Chapter 167: Old Grudges (Thanks to Patron 20220724175249537)

Lu Dongjun retreated step by step; in his mind, He Haiqin should have been an Eighth-Level Food Cultivator—how could he have learned a Ninth-Level technique?

When did he ascend?

The gale dispersed, and He Haisheng also rose from the ground, following behind He Haiqin.

He Haiqin scolded He Haisheng: "Third brother, your temper is too hasty—I told you to stall him a bit, why did you just charge in and fight him?"

"Brother, you're also too impatient—you swallowed all my smoke." Those smokes were equivalent to He Haisheng's flesh and blood.

"I'm the one who got choked on it!" He Haiqin coughed twice.

He Haisheng gritted his teeth: "Big brother, it's him who caused your illness—his strategist, Wan Jinxian, is a Disease Cultivator!"

He Haiqin gritted his teeth: "I know about this already—no need for you to act. Today, I'll peel his skin off myself!"

Lu Dongjun's expression remained calm, showing no panic.

He Haiqin stared at Lu Dongjun: "Little Jun, our friendship isn't shallow—I once even told you some heartfelt words when you invited me to eat."

"I genuinely wanted to help you become head of the Lu family—how could you let that bastard Wan Jinxian harm me?"

Lu Dongjun shook his head: "Brother Haiqin, I truly didn't know about this. If Haisheng hadn't just mentioned it, I wouldn't have known your illness was tied to Wan Jinxian."

"I'm no genius, but Brother Haiqin, you're sharp—this can't be pinned on me."

Did Lu Dongjun not know Wan Jinxian had planted the disease in He Haiqin?

Nonsense!

How could he not know!

It was Lu Dongliang who gave him the order—Lu Dongliang didn't ask him to poison He Haiqin, but to kill him outright. If Lu Dongjun succeeded, Lu Dongliang promised to give him half the family estate.

Lu Dongjun had planned to go violent—back then, He Haiqin was still Eighth-Level; with Lu Dongjun's strength, killing an Eighth-Level Food Cultivator wasn't hard. But he hadn't expected He Haiqin to bring He Yuxiu along.

The difficulty skyrocketed—He Yuxiu was also an Eighth-Level Wu Xiu. Though she wasn't as strong as Lu Dongjun, her base combat power was undeniable, so Lu Dongjun dared not strike.

Seeing the mission failing, Wan Jinxian volunteered—he disguised himself as a servant and secretly planted the disease in He Haiqin during the meal.

From that moment on, Wan Jinxian gained Lu Dongjun's heavy trust.

Two days later, He Haiqin fell gravely ill. Lu Dongjun thought the job was done and waited for Lu Dongliang to hand over half the estate.

But He Haiqin, thanks to his robust physique and the aid of the Elixir Cultivator Chu Peiyin, managed to cling to life for two more years.

Since He Haiqin didn't die, Lu Dongliang had no obligation to fulfill his promise—and naturally, he withheld the estate.

But during those two years, taking advantage of He Haiqin's illness, Lu Dongliang seized many advantages; under his suppression, the He family gradually declined, and the Lu family became the top clan in Puluozhou.

Lu Dongjun watched all this, seething inside. Though He Haiqin hadn't died, Lu Dongjun had done a great service—he shouldn't have gotten nothing.

Added to that, Wan Jinxian kept egging him on, and Lu Dongjun developed murderous intentions toward Lu Dongliang.

The plot to poison He Haiqin had been exposed, yet Lu Dongjun was still pleading his innocence—He Haiqin refused to listen.

Lu Dongjun's entourage was nowhere to be seen—he was alone. Wasn't this the perfect moment to kill him?

He Haiqin charged straight at Lu Dongjun and threw a punch.

Lu Dongjun didn't dodge—he kicked He Haiqin in the chest first.

He Haiqin staggered back several steps; had he not been a Food Cultivator with a strong body, he might have died right there.

"Little Jun, you're ruthless—you really can fight, no wonder Lu Dongliang fell to you!"

As for Lu Dongliang's fate, He Haiqin naturally trusted He Yuxiu.

Though he held a cultivation advantage, he didn't have the upper hand in a one-on-one fight.

He Haiqin changed his tone: "Brother, let's take him together!"

He Haiqin and He Haisheng advanced together toward Lu Dongjun.

Food Cultivators, once fed, gain astonishing speed, strength, and resistance.

Smoke Cultivators have methods for both close and distant combat, appearing and vanishing unpredictably.

Under these conditions, was there still a chance to turn the tide?

Yes!

Lu Dongjun ripped out two rows of seats from the carriage and hurled them at He Haiqin and He Haisheng.

Wu Xiu had no techniques, but their combat power was strongest—relying solely on martial skill, the heavy seats flew precisely toward the brothers.

He Haiqin smashed through the seats with his body and charged straight at Lu Dongjun.

He Haisheng dodged aside, avoiding the seats.

The opportunity lay here—the brothers responded differently to direct assault.

In the narrow carriage, Lu Dongjun leapt onto the seat backs and sprinted past He Haiqin, lunging straight for He Haisheng.

He Haisheng prepared to transform into smoke—his standard tactic.

He Haiqin chased from behind; Lu Dongjun spun and kicked, stirring up a gale that blocked He Haiqin.

He Haiqin opened his mouth and swallowed the gale—but He Haisheng dared not transform into smoke anymore.

Just now, part of He Haisheng's smoke had been scattered by Lu Dongjun, and part swallowed by He Haiqin.

That smoke was He Haisheng's body, his life—if He Haiqin swallowed even more, He Haisheng would suffer grave injury.

In that instant of hesitation, Lu Dongjun seized He Haisheng's head, ready to crush it.

Kill He Haisheng first, then deal with He Haiqin alone—it would be far easier.

He could do nothing else well—only fighting was his strength.

As Lu Dongjun was about to crush He Haisheng's skull, the train suddenly jolted.

Lu Dongjun lost his balance; He Haisheng seized the chance to escape. He Haiqin kicked Lu Dongjun from behind, and He Haisheng spat out his cigarette—the ember burned through Lu Dongjun's chest, exposing bone and organs.

Lu Dongjun clutched his chest, trying to rise, but He Haiqin stomped him back down: "You bastard—you've been screwing me for two whole years!"

He Haiqin punched Lu Dongjun in the face—his left cheek caved in, his skull shattered.

"You dare kill on a train? Don't you know the rules here? Aren't you afraid of the attendants?" This was Lu Dongjun's final struggle.

"Attendants?" He Haiqin burst into laughter. "What train is this? Open your eyes and look clearly—before you die, at least die knowing the truth."

Lu Dongjun looked at the carriage.

The seats, small tables, floor, ceiling—it clearly looked like a carriage.

He turned to the window—outside, dark scenery flashed by: cottages, farmland, forests…

Cottages?

Lu Dongjun had seen that cottage—he'd seen it right when he boarded.

Was it the same one?

After the cottage came endless fields—the scenery outside the window had repeated.

Was it… he'd been fooled from the start?

No wonder He Haiqin suddenly appeared in the carriage.

This wasn't a train at all…

How could it feel so real?

Like those photographs—identical to the real thing.

Lu Dongjun stared in horror at the window; He Haiqin brought down his fist and crushed Lu Dongjun's head.

He Haiqin wiped the blood from his hand and shouted: "Ling Laosan, come collect the corpse!"

A window opened; Ling Miaoying, the third brother of the Ling family, leapt in, rolled up the carpet, wrapped Lu Dongjun's body in it, and tossed it out the window.

The scenery outside still rolled backward—even if you stuck your head out, it looked utterly real.

The only unreal thing: no wind blew through the window, because the carriage wasn't moving at all.

That was why the windows couldn't be opened.

Outside the carriage was another scene: the train sat on a platform, its steam engine puffing, ready to depart; passengers hurried on and off; attendants stood at the doors checking tickets.

Was this real?

No.

Ling Miaoying ordered all the shadow-play machines around the train shut off—the true scene finally appeared.

No passengers. No attendants.

Only an abandoned platform, an abandoned train, and a stretch of abandoned rails.

Everything was shadow-play—outside the train, an outside play; inside, an inside play.

Beneath the carriage sat a phonograph, custom-made by Ling Miaoying.

The steam engine's hiss, the whistle, the wheels clattering on rails, the passengers' chatter—all sounded authentic.

Steel wires hung around the carriage, trembling slightly, making the carriage sway gently.

Just now, when Lu Dongjun fought desperately, Ling Miaoying cut one wire, causing the carriage to lurch violently—saving He Haisheng's life.

The top-tier Shadow Cultivator Ling Miaoying had deceived Lu Dongjun with a shadow-play.

From the moment Lu Dongjun left the leather factory, he'd been watched—but because he was so formidable, no one dared move against him.

From the moment he passed the ticket gate, he'd been watching this shadow-play all the way into the trap set by Ling Miaoying and He Haiqin.

He Haiqin stepped out of the carriage and glared at Ling Miaoying: "You've got some real skill—I thought this was a real train when I first came."

Ling Miaoying removed his hat and bowed: "A trivial trick—your pardon."

"Pardon? Do you think I can laugh? My brother nearly got killed by Lu Dongjun—and you didn't even lift a finger!"

Ling Miaoying had been outside the carriage—he hadn't intervened.

"According to our agreement, Elder He should've arrived earlier. I didn't anticipate the twist, so I dared not interfere."

"You blame me? The train was an hour late—I ran here the moment I got off!"

Ling Miaoying bowed humbly: "Not your fault—mine. I failed to adapt."

He Haiqin waved his hand. "Don't waste time on useless chatter—let's get to the point. The business at Haichiling is split fifty-fifty; that's what we agreed on."

Ling Miaoying nodded. "Of course."

"Handle the cleanup yourselves—I won't interfere."

"That was also our agreement."

"Lu Dongjun's affair has nothing to do with us from start to finish. If it blows up, you bear the blame."

"Rest assured, we'll take care of everything afterward."

He Haiqin nodded and left the abandoned platform with He Haisheng.

Outside the train station, He Haisheng looked up at the swarming mosquitoes and said to He Haiqin, "Big brother, Haichiling is finished. Even if we take control of the business here, it probably won't be worth much."

He Haiqin laughed. "Foolish kid, do you think I actually care about Haichiling's pitiful business? Haichiling is ruined—sell the business to the Ling family at a fair price."

"That bastard Lu Dongjun made me lie in bed for two full years—I nearly lost my life. To kill him with my own hands, you have no idea how satisfying that feels!"

……

Ling Miaoying packed away all the equipment and sat alone in the abandoned carriage, pinching her brow as she sent a message to He Jiaqing:

"The job is done."

He Jiaqing, lying on his sickbed, replied: "Secure Lu Dongjun's corpse—it will be invaluable for your promotion later."

"But the mosquitoes at Haichiling are hard to deal with."

"Send Old Wan to Green Water Bay—see if he can persuade his ancestral master."

"I already asked. The Green Petal Clan won't help."

"Ask again. If all else fails, I'll go myself."

PS: Thanks to the patron 20220724175249537—your brilliant comments and enthusiastic encouragement in every chapter give me extra strength when I'm typing.

(End of Chapter)