Entry Realm Martial Artist, Repelling Fang Family Village

"Ah! Xiaoyuan, watch out!"

Lu Qing cried out.

Lu Yuan's senses were far sharper than those of an ordinary person.

When Wan Songbai had lain on the ground pretending to be unconscious,

Lu Yuan had not let down his guard either.

Now, faced with Wan Songbai's sudden attack,

Lu Yuan was not caught off guard.

With a grabbing strike of his hand,

he accurately seized Wan Songbai's wrist.

Then he twisted hard.

"Ah!!!"

Accompanied by a shrill scream, Wan Songbai's right hand was snapped cleanly in two, and the dagger fell to the ground.

Lu Yuan followed through with a kick at the dagger.

With a hiss,

the dagger pierced Wan Songbai's knee.

Wan Songbai dropped to his knees with a thud, completely losing his ability to fight.

This time, he truly fainted.

"Village Chief Fang."

"This market can be jointly operated by our Green Mountain Village and your Fang Family Village. What do you say?"

Lu Yuan did not want to make things worse.

He was also giving the other village some face.

Fang Zhongzheng swallowed.

But the moment he thought of the backer behind him, he immediately stiffened again.

He pulled a pitch-black iron token from his robes.

"Joint operation? I'm afraid your Green Mountain Village isn't worthy."

"This market is territory that the Profound Wind Gang has set its sights on."

"Our Fang Family Village is merely acting on someone else's behalf."

Fang Zhongzheng looked at the people of Green Mountain Village.

"The Profound Wind Gang? That's a gang as famous as the Black Wind Stronghold!"

Someone in Green Mountain Village cried out in alarm.

"You've offended the Mountain-Calming Martial Hall, and now you want to provoke the Profound Wind Gang as well. Are you afraid the people in your village are dying too slowly?"

Seeing Green Mountain Village's reaction,

the people of Fang Family Village became smug again.

"Xiaoyuan... forget it. We can't fight the Profound Wind Gang."

Liu Tieshan grabbed Lu Yuan's sleeve and bitterly urged him.

He could disregard his own life, but what about the lives of his family and the villagers?

"Grandfather, in this world, if we take one step back, they'll take a hundred steps forward."

"And press our heads down beneath their feet."

"They may even charge into our homes and kill people."

"We cannot retreat."

Lu Yuan shook his head.

The experience of his past life had taught Lu Yuan this.

Today, they ceded five cities; tomorrow, they ceded ten, only to gain one night of peaceful sleep.

Only by striking one punch open could they avoid a hundred punches coming their way.

Since that village had come intending to wipe out theirs and leave his family no way to live,

then they should prepare to kill!

"Of course we don't dare offend the Profound Wind Gang, but the decision for this arena competition was approved by the yamen."

"Does the Profound Wind Gang dare meddle in the affairs of the imperial court?"

Lu Yuan naturally would not clash head-on with the Profound Wind Gang yet.

Organizations like the Profound Wind Gang and the Black Wind Stronghold could survive near the county yamen

and regularly collect tribute money from every village.

They definitely had Third-Grade Realm martial artists among them, perhaps even stronger ones.

Thus, Lu Yuan could only drape himself in the imperial court's tiger skin.

The moment those words were spoken, several people in Fang Family Village's camp changed expressions.

Someone hurriedly leaned close to Fang Zhongzheng and whispered, "Village Chief, this kid is called Lu Yuan. He's an official yamen runner of Pingyang County Yamen, with government backing!"

"Those men under Master Jia from the Garrison Office may have all died because of him before."

Upon hearing that, Fang Zhongzheng's expression shifted unpredictably.

No matter how arrogant the Profound Wind Gang was, it was still a martial-world gang. In public, it absolutely did not dare clash head-on with the imperial authorities.

If Lu Yuan placed the huge accusation of interfering in imperial affairs on them, then should Fang Zhongzheng dare accept it, he would be bringing disaster upon the Profound Wind Gang.

When that time came, forget Fang Zhongzheng—his entire Fang Family Village would be used by the Profound Wind Gang to quell the government's anger.

"Fine. Very fine!"

"Let's go!"

Fang Zhongzheng gritted his teeth and gave Lu Yuan a deep look.

Then he led the people of Fang Family Village away in disgrace.

Before leaving, Fang Zhongzheng stopped, turned back, and threw down a threat. "People of Green Mountain Village, don't celebrate too soon. Green Mountain Village won't be able to keep this land. You're just a petty yamen runner, yet you dare contend with the Profound Wind Gang? You truly don't know whether you're dead or alive. We'll see."

He could not handle this brat, but he did not believe the Profound Wind Gang would swallow this insult.

Watching the people of Fang Family Village walk away, the villagers of Green Mountain Village let out a sigh of relief.

Yet worry still filled their hearts. Although Green Mountain Village was not within the Profound Wind Gang's sphere of influence, they were bandits on horseback no less formidable than the Black Wind Stronghold.

After offending them, could there still be peaceful days ahead?

"Xiaoyuan, what... what if the Profound Wind Gang comes to cause trouble?"

Liu Tieshan asked anxiously.

He had voiced the question every villager wanted to ask.

"Once we make money, I'll take ninety percent and hand it directly over to the county magistrate."

"Hands that take are softened; mouths that eat are softened. Once the county magistrate takes the lion's share, this land becomes the county yamen's money tree. If the Profound Wind Gang dares smash up the place, they'll be smashing the county magistrate's rice bowl. The authorities will naturally step in to protect us."

Lu Yuan reassured them.

Of course, the Profound Wind Gang might later seek out the county magistrate

and reach an agreement.

But as long as he could buy some time,

he was confident he could increase his strength.

Then, he could protect the village.

Hearing Lu Yuan's words,

the villagers' eyes lit up.

The market needed people to operate it as well, while the county magistrate only needed to sit back and reap the gains.

That was indeed a good idea.

However, what Liu Tieshan worried about was Lu Yuan himself.

"Xiaoyuan, what if the Profound Wind Gang and the Mountain-Calming Martial Hall retaliate against you in secret? Listen to your grandfather's advice. You can't stay in Pingyang County anymore. Go hide in Linhai Prefecture for a while. Your elder brother is over there..."

"Yes! Xiaoyuan, go hide for a while!"

Liu Ying's eyes were filled with worry as well.

There was no guarantee that the Profound Wind Gang and the Mountain-Calming Martial Hall would not retaliate against Lu Yuan personally.

"Grandfather, Mother, you don't need to worry. I have my own methods."

"If I run, and they can't find me, they'll vent their anger on Green Mountain Village and on all of you. If I stay, they'll come for me instead."

"Besides, the fist hall I joined is called the Withered Wood Fist Hall. My master can protect me."

Lu Yuan spoke.

At this point, he could only use the Withered Wood Fist Hall to reassure his family.

After comforting his family and the villagers,

Lu Yuan left Green Mountain Village.

He headed for the Withered Wood Fist Hall in Mountain Spring Town.

Walking along the official road, Lu Yuan stirred his thoughts and summoned the system panel.

[Host: Lu Yuan]

[Realm: First-Rank Lower Martial Adept (Skin Tempering)]

[Lifespan: 1 year and 20 days]

[Techniques: Blood-Baleful Demon-Slaying Saber???, Wild Bull Force (Mastery 200/300), Carefree Steps (Lesser Mastery 0/100), Ironhide Body-Tempering Art (Not Initiated 0/50)]

[Experience Points: 660]

[Draws: 1 (Free)]

Wild Bull Force had gained 180 experience points.

Those had been gained while he was grinding force earlier.

It did not surprise Lu Yuan.

Seeing the lifespan line, however, made Lu Yuan let out a long sigh of relief.

After breaking through and becoming an Entry Realm martial artist,

the system had rewarded him with nearly one year of lifespan.

It was not much, but it had at least solved the urgent crisis before his eyes.

He no longer had to count the days and wait for death every day.

"System, Grade Entry martial artists only gain one year of lifespan? That's far too little, isn't it?"

Lu Yuan could not help complaining inwardly.

[Notice: Lifespan is an act of seizing the creations of heaven and earth, an act that defies heaven itself, and is naturally exceedingly scarce. On the martial path, every step defies heaven. The host must continue breaking through in order to extend lifespan.]

The system's words left Lu Yuan rather speechless.

Before this,

he had even imagined that if lifespan increases were large enough,

then at critical moments, burning lifespan might be a way to preserve his life.