Jealous Su Tianqi!

Chen Shi stared at Lu Xuan in astonishment, even feeling that it was absurd. He wondered if he had grown senile and was hallucinating.

He had never expected to encounter the young master of Lu Family Pharmacy in a place like this.

Hadn't they said that this Young Master of the Lu Family rarely ever went out?

It would have been one thing for him to appear alone in the Lofty Mountain Range, but this was the lair of the Black Wind Stronghold's chief. That was rather strange.

The other person who cried out in surprise was Ye Qingxuan.

She, too, looked astonished. Her beautiful eyes swept over Lu Xuan from head to toe, as though confirming whether he was the Rich Young Master she had once met.

She had never imagined that the Rich Young Master she had encountered at Drunken Immortal Inn in Ten Mile Town would appear before her again.

And that they would meet again in these deep mountains and ancient woods.

"Hmph, someone was wandering through these deep mountains and ancient woods, right at the foot of a bandit stronghold. Who knows whether he was secretly colluding with those bandits?"

"In my opinion, we should seize him. Perhaps we can pry information about the chief of Black Wind Stronghold from his mouth."

At that moment, Su Tianqi stepped out from behind them, his eyes fixed fiercely on Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan wore a black brocade robe, with silk brocade tied around his waist. His neat, ink-black short hair swayed in the wind, and his handsome face and eyes as calm as still water gave off an inborn air of authority.

The flames of jealousy in Su Tianqi's eyes nearly spilled over, and he wished he could swallow Lu Xuan whole.

Especially after seeing Ye Qingxuan's expression, Su Tianqi cursed furiously in his heart.

Slut!

Sensing the malicious gaze directed at him, as well as the other man's accusation that he was an accomplice of the bandits, Lu Xuan looked at Su Tianqi in puzzlement.

I don't seem to know this person, do I?

Why did he act as though they shared a blood feud, as though he wanted nothing more than to put Lu Xuan to death?

However, Lu Xuan did not dwell on it. He had already sensed that the other party was merely an ant in the Bone Refining Realm.

If the man truly intended him harm, Lu Xuan would not mind crushing him to death.

When Chen Shi saw Su Tianqi slandering Lu Xuan as a bandit, he hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over, forcing a smile as he said,

"A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, Lord Su. This man is a junior I know. He absolutely cannot be a remnant of the bandits."

The Lu Family Old Master had once treated his illness, so Chen Shi naturally could not stand by and watch Su Tianqi slander Lu Xuan.

Though he did not know why Lu Xuan had appeared here, either.

Seeing Su Tianqi open his mouth and casually malign someone, Ye Qingxuan could not bear to watch any longer and snapped, "Su Tianqi, stop spouting nonsense here!"

Chen Shi hurried over to Lu Xuan. Only after approaching him did he ask in confusion, "Boy of the Lu Family, why are you here?"

"Vicious bandits are entrenched here, and danger lurks on every side. We came today to wipe out the bandits on this mountain. You should leave at once."

"Bandits?"

After hearing why they had come here, Lu Xuan was briefly taken aback. Then, without changing expression, he said, "I see. Thank you for the reminder, Uncle Chen. I will leave now."

Seeing that Lu Xuan was someone Captain Chen knew, Li Yanran stopped paying attention to him.

Eliminating Fang Sheng, the chief of Black Wind Stronghold, was more urgent. Li Yanran said to Captain Chen, "All right, Captain Chen. Continue leading the way."

Lu Xuan stood where he was with his hands behind his back, silently watching Chen Shi and the others head up the mountain. A faint glimmer flickered in his dark, deep eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.

So they had come to wipe out the bandits, and the direction they were heading was precisely the location the bandit had told Lu Xuan about earlier.

In that case, Lu Xuan would not need to make a move.

For Lu Xuan had already discovered that there was actually a martial artist in the Blood Refinement Realm among them.

Even though the other party had restrained all of his aura, the powerful Qi and Blood unique to a Blood Refinement Realm martial artist could not escape Lu Xuan's senses.

A Blood Refinement Realm martial artist?

It seemed that bandit had not lied. They really did have a master in the Blood Refinement Realm.

Otherwise, how could a martial arts expert in the Blood Refinement Realm suddenly emerge from a tiny place like Azure Cloud County?

A strange Blood Refinement Realm martial artist whom Lu Xuan had never seen before had likely come for that Blood Refinement Realm bandit.

Only after the people ahead had vanished from his sight did Lu Xuan stir his consciousness, drawing upon the qi within his body.

His figure shifted, and after several flickers, he vanished from where he stood like a ghost, leaving behind a phantom shadow that lasted only a breath before dispersing.

On the mountainside.

Chen Shi skillfully led Li Yanran and the others onward until a massive stronghold appeared ahead of them.

However, Chen Shi suddenly stopped, looking around with great caution.

Strange, why hadn't they seen a single bandit along the way?

By all rights, there should have been many scouts below a bandit stronghold.

The last time he had come to patrol the mountain and exterminate bandits on the County Magistrate Sir's orders, he had encountered quite a few traps and numerous bandits.

Now, not only were there no bandits in sight, there were not even any traps.

At this thought, Chen Shi's expression turned solemn. He looked at Li Yanran and said,

"Lord Li, be careful. This place seems rather strange. We have not seen a single bandit along the way. There may be a trick at work here!"

Li Yanran did not take Chen Shi's words to heart. They were merely ordinary bandits, insignificant ants to her.

In the entire stronghold, only Fang Sheng, the chief of Black Wind Stronghold, was worthy of her attention.

Thus, after leaving behind a light remark, Li Yanran led the two people behind her and rushed toward the stronghold ahead.

"No need. You two stay here. We are going."

"This..."

Seeing Li Yanran charge over without the slightest precaution, Chen Shi was just about to try persuading her when Ye Qingxuan stopped him.

"Uncle Chen, you need not worry about Sister Yanran."

"Have you forgotten? Sister Yanran is a martial arts powerhouse in the Blood Refinement Realm. How could a few petty thieves hiding their heads and showing their tails in these deep mountains and ancient woods possibly harm Sister Yanran?"

"That is true."

Li Yanran did not pause in the slightest. In less than a moment, she had arrived outside the stronghold gates.

Su Tianqi and the burly, silent Chen Lingfeng followed behind her.

Li Yanran glanced at the two watchtowers inside the stronghold gates and found them completely empty.

This strange situation made Li Yanran's brows furrow slightly, but only for an instant.

Then Li Yanran said calmly, "Tianqi, Lingfeng, if you see any bandits later, deal with them. I will deal with Fang Sheng!"

"Yes, Lord Li!"

Chen Lingfeng, who had not uttered a word until then, finally responded alongside Su Tianqi after hearing Li Yanran's command.

Boom!

A tremendous crash rang out.

The next moment, Li Yanran blasted open the stronghold gates with a single palm strike. The gates instantly shattered into pieces, which crashed down in all directions through the air.