Chapter 86: The True Number One Expert of the Jin Court

He didn't even have time to say a single word.

Lei Huating used the greatest strength of his life to turn around, his face filled with pain, terror, and disbelief as he looked toward the back, only to see the entrance of the quiet room empty; there was no one there.

Then, with a thud, his heart pierced through, his life force drained away completely, and he collapsed directly onto Lei Haojie's sickbed, his body twitching slightly.

"Dad?!"

Having no idea what had happened, Lei Haojie's eyes were about to split, and he tried his best to sit up.

The two disciples beside him were terrified and stunned into silence by such a sudden change, almost unable to believe their own eyes.

It was this momentary stupor that cost them their lives; before they could react, golden light illuminated the quiet room in the next instant, and two bolts of golden lightning shot out from the doorway, instantly piercing through their chests.

"Hrk..."

Just like Lei Huating, the two of them had their faces twisted in agonizing pain, clutching their chests tightly, before they both collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

All three people in the room had died mysteriously; such a bizarre and terrifying event was beyond comprehension, and Lei Haojie, unable to move on the sickbed, was scared out of his wits, opening his mouth to roar in extreme terror:

"Come—"

*Swoosh! *

A violent golden light flashed rapidly in his vision, and the piercing pain choked off his terrified cry for help.

He followed the same fate as the other three.

A blood hole instantly tore open in Lei Haojie's chest, and he slumped limply onto the sickbed, all the panic and horror in his eyes frozen solid; he died with his eyes wide open.

By this point, in no more than one or two breaths, the four of them, including Lei Huating, had lost their lives on the spot, without even half a chance to resist.

The scent of blood permeated the quiet room, and amidst a flicker of light, Lu Yuan's figure appeared.

He glanced at Lei Huating's corpse and sneered:

"Your desire for revenge is quite strong, but unfortunately, you won't have that chance."

As the saying goes, when cutting weeds, one must remove the roots.

Li Junxian's birthday banquet had passed, and since he was about to leave Fengyang Prefecture, he naturally could not turn a blind eye to the sudden threat posed by Lei Huating, so after learning of their whereabouts from the Qinglong Gang, he simply came over to resolve it once and for all.

The previous conversation between the father, son, and disciples proved that his decision was entirely correct.

Otherwise, who knew how much trouble they would have caused for Li Junxian and the others after he left.

With that thought in mind.

Now, the final matter could be considered settled.

Lu Yuan acted swiftly, dragging the four corpses of Lei Huating and his group into the ground using the Earth Travel Technique, then simply cleaned up the blood-stained bed and the bloodstains at the scene before walking away.

And long after he left, nearly an hour later.

The master and disciple of Wu's Medical Hall, feeling uneasy, came over at night to check, only to discover in shock that the four people in the quiet room had vanished without a trace.

There was a faint lingering scent of blood in the quiet room, and they felt that something was wrong, but there were no signs of destruction or fighting at the scene.

Regarding this, they racked their brains but could not figure out where the four had gone, so they could only assume they had left on their own, and thus fortunately locked the medical hall tight, acting as if nothing had happened.

A night passed in the blink of an eye.

At noon the next day.

Xu Dahu returned to Boxiyuan in a hurry with a grave expression, heading straight for the small courtyard where Li Junxian was staying.

In the courtyard pavilion, Lu Yuan and Xu Erhu were waiting; Xu Dahu glanced at the main room and stepped forward to ask in a low voice:

"How is it? Has Master not come out all night?"

After confirming the efficacy of the medicine last night, Li Junxian had taken the remaining two-thirds of the Healing Bait Return Pill alone and did not have them wait outside.

But a night had passed, and he hadn't seen Li Junxian come out even when he went out in the morning; he didn't know what the final result was.

"He hasn't come out yet."

Facing the inquiry, Xu Erhu nodded and said:

"But when the sky just brightened, I went in to bring Master some water, and his condition looked very good. How about you? Did you find out about Lei Haojie's situation? How are his injuries?"

Xu Dahu said gravely:

"I tried to find out from Wu's Medical Hall; Lei Haojie is quite severely injured. Not only are his arm bones completely broken, but his internal organs are also injured to varying degrees. He won't recover without a year or half a year of recuperation."

Xu Erhu's expression was slightly stern:

"If that's the case, even if Gang Leader Pang mediates, Lei Huating won't let it go. We must take precautions early or even strike first. Even a Fifth Realm Martial Artist needs to eat and drink, and with Lei Haojie as such a burden and weakness, we might not be unable to deal with this person!"

"That may be so."

Xu Dahu frowned and said:

"But I just asked, and the people at Wu's Medical Hall said that the four of them left the medical hall together last night after Lei Haojie's injuries were treated, and now they have disappeared without a trace."

"What?"

Lu Yuan asked in 'surprise':

"With such severe injuries, Lei Haojie shouldn't be able to move. Where could they have gone?"

"That's the strange part."

Xu Dahu said with a gloomy face:

"I had the subordinates search everywhere all morning, but I couldn't find a trace of these four. Clearly carrying such a big burden as Lei Haojie, these four seem to have vanished into thin air; it is truly strange."

"How could this be?"

Xu Erhu also frowned, feeling suspicious and uneasy:

"They left Fengyang Prefecture seven or eight years ago. It stands to reason that they have no influence or foundation here. With Lei Haojie's injuries so severe, how could they possibly go anywhere..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

*Creak. *

Everyone turned their heads and saw Li Junxian, whom they hadn't seen all night, push the door open and walk out of his room.

"Master, how are you doing?"

"How is your injury recovering from that Pill?"

In an instant, the three of them rose one after another to greet him, with Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu even asking with anticipation.

After all, Lu Yuan was clear that the Healing Bait Return Pill would inevitably heal Li Junxian's injuries completely, but the two of them did not know this, so they could not help but feel some worry.

At this very moment, Li Junxian's complexion was ruddy, his face glowing with health, and he said with high spirits:

"My state as your master is better than ever before. The medicinal power of that Pill A Yuan gave me is extraordinary; overnight, those old hidden injuries have already healed seven or eight-tenths. I only need to recuperate a little more, and my body will be fully recovered, and my Martial Arts may even return to their peak and advance further!"

The Li Junxian before them was full of vigor and high-spirited, as if he had been rejuvenated from his twilight years back to his prime; the twilight air of the past was no longer visible, and it would not be an exaggeration to say he had been reborn.

Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu were overjoyed:

"That's great, that's great!"

"Congratulations, Master, congratulations, Master!"

Lu Yuan also smiled and offered his congratulations: "Congratulations to Master for clearing away your chronic illnesses and returning to your peak!"

Li Junxian, who seemed to have been reborn, looked at them with both gratification and gratitude:

"A Yuan, I must thank you. If it weren't for this fortuitous encounter of yours, I would never have imagined that I would have a day of recovery. It is a pity that the mysterious person is nowhere to be found, otherwise I would certainly have to pay a visit to thank them for their gift of a new life!"

The efficacy of the Healing Bait Return Pill was too miraculous, not at all like a Pill that could appear in the mortal world. Li Junxian clearly never doubted his own explanation from beginning to end, and Lu Yuan chuckled:

"Master, don't be so polite with me. I was just taking a gamble at the time; I didn't expect that the Daoist was really selling such miraculous medicine. But all in all, it is because you have turned misfortune into fortune and are a lucky person protected by Heaven."

When a person encounters happy events, their spirits are refreshed, and Li Junxian laughed out loud:

"Only you, kid, know how to talk!"

In this relaxed and happy atmosphere, the four master and disciples chatted for a while longer.

Afterwards, Li Junxian seemed to remember something and asked:

"By the way, what are the movements on Lei Huating's side? His son, Lei Haojie, should be alright, right?"

Mentioning this matter, Xu Dahu's smile faded:

"After Lei Huating and the others left yesterday, they found Wu's Medical Hall. Lei Haojie's life is not in danger, but he is seriously injured; it is said that he needs to recuperate for a year or so to recover. But the strange thing is that these four people disappeared without a trace after seeing a doctor at the medical hall last night. I am still sending my brothers to inquire and search."

"Disappeared without a trace?"

Li Junxian frowned in surprise:

"Lei Haojie is so seriously injured that he should be unable to move. Why would Lei Huating take him running around? What does he want to do?"

Xu Erhu said coldly:

"Master, in my opinion, it is very likely that Lei Huating cannot wait to take revenge, so he first found a hiding place to settle Lei Haojie, while he himself is lurking and waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on us!"

"That is indeed possible."

Li Junxian, however, sneered:

"What a pity, what a pity. If he had done this before, I might have been difficult to deal with, but now that my injuries and cultivation are about to fully recover, he will not succeed.

A Yuan, if he really intends to take revenge, your primary target is very likely you. From today on, remember not to go out of Boxiyuan. Give me another ten days or half a month to recover, and then I will find an opportunity to completely eliminate this future trouble!"

Lu Yuan could not bring himself to say that Lei Huating and the other three had already become ghosts, so he only said:

"I understand, Master."

Li Junxian and the others, who were unaware of the truth, continued to discuss countermeasures for a while, and then prepared to disperse.

And just at this moment.

Suddenly, a series of slight knocking sounds came from the firewood room in the corner of the courtyard, which startled Li Junxian slightly, and he turned his head abruptly.

Lu Yuan and the other two, who were preparing to leave, also stopped in their tracks, their faces showing shock.

Because they all clearly remembered that there was a secret escape passage hidden in the firewood room, which had been activated for Lin Xingchao and his disciples in the past; why would there be movement coming from it now!?

In surprise, the four master and disciples went to the door of the firewood room together, fully on guard.

Li Junxian opened the firewood room, stared at the secret entrance covered by an iron plate under the firewood, and shouted in a low voice:

"Who is it!?"

Afterwards, a voice that was slightly familiar but unexpected to everyone came out:

"Senior Uncle, it's me, Beichen."

Xi Beichen?

Never having expected that Xi Beichen would appear in the secret passage, everyone was slightly shocked.

Afterwards, at Li Junxian's signal, Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu immediately stepped forward to move the debris and lift the iron plate, and then they saw Xi Beichen, whom they hadn't seen for more than half a year, climbing out of the secret passage, travel-worn, and smiling at the four master and disciples:

"Senior Uncle Li and the three senior and junior brothers, long time no see. I was worried that coming directly to the door would be discovered, so I presumed to use this secret passage from the house over there to see you; please forgive me."

"Why did you come to Fengyang Prefecture?"

Having not seen him for more than half a year, Xi Beichen looked full of vicissitudes, especially the smile he revealed, which also carried hidden sorrow. Li Junxian's eyes suddenly narrowed:

"Could it be that your master has already...?"

Xi Beichen's expression was dejected:

"Master is still alive, but he does not have much time left. He has always remembered that yesterday was your fiftieth birthday, so he sent me back in advance to offer a birthday gift. But it is a pity that I encountered some accidents on the road, so I was a day late and missed your birthday; please forgive me."

As he spoke, he carefully untied a package from his back, took out a gift box, and offered it with both hands.

Li Junxian, however, had no heart to look at any gifts at this moment and asked urgently:

"How is your master doing now? Why does he not have much time left? Did their operation fail!?"

Lu Yuan stepped forward at the right time and whispered a reminder: "Master, why don't we go into the room and talk."

Li Junxian nodded, immediately took Xi Beichen back to his room, closed the doors and windows tightly, and then said:

"When did your master and the others take action, and what exactly happened? Beichen, tell me in detail!"

After taking the tea poured by Lu Yuan and drinking it in one gulp, Xi Beichen said in a low voice:

"Replying to Senior Uncle, Master and the others took action half a month ago. At that time, it was just when Sunlight Country defeated the Jin Dynasty's New Army of the navy and proposed that kind of humiliating treaty. Master and the others had already linked up with experts from all sides to gather in Tianjing and were preparing to take action, when they happened to hear that the old witch was actually advocating for peace talks and had a tendency to agree to the conditions of Sunlight Country, so they could no longer hold back and chose a day to enter the palace at night to assassinate her.

This time, there were two Seventh Realm Grandmasters, six Six Realms Martial Arts Masters, and thirteen Refining Blood Martial Artists like my master who took action. At first, they entered the palace very smoothly, without alerting any Imperial Guards before approaching the old witch's sleeping quarters. But before they reached the sleeping quarters, they were discovered by top experts of Shamanism hiding in the surroundings, and a bloody battle broke out immediately."

Two Seventh Realm Grandmasters, six Six Realms Martial Arts Masters, thirteen Fifth Realm Martial Artists?

Hearing of such a luxurious lineup, Li Junxian and his disciple could not help but gasp in cold air.

He asked in disbelief:

"And then? Since such a lineup had reached the Undying Demon Empress's bedchamber, even if they were discovered by Jin Dynasty experts, they should have had a significant chance to slay the Undying Demon Empress. Why did they fail?"

"It was precisely because of that Undying Demon Empress!"

Xi Beichen took a deep breath and said:

"According to what Master said, the guards around that old hag's bedchamber consisted of only one Red-Robed High Shaman of Shamanism and four Red-Robed Shamans, which is equivalent to one Seventh Realm Grandmaster and four Six Realms Martial Arts Masters.

Immediately, Master and the others split into two groups; one Grandmaster led a portion of the men to stay behind and pin down this group of Shamanism experts, while the other Grandmaster took two Six Realms Martial Arts Masters and Master and the others to charge straight into the bedchamber, where they found the Undying Demon Empress.

Yet, no one could have imagined that the old hag's strength was terrifyingly incomparable, far exceeding everyone's expectations; the leading Grandmaster was actually killed by her in no more than ten moves upon their first encounter!

That old hag's strength was unprecedentedly and terrifyingly incomparable; even when besieged by all the experts present, she was not afraid in the slightest, and with every gesture, no one was a match for her in a single exchange. Master was even struck by her palm on the spot, shattering his internal organs; she can truly be called the number one person of the Jin Dynasty!"

(End of chapter)