Who did I provoke?

Zou Huainan passed away peacefully.

He had come today seeking revenge, and had meticulously planned for it.

The Southern City Imperial Capital Guard yamen held a higher position than the Fukang Ward station, so he easily found out Liang Yue's movements, knowing that he was attending a banquet today and would return home later.

Liang Yue's family lived in Peaceful Lane, which was also easy to find out. He immediately packed up and set off. The reason he came in person was that his identity made things more convenient. If it were one of his subordinate Imperial Capital Guards, their appearance at the Armory would be somewhat strange, but with his father's identity, it would be easy to explain even if investigated afterward.

He just needed to say that Liang Yue was injured and needed his family to go and look after him, tricking his family away, then threatening Liang Yue to the Armory, where he could completely crush him.

Thinking of this flawless and perfect scheme, Zou Huainan's mouth was crooked all the way there.

Arriving at the entrance of the Liang family home, he slightly adjusted his expression, putting on an upright and anxious face. He had already thought of what to say and was about to knock on the door.

An unexpected change suddenly occurred.

Before he could even extend his hand, a fierce wind suddenly came from behind him!

Zou Huainan was also a peak Second Realm expert, so his reaction was naturally not slow. He immediately turned around, intending to draw his blade.

But the opponent's speed was faster, and they were well-trained and coordinated. When he turned his head, he only saw a patch of darkness as a sturdy sack was already placed over his head, covering it.

His hand that was drawing the blade was also grabbed and twisted to the side. Both of his legs were hit hard, and he plopped down onto his knees.

"You..." He quickly tried to shout, intending to say, Do you know who my father is?

But the other party didn't give him a chance to speak at all. A horizontal palm strike came over, causing his throat to constrict, and he immediately coughed up blood, unable to say another word.

Inside, there was only a blank confusion.

What's going on?

How did I encounter an ambush here? Could it be that the Subordinate Guard knew about my plan in advance?

Is there an inside man?

But where did that little Subordinate Guard get such a large force?

The cultivation of these attackers was similar to his own, and there was one expert who was clearly stronger than him. This was not a force that ordinary people could organize.

Soon, he was unable to think. After kneeling on the ground, unable to make a sound, and with his head covered by a sack, Zou Huainan was completely like meat on a chopping block. A group of burly men subjected him to brutal and inhumane beatings.

Bang bang clap clap—

Boom! Bang!

After a good beating with fists and feet, he was beaten until he was nearly unconscious. Two more people grabbed his arms, and two others swung large clubs. With two crisp cracks, his arms were instantly broken!

"Ah..." Zou Huainan was jolted awake by this blow. He tilted his head back, wanting to scream, but his throat was constricted, and he couldn't make a sound. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his clothes.

Before he could recover from the intense pain, his legs were treated in the same way.

Crack! Crack!

There was another sound of bones breaking. Zou Huainan's limbs were all broken, and he had no ability to move at all.

But these people didn't seem to intend to let him go. A group of people carried the helpless him and ran out. A carriage was already parked at the entrance of the alley. As everyone carried him onto the carriage, the carriage sped away.

It was the time of the curfew and street clearing. Large crowds and carriages were jammed at the Southern City gate, rushing to get out before the evening drum finished. This carriage passed through without needing to queue or be inspected. The coachman simply gave the guarding soldier a look, and drove straight out of the city.

They came to the side of a turbulent river, where a few thugs carried Zou Huainan out of the carriage.

Along the way, Zou Huainan tried several times to whimper and beg for mercy, to communicate with the other party, but all he received in return were even more brutal beatings. The sack covering his head was already filled with his dirty blood, snot, and tears.

"Kid, if you can survive this time, remember this lesson." The leader stood by the riverbank and said coldly, "When you're messing around in Dragon Abyss City, you need to know your place."

Huh?

I know my place!

Zou Huainan was full of grievances. I'm just a useless second-generation rich kid who relies on my father's protection, lording it over this small area in Southern City. I've never dared to provoke anyone with a bigger background than me. I only bully those whose status is lower than mine.

I've already carried out the principle of bullying the weak and fearing the strong to the end!

Who did I offend?

Eh?

Eh eh!?

Before he could figure it out, the leader on the other side waved his hand. Two big men exerted force together, swung him, and threw Zou Huainan out.

"Ah—"

Zou Huainan, in mid-air, finally let out a complete scream, full of confusion and bewilderment.

Plop!

Immediately, the sack fell into the river, turning into a string of bubbles and sinking down.

A Second Realm cultivator naturally isn't afraid of water, but he was now severely injured, with all his limbs broken, four out of five gone. Whether he could survive in this rapid current depended on his own luck.

"Something's not right."

Late at night, when Liang Yue returned home, he first carefully observed the entrance of the lane, making sure there was no ambush in the dark alley before entering. As soon as he reached the door, he immediately smelled a faint scent of blood. The footprints on the ground were scattered, as if a struggle had taken place.

He quickly stepped forward and knocked on the door, thump thump thump.

After a short while, Liang Peng's voice came from inside the door: "U Meng Mountain connects mountain beyond mountain."

Liang Yue replied: "Moonlight shines on the Resounding Water Shoal."

With a creak, Liang Peng opened the door and smiled, "Brother, what exactly is this secret code you set?"

"Just some lyrics I heard years ago, that's all. How is it, is everything alright at home?" Liang Yue brushed it off lightly, then asked.

"Nothing's happened, it's been calm." Liang Peng replied, "Are we being overly nervous?"

Worried that someone might retaliate against him, Liang Yue had told his younger siblings not to go out alone during the day, and had also set a secret code for opening the door at night, telling them absolutely not to pay attention to strangers.

He had even left a signal arrow with Liang Peng, to be released immediately if there was danger.

Even if that would violate the Imperial Capital Guard's regulations, it was better than his family actually getting hurt.

However, it seemed like he might have been overly worried. The people he had offended, both in the underworld and the official world, didn't seem to have come for revenge.

"It's always better to be more cautious than completely unprepared," Liang Yue said as he walked into the house. "Let's keep this up for half a month. If nothing happens, we can relax the alert."

"Alright," Liang Peng replied from behind.

"Haven't you already awakened your Qi Sensation?" Liang Yue asked again after returning to the room. "What did the academy teachers say? Didn't they teach you some techniques to cultivate first?"

If Liang Peng became a true Qi Refiner, he would feel much more at ease about his family.

"They've already contacted the Sword Dao Academy and will take me for the entrance exam in two days," Liang Peng replied. "If I pass the Sword Dao Academy's entrance exam, I can get Confucian Techniques to cultivate. If I can't pass, I'll have to find techniques myself or seek another master."

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

"I will," Liang Peng nodded.

In fact, as long as he was admitted to the Sword Dao Academy, he wouldn't even need a high cultivation level. Few people would dare to provoke the Liang family's household. This was because the academy students, from the imperial court to the martial world, had immense influence.

Offending a Confucian cultivator from the Sword Dao Academy meant potentially offending future high officials in the imperial court and the vast network of connections they would possess. Therefore, if a family produced a Sword Dao Academy student, they would immediately gain a great deal of respect and awe.

After telling Liang Peng to go back and rest as well, Liang Yue remained alone in the courtyard to practice his blade techniques. Although it was very late, he could save on sleep time, but the time spent practicing daily could not be saved.

After practicing the eighteen forms of the Hu Family Blade Technique once more, Liang Yue finally sheathed his blade and stood still.

He had already reached the peak of this blade technique. Without improving his realm, further practice would have no effect.

In the Contemplation Realm, improving one's realm was no longer simply about tempering one's Qi and blood. He needed to contemplate various techniques, using the power of contemplation diagrams to stimulate his divine palace, gradually strengthening his divine sense, and then using his divine sense to stimulate the muscles, bones, and skin throughout his body. When his divine sense reached every minute detail and his control over his physical body reached an absolute level, it would mean breaking through the Contemplation Realm and reaching the Martial Dao Third Level - Armor Forging Realm.

Therefore, his current task in the Second Realm was to contemplate various techniques, the higher the grade, the better, because higher-grade techniques contained more Dao charm and provided stronger stimulation to the divine palace.

Today, the sight of Phoenix Butterfly's bloody and tragic death right before his eyes had a significant impact on him. Coupled with the previous murder case of Zhen Changzhi, each incident demonstrated how fragile the lives of mortals were in this world of extraordinary power. Although the Nine Provinces had established their own order, this order was ultimately easily broken in the face of cultivators with powerful strength.

Only by strengthening oneself was the foundation for settling down and establishing one's life.

Previously, solving the case in Fukang Ward had provoked the Dragon Tooth Gang and offended Zou Huainan, making it difficult for him to maintain a peaceful state of mind. Under the sense of crisis that enveloped his heart, his desire to become stronger became even more urgent.

At least break through to the Martial Dao Third Level, the Armor Forging Realm, first. At that time, his skin and flesh would be like iron, impervious to blades and spears, giving him much more confidence in dealing with some hidden methods. With his identity as an Imperial Capital Guard, the other party should at least not dare to act openly.

Although Chen Ju said that breaking through after reaching the Second Realm was very difficult, Liang Yue felt... it seemed okay.

For wealthy people, the Qi and blood in the First Realm could be accumulated by taking medicine. Starting from the Second Realm, it depended on comprehension and effort, which naturally made it difficult.

For Liang Yue, the First Realm required hard work to accumulate, which was somewhat strenuous. When he reached the Second Realm, it began to depend on comprehension. After cultivating for these past few days, he felt that his comprehension was not bad.

It should be a little stronger than the average person.

And effort was his strong point.

Hmm.

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

His current blade technique attainment was already extremely strong in the Second Realm. If he were to learn something new, he should indeed find a movement technique to complement it, so that the power of his blade technique could be further unleashed.

Hu Tiehan certainly wouldn't lack such techniques, but thinking of his eager appearance, Liang Yue couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

What if he knelt down again and asked him to take care of him in his old age?