"Young Master has secretly trained martial arts since little with decent constitution. Master needn't worry."

Zhao Bo smiled and said.

"I truly didn't expect Young Master to be so formidable. Those villains were experts I pursued when young. Didn't anticipate them returning after so many years only to fall by Young Master's hand."

He saw the injuries. They died from the force behind Cracking Heart Palm.

Just he didn't know when Young Master trained such consummate Cracking Heart Palm or how profound that force was. After all, it was hard discerning depth from the exterior.

"This is for the best." Lu Quan An nodded. "No issues. Once recovered he may resume heading for Cliff City to study martial arts as planned."

"With Young Master's present level, his fixation and even addiction toward practicing martial arts were indispensable to progressing so swiftly and outstandingly. This is good too. Young Master will definitely happily agree after hearing this I presume."

His second wife gently said.

"That's enough. Everyone disperse after this empty scare. Stay confined reflecting on your actions young lady! No more random wandering outside in this period. Remain in the manor!" Lu Quan An grounded her.

"Oh..." This time's events also badly frightened Lu Qing Qing. If big brother arrived a beat later she would've truly been finished.

She needed time recuperating too.

...

Lu Qing Qing's incident swiftly spread through the entire Lu manor and even to other families in Jiu Lian Cheng.

Lu Sheng's reputation for martials arts obsession also proliferated.

In this age, few knew of Twin Fire Demon Sabers. But everyone was aware Lu Sheng moved against those who captured his sister, purportedly killing many and capturing several fierce fugitives.

Once this reputation circulated, Lu Sheng promptly became renowned.

The manor servants' gazes toward him on roads were no longer the same.

He was someone who killed formidable fugitives!

Whenever they saw Lu Sheng now, reverence would arise inside.

After all, anyone evading capture warrants some abilities.

"This is very normal." Lu Qing Qing sat in Lu Sheng's room, legs swinging as she slowly nibbled an apple in hand.

Due to the near loss of purity last time, she no longer roamed outside all day now.

Instead she frequently visited Lu Sheng's quarters, attempting to persuade him to jointly investigate the Xu family tragedy.

"Aside from big brother you, Zhao Bo and the few martial arts teachers, the rest of the manor guards probably seldom even saw bloodshed before ba. They used to look at me this way in the past too."

She seemed to take this for granted already.

"Oh right, I wonder what expressions my shifu and senior brothers would have learning I have such a formidable big brother. Just imagining it feels funny!"

Lu Qing Qing said smilingly.

Lu Sheng wielded a writing brush, slowly practicing calligraphy.

"Cousin Xu's case must be investigated, just not right now."

He said heavily.

"Cousin Xu...died so wretchedly!" Whenever recalling this, Lu Qing Qing's eyes would redden somewhat.

"Rest assured. I will get to the bottom of this sooner or later." Lu Sheng put down the brush, looking at the bold enduring character he wrote on the page.

Clashing with the two harmonizing strength experts made him clearly understand his present limits.

Every consummate expert at that level possessed unique mastery. Much stronger than ordinary practitioners.

Although he relied on the modifier to raise Black Tiger Saber Technique and Cracking Heart Palm to the great mastery summit, one against two wasn't basic addition.

Two harmonizing strength experts surrounding and attacking produced an effect greater than one plus one. Need to account for double the usual spiritual consumption when facing just one opponent.

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If there was another harmonizing strength expert with slightly better coordination, even he would suffer this time.

Lu Sheng thought inwardly.

He won this time but it was a narrow victory. Even having his saber snapped at the end with injuries all over.

"Still too weak... The Xu family tragedy, just their Four Guardian experts at the harmonizing strength level would be extremely challenging. Add in all the family servants, to completely massacre everyone overnight without the slightest sound, such ability...just imagining it makes one's blood run cold."

Whenever considering this, Lu Sheng felt his preparations were still vastly insufficient.

He needed greater power, stronger martial force!

"Big brother, what are you thinking? Want to stroll the streets together with me?"

Lu Qing Qing waved her hand before Lu Sheng's face. A hint of expectation in her eyes.

After being rescued last time, she transformed before Lu Sheng, temper far nicer than before. Also much more delicate and feminine.

"Qing Qing, do you know about internal skills?"

Lu Sheng didn't answer her question, instead asking one back.

"Internal skills... I heard shifu mention them before." Lu Qing Qing nodded. "Internal experts are different from us external practitioners. It takes a very lengthy time, progressing slowly. Usually without three to five years laying foundations, there's hardly any difference from ordinary people after manifesting it. Why are you suddenly asking this big brother?"

"I have my own plans."

Lu Sheng mulled things over inwardly.

He truly considered going to Cliff City, but with the current situation, it wasn't suitable leaving Jiu Lian City for distant places.

The family members here were all exceedingly good to him in this life, his father, second mother, Zhao Bo and the rest were great.

He was reluctant for mishaps befalling home soon after his departure.

Also, in these chaotic times nowadays, where could a person flee alone if something truly occurred?

Lu Sheng also noticed his father Lu Quan An wanting to dispatch him far away to Cliff City seemed intent on evading something.

"An impending storm..." He sighed deeply. Looking at his clueless little sister Lu Qing Qing nearby, his mood somehow turned heavy.

"Even if I left to temporarily dodge, it's impossible escaping perpetually. Ultimately it will need facing sooner or later.

I should speedily grow stronger while home conditions are still good without money issues instead of waiting until possessing self-preservation capabilities."

Traveling to distant Cliff City was truly unrealistic now. Lu Sheng already had other plans.

Practicing both internal and external, unifying them. This was the most formidable direction he could conceive of...

He suddenly recalled that secret manual he spent lavishly during the auction previously to obtain - the remnant Dark Destruction Manual.

"Though it's incomplete, it remains the sole one in my possession presently. Whatever, might as well go all in."

As he listened to Lu Qing Qing chirp on about amusing past apprenticeship stories, Lu Sheng simultaneously started silently recalling Dark Destruction Skill's inner cultivation route.

He cultivated it intensely for quite some time before so still vaguely remembered the heart methods for initiating it.

Unfortunately pertinent internal skill materials were far too scarce, unable to systematically research and probe.

Hence he could only concentrate fully on bitterly cultivating Dark Destruction Skill while recuperating.

Before he realized it, a few more days passed.

Another peculiar event occurred inside Jiu Lian City.

In a manor's outer walls near the city outskirts, some doodles were discovered seemingly drawn by an idle child's hand using charcoal.

A meddler specially stood guard overnight wanting to see just which family's mischievous kid it was.

Yet strangely, more inexplicable doodles emerged on the walls overnight without anyone spotted passing by.

This series starting from the Xu family massacre, the Wang manor well case, the vanishing hunters, and now these sudden doodles left hearts alarmed across Jiu Lian City.

Some even claimed hearing miserable shrieks from outside the city at night. The gutsy ones going closer apparently discovered vestiges resembling traces left after beasts violently fought, even some lingering bloodstains.

And directives arrived from the prefectural yamen to revoke prior assistance requests for their search.

One early morning, Lu Quan An and the other three house lords were summoned together to the prefectural yamen again.

His expression was awful upon returning.

Lu Sheng asked about it but he didn't elaborate, only mentioning conflicts and unpleasantness with the prefect.

Lu Quan An subsequently called for his eldest brother Lu An Ping holding the deputy commander post in the garrison force.

The Lu family naturally didn't stand firm relying solely on Lu Quan An himself these years. Eldest brother Lu An Ping was another pillar he fostered.

The two stayed behind closed doors in the study for a very long time before emerging again.

People later saw eldest brother hurriedly depart the Lu manor then.

Lu Sheng rested and recuperated in his quarters. Via Lu Qing Qing and Xiao Qiao he constantly learnt of circumstances at the manor. His second mother, Fifth Madam and niece Lu Ying Ying, Zhao Bo and others also regularly came visiting him.

The encircling Jiu Lian City outside the Lu manor presently gave Lu Sheng an increasingly imperiled sensation now.

Just then Zhao Bo dispatched people over again saying traces of little Xiao Ba were found. He had been discovered lying famished in a house on that burnt street when awoken.

"Little Xiao Ba? Did he explain what he encountered or why he was alone in that house?"

Lu Sheng asked.

The messenger was one of Zhao Bo's guards. He shook his head.

"Didn't say anything specific. Just kept repeating that while desperately rushing there that day, shortly after entering that street he suddenly collapsed onto the ground unconscious. Only seeing us when he woke up."

Lu Sheng's brows knitted.

"Is that testimony genuine?"

"It is. Lord Zhao already cross-verified from many angles. It indeed seems to have unfolded just as Xiao Ba claimed."

"How bizarre..."

Lu Sheng shook his head.

"You're dismissed for now."

"Yes."

The guard swiftly departed.

Lu Sheng paced about the small yard outside his room back and forth a few times.

His injuries already basically recovered quite some time ago. He was just bitterly cultivating Dark Destruction Skill awaiting qi presence.

The very instant even a shred of qi came, he planned on swiftly boosting this internal method. He must integrate Dark Destruction Skill properly into his overall might.

Just then, Lu Quan An hurriedly entered the yard in a fluster while bringing two family servants.

"My son, almost recuperated right? We set off today then?"

Lu Quan An's expression was gentle and tranquil. Hand clutched around a black silk wrapped bundle. Clearly provisions prepared for Lu Sheng's travels.