Lu Sheng put down his bowl, pondering for a bit.

He felt his father Lu Quan An seemed worried about something, so wanted to send him somewhere farther away to be safer.

Also, if Duan Mu Wan truly disappeared for good, there really was no more room for growth in Jiu Lian City. Going to the more prosperous Cliff City wasn't a bad idea.

"Alright, I'll go and swiftly return. If I really can learn something from the masters there, I'll dispatch someone with a letter."

After briefly considering, Lu Sheng agreed.

Cliff City was very far from Jiu Lian City, even farther than the two Purple Cloud Cities.

Even rushing day and night on fast horses it would take two days and one night to arrive, let alone traveling by carriage.

After agreeing, Lu Sheng spent the next days concealed at home practicing martial arts and nourishing himself in preparation.

As usual, Lu Qing Qing went out every day. Often there would be news of her catching more people.

Lu Sheng couldn't control her movements and no one else at home could either. His second mother's words didn't work so they could only let her be.

After nourishing for several days, Lu Sheng was preparing to raise the levels of the other skills he had obtained.

Among those skills, with his Black Tiger Saber Technique and Jade Crane Skill as foundation, he easily grasped Cracking Heart Palm with the modifier and raised it to the pinnacle third layer mastery.

He left the other skills for the time being, planning to modify them after his vitality and blood recovered.

There was also the Eighty-Four Swallows Chasing Blade that he wanted to slowly cultivate himself for comparison.

As this cycle repeated, another strange incident happened in the city as he was nearing departure.

A few hunting families living near the city outskirts mysteriously disappeared on the day of the Bodhi Festival.

People had seen them take fox furs and other prey to sell in the city just days prior.

Then they vanished without a trace.

They all went missing inside Jiu Lian City before worried families reported to authorities for it to kick up a fuss.

Importantly, one of the hunter's cousins was a yamen catcher. So the case wasn't dismissed easily.

But checking brought immediate discoveries of discrepancies.

Those hunters had only traveled one path from beginning to end before disappearing on a street near Golden Fish Restaurant.

People saw them all along.

So the catchers went to check that street near Golden Fish Restaurant again.

But a huge fire had just happened there with no one left. These hunters going to sell prey, how would they run over to that place?

Just as Lu Sheng felt doubtful, Xiao Qiao rushed over anxiously to tell him Lu Qing Qing went alone toward that street near Golden Fish Restaurant in the middle of the night and still hadn't returned by daylight.

Lu Sheng's heart thumped. He knew something was amiss.

"When did Qing Qing go there?" He urgently asked.

"Not sure, but probably around midnight. Usually second miss returns before dawn, but not this time. Her maid Little Hong said miss ordered her to prepare hot bath water in her room.

But after waiting and waiting miss still didn't come back so she panicked!" Xiao Qiao hastily answered.

Lu Sheng was relaxing in the garden before saber practice. He didn't expect something like this to suddenly happen.

"Go notify Zhao Bo and Father immediately. I'll go take a look first!"

"Servant Xiao Ba already took people to investigate the situation earlier. He was the one who brought back news of miss's disappearance!"

Xiao Qiao added hastily.

"Xiao Ba..." Lu Sheng's eyes narrowed. He remembered that family guard. "I see."

He swiftly donned an outer robe and standard family long saber before leading a horse from the stables to hurriedly head toward Golden Fish Restaurant.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

The entire Lu manor was alarmed as Lu Quan An immediately ordered Zhao Bo to take men to follow toward Golden Fish Restaurant. He also had people report to the prefectural yamen.

Extensive networks of people and connections were swiftly deployed.

First they needed to determine if Lu Qing Qing really disappeared instead of just temporarily vanishing from sight.

"Hyah!"

Lu Sheng rode swiftly down the quiet early morning streets. With barely anyone around, it was convenient rushing there directly.

Galloping wildly through the downtown hub would normally draw criticism even for him.

But these were extraordinary times.

Xiao Ba's message that Lu Qing Qing disappeared was just the prelude to make Lu Sheng nervous. What truly pressed urgency onto him was that bizarre incident he encountered on that street near Golden Fish Restaurant last time.

The sorrel soon brought him before the restaurant's main entrance.

The doors were shut tight. It was just growing light out, not completely brightened.

The side street was a charred black mess.

The wooden houses from the huge fire weren't completely torn down yet, only half-demolished. The remaining halves together with the debris on the ground looked exceptionally desolate.

Lu Sheng dismounted and entered the dark street.

Snap...

Stepping on the ground, his boots crunched over some debris.

Lu Sheng gripped his saber handle. With two brawl experiences now, he was much calmer.

Sharp eyes swiftly scanned all around.

He soon discovered something off.

In the middle stretch of this street burnt to coals, there were deep saber marks on the wooden pillar before one house's doorway.

There were also chaotic footsteps on the ground. He could even see fresh black soil among the prints.

Lu Sheng touched the saber marks on the charred pillar. Beneath the charred exterior it was still pale yellow inside without being burnt through.

That slash neatly cut out the pale yellow wood interior.

"Should be around here somewhere."

He slowly drew out his saber, holding it in reverse as he walked toward that house.

The house's roof was completely burnt through. Stepping inside the doorway, the interior was a huge mess with burnt and charred furniture, clumps of melted unknown objects all about.

Just a few steps after entering, Lu Sheng discovered another trace.

A burnt table overturned on the floor had two deep saber gashes on its rim, even a few steel fragment pieces.

"What power."

Lu Sheng pinched up the fragments. Judging they should be from his sister Lu Qing Qing's refined steel sword.

Glancing at the footprints on the ground, he quickened pace toward the house's backyard.

Exiting the small house brought him to its backyard.

In a breach on the surrounding wall, there was a brawny one-eyed man with messy hair in a brown leather armor holding up a heavy saber, cursing as he pasted something onto the wall.

"Who's there?!"

He immediately noticed Lu Sheng after he just entered the yard, glaring at him fiercely.

"I should ask who you are."

Lu Sheng sized him up a bit.

This guy was around 1.8-1.9 meters tall, about 8 chi.

His body was covered in bulging muscles like a mouse's. That bright silver heavy saber dripping blood in his hand along with a faint fierce beast aura.

"Me?" The man grinned. Tossing aside the paper scraps in hand.

"Looks like you're that wench's family right? She even dared injure and kill my two disciples! My big bro and I captured her. Too bad you came late. My big bro already sent her back to enjoy slowly in our mountain fort!"

"Wench?"

Lu Sheng's gaze gradually darkened.

"Judging from sir's imposing manner, you should be no nameless nobody. In Jiu Lian City here I trust you must have heard of my Lu family. Why don't you name your price so we can talk it over."

"Talk my ass! The Lu family just sent you one kid?!"

The brute coldly stared at Lu Sheng.

"The rest are behind." Lu Sheng saw no point hiding it as the other was cunning. Lying likely wouldn't work.

Might as well tell the truth.

"Just you dared chase here alone. Guts!"

The man cackled.

"Second Head, Third Head, capture him. We'll have the Lu family redeem him later!"

Right as he finished speaking, two more brawny men in brown leather armor leapt in from another gap in the yard, one wielding a long handled axe and the other an eyebrow height staff.

"It's just one kid. I alone am enough old man. Why call us two over too?" One complained bitterly.

"Whoever catches him first gets the credit!"

The brute guffawed loudly.

Hearing this, the two identical twins also laughed. Their gazes toward Lu Sheng were up to no good.

"Hehehe, what a pretty little brother. Capturing him back to enjoy slowly every night together with that wench does sound delightful."

Second Head leered at Lu Sheng's lower body.

"Enjoy your ass! Eldest Brother gets first!"

Third Head spat harshly into his palm.

"Break both his legs. Don't draw too much blood or it'll look bad and ruin the fun. Like that last guy you completely chopped off his right arm. Blood sprayed everywhere. He went completely limp when it was our turn!"

"That's got nothing to do with me! Didn't you also smash his back with your staff so hard he nearly lost his last breath when we got on?!"

Second Head argued.

These two were twin brothers. Born powerfully built then coincidentally became disciples under Jiu Lian City's Black Wind Ridge Demon Saber Lin Brothers.

The one holding the heavy saber was Flood Demon Saber Lin Hong Shui.

Twin Fire Demon Saber Lin Shuang Huo and Flood Demon Saber Lin Hong Shui were wanted murderers from over a decade ago in Jiu Lian City who slaughtered two merchant groups in one night and fled with a great amount of silver, treasures and jewels.

Each man's unique Hell Saber Technique used ultra heavy sabers with vicious might.

Big brother Twin Fire Demon Saber Lin Shuang Huo once tore a man in half while pursued by catchers, a notorious accomplishment.

This was Lu Sheng's first time clashing directly with others, moreover with three people simultaneously.

Raising his long saber, he slowly headed toward the approaching Second Head and Third Head twins.

"Try chopping once first. A bit outnumbered. Retreat if it goes badly."

He felt somewhat nervous inside. After all, he wasn't clear on his present abilities without a benchmark.

With this thought...

Lu Sheng didn't use Black Tiger Saber Technique or Cracking Heart Palm.

Only the Eighty-Four Swallows Chasing Blade that he practiced on his own. He couldn't expose his full hand immediately.

He gripped his saber loosely. Eyes fixed on Second Head.

"Come on then!" Second Head grinned hideously, swinging his large axe while pointing at his own forehead.

"Pretty boy acting all proper, chop here! Right here!

I'll stand right here without moving for you..."

Swish!!

In a flash, his long saber abruptly transformed into an agile swallow, instantly crossing meters of distance.

It cleaved straight through Second Head's body with a slash.

Spurt!

A head was sent flying as blood sprayed everywhere.

Utter silence in the yard.