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Lu Chen ran very fast.

The city of Shanyang was filled with a dense network of alleys. Lu Chen slipped through them and, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, led Qingzhu and the young master almost around the entire city before disappearing from sight.

"Damn it! Who is this guy? We have to catch him!"

The young master was somewhat exasperated.

He had never been mocked and looked down upon like this before!

He, Yang Ce, the second young master of the Yang family in the capital, has always been high and mighty. Everyone flatters and praises him, believing that he is one of the most outstanding among the many brothers in the Yang family.

In terms of cultivation, he was only 20 years old, yet he had already achieved the Lesser Completion of the Innate Realm, opening up the twelve regular meridians and the Ren and Du meridians, making him incredibly powerful.

In terms of academic knowledge, he easily passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations).

In terms of family background, the Yang family not only produced a concubine, but also Yang Xuan, the Marquis of Zhenbei, whose title was hereditary and his status was beyond measure.

But today, in a small city of Shanyang, he was tricked by some lowly beast from who-knows-where!

However, after a while, he calmed down.

"This person is suspicious. Where are we now?"

He looked at Qingzhu and Chen Xianjun, the abbot of Sanyuan Temple, and the others who had followed him.

"This is Songhe Street in the west of the city. What... are you saying this is a diversionary tactic!?"

Qingzhu immediately realized what was happening and gasped.

He only said it casually before, just to shirk responsibility.

Unexpectedly, it actually came true?

"Quickly, go back!"

The men's faces changed drastically, and they quickly turned their heads away.

Songhe Street in the west of the city is almost across the city from Sanyuan Temple.

As they said, Lu Chen was indeed rushing towards this place at this moment.

He was already quite fast, and now that he had shaken off his pursuers, he even had the mind to try multitasking and practice his breathing techniques while speeding along.

He had tried it before, and this time he actually succeeded.

The consumed energy is slowly being replenished.

He also returned to the Sanyuan Temple.

The area where the black stone tablet stood was now quiet.

However, Lu Chen could see a faint light emanating from the room.

He went straight in.

"Who are you?"

Inside the house, two people were cleaning up the broken bricks and wood that Lu Chen had broken through the roof when they suddenly saw a stranger barge in. They immediately felt a chill run down their spines and were on high alert.

Without wasting words, Lu Chen rushed forward and knocked one of them to the ground with a single punch. Time was of the essence.

Then, as expected, he ran underground.

"Those pursuers will probably realize what's happening soon; we can't afford to waste any more time!"

Lu Chen was also a little anxious. After entering the underground, there were still five or six people inside.

The crates that had been unloaded from the ship, which we had seen before, were now being opened.

Inside were tiny figures curled up.

They were all children.

Who are you?

"Who let you in?! Get out!"

The five or six men broke out in a cold sweat, but they forced themselves to remain calm and grabbed the weapons beside them.

Lu Chen's eyes flashed with killing intent, and with a flick of his wrist, six iron caltrops flew out with a "whoosh".

"Pfft pfft pfft!"

Six consecutive sounds of watermelon being slapped rang out, and the six people left behind screamed and collapsed to the ground.

Lu Chen quickly scanned his surroundings.

The underground space is spacious and well-ventilated, so it's not stuffy at all.

In the very center of the underground space, there was a huge alchemy furnace.

Beside the alchemy furnace were baskets of processed medicinal herbs, neatly arranged.

To his side was a pool with an iron table on it.

There are dark red stains on the edge of the table that cannot be cleaned off.

A strong smell of blood emanated from the table and the pool.

Lu Chen thought of something terrible, and his face turned extremely ugly.

He turned to look at the children in the boxes on the ground.

They were all unconscious at this time.

There were quite a few, about twenty or thirty.

"They can't save them! There wasn't enough time!"

Lu Chen quickly weighed the options in his mind and went up to check them one by one.

"No, no..."

He looked around, but didn't recognize any of the children.

"I can't worry about that anymore!"

He looked at the huge bronze alchemy furnace, and a thought struck him. He took out two iron caltrops, infused them with energy, quickly tore off a strip of cloth, stuck the caltrops into the cloth, and then carefully pressed the cloth against the edge of the furnace opening with the furnace lid.

The caltrops were thus hung on the cloth strips and suspended inside the alchemy furnace.

If someone lifts the lid of the alchemy furnace, the iron caltrops will fall and collide with the furnace, causing it to explode.

However, the energy cannot adhere to the barbed wire for that long; it all depends on luck.

If the other party were a little stupid, the alchemy furnace would actually be fine.

After doing all that, he went forward, picked up one child in each arm, and ran towards the ground.

As soon as he stepped out of the gate, he heard a whooshing sound coming from afar.

"Quick, he's over there!"

"You bastard! Chase after him!"

"Where did this mad dog come from, damn it!"

Everyone was furious and started cursing loudly.

So, after running out all night to chase after someone, they ended up being played like a fool?

Holding the person in his arms, Lu Chen had no time to think. He leaped onto the wall, then pushed off with all his might, covering dozens of feet in mid-air before landing on a large tree and speeding away.

"Old Qing, you take two men and go after him. He's with men, so he can't run fast. Abbot Chen, you and your men guard this place. Don't move without permission, lest he launch another surprise attack!"

Yang Ce gave the order decisively.

"Yes, young master!"

Qingzhu selected two fast-moving individuals and chased after the direction where Lu Chen had disappeared.

Yang Ce led his men underground.

"The man is dead, killed instantly! Two items are missing, but the rest are untouched."

Soon someone came forward to report.

Yang Ce frowned.

Doing so much just for two children?

No, there's definitely something wrong!

His gaze shifted and settled on the alchemy furnace.

Since the other party did not come for me, their purpose in coming here is self-evident.

It must be for the elixir!

"Check the alchemy furnace!"

He suddenly said.

Chen Xianjun waved his hand, and someone immediately stepped forward and looked around.

"Look inside!"

Someone grabbed the lid of the alchemy furnace.

Clang!

There was a sound of metal striking the alchemy furnace, echoing inside the empty furnace.

Yang Ce's expression changed drastically, and he turned and ran.

"boom!"

Inside the alchemy furnace, after the two iron caltrops fell, the energy exploded instantly due to the collision, and countless fragments scattered in all directions, embedding themselves in the bronze furnace wall.

The shockwave even caused several cracks to appear in the thick bronze alchemy furnace.

The alchemy furnace is ruined!

Yang Ce immediately understood Lu Chen's purpose.

Destroy the alchemy furnace, and they won't be able to refine the elixirs on time!

He stood on the steps and slowly walked down, looking at the bulging bronze furnace and the several cracks in its abdomen, his face extremely ugly.

Who exactly is this person, and what methods are they using?

I've never seen anything like it before!

"Are there any spare alchemy furnaces?" he asked in a cold voice.

Chen Xianjun hurriedly replied, "Young master, there is no one like this. There is only a very small alchemy furnace. It works fine, but it is very inefficient."

A cold glint flashed in Yang Ce's eyes.

"How long will it take to build a new alchemy furnace?"

"It's this big, it'll take at least a month!"

"Can this be repaired? And if it's repaired, will it still work?"

Chen Xianjun shook his head: "It can be repaired, but it won't be usable again after the repair."

"Then let's use a smaller alchemy furnace, find an alchemist as soon as possible, and finish this quickly; we can't delay any longer! At the same time, have someone make several more alchemy furnaces!"

"yes!"

"These past few days, you've had people guarding this place. He wants to rescue people, he wants to sabotage the alchemy, right? Then let him come. Set up a trap for him, I'll lure him in, catch him myself, and make him wish he were dead!"

Yang Ce's voice was icy cold.

In just the middle of the night, he seemed to have grown a lot.

The enemy is too cunning!

He then discussed with Chen Xianjun how to lure the other party into the trap they had set.

"By the way, now that this place has been exposed, all these goods need to be moved. The alchemy cannot be stopped; you need to find a safe place as soon as possible!"

Yang Ce said.

"Yes, young master. I have a house that is quite spacious, with few people around, and it is very secluded. It can be used for alchemy."

"Alright, Old Chen, once you've picked up that alchemist, have him stay there for the next few days and not go anywhere!" Yang Ce instructed.

"Yes, sir!"