After Today, the Vast Sea Is for Fish to Leap!

After today, the vast sea is for fish to leap!

"Y-you... you..."

"You killed Lord Wu Yuan?!"

Wu Yuan had become a Fire Corpse. The five servants stared at Lu Qingfeng as though they had seen a ghost, so stunned that they even forgot to run.

In their eyes, the incomparably powerful Inner Disciple Lord Wu Yuan had been killed in a single exchange by this seemingly frail youth?

And this youth was the elder brother of Lu Qingshan, whom they had bullied in the past?!

The shock was too great. They had lost the ability to think.

"Qingshan, how are you?"

Lu Qingfeng did not waste time tangling with these servants. He pulled Qingyu over to Lu Qingshan.

He had not expected Wu Yuan to be so violent, seriously injuring Lu Qingshan before he had even made a move.

Fortunately, it had only been one kick.

If Wu Yuan had gone mad and brought down a saber on his head, Lu Qingfeng would have regretted it for the rest of his life!

"I-I'm fine, cough, cough!"

"Those few... can't be left alive!"

Lu Qingshan's chest throbbed with pain. In the time it took him to say two sentences, he had already coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. Even so, he pointed at the other five servants standing frozen in place.

"Alright!"

Lu Qingfeng had not wanted to deal with these five servants. After all, they might have been unfortunate souls with hardships and circumstances much like Lu Qingshan's.

But since Lu Qingshan had asked him to act, he must have had his reasons. This was not the time to examine those reasons. Acting immediately and leaving swiftly was the proper course!

Nether Smoke Step!

Lu Qingfeng moved, unleashing the Nether Smoke Step. Like a phantom, he appeared directly before one of the servants. The servant looked to be around twenty, and he had already been frightened senseless.

He gripped a pudao in his hand, yet could not lift it no matter what.

Crack!

Lu Qingfeng reached out and twisted the man's head, snapping his neck. His life ended at once.

"Demon!"

"Run!"

The remaining four servants finally came to their senses. In a panic, they threw down their pudaos and turned to flee!

But like Lu Qingshan, they were Servant Disciples who had not yet entered the path of cultivation. How could they possibly outrun Lu Qingfeng?

Before twenty breaths had passed, Lu Qingfeng had killed them all.

Strangely enough, Lu Qingfeng had been extremely nervous the night before killing anyone. Now that he had opened the floodgates to slaughter, he felt nothing at all.

"Go!"

There was no time to dwell on it.

Lu Qingfeng hoisted Lu Qingshan onto his back, tucked Lu Qingyu beneath his other arm, then bound the Nine Ring Saber and several pudaos from the ground together.

Then he raced toward the dock.

Dawn had not long broken, and the dock was deserted.

With the Returning Truth Sect's fearsome reputation, unless one was tired of living, who would dare steal boats at the foot of Yellow Ganoderma Mountain?!

With Lu Qingshan on his back and Lu Qingyu in hand, Lu Qingfeng casually leaped onto a wooden boat.

The seven or eight boats here were all small. The largest could hold only around ten people, while the smallest had room for merely three to five.

He chose the smallest one, then untied all the other boats' ropes as well. This would give the Returning Truth Sect's pursuit some trouble.

Over the past three days, Lu Qingfeng had found a swift river beside Black Sand Town and spent the equivalent of two months practicing boat handling. Steering a small boat posed no problem for him.

The boat had no anchor. Once he untied the rope and pushed off with an oar, it shot straight into the Chengyang River.

"Even if the Returning Truth Sect discovers that all six of Wu Yuan's group are dead as quickly as possible, it will take them at least half an hour to react and investigate."

"If I travel downstream by boat, they can only catch me by water."

"But as long as I don't stop midway, they can forget about catching up!"

Only now did Lu Qingfeng finally let out a breath.

The greatest uncertainty and difficulty in their plan had been killing Wu Yuan and seizing a boat. Once those two steps were complete, the ensuing escape and pursuit were far less dangerous than imagined.

The vast Chengyang River stretched on for who knew how many miles.

The Returning Truth Sect held immense power in Jiuzhai County, but once they left Jiuzhai County, they ought to be safe!

"Huff, huff!"

"From this day forth, the vast sea is for fish to leap, and the high sky is for birds to fly!"

With an oar in hand, Lu Qingfeng controlled the boat's direction. He looked back toward Yellow Ganoderma Mountain, and an unprecedented smile of liberation appeared on his face.

"Blackwood Village!"

"Returning Truth Sect!"

"I'll be back!"

But by then, it would be the day the Returning Truth Sect was overturned!

Yellow Ganoderma Mountain, beside the dock.

More than a dozen people dressed in dark, tight-fitting robes stood with grave expressions.

The man at their head wore a Ring Pommel Saber at his waist, his brows tightly furrowed. He appeared to be in his forties, and his aura was as deep as an abyss, impossible to fathom.

This man was named Zhao Zhou. He was a powerful figure within the Returning Truth Sect, commanding the highly influential Punishment Hall as its chief.

"Chief, judging from the scene, the burned corpse is Wu Yuan. The other five corpses belonged to servants Wu Yuan had selected. One servant named Lu Qingshan is missing."

"Lu Qingshan is a Servant Disciple from Blackwood Village. He has an elder brother and a younger sister at home. He entered the sect five months and twenty-four days ago."

A disciple stood before Zhao Zhou and reported.

"Lu Qingshan."

Thoughtfulness flashed in Zhao Zhou's eyes before he said, "Go to Blackwood Village and see whether his brother and sister are still there. If they are, bring them here directly."

"Yes!"

The disciple accepted the order, gathered some men, and hurried toward Blackwood Village.

Zhao Zhou, meanwhile, walked to Wu Yuan's charred corpse and crouched down to inspect it.

Chen Shang, a disciple specially trained in the arts of forensic examination, respectfully said beside him, "Wu Yuan's fatal injury was to the head. The flames began burning from his face and spread across his entire body. The wound on his chest was caused by a kick. Judging from the angle and force, Wu Yuan had already lost the ability to resist and was lying on the ground at the time. The person who kicked him was no stronger than Fetal Respiration Third Level."

A forensic examiner truly was extraordinary, nearly reconstructing Wu Yuan's death in full.

"What about the flames?"

Zhao Zhou asked.

"The flames—"

Chen Shang showed a troubled expression and shook his head. "Their power was immense. Wu Yuan activated his Inner Breath to form a Tortoise Shell, yet still could not withstand them. It seems to have been caused by a Fire Attribute martial art, but this disciple truly cannot think of any fire-attribute technique in Jiuzhai County, or even Guangyuan Prefecture, that could conjure flames from thin air to harm people at the Fetal Respiration stage!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhou lowered his head in contemplation.

Half an hour later.

"Six of the boats carried away by the river have been recovered. The other two are missing."

"In Blackwood Village, the siblings Lu Qingfeng and Lu Qingyu had not appeared since early this morning. Their clothes remain in their home. We also found remnants of seventeen medicinal ingredients, including Atractylodes Macrocephala, Licorice Root, and Polygonatum, as well as a box of Tree Bark. It contained literacy lessons, meridians and acupoints, the First Layer of the 'Returning Truth Technique,' and 'Wild Bull Fist.'"

After hearing the report, Zhao Zhou revealed an intrigued smile.

"Privately passing on teachings."

"Seizing a boat and fleeing."

"A youth from the countryside actually possesses such courage."

Zhao Zhou murmured, then declared in a clear voice, "Form teams of five and pursue the Lu siblings by boat. Also send word to Dianshui Village, Huangyan Village, Pingyan Village, and Ningkou Village along the riverbanks. Organize search parties to comb the shores. Report immediately upon discovering anyone suspicious!"

"Yes!"

The black-clad stewards accepted their orders and withdrew one after another.

Zhao Zhou stood where he was, gazing at the Chengyang River surging eastward. He murmured softly, "Such injuries cannot be caused by ordinary martial arts. They must have been caused by flame Spells. If the Lu siblings had no one helping them, then they must have encountered some fortuitous opportunity and acquired certain methods. Even if someone did help them, that person cannot be very strong. Otherwise, they would not have chosen to flee by boat."

"The Chengyang River is vast. The Lu siblings think they can ride downstream and escape Jiuzhai County by boat, but they do not know that the waters near Ningkou Village are swift and riddled with hidden reefs. Neither large nor small boats can pass."

"I would like to see how you will escape my grasp when you cannot flee even with wings!"

"Spells! A fortuitous opportunity!"

Zhao Zhou gave a soft laugh and strolled away.

Leaving Baidi amid Caiyun at dawn, returning to Jiangling a thousand li away in a single day.

The cries of apes on both banks never ceased; the light boat had already passed ten thousand mountains.

Lu Qingfeng controlled the small boat as it drifted downstream.

The mountains on either side of the Chengyang River gradually rose higher, their cliffs steep, with the cries of apes and roars of tigers ringing without end.

In the center of the boat, blood streaked the corner of Lu Qingshan's mouth. His head tipped to one side, and he collapsed into Lu Qingyu's arms, her face wet with tears.

"Big Brother, Second Brother is dying!"

Lu Qingyu's tearful voice rang out.

Lu Qingfeng's mouth twitched slightly. While keeping the boat balanced, he comforted her, "Qingshan just took some medicine and fell asleep. He'll be fine after he wakes."

Lu Qingshan's injuries looked serious, but Wu Yuan had controlled his strength well and had not intended to kill him.

After all, he had planned to take Lu Qingshan across the Chengyang River.

When necessary, one more discarded pawn might mean one more chance of survival.

Thus, Wu Yuan had never intended to kill or seriously injure Lu Qingshan.

He had not even intended to kill Lu Qingfeng.

Though his motives had been impure, who would have thought that he would ultimately die at the hands of these two brothers, whom he had never regarded as worthy of notice from beginning to end?

Thanks to that.

Lu Qingshan's injuries were not severe.

During his three days in Blackwood Village, Lu Qingfeng had refined three batches of Fasting Pills, thirty-six in total, along with scattered medicinal powders for external wounds, internal injuries, insect repulsion, poison antidotes, and more. After Lu Qingshan took a dose of medicine and rested well for a few days, these injuries would soon heal.

After hearing this, Lu Qingyu blinked. Tears still clung to her long eyelashes, and she nearly wanted to throw Lu Qingshan into the Chengyang River!

Just now.

Second Brother had held her and rambled on for ages. One moment, he said how much he missed her; the next, he told her to be good and obedient from now on. Then his head tipped to the side, and with a smile on his face, he "fainted" in her arms.

Anyone would have thought he was at death's door.

"Bad Second Brother!"

Lu Qingyu slapped Lu Qingshan's arm. The tears in his already ragged clothes widened, revealing fresh and old scars across his arm.

In his sleep.

Lu Qingshan felt the pain, frowned slightly, and turned over, exposing the injuries on his back as well.

Whip marks, bruises...

Lu Qingyu lifted Lu Qingshan's shirt. The countless scars sent a chill down her spine.

"The Returning Truth Sect is nothing but a pack of bastards!"

"Bastards!"

Lu Qingyu clenched her fists tightly and cursed loudly.

Hearing her, Lu Qingfeng looked back and immediately saw Lu Qingshan's wounds. He had seen them while examining Lu Qingshan and had intended to hide them from Qingyu, but she had discovered them after all.

"Big Brother! We'll come back, right? We'll come back and kill every one of those bastards from the Returning Truth Sect!"

Lu Qingyu looked up at Lu Qingfeng.

"Yes."

"We will definitely come back!"

Lu Qingfeng nodded.

Leaving aside the Returning Truth Sect's cruel and wicked demonic practices, the suffering their family had endured over the years alone was enough for Lu Qingfeng to hate them for a lifetime.

As long as the Returning Truth Sect remained, the obsession in his heart would never fade!

Two updates, over six thousand words. Please give me a Recommendation Ticket.