After the auction ended, Lu Yuan paid two gold bars and got the Dragon Elephant Longevity Art. He tucked it away in his clothes like a precious treasure, excitement surging through him. After searching for months, I've finally found a cultivation art dedicated to extending one's lifespan.
He left amid the crowd of guests, doing his best to keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention.
By the time the auction ended, the sun had already gone down. He didn't want to travel at night, so he planned to find an inn, sleep there, and head back tomorrow during the day.
He hadn't walked for more than a few minutes when Lu Yuan frowned slightly and glanced at the two men behind and ahead of him. "What do the three of you want?"
The three had apparently been following him for a while. Once they found the chance, they had blocked his path in both directions in this secluded spot.
The Gray-clothed Man standing in front eyed Lu Yuan with amusement. "Kid, you spent two thousand taels at the auction to buy the Dragon Elephant Longevity Art. Looks like you've got plenty of silver. We brothers are short on cash lately, so we thought we'd ask you for some."
The situation was clear. These three had set their sights on Lu Yuan at the auction and followed him all the way, planning to fleece a fat sheep.
Lu Yuan was a little speechless. He had already been keeping a low profile.
After the auction, he'd gone out of his way to find somewhere to change clothes, then mingled with the crowd of guests. He hadn't expected to be targeted anyway.
Lu Yuan sighed. "I only spent two thousand taels. That's all the money I have. Some people spent tens of thousands. Why don't you rob them? Why come after me?"
At the auction, plenty of people had spent several thousand taels, ten thousand, or even tens of thousands. Lu Yuan had only spent two thousand; he shouldn't have been much of a fat sheep.
The Gray-clothed Man looked at him as if he were an idiot. "You think we're fools? Those people obviously aren't easy targets. We thought it over, and you're the fattest little sheep around. If we don't rob you, who should we rob?"
"Kid, tough luck. Just hand over your money. We thieves have our principles: we want the money, not your life," the black-clothed man behind him said.
The three were seasoned hands at this sort of thing, with a keen eye for trouble. They never picked on anyone who looked like they could fight back.
They had targeted Lu Yuan for several reasons. First, he was young, so his strength couldn't be that high.
Second, he'd spent two thousand taels on a useless Dragon Elephant Longevity Art, proving he had money.
Third, he was alone and would be easy to deal with.
So after discussing it among themselves, the three had settled on Lu Yuan.
"Fine. I suppose it's my bad luck. All my money is right here."
Lu Yuan took the small pouch from his waist and pretended to toss it to the Gray-clothed Man.
The Gray-clothed Man reached out without thinking. But the instant he caught the pouch, he heard his two companions cry out behind him:
"Dodge!!!"
The moment the Gray-clothed Man reached out, a cold, merciless blade flashed beneath the moonlight, almost lighting up the secluded lane.
Splurt!!
The Gray-clothed Man had just caught the pouch. His smiling head rolled to the ground, blood gushing from his neck like a fountain as the heavy stench of blood spread through the air.
In the blink of an eye, a burly, vicious-looking man had been severed in two. His body toppled backward.
The two men behind Lu Yuan, who had still been wearing mocking grins, gaped, their minds going blank as they struggled to believe what they were seeing.
This wasn't some fat little sheep waiting to be slaughtered. It was a man-eating beast.
"Big brother!!!"
The black-clothed man's scalp prickled as he let out a heart-rending roar.
Only one thought filled his mind.
I'll kill him and avenge Big Brother!!!
Consumed by fury, the black-clothed man's eyes bulged. He drew his saber and charged at Lu Yuan like a frenzied beast, as if he'd lost all reason.
The other man charged alongside him.
Lu Yuan's expression was icy. He darted forward a few steps, his long saber sweeping out in a broad arc like a crescent moon.
"Rob my money? Pay with your life!"
He didn't believe for a second that the three of them only wanted money and not lives.
If they wanted to rob him, then killing them was only fair.
A blade in hand, the urge to kill arose—that was exactly how he'd been just moments ago.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
As soon as they clashed, Lu Yuan realized that both men were around the same level, each having undergone Blood Refinement once. Though they were both at that level, being surrounded by them put him under no pressure at all.
The Great Gale Saber Technique was close to perfection. Lu Yuan's skill with the saber surpassed even Zhang Zhi's, a veteran who had practiced for over twenty years. As they fought, he found that within three meters of him, not even the slightest stir of wind or grass escaped his notice, and he could shift the flow of his saber at will.
After the clash, most of the black-clothed man's fury drained away, replaced by shock and anger.
"Did this kid start training in his mother's womb?"
Though the two men were attacking Lu Yuan together, his saber strikes came like a violent storm. They felt as if they were the ones being surrounded. Their skin prickled and seemed to tear, as though they were trapped beneath a net of blades, liable to be shredded at any moment.
No matter how they swung their sabers, he blocked them with ease. Yet every casual strike from the kid sent them scrambling, drenched in sweat.
In just ten seconds, each man had picked up several wounds.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
In the moonlit darkness, the clash of metal rang without end as sparks flew.
Sshk!!
The Gray-clothed Man cried out and stumbled, nearly falling.
His companion saw a huge gash in his abdomen, almost splitting him open. His writhing intestines were just visible.
If the cut had gone a little deeper, it would have sliced him in half at the waist.
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