Chapter 52: Strange Tales and Moving Again

And with the sensation throughout the East City.

The news spread like wildfire, and soon reached Boxiyuan.

It was still Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu who brought back the first-hand news, and Li Junxian, who was tending to flowers and plants in the garden, was incredibly shocked:

"What, Qingyike has appeared again?"

Qingyike was now considered an idol by Xu Dahu, whose tone was exceptionally excited:

"That's right, just last night, inside that Qin Fu."

Immediately, he recounted the news he had gathered in detail.

During this process, Lu Yuan, the culprit behind it all, stood honestly to the side listening, and from time to time had to put on an expression of shock.

In reality, he had long since sensed the violent changes in the Luck Power.

Just like last time, the appearance of Qingyike after a month-long interval caused a sensation once again, and with the hearts of the people leaning toward him, Luck Power surged forth from the void in a steady stream.

However.

Although there was a lot of Luck gathered this time, the extent seemed much lower compared to the last time he manifested his holiness before the public.

"Interesting. Is it really because there was no manifestation before the public, plus the fact that the name Qingyike already has enough influence, that repeating the same behavior leads to a decay in the acquisition of Luck?"

Xu Dahu was still talking excitedly, but Lu Yuan's mind had already turned over these thoughts many times.

Everything is freshest the first two times; as the image of Qingyike is thoroughly established and the commoners of Fengyang Prefecture know more and more about his deeds, his influence and reputation will slowly climb to the peak, at which point the impact of each action will actually gradually decrease.

In short, it is that everyone has become accustomed to it, and it is not as fresh anymore.

Unless he pulls off a major feat like he did when killing Tian Ming and Zhao Hailong last time, creating some kind of divine miracle of manifesting before the public, only then can he elevate his influence another level and obtain more Luck.

Just as he was pondering.

Soon, Li Junxian, having finished hearing the news, had eyes filled with both amazement and admiration, and spoke:

"For this person to be able to kill the Qin Scholar within the dragnet of the Jingwu Division, and then walk away calmly without leaving a single trace, such methods are truly unfathomable. 'Ten steps to kill one person, leaving no trace for a thousand miles'—the knights of old were no more than this."

Xu Erhu was also both admiring and puzzled as he said:

"Master, how do you think this person managed it? We inquired carefully, and it is said that the Jingwu Division not only sent out all their elites but also invited a Daoist Arts expert from Youxian Temple, who followed the Qin Scholar for over a month, even sleeping in the next room at night to protect him at all times.

Under the noses of such experts, logically speaking, there should have been no opportunity to act, but Qingyike not only blew the Qin Scholar's head off with a Firearm, but even left without being discovered by the other party. This is simply..."

Li Junxian laughed:

"This only proves one thing: that Qingyike's attainments in Daoist Arts are unfathomable and have reached an earth-shattering level, far surpassing that Daoist Arts expert from Youxian Temple.

However, this person clearly has astonishing Daoist Arts attainments yet even used a Firearm; he is truly an interesting character. It is a pity I do not know his identity, otherwise, I would really like to invite him for a drink."

Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu echoed him repeatedly, and Lu Yuan, standing to the side, could only offer an awkward but polite smile.

Although the turmoil caused by Qingyike was great, it had little to do with Boxiyuan.

After the four master and disciples chatted for a while, they each went about their own business.

Lu Yuan returned to his room and communicated with the Heavenly Book:

【Master of the Heavenly Book】: Lu Yuan

【Mastered Arts】:

Earthly Fiend-Ingestion (Human: 26%): Omitted

Earthly Fiend-Guidance (Human: 15%): Omitted

Earthly Fiend-Invisibility (Human: 5%): Omitted

Earthly Fiend-Sending Staff (Human: 3%): Omitted

Earthly Fiend-Medicine (Human: 1%): Omitted

Earthly Fiend-Earth Travel (Human: 1%): Omitted

【Luck Power】: 65 units

In less than half a day, his Luck Power had already increased by more than ten units.

It is foreseeable that the total Luck he can obtain is expected to be around forty units, and then after saving up another ten or so units of Luck, he will be able to light up the next Earthly Fiend Art.

As for which one to choose, Lu Yuan already had a target.

That would be 【Sword Technique】 or 【Generating Light】.

【Sword Technique】: The general outline of all sword techniques in the world; those who master this art have a clear sword heart, can penetrate the mystery of the unity of sword and Qi, cultivate the method of the Primordial Spirit controlling the sword, and kill invisibly where the white light rises.

【Generating Light】: By holding a mantra and chanting, one can emit a protective divine light, which can be called immune to all laws and untouchable by all evil; the light covers the body, and its wonderful uses are endless.

【Sword Technique】 is a pure art of slaughter; once cultivated, one can master all changes in the world's sword techniques, and at a higher realm, one can control the sword with the Primordial Spirit, killing from a thousand miles away, just like a peerless Sword Immortal.

【Generating Light】 belongs to the Earthly Fiend Arts that are both offensive and defensive; the most representative technique of this art is the Golden Light Mantra. Once cultivated, it can be activated instantly, either turning into a protective golden light immune to all laws, or turning into golden rays that pierce through all things.

Once either of these two is mastered, Lu Yuan can get rid of the predicament of having no sharp means of attack and no longer need to use knives or guns.

"Luck Power is easy to talk about, the key now is the lack of money."

Having made his plan, he revealed a smile:

"With the Earth Travel art, I am completely unafraid of being ambushed; it is time to do a few good jobs."

In the blink of an eye, time passed.

Because of the death of the Qin Scholar, the Jingwu Division, having suffered a major setback, was furious and mobilized almost all the constables, yamen runners, and various informant channels in the city, launching a massive search in Fengyang Prefecture.

The target of the search was also very broad: any suspicious person of unknown origin in the East City; as long as the common people reported and verified it, they could receive a reward of thousands of Silver Yuan.

However.

The government's credibility had long since gone bankrupt over these years, and the common people basically did not take the reward seriously.

And nowadays, the mainstream in the government is for officials to hold sinecures and do nothing; those who can truly get things done are few and far between, and the subordinates and clerks are all just "ringing the bell for the day they are monks," appearing to work hard on the surface, but in reality, they go fishing and drying nets within two days, turning the search into a joke.

The only difference was that those corrupt officials, greedy clerks, landlords, and local tyrants in the city who had done many evil deeds and had guilty consciences were plunged into a state of panic and terror, fearing that Qingyike would learn of their evil deeds and come knocking on their doors.

Some who were lucky just strictly guarded against it, staying behind closed doors all day; but some smart ones immediately packed up their valuables and went traveling, hoping to escape a disaster.

Like the elder brother of Qin Wuhui, the East City Registrar Qin Wenhui, who was terrified the day after learning the news of Qin Wuhui's death, fearing that he would also be sought out by Qingyike, and that very day packed up his family wealth and fled Fengyang Prefecture with his whole family, abandoning even his position as Registrar and his family's old mansion.

Such a situation immediately became a strange tale in Fengyang Prefecture.

However, Lu Yuan naturally would not sit by and watch these fat sheep who had committed evil run away; while the turmoil within the city had not yet completely subsided, he took action once again.

Originally, he had prepared to use Qin Wenhui as the first target, but the other party ran far too quickly, so after making some inquiries, he chose Zhou Jinming, a famous landlord and local tycoon in Fengyang Prefecture.

This person had several thousand mu of fertile land outside the city, and his subordinates included as many as over a hundred tenant families.

And many of these tenant farmers were people who had been forced to sell their sons and daughters and throw themselves under the Zhou family after Zhou Jinming used various means to occupy their land and seize their property, becoming pitiful tenant farmers who had to pay eighty percent of their harvest as rent.

Aside from occupying land, such landlords and local tycoons committed countless evil acts, such as bullying men and women and monopolizing the market, and the number of lives they had on their hands was more than one; they absolutely deserved the four words "guilty of many crimes."

And so, Lu Yuan spent three days figuring out the layout of his residence and his whereabouts, and then, on a dark and windy night, he began his operation.

(End of this chapter)