, he had come to exact revenge, and he had laid meticulous plans for it.

The South City Imperial Capital Guard yamen held a higher status than the Fukang Ward station, so he had easily gathered intelligence on Liang Yue's movements. He knew Liang Yue had gone to a banquet with someone today and would not return home until later.

It had also been easy to find out that the Liang Family lived in Peaceful Lane, so he immediately packed up and set out. He had come in person because his status made things more convenient. If it had been one of his subordinate Imperial Capital Guards, their appearance at the armory would have seemed suspicious. But with his father's status behind him, even if the matter were investigated afterward, it would be easy to explain.

All he had to do was claim that Liang Yue had been injured and needed his family to look after him, trick his family into leaving, then coerce Liang Yue into coming to the armory. That would crush him completely.

Thinking of this seamless, perfect scheme, Zou Huainan's mouth remained crooked in a smirk all the way there.

When he arrived at the Liang Family's door, he slightly composed his expression and put on an upright yet anxious look. He had already prepared his lines and was just about to knock.

Then the sudden change came.

Before he could stretch out his hand, a vicious gust of wind suddenly rose behind him!

Zou Huainan was also a peak Second Realm expert, so his reactions were naturally not slow. He immediately spun around and reached for his blade.

But his opponents were faster, well-trained, and flawlessly coordinated. The moment he turned his head, all he saw was darkness—a sturdy sack had already been pulled over him, covering his head.

The hand reaching for his blade was seized and twisted aside. Each of his legs took a vicious blow, and with a thud, he dropped to his knees.

"You..." He hurriedly tried to shout. He had intended to say, Do you know who my father is?

But they gave him no chance to make a sound. A palm chop slashed across, making his throat contract violently. He immediately coughed up streaks of blood and could no longer utter a single word.

His mind was filled with nothing but confusion.

What was going on?

How had he run into an ambush the moment he got here? Could that subordinate guard have learned of his plan in advance?

Was there a mole?

But how could some lowly subordinate guard command such a powerful force?

These attackers were all at roughly his level of cultivation, and one of them was clearly stronger than him. This was not a force ordinary people could gather.

Soon, he had no strength left to think. After being forced to his knees, unable to make a sound and with his head trapped in a sack, Zou Huainan became meat on the chopping block as a group of big men subjected him to inhuman beating.

Bang bang smack smack—

Boom! Bang!

After a savage barrage of fists and kicks, he was beaten to the brink of losing consciousness. Then two men seized his arms while two others raised heavy clubs. With two crisp cracks, they instantly broke both his arms!

"Ah..." The blow jolted Zou Huainan awake. He threw back his head, trying to scream in agony, but his throat had tightened shut and no sound came out. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his clothes.

Before he could recover from the agonizing pain, his legs received the same treatment.

Crack! Crack!

Another burst of snapping bones sounded out. Zou Huainan's limbs were all broken, leaving him without the slightest ability to move.

Yet these people seemingly had no intention of sparing him. They hoisted up his helpless body and ran out. A carriage was already waiting at the mouth of the alley, and the moment they carried him aboard, it sped away.

It was now the time of curfew, when the streets were being cleared. Crowds of people, carriages, and horses clogged the South City gate, all rushing to leave the city before the evening drum finished sounding. This carriage did not need to queue or submit to inspection at all. The driver merely gave the gate guards a look before driving straight out of the city.

Only after reaching the bank of a rushing river did the thugs carry Zou Huainan down from the carriage again.

Along the way, Zou Huainan had tried several times to whimper pleas for mercy and communicate with them, but all he received were even more vicious beatings. The sack over his head had already been clogged with his filthy blood, snot, and tears.

"Kid, if you survive this time, remember the lesson." The leader stood by the riverbank and said coldly, "If you want to make a living in Dragon Abyss City, you need to know your own weight."

Huh?

I know my own weight!

Zou Huainan was filled with grievance. I'm just a useless second-generation brat sheltered by my father. I throw my weight around only in this little corner of South City. I've never dared provoke anyone with a bigger background than mine. Everyone I bully comes from a lower station and background than me.

He had carried the principle of bullying the weak and fearing the strong to the bitter end!

Who on earth did I offend?

Eh?

Eh, eh!?

Before he could figure it out, the leader over there waved his hand. Two big men exerted their strength together, swung him once, and hurled Zou Huainan out.

"Ah—"

In midair, Zou Huainan finally let out a complete scream, full of incomprehension and bewilderment.

Splash!

The sack fell into the river, turning into a string of bubbles as it sank beneath the surface.

A Second Realm cultivator naturally did not fear water, but he was now gravely injured, with all four limbs broken. Whether he could survive the raging current depended on his own fate.

"Something doesn't seem right."

Late at night, when Liang Yue returned home, he first carefully observed the entrance to the alley. Only after confirming that there was no ambush in the pitch-black lane did he enter. The moment he reached the door, he smelled a faint scent of blood. Footprints lay scattered across the ground, as though a struggle had taken place.

He hurried forward and knocked on the door. Knock, knock, knock.

Before long, Liang Peng's voice came from inside. "U Meng Mountain connects mountain beyond mountain."

Liang Yue answered, "Moonlight shines on the Resounding Water Shoal."

With a creak, Liang Peng opened the door and smiled. "Brother, what exactly is this password you came up with?"

"Just some lyrics I heard years ago. How is it? Is everything all right at home?" Liang Yue brushed it aside and asked instead.

"Nothing happened. Everything's calm and peaceful," Liang Peng replied. "Aren't we being a little too nervous?"

Worried that someone might retaliate against him, Liang Yue had told his younger brother and sister not to go anywhere alone during the day. He had also established a password for opening the door at night and instructed them to ignore strangers completely.

He had even left one of his signal arrows with Liang Peng, telling him to fire it at once if there was danger.

Even if that violated the Imperial Capital Guard regulations, it was still better than having his family actually come to harm.

But now, it seemed he might have been worrying too much. Neither the underworld nor the authorities he had offended appeared to have come seeking revenge.

"It's always better to be cautious than unprepared." Liang Yue walked into the house as he spoke. "Keep it up for half a month. If nothing happens, then we can ease our guard."

"Alright," Liang Peng answered from behind him.

"Didn't you already awaken Qi Sensation?" Once they entered the room, Liang Yue asked again, "What did the academy teachers say? Haven't they taught you any techniques to cultivate first?"

If Liang Peng became a true Qi Refiner, Liang Yue would be able to worry much less about home.

"They've already contacted the Sword Dao Academy. In a couple of days, they'll take me there for an examination," Liang Peng said. "If I pass the Sword Dao Academy's entrance examination, I'll be able to obtain a Confucian Technique for cultivation. If I fail, I'll have to seek out a technique myself or find another master."

"The entrance examination will definitely be no problem for you." Liang Yue had absolute confidence in his younger brother when it came to exams. "Once you enroll, focus on cultivating. When I'm not home, you need the ability to protect Mother and Xiao Yun."

"I will." Liang Peng nodded.

In truth, as long as he entered the Sword Dao Academy, the Liang Family would become someone few dared to provoke, even without much cultivation. The academy's students held enormous influence, from the imperial court above to the martial world below.

Offending a Confucian Cultivator from the Sword Dao Academy meant potentially offending a future high-ranking court official and the vast web of connections he would possess. Thus, whenever a family produced a Sword Dao Academy student, it immediately earned tremendous awe and respect.

After sending Liang Peng back to rest, Liang Yue remained alone in the courtyard to practice his blade. Though it was already late, sleep could be sacrificed, but the time spent practicing each day could not.

Only after practicing all eighteen forms of the Hu Family Blade Technique once more did Liang Yue sheathe his blade and stand still.

He had already taken this blade technique as far as it could go. Without advancing his realm, further practice would yield no results.

At the Contemplation Realm, it was no longer possible to advance merely by tempering one's qi and blood. He needed to contemplate various techniques, using the power of contemplation diagrams to stimulate his divine palace and gradually strengthen his Divine Sense. Then he would use Divine Sense to stimulate the muscles, bones, skin, and flesh throughout his body. Once his Divine Sense reached every minute detail and his control over his physical body attained an absolute degree, he would break through the Contemplation Realm and reach the Martial Dao Third Level—Armor Forging Realm.

Thus, his task in the Second Realm was to contemplate various techniques, the higher their grade the better. High-grade techniques contained more Dao resonance, and therefore stimulated the divine palace more powerfully.

Phoenix Butterfly's bloody death before his eyes today had shaken him deeply. Together with Zhen Changzhi's murder case from before, each incident showed just how fragile mortal lives were in this world where extraordinary power reigned supreme. Though the Four Seas Nine Provinces had established their own order, that order was ultimately easily shattered before cultivators who wielded great power.

Only by strengthening oneself could one establish a foundation for survival.

While solving the case in Fukang Ward, he had provoked the Dragon Tooth Gang and offended Zou Huainan as well. That made it difficult for him to maintain a mindset of tranquil days and peaceful years. Under the sense of danger hanging over him, his desire to grow stronger had become even more urgent.

At the very least, he had to break through to the Martial Dao Third Level, the Armor Forging Realm. By then, his flesh would be like iron, impervious to blades and spears, and he would have greater confidence in dealing with underhanded schemes. With his identity as an Imperial Capital Guard, the other side should at least not dare act openly.

Although Chen Ju had said that breakthroughs became difficult after the Second Realm, Liang Yue felt... it seemed manageable enough.

For the wealthy, First Realm qi and blood could be piled up through medicine. Starting from the Second Realm, one had to rely on talent and hard work, so naturally it became difficult.

For Liang Yue, the First Realm had required piling up bitter effort, which had been rather laborious. Starting from the Second Realm, it required talent. After cultivating these past few days, he felt his talent was not bad.

Probably a little stronger than most people's.

And hard work was his strength.

Mm.

"Tomorrow, I should go to the station and find a movement technique." Liang Yue murmured to himself.

His attainments in blade techniques were already considered extremely strong within the Second Realm. If he wanted to learn something new, he should find a movement technique to complement them, allowing him to bring out even greater power from his blade techniques.

Hu Tiehan certainly did not lack such techniques, but thinking of that man's eager manner, Liang Yue could not help feeling a little apprehensive.

What if he knelt again and begged me to support him in his old age?