Playing with Our Lives? Who Couldn't!

Everyone's hearts trembled. They stood dumbstruck, their backs turning cold.

Steward Shen instinctively reached for his blade. At the same time, stormy waves rose in his heart, and his pupils suddenly contracted. "This Li Jing is actually a Blood Qi Like an Ox expert!"

A chill rose in his heart.

When people first began practicing martial arts, they tempered their bodies, increasing their speed and strength. But once they reached a certain point, strength and speed could no longer increase, because the human body had limits. No matter how gifted one was, one could only wrestle with a bull at most.

At that point, Blood Refinement was needed to continue strengthening the body.

There was an enormous gap between a Blood Refinement Martial Artist and someone who had never refined their blood.

Even after just one Blood Refinement, one's strength, speed, and physical toughness far surpassed those of ordinary people. Their explosive power was ferocious; even a dozen or so grown men might not be able to defeat them.

After the Second Blood Change, one's stamina rivaled a galloping horse, one's strength surpassed a fierce tiger, and with a swing of both arms, one possessed the force of a thousand catties.

After Three Blood Changes, one achieved Blood Qi Like an Ox. Their strength rose dramatically again, surpassing ordinary comprehension. Their breaths became deep and unbroken, improving the sinews, bones, skin, and flesh throughout their body, strengthening their internal organs, granting long-lasting stamina and tremendous endurance—comparable to a Supreme Grade warhorse in human form.

Their agility was even more perfectly integrated in spirit and form; they could seize eagles and catch rabbits in a single movement.

They walked as swiftly as galloping horses and leaped as nimbly as flying birds.

Such people could stand against a hundred men. Before ordinary people, they were like humanoid beasts.

Among the young and sturdy men in the Lu Family merchant caravan, there were very few Blood Refinement Martial Artists, let alone someone with Three Blood Changes and Blood Qi Like an Ox.

The next instant, Steward Shen's body shuddered and his mind went blank. Slowly lowering his head, he looked at the horse-chopping saber resting against his neck. The blade was bone-piercingly cold and still stained with horse blood. When it touched his skin, his entire scalp went numb.

At a time like this, so long as Li Jing moved his wrist, Steward Shen's head would fall to the ground just like the horse's.

Steward Shen struggled to turn his head toward Lu Yuan, his eyes carrying a request for instruction.

Although he was the leader of this merchant caravan, the boss's son was also in the group. Whether to pay this money or not was still up to him.

Lu Yuan understood the fear in Steward Shen's eyes. He swept his gaze across everyone in the caravan. Unlike their earlier righteous indignation, each of them was now drenched in cold sweat, fear written all over their faces.

They were all martial artists and knew only too well how terrifying Li Jing's strength was.

It could be said that the more than twenty people of the Lu Family were not even enough for him to kill alone.

If they truly fought, Li Jing would be chopping melons and slicing vegetables.

So this was what a powerhouse was like? No matter how wealthy the Lu Family is, before someone like this, we can only wait to be slaughtered... I transmigrated here—could it be that I can only inherit the Lu Family business, become a medicinal merchant, and live such a bland life until I'm fifty-five?

Lu Yuan's thoughts drifted.

With a golden finger like mine, how could I be willing to live such a life?

Li Jing sneered at Lu Yuan. "Hey, brat, looks like you're the one who can make the decision. Hand over money obediently to celebrate my big brother's birthday, and everyone can naturally live in peace. But if you don't... hmph!"

With a cold laugh, he withdrew the saber from Steward Shen's shoulder and waved it a few times, his threat obvious beyond words.

The dozens of Iron Dragon Stockade riders also raised their weapons in unison, as though they were only waiting for Li Jing's command to rush forward and begin a massacre.

"Second Young Master."

Steward Shen and the others all looked at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan sighed inwardly. The situation was stronger than the man; he had only one choice. If they truly fought, there would only be one outcome—the more than twenty people of the Lu Family would surely suffer devastating casualties.

"Chief Li, my Lu Family has no intention of becoming enemies with Iron Dragon Stockade. How much of a birthday gift would satisfy you?"

Lu Yuan chose to yield.

"This much..."

Li Jing raised one finger.

"O-one hundred taels?"

Li Jing's tiger eyes widened. "My big brother is celebrating his birthday, and you're giving him a congratulatory gift of one hundred taels of silver? Are you looking down on my big brother or what???"

"Then... one thousand taels??"

Lu Yuan's chest filled with rage, but he dared not speak it aloud.

The Lu Family could not even earn that much in a month.

Giving him this money was equivalent to the Lu Family working for nothing for an entire month.

"Uncle Shen, how much money do we have left?"

Lu Yuan prepared to hand over the money obediently and get through this crisis first.

"Five hundred and fifty taels. The rest was all used to purchase Medicinal Materials."

Lu Yuan said, "Chief Li, you heard him. We only have five hundred and fifty taels on hand. How about we give you the remainder next time?"

"Fine. But I'm warning you—don't try any tricks!"

A smile appeared on Li Jing's face. He was not afraid that the Lu Family would refuse to pay.

So long as the Lu Family still wanted to survive in Lingbao County and still needed to leave the city to purchase Medicinal Materials, they would have to live under Iron Dragon Stockade's shadow.

"Farewell!"

After counting the silver, Li Jing led his group away directly.

"A pack of insatiable bloodsuckers. The protection money we pay is already more than enough, yet they still invent excuses to fleece us!" Steward Shen cursed under his breath.

Lu Yuan became even more resolute in his decision.

Chaotic times were approaching. Without martial strength, when facing powerful martial artists, one could only be carved up like fish on a chopping board.

Iron Dragon Stockade was already considered relatively rule-abiding among bandits and horse thieves. Previously, as long as the Lu Family paid on time, they generally would not make things difficult for them. Yet the existence of toll fees meant that a portion of the Lu Family's monthly earnings was lost for nothing.

And they could no longer count on the authorities, either.

"Only by becoming strong myself and grasping martial power can I avoid being bullied!"

Lu Yuan said silently in his heart.

After returning to the county town and handing over the Medicinal Materials, Lu Yuan returned to the Lu Family residence.

When he reached the street corner, Lu Yuan was stunned.

The gates of the Xie Family residence stood wide open, and the place was filled with people from the government yamen. From outside, he could see more than a dozen corpses lying neatly within.

From the old to the young, every member of the Xie Family was there.

Not a single corpse was intact. Every one of them looked as though they had been struck by a car racing at a hundred miles an hour, their deaths miserable beyond description.

"Brother Chu, what happened here?"

Lu Yuan walked over to a constable by the entrance.

The constable sighed. "The Xie Family's eldest young master provoked a Demon outside. In the middle of the night, the Demon slipped into their home and slaughtered all dozen-odd members of the Xie Family."

Lu Yuan sucked in a breath of cold air. The Xie Family was a scholarly household. The old master of the Xie Family had once risen as high as deputy prefectural governor, the third-ranking figure in the prefecture.

Although he had retired many years ago and no one from the Xie Family had taken his place, in Lingbao County, the Xie Family's status far surpassed that of the Lu Family.

They lived on the same street. Today, the Xie Family had been exterminated by a Demon—who knew whether the Lu Family might suffer the same calamity someday?

"What about the Demon?"

"The chief constable took people to hunt it down."

A stretch of silence followed.

Lu Yuan thought of many things.

This world did not merely have man-made disasters; Demons also brought calamity. It was far too dangerous.

Even free America, with gunfights every day, was far safer than this place.

He returned to the Lu Family.

It was a residence with five courtyards in front and five behind. There were more than ten servants, while the Lu Family itself had only three members.

Lu Yuan, his older brother Lu Cheng, and their father, Lu Longjing, the head of the Lu Family.

Though he was a merchant, Lu Longjing was tall and slender with an elegant temperament. He looked more like a scholar who had read countless books.

After hearing Lu Yuan's account, his face turned livid. He slammed the table. "They've gone too far! Those bandits from Iron Dragon Stockade are simply greedy beyond measure."

Lu Yuan shook his head and sighed. "Fortunately, no one from our Lu Family was injured today. We only lost some money."

"The Lu Family can still bear this loss."

Lu Longjing pondered. "Iron Dragon Stockade has broken the rules. I'm afraid this will not be an isolated incident. They may only grow greedier in the future."

Lu Yuan silently rose and left.

When your fist was smaller than theirs, no scheme would be of any use.

Returning to his room, Lu Yuan tightly locked the door and ordered the servants not to disturb him.

With a thought, he summoned the panel.

"This damned world—if I could live my whole life without worrying about food or clothing, then even if I could only live to sixty-one, so be it. But it insists on forcing me down this road."

A disgusting, damned world.

In a single day, he had been oppressed and forcibly extorted by bandits and horse thieves, then witnessed the Xie Family's dozen-odd members being wiped out by a Demon.

Lu Yuan had two choices.

He could endure humiliation and drag out an existence for a lifetime, then meet King Yama at sixty-one.

Or he could live freely and fiercely, releasing the most dazzling light during his brief life.

Without question, it was the latter.

Fine, fine, fine. You're forcing me, are you?

Then come on!

A mad gleam flashed through Lu Yuan's eyes.

This life had been an extra one anyway. Playing with his life? Who couldn't?

Looking at the panel, Lu Yuan took a deep breath.

"Golden finger—yes, aptitude. Sorry for the trouble, fill it up for me."

"Thank you."