Secret Passage

Xia Daoming saw that the masked elder was reasonable and quite confident, even closing the door for him. A smile couldn't help but spread across his lips. He turned to Liu Qiaolian, who was standing by the covered walkway on the left side of the courtyard, staring at the masked elder with a wary expression, and said, "Lian'er, no need to be nervous. Go get me a chair."

"Yes, Master!" Seeing Xia Daoming so calm and relaxed, Liu Qiaolian's taut heartstrings instantly loosened. She responded respectfully and went to the main hall to fetch a chair.

Xia Daoming sat down leisurely and then gestured to his shoulders.

Liu Qiaolian stepped forward and gently massaged his shoulders with her delicate hands.

"A mere Fourth-Rank Martial Master dares to be so arrogant. This is getting more and more interesting," the masked elder said, his eyes burning with anger, his voice chillingly cold.

"No matter how interesting it is, it's not as interesting as you, old man. Hiding by my door late at night instead of resting at home. Speak, who exactly are you, and what business do you have with me?" Xia Daoming said calmly.

"Once I capture you, I will tell you!" the masked elder replied with a cold smile. He suddenly unleashed Hidden Strength in his legs, the recoil propelling him into the air like an eagle. His hands transformed into claws as he lunged at Xia Daoming.

As the elder unleashed his Hidden Strength, five meridians emitted five distinct auras of vital energy.

"Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master!" Liu Qiaolian's expression shifted slightly.

The elder revealed a triumphant, sinister grin.

"So what?" Just then, a disdainful voice rang out. Xia Daoming suddenly stood up, his fists raised, meeting the elder's claws head-on.

"Fifth-Rank!" The sinister grin on the elder's face instantly froze, a strong sense of unease rising within him, and he felt the urge to retreat.

However, his charged attack could no longer be altered mid-way.

"Bang! Bang!" Two muffled thunderous sounds echoed in the courtyard.

Two surges of Hidden Strength, at the moment of impact, not only overwhelmed the elder's own strength but also, like a breached floodgate, swept away the elder's unleashed power and surged into his arms.

The elder's arms instantly swelled dramatically, and his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

While in mid-air, his sleeves violently exploded, turning into tattered cloth that scattered in all directions.

His swollen arms, skin cracking, emitted the sounds of tendons and blood vessels snapping, "Boom! Boom! Boom!" in the night. Blood spurted out, scattering along with the torn fabric.

"Crash!" The elder hit the ground.

He slid another meter along the ground, leaving a trail of blood.

The elder stared at Xia Daoming with utter terror in his eyes, as if he were looking at a demon crawling out of hell.

The courtyard was exceptionally quiet at this moment.

Liu Qiaolian's mouth hung open, her ample chest heaving violently, her eyes wide with disbelief.

She knew her master was very powerful.

Back in the dilapidated temple, he had dealt with Fourth-Rank Martial Masters with swift and decisive efficiency.

But the problem was, the masked elder before them was a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master!

To gravely injure a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master with a single blow—what kind of terrifying strength would that take?

Xia Daoming was also somewhat stunned by the horrifying scene his full-power strike had created.

He knew his strength had increased significantly, but he hadn't expected it to reach such a level, being able to heavily injure a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master with a single punch.

However, Xia Daoming quickly regained his composure and walked step by step towards the masked elder.

The masked elder's eyes were filled with terror. He struggled to get up and escape, but having rashly clashed head-on with his opponent, the terrifying Hidden Strength had pierced through him like a hot knife through butter. His meridians had already snapped in multiple places, and his internal energy was rampaging uncontrollably within his body like a wild horse. Now, let alone escaping, he could barely move.

"Who exactly are you?" The masked elder soon abandoned his unrealistic fantasies and asked with despair and disbelief.

Although he was aging, and his vital energy and body were declining, he was still a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master. In a head-on confrontation, relying purely on strength, not even a Sixth-Rank or Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master could have wounded him so severely.

This was because ranks five through eight all fell under the category of Great Martial Masters, and the strength difference between each rank was relatively limited. It wasn't like the gap between Fourth and Fifth Rank, or Eighth and Ninth Rank, where the nature of the vital energy changed, causing a leap in power.

The masked elder had once fought a Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master, but the strength displayed by that opponent was definitely not as formidable as the man before him, in his memory.

And this man before him was only a Fifth-Rank!

"Old man, this is interesting. You came to ambush me outside my house without even knowing who I am?" Xia Daoming said, slightly surprised.

"I didn't mean that. I meant your true identity!" the masked elder replied.

"My true identity is a disciple of Liang Jingtang, the head of the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School," Xia Daoming said calmly.

With that, he suddenly spread his five fingers like dragon claws and grabbed the elder by the neck.

"Lian'er, tell Xia He and the others not to worry, and also tell them that nothing happened tonight," Xia Daoming instructed Liu Qiaolian as he dragged the elder by the neck like a dead dog towards the backyard.

"Yes, Master." Liu Qiaolian replied respectfully.

"Bang!"

Reaching the backyard, Xia Daoming casually threw the elder to the ground and, in the process, pulled off his mask. Unfortunately, it revealed an unremarkable old face.

"Now you can tell me, who are you? And why did you ambush me?" Xia Daoming asked.

"Jing Xuanying, the chief steward of Wu Family Fortress. As for why I ambushed you, you should know very well," the elder replied straightforwardly.

"Wu Family Fortress?" Xia Daoming was first startled, then frowned. "It seems that Wu Changlu was indeed not simple. After so long, you are still investigating this matter."

"It seems you had some suspicions when you killed Wu Changlu. That's right, he wasn't actually the son of Clan Elder Wu Yueming, but the illegitimate son of Wu Yueli," Jing Xuanying said.

"Wu Yueli not only cuckolded Wu Yueming but also gave him a son as a gift! Does Wu Yueming know? Can he tolerate this insult?" Xia Daoming's face showed surprise, and he couldn't help but become a bit gossipy.

"What if he knows? What if he doesn't tolerate it? Wu Yueli is not only the clan leader but also a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master. He holds absolute power over life and death within the Wu Family Fortress," Jing Xuanying said with a look of grief and indignation.

"Uh, you weren't... cheated on by him too?" Xia Daoming asked, seeing Jing Xuanying's grief-stricken face, his own expression filled with surprise.

"Wu Yueli, that scoundrel, just loves stealing other people's partners!" Jing Xuanying gritted out.

"Holy crap, I actually guessed right."

Xia Daoming looked at Jing Xuanying with a peculiar gaze.

What a pathetic, miserable situation, to be cuckolded and still have to die for him!

"I know I can't escape this fate, but before you kill me, I hope you can grant me one request," Jing Xuanying said.

"You come to kill me, and then you want me to grant you a request? Don't you think that's ridiculous?" Xia Daoming scoffed.

"If I tell you that I know a secret passage from outside Wu Family Fortress that leads directly to the Fortress Lord's cultivation chamber, and that Wu Yueli's private treasury is located inside that chamber, with the key always on his person, do you still think it's ridiculous for me to make a request before I die?" Jing Xuanying asked.

Xia Daoming's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this, and he fell into thought.

What he lacked most right now was money. Jing Xuanying's words were indeed very tempting.

"Moreover, you're only a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master, yet you're so young and possess combat power comparable to a Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master. If this news were to leak out, it would likely quickly attract the fear, and even the killing intent, of the top powers within the city.

You've been lying low here, content to be an ordinary disciple of Liang Jingtang, likely for this very reason. But this time, I'm here on Wu Yueli's private orders to kill you. If I die out there, Wu Yueli will undoubtedly know that you are far more than you appear on the surface.

Wu Yueli is an old, cunning, and resourceful individual. He will surely spread rumors, drawing the attention of all the forces in Li City to you. At that point, your genius might be extinguished before it can truly blossom!" Jing Xuanying added while Xia Daoming was deep in thought.

Xia Daoming's expression changed again.

If he didn't have enough money, he could always shamelessly rely on Ji Wenyue.

But if the top powers paid attention to him too early, he would be in danger.

"Are you sure only Wu Yueli knows you're here to kill me?" Xia Daoming asked.

"You can rest assured about that. Wu Changlu has been dead for half a year. Besides his father, who else would care? And Liang Jingtang's strength is extraordinary. Wu Yueli would have to consider the risk of information leaking if he were to kill you himself, which is why he sent me.

So, if you enter the cultivation chamber through the secret passage and assassinate Wu Yueli, you will not only eliminate a potential threat but also obtain his private treasure. My request is simple: I just want to witness his death with my own eyes." Jing Xuanying replied.

As he spoke, a look of deep-seated hatred flashed in his eyes.

"It seems you hate him a lot?" Xia Daoming remarked.

"Of course, I hate him! Not only did he cuckold me, but he also played to death my most beloved concubine! Afterward, he thought Yu Yan was just my concubine and didn't pay her any mind. But he didn't know that Yu Yan was already carrying my child at the time.

It's just that a living dog is better than a dead man, and the success rate of killing him was too low. I never had the courage to avenge her and our child. Since I'm going to die anyway this time, I have nothing to worry about anymore," Jing Xuanying replied, his facial muscles twisting into a somewhat ferocious expression as he spoke of his concubine.

While Jing Xuanying was speaking, Xia Daoming's gaze remained fixed on him like a sharp sword.

PS: Starting tomorrow, Qidian will be giving me recommendations. This means I, a post-70s uncle, will officially be competing with a bunch of youngsters. If the recommendations are good, more people will collect and follow the story, and the website will provide more recommendation resources. If I lose the competition, the recommendations will be significantly reduced.

Therefore, I earnestly request all my fellow readers to help promote the story and offer your support. The competition starts at midnight tomorrow, so I will move the first update of Sunday to midnight. In the future, the schedule might revert to one chapter in the morning and one in the afternoon, which should be more conducive to competing for the new book charts. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience. Once the book enters the VIP section, I will revert to consecutive updates or larger chapters for your reading convenience.

Today's updates are complete.