Then, without turning, Lu Fu shot his right elbow backward with the force of a thunderbolt, channeling the terrifying power of a Grandmaster of Huajin’s full-force strike.
Lu Fu wasn’t afraid of harming an innocent bystander, because it was impossible for an ordinary person to be standing behind him.
The person behind him was either a peerless expert far beyond his imagination or some terrifying existence he had never encountered before. In either case, his elbow strike was not excessive.
However, the elbow strike, wrapped in the unparalleled Qi of a Grandmaster of Huajin, was easily blocked by the same hand that had just rested on his shoulder.
No matter how ferocious the force of Lu Fu’s elbow strike, the moment it met the palm, it vanished as if a clay ox had sunk into the sea.
But that wasn’t all. The moment his elbow strike was blocked, Lu Fu’s expression changed.
He could feel the Qi within his body draining away at an unbelievable speed.
His Qi seemed to pour into a bottomless pit. Not only did it fail to penetrate the man’s palm and injure him, but it was also being continuously consumed.
But Lu Fu had no time to think. He balled his left hand into a fist, spun around, and unleashed the Lu Family’s ultimate technique: the Inch Force Mountain-Breaking Fist!
The punch, carrying all the remaining Qi in his body, thundered forward. The air itself seemed to tear before it, letting out a sharp shriek.
But just as he threw the punch, Lu Fu saw his opponent’s face.
It was a face aged by time, one he had seen in his memories for decades. Lu Fu’s pupils contracted.
It was Lord Lu!
Lu Yun didn’t flinch or evade. The same calloused palm from before once again gently caught the seemingly unstoppable punch.
The moment his palm met the fist, the punch that had sliced through the air came to a dead stop. The Qi cloaking it vanished without a trace.
"Lord Lu!" Lu Fu’s voice trembled as he spoke, so overcome with emotion that he wanted to kneel.
Lu Fu prepared to drop to his knees, but in that instant, he found he couldn’t move.
"Not bad. Your Inch Force Mountain-Breaking Fist is passable."
Lu Yun didn’t explain where he had been. It wasn’t something that could be cleared up in just a few words.
Lu Fu was stunned. He had a stomach full of questions, but with that one sentence from Lord Lu, he swallowed them all back down.
Once Lu Fu recovered, he noticed the change in his lord and asked uneasily, "Lord Lu, your hair and face... how did they become like this again?"
Before, Lord Lu’s hair had been as black, thick, and lustrous as a man in his forties; you couldn’t find a single strand of white.
It had been a sign of immense vitality, something that had made Lu Fu happy from the bottom of his heart.
’If Lord Lu looks young, it means he can live for a very long time. He’ll have many years to continue leading us.’
But now, his lord’s hair was completely white, and the wrinkles on his face were back. At this terrifying sight, Lu Fu’s heart sank. He didn’t dare to imagine what it could mean.
Lu Yun, in contrast, spoke calmly. "It’s nothing. I just ran into a bit of trouble. I’ll be fine after some rest."
’Hair completely white, wrinkles deepened, and he looks thirty or forty years older... this is just a ’bit of trouble’? What would major trouble look like, then?’
"But—!" Lu Fu grew anxious, his eyes beginning to redden. For the first time, he desperately wanted to know what Lord Lu had encountered.
’Who knows if he’s injured?’ But before Lu Fu could press for details, Lu Yun continued, "In the next few days, a young man named Ye Zeyang may arrive. When he does, you will personally take him to the White Cloud Sect."
Lu Fu was baffled by the command. ’Ye Zeyang? Who’s that?’ He wracked his brain, searching decades of memories, but couldn’t recall anyone by that name.
’Why would Lord Lu give me this order personally?’ In the end, Lu Fu didn’t press the issue. He only needed to know that his lord must have a good reason for doing so.
"Yes, Lord Lu. I’ll see to it at once." He turned and strode away.
「Meanwhile, in Lotus Town, not far from Yun Port City.」
The town was nestled by mountains and water, home to several thousand families.
Every summer, the town’s scenery was defined by endless green lotus leaves stretching to the horizon and blossoms of a singular red, kissed by the sun. Many people from Yun Port City would make a special trip just to admire the view.
The He Family, one of the major clans here, had always kept to themselves—they didn’t start trouble, but they weren’t afraid of it either.
Most of the He Family members had moved to the city, establishing numerous flour mills in Yun Port City. As the saying goes, "with the roar of machinery comes ten thousand taels of gold," and their business was booming.
This was just their ancestral town, inhabited by some of the minor family branches, the elderly, women, and children, who looked after the ancestral home and its hall.
The current He Family was led by three brothers born of the same mother: He Xin Town, He Xinli, and He Xinshou.
The eldest, He Xin Town, was the Patriarch and managed the flour mill businesses in the city. He was shrewd and ruthless, a man who could command the winds and rains in the business world.
The second brother, He Xinli, held a position within the security apparatus. He had connections on both sides of the law and knew people from every walk of life.
The third brother, He Xinshou, disliked the hustle and bustle. He stayed behind to look after the ancestral home, tending to his flowers and fish, living a quiet and peaceful life, unconcerned with worldly struggles.
With each of the three brothers performing his role, the He Family’s fortunes grew ever more prosperous.
The He Family was now considered one of the most formidable families in Yun Port City. The reason was simple: the eldest son of the current Patriarch, He Xin Town, had married well.
His daughter-in-law was Lu Nianshu, Lord Lu’s only god-granddaughter. Once that marriage was sealed, the He Family’s status was transformed.
Before, they were, at best, wealthy upstarts. Now, they had transformed into a force that no one in Yun Port City dared to underestimate.
Who in Yun Port City today wouldn’t give the He Family face? It could be said that the He Family was on a steady rise. Their business grew larger, their network expanded, and at one point, they even controlled a third of the flour mill market in Yun Port City.
Those who once looked down on the He Family now had to bow and scrape, greeting He Xin Town with fawning smiles.
The second son, He Zhongchen—crippled by his father, He Xin Town, and his second uncle, He Xinli—had been sent back here.
He Xinshou was responsible for the ancestral home, which also meant keeping an eye on his good-for-nothing nephew.
After a period of struggle and severe reprimands from his third uncle, He Xinshou, He Zhongchen had finally accepted his fate.
He had no choice. His legs were broken, his father had disowned him, his second uncle couldn’t be bothered to even look at him, and even the sycophants who once flocked to him had vanished without a trace.
’Now, my only worth is to provide a bloodline for the He Family and then live out the rest of my days in comfort.’
Those were his third uncle’s exact words. In short, they were a reminder: ’You are no longer fit to be seen in public. Living out your days quietly is the greatest contribution you can make to the He Family.’
But with his legs broken, He Zhongchen could only sit in a wheelchair all day. He had to ask a servant for permission to go anywhere. He was living like a useless invalid.
’No, not like one. I *am* useless.’ Before, he could still compete with his older brother for the family inheritance and flaunt his power outside.
’And now? I can’t even use the toilet by myself. I need help just to turn over in bed. To get a drink of wine, I have to crawl for it.’
This was the life of a worthless man. Night fell, and Lotus Town was silent. The light in He Zhongchen’s room was dim.
On the table were several small dishes: peanuts, braised beef, and smashed cucumber salad—all classic accompaniments for drinking.
He Zhongchen, his face flushed red, was slumped over the table, pouring cup after cup of alcohol down his throat.
’Who could have imagined it? I, who once outshone my older brother, had my legs personally broken by my own father.’
"He Zhongpeng, and that bitch... My life is ruined," He Zhongchen snarled, "but even as a ghost, I’ll never let either of you go."
He Zhongchen spoke through gritted teeth, each word seemingly squeezed from between them, laced with bone-deep hatred and resentment.
In his heart, he knew they were just empty words. After all, he didn’t even have the courage to die.
He Zhongchen could only drink to numb the pain. When his opium cravings hit, he could only endure the agony like a pathetic wretch, not daring to make a sound.
This wasn’t the city. No one was going to bring him opium, and no one cared whether he lived or died.
Just then, as he was slumped over the table drinking, He Zhongchen suddenly lifted his head. He didn’t know why; it was as if something unseen was beckoning to him.
On a potted plant in the corner of the room, a lump of something had appeared out of nowhere. It was a throbbing mass of black flesh.
He Zhongchen squinted, staring at the lump for a long time as the effects of the alcohol began to wear off. His brow furrowed tighter, and his heart began to pound faster and faster.
"Wait a minute," he muttered. "That color, those features... isn’t that the mysterious black flesh that caused such a stir a while ago?"

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