Lu Yang felt that Huangzhou truly lived up to its name. The sheer fierceness of local customs alone was going to take an outsider like him some time to adapt to.
"Even the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce has no intel on any Body Integration stage battles. It seems there really haven't been any."
The Fairy had said that the yang energy a living corpse could store would keep it mobile for two months at most. Thus, Lu Yang had gathered all the intelligence from across Huangzhou over the past two months. Apart from a domestic dispute between a married couple, there wasn't a single report of a Body Integration clash.
"Did it happen in secret, eluding even the chamber's intelligence network? Or did this pack of living corpses genuinely wander off and get lost?"
If he hadn't read through the reports on Huangzhou, Lu Yang might have suspected the former. Having reviewed them, he now suspected the latter.
"Ah well. Better to resolve Old Meng's problem first.
"Going by the reports, the Seven Emotions Valley specializes in curses. Perhaps I should pay them a visit?
"Excuse me, do you know where the Seven Emotions Valley is located?" Lu Yang inquired of the chamber's staff.
Having just spent a fortune on the most detailed intelligence dossier, the chamber was naturally willing to throw in this piece of information for free. Besides, it barely qualified as a secret; once a cultivator reached a certain level of power, everyone knew the valley's location.
The chamber handed Lu Yang a map with the Seven Emotions Valley marked on it.
Leaving the chamber of commerce, Lu Yang heard a shriek.
Following the sound, he found a young scoundrel riding his horse through the street, forcefully abducting a young woman of common birth. Several lackeys were cheering on the sidelines. The scoundrel evidently possessed considerable local influence; the surrounding onlookers burned with indignation but dared not speak out. The young tyrant laughed wildly while the girl wept.
"Is this never going to end?"
Lu Yang sighed softly, feeling that his romantic luck was becoming absurdly potent.
Then again... could this be his reward for having saved Meng Jingzhou's worthless life from the Fairy, a deed of immeasurable karmic merit?
Regardless, he had to handle the situation in front of him first.
"Stop."
Lu Yang spoke in a calm voice. It was not loud, but in this tense setting it was strikingly distinct, and everyone heard it.
Ignoring the startled gazes of the passersby, he stepped swiftly toward the arrogant youth and helped the weeping maiden to her feet.
"Quite the nerve you've got! An outsider, aren't you? Do you have any idea who I—"
Before the scoundrel could finish, Lu Yang slapped him across the face without batting an eye.
The young tyrant was about the same age as Lu Yang and possessed decent cultivation at Qi Refinement Great Perfection.
Seeing their master struck, the lackeys drew all manner of weapons and surged forward. Irritated, Lu Yang gave a casual wave of his hand, raising a gust of ferocious wind that sent every last lackey flying.
These henchmen were no weaklings either, all being in the Foundation Establishment stage.
The onlookers were utterly astounded that Lu Yang dared lay a hand on this local menace.
"Never seen him before. Is he from out of town?"
"Has to be. Who in Yuanshan City dares cross the Gu family, especially their eldest young master!"
"It feels good to see him get beaten, but I'm afraid this young man won't be walking out of Yuanshan City alive."
"To effortlessly dispatch Foundation Establishment servants... just what is this young hero's background?"
"Golden Core! He must be in the Golden Core stage!"
The young woman looked at Lu Yang with affectionate eyes. "Benefactor..."
She was fair and delicate, quite the pretty girl. Looking at the adoration shining in her eyes, Lu Yang suspected her next line would be: *This humble woman has no way to repay you except by offering herself in marriage.*
"The Gu family possesses immense wealth and power, ruling Yuanshan City as its tyrants," she urged anxiously. "Though your cultivation is extraordinary, benefactor, facing the Gu family is perilous. You should flee at once!"
"Haha, you want to run? After daring to hit my son, you think you can leave Yuanshan City alive?!"
A furious laugh boomed across the area, loud enough for half of Yuanshan City to hear. An imposing middle-aged cultivator strode into view, glaring at Lu Yang with gnashing teeth like a predator stalking its prey.
"You—"
Lu Yang did not give him the chance to speak a second word. With a flick of his wrist, he shot out a beam of sword light, pinning the newcomer firmly to the wall.
Having done so, Lu Yang turned to the maiden and asked, "Is this the Gu family head?"
The maiden nodded stiffly. She had never imagined Lu Yang would act with such decisiveness—and such overwhelming strength, subduing the late Golden Core stage head of the Gu family in a single move.
"The Gu family head is terrifying, but even more frightening is his father..."
Before she could finish, a second roar echoed from the distance.
"Who dares bully my son and grandson—"
Following the guidance of the Invincible Core, Lu Yang drew the Green Blade Sword and executed the Slash Formula. Before the newcomer could even finish his sentence, Lu Yang pinned him to the wall right alongside the Gu family head.
Early Nascent Soul stage. That was at least worthy of Lu Yang drawing his sword.
"Does the Gu family have anyone else?" Lu Yang asked.
The maiden froze for a good while before regaining her senses, nodding stiffly once more. "Yes... the Gu family has a Soul Formation ancestor."
She stole a glance at Lu Yang's face. Seeing not the slightest flicker of change in his expression, she mentally elevated his cultivation level even higher.
While she stood in a daze, the Gu family head had secretly contacted the old ancestor, begging him to intervene.
"What bold audacity, junior! To dare bully my Gu family! Even if my clan was in the wrong, it falls to me to discipline them! How could we trouble an outside—"
Without saying a word, Lu Yang produced the jade identity token hanging from his waist.
"—how could we trouble a Dao friend to take action! Gu here offers his profound thanks to you, Dao friend, for disciplining these worthless descendants on this old man's behalf!"
The moment the Gu family old ancestor caught sight of the jade token, he braked sharply in midair, descended to the street, cupped his fists in gratitude, and bowed deeply.
Lu Yang truly couldn't defeat a Soul Formation ancestor, but why would he need to fight? Before a colossus like the Dao Seeking Sect, a mere Soul Formation ancestor didn't even register.
Forget the elders—any senior brother or sister pulled at random could easily settle the score on Lu Yang's behalf.
The reputation of the Five Great Immortal Sects commanded absolute reverence from local aristocratic clans.
Lu Yang wasn't afraid of thrashing the young, and he was even less afraid of facing the old.
"Did you hear what the Gu family's old ancestor just called him? Dao Seeking Sect! Is it *that* Dao Seeking Sect from the legends?"
"The very Dao Seeking Sect from the pingshu *Legend of the Dao Seeking Sect*!"
"The foremost of the Five Great Immortal Sects!"
The onlookers gasped in astonishment, crying out in shock upon realizing Lu Yang's extraordinary pedigree.
The young maiden stared at Lu Yang with wide, stunned eyes, her adoration deepening even further.
"No need for thanks," Lu Yang said in a ringing voice, speaking for the Gu family ancestor as well as the surrounding crowd. "Just be sure to keep a tight leash on your descendants, Friend Gu. Take care that they don't bring ruin upon your entire clan. After all, our Dao Seeking Sect is currently lamenting the lack of sufficient bounties posted in the Mission Hall."
The Gu family ancestor wasn't about to miss the veiled threat, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
He smiled ingratiatingly. "Of course, of course! Many thanks for the reminder, Dao friend. After today, this Gu will discipline the clan with an iron fist. If such a thing ever happens again, the offender will face the torment of having their sinews pulled and bones scraped!"
The maiden curtsied gracefully toward Lu Yang. "This humble woman has no way to repay you—"
"Repaying me by serving as a beast of burden in the next life will do just fine," Lu Yang cut in, promptly shutting down her pitch.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he departed Yuanshan City, retracing his steps.
"I hope I don't run into this kind of nonsense on the way back."
He felt that this excursion hadn't yielded much useful intelligence, yet troubles had cropped up in spades.
"May the immortals bless me... Never mind, relying on immortals is useless. I'd better just pray for my own good fortune."
Chapter 408