Father and Son

In his mind, fragments of memory played like a slideshow. Scenes of his predecessor's deep impression of his father flashed one by one, finally lingering forever in the icy river water, no longer playing.

Because from now on, it was Lu Zhaojin who would experience everything.

This time, the obsession left behind by his predecessor had a significant impact on Lu Zhaojin. That sense of closeness from the bottom of his heart, and the ethereal connection through blood, stirred his emotions. The word "father" almost slipped from his lips, as if his predecessor was using this body to utter his final whisper.

Although the sound was not loud, most of the people present were at the Seventh Rank, with sharp ears and keen senses. They all stopped fighting and looked towards the source of the sound, seeing an outsider.

Lu Jinlin heard the familiar cry, his eyes trembled slightly. Upon seeing that it was Lu Zhaojin, his lips quivered. He opened his mouth several times to speak, and tears welled up in the middle-aged man's eyes. "Zhaojin... it's good that you're okay..."

That night in Shiqiao Town, Lu Jinlin had led away a large number of pursuers, fleeing all the way. He finally escaped to Mount Qi using a small boat.

To evade the search by the Zhang and Zhao families, he had to head into the deep mountains.

Then, he unexpectedly discovered a cave. For the past few days, he had been healing his injuries in that cave, hunting wild beasts for food when he was hungry.

Lu Jinlin had originally intended to go down the mountain to find Lu Zhaojin after his injuries healed. However, before that could happen, people from the Zhang family came up the mountain.

He thought they were looking for him, but he didn't expect them to be looking for a young man. Zhang Heng had even gotten into a fight with that young man, blasting open a hidden cave dwelling.

Lu Jinlin had previously thought the cave was natural and had been worried about Lu Zhaojin's safety, so he had no intention of exploring it further. Zhang Heng's actions made him feel that this cave might not be simple either.

His tunnel was not as winding and circuitous as Zhang Heng's, but rather a straight path to the end. The stone door was also quite hidden, likely a rear exit concealed by the cave's owner.

Lu Jinlin had been very anxious these past few days. He was afraid that by the time his injuries healed and he went to find Lu Zhaojin, all he would find would be news of Lu Zhaojin's death.

If that were the case, he would have no face to meet Lu Zhaojin's mother.

Fortunately, Lu Zhaojin was fine and now appeared alive and well before him. The heavy stone in his heart had finally settled.

Seeing that he was distracted, someone suddenly attacked, throwing a flying knife about the size of a finger. It seemed to turn into a faint glimmer in the air as it shot rapidly towards Lu Jinlin.

Lu Zhaojin quickly shouted, "Be careful."

He didn't stop his hand, swinging his sword to unleash a sword energy that severed all the flying knives, sending them to the ground.

His display of sword energy surprised everyone. "Seventh Rank!"

Simultaneously, some people looked towards Zhao Jinzhi.

They had initially thought it was remarkable enough for Zhao Jinzhi to break through to the Seventh Rank, but they hadn't expected someone else to reach the Seventh Rank at such a young age.

Indeed, comparing oneself to others could be maddening.

Of course, Zhao Jinzhi's expression shifted through a kaleidoscope of colors. He hadn't expected that in just half a day, Lu Zhaojin would also break through to the Seventh Rank.

However, the two people with the worst expressions were naturally Zhao Huaishui and the one who had thrown the flying knife.

Lu Zhaojin recognized Zhao Huaishui and had spoken with him. He still held a poor impression of him due to the matter with Mu Zhuo. As for the person who had tried to attack him with a flying knife, he had never seen him before and assumed he had some connection to his father.

He frowned slightly, recalling Xu Huan, whom Zhao Huaishui had mentioned. His eyes, filled with coldness, looked at him. The Hundred Refined Sword, in the dim cave, emitted a faint blue glow, like shimmering water.

Lu Jinlin recognized the man. He pointed his long sword at him and said hatefully, "Xu Huan, you and I have a personal vendetta. Come at me directly, why must you involve others from the Sihai Escort Agency?"

It was indeed Xu Huan.

Lu Zhaojin didn't know the nature of the personal feud between his father and Xu Huan, but it didn't matter. In any case, Xu Huan would die today.

Xu Huan wore a light cyan robe with wide sleeves, and his gold-inlaid, jade-adorned belt indicated an extraordinary background. His face was clean and slightly effeminate. In response to Lu Jinlin's question, his narrow phoenix eyes revealed a mocking glint, and he chuckled, "Of course, I'm looking for you. Those ants were just collateral."

Lu Jinlin's eyes narrowed, killing intent flashing. There was no need for further words. He charged at Xu Huan.

Xu Huan's strength was outstanding, possessing a cultivation at the middle stage of the Seventh Rank.

As they fought, neither could gain the upper hand, with only the shockwaves of True Qi spreading in all directions.

Following that, Xu Huan's angry roar echoed, "Zhao Yuanshan, what are you hesitating for? Capture Lu Jinlin with me and force Lu Zhaojin to submit. Otherwise, given his ruthlessness and decisiveness during this period, none of us will have a good end."

Zhao Yuanshan had accompanied Xu Huan up the mountain. Not only had he encountered Lu Jinlin here, but he had also unexpectedly run into Zhao Jinzhi, who should have been at his grandmother's house.

Furthermore, Zhao Jinzhi possessed Seventh Rank cultivation, making him seem like a completely different person from before. This truly surprised Zhao Yuanshan, and he didn't know whether to be happy or worried.

Now.

Lu Zhaojin also appeared before them with Seventh Rank cultivation. Zhao Yuanshan was utterly shocked. Recalling the scene of the massacre at the Sihai Escort Agency that night, he regretted agreeing to the Zhang family's request for a moment.

But as Xu Huan said, things had come to this. Regret was useless now; he could only see it through to the end.

A ruthless glint flashed in Zhao Yuanshan's eyes as he attacked Lu Jinlin.

Lu Zhaojin wanted to step forward to help but was blocked by a figure.

Chen Kang had never seen Lu Zhaojin with his own eyes, but the portrait was deeply etched in his mind. He wished he could crush the young man who had killed his son into meat paste with his bare hands. "You are Lu Zhaojin!"

Lu Zhaojin found Chen Kang's face somewhat familiar. He thought carefully and realized he resembled Chen Yuan. "Are you Chen Kang?"

Chen Kang didn't answer, only threw a punch.

This person's True Qi was profound, at least reaching the middle stage of the Seventh Rank.

Lu Zhaojin had just broken through to the Seventh Rank. With the system, he didn't have those complicated procedures and could quickly master the use of True Qi.

Moreover, with the Golden Body Technique, he did not fear this martial artist at the middle stage of the Seventh Rank.

He slashed with his sword, cutting open the illusory fist shadow. A crescent-shaped sword energy flew towards Chen Kang but was shattered by the latter's punch. Chen Kang then closed the distance, pressing towards Lu Zhaojin and launching a straight punch.

Lu Zhaojin swung his sword to block. Chen Kang, however, did not dodge. His bare fist collided with the sword blade, yet it failed to cut through.

Lu Zhaojin's sword didn't actually strike his opponent.

His robust True Qi enveloped his fist, appearing like a transparent gauntlet that kept the blade half an inch away.

This was a unique method of True Qi application taught by the cultivation technique Chen Kang practiced. When his True Qi circulated at full power, it was as if he were clad in armor reinforced with steel, rendering ordinary weapons incapable of inflicting damage.

The Hundred Refined Sword in Lu Zhaojin's hand was just an ordinary weapon. If it hadn't been infused with True Qi, Chen Kang's punch would likely have shattered it.

Zhao Jinzhi suddenly said, "He is Lu Zhaojin, the one who killed Li Yue."

He said this to distract the two middle-aged elders from the Dingshan Sect.

Both of them were at the mid-stage of Seventh Rank, experienced, and skilled in manipulating True Qi. Zhao Jinzhi found dealing with them troublesome.

The main reason was that he had encountered Zhang Heng right after breaking through to the Seventh Rank. Zhang Heng had attacked him without a word.

Although they had stopped fighting upon discovering the cave dwelling, the two had already expended a considerable amount of True Qi beforehand. If his Master hadn't been secretly assisting him, he would have had difficulty dealing with these two elders from the Dingshan Sect.

These two elders were naturally Elder Hengshan and Elder Qiushui.

Elder Hengshan had been searching for Zhao Jinzhi and naturally wouldn't let go of the youth who had killed his beloved disciple, so he remained unmoved.

Elder Qiushui brandished his long sword, staring at Zhao Jinzhi, and said coldly, "No hurry. Once we get rid of you, Lu Zhaojin will follow in your footsteps."

Seeing that his attempt to provoke them had failed, Zhao Jinzhi inwardly cursed and could only hope for his Master to intervene.