Night Raid on Xu Family Manor!

Whoosh.

A streak of white light flashed.

Lu Changsheng gripped the Dagger in his hand, spun sharply, and instantly slit the throats of two men.

Thud.

The expressions on their faces stiffened slightly, and a trace of astonishment appeared in their eyes, as though they could not believe it.

The two collapsed to the ground and swiftly became corpses.

Lu Changsheng walked step by step toward the final figure.

"You..."

The last figure's eyes widened, his heart filled with terror.

Without a second thought, he turned and ran.

But the moment he lifted his foot, Lu Changsheng's Dagger was already before him.

The sharp Dagger was inches away. Its icy gleam filled him with boundless fear.

"Spare me, Doctor Lu, spare me."

"You know me?"

Lu Changsheng raised a brow, somewhat surprised.

"I do. Of course I do."

"We know every apothecary and Doctor in Miraculous Garden."

"Doctor Lu is Elder Wu's prized disciple. We have been watching you for a long time."

Lu Changsheng fell into thought. He recalled the apothecaries and Doctors who had gone missing one after another recently, and some guesses had already formed in his mind.

"Who are you?"

"We..."

The man hesitated.

Whoosh.

Lu Changsheng slashed downward with his Dagger, instantly cutting off one of the man's ears.

The man screamed and clutched his ear, his hand covered in blood.

"I'll talk, I'll tell you everything."

"We are martial artists hired by Benefactor Xu of Xu Family Manor outside the city. Benefactor Xu pays us silver to abduct apothecaries and Doctors and take them to Xu Family Manor."

Lu Changsheng frowned. He had heard of Xu Family Manor, and even of Benefactor Xu.

This Benefactor Xu possessed numerous businesses. He built bridges and paved roads, bringing blessings to the region, and was a renowned figure in Nanyang Prefecture.

Why would he send martial artists to abduct apothecaries and Doctors?

"What does Benefactor Xu want with these apothecaries and Doctors?"

Lu Changsheng continued questioning him.

"Benefactor Xu is very mysterious. He does not tell us."

"However, though we work for him, we are not completely in the dark. If I am not mistaken, the Blood Strengthening Pills that suddenly appeared in Nanyang Prefecture recently should have come from Xu Family Manor."

"Benefactor Xu may have captured so many apothecaries and Doctors in order to refine Blood Strengthening Pills."

Lu Changsheng was somewhat astonished.

This had actually led back to the Blood Strengthening Pills.

The Blood Strengthening Pills were very mysterious. No one knew where they had come from.

Yet they apparently came from Xu Family Manor.

Lu Changsheng questioned him carefully again. Once he was certain the man had concealed nothing, he lightly drew his Dagger across.

Splat.

The man clutched his throat and fell dead.

Perhaps even in death, he did not understand how a mere Doctor could possess such formidable martial arts.

Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly, weighing matters in his heart.

"These martial artists were sent by Benefactor Xu to abduct apothecaries and Doctors. They targeted me, believing I was an ordinary Doctor. They never expected me to be an Organ Refining martial artist."

"My identity should not have been exposed. After all, they moved freely within the city and were not targeting only me."

"Moreover, all three are dead. The dead tell no tales. No one knows I killed them."

"However, Xu Family Manor has abducted so many apothecaries and Doctors. They must be plotting something!"

"I had no wish to interfere in this matter, but if I let it continue, Xu Family Manor will sooner or later send even more martial artists..."

Lu Changsheng had already vaguely made up his mind.

Besides, Apothecary Cheng had also been taken by Xu Family Manor. Apothecary Cheng had always looked after him quite well at the medicine shop.

Had Lu Changsheng not known, that would have been one thing. But now that he knew Apothecary Cheng had been captured by Xu Family Manor, he naturally could not stand by and do nothing.

Still, he could not act rashly.

Lu Changsheng returned to Miraculous Garden. First, he changed into a Nightwalker Robe and covered his face with a black cloth.

Then he picked up a Short Sword.

The Short Sword was in the open, the Dagger hidden in the dark. Lu Changsheng had grown fond of this combination.

At times, it truly came in handy.

Once prepared, Lu Changsheng left Miraculous Garden, melted into the night, and swiftly headed out of the city.

Xu Family Manor was roughly twenty li from Nanyang City.

It was about the same distance as Gao Family Fortress, but in a different direction—one lay east, the other west.

By the time Lu Changsheng arrived near Xu Family Manor, night had completely fallen. Yet Xu Family Manor in the distance was brightly lit and seemed quite lively.

Lu Changsheng silently approached Xu Family Manor.

He found many people gathered within an imposing manor.

Red lanterns hung both inside and outside the manor, and the character for double happiness had been pasted everywhere. Someone was likely getting married.

"Come, drink."

"Xu Laosi, today we drink until one of us drops."

"Today is the Eldest Young Master's joyous wedding day. We must have a proper drink."

"Yeah. We have been so busy lately that we have not had even a moment to spare. We cannot even go into the city to visit the brothels."

"When will we finally get some rest?"

"Soon. Once we help Master Xu get things done, we can naturally rest properly."

All sorts of voices reached Lu Changsheng's ears.

Ever since his blood exchange, his overall senses had become much sharper.

Even from far away, he could hear these people talking.

Lu Changsheng looked at the enormous Xu Family Manor and frowned.

Xu Family Manor was vast. He did not know the way, much less where the Doctors and apothecaries were being held. How was he supposed to rescue them?

However, Lu Changsheng did not rashly reveal himself, nor did he pretend to be a manor servant of Xu Family Manor to gather information.

Places like Xu Family Manor were actually very closed-off.

The manor servants saw one another day in and day out.

It was simply impossible for Lu Changsheng to impersonate one of them.

He might be discovered the instant he showed himself.

So, Lu Changsheng continued listening.

With so many people and such revelry, someone was bound to become drunk and babble nonsense, letting slip a piece of information.

Time passed bit by bit.

After three rounds of wine, a burly man said drunkenly, "All right, I have eaten and drunk my fill. It is time for me to return to my post."

"That place is very important to Master Xu. I cannot delay."

"All right, all right, Xu Er Lengzi. Hurry back, then. Do not let Master Xu find out, or he will have you caned."

Xu Er Lengzi got to his feet and staggered drunkenly toward the manor.

Lu Changsheng's heart stirred at those words.

This Xu Er Lengzi was clearly heading for a secret place, one Benefactor Xu valued greatly.

Even if it was not where the apothecaries and Doctors were imprisoned, it was most likely related to the Blood Strengthening Pills.

Thus, Lu Changsheng lightly leaped into the manor.

His movement technique was incredibly swift and soundless. He deliberately chose darker areas, following behind Xu Er Lengzi without being noticed.

Deeper within the manor, the place was noticeably quieter, with scarcely anyone coming or going.

Xu Er Lengzi came to a large tree and activated a mechanism.

Rumble...

A passage actually split open beside the tree.

Three martial artists emerged from the passage and said with smiles, "Xu Er Lengzi, Master Xu went in just now and even asked where you had gone. We told him you went to take a piss, and that saved you from a disaster."

Xu Er Lengzi shuddered all over and immediately tossed out two bottles of wine. "Good brothers, here. Take these back and drink."

"Hehe, not bad. You did not forget us when you had good wine."

"Right, sober up quickly. Do not let Master Xu catch you."

The three then prepared to enter the passage.

Lu Changsheng knew it was impossible to follow the three into the passage.

Having reached this point, he could only force his way in.

As long as he was fast enough, he could find out what was below before anyone discovered him.

Just as the three turned and prepared to enter the passage, Lu Changsheng appeared behind them like a ghost.

Whoosh.

The three only felt a gust of wind strike from behind. Before they could even turn around, they had already been pierced by swords.

Lu Changsheng tossed the three corpses into a corner behind the large tree, then quietly entered the passage.

Following the passage downward, Lu Changsheng vaguely heard waves of sound from within.

Moreover, the farther in he went, the more he could hear what seemed to be panic and confusion amid the clamor.

There was also a faint trace of blood in the murky air.

"Something happened?"

Lu Changsheng hurried down.

Soon, Lu Changsheng saw a spacious hall beneath the passage.

However, many people lay in pools of blood throughout the hall.

Several martial artists appeared to be besieging a Red-Robed Figure.

"Is it him?"

Lu Changsheng's heart jolted as he looked toward the Red-Robed Figure among the crowd.