"The moonlight, so dim and pale,
The earth, cloaked in evening mist,
Oh, person in my dreams,
Where are you now?"
The gramophone in the living room was still playing "The Person in My Dreams."
Lu Dongliang had vanished, and He Yuxiu was gone as well.
Lu Dongjun stared at Zhuo Yuling. "Where did he go? What kind of technique was that?"
Zhuo Yuling looked utterly stunned. "He Jiaqing... It's He Jiaqing's technique! He Jiaqing is a journey cultivator!"
Lu Dongjun was in no mood to care about any He Jiaqing.
"Lu Dongliang is still alive!" Lu Dongjun's face was pale with terror. He glared furiously at Zhuo Yuling. "He won't let us off! I never should have trusted your words!"
Head Guard Zuo Wugang brought Lu Xiaolan down the stairs, flanked by several guards.
They did not see Lu Dongliang, only catching sight of Zhuo Yuling and Lu Dongjun, who had appeared out of nowhere.
Wu Ma returned carrying a teapot, having evidently witnessed part of the scene.
Lu Dongjun glanced at Wu Ma, his fingers slightly crossing. Wu Ma's head dropped clean off on the spot.
He Yuxiu had brought two attendants, and they had just witnessed that very sight.
From several meters away, Lu Dongjun lightly flicked a hand toward their throats, and both of their heads severed and fell to the floor.
Against low-tier cultivators like these, Lu Dongjun did not even need to get close.
To ordinary eyes, the deaths of these three people seemed to have nothing to do with Lu Dongjun.
Yet to the guards who had just come down the stairs, the connection was glaringly obvious.
Especially to Head Guard Zuo Wugang—he was a sixth-tier expert and could keenly perceive Lu Dongjun's movements.
Lu Dongjun did not bother hiding it. Pointing at Wu Ma's corpse, he shouted, "These are He Yuxiu's people! He Yuxiu injured Eldest Brother! I'm going out to find him—make sure you guard the residence!"
Lu Dongjun bolted out of the mansion. Everything he had said was true.
He was going out to find his brother, and the moment he found Lu Dongliang, he would kill him.
And ordering the guards to hold the residence served only one purpose: to keep them from wandering around, and especially to prevent them from finding Lu Dongliang before he did.
Lu Dongjun had chosen the outcome most advantageous to himself, but this turn of events was far from favorable for Zhuo Yuling.
If these guards stayed put, how was Zhuo Yuling supposed to rescue Lu Xiaolan?
Zhuo Yuling was at the fifth tier, and Daboyins hiding in the shadows was also at the fifth tier. Lu Xiaolan was only at the third tier—she was a Scrying Cultivator, not built for direct combat, and all her magical treasures had been confiscated by Lu Dongliang.
What was she to do?
With time running out, Zhuo Yuling had a sudden flash of inspiration and shouted, "Hurry and check on the madam and the young master!"
The guards stood frozen for a long moment, still at a loss.
Ever since entering the Lu household, they had taken orders solely from Lu Dongliang and Qiu Zhiheng.
Yet tonight, an unexpected crisis had erupted.
Monkey Qiu was not present, Lu Dongliang's whereabouts were unknown, Lu Dongjun had barked an order, and now Zhuo Yuling was issuing commands as well.
Should they listen to them?
Zhuo Yuling yelled again, "What the hell are you standing around for?! He Yuxiu brought people and stormed inside!"
Head Guard Zuo Wugang snapped back to his senses and barked to his men, "Quick, go upstairs and check on the First Madam! You two, go check on the Eldest Young Master! You two, go check on the Second Miss..."
Zuo Wugang divided the duties cleanly, sending away most of the guards until only three remained watching Lu Xiaolan.
Yet Zuo Wugang did not leave. He was a difficult opponent; a sixth-tier Martial Cultivator was no easy match.
Just as Zhuo Yuling was contemplating the right moment to strike, a guard rushed in, shouting in panic, "Captain Zuo, this is bad! Miss Chunying and Madam Yeci are gone!"
"Damn it all! Those He family bastards!" Zuo Wugang stamped his foot and bolted upstairs.
Madam Yeci could be disregarded; Lu Dongliang never cared for her anyway.
Miss Chunying, however, could not be ignored. Lu Dongliang had specifically instructed the guards to give her extra protection.
Now, only a single guard remained beside Lu Xiaolan. Zhuo Yuling hesitated no longer. She whipped up her long skirt and snapped her hips. A long tail shot out from below her waist, stabbing straight into the guard's throat.
The guard collapsed to the floor, barely clinging to a breath.
Zhuo Yuling twisted her waist once more, driving the long tail straight down through the top of the guard's skull.
Lu Xiaolan was covered in shackles. With no time to unlock them, Zhuo Yuling quickly escorted her out of the estate.
By the time Zuo Wugang hurried back down, only the guard's corpse remained on the floor.
"Goddammit, what the hell is happening now?!"
Zuo Wugang's eyes went bloodshot. Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying were lost on his watch.
And now Zhuo Yuling and Lu Xiaolan were gone as well.
If Lu Dongliang returned to find this, wouldn't he skin him alive?
"Hurry, quick! Summon Head Butler Qiu!" Zuo Wugang finally came to his senses. A mess like this had to be handled by Monkey Qiu.
***
He Jiaqing had just lain back down on his hospital bed and stretched when a voice came into his ear: "Where do you think Lu Dongliang will go?"
"There's no way to deduce that," He Jiaqing replied quietly. "My guess is that even he doesn't know where he's heading. It was an emergency—he definitely didn't prepare a coordinate in advance."
"I'm worried Lu Dongliang might not die. Ninth-tier cultivators have remarkably tenacious lives."
"My gut tells me he will die, though I can't foresee how it happens," He Jiaqing said with a confident smile. "Just wait to see his corpse. The skies over Puluo Province are about to change, and the front-page headlines will belong to you."
***
Lu Dongliang was flying through midair.
He had not traveled very far, for he was grievously wounded and lacked the strength to muster full power when unleashing the move.
He did not know where he was flying either. Whenever he executed the skill Parting Across Ten Thousand Li, his sense of direction was entirely lost.
If he had had a directional coordinate, he could have cast He Yuxiu to a designated spot and delivered himself to one as well. But in that moment, he had had no such opportunity.
None of his other techniques could be summoned now. A ninth-tier skill consumed an enormous amount of energy, and coupled with the grave injuries riddling his body, Lu Dongliang had only a single breath left. He could only rely on a journey cultivator's first-tier skill of seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity to fly in the most favorable direction.
Fly south. Lu Dongliang could sense that flying south was the right choice—someone in the south could save him.
He reached the outskirts of Lüshui City, but lost control as he came in to land, plunging headfirst into a ditch of mud.
Not good—he was going to suffocate.
He was going to choke to death in this trench of foul sludge.
Lu Dongliang, a ninth-tier journey cultivator, one of the foremost experts in all of Puluo Province, the patriarch of the greatest family, had plunged headfirst into a mud ditch and could not pull himself free because of his grievous injuries.
Didn't the art say that flying south would lead to someone who could save me?
A ninth-tier journey cultivator dying in the mud?
Who will save me?
Who can save me?
Who...
Silt continuously poured into his mouth and nose, and the weakened Lu Dongliang was rapidly losing consciousness.
Who could possibly come to save him?
***
Li Banfeng walked up to the edge of the mud ditch and saw a person planted upside down in the mire, both legs still kicking and struggling.
He had just run out of Lüshui City and was hoping to return to Lanyang Village as soon as possible, only to encounter this bizarre spectacle along the way.
Li Banfeng casually hauled Lu Dongliang out of the mud.
Lu Dongliang's entire face was coated in thick grime. Li Banfeng read newspapers regularly and by rights ought to have recognized him, but right now, even Lu Dongliang's facial features were completely indistinguishable.
Li Banfeng helped dig the silt out of the man's mouth and nose. Seeing a bloody puncture hole in his forehead, he had intended to leave him by the roadside and leave his survival to fate.
To his surprise, Lu Dongliang suddenly grabbed Li Banfeng's leg, begging repeatedly, "Save me... please... they want to kill me... save me..."
Lu Dongliang was not lying—someone indeed wanted to kill him.
Though this was the edge of Lüshui City, Lu Dongjun would track him down before long.
Yet Li Banfeng did not want to linger here either. Carrying a full-grown man on his shoulders, when would he ever reach Lanyang Village?
Bring him into the Portable Abode and give him a ride?
Li Banfeng quickly dismissed the idea, for he had never done such a thing before.
He had brought living people into the Portable Abode in the past, but once inside, they very quickly ceased being living people.
Put plainly, Li Banfeng never allowed anyone to leave the Portable Abode alive. He would not permit a single soul to leak the secret of his dwelling.
Li Banfeng paid Lu Dongliang no more heed and prepared to walk away.
Yet his legs refused to obey him.
A thought surged upward from his legs straight into his brain.
He wanted to save this man.
He wanted to bring this man back to the Portable Abode.
This impulse was exceptionally strong.
He had felt a similar sensation once before, back when he had been urged to board the rickshaw driver's cart.
At the time, Li Banfeng had only just advanced in tier and had not yet mastered his skills, relying entirely on the driver's guidance.
This time, the feeling was even stronger than before.
Could it be that he had run into another journey cultivator master who was going to offer him guidance?
After a moment's hesitation, Li Banfeng lifted Lu Dongliang once more, intending to ask him a few questions, only to discover that the man had slipped back into unconsciousness.
Seeing that he would not be waking anytime soon, Li Banfeng contemplated dumping him again, but suddenly felt danger drawing near.
Was it coming for this man?
Li Banfeng looked at the insensate Lu Dongliang, feeling a trace of doubt.
If they really were coming for him, abandoning him here meant certain death.
The skill of seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity helped Li Banfeng reach a judgment.
Saving this man was the right move, so he would save him one more time.
Li Banfeng decided to bring him into the Portable Abode first, leave Lüshui City immediately, and let him out once the danger passed.
When the time came, he would save him if possible; if not, so be it.
Li Banfeng dragged Lu Dongliang into the Portable Abode and set off at once.
No sooner had he left than Lu Dongliang opened his eyes.
He had not lost consciousness at all; it had all been an act.
As a ninth-tier cultivator, one of the most formidable beings in Puluo Province, and the patriarch of the strongest family, Lu Dongliang's acting was not something Li Banfeng could see through.
Before entering the Portable Abode, Lu Dongliang had cracked his eyes open with lightning speed to take a single glance at Li Banfeng.
With just that single look, he recognized him.
In his efforts to hunt Li Banfeng down, Lu Dongliang had examined countless photographs and memorized every single detail.
Even though Li Banfeng's hair had grown long, he had glued on a heavy beard, and he was wearing a fedora, none of it could escape Lu Dongliang's keen eye.
The moment he saw Li Banfeng, Lu Dongliang fought down the intense excitement and joy swelling in his chest, immediately using a spell to mask his malice toward the young man.
Lu Dongliang's cultivation tier was simply too high. Li Banfeng had only sensed good fortune, catching no hint of danger.
Panting for several breaths, Lu Dongliang finally managed to struggle into a sitting position.
This was Li Banfeng's residence?
He was actually living right beside Lüshui City?
What reckless audacity the brat had! And to think I never noticed him all this time!
Scanning the dark room, Lu Dongliang spotted a faint glow in the corner.
That contour... could it be...?
A surge of excitement gripped Lu Dongliang. He scrambled forward and embraced the bronze lotus resting in the corner.
The bronze lotus was still refining Madam Bagworm Moth; Li Banfeng had not yet returned her to the outer room, which allowed Lu Dongliang to stumble upon it.
Destiny! This was destiny!
Thinking back on what had happened tonight, tears welled in Lu Dongliang's eyes.
Just minutes ago, he had suffered the betrayal of his family, nearly assassinated by his own flesh and blood.
He had known that Zhuo Yuling harbored deep resentment over Lu Xiaolan's situation.
He had known that Lu Dongjun held grand ambitions for the patriarch's seat.
He had known that Zhuo Yuling and Lu Dongjun were secretly meeting, and perhaps quite intimately at that.
Yet all of that had remained within Lu Dongliang's calculations. He had even chosen the opportune moment to eliminate both Zhuo Yuling and Lu Dongjun.
He simply had not expected everything to strike so suddenly.
He Yuxiu had arrived too suddenly, Zhuo Yuling had struck too suddenly, and he had sent Monkey Qiu away, allowing them to lay an ambush within his own home and plunge him into this catastrophe.
While flying through the air, Lu Dongliang had thought this was the most horrifying calamity of his life.
He never imagined that once the calamity passed, the greatest fortune would arrive hard on its heels.
Out of the depths of misfortune comes great fortune—this was truly good fortune rising from calamity!
Ever since he attained the first tier, the skill of seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity had never once failed him!
He was a ninth-tier journey cultivator, merely a step away from the tenth tier.
Yet cultivation at the ninth tier was grueling beyond measure, and Lu Dongliang was no longer willing to endure it, nor was he willing to wait any longer.
He could consume medicinal pills; wealth was certainly no obstacle.
However, ordinary pills contained far too many impurities and toxic side effects, while pills of utmost purity were vanishingly rare and practically beyond price. Lu Dongliang could hardly rely on pills to sustain his advancement any further.
With the Xuansheng Red Lotus, all of this could be resolved. Reaching the tenth tier would be effortless.
Even ascending beyond the tenth tier into an entirely new realm would no longer be an impossible dream.
What Lu Dongliang needed to do now was restore his combat strength as quickly as possible.
At present, he could not even best an ordinary adult man. But as long as he rested for half an hour, he could recover to third-tier combat strength.
After an hour, he could recover to the fifth tier.
With ten days of rest, he could reach the seventh tier—such was the constitution and foundation of a ninth-tier cultivator.
Beyond the seventh tier, recovery would require slow, steady recuperation.
Yet he had no need to reach the seventh tier.
Although cultivation levels could not be directly seen, Lu Dongliang's experience told him that Li Banfeng could not possibly exceed the third tier.
For now, he would think of nothing else. He would focus all his concentration; reaching the third tier would be enough to kill him.
Of course, if Li Banfeng returned a bit later, killing him after regaining fifth-tier strength would be even safer.
The wounds on his forehead and chest knit together rapidly, and Lu Dongliang's strength gradually returned.
*Hiss... hiss...*
Intently focused on his recovery, Lu Dongliang could not help but open his eyes.
It was the sound of the Xuansheng Red Lotus.
By the lotus's gentle glow, he saw the petals blooming.
The red lotus was flowering!
A wave of exhilaration washed over Lu Dongliang!
This was an attunement to destiny!
This was a resonance with the powerful!
The red lotus had acknowledged him as its master!
In truth, he was overthinking things.
The red lotus indeed sensed his presence.
Yet what it sensed was neither destiny, nor a powerhouse, and certainly not a master.
*Chhh—*
Steam hissed out.
*Clatter, clang, clatter—*
The gramophone kept a slow, stately rhythm accompanied by the clatter of cymbals and drums, singing languidly:
"That mad fellow once bragged aloud,
Promising to bring back a ninth-tier as our meat.
Time and again I mocked his boast,
Yet now I find myself filled with shame;
It seems I underestimated our man.
Sisters, cultivation is not something one can see,
Yet judging by how quickly he mends,
He must truly be a ninth-tier, mustn't he?"
Lu Dongliang was petrified.
He could not fathom what kind of entity this gramophone was, but he could sense danger—a peril he had no power to resist.
Having recovered for a few minutes, Lu Dongliang had already regained the combat power of the first tier. Scrambling to his feet, he broke into a frantic run, using the skill Wind Rises on Level Ground to burst out of the room, only for two stylus needles to hook firmly into his shoulders.
The gramophone now possessed three needles and three turntable platters.
Her hardware had been upgraded.
Two needles pinned Lu Dongliang in place while two records sliced into his soul, beginning to shred it into fine ribbons.
"Sisters, such fine fare is hard to come by! Let none of us idle—pick up your chopsticks!"
The Hanxue pendulum flew into the air, plunging into Lu Dongliang's neck to drink his blood.
From the center of the bronze lotus, dew flowed freely; it could barely wait any longer.
Lu Dongliang's face convulsed, his expression one of absolute despair.
Right after greeting the greatest fortune of his life, he had plunged once more into calamity—and this time, there was no escape.
It shouldn't be like this.
Guided by the principle of seeking good fortune and avoiding calamity, Lu Dongliang could not comprehend how things had ended this way.
Just before losing consciousness entirely, the truth dawned on him.
Finding Li Banfeng had indeed been good fortune, and Li Banfeng had genuinely intended to save him.
Yet the doom brought upon him by the gramophone and the red lotus was something he could never have foreseen.
And this uncanny house was far beyond anything his arts could predict.
His tier simply was not high enough—in fact, he fell desperately short.
Chapter 116