Chapter 148: Arrest and Pursuit

At this moment, Ennahai asked:

"Now that the Town-State Dharma Artifact has been retrieved, I wonder when the Empress Dowager intends to strike, and whether you require this old man's assistance?"

Xici pondered slightly, her eyes gleaming with a ghostly light:

"With the Abuhulin Spear in hand, my odds of victory exceed ninety percent. However, that rebel's methods are extremely bizarre and cannot be measured by conventional logic. I might be able to defeat him with ease, but to say I have absolute certainty of executing him is not guaranteed."

Ennahai's aged brows furrowed:

"Forgive my presumption, but the Abuhulin Spear is a divine artifact bestowed upon our clan by Changshengtian. In the past, the founding Emperor wielded this object and slew a full eight True Martial Realm Grandmasters in a single battle. Even if the rebel you speak of were a true Heavenly Dipper Realm expert, he could not be compared to you as you are now. Is there truly no absolute certainty?"

"Elder En has never crossed paths with that rebel, so you do not know how inconceivable his methods are."

Xici said coldly:

"What this person displays is not merely Martial Arts or Daoist Arts; to a certain extent, it is akin to the Dharma Techniques of an Immortal. Not only can he conceal himself without form or trace, but he can also freeze a person's movements, and even traverse the void and fly through the heavens—these are all things I have seen with my own eyes!"

Ennahai's eyes rippled with great waves:

"The Qi Refining path of the Immortals from the ancient era has become legend. In today's world, the environment has changed, and there is no longer any possibility of cultivating such a path. How did this person master such Dharma Techniques?"

"That question can only be answered after we have captured that rebel alive."

Although her confidence had risen to an unprecedented height with the Abuhulin Spear in hand, Xici remained wary and cautious, saying slowly:

"As the saying goes, if you do not kill the tiger, you will suffer its retaliation. If we are to act, we must accomplish the task in one stroke and never give him a chance to escape to the heavens. Therefore, I still need to plan the layout carefully. Elder En is the pillar of our Divine Sect, and your strength is also of vital importance, so I will have to trouble you to come out of seclusion and join me in executing the rebel."

"When the time comes, if we can obtain the secrets of the Immortal arts from that rebel, I shall share them with you all, so that we may study the path of Qi Refining and longevity together!"

Both Ennahai and the two Great Shamans, Cangjigebutiansuo, felt their gazes shift sharply, and they bowed immediately:

"We shall respectfully follow the Empress Dowager's command and will exhaust all our strength to execute the traitor of the nation!"

Naturally, Lu Yuan did not know what had transpired in the temple within the distant Ancestral Land of the Jin Clan.

At this very moment, Lu Yuan was still keeping a low profile in the guild hall, focusing on his cultivation.

Aside from the fundamental cultivation methods of Ingestion and Guidance.

Because of the emergence of the Refining Sword into Pellet technique, the time he could utilize every day became even tighter.

For this reason, he had to significantly reduce the time spent practicing Earthly Fiend Arts to allocate it to refining his Dharma Sword.

After all, according to the annotations in the Heavenly Book, the Life-Bound Flying Sword pellet formed by the Refining Sword into Pellet technique possessed immense power, and in terms of killing force, it far surpassed the 【Generating Light】—which combined offense, defense, and support—making it a potential trump card.

Therefore, mastering this technique had become his second most important goal.

However.

He had not been painstakingly practicing this technique for many days.

On this day, before the sky had even brightened, Lu Yuan's quiet cultivation was interrupted by a burst of urgent ringing in the side courtyard.

His disciples would never disturb him on ordinary days, so his heart stirred as he walked out of the quiet room into the courtyard to open the gate, only to see Chen Zhantang standing outside, speaking in a low, urgent tone:

"Guild Master, two people claiming to be from the Iron-Blooded National Salvation Society just climbed over the wall. They seem to be pursued by government soldiers and are requesting help. We did not dare to make a decision on our own, so we came to ask for your judgment."

"Iron-Blooded National Salvation Society?"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow in surprise:

"Take me to see them."

Chen Zhantang immediately accepted the order and led Lu Yuan along a path to a detached house beside the disciples' quarters.

The room was filled with a faint scent of herbs and the smell of blood. Two men covered in blood were lying on the bed, pale and unconscious; Peng Yidao, Lin Sheng, and two disciples were busy stopping their bleeding and treating their wounds.

With the help of the dim candlelight, Lu Yuan saw at a glance that the blood-soaked man was none other than Zhao Shuhua, the branch leader of the Iron-Blooded National Salvation Society who had once visited him!

As for the other one, he was burly and seemed to be a bodyguard or guard of some sort; Lu Yuan only had a slight impression of him and could not remember his name.

Lu Yuan could not help but ask: "How are their injuries?"

Peng Yidao and Lin Sheng had traveled the world and were usually adept at handling bruises and injuries, but at this moment, their expressions were grave:

"Guild Master, both of these men have gunshot wounds. This one called Zhao Shuhua only has one bullet in his back, but his bodyguard has been shot five times in the chest and abdomen. The injuries are very serious. We two only know how to treat knife, spear, and arrow wounds; we are truly not skilled with these gunshot wounds. We must send them to a medical clinic."

"However, judging by what they said before they lost consciousness, it seems there are soldiers from the Jingwu Division pursuing them outside. If we send them to a clinic or bring in a doctor, it is hard to say whether the news will leak..."

Lu Yuan chuckled:

"Why look far when the solution is near? I will do it myself."

As he spoke, he signaled for the busy Peng Yidao and Lin Sheng to step aside, then stepped forward personally.

Quickly scanning and touching the wounds on Zhao Shuhua and the other man, he pressed his fingers together into a sword gesture, with faint Qi radiance blooming at his fingertips. With a lightning-fast series of stabs and flicks, bullet after bullet was plucked out and fell to the floor.

After the bullets were removed, he lightly tapped the wound sites in succession, a flash of imperceptible clear radiance passing over them, and said:

"It is done. Apply the medicine and bandage them."

That was it?

This Gate Master actually possessed such medical skills?

In a blur of motion, they had not seen what methods Lu Yuan used. Chen Zhantang and the three other disciples were stunned for a moment, then hurriedly stepped forward to apply medicine and bandage them.

During this process.

Zhao Shuhua, who had only been shot once, slowly regained consciousness. Upon seeing the scene before him, he became agitated and tried to get up:

"Guild Master Lu!?"

Lu Yuan raised a hand to stop him and asked:

"I remember your name is Zhao Shuhua? Your wounds have not been bandaged yet, do not move around."

Zhao Shuhua immediately looked at the man lying next to him who had been shot five times, his voice trembling:

"Guild Master, how is he?"

Lu Yuan smiled:

"The bullets in his body have been removed, and since his physique is quite strong, he will certainly not die."

Although he had not studied the medical aspect of the 【Medicine】 arts with great focus, he had over two hundred wisps of Dharma Power at his disposal; a slight application of the Rejuvenation Art was enough to keep someone alive.

When a Grandmaster-level figure like Lu Yuan spoke, his words were naturally well-founded. Zhao Shuhua was overjoyed and said with immense excitement:

"Many thanks to Hall Master Lu for your great kindness and virtue in saving both our lives; Zhao Shuhua is deeply grateful and has no way to repay you."

Lu Yuan waved his hand, indifferent, and said:

"It is no matter. What is going on with you two? The Iron-Blooded National Salvation Society also has quite a foundation in Jinjin; why were you suddenly hunted by the officers and soldiers of the Martial Peace Bureau?"

Zhao Shuhua immediately gritted his teeth, his eyes full of hatred as he said:

"It is shameful to say, but there was a traitor among our people who leaked the branch's contact roster, which led to the exposure of over a hundred members of the Salvation Society's Jinjin branch, who were then hunted and captured by the lackeys of the Martial Peace Bureau!"

(End of chapter)