You Are Late

"Ah~~~!"

Li Yong's scream echoed, startling the Green-faced Ghost Mask Man and the Red-faced Ghost Mask Man, who immediately shouted, "Scum!"

Both were skilled in Second Blood Change, but Lu Yuan's initial imposing aura had intimidated them, causing them to react slower than Long Ying. Seeing Long Ying and Lu Yuan locked in combat, they became enraged and joined the fray.

Instantly, their blood surged, rushing to their faces like fire as they growled and launched tricky attacks.

One wielded a soft sword, the other a pair of short spears, their every move aimed at Lu Yuan's vital points.

However, to the shock of all three, his swordsmanship was unbelievably brilliant, and his footwork was incredibly seasoned. He revealed no openings, parrying their fierce attacks with his evasive maneuvers, even inflicting wounds on them in the process.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached. Long Ying turned his head and saw Zhang Zhi leading a group, rushing forward to help.

"Damn it!! So the Lu Family hired experts!"

Long Ying's heart burned with anger, regretting not killing them earlier. His blood surged, and he roared:

"Don't hold back, hack this scum to death!!"

After his roar, Long Ying's attacks became entirely defensive, preparing for a full assault.

However, he glanced back. Just as he turned his head, he heard Lu Yuan's low whisper:

"I'm done playing."

Then came the screams, followed by the sight of two heads flying high, blood gushing from their necks like fountains.

Simultaneously, amidst the spray of blood, a figure swung a flowing blade, cleaving down fiercely.

"What!"

Zhang Zhi had just entered the ancestral hall when he saw Lu Yuan's sharp, ruthless blade sever two heads. His heart skipped a beat in shock.

Lu Longjing and the others behind him were even more dumbfounded.

In the blood mist, Long Ying's eyes widened, reflecting Lu Yuan's calm, cold gaze.

The next moment.

The blade light flashed like lightning across his neck.

The Six Yang Crown soared into the sky.

The hot, boiling blood surged ten feet high.

Before the head even hit the ground, Po Jun impaled it.

Under the dumbfounded gazes of everyone, Lu Yuan lifted Long Ying's head, turned, and said:

"You're too late."

Holding Long Ying's head aloft, blood dripping, Lu Yuan felt an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

For over a year since awakening his past life memories, living in this chaotic world, he had always felt a sense of fear, anxiety, and unease.

Although he didn't lack food or clothing in this life, in this world where the strong reigned supreme, his safety was never guaranteed.

The head he had slain was not just Long Ying's; it was the embodiment of the unease that had shrouded Lu Yuan's heart.

As the veil of unease dispersed, light was about to dawn.

Thump!

The headless corpse fell heavily to the ground, jolting the stunned crowd. Lu Longjing, Lu Cheng, and Zhang Zhi were shaken, a mixture of shock and joy on their faces.

"Well done!!"

Lu Longjing heavily patted Lu Yuan's shoulder, too emotional to speak.

That was an expert of Blood Qi Like an Ox, and his son had killed him.

"Little Cheng, when did you break through to Blood Qi Like an Ox?" Lu Cheng asked, disbelieving.

"Yesterday."

Lu Yuan pointed to the corpse lying in the corner, reduced to a pool of mush: "Father, that corpse is Li Yong. This is the head of Long Ying, the Second Boss of Iron Dragon Stockade. It looks like Li Yong colluded with Long Ying to kidnap Big Brother."

The corpse in the corner hadn't drawn much attention. As for Long Ying's head, it was covered in blood and indistinct. Moreover, Lu Family's dealings were mostly with the Third Boss, Li Jing; they had little contact with the Second Boss, Long Ying. Thus, even though the head was prominent, Lu Longjing and the others didn't recognize it.

Lu Cheng blurted out, "Could it be that Li Yong colluded with Iron Dragon Stockade to deal with us?"

Lu Longjing was startled at first, then calmed down:

"Li Yong probably didn't collude with Iron Dragon Stockade, just with Long Ying personally. Otherwise, Iron Dragon Stockade wouldn't have sent only three people. I recognize these two; one is Zhao Qi, and the other is Fan Song. They are Long Ying's trusted subordinates."

Lu Yuan nodded: "That's what I thought too. Li Yong only colluded with Long Ying personally, not the entire Iron Dragon Stockade. The other two bosses of Iron Dragon Stockade likely don't know Long Ying was moonlighting."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes:

"However, this debt will still be settled with Iron Dragon Stockade."

Lu Longjing nodded: "This place is not safe to stay. We'll leave immediately after cleaning up the bodies."

The past two days had been full of near misses for Lu Longjing, but the greatest was the surprise.

Lu Cheng, who had been kidnapped, had returned safely, and the fifty thousand taels, which had been lost, were also recovered.

An even greater surprise was that his younger son had broken through to Blood Qi Like an Ox.

Blood Qi Like an Ox is definitely considered a master in Lingbao County. Iron Dragon Stockade can dominate one area in Lingbao County, but their Second Boss and Third Boss are merely Blood Qi Like an Ox.

After handling all matters, it was already past midnight when they returned home. However, none of the father and his two sons felt sleepy. They closed their doors tightly and discussed matters.

"Father, since Li Yong is so unscrupulous, let's not bother with any rules. Let's directly give the Li family a taste of their own medicine!"

Recalling the incident where he was kidnapped and extorted for fifty thousand taels, Lu Cheng gritted his teeth, wishing that Li Yong, the instigator, would come back to life so he could personally hack him to death with a thousand blades.

Lu Longjing chuckled, "Xiao Cheng, I know you're very unhappy right now and wish you could flay the Li family alive. But simply killing them won't make Li Yong's sons and daughters feel the greatest pain."

"Everyone in the Li family except Li Yong is a bunch of useless good-for-nothings. Li Yong is dead now, but the Li family has accumulated quite a bit of wealth over the years, and they won't be able to hold onto it."

Lu Longjing sneered:

"We can't take much of this wealth ourselves, but I can act as the leader and gather a pack of wolves to plunder the Li family's assets clean. Wouldn't turning that bunch of good-for-nothings into beggars begging on the streets be more satisfying than simply killing them?"

"Father, that's a great idea!" Lu Cheng's eyes lit up. He felt Lu Longjing's plan was brilliant.

From a rich second-generation who never had to worry about food or clothing to a beggar who starved for three meals a day, falling from the heavens to the earth – such an extreme contrast would be more agonizing than killing them.

Lu Cheng noticed Lu Yuan had been lowering his head slightly and asked curiously, "Second Brother, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how to deal with Iron Dragon Stockade," Lu Yuan replied, looking up.

His current strength was already enough to kill Long Ying and Li Jing of Iron Dragon Stockade, proving that the gap between his strength and Iron Dragon Stockade had narrowed considerably. He could start working on his smaller goals.

Lu Longjing shook his head:

"Even the government couldn't succeed. Although there were factors of inaction involved, it's enough to show that Iron Dragon Stockade isn't that easy to deal with."

"How is it difficult to deal with?"

Lu Longjing pondered:

"Although I haven't been to Iron Dragon Stockade, Shen Tie has. According to him, Iron Dragon Stockade is easy to defend and difficult to attack. While it might not reach the point of 'one man guarding the pass, ten thousand men unable to get through,' it's not far off."