Night fell, bringing a piercing chill.
The streets had long since emptied, leaving only the night watchman roaming the avenues and alleys.
*Clack, clack, clack.*
He beat his wooden clappers to call out the watch.
Yet as he passed Cui Manor, he discovered the compound brilliantly illuminated by lantern light, with faint bursts of commotion drifting out from within.
Moments later, several figures swiftly departed the estate.
The watchman's heart gave a jolt. He hurriedly stepped aside, shrinking back against a wall.
That was Ninth Master Cui himself, one of the manor's Refining Organs martial artists and a prominent figure in all of Jubei City. How could a lowly watchman dare get in Ninth Master Cui's way?
Seeing Ninth Master Cui hurry off with a dark, furious expression, the watchman could tell something major must have happened.
Still, he dared not pry or speculate on the affairs of the Cui clan, so he continued down the alleys, beating his clappers and announcing the hour.
Once the watchman had moved on, two figures emerged from the shadows.
"Cui Jiu went toward Yihong Brothel."
"The Cui clan sent only one Refining Organs martial artist there, meaning eleven Refining Organs martial artists remain in the manor," Li Hongzhuang said in a low, heavy voice.
She had investigated the Cui clan thoroughly.
She had initially assumed that, given what happened at Yihong Brothel, the Cui clan would send at least two Refining Organs martial artists to investigate.
She had not expected them to send just one.
Every additional Refining Organs martial artist in the manor meant an extra measure of pressure on Thirteen.
"No matter. Between ten and eleven Refining Organs martial artists, the difference is negligible."
"Let's go. Time to see what the experts of Cui Manor are made of," Lu Changsheng said in a calm, unhurried tone.
He stepped out from the shadows alongside Li Hongzhuang, walking straight toward Cui Manor.
Even in the dead of night, Cui Manor had men posted on watch.
In fact, the sentries were martial artists.
Though they were only at the Strengthening Blood Realm, the ability to station martial artists on all-night watch spoke volumes about the Cui clan's power.
The two guards on duty were still eagerly gossiping about Ninth Master Cui's sudden departure.
"Someone from Yihong Brothel just came to report trouble over there. I asked around a bit, and something huge really did happen—Master Luotian was apparently killed."
"Master Luotian was killed? That foreign monk was always eccentric, domineering, and insufferably arrogant. He threw beatings and curses at the manor's servants and guards whenever he felt like it. Good riddance!"
"Hush, keep your voice down! You can't say that out loud. The situation isn't clear yet, so keep your mouth shut. Besides, Master Luotian enjoyed the patriarch's utmost trust."
Neither guard held any fond feelings for Master Luotian.
Evidently, the foreign monk's violent temper was notorious throughout Cui Manor, and nobody had ever relished the thought of serving him.
Now that he was dead, the manor's servants were secretly cheering.
As the two continued whispering, they caught sight of two figures approaching through the dark.
"Halt!"
Only when the two unfamiliar silhouettes drew near—clearly heading straight for the manor—did the guards bark out a sharp warning.
"Who goes there at this hour?"
A flicker of vigilance entered the guards' eyes.
Lu Changsheng did not utter a word.
He simply raised a hand and flicked a finger.
*Swish, swish.*
Two Silken Thread Swords shot out in a flash.
Under the cover of night, they silently bored through the throats of both sentries.
*Squelch.*
Their eyes went wide, and their bodies slumped limply to the ground.
A faint scent of blood drifted into the air.
Seeing this, Li Hongzhuang's eyes narrowed slightly.
This was the Cui clan!
The foremost Cui clan of all Jubei City!
Yet Thirteen was acting without the slightest caution, strolling boldly right through the front gate.
Li Hongzhuang wanted to say something, but in the end she stayed silent, offering no warning.
She knew that since Thirteen had decided to act, what could he have failed to consider?
*The Cui clan...*
Li Hongzhuang gritted her teeth, her gaze turning resolute.
Perhaps she would not be the one personally striking at the Cui clan tonight.
However, she was the one who had brought Thirteen, so this could count as collecting some advance interest from them.
Once she obtained the Marrow Transformation Pill and broke through to the Divine Strength Realm, she would return to settle the entire debt in full!
Stepping beyond the gates of Cui Manor, the courtyard ahead was dotted with countless hanging lanterns.
They illuminated the vast estate with lavish opulence and grandeur.
Servants scurried back and forth through the corridors, attending to clan members as they washed up and prepared for bed.
Several pretty maidservants were even on their way to warm beds.
A squad of patrolling martial artists came walking toward them, running headlong into Lu Changsheng and Li Hongzhuang.
"Which branch's servants are you? How dare you be so undisciplined! Do you have any idea where you are?" the lead patrol guard shouted sternly.
Lu Changsheng paid them no heed at all, his pace not slowing in the slightest.
"Halt!"
The patrol sensed that something was amiss.
Yet Lu Changsheng completely ignored them, not even pausing his stride. Once he closed to within three zhang, he gave a casual wave of his hand.
*Swish, swish, swish.*
Streaks of Silken Thread Sword flew forth like shooting stars.
In the blink of an eye, they struck before the patrolling guards could even react.
*Squelch.*
Among the patrol were several Tempering Bone martial artists, yet without even time to react, their vitals were instantly pierced through, and they collapsed to the ground, twitching in their death throes.
"Ah—!"
"Assassins! There are assassins!"
"Murder—!"
Lu Changsheng had wiped out an entire patrol with a wave of his hand, but the strike had also exposed his presence.
Many servants throughout the manor saw the slaughter from afar.
Screaming in terror, they scattered in every direction.
Lu Changsheng's brow furrowed slightly, though this was hardly unexpected.
Having swaggered right into Cui Manor through the front gates, how could he expect to remain undetected forever?
It was entirely impossible.
"Keep moving."
Lu Changsheng had Li Hongzhuang lead the way, heading straight for the pill furnace room.
The room lay some distance away, and with their presence exposed, martial artists began swarming toward them from all sides.
Lu Changsheng could not be bothered to drag things out. Veiled by the night, his Silken Thread Sword proved utterly unstoppable.
Under the shroud of darkness, the technique was lethal beyond measure, reaping lives without a trace.
Those martial artists and guards—even those in the Tempering Bone Realm—could not withstand a single exchange. They were instantly cut down by the Silken Thread Sword.
It truly was a seventh-tier martial technique, exceptional in every sense!
Every step Lu Changsheng took left corpses in his wake.
Anyone who barred his path was swiftly dispatched by the Silken Thread Sword.
For a time, bloodcurdling screams echoed continuously across Cui Manor.
Li Hongzhuang glanced back. Behind them, the paths were littered with mangled corpses lying in every direction.
The sight was thoroughly shocking!
Anyone beholding such carnage would feel their hair stand on end.
Yet a fierce surge of vindication welled up in Li Hongzhuang's heart.
Was this not the very sight she had dreamed of for so long?
To slaughter without restraint inside Cui Manor, sweeping all before her without rival!
She had believed she would need to attain the Divine Strength Realm before she could run rampant through the estate like this.
Yet Thirteen had achieved it already.
And Thirteen was merely a Refining Organs martial artist himself.
"To think a Refining Organs martial artist could be this strong... unbelievable," Li Hongzhuang murmured under her breath.
Though she and Thirteen were acquainted by now, and though she had watched him execute "Blazing Saber" Zhao Qilei with her own eyes, that prior display fell far short of the sheer shock she felt right now!
*Slash.*
Another martial artist collapsed.
Lu Changsheng suddenly halted his steps.
A ring of corpses surrounded him, and the heavy stench of blood hung thick in the air.
Even for a top-tier Refining Organs martial artist, fighting through such a gauntlet of guards to storm this deep would have been fraught with difficulty.
Yet Lu Changsheng appeared completely at ease.
"Miss Li, reaching this pill furnace room doesn't seem quite as difficult as you claimed."
Lu Changsheng looked at the building before him.
The pill furnace room!
The core restricted area of the Cui clan.
Under ordinary circumstances, no one was permitted inside except the most essential members of the clan.
"Not that difficult?"
Li Hongzhuang glanced at the sea of corpses sprawled behind them, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.
She was beginning to wonder whether Thirteen was secretly a Divine Strength Realm expert.
After all, what kind of Refining Organs martial artist could carve through dozens, even hundreds of guards, and arrive outside the Cui clan's pill furnace room as though taking a leisurely stroll?
Still, now that they had arrived at the pill furnace room, the true trial had begun.
*Creak.*
The doors swung open, and three white-haired elders with ruddy, youthful complexions stepped out.
Their gazes locked onto Lu Changsheng and Li Hongzhuang at once.
"Third Young Miss Li, we let you escape last time. Why return now just to throw your life away?"
One of the elders shook his head slowly, letting out a long, heavy sigh.
Chapter 57