In chaotic times, one can become a martial immortal.

Holy crap!

"Did I see that right? Brother Yuan really killed that Ironback Bull?"

When they saw Lu Yuan appear dragging the enormous iron-backed bull, everyone, including Zheng Shuang and Zhang Yida, was completely stunned.

When they saw the complete bull's head in Lu Yuan's other hand, the shock in everyone's eyes intensified.

Not only was he unharmed, but he also managed to cut off the entire head of the Ironback Bull.

This is enough to show that Lu Yuan not only single-handedly killed this Ironback Bull whose strength was almost comparable to that of a ninth-rank martial artist, but also seemed to have done so with ease.

Zheng Shuang and Zhang Yida exchanged a glance, both seeing a look of horror in each other's eyes.

Brother Yuan's true strength is probably far beyond that of ordinary beginners, and may even be comparable to a true ninth-rank martial artist.

"Brother Yuan, leave this Ironback Bull to us. We'll send all the money from the processed meat and other parts to your residence."

"Brother Yuan, don't worry, we would never take advantage of you!"

Once they came to their senses, the two rushed to speak to Lu Yuan, their resolve to curry favor with him only strengthened.

"good!"

Without hesitation, Lu Yuan handed over the head and body of the Iron-Backed Bull to the two men.

……

As soon as he returned to the courtyard, before even entering, Lu Yuan smelled a strong stench of blood.

His pupils constricted sharply, and he quickly walked inside.

The ground in the outer courtyard was almost entirely covered with corpses, and blood was flowing everywhere.

"Master Huang!"

Lu Yuan looked up again and saw that among those standing there were two experts from the Zheng and Zhang families, as well as Huang Hui. They were all more or less injured.

"They're from Black Cloud Stronghold!"

Huang Hui touched the blood on his face, then looked at Lu Yuan with a serious expression.

"Don't worry, your mother and sister have already hidden in the secret room, they're both fine!"

Before Lu Yuan could speak, Huang Hui continued.

"I am deeply grateful and will never forget what you have done for me!"

Lu Yuan nodded, then clasped his hands in a salute to Huang Hui.

Before heading to the Black Cloud Mountains, he left two experts at the Transformation Realm with Zheng Shuang and Zhang Yida at home, just in case of unforeseen circumstances. However, things actually turned out badly.

"You two masters will surely be rewarded handsomely in the future!"

Lu Yuan then clasped his hands in a salute to the two experts from the Zheng and Zhang families who had reached the Transformation Realm.

"Master Lu, you flatter me. You are Seventh Master's friend, therefore you are a friend of the Zheng family!"

"Our Ninth Master also said that Master Lu's matter is the Zhang family's matter!"

Both experts at the Transformation Realm quickly waved their hands with smiles.

They then helped dispose of the body before taking their leave.

Of course, Lu Yuan wasn't stingy; he gave each person a thank-you gift of one hundred taels of silver.

"Master Huang, would you be willing to stay in my courtyard permanently? One hundred taels of silver per month, plus three catties of exotic beast meat, how about it?"

Just as Huang Hui was about to leave, Lu Yuan asked directly.

In fact, even without today's events, he would have had this idea long ago.

Huang Hui is a seasoned veteran of the Transformation Realm. With him in charge, there shouldn't be any problems unless it's a pre-entry level expert or even an entry-level expert attacking.

Moreover, there is no need to worry about his character. Even though Lu Yuan had stolen the precious medicine, the Hundred-Year Blood Ginseng, he did not hold a grudge like Cao Yang. Today, he even took the initiative to come and help, risking his life to fight the bandits of Black Cloud Village.

That alone makes them trustworthy.

Is this really true?

Upon hearing Lu Yuan's words, Huang Hui couldn't help but show a look of surprise and delight, clearly tempted.

Not to mention the monthly silver of one hundred taels, the three catties of exotic beast meat alone were enough to make him completely unable to refuse.

He had only eaten Lingxi meat a few times before, during festivals, at banquets held by the Zhou family.

Normally, there's simply no opportunity; even if you manage to scrape together enough money to buy a few ounces, you can't find a way to do so.

Now, Lu Yuan actually promised him that he could reliably receive three catties of exotic beast meat every month. How could he not be tempted, and how could he refuse?

It should be noted that the price of exotic beast meat on the black market is as high as 500 taels per catty, so three catties would cost 1,500 taels. Even a wealthy family could not afford to do that every month.

Moreover, if he could truly have three catties of exotic beast meat every month to supplement his diet, he was fully confident that he could open up his dantian within six months and reach the entry-level stage.

Even if it is truly produced, it is just around the corner!

"Of course it's true!"

Lu Yuan smiled and nodded.

Three catties a month, that's only about thirty catties a year.

He'll get 80% of the silverback bull he hunted today, which should be at least 700-800 jin of meat. That should be enough to cover even the small change.

As for himself, even if he ate a pound every meal, it would be enough to last him for more than half a year.

"In that case, it's a deal. I'll move over right now!"

Huang Hui said no more, turned around and left with a happy smile on his face.

Lu Yuan first cleaned up all the traces by himself, then went to the secret room in the backyard, activated the mechanism, and released Yang Shi, Xiao Nannan, and the maids.

"A-Yuan, is everything resolved?"

Yang seemed to have seen life and death many times before, and asked Lu Yuan with a calm expression.

"Yes, it's all been resolved!"

Lu Yuan nodded and said with a smile.

"That's good!"

Yang nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The little girl was being coaxed and played with by several maids, completely unaware of the danger she had just experienced.

After Yang and Xiaonannan had fallen asleep, Lu Yuan sat in the backyard for more than an hour.

He only got up and left the yard when Master Huang arrived again.

……

"Black Cloud Stronghold should be destroyed!"

Lu Yuan traveled swiftly, heading directly towards Black Cloud Village.

At his current speed, if he doesn't consider the depletion of his internal energy and pushes the Swift Wind Step to its limit, he can reach Black Cloud Village in a maximum of fifteen minutes.

Although it is late at night, it has no effect on him.

Even on the rugged and winding mountain paths, he still moved with incredible speed.

As for the sentries, both visible and hidden, from Black Cloud Village along the way, he would simply hand them an iron bead if he discovered them.

Before long, he saw Black Cloud Village, which was still brightly lit.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Yuan flicked his fingers, and iron beads shot out like bullets.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft..."

One bandit after another fell silently to the ground.

In just a few dozen breaths, the vast Black Cloud Stronghold was littered with corpses.

"Damn it, I never thought that kid could actually get three experts at the Transformation Realm to guard his home!"

"Brother, in just one night, all the elites of our Black Cloud Stronghold have been killed or wounded. I simply cannot swallow this insult!"

"Don't worry, once we've recovered from our injuries, we'll make that brat pay for his crimes in blood!"

Inside the Hall of Righteous Gathering, both the chief chief Zuo Kui and the second chief Situ Ming were covered in blood.

"Unfortunately, you no longer have the chance!"

boom!

……