Want My Money? Come and Get It With Your Life!

The auction ended, and Lu Yuan paid two gold bars to obtain the Dragon Elephant Longevity Art. He tucked it into his bosom like a precious treasure, excitement surging in his heart: "After months of searching, I've finally found a dedicated longevity technique."

He mingled with the departing crowd of guests, doing his best to stay low-key and avoid drawing attention.

By the time the auction concluded, the sun had already set. Unwilling to travel by night, he decided to find an inn, sleep for one night, and head back tomorrow during the day.

After walking just a few minutes, Lu Yuan frowned slightly, sweeping his gaze over the two men ahead and behind him. "What business do you three have with me?"

The three seemed to have been tailing him all along, seizing the opportunity to block him front and back on this secluded stretch of road.

The gray-clothed man in front looked at Lu Yuan with a playful smirk. "Kid, you dropped two thousand taels at the auction for the Dragon Elephant Longevity Art. Looks like you've got plenty of silver. Our brothers are short on cash lately, so we figured we'd ask you for a loan."

The situation was clear. These three had marked Lu Yuan from the auction, followed him all the way, and were now ready to fleece the fat sheep.

Lu Yuan was a bit speechless. He'd already kept a low profile.

After the auction, he'd deliberately changed into different clothes and blended in with the large crowd of guests. Yet he'd still been spotted.

Lu Yuan sighed. "I only spent two thousand taels—that's all the silver I had. Some people spent tens of thousands. Why don't you go rob them instead? Why target me?"

At the auction, plenty of people had spent several thousand, tens of thousands, or even more. His two thousand taels shouldn't have marked him as a prime fat sheep.

The gray-clothed man looked at him like he was an idiot. "You think we're fools? Those people clearly aren't easy to mess with. We thought it over, and you're the only little fat sheep worth shearing. If not you, who else?"

"Kid, you're just unlucky. Hand over the money nicely. We thieves have our code—we want the cash, not your life," the black-clothed man behind him spoke up.

These three were old hands at this trade, with sharp instincts. Anyone who looked tough, they wouldn't touch.

They'd singled out Lu Yuan for a few reasons. First, he was young, so his strength couldn't be that high.

Second, spending two thousand taels on a useless art like the Dragon Elephant Longevity Art proved he had money.

Third, he was alone—easy to deal with.

So after a quick discussion, they'd locked onto Lu Yuan.

"Fine, guess I'm out of luck. All my money's right here."

Lu Yuan unhooked the small pouch at his waist and made as if to toss it to the gray-clothed man.

The gray-clothed man instinctively reached out to catch it. But the moment his hand closed around the pouch, his two companions' shouts rang in his ears:

"Dodge!!!"

The instant the gray-clothed man reached out, a cold, merciless blade flashed under the moonlight, nearly illuminating the entire secluded path.

Puchi!!

The gray-clothed man, who had just caught the pouch, had his head—still wearing a lingering smirk—tumble to the ground. Blood spurted from his neck like a fountain, and the thick stench of blood instantly filled the air.

In the blink of an eye, a burly, vicious thug lay severed head from body, his corpse toppling backward.

The two men behind Lu Yuan, who had still worn mocking expressions, widened their eyes in shock, their minds blank, unable to believe what they'd just seen.

This was no easy little fat sheep to shear—it was a man-eating beast.

"Eldest Brother!!!"

The black-clothed man's scalp tingled as he let out a heart-wrenching roar.

Only one thought filled his mind.

I'll kill him to avenge Eldest Brother!!!

Driven by sheer fury, the black-clothed man's eyes nearly split at the corners. He drew his blade like a mindless beast and charged madly forward.

The other man followed suit, attacking alongside him.

Lu Yuan's expression was cold. He darted forward a few steps, his long blade sweeping horizontally like a crescent moon arcing through the air.

"Rob me? Pay with your life!"

He didn't believe a word of their "money, not lives" spiel.

Since they wanted to steal from him, killing them was only fair.

A blade in hand, murder in heart—that was his state of mind just now.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

As soon as they clashed, Lu Yuan realized both men were roughly at the Blood Refinement level. Though they were both at that stage, their combined assault put no pressure on him at all.

His Great Gale Saber Technique was near perfection. Lu Yuan's skill with the blade surpassed even Zhang Zhi, a veteran who had trained for over twenty years. As he fought, he found that within three meters around him, not a single stir of wind or rustle of grass escaped his notice, and his blade's momentum could shift freely at will.

After the exchange, the black-clothed man's fury mostly dissipated, replaced by shock and anger:

"Did this kid start training in the womb or what?"

Even though they were two against one, facing Lu Yuan's violent, storm-like blade light, they felt as if they were the ones being besieged. A faint sting and tearing sensation prickled their skin, as if they were trapped under a net of blades, about to be shredded at any moment.

No matter how they struck, their attacks were easily parried, while a single casual slash from this kid forced them into a flustered, sweating scramble.

In just ten seconds, both men had picked up several wounds.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Under the moonlit night, the ring of metal on metal rang out endlessly, sparks flying everywhere.

Chi!!

The gray-clothed man screamed, stumbling and nearly falling.

His companion saw a huge gash in his abdomen, nearly gutting him open, with wriggling intestines faintly visible.

If it had been any deeper, it would have cut him clean in two.