Chapter 66: Poisonous Smoke Is Not As Toxic As the Human Heart

On the morning of the next day, the three of them, Lin Xingchao and his disciples, left Fengyang Prefecture.

They disguised themselves as vegetable farmers and carried their baskets out of the city; the entire process went smoothly without any twists, turns, or accidents, which allowed Li Junxian and his disciples, who had personally seen them off at the city gate, to set their minds completely at ease.

And after seeing them off and returning to Boxiyuan.

Lu Yuan immediately took out the "Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword" gifted by Lin Xingchao to share with Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu.

Originally, he had intended for his master, Li Junxian, to study it first, but who would have thought that the other party merely flipped through it and returned it to him.

According to Li Junxian, this sword technique had a great reputation and was once as famous as the top-tier ultimate art of the Shenquan Sect, the Broken Gang Divine Fist, during the previous dynasty.

However, times had changed and years had passed; by the time the Broken Gang Divine Fist was passed down to their generation, it was already more than half lost, and he and Lin Xingchao had only ever learned three of the nine killing moves of the fist technique.

And even for these three moves, one had to reach at least the Fourth Realm Thunder Sound and begin tempering the internal organs before one could practice them, otherwise, it would instead damage the internal organs.

Therefore, Li Junxian had not yet taught them to Lu Yuan and the others.

But this "Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword" given by Lin Xingchao was not only quite complete but also had relatively lower requirements, as one could attempt to practice it at the Third Realm Bone Forging level; it was unknown where it had been obtained.

Although it was now the era of Firearm and Cannon, it was still very necessary for a martial artist to learn a weapon-fighting method in addition to unarmed combat; plus, the "Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword" was a first-class Sword Technique, so Li Junxian not only did not mind but was actually very supportive of Xu Dahu and the others learning and mastering it.

Thus.

That day, Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu excitedly copied down this secret manual, then pulled Lu Yuan along to ponder and study it, going to ask Li Junxian for guidance whenever they encountered something they did not understand.

Four or five days later.

On this day.

In the small courtyard, the clanging of metal on metal was incessant; Lu Yuan and Xu Dahu were holding unsharpened iron swords, trading blows back and forth, practicing quite lively.

One could see their footsteps crossing and sword shadows flying; at first, their sparring looked quite methodical and decent, but as they fought, their moves began to descend into chaos.

After this kind of amateurish pecking did not last long, Xu Dahu deflected Lu Yuan's sword tip with one strike and, as if having regained his confidence, said triumphantly:

"Junior Brother, oh Junior Brother, your sword technique still needs practice!"

Lu Yuan did not take it to heart and laughed:

"It can't be helped, this Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword is quite difficult; I am not even familiar with the sword moves yet, I cannot compare to Senior Brother."

Xu Dahu chuckled:

"Don't say that, it's really not easy for this sword technique to stump you; your Senior Brother has finally found a little bit of confidence today!"

Since being taken in as a disciple by Li Junxian a year ago, Lu Yuan's progress in Martial Arts had always been flying, as if helped by the gods, making him, the Senior Brother, constantly suspect that he had come to this world just to make up the numbers.

However, after obtaining this "Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword", the three of them began studying it at the same time; as it turned out, Lu Yuan's comprehension and mastery of the sword technique were mediocre, while he, the Senior Brother, actually had a bit of talent, finally winning back a round.

However, Xu Erhu watched from the side, feeling somewhat speechless:

"Big Brother, your sword techniques are basically six of one and half a dozen of the other; neither of you should mock the other."

Xu Dahu was only joking, and Lu Yuan did not care at all, laughing:

"This sword technique is indeed very difficult; Second Senior Brother, you come and practice with Big Brother, I'll go back and rest for a while."

Xu Dahu and the other did not suspect anything and began researching it again with great enthusiasm, while Lu Yuan returned to his own room.

Flipping out that "Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword", he could not help but stroke his chin:

"It's truly strange; my talent in practicing fist techniques is clearly quite good, but when I practice this sword technique, it's like Lu Zhishen doing embroidery. Could it be that I am naturally not cut out for sword practice?"

Martial Arts talent is just a general term; in reality, it is subdivided into various categories and is quite diverse.

Among those who practice martial arts, some excel at fist techniques, some excel at blade techniques and sword techniques, and others excel at external skills, movement techniques, hidden weapon techniques, and so on, and so forth.

Now it seemed that his talent for sword techniques was clearly mediocre, far inferior to his fist practice.

"I don't have the talent... but I have a cheat."

Lu Yuan suddenly thought of the 【Sword Technique】 among the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Arts.

Although his talent for sword techniques was mediocre, once he mastered 【Sword Technique】, he could grasp the general outline of all sword techniques in the world and obtain the effect of a clear sword heart; practicing the Wind Thunder Death-Defying Sword would then be like a PhD student doing elementary school math problems, which would inevitably be as easy as turning over one's hand.

Thinking of this, his mind stirred, and he immediately communicated with the Heavenly Book:

【Master of the Heavenly Book】: Lu Yuan

【Mastered Arts】:

Earthly Fiend-Ingestion (Human: 33%)

Earthly Fiend-Guidance (Human: 25%)

Earthly Fiend-Invisibility (Human: 9%)

Earthly Fiend-Sending Staff (Human: 6%)

Earthly Fiend-Medicine (Human: 9%)

Earthly Fiend-Earth Travel (Human: 7%)

Earthly Fiend-Generating Light (Human: 4%)

【Luck Power】: 60 units

After two months, the mastery levels of the seven Earthly Fiend Arts had all increased to varying degrees, with Ingestion and Guidance being the fastest.

Even the Sending Staff, which he used the least, had increased its progress by 3% because he had taken the time to refine another Jishanzhang during this period.

"60 units of Luck Power; the accumulation of Luck has been a bit slow recently."

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes:

"To click on the next Earthly Fiend Art, if I save up slowly, it will take another two or three months; it is time to get active."

Since the arrival of Lin Xingchao and the others, he had not made a move for over three months, so his Luck growth was slow; it was time to go out and harvest a wave.

Thinking of this, he left Boxiyuan and headed to the streets to gather information and scout for targets.

However, this time, he did not go to the markets in the East City, but instead came to the South City.

Having always operated in the East City, the name Qingyike had already formed a huge deterrent; many powerful and wealthy people who committed evil deeds on a daily basis had either gone out of town to avoid the limelight or moved to other city districts.

Although this situation had made the atmosphere of the entire East City much clearer, the number of available targets had decreased significantly.

One cannot keep shearing the same sheep; this time, he would just change locations to spread the favor, while also avoiding falling into any ambushes or traps.

And so.

Lu Yuan took a rickshaw to a bustling street in South City, then got off and began to stroll around casually.

Compared to East City, South City was clearly more dilapidated and dirty, and there were significantly more beggars and idlers.

He simply sat down at a tavern, found an elderly drinker to treat to a pot of wine, and easily learned of several notorious figures in South City.

These people were either powerful officials or local tyrants; although they had been extremely restrained and low-key during this period, they had previously been infamous for throwing their weight around and committing all sorts of evil in South City, with reputations for atrocities like violating wives and daughters and treating human life like grass.

Lu Yuan noted down the names mentioned by the other party, then rose and left the tavern, preparing to change locations to inquire for detailed information.

At the same time, he discovered that he could see disheveled, skin-and-bone beggars and idlers almost everywhere in the streets and alleys.

And unlike ordinary beggars, these people were not gaunt from hunger, but rather withered in a way that suggested their flesh, blood, and even their very essence and spirit had been corroded away by something.

He was lost in thought as he passed a narrow alley at the end of the street.

A burst of noise drifted over, and Lu Yuan turned his head to see, deep in the alley, a figure wearing a tattered padded jacket and looking like a skeleton clinging to a half-closed door, begging with snot and tears streaming down:

"Master, Master Qi! Please show some kindness and let me have a puff; I really can't take it anymore, little brother!"

"I've spent at least two or three hundred Silver Yuan at your establishment; I even sold my wife. Please, for the sake of old times, let me have a puff and save me!"

However, in the face of the other party's bitter pleading, an impatient curse came from the doorway:

"Get lost, you motherfucker Hou San! Do you think I'm running a charity house? I don't care if you die!"

"No matter how much you spent before, that was all puffed into your own lungs; you were the one who enjoyed it, so why are you coming here to talk about it now?"

"Get out, get out, get out! If you keep making noise here, I'll break your legs!"

As he spoke, a large foot reached out from behind the door, kicked the man called Hou San down hard, and then slammed the door shut.

Seeing this scene, Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he walked forward.

Hou San, having taken a kick to the chest, was lying on the ground coughing violently. Noticing Lu Yuan walking toward him, he became excited, ignoring the pain as he crawled over using his hands and feet:

"Master, this master, you must be here to have some fun at the smoke den too, right!?"

"Little brother is Hou San; I beg you to grant me a puff. I'll be your beast of burden, I'll kill or set fires, I'll do anything!"

Hou San looked like a skeleton, his face and body almost nothing but skin and bone, and with the snot and tears streaming down from his withdrawal, he looked extremely hideous.

Lu Yuan kicked him aside, tossed a Silver Yuan in his hand, and said indifferently:

"Come over and answer a few questions for me; if you satisfy me, this Silver Yuan will be your reward."

Hou San's eyes immediately lit up, and he nodded frantically in surprise: "Good, good, Master, whatever you want to ask, I will tell you everything!"

Lu Yuan gestured with his eyes, leading the other party out of the alley to a deserted corner.

In the cold of midwinter, Hou San, wearing his tattered padded jacket, stared fixedly at the Silver Yuan in Lu Yuan's hand and stammered:

"What does Master want to ask?"

Lu Yuan said slowly:

"That place just now must be a private smoke den, right? Who opened it?"

"Master, you don't even know this?"

Perhaps the biting cold wind had eased his craving for the smoke, as Hou San said in surprise:

"The only ones who can open private smoke dens in this South City are the Money Gang. The imperial court is cracking down severely now, and only the Money Gang can get the goods from the coast!"

The Money Gang was one of the three major gangs in Fengyang Prefecture and also the mortal enemy of the Qinglong Gang. Lu Yuan had fought in a ring against their gang members not long after he first entered the Boxiyuan.

South City was the sphere of influence for this gang, and since he rarely came here, he naturally did not know the specific situation, so he asked:

"How many of these private smoke dens has the Money Gang opened?"

Hou San did not know who Lu Yuan was or why he was asking this, but he only wanted to get the Silver Yuan to go have his fun and couldn't be bothered to care about much else, so he spilled the beans:

"There are at least a dozen such private smoke dens in South City, selling at least a thousand catties of goods every month. It's just that for the past few months, I don't know why, but more than half of the smoke dens have closed. I heard it's because the Money Gang is afraid that Qingyike will come knocking, so they are lying low to avoid the limelight."

Lu Yuan smiled coldly: "Then what do you know about this Money Gang?"

Hou San said urgently: "Of course, the Money Gang is a hegemon in this South City; who wouldn't know them? The Money Gang claims to have three thousand members and is as famous as the Qinglong Gang and the Sand River Gang. The gang leader, Master Jin Taihong, is world-renowned, and there are three major Hall Masters under him..."

As Hou San narrated, the general situation of the Money Gang was revealed before Lu Yuan.

In this South City area, the Money Gang was the largest gang, controlling all sorts of gray and black industries, and their influence was immense. The gang leader, Jin Taihong, was even more renowned.

When Jin Taihong was young, he was known as the number one young expert in South City and had once challenged over a dozen long-established experts in a single month, thereby becoming famous.

He had founded the Money Gang twenty years ago. Although he was now nearly fifty, it was said that a few years ago he had already reached the Fifth Realm of Martial Arts, the Refining Blood Realm. He was the strongest person in the entire Money Gang, their pillar of support, and a name that shook South City.

Because of this person's existence, the Money Gang was able to stand alongside the Qinglong Gang and the Sand River Gang as one of the three major gangs, standing firm for twenty years.

And it was precisely because of him that the Money Gang operated gambling dens, brothels, private salt trade, human trafficking, and other gray and black industries, causing deep harm in the South City area.

Furthermore, in the last two years, the Money Gang had somehow connected with the Shenluo Foreign Firm in the coastal area, smuggling a large amount of opium into Fengyang Prefecture every year to be processed and sold as Hibiscus Paste.

In the vast Fengyang Prefecture, the South City area had the most smoke dens. With the Money Gang using large amounts of Silver Yuan to pave the way, even if someone reported them, the yamen would only go through the motions of investigating. Afterward, they would even reveal the informant's information to the Money Gang, causing the whistleblowers to often suffer extremely cruel retaliation.

Over time, this led to the rampant spread of private smoke dens and Hibiscus Paste in South City. Large numbers of ordinary people and even well-off families, if they were accidentally lured in, would quickly become addicted, wither away to skin and bone, and end up losing both their wealth and their families.

This foul atmosphere had persisted for two years, and it was only when Qingyike emerged out of nowhere a few months ago that the Money Gang became much more restrained and closed many private smoke dens, though a few still operated in secret.

"Jin Taihong."

Lu Yuan chewed on this name and immediately added him to his must-kill list.

As a modern person, he naturally hated the word "poison" to the bone.

The actions of the Money Gang and even Jin Taihong were truly ruining the country and poisoning the people, causing harm and disaster ten or a hundred times worse than any corrupt official or local tyrant.

Even if targeting a Fifth Realm Refining Blood Martial Artist carried certain risks, he would kill him all the same!

"Master, Master?"

While Lu Yuan's thoughts were flying, Hou San was already urging him impatiently:

"Are you done asking?"

Lu Yuan came back to his senses.

He was just about to toss the Silver Yuan in his hand to the other party when he suddenly remembered something and asked:

"I heard earlier that you even sold your own wife just to smoke opium?"

With tears and snot streaming down his face, Hou San said with a mournful expression:

"Master, I had no choice. This Hibiscus Paste is too expensive; once you start smoking it, you simply can't stop. Every time I try to quit, it feels like ten thousand ants are biting at the tip of my heart. I've smoked away my house over these past two years and owe a mountain of debt. In the end, I had no other way and could only sell my woman, otherwise, I simply couldn't survive."

Lu Yuan was expressionless: "The last question, where did you sell your wife to?"

Hou San hesitated and said: "Sold, sold to Willow Smoke Alley."

Willow Smoke Alley is a gathering place for illicit prostitutes and brothels.

Opium is certainly poisonous, but the poison of the human heart is even worse.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan fell silent.

Then, without a word, he tossed the Silver Yuan in his hand.

Hou San was overjoyed, reaching out to catch it, and shouted in a frenzy of delight:

"Many thanks, many thanks, Master! If you like this sort of thing, wait until I get out and I'll take you to find her!"

After saying this, he did not wait for Lu Yuan to respond, but gripped the Silver Yuan tightly and sprinted toward the private opium den in the alley.

However.

Just as he rushed to the back door of the opium den with a twisted and excited expression, and was about to knock on the door.

*Sshhh! *

In broad daylight, a golden gleam flashed through the air, and Hou San felt a sudden, sharp pain in his heart.

Lowering his head, he saw a bloody hole torn through his chest; it seemed his heart had been shattered.

Clutching his chest, fresh blood stained the Silver Yuan.

Hou San fell to the ground in immense terror and agony, then used his last ounce of strength to turn his head and look behind him, only to find the alleyway empty, without even the shadow of a person.

(End of chapter)