Lupu Rong Family

Qixia Street, Xunyang Marquis Manor.

Looking at Venerable Luo, the Old Butler's expression was exceedingly grave. He said in a deep voice, "So the old acquaintance was you."

"Tong Ji... When I first met you, you were still a youth. Now you have become like this. Time truly spares no one." Venerable Luo sighed endlessly, looking deeply nostalgic.

The Old Butler said, "What brings Venerable Luo here?"

Venerable Luo said with a smile, "Old friends reunite, so why be so cold? Come to think of it, when the Marquis was born, I even held him in my arms. I also instructed you in martial arts. By any measure, I count as half your teacher."

The Old Butler fell silent. Then he bowed in greeting and said, "Then what brings Venerable Luo here?"

Venerable Luo narrowed his eyes and said, "Naturally, I came to visit the Marquis."

The Old Butler frowned. "The Marquis is no longer here."

Venerable Luo's expression changed drastically. "What happened? Why had I heard nothing of it?"

The Old Butler looked at him, unable to tell whether he truly did not know or was merely pretending. He said blandly, "That was many years ago."

Venerable Luo swayed slightly, grief filling his face. "I now oversee the Martial God Temple in Kutan and am occupied with countless affairs. I never had the chance to visit him. I never expected that we would already be separated by the boundary between heaven and man. He suffered a bitter life from childhood, yet he walked ahead of me instead. This truly is white-haired people sending off black-haired people."

Seeing that Venerable Luo's grief did not seem false, the Old Butler's expression softened somewhat. He said quietly, "Please restrain your grief, Venerable Luo. Life and death have always been beyond human control. Cultivators seek only immortality, but where does true immortality exist?"

Venerable Luo wiped away his tears and said, "Take me to pay my respects."

The Old Butler hesitated. "The Marquis's body is not here, nor is there a memorial tablet."

Venerable Luo furrowed his brow deeply. "How could that be? Could there be some hidden matter?"

The Old Butler said, "This is an internal matter of the Marquis Manor. There is no need to trouble Venerable Luo with it."

Venerable Luo said sternly, "Utter nonsense. If the Marquis was murdered, how could it have nothing to do with me?"

The Old Butler said nothing.

There was naturally more to the matter, but the Old Butler trusted no one, not even Venerable Luo.

Seeing him like this, Venerable Luo pondered for a moment before asking, "Did the Marquis leave behind any descendants?"

The Old Butler nodded. "The Young Marquis is in the manor."

Venerable Luo stepped straight into the Marquis Manor.

The Old Butler paused briefly before following after him.

The man in the goose-yellow long robe followed closely behind. Only after truly entering the Marquis Manor did he notice how lavishly it was decorated, with precious objects visible everywhere.

When they arrived at Jiang Wang's courtyard, Venerable Luo looked at the sickly man lying on a wicker recliner and said in surprise, "That is the Young Marquis?"

The man in the goose-yellow long robe sized him up, then said with a smile, "If he had not moved a little, I would have thought he was dead."

Venerable Luo glared at him upon hearing that.

The Old Butler said, "The people under Venerable Luo truly know no manners. If he continues spouting nonsense, I shall educate him on Venerable Luo's behalf."

Venerable Luo stopped the goose-yellow-robed man with a look when he tried to speak. He said to the Old Butler, "The Lupu Rong Family is a great household. He is young and high-spirited, somewhat overbearing, but he is kind at heart and means no harm. Do not be angered. Once we return, I will personally discipline him."

The Lupu Rong Family could be considered a martial artist family and was utterly loyal to the Martial God Temple. The Old Butler hated those who relied on power and influence to act without restraint, but he said nothing further at this moment.

Venerable Luo walked to the wicker recliner. Looking at Jiang Wang's exceptionally handsome face, he smiled and said, "As expected of the Marquis's son. You have inherited every advantage from both your parents. I fear there is no man in the entire Sui Kingdom as handsome as you."

Jiang Wang raised his eyes and said casually, "Are you an old acquaintance of my father's, Elder?"

Before Venerable Luo could answer, the man in the goose-yellow long robe jumped out again. "Venerable Luo stands before you, yet you do not rise to pay respects. Fine, perhaps, but why is your attitude so lax?"

Jiang Wang glanced at him. "What the hell does it have to do with you?"

That infuriated the goose-yellow-robed man.

Venerable Luo's face darkened. Since arriving at the Marquis Manor, this was already the second time he had glared at the goose-yellow-robed man. At his age, he felt his eyes were beginning to ache.

"It is no matter. I am an elder. The Young Marquis is like my own grandson, so what does it matter whether he greets me properly?"

Venerable Luo waved his sleeve and sent the goose-yellow-robed man aside. Then, smiling broadly at Jiang Wang, he said, "You are now the head of this household. In the future, when you inherit the marquisate, you will also hold great power in the Sui Kingdom. I see that your body is weak, that you have neither cultivated nor trained in martial arts. Having just learned of the Marquis's fate, I am filled with guilt. Naturally, I should teach you well. Are you willing to study martial arts under me?"

Jiang Wang raised a brow. "Are you very powerful?"

Venerable Luo burst into laughter. "All I can say is that throughout Kutan, apart from the Sword God and his junior brother, the Chancellor of Fish Abyss Academy, and that old fossil from the Qingxuan Bureau, there is no one stronger than me."

Jiang Wang thought, That is not all that impressive. If you exclude a few more people, would there even be any point in ranking yourself?

But since he was a martial artist, his eyes still brightened slightly.

Sun Qingya had already come to the Marquis Manor to teach Xiaoyu martial arts. This Venerable Luo before him was certainly much stronger than Sun Qingya.

He said, "I have no desire to practice martial arts, but my maid has quite high aptitude. Could you teach her instead, Elder?"

Venerable Luo's smile froze on his face.

The man in the goose-yellow long robe once again jumped out at exactly the right moment. "What are you thinking? Venerable Luo wants to teach you martial arts, so you should be overflowing with gratitude. Yet you actually want Venerable Luo to teach some lowly maid? Who are you insulting?"

This time, Venerable Luo did not stop him.

After all, what he said was quite reasonable. How could a dignified Venerable of the Martial God Temple possibly teach a maid martial arts?

Jiang Wang's expression slowly darkened.

Setting everything else aside, the words "lowly" and "base" had already kindled the fire in his liver.

Although he could not use the power of the Divine Kingdom for the moment, the Night Roaming God had mostly recovered. Just as he was about to strike directly, he saw Sun Qingya and Xiaoyu walking over.

"My lord, Xiaoyu's talent truly is extraordinarily high. I taught her for only two hours, and she has already broken through again."

Sun Qingya was very excited. He had never seen a martial artist with aptitude like Xiaoyu's.

She had not merely entered the peak of the Second Realm. She had even made Qi course through all four limbs and eight meridians, achieving results only a Third Realm Martial Artist could attain. To put it more extravagantly, Xiaoyu could fight a hundred martial artists of the same realm.

Sun Qingya paid no attention whatsoever to the atmosphere here and continued, "Though I do not wish to admit it, there is little left that I can teach her. Next, she only needs to steadily consolidate her foundation and condense true Qi. That is something outsiders cannot help with."

Jiang Wang temporarily set aside his anger. He looked at Xiaoyu with great delight and said, "As expected of my household's chief maid. Well done."

Xiaoyu lowered her head somewhat shyly. With her cool and aloof face making such an expression, it looked a little strange, yet Jiang Wang only found her even more adorable.

Venerable Luo's gaze fell on Xiaoyu, and his expression gradually turned shocked.

She truly possessed peerless bones for martial arts!

Having heard Sun Qingya's words, he was certain Xiaoyu's realm was not high. Yet she had already begun condensing true Qi. Such aptitude was simply inconceivable.

Venerable Luo immediately said to Jiang Wang, "Young Marquis, I agree. I am willing to teach her martial arts!"

Jiang Wang frowned. "But now I am unwilling."

Venerable Luo's face stiffened slightly.

The goose-yellow-robed man said angrily, "You truly cannot appreciate a favor! For Venerable Luo to be willing to teach her is a blessing that has smoke rising from her ancestors' graves, a fortune she could not pray for across several lifetimes, yet you dare refuse?!"

"Shut up!" Venerable Luo was furious. This fellow was incapable of accomplishing anything yet excelled at ruining things.

Jiang Wang said coldly, "I will find Xiaoyu an even more powerful teacher. We can do without this blessing of smoke rising from our ancestors' graves."

Venerable Luo said, "Do not act out of spite. This boy is somewhat arrogant and domineering, but Xiaoyu's aptitude must not be delayed. Besides, I will be the one teaching her, and I am your father's elder. I will naturally do my utmost."

Though that was true, once Jiang Wang's temper flared, how could it be easily quelled? He said in a deep voice, "Then let the man with a mouth full of filth kowtow to Xiaoyu and apologize."

Xiaoyu was utterly bewildered. She did not even know what had happened.

The goose-yellow-robed man flew into a rage from humiliation. "I am the legitimate son of the Lupu Rong Family and a second-rank Attendant Officer of the Kutan Martial God Temple! You want me to kowtow to a lowly maid and apologize? This is simply outrageous!"

Jiang Wang's face darkened even further.

That was the second time.

They said things never happened more than three times. His pent-up rage had already surged to his throat.

Venerable Luo remained expressionless.

Making Rong Yulu kowtow and apologize was clearly no easy matter, but he truly delighted in Xiaoyu's outstanding aptitude. So he simply watched from the sidelines, letting the young people settle it themselves.

Jiang Wang looked toward Sun Qingya, who immediately understood.

He walked straight toward Rong Yulu, clasping his hands together as his bones crackled.

Venerable Luo raised a brow slightly but still did not move.

Rong Yulu sneered. "What, you want to fight? Then this young master will play with you."

He drew the blade hanging at his waist. Martial artist aura spilled forth from him; he was only one notch weaker than Feng Linghuai.

Sun Qingya carried no weapon. Barehanded, he lunged at Rong Yulu like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, his momentum vast and surging.

The muscles in his arms tightened. Facing Rong Yulu's slashing blade, he actually knocked it aside with his bare hand. Such was the formidable physique of a martial artist.

Yet Rong Yulu was, after all, a Fourth Realm Martial Artist, and he had a sharp blade in hand. Though the first strike failed to break Sun Qingya's defenses, it still left a distinct mark.

If several more strikes came, there would still be a limit to what his body alone could withstand.

Thus, Sun Qingya intended to end this quickly.

After knocking aside Rong Yulu's blade once again, Sun Qingya's left palm was already reaching for his throat.

He directly seized the throat of his fate.

He lifted Rong Yulu's entire body and smashed him viciously into the ground. The agonizing pain in his throat left Rong Yulu unable to breathe. No matter how he punched and kicked, he could not shake Sun Qingya's mountain-like, imposing frame in the slightest.

"What Lupu Rong Family? It really is absurd. Nothing but a useless piece of trash."

Sun Qingya held Rong Yulu by the throat and looked down at him from above, casually tossing out that mockery.

Jiang Wang clapped his hands. "Brother Sun is truly fierce!"

Seeing this, Venerable Luo understood. Though he did not recognize Sun Qingya, he was surely a fierce general from the Black Flame Army. His martial artist realm had already reached the peak of the Fourth Realm.

There were not few martial artists in the Sui Kingdom who had cultivated to the Grandmaster Realm, but there were certainly not many either. Sun Qingya likely needed only a single opportunity to advance into the Grandmaster Realm.