Sudden Mutation—The Dead Could Move!

Lu Xuan had already reached Blood Refinement Realm Greater Mastery. The flesh, blood, five organs, and six bowels throughout his body were all far stronger than those of an ordinary person.

The Qi and Blood of his martial path surged like a vast sea, mighty and unstoppable.

Yet in this tiny Azure Cloud County, he had encountered an aura that could make even Lu Xuan feel uneasy.

This made Lu Xuan, who had been focused on lying low and growing stronger, feel his eyelids twitch as alarm bells rang wildly in his heart.

It seemed he had to find a way to resolve this immediately. If it dragged on, Lu Xuan feared some great calamity might occur.

The Lu residence's rear courtyard.

Lu Xuan followed the family servant all the way to the rear courtyard, then pushed open its gate.

The instant the gate opened, Lu Xuan caught a faint scent of blood in the air. It was coming from the room in the middle of the rear courtyard.

The door to that room stood open, and several figures could vaguely be seen standing at the entrance.

Lu Xuan furrowed his brows. Without pausing in the slightest, he strode toward it.

The moment Lu Xuan stepped inside, several familiar faces came into view.

His father, Lu Jiahe, as well as two young men standing beside him.

Those two men were Lu Xuan's younger brothers—more precisely, his half-brothers from the same father.

Their attention was fixed on a spacious wooden bed that had been hastily assembled in front of them.

Several men lay sprawled across it, their entire bodies tightly bound with ropes.

Even tied up so tightly, those men still wore savage expressions and struggled without end.

"Father."

The soft greeting rang through the room, bringing Lu Jiahe and the others back to their senses. They all turned toward Lu Xuan.

"Xuan-er, you're here."

Lu Jiahe wore a grayish-white robe. Wrinkles were plainly visible on his face, and a silver-white beard hung from his chin. He looked dejected and somber.

It was clear just how much pressure this incident had placed upon this old hand who had weathered countless storms.

Only when Lu Jiahe saw Lu Xuan did the worry on his face slowly ease.

"Big Brother."

The two young men beside Lu Jiahe also greeted Lu Xuan at once, though there seemed to be a hint of reverence in their voices.

Lu Xuan looked at his two younger brothers and nodded.

Then he turned to the men on the wooden bed and slowly asked,

"Father, is there any other way?"

Lu Xuan's question plunged Lu Jiahe into thought once more. In the end, he shook his head.

"Alas, Xuan-er. The symptoms they are displaying are likely beyond the means of man."

"Father, are you saying they encountered that kind of thing?"

Everyone present naturally understood what Lu Xuan meant by that kind of thing.

His two younger brothers in particular felt a chill run down their backs, fear showing in their eyes.

Lu Jiahe nodded helplessly again. With his many years of medical experience, he had long discovered this conclusion.

Otherwise, how could a person ignore all five senses and mutilate himself like a madman?

Moreover, ever since they went mad, they had not eaten for three whole days, yet they still appeared vigorous and full of life.

Lu Jiahe knew these men's physical condition well. None of them had practiced martial arts; they were no different from ordinary people.

Logically speaking, after going without food for several days and struggling madly as they had, ordinary people would have died long ago.

"Father, in my opinion, we should leave this to the County Office."

Lu Xuan's face was as calm as still water as he turned to Lu Jiahe and spoke.

"Yun'an..."

"Alas, it is all my fault. I failed to keep Yun'an safe. How am I supposed to answer to Jiaqing?"

Lu Yun'an was Lu Jiahe's nephew, the son of Lu Jiahe's younger brother, Lu Jiaqing.

He was also one of those involved in this incident.

"An-er, my An-er!"

At that moment, two more figures appeared outside the door, a man and a woman.

The somewhat frail Woman trembled all over, then rushed without hesitation toward the wooden bed before her.

Showing no disgust whatsoever, she tightly embraced the bloodied, mangled person. Weeping, she kept muttering,

"Master, what happened to An-er? Didn't you say he was merely feeling unwell?"

"How did he end up like this? Who did this?"

Hearing those words, Lu Jiahe's face was filled with self-reproach. He did not know how to answer.

He had sent someone to notify Lu Yun'an's parents. Let them see him one last time.

"Big Brother, how did Yun'an become like this?"

At this moment, the man who had remained silent outside walked up to Lu Jiahe, his tone complicated.

"Jiaqing, it is all Big Brother's fault. I failed to keep Yun'an safe and let something happen to him on the road."

"Big Brother, is there still hope for Yun'an?"

Hope filled the man's voice as his eyes locked tightly onto Lu Jiahe.

But when he saw Lu Jiahe remain silent, saying nothing at all, the light in his eyes gradually dimmed, and his face turned pale and powerless.

There was no other reason. His Big Brother was the finest physician in the County Town. If even he could not save Lu Yun'an, then Lu Yun'an truly could not be brought back from death's door.

Creak!

A sound of breaking wood rang out. The bodies of the men lying on the wooden bed suddenly tensed at the same time, frantically straining against the ropes.

The ropes carved deep grooves into their bodies, and large amounts of blood dyed them red.

The next moment, the taut ropes could no longer withstand the tremendous force and snapped apart instantly.

"Watch out!"

Everyone present noticed the sudden change and immediately looked toward the woman who was still bent over Lu Yun'an, weeping bitterly.

Lu Jiaqing in particular stepped forward anxiously, wanting to pull his wife away.

Just as Lu Yun'an raised his twisted hands to grab his mother—

Whoosh!

A fierce gust of wind swept in, accompanied by a thunderous sound of something tearing through the air.

In an instant, a tall, burly figure stood before the wooden bed.

At the same time, a pair of thick, powerful hands swung out.

One large hand forcefully pressed Lu Yun'an's head down, while the other pushed Lu Yun'an's mother backward.

Lu Jiaqing swiftly stepped forward and caught his wife.

Only then did the others come to their senses. Looking at that upright figure, they realized Lu Xuan had acted.

At that moment, Lu Xuan seemed like a god descended into the world, one huge hand pressing down as though he were pinning a chick.

He held Lu Yun'an's head down, making Lu Yun'an's body writhe continuously on the ground.

So cold... and there was no heartbeat anymore?

As Lu Xuan held Lu Yun'an's head down, he could clearly feel a bone-chilling cold.

And at such close range, Lu Xuan could clearly hear anyone's heartbeat.

Yet these men beside him no longer had heartbeats.

Could the dead still move?