Master Luotian!

"Who was that foreign monk?" the burly fellow asked the ugly woman. The two were naturally Lu Changsheng and Li Hongzhuang, who had arrived in Jubei City in disguise. "The foreign monk is called Master Luotian, one of the Cui clan's four consecrated elders." "He is fond of wine and women, bloodthirsty by nature, and completely unlike an ordained monastic." "His Vajra Great Mudra is immensely fierce and powerful; even among Refining Organs martial artists, he is considered quite skilled." "Many dirty deeds that are inconvenient for the Cui clan to handle themselves are handed over to Master Luotian." Li Hongzhuang gritted her teeth, her tone icy. Clearly, when the Li clan was destroyed back then, this Master Luotian had most likely taken part. "Let's find a place to settle in first," Lu Changsheng said. "I've already bought a courtyard." Li Hongzhuang had prepared well in advance. The two made straight for a courtyard not far from the Cui clan. From outside the courtyard, one could even see the Cui estate directly. Once inside, they sat down to rest for a moment, and Lu Changsheng asked, "Miss Li, do you know what kind of experts the Cui clan has?" "Of course. The Cui clan has thirteen Refining Organs martial artists. Nine belong to the Cui clan, while the other four are consecrated elders." "As for peak Refining Organs martial artists, the Cui clan has three, while the consecrated elders have two." Lu Changsheng nodded inwardly. What Li Hongzhuang said about the Cui clan's martial artists matched the information he had gathered. "Five peak Refining Organs martial artists... I wonder how strong they are?" Lu Changsheng mused thoughtfully. It was not that he lacked confidence in his own strength, but rather that he was exceedingly cautious. After all, this was the Cui clan's home turf; anything could happen. "I crossed paths with the Cui clan's two peak Refining Organs consecrated elders last time. They should be somewhat inferior to Zhao Qilei." "As for the Cui clan's own three peak Refining Organs martial artists, I haven't seen any of them, so I'm not sure how strong they are," Li Hongzhuang answered truthfully. "Truth be told, no matter how strong a peak Refining Organs martial artist is, they shouldn't be much stronger than Zhao Qilei." "Our most pressing concern right now is finding out where the Cui clan keeps the Marrow Transformation Pills." "Last time I sneaked into the Cui clan intending to steal the Marrow Transformation Pills, I was discovered, which already startled the snake. Trying to sneak in again to steal them now will probably be very difficult..." Li Hongzhuang was somewhat hesitant. After all, the Cui clan had suffered once; would they fall for it a second time? If they truly tried to sneak into the Cui estate, complications might easily arise. "Sneaking into the Cui clan? There's no need at all." "The Marrow Transformation Pills are a closely guarded secret of the Cui clan; very few people should know of their whereabouts. Even if you sneak inside, can you guarantee you'll find them? What's more, the Cui clan will be prepared. Searching aimlessly would be no different from looking for a needle in a haystack." "We only need to find someone who knows about the Marrow Transformation Pills and pry the location out of them." "Do you have any candidate in mind, Miss Li?" Li Hongzhuang fell into thought. It was not that she had never considered capturing someone from the Cui clan for interrogation. However, the Marrow Transformation Pills were a core secret of the Cui clan; only the most core figures could possibly know. Ordinary members would not know of the pills at all. And the Cui clan's core figures were essentially those nine Refining Organs martial artists. "Those in the Cui clan who know about the Marrow Transformation Pills are basically all Refining Organs martial artists. Moreover, they rarely leave and usually stay inside the Cui estate." "As for the Cui clan patriarch, while he appears often, he is surrounded by numerous experts, making him difficult to target," Li Hongzhuang said with a furrowed brow. "You mentioned just now that Master Luotian handles dirty work that is inconvenient for the Cui clan. Could he possibly know about the Marrow Transformation Pills?" Lu Changsheng suddenly asked. "Master Luotian?" Li Hongzhuang was taken aback. As she carefully sorted through her knowledge about Master Luotian, her eyes brightened slightly. "Master Luotian was the earliest of the Cui clan's four consecrated elders, and he has very close ties to the clan." "Many matters awkward for the Cui clan to handle are given to him. For instance, when it comes to procuring materials for the Marrow Transformation Pills, I frequently noticed traces of Master Luotian during my investigations. In other words, he definitely took part in gathering the pill's ingredients, so there is a high probability he knows about the Marrow Transformation Pills." "Master Luotian is fond of wine and women and frequently goes out in search of pleasure, so his movements are quite easy to track. However, he is very cautious; even when seeking pleasure, he never strays far from the Cui estate." "Furthermore, Master Luotian possesses formidable strength. Defeating him, let alone forcing him to talk, will likely be very difficult..." When Li Hongzhuang reached this point, she turned her gaze toward Lu Changsheng. She knew that the "Thirteen" before her was a top Refining Organs expert capable of killing Zhao Qilei. Defeating Master Luotian would certainly be no problem. "Alright, our target is set: Master Luotian." "Miss Li, you only need to pinpoint his movements. Leave the rest to me." "That's not a problem. But if Master Luotian doesn't know about the Marrow Transformation Pills..." Li Hongzhuang stared intently at Lu Changsheng. "If Master Luotian doesn't know, then we slaughter him and move on to the next. If the second and third don't know either, then we slaughter them all!" "The Cui clan has so many people. If we go through them one by one, someone is bound to know where the Marrow Transformation Pills are kept," Lu Changsheng said in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. Yet beneath that calm lay steady confidence and an unquestionable, overbearing dominance! Yes, sheer dominance! It was as though in Thirteen's eyes, the Cui clan was not even worth mentioning. If one did not work, try two; if two did not work, try three. If three did not work, slaughter them all until someone revealed the pills. What domineering confidence! Yet Li Hongzhuang was delighted. The more overbearing and confident Thirteen was, the easier it would be for her to seize the Marrow Transformation Pills. "Alright. Let's rest for now, and then I'll head out to scout Master Luotian's whereabouts." Lu Changsheng nodded. Thus, he took a brief rest while Li Hongzhuang disguised herself anew in different attire and swiftly headed out to gather intelligence. In the blink of an eye, three days passed. Night had fallen, and a crescent moon hung in the sky. Li Hongzhuang and Lu Changsheng had once again changed their disguises and outfits, now standing outside the Yihong Brothel. "Yihong Brothel is the largest brothel in Jubei City. The Cui clan controls it behind the scenes, making it virtually one of their properties." "It isn't far from the Cui estate, and Master Luotian loves coming here for pleasure." "Master Luotian comes roughly every three days, so he will most likely show up tonight," Li Hongzhuang explained. Lu Changsheng said nothing, quietly waiting. Before long, Master Luotian indeed arrived. As a regular at Yihong Brothel, Master Luotian strode right in, requesting a private room and familiar courtesans to attend to him. "Brother Thirteen, this place is too close to the Cui estate. We must leave Yihong Brothel within fifteen minutes at most," Li Hongzhuang cautioned. "Just a foreign monk. Why would that take fifteen minutes?" "Let's go. It will only take a moment." Lu Changsheng strode toward Yihong Brothel. ... Inside a luxurious private room within Yihong Brothel, Master Luotian had summoned three women at once to attend to him. The table was laden with fine wine and delicacies. Master Luotian laughed heartily as he was pampered, utterly elated. Yet neither he nor the women noticed the faint dark shadow that had appeared outside the room. *Knock, knock, knock.* A knocking sound came from the door. "Who is it?" Master Luotian asked impatiently. "Delivering wine for the honored guest." "Piss off! This master doesn't need any! Don't come in and bother me!" Master Luotian was deeply irritated. Having held back for three days, he could barely contain his urges. What mood did he have to drink? *Bang!* The next instant, the door was violently kicked open. At the same time, a figure lunged straight at Master Luotian, sword light gleaming with sharp menace. Master Luotian reacted with startling speed. Almost without thinking, he grabbed two of the women beside him and hurled them directly at the assassin. At that same moment, rather than retreating, he advanced behind the women as a shield and struck out with a palm at the assassin. *Hum.* Master Luotian unleashed the Vajra Great Mudra. In the blur of motion, a phantom of an immense blood-red hand seemed to manifest, engulfing the assassin. The assassin was naturally Lu Changsheng. Seeing Master Luotian advance instead of retreat, throwing the two women so that they would crash right into his sword tip while bringing down the Vajra Great Mudra with vicious force, Lu Changsheng remained calm. He snapped his sword back and drove his left fist forward. *Boom!* Fist met palm. The ferocious sneer on Master Luotian's face twisted instantly into a look of sheer agony. From that single collision, Master Luotian felt an immense, surging force—like crashing mountains and overturning seas—rush from the opponent's fist straight into his palm. "What?!" Master Luotian was utterly shocked, his eyes going wide as he stared at the assassin. *Crack!* Master Luotian's arm snapped instantly. At the same time, the tremendous force sent him flying backward with a miserable scream. "Peak Refining Organs!" Master Luotian shouted in a mix of shock and fury.