Killing the Body and Breaking the Spirit [Please Follow]

Li Zhaolin had taken a slap to the face, and his cheek burned.

But compared with the humiliation and hatred churning in his heart, the pain was nothing.

At that moment, Li Zhaolin had made such a request, and Lu Jing'an naturally couldn't refuse.

Besides, Lu Jing'an had already intended to let them take the bodies away.

"Of course."

Lu Jing'an raised a hand slightly.

The Security Officers behind him silently stepped aside, clearing a path.

Li Zhaolin lowered his head, avoiding Lu Jing'an's expression, and clenched his teeth as he waved a hand.

Then Lu Jing'an watched the Li Family's men with cold eyes.

Silently and swiftly, they gathered the bodies that had been strewn around the courtyard.

They carried them out one by one.

Then they loaded them onto the truck covered with a tarpaulin.

Blood smeared dark red streaks across the bluestone paving.

In the pale light of the afternoon, they stood out all the more starkly.

Seeing that Li Zhaolin was only having the Li Family's dead carried away,

Lu Jing'an spoke in a quiet voice, yet clearly enough for everyone to hear:

"Lin Qingyi did, after all, receive your Li Family's betrothal gifts.

That makes her one of the Li Family now.

Take her along, too. It'll give you something to answer for when you get back."

There was no emotion in Lu Jing'an's words.

Yet they pierced the place that hurt Li Zhaolin most, like a fine needle.

Li Zhaolin stiffened, then forced a cold snort from his throat:

"There's no need for you to remind me."

He clenched his fists, his nails nearly digging into his palms.

Only after barely suppressing his surging fury did he rasp out an order: "Take those two as well!"

In the end, the truck bed was packed to the brim.

The heavy stench of blood carried even from far away.

The truck, loaded with bodies, started up slowly.

It drove along the same main road it had come down, lined with bright red lanterns—

a road that should have been filled with festive cheer.

People on both sides of the road, who had been craning their necks to watch the commotion,

now held their breath, staring in horror at the strange procession.

The lanterns' bright red glow reflected off the cold vehicle bodies.

It fell across the contours of pale faces and bloodstained ones alike.

The result was a deeply ironic and chilling sight.

Li Zhaolin sat in the newly purchased wedding car, which now seemed glaringly out of place.

His face was so dark it looked as though water might drip from it.

Light and shadow flickered past the window, tracing his clenched jaw.

The procession had only just left Yinshan County.

As they reached a secluded dirt road, Li Zhaolin suddenly ordered in a hoarse voice:

"Stop!"

The procession came to an abrupt halt.

"Go. Bring that man in the gray robe over here."

He pointed to one of the corpses: the mysterious Martial Cultivator.

His men didn't dare delay.

They did as told and carried the corpse, already beginning to stiffen, over to Li Zhaolin.

Li Zhaolin crouched down, staring fixedly at the corpse's abdomen.

A final, desperate glint of resolve flashed in his eyes:

"Cut open his stomach."

His men looked startled and doubtful, but still did as he ordered.

A blade sliced through flesh, and an even stronger stench spread through the air.

Suppressing their discomfort, they searched through the mangled entrails for a long time.

Yet they never found the "Wax Pill" Li Zhaolin had spoken of.

"Young Master, it's not here..." one of them reported in a trembling voice.

"Useless! Move!"

Li Zhaolin shoved his men aside.

Then, heedless of the filth, he reached in himself.

He searched and groped frantically through the indistinct mass.

Warm, cold, and slick sensations brushed his fingertips.

His breathing grew heavier and heavier, his eyes shifting from urgency to panic before finally turning utterly bleak.

"Thud!"

With both hands smeared in sticky crimson,

Li Zhaolin slumped backward onto the cold earth, drained of strength.

He stared at his blood-red hands.

His last glimmer of hope went out like a candle in the wind.

This was truly the end.

He had endured the slaps, borne the humiliation, and weathered everything before him.

His greatest hope had been to bring these bodies back.

Especially this one. Before setting out, Li Jinglin had privately told him

that a Wax Pill would be hidden inside the man's body, containing proof of the Lin Family's enormous funds.

It was worth more than a million silver dollars.

At the time, Li Jinglin had said this was their final fallback.

But now, Li Zhaolin saw it as his last chance to turn the tables.

And yet it wasn't there.

There was nothing!

"Could it be... he didn't swallow it?"

Li Zhaolin murmured dazedly, but immediately rejected the thought himself.

He knew Li Jinglin. Li Jinglin was meticulous in his dealings and never made empty claims.

If he'd said it, he'd made arrangements.

The Wax Pill had been swallowed, yet it was nowhere to be found. There seemed to be only one explanation.

Lu Jing'an.

He had discovered it long ago and taken it first.

Li Zhaolin suddenly began to laugh under his breath. The laughter started out stifled, then grew louder and louder.

In the empty wilderness, it sounded desolate and despairing:

"Lu Jing'an, I really did underestimate you!

No, all of us underestimated you!

What a move—killing the body and breaking the spirit."

He laughed for quite a while before finally stopping to catch his breath.

His gaze passed over Elder Lu and Elder He, who had been silently guarding him all along.

The two experts sent by the Lineage remained impassive, doing no more than their duty as guards.

A ridiculous envy suddenly welled up in Li Zhaolin's heart.

In the Lu Family, Lu Jing'an's words could truly become commands.

But in the Li Family, what was he, Li Zhaolin?

Just a pawn, ready to be replaced or held accountable at any moment.

"Young Master, it's time to go."

Elder Lu's voice rang out flatly, betraying no concern.

Nor did it sound impatient; he was merely stating a fact.

Li Zhaolin wiped his face, smearing the blood on his cheek into a streak.

Bracing himself on his knees, he struggled unsteadily to his feet.

He looked toward the north, where the Lineage was, his gaze hollow:

"Yes. It's time to go."

With the dust settled, he felt an almost completely drained sort of "freedom."

Inside the study of the Lu Family residence.

Lu Jing'an had not kept the enormous bank draft he had taken from the mysterious Martial Cultivator.

Instead, he handed it over just as it was to his second uncle, Lu Huaichuan.

Lu Huaichuan took it and picked up the Western lighter on the table.

With a sharp click, a flame sprang to life.

Without the slightest hesitation, he held a corner of the draft to it.

The flames consumed the document in an instant, turning it into wisps of ash that drifted down.

With the draft destroyed, the Lin Family's debt of 1.3 million silver dollars naturally vanished into thin air.

The Lu Family had taken over the Lin Family's vast holdings without paying a single cent.

And that was only the appetizer.

The Qian Family, too, had been wiped out in this thunderous operation.

Its wealth and territory, accumulated over many years, had all fallen into the Lu Family's hands.

From then on,

more than eighty percent of the silver-dollar trade and commercial traffic in Yinshan County would pass through the Lu Family's hands.

Even if the Lu Family simply ruled with a light touch in the years to come, the "grease" it skimmed off every year would be enough to make it filthy rich.

Yet the most important spoils were not the gold and silver or the businesses one could see.

After this battle, the title of "Yinshan County's foremost family" had been forged in iron and blood.

No one would dare question it again.

More importantly, by directly clashing with a venerable family like the Li Family, entrenched for a century,

and defeating them, the Lu Family had announced to everyone

that its foundations and methods were far deeper and more ruthless than outsiders had imagined.

The reputation and unspoken deterrence this brought were a kind of foundation no amount of money could buy.

Secondly, this battle was like a boulder thrown into a deep pool.

The ripples it raised would inevitably draw the attention of those higher up.

Danger would surely follow that attention.

But without earning the right to be noticed,

they would never be able to reach opportunities and resources on the next level.

The Lu Family had gained far more from this battle than anyone had initially expected.

"Elder Brother!"

Third Uncle Lu Huaishan boomed, his face alight with unrestrained delight:

"I think Jing'an deserves the greatest credit this time!

He planned everything from behind the scenes, and the decisive strike was his doing!"

Lu Jing'an hurriedly said that he hadn't taken part in the fighting at all and couldn't accept the credit.

But Lu Huaichuan said:

"Though Jing'an didn't personally enter the fray, the whole operation hinged on him.

He certainly deserves the greatest credit."

Lu Jing'an inclined himself slightly, his manner humble:

"Second Uncle, Third Uncle, you praise me too highly.

I merely carried out one part of the plan. Without the Lineage backing us,

and the elders, uncles, and older brothers fighting so hard, we never could have won.

I truly don't deserve the credit."

The family head, Lu Huaiqian, sat at the head of the room.

Looking at his son, composed and measured, neither proud nor impatient,

he let a trace of satisfaction cross his eyes, then spoke slowly, his decision final:

"Jing'an, you planned everything thoroughly this time and contributed immensely.

You deserve the greatest credit."

"In that case... thank you, Father, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle, for your recognition."

Lu Jing'an said no more and clasped his hands in assent.

Next, the three elders began discussing the arrangements for what came afterward.

As well as the possible repercussions from the Li Family or other parties.

These tedious yet vital matters concerning the Lineage.

Lu Jing'an had little interest in getting involved at the moment.

Seeing that the main matters had been settled, he found an excuse and respectfully took his leave.

As he left the study, Lu Jing'an couldn't help quickening his pace.

What first credit, what praise—they meant little to him.

They were nowhere near as tangible as the spoils now resting quietly in his Striving Furnace.

That was a true gain, belonging to him alone.

Back when he had captured and killed the foreign cultivator Lawrence,

Lu Jing'an had already chosen to refine his soul.

Just moments ago in the study, the prompt had appeared in his mind: [Refining complete].

Returning to his quiet room, he closed the door.

Lu Jing'an settled his thoughts and focused on what he had gained.

[Refining complete]

[Obtained green affix: Combat Supremacy]

[Obtained green affix: Battle-Hardened]

[Obtained one of Lawrence's Memory Beads]

He already had the Combat Supremacy affix.

Though this one was a higher grade, he imagined the difference wouldn't be all that great.

Lu Jing'an's gaze focused on the new green affix.

With a slight shift of his intent, its detailed information appeared.

[Battle-Hardened] (Green)

[Description]: While wearing this affix, the longer a battle lasts,

the slower your stamina and true qi will be depleted.

Your resilience will increase over time.

When all attributes fall to one-tenth of their peak due to depletion,

a full recovery effect lasting thirty minutes will be triggered.

"A boon for prolonged battles..."

A glint flashed in Lu Jing'an's eyes.

In a war of attrition or at a critical moment, this affix was as good as an extra safeguard.

As for the bead containing some of Lawrence's memories and experience,

its value was beyond measure.

Perhaps he could glimpse the mysteries of the Western cultivation system, or uncover some hidden intelligence.

And there were still four more souls like this waiting for Lu Jing'an to refine.

Now that was a truly bountiful harvest.