Wan Jian returns to his clan!

Chapter 209 A Small Test of Skill, A Complete Annihilation

"Although it's dilapidated, at least the tiles are still in good condition."

Lu Wubing lifted his leg and entered the temple.

Upon entering the main hall, one immediately sees a dusty sculpture of a heavily armored warrior wielding double maces, his figure exuding a formidable aura.

He didn't know much about some of the founding generals of the Dali Dynasty, nor did he know whether the sculpture was bestowed by the current dynasty or was a remnant of the previous dynasty.

He tried to sense the spiritual connection but found nothing to respond to, and nothing that touched his divine will. He simply glanced at it and then ignored it.

However, the mother, Chen Lianxiang, stepped into the temple and immediately put her hands together in prayer several times with a devout expression.

"Let's rest in the south corner so as not to disturb others."

Lu Changfeng is a kind-hearted person, which can be seen from his way of dealing with people.

He saw that the best spot in the front hall was already occupied by eight or nine burly, weathered men, who were eating flatbread and chatting with each other.

In the north corner of the front yard, the ten men led by the Yunqi Captain who had come in earlier, along with the family of Doctor Tian Qi, were all looking worried.

Clearly, they were somewhat helpless in the face of this sudden downpour.

They didn't have enough supplies, so they just gritted their teeth and swept away the dirt on the ground, at least they could sit down and rest for a while.

Lu Wubing's line of work was completely different.

Wang Tietou carried a roll of blanket and, together with the butler Gui Shu, spread the blanket out, covering the south corner of the floor completely.

Furthermore, set up the table and arrange the brocade stools...

The two maids, Green Pearl and Jade, immediately lit the silver charcoal, prepared the pot, added the soup ingredients, and brought out slices of meat and vegetables.

The process was so smooth and efficient that it only took about ten breaths to prepare everything, just waiting for the water to boil.

Even the little girl Liuli, who had been squirming in Lu Wubing's arms, started swallowing. Her eyes sparkled as she turned to look at him, "Daddy, I'm hungry..."

"Okay, we'll have something to eat soon. Let's play for a while first."

Lu Wubing pinched the girl's little nose, making her giggle.

When it comes to preparing soup, we have to rely on Senior Sister Shen Xinzhu. I don't know where she learned her cooking skills, but she just fiddles around with it for a bit and adds some spices.

The hall was immediately filled with a rich aroma, making one's mouth water.

"Father, Mother, please sit down. Even when you're traveling, you can't neglect yourselves. Eat and drink as you please. This rain won't stop anytime soon, would you like some more wine?"

Although the weather cannot be predicted, Lu Wubing's keen senses allowed him to perceive the abundance of water between heaven and earth.

I thought it would be great if we could stop before it got dark.

"There are beauties, delicious food, brothers, and drinks. It's not good to eat alone when you're out and about, so why don't we all get together for a meal?"

Tian Qi and Yunqiwei Zhang Shijie haven't said anything yet.

The burly men beneath the clay sculpture were already swallowing hard.

A burly man with a full beard walked over with a grin and reached out to touch Shen Xinzhu's buttocks as she bent over and busied herself.

"Don't make a mess."

Lu Wubing sat still, gazing down at Xiao Liuli, not forgetting to feed her with half a piece of pastry.

Suddenly, a sliver of silver light shone in the dark hall.

Wu Yuanbin replied softly, "Yes."

As he finished speaking, the sword had already pierced the bearded man's temple, entering from the left and exiting from the right.

The sword flashed, thrusting and pulling, blood gushing out like beads towards the central hall.

At the same time, the body of the bearded, muscular man, whose eyes rolled back and whose body froze, was also thrown into the air.

"Damn it, this is outrageous!"

The remaining eight burly men were enraged, brandishing their swords and spears, and leaped into the air at the same time.

Several of them even waved their hands, unleashing a barrage of poisonous smoke, needles, hidden arrows, and throwing knives.

"Humph……"

Wu Yuanbin's sword flashed, forming a large net of light.

All that could be heard were countless tiny, tinkling sounds.

Then everyone heard another note from a zither.

The seven burly men, who were halfway there, suddenly stopped and coughed up blood.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining person flew backward and rushed towards the dilapidated area of ​​the rear hall, clearly trying to escape.

A faint blue shadow flashed beside the statue, and Dong Ning appeared, sheathing his sword.

The man's eyes widened, his whole body convulsed, and he collapsed on the spot.

In the blink of an eye, all eight were wiped out.

So much so that Doctor Tian Qi could only utter half a cry of surprise.

Yunqiwei Zhang Shijie and his men had just seized their weapons.

Then, seven or eight thuds of people falling to the ground were heard simultaneously.

In the south corner, a group of people, acting as if nothing had happened, began setting out bowls and dividing the meat, preparing to taste the freshly boiled hot soup.

The ingredients were all cooked; Lu Wubing would prepare some for each town he passed through.

Sometimes, even if he missed a place to stay, he wouldn't want to make do with what he had, preferring to cook and eat as he pleased, with a wide variety of dishes.

"Don't panic, these people are all assassins, they're after us. Since we've traveled together for a while, why not come and have some food?"

Lu Wubing glanced at the group of people in the north corner and laughed.

Immediately, Instructor Wang and his nephew went to move the corpses and pile them up at the back of the hall.

As they rolled up each other's collars, it became clear that these men either had clover tattoos on their arms or markings on their collarbones.

Under the firelight, the tattoos of these people were very conspicuous, which calmed Tian Qi and the others down a bit.

They have nothing to fear as long as it's not indiscriminate killing.

However, the ruthlessness of the Lu family and their indifference to human life made him feel a little uneasy, and he quickly declined, saying, "We are not hungry, please help yourself, Young Hero Lu."

"Junior brother, should we still chase after them? There are people outside the hall; they escaped while it was raining."

Shen Xinzhu served two bowls of soup to Lu Changfeng and Chen Yulian, and then handed a bowl of meat soup to Lu Wubing, asking cautiously.

"No need. These people are just testing us. Their martial arts skills may not be that high, but their methods are cunning. There's no need to let them lead us by the nose."

"Senior Sister Shen, just look at the nail on that big bearded man's left pinky fingernail and you'll understand."

Shen Xinzhu's eyes lit up slightly, and she walked over and kicked away the bearded burly man's left palm with her toes.

You could see that his little fingernail was very long, and there was some light blue powder hidden inside.

As the palm vibrated, the powder fell to the ground, landing in the bloodstains, where it immediately bubbled up in large bursts.

As the bubbles burst, a sweet fragrance was released, making one feel slightly dizzy.

"This is a rare poison that penetrates five steps into the intestines; once it enters the abdomen, it will pierce the intestines and kill upon contact with blood."

Old Man Tianqi's eyelids twitched wildly when he saw this scene.

As a renowned doctor in the area, his forte was prescribing medicine. His knowledge of various drugs far surpassed that of Lu Changfeng, the legendary doctor who used acupuncture more often than medicine.

Lu Changfeng was also shocked, but said with relief, "When this person came over earlier, he acted crudely. He used his right hand to attract our attention, but unexpectedly, he was preparing to throw out poison powder with his left hand."

They originally intended to put it in the soup pot. Perhaps they even thought, "Even if we scold and reprimand him, we won't kill him..."

If it were me, I would have already been fooled. But Wubing is so perceptive that he noticed something amiss.

This statement was partly out of pride in his son's keen insight.

The other half comforted her husband, Chen Yulian...

The old woman's face was as white as paper; she was clearly trying to suppress her fear.

Even though she knew a lot, she was clear-headed and wouldn't say anything to hinder Lu Wubing's actions. After all, she rarely saw such a bloody and violent scene in the martial arts world.

In fact, those who were even more distressed than her were Tian Qiweng's wife and two apprentices on the other side.

The three men had pale faces, gurgling in their throats, and seemed to want to vomit but couldn't.

After a long day's journey, I only managed to eat two dry biscuits, which were long since digested. My stomach was empty, and I couldn't even spit out my saliva.

"Hehe, it's not that I'm particularly perceptive. It's just that as soon as we entered the temple, I could feel the intense malice these people harbored. Even if they didn't act, they were going to kill us."

That's a rather mysterious statement.

Shen Xinzhu, Wu Yuanbin, Dong Ning, and other disciples of the Tianxing Sect all nodded silently.

They had no doubt about the young sect leader's keen senses.

Don't even mention being this close.

Even if someone is dozens of feet away, they will have nowhere to hide if someone secretly harbors murderous intent.

However, just as Lu Wubing said.

With so many people targeting you, and their malicious intent to kill you coming and going like locusts, there's no need to chase and wipe them out everywhere.

If it's delivered right to your doorstep, just remove it and hide far away. There's really no need to search everywhere, braving wind and rain.

He's incredibly lazy.

……

It rained until midnight.

Inside the Lingwang Temple, two groups of people took turns dozing off. After the previous little incident, everyone felt a little more at ease.

Even the Yunqi Captain secretly let out a long sigh.

They had just met in the city, and he was arrogant and didn't even glance at the Lu family.

At this moment, they held their breath and dared not say another word.

The same was true for his dozen or so elite soldiers.

They kept watch silently, not daring to approach the fire on the south side, not even daring to glance at it more than a few times.

Haven't you heard what people say?
I could sense the malice.

Once suspicion arises, eliminate them all immediately.

There were several young women over there, all very beautiful.

At first glance, it's hard to look away; you might accidentally reveal even the slightest hint of malice.

The problem is huge.

Losing one's life because of one's own wild thoughts is more unjust than anything else.

When those eight people made their move, their muscles and bones trembled, their internal energy surged like fire and tide, and their aura pressed down heavily.

Although he died very quickly, he didn't even get to deliver a proper move.

However, as long as one's eyes are not blind, even the lowest-ranking soldiers can see that the cultivation level of these eight people is actually not weak, and some of them are even at the second-rate level of the martial arts world.

Even Zhang Qiwei might not be able to defeat him.

With such speculation, a closer look at Lu Wan and his group becomes somewhat alarming.

They only sent two people, no, two and a half.

The two young men, who seemed like attendants, were so enigmatic that their swords were drawn that they could not be seen at all.

Only the gleam of the sword was visible; the sword itself was not.

Only after everyone has died do we discover a faint trace of sword intent.

And that half-sound of the piano was even more outrageous.

The sound of the zither began.

They all felt as if they were dreaming, unable to move, and the most beautiful things in their lives came to mind...

I got distracted.

If you can't even move in a critical moment, aren't you just courting death?

Fortunately, the other party was not their enemy.

……

Lu Wubing didn't take Tian Qi and his group's wild thoughts to heart.

He didn't sleep at all; he just sat cross-legged in front of the charcoal stove, adjusting his breathing and focusing his mind inward.

Little by little, the primordial pure energy within the body is purified and condensed, like smoke dissipating.

The process of condensing true qi into liquid is complicated and difficult, but as long as you persist in practicing, you will not be without gains.

With each cycle of circulation, the true energy condenses more, and one's cultivation level increases by one point.

With so many people around, it wasn't appropriate to practice swordsmanship like a monkey for others to see, nor was it suitable to practice lightness skills. So, the only option was to cultivate internal energy.

In any case, progress in any area is good.

As dawn broke and the charcoal fire inside the temple went out, sunlight shone through the broken doors and windows, making it possible to see faces clearly.

The Lu family packed their belongings, put on their shoes, and mounted their horses to board the carriage early in the morning.

Just as they were about to set off, they saw Dr. Tian Qi and his group quietly following behind them.

Clearly, they saw a bargain.

With such a formidable expert in front of me, I feel incredibly safe.

To refuse to follow now and insist on going our separate ways would be utterly insane. Yunqiwei Zhang Shijie stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and respectfully asked if he could travel together. Lu Wubing agreed and thanked him profusely.

These people were quite sensible; they immediately split into two teams and guarded both sides of the convoy.

It looks like it's making quite a splash.

With armored soldiers accompanying us, there won't be any bandits or brigands causing trouble. Although we're not afraid, it's better to save ourselves some trouble.

Without stopping.

As evening approached, we arrived at Yunguang County, a suburb of Beijing, where the flow of people gradually increased.

The faces of passersby also showed a more lively expression.

Peddlers hawked their wares loudly, and the shops along the road were thriving. Every now and then, wealthy young men and women would stroll along the street, their laughter faintly reaching one's ears.

Zhang Shijie felt right at home here.

He smiled and introduced, "Young Master Lu, stay in Yunguang for the night, and you can enter the capital tomorrow."

Once you're here, you don't have to worry too much about being attacked by thieves; the capital is the best place..."

Are you sure there's no thief?

Lu Wubing smiled faintly, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

It is said that the closer one gets to the capital, the more prosperous the people are, and one rarely sees the desolate and dilapidated scenes of other prefectures, where not a rooster crows for miles.

But it has absolutely no connection with the capital city.

All the way.

On this street, which is less than fifty feet long, five chilling killing intents were already subtly probing.

The area where the shops and stalls were located ahead was even more hostile.

At first glance, everything—the wonton vendors, the steamed bun vendors, the meat vendors, the cloth vendors, the grain shops, and the pawnshops—all seemed a bit off.

People come and go, each going their own way, just like ordinary people.

However, in Lu Wubing's mind, he discovered that all of these people were focused on locking onto him.

The muscles and tendons under the clothes, though relaxed, were already poised to unleash their power.

At the same time, there were several powerful auras that were almost comparable to those of Xie Qinglong, the leader of the Pai Gang.

Even if it's a little weak, it won't be that weak.

These individuals thought they had concealed their auras extremely well.

That seemed rather bold.

A fat man dressed as a country gentleman with gold-patterned clothes was carrying two bottles of wine, swaying his head and smiling broadly.

Approach slowly.

A burly, dark-skinned man next to him swung his muscular arm, chopped off a piece of pig's hind leg, threw it onto the oil paper, and announced the weight without even weighing it.

That butcher's knife, however, blocked all possible routes forward.

On the second floor of the hotel, a middle-aged, down-on-his-luck scholar held a book in his hand, reciting aloud, completely absorbed in the words within.

His face was flushed, clearly from drinking too much.

"Three innate masters, seventy or eighty actors."

For Lu Wubing, a martial artist who is not at the Innate Realm is at most an actor.

No matter how well an actor performs, it's still just a performance.

Even if an ordinary innate master were on guard, once they fell into the enemy's encirclement, escaping would probably not be an easy task.

Even if Bi Fenkong, the sect leader of the Ziyang Sect, were suddenly attacked, he might not be completely unharmed.

After all, assassins and martial artists are different; you can never guess what underhanded tactics they might use.

Poisonous fog, traps, formations, explosions... and in the chaos, they evoke the target's sympathy; even pretending to be innocent and weak, they drag others down with them.

Lu Wubing was not afraid.

However, they were unwilling to put themselves in danger and get beaten up.

Moreover, apart from him, the others in this line of work are not particularly strong.

In particular, with his parents by his side, he didn't have much fighting power to begin with.

Little Liuli is an adorable creature and cannot withstand the slightest risk.

“Senior Sister Xinzhu, it has been a while since I heard you play the zither. It is rare to see such a prosperous and peaceful scene. Why don’t you play a tune?”

"Which piece would you like to hear, junior brother?"

"Ambush from all sides, let's use the word 'surprise'!"

Lu Wubing chuckled lightly, but his feet did not stop.

He did remember some of the pieces like "Ambush from Ten Sides" and "Spring River Flower Moon," and would occasionally try to play them when practicing with Senior Sister Xinzhu in Mingyang City.

It has to be said that Shen Xinzhu is a musical genius; she can remember something clearly after just one listen.

It can even automatically correct the notes that Lu Wubing misremembered, and play them even better than Lu Wubing did.

What's particularly impressive is that no matter what melody she plays, she can easily infuse it with all seven emotions.

He took some of the tunes that Lu Wubing brought from his previous life to a new level.

Upon hearing that he was to play "Ambush from Ten Sides," Shen Xinzhu's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately understood what was going on.

Now sit firmly on the carriage shaft.

His face was ashen, and with the zither in his hand, a melody flowed forth.

Ding……

The sound of the zither was like a thunderclap.

On the long street, everyone seemed to be facing imminent disaster.

Amidst the frantic screams.

Then eighty or ninety people all took action at once.

Whether they were street vendors, buyers, or pedestrians, no one could control their inner thoughts; murderous intent surged forth.

Dozens of people simultaneously drew their weapons, concealed their hidden weapons, and turned to look at them.

Several less resolute individuals charged out with furious roars, their feet stomping repeatedly.

In their minds, this was no longer a matter of ambushing and killing.

Instead, they would be trapped in the midst of a massive army, with swords and spears at their feet, facing certain death at any moment.

If we don't fight back with our lives on the line now, it will be too late.

Even if some of them could realize that this was a sonic attack, they still couldn't control their own stress response.

Although the action was stopped immediately, a reaction had been made after all.

They revealed their forms.

"wind."

Since Lu Wubing secretly learned the "Nine Forms of Wind and Cloud" from Yue Lingfeng and perfected it, he has never used it to attack enemies.

At that moment, a thought struck me.

The sword flashed in an arc, and a breeze stirred up the long street.

First, it spun around, dancing close to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Immediately afterwards, fierce winds howled all around, and the clouds hung low.

As darkness fell, hundreds of azure wind blades formed.

As he slashed down with his sword, hundreds or even thousands of faintly sharp, azure rays swept across the throats of all sorts of people.

This sword strike covered an extremely wide area, drawing upon a trace of heaven and earth energy, transforming it into the shape of a sword or blade—it was simply bizarre and indescribable.

By the time the danger was realized, the wind blades had already reached them.

Ordinary internal energy cannot withstand this extremely high quality of天地能量 (heaven and earth energy) in the slightest. *Sizzle*...

Amidst the spurting of blood.

Dozens of people collapsed to the ground, wailing in pain.

Three figures simultaneously soared into the sky.

One person darted backward, his feet gliding as if greased, his face still showing a look of panic.

That was the fat man in brocade robes. A white mark appeared on the side of his neck, from which blood seeped out.

It was only at the last moment that it was stopped.

The other two, however, were extremely fierce and brave.

The butcher, wielding his pig-slaughtering knife, flashed a blood-red blade that shot seven zhang (approximately 33 meters) straight at Lu Wubing's chest.

A deep, bone-revealing gash appeared on his face from a gust of wind, but he didn't care at all. His eyes burned with murderous intent, as if he disregarded life and death.

The other person crushed the scroll in their hand, and with a flick of their wrist, it transformed into a flurry of desolate falling leaves, each piece spinning and slicing away...

It enveloped the entire convoy.

He also had a crack in his chest.

However, it was unclear whether this person was wearing inner armor, as there was a faint golden light shimmering from the torn part of their clothing.

"Qiu Wuji, Wei Shentong."

As soon as Lu Wubing saw these two make their move, he knew that they were the assassin leader mentioned in the intelligence report from Yun Duo.

The scholar was none other than Qiu Wuji, the head of Qiutang Hall.

He was there to provide support; Qiu Tang's troops did not appear.

The butcher, with his extraordinary bearing, must be Wei Shentong, who succeeded Chun San Niang as the head of Chun Tang.

His cultivation level was extremely high, and he had vaguely touched the threshold of the Innate Realm.

With a single slash, it possessed the sharpness to split the earth and cleave mountains.

No wonder he ignored Chun San Niang's dissatisfaction and readily accepted the mission.

Strangely, all of Chuntang's elite assassins obeyed his orders.

As for that fat man in brocade robes, he was quick to react. Seeing that things were not going well, he immediately fled. He was most likely an elder of the Four Seasons Hall headquarters.
"You two aren't that smart."

Lu Wubing chuckled softly.

With a flick of his left sleeve.

wow...

The blue-purple true energy transformed into clouds and smoke, surging forth.

With a soft "poof," countless sharp, thin, autumn-leaf-shaped blades shattered into fine powder the moment they approached, swirling outwards.

The Primordial Chaos Qi was so powerful that even without Lu Wubing exerting his full strength, his pure Qi alone was enough to destroy everything.

As the true energy swept through like a hurricane, the two figures who rushed up one after the other were struck by lightning and were sent flying backward uncontrollably.

Before they could react again...

The countless wind blades that had disappeared have condensed again.

Only shattered bones remained in the air, with fine blood mist drifting in the air.

Of course, there was also a piece of silky soft armor that shone with golden light, tattered and lying on the ground along with the broken bones.

It makes a slight sound.

The fat man in brocade robes burst into tears, "I told you I wouldn't come, but you two insisted on coming, and you even caused the deaths of so many brothers, please forgive me..."

chi...

He hadn't even managed to utter a single word of pleading for mercy.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before my eyes.

Clad in green robes and wielding a long sword, his eyes and brows were as white as frost.

He didn't even see the sword light.

His brow had already been pierced.

All thoughts froze.

"As long as I kill fast enough, the world will be a smooth road."

Lu Wubing chuckled lightly.

He was very satisfied with his first attempt at the Nine Styles of Wind and Cloud.

The beauty of this sword technique lies in the fact that it doesn't consume true energy; it's like a spell, capable of manipulating the energy of heaven and earth at any time.

It is a great supplement to one's swordsmanship and martial arts skills.

Even if the upper limit is locked, at most one can exert combat power one level above.

But how many people in the world can withstand the overwhelming tidal wave of energy from heaven and earth?

……

(End of this chapter)