Chapter 113: Cleaned Out

No words could describe the fear and shock in Deng Xiaolin's heart at this moment.

He could be considered a man who had weathered great storms, having seen far too many experts of all kinds in both Martial Arts and Daoist Arts, and having heard no shortage of rumors about extraordinary people.

However, no one had ever been like Lu Yuan before him, causing him to overturn every single one of his perceptions.

Whether it was dragging him deep underground in an instant and nearly crushing him to death with ten thousand tons of soil, or the miserable end of Leonid, Watanabe, and the others nearby who were left without complete corpses, every one of Lu Yuan's methods was so terrifying and bizarre that it defied imagination; even the most top-tier Martial Arts Grandmaster or even a Daoist master could not achieve this—it was simply not something a mortal could possess!

Linking this to Lu Yuan's age, his inconceivable Godly Strength, and even his Sword Technique, Deng Xiaolin's mind went blank, and he subconsciously thought of the legends of Immortals passed down from the old days.

"What do you think?"

However, facing the other's terrified inquiry, Lu Yuan revealed a smile and did not deny it:

"I ask you, how did the people from the Sha'e Consulate get together with those from the Rizhao Consulate?"

After a brief moment of stupor.

Realizing his own situation, Deng Xiaolin suddenly knelt and prostrated himself on the ground without any regard for his image or dignity, trembling as he said:

"Immortal Lu, it... it was the two sides who took the initiative to find me, saying that you made their two countries lose great face, so they wanted to eliminate you to vent the hatred in their hearts. They mainly felt they didn't have absolute certainty in dealing with you alone, so they joined forces, and the reason they came to me was because they needed me to clean up the aftermath for them."

As he spoke, he did not wait for Lu Yuan's response and began to kowtow violently:

"Immortal Lu, it is my fault. It was my greed that blinded me into agreeing with them and offending an Immortal. I am guilty; I beg the Immortal to punish me!"

"I know I deserve to die ten thousand times over, my sins are heavy, and I truly regret my actions. No matter how the Immortal punishes me, it would not be excessive, but I only beg the Immortal to spare my life so I can turn over a new leaf, be a new person, and repay my sins. Even if I have to be a beast of burden for you, I am willing!"

"I beg you, I beg you to have mercy and spare my life!"

The previous events had already thoroughly chilled him to the bone, and with his internal organs having just been ruptured by the pressure underground, leaving him without the slightest strength to resist, Deng Xiaolin trembled and kowtowed fiercely, his forehead quickly becoming red and swollen.

"A beast of burden..."

Staring at the other, Lu Yuan revealed a playful smile:

"That is not impossible. I still have many things to do in the mortal world, and you, as the Deputy Leader of the Yulong Hall, are somewhat useful. I can give you this opportunity."

Hearing this, the trembling Deng Xiaolin felt as if he had received sweet dew and a reprieve from death, ecstatic and agitated:

"Many thanks, Immortal! Many thanks, Immortal! Deng Xiaolin is willing to submit to your command and serve you like a dog or horse; you may command me in all things!"

At this moment, fire soared into the sky somewhere outside the courtyard, accompanied by a clamor of noise; clearly, the fire had attracted the attention of nearby residents, making them unable to even spare the time to distinguish or investigate the dense gunfire that had just rung out.

Lu Yuan looked at Deng Xiaolin kneeling on the ground and issued orders without the slightest politeness:

"Good. First, I want you to personally destroy all the opium in your hall and release all the laborers you have swindled. Secondly, I also need a large sum of funds to purchase resources for cultivation—the more, the better!"

Deng Xiaolin raised his head without hesitation, his face, bleeding from the seven orifices, filled with the urgency of survival: "No problem, no problem! Tonight, this lowly one will go back and destroy all the opium stored in the hall's warehouse, and all the 'pigs' we just rounded up will be released!

As for the funds you want, that is even less of a problem. The Yulong Hall's silver vault currently holds about four hundred thousand Silver Yuan; I can hand it all over to you!"

"Very good, you are very sensible."

Lu Yuan nodded:

"Since that is the case, take me to your hall now and get things done."

As he spoke, he flicked his long sleeves, and strands of Earth Movement Technique incantations were cast onto the corpses of Leonid, Watanabe Ue, and the others on the ground. Under the influence of his Dharma Power, their corpses seemed to sink rapidly as if falling into a mud swamp, and in the time it took to blink three or five times, they completely disappeared, leaving only a pool of blood.

Seeing this scene, Deng Xiaolin was shocked once again, and in his heart, he no longer had the slightest doubt about the identity of Immortal Lu.

Subsequently, Lu Yuan stepped forward, gripped his shoulder, and chuckled softly:

"Show me the way!"

Whoosh!

The next moment, Deng Xiaolin only felt his vision blur, his entire body enveloped by an intense sensation of weightlessness, and when he regained his senses, he discovered that he had actually appeared at a height of a hundred zhang!

An Immortal, a true Immortal who could soar through the void and ride the wind!

Although the shoulder being gripped was extremely painful, Deng Xiaolin, who had been brought into the high sky, still felt his heart beating wildly; shock, relief, and ecstasy filled his heart.

Although he had kicked an iron plate in this operation with Sha'e and Rizhao, it had also led him to discover the bizarre fact that Lu Yuan was actually an Immortal descended to the world.

As long as he did his best to handle matters and tried his hardest to please this Immortal, perhaps he too could obtain the method of immortal cultivation and step onto the path of Immortality!

What Yulong Hall, what Sha'e and Rizhao, what business—compared to the path of becoming an Immortal, that was all bullshit!

While he was still ecstatic in his heart, Lu Yuan had already asked indifferently: "Where is your hall?"

Deng Xiaolin tried hard to identify the location in mid-air, then pointed a finger: "Immortal Lu, it is in that direction, about ten miles away!"

Under the cover of night, there was no need to use the Invisibility Technique. Lu Yuan did not say another word and activated the Wind Riding Technique, flying rapidly toward the indicated direction with Deng Xiaolin.

The distance of ten miles took only ten or twenty breaths of time while riding the wind. Soon, Lu Yuan saw a hall station dotted with lights under the moonlight, and then he directly brought Deng Xiaolin down onto an empty drill ground within it.

As his feet touched the earth and the state of weightlessness was lifted, Deng Xiaolin stumbled, then stood up in a disheveled manner and bowed respectfully to Lu Yuan behind him:

"Immortal Lu, please follow me—"

Before he could finish his sentence, his pupils suddenly shrank.

Because in the vast darkness behind him, Lu Yuan, who had just brought him down a moment ago, had vanished into thin air.

What was even more eerie was that he could vaguely feel that someone was still standing in front of him at this moment, only his mortal eyes could not see!

"No need to panic."

Lu Yuan, who had already activated the Invisibility Technique, said unhurriedly:

"This is the Invisibility Technique. My true identity should not be known to the world for the time being. Without my permission, do not reveal a single bit to others, understand?"

The methods of an Immortal were naturally difficult to fathom by common sense. Deng Xiaolin, who had completely accepted and adapted to Lu Yuan's identity, bowed with extreme respect and excitement: "Yes, this lowly one understands!"

Lu Yuan nodded: "Let's go, first go to the warehouse where you store the opium."

Although his body was battered and bruised, Deng Xiaolin did not have the slightest hesitation, nodding and bowing:

"Yes, please follow me!"

As he spoke, he personally led the way, taking Lu Yuan toward the interior of the Yulong Hall's station.

Walking out of the pitch-black drill ground, lanterns were hung in many places in the station, and there were also gang experts patrolling at night.

However, with Deng Xiaolin personally appearing, the road to the warehouse was naturally unimpeded. He perfunctorily dealt with all the patrolling Yulong Hall gang members who greeted him, and just like that, he brought the invisible Lu Yuan to a large courtyard.

The large courtyard was guarded by elite gang members of Yulong Hall. After seeing Deng Xiaolin walk over and identifying him, a tough-looking leader brought his subordinates to meet them:

"Gang Leader, why have you come?"

Deng Xiaolin did not waste a single word:

"Cut the chatter, open Warehouse Number One, I want to inspect the goods!"

Along the way, Deng Xiaolin had already wiped away the bloodstains from his seven orifices, so no one noticed anything unusual about him; the leader immediately led him respectfully into the courtyard and opened the two heavy iron locks before the first warehouse.

After the gate was swung wide open, the scent of opium rushed out to meet them; the leader was just about to lead the way with a lantern when Deng Xiaolin stopped him, snatched the lantern, and said coldly:

"Stay outside, you are not allowed in without my permission!"

Having managed Yulong Hall for many years, Deng Xiaolin was as absolute as a local emperor; although the leader and several gang members felt it was strange, they did not think too much of it and immediately retreated obediently, leaving Deng Xiaolin to walk into the warehouse alone.

Carrying the lantern, he walked straight to a large pile of square wooden crates in the center of the warehouse and whispered:

"Immortal Lu, this is the cargo our Yulong Hall just imported from Shenluo and Rizhao. What do you think?"

Behind him, Lu Yuan revealed his figure from the darkness and sneered:

"Just a casual count shows at least several dozen crates of opium, right? Deng Xiaolin, you certainly do business on a grand scale."

Deng Xiaolin was terrified and immediately knelt halfway to the ground:

"Immortal, please calm your anger! Most of the opium here was forced upon me by the Shenluo and Rizhao Consulates so they could raise funds. This lowly one has now turned over a new leaf and realized that this is a substance that ruins the country and harms the people; I will follow whatever the Immortal decides without a single word of objection, and I will never touch it again!"

Lu Yuan was expressionless: "Enough, move aside."

Deng Xiaolin hurriedly stepped aside, and then he saw Lu Yuan step forward, extend his hand, and press it onto the mountain-like pile of wooden crates; subsequently, a clear radiance of Dharma Power expanded to envelop them, and then they all rapidly sank into the ground.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of crates of opium vanished, and Lu Yuan reappeared on the ground.

Deng Xiaolin was already accustomed to such things and complimented him respectfully:

"Immortal Lu's Dao techniques are profound and his Supernatural Power is boundless; this lowly one is truly prostrate in admiration."

Although his Dharma Power was more than half depleted at this moment, it could not be seen on Lu Yuan's surface, and he said indifferently:

"Very well, next, take me to the silver vault."

"Yes."

Deng Xiaolin had no room for bargaining at this moment; he nodded in agreement and then led Lu Yuan toward the direction of the silver vault.

The silver vault was naturally built within his own residence; when he returned to the manor, it immediately alarmed the gatekeepers and guards, and just as he walked to the backyard where the silver vault was located, his eldest son, Deng Baichuan, also rushed over upon hearing the news:

"Father, how did things go tonight?"

Deng Xiaolin was terrified that Lu Yuan, who was following him unseen, would notice something, so he immediately scolded:

"Nothing is the matter. You go notify Tie Shou and the others, tell them to release all the 'piglets' that haven't been put on the ships yet, and then gather all the Incense Master-level leaders of the hall to the assembly hall. I have things to instruct them on later!!"

The request to gather the core members was, naturally, also something Lu Yuan had proposed earlier.

Deng Baichuan was completely unaware that a terrifying, invisible existence was following his own father, so he asked curiously:

"Father, what is wrong with you? How did things go, and why have you come so late..."

"Get out!"

Deng Xiaolin scolded with extreme annoyance:

"Do I need to give you an account for how I do things? Don't make me say it a second time, hurry up and get the people gathered for me, don't delay my business!"

Having rarely been scolded like this since he reached adulthood and began participating in gang affairs, Deng Baichuan, who had no idea what had happened, was slightly suspicious, but looking left and right, he could not see anything wrong with Deng Xiaolin, so he could only bow helplessly and say:

"Yes, Father, your son understands."

Saying this, he left in a hurry to go gather the leaders to meet in the hall.

After he left, Deng Xiaolin hurriedly took out his keys, opened the triple iron doors of the silver vault, and then said respectfully:

"Immortal Lu, all the wealth this lowly one has accumulated over these years is here."

After Lu Yuan revealed himself and walked inside, he saw that in this spacious, fortress-like secret chamber, there were several load-bearing wooden shelves and several large chests.

The items placed on the shelves were all antiques, calligraphy, paintings, gold Buddhas, and jade carvings, while those chests, under Deng Xiaolin's eager opening, reflected rays of silver light or brilliant gold.

They were indeed crates of Silver Yuan and Gold Yuan, and judging by the quantity, it was truly as he had said—no less than three or four hundred thousand.

Yulong Hall was merely one of the three major halls of the Cao Gang; for such a hall to be able to amass such vast wealth, one could imagine how many filthy businesses Deng Xiaolin had conducted over the years.

Deng Xiaolin looked at Lu Yuan with great anticipation:

"Immortal Lu, if we are talking purely about Gold Yuan and Silver Yuan, there should be about this much, roughly four hundred thousand or so. Do you think this is enough? If it is not enough, these antiques and jade wares should be able to sell for another two or three hundred thousand Silver Yuan if put on the market. Furthermore, this lowly one has many shops and properties, all of which can be sold and converted into silver money to provide for the Immortal's cultivation!"

Based on limited information, he realized that Lu Yuan did not seem like the kind of Immortal he imagined who lived in deep mountains and forests, consuming mist and air; rather, he seemed more like a person of the secular world who had accidentally obtained an Immortal's inheritance.

This could be judged from the fact that the other party first made a scene by setting up a ring in Jinjin, intending to make a name for himself, and then showed disgust for opium, as well as having a large demand for gold and silver.

After all, the Immortals in myths and legends were all transcendent, far removed from the mortal world, and did not eat the food of mortals; how could there be one like Lu Yuan?

His only thought now was to first find every possible way to please the other party and gain his trust, until he could figure out the other party's background before plotting to obtain the Immortal arts!

Not knowing the thoughts in Deng Xiaolin's mind at this moment—or rather, even if he did know, he would not care at all—Lu Yuan scanned the room and nodded slightly:

"Very good, this is enough for now; I will accept it."

As he spoke, he took out the Pot Heaven Bag he kept close to his person and, using his Dharma Power to channel and control it, he collected the crates of Silver Yuan, and even the calligraphy, paintings, gold Buddhas, and jade wares on the shelves.

After arriving in Jinjin, he had taken advantage of his spare time to refine another Pot Heaven Bag, and its internal space reached nearly a zhang square, specifically for storing gold, silver, and other items; collecting these things was naturally a simple matter.

Seeing that Lu Yuan had actually produced such a magical object, Deng Xiaolin, standing to the side, widened his eyes again, his heart pounding as he shouted internally:

"A Universe Bag? This must be a Universe Bag used by Immortals, capable of containing the world within a mustard seed!"

Although he rarely read miscellaneous books, he had heard of the Immortal legends compiled by storytellers, but he never expected to be able to see one with his own eyes today.

Amidst his shocked gaze, Lu Yuan quickly collected the vast majority of the gold and silver wealth in the secret chamber, then turned around and said indifferently:

"Let's go, go see those core leaders of yours; I have things to instruct."

Although it pained him, the temptation of the Immortal arts could not be compared to these worldly possessions; Deng Xiaolin locked the silver vault and, with the once-again invisible Lu Yuan, headed toward the hall's assembly hall.

(End of chapter)