Chapter 65: The County Lord

Below was a stretch of dimness; the air was filled with a faint, musty odor, accompanied by a trace of blood.

Lu Zhangsheng slowly descended along the stairs.

Before long, a large prison appeared before his eyes.

Inside the prison, more than a dozen figures were being held.

Among them, one woman wore a long white dress; her attire was extremely ornate, and the jewelry on her head also looked very precious.

Beside the woman stood a maid in a yellow dress.

Both of them looked somewhat terrified.

Upon seeing someone appear, the people in the prison were first struck with fear, but after seeing clearly who it was, they were instantly overjoyed.

"It's an official from the Demon Subduing Office."

The group of people wept with joy one after another.

Seeing the official uniform of the newcomer, they immediately realized that someone had come to save them.

In this dark, sunless dungeon, having worried and feared all day long, the group was finally filled with excitement at the hope of escaping this place.

"May I ask, are you Miss Du Ling?"

Lu Zhangsheng slashed the lock open with his blade and asked the ornately dressed woman with a smile.

He did not know the County Lord's daughter, but seeing her attire and temperament, he had some guesses in his heart, so he asked bluntly.

"I am indeed Du Ling. May I ask for your name, sir? Thank you for coming to rescue us."

Du Ling bowed gracefully with a smile, though deep in the corners of her eyes lay a trace of something strange.

"I am Lu Zhangsheng. Miss Du, you are too polite."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled.

"Let us all head to the surface together."

Just as the group of women in the prison was preparing to leave, a crisp prompt sound rang out from deep within Lu Zhangsheng's mind.

"Warning, warning, unknown energy field detected..."

Lu Zhangsheng's heart tightened, but his expression remained as calm as water.

He led the group toward the surface without changing his demeanor.

Soon, the group arrived at the surface.

The many martial artists from the county city around them also saw Du Ling and expressed their regret one after another.

"Haha, Brother Lu is quite lucky."

A group of people quickly walked up.

"Congratulations, Brother Lu."

"It was all just luck."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled slightly and greeted the crowd.

Afterward, he slowly moved away from the group of women, and that prompt sound no longer echoed in his mind.

"There is a major problem with that group of women."

He confirmed this in his heart instantly.

"Could it be Du Ling? Or one of the other women?"

As his thoughts turned, he suspected that Du Ling had been tampered with; the others were not valuable enough for that group to go to such lengths.

Thinking of this, a chill surged from the depths of his heart.

If the other party had truly been tampered with and suddenly launched an attack at a critical moment, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Could it be the scheme of that 'Lord'? Or a backup plan of the Wenxiang Sect?"

His mind raced.

As for searching Du Ling, that was even more impractical.

She was not an ordinary woman who could be touched at will; even his direct superior was one rank lower than the County Lord.

The lord of a county held significant power throughout the entire county city.

Moreover, Du Ling was the County Lord's only daughter, cherished by him above all else.

It was like in the Capital City, where the Old Emperor might have hundreds of princesses, most of whom were unloved and had never even seen the Emperor, whereas the Changping County Lord had only one daughter; if he were to investigate her, wouldn't that be seeking death?

As for reporting to his superiors, he thought about it and suppressed the idea.

Without evidence, it is just a false accusation; if nothing can be uncovered, the one who will be unlucky is yourself.

Lu Zhangsheng decided to shelve the matter for now and investigate slowly once his own strength was greater.

He suspected that some people had paid such a high price for an astonishing purpose.

"In the future, I must stay further away from the County Lord's residence."

In an instant, Lu Zhangsheng's thoughts turned a hundred times.

Just as Lu Zhangsheng was pondering, Wei Shaoxuan suddenly walked over.

"This mission has been completed successfully. Thank you all for your hard work."

"You are too polite, Commander Wei."

The crowd wore smiles.

Afterward, the group walked quickly toward the county city.

…………

Two days later.

Early morning, the morning sun was just rising.

Inside the County Office reception hall.

"Brother Lu is truly a hero among the youth; to have such strength at such a young age." Du Wentao took a sip of tea, wearing a smile.

This man wore a scholar robe, and his graying temples added a touch of elegance.

The two were not having a formal meeting, so the other party naturally was not wearing his official robes.

"The County Lord is too kind; I do not deserve such praise."

Lu Zhangsheng wore a smile, appearing very humble.

In his view, this Du Wentao was no ordinary character.

In just a few years, he had secured his position as County Lord, suppressed several major powerful families, and integrated various forces; his methods were quite brilliant.

Even the several Deputy Hall Masters had to admire this man.

Coupled with the support of the Xuanjia Army Commander, his power within the entire county city was unmatched.

At this moment, Du Wentao took out an exquisite wooden box and handed it to Lu Zhangsheng.

"Inside is a secret art, which I gift to Brother Lu. This item was entrusted to me by a friend many years ago; I hope you will not disgrace it..."

He looked nostalgic, his gaze seeming to drift into the distance.

"I will certainly not fail the County Lord's trust."

Lu Zhangsheng nodded with a smile and took the wooden box.

Afterward, the two exchanged a few more words, and Lu Zhangsheng rose to leave.

Just as Lu Zhangsheng walked out of the hall, a man in white walked out.

"How was it?"

Du Wentao's eyes flickered slightly.

"Full of spirit and energy, steady temperament, not bad."

The man in white smiled slightly.

"To think I could get such an evaluation from you. The situation is becoming increasingly strange, and time is running out for him. I hope he can grow quickly; this secret art is just to build a good connection..."

Du Wentao sighed softly.

Decades ago, his entire family was slaughtered, which was his eternal pain.

He swore to make the Black Mountain Bandits pay in blood.

Now that the other party had actually colluded with the Wenxiang Sect, they were likely even harder to deal with.

But no matter how difficult, he had to completely eradicate these two forces.

"I wonder if my little sister is doing well?"

For a long time, Du Wentao had been searching for his little sister, but there had been no news.

After his family was wiped out that day, her body was never found, and this matter had become his greatest regret.

…………

Afternoon.

Lu Zhangsheng sat in his study and opened the wooden box.

He saw a yellowed ancient book lying quietly in the center of the box.

On the cover of the ancient book were three large red characters.

"Three Fold Wave."

Lu Zhangsheng looked curious and immediately took out the secret manual to start flipping through it.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

The air was very quiet, with only the sound of his flipping pages.

A moment later.

Lu Zhangsheng closed the manual, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Secret manual 'Three Fold Wave' discovered. Do you choose to record it?"

"Record."

He nodded without hesitation.

He opened the panel.

Skill: Three Fold Wave (Uninitiated).

Note: Circulates the body's Qi and blood like ocean waves, performing three layers of superposition to increase the user's strength and speed; once perfected, the power is not trivial.

Cultivation Technique Rating: Three Stars.

After finishing the entire secret manual, Lu Zhangsheng realized this was a very powerful secret art.

It was much stronger than the Burning Blood Secret Art.

His own perfected Burning Blood Secret Art could only increase his strength by about twenty percent.

He estimated that once this 【Three Fold Wave】 was perfected, it could likely increase his strength by about forty percent, which was extremely terrifying.

Among high-tier secret arts, it was top-notch, and he feared it was not far from a true top-tier secret art.

This County Lord was not bad; this time he owed the other party a favor.

But this was not a bad thing.

A favor is about give and take, and their friendship would naturally grow.

Building a good relationship with the other party had significant benefits.

Since the other party had this intention, he would not be ungrateful.

Lu Zhangsheng could also guess that the other party had a hint of investment in mind.

(End of chapter)