Chapter 50: Plum Blossom Sword Technique

"The 'Ghost Crying Wolf Howling' technique is just too perfect for sneak attacks." Holding the blood-dripping Ghost Head Broadsword and looking at the decapitated Lv Fugui, Meng Yifan could not help but feel a lingering fear.

When Wang Lei came to kill the father and son, had he not underestimated his enemy and instead gone all out from the start, unleashing 'Ghost Crying Wolf Howling' to launch a surprise attack, Meng Yifan and Meng Dayong truly would not have been able to block it.

The 'Ghost Crying Wolf Howling' technique falls under the category of sonic attacks, directly affecting a person's mind; if one is not prepared in advance, it is very easy to fall victim to it. Just like how Lv Fugui, despite having the cultivation of a Second Grade Middle Stage Martial Artist, had no chance to unleash it before being finished off by Meng Yifan.

The sound of a vase shattering, coupled with the servant shouting half a sentence, caused everyone in the entire courtyard to be startled awake.

Lv Fugui's son, 'Lv Fuqiang', rushed out with eight bodyguards who watched over the house. The first thing he saw was Meng Dayong wreaking havoc in the courtyard, and then, looking through the open door of the study, he saw his father, Lv Fugui, with his head severed.

"Father!" Lv Fuqiang let out a loud cry, then with a *clang*, he drew the precious sword at his waist and charged recklessly to kill Meng Yifan.

The hatred of a father's murder is irreconcilable; Lv Fuqiang's eyes were bloodshot, his face ferocious, and he swore to tear his father's killer into ten thousand pieces.

Lv Fuqiang was a wealthy young master with extraordinary talent, and the Lu family was powerful and influential, capable of obtaining vast amounts of cultivation resources for him.

Good talent combined with abundant cultivation resources allowed Lv Fuqiang's cultivation to improve rapidly, far surpassing his peers; at only eighteen years old, he had become a Second Grade Lower Stage martial arts expert.

"Little thief, go to hell." The long sword in Lv Fuqiang's hand was like a swimming dragon, flipping up and down as he unleashed an exquisite sword technique, the sword light flickering like blooming, delicate plum blossoms.

Though the plum blossoms were beautiful, they hid murderous intent.

As Lv Fuqiang's sword technique unfolded, sword Qi surged throughout the room, and plum blossoms enveloped Meng Yifan's entire body, making it very strenuous for Meng Yifan to parry.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The Ghost Head Blade and the precious sword collided repeatedly, sparking flashes of fire.

At first, Meng Yifan could barely manage to block, but Lv Fuqiang's sword technique grew faster and the plum blossoms more numerous, making Meng Yifan's defense increasingly difficult.

"Plum Blossom Three Variations!" Lv Fuqiang channeled his True Qi to unleash his ultimate move. As he flicked his precious sword, it simultaneously manifested three sword flowers, stabbing respectively at Meng Yifan's throat, chest, and crotch.

Meng Yifan was startled, knowing that his Ghost Head Blade certainly could not block these three sword strikes that were as fast as a gale. He hurriedly mobilized his remaining True Qi to execute the second step of Lingbo Microsteps. With his left toe touching the ground, he slid backward with a *whoosh*, his body retreating over ten meters at an astonishing speed, finally dodging Lv Fuqiang's three sword flowers.

"Thief, where are you going?" Lv Fuqiang shouted loudly and chased after him, holding his precious sword.

Seeing that Meng Yifan could not hold his own, Meng Dayong wanted to come over to help surround Lv Fuqiang, but that group of bodyguards were no pushovers.

Although their strength was not high—most were First Grade Lower Stage Martial Artists and the head bodyguard was only a First Grade High-Level Martial Artist—they were certainly no match for Meng Dayong in a one-on-one fight.

However, this group of bodyguards understood joint-attack methods; the eight of them formed a formation, advancing and retreating together as a single unit, trapping Meng Dayong in the middle. The two sides were evenly matched, and Meng Dayong could not break free for the time being.

Meng Yifan was once again plunged into a bitter struggle. Lv Fuqiang was using the "Plum Blossom Sword Technique," a Yellow Grade High Rank sword technique with formidable power.

Lv Fuqiang had great talent and, through the connections of Lv Dazhi, had joined the Sanjue Sect in Dongchuan Prefecture. Under the guidance of famous teachers, and because he was willing to work hard—practicing through the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer—he had finally mastered this set of sword techniques after five years of bitter training.

This time, Lv Fuqiang had left the Meihua Sword Sect to visit his family. He had not expected that after only three days of reunion with his father, his father would be brutally murdered, leaving no corpse intact. This made Lv Fuqiang's heart ache like it was being sliced by a knife, and his attacks became increasingly ruthless.

The precious sword in Lv Fuqiang's hand swayed, and plum blossoms bloomed; each one pointed directly at Meng Yifan's vital points, forcing Meng Yifan to retreat step by step.

Meng Yifan had never systematically practiced combat martial arts. He was able to barely hold off Lv Fuqiang's long sword by relying on his speed attribute of 70 points and the exquisite Lingbo Microsteps, which allowed him to dodge Lv Fuqiang's precious sword at critical moments. But being suppressed and beaten like this was no solution.

Meng Yifan and Meng Dayong's plan for assassinating Lv Fugui was to finish the battle quickly, strike once and succeed, then retreat immediately. Now, because of Lv Fuqiang's appearance, the two sides were deadlocked, which was very disadvantageous for the Meng father and son.

If the stalemate lasted too long, the County Magistrate Lv would likely receive news. If he sent experts to reinforce them, it would be disastrous.

"Are you bullying me because I don't know combat martial arts?" Meng Yifan had bought two secret manuals. Lingbo Microsteps was a lightness skill; at first, he couldn't even get started, but later, when Meng Dayong faced a life-or-death crisis, his desperate desire to save his father led him to inadvertently execute the Lingbo Microsteps, which was how he finally took the first step.

The "Liaoyuan Spear Technique" was a spear martial art. Meng Yifan had flipped through it and felt it was very profound; unless he had another opportunity to gain insight into martial arts, he would be unable to master it in the short term, which left him feeling somewhat helpless.

"Hmph! You know martial arts, but I can add points. Let's see who is better." Meng Yifan, being beaten into a precarious situation, was thoroughly enraged and decided to add points directly to increase his combat power before continuing to fight Lv Fuqiang.

Meng Yifan had gained 200 Experience Value points from killing Lv Fugui and had not yet spent them. He had originally planned to continue increasing his proficiency in Lingbo Microsteps.

He estimated that after adding points, he would be able to learn how to coordinate the subsequent steps with True Qi, but now Meng Yifan's True Qi was almost exhausted, so even if he learned the coordination between True Qi and footwork, it would be of little use.

Meng Yifan considered for a moment and converted the 200 Experience Value points into 20 attribute points, adding them to speed. This caused his speed to soar to 90 points—nine times that of an ordinary person—which was an astonishing speed.

Meng Yifan's legs were wrapped in a layer of energy that appeared out of thin air; it felt like soaking in a hot spring, warm and comfortable.

Under the influence of this special energy, Meng Yifan's legs underwent a magical transformation. The originally thick muscles of his legs seemed to be compressed, turning into a streamlined shape, and his physique became more balanced, just like a cheetah adept at running.

"Whoosh!" The precious sword in Lv Fuqiang's hand swung out again, the sword light flickering and forming a plum blossom that enveloped Meng Yifan's head, as if he wanted to slice off Meng Yifan's head with one strike to avenge his dead father.

Meng Yifan's body was as agile as an ape; he stepped out to the left, his body quickly shifting horizontally by a meter, dodging the incoming sharp sword.

"Swish! Swish!" Lv Fuqiang followed closely behind, stabbing with two more sword moves. Meng Yifan, unhurried, danced as if fluttering; he stepped to the right, twisted his waist and hips, and took a step back. Lv Fuqiang's precious sword always missed by a hair, failing to even touch Meng Yifan's clothes, which drove him mad with frustration.