Pill Saint, Weapon Emperor, Array God, Unparalleled in the World

Luo Chen nodded.

Liu Feng raised his hand, his palm filled with internal energy, and slammed down.

"Don't kill my son—!"

A woman screamed as she rushed out of the crowd, tumbling and crawling forward.

But it was too late.

Snapped!

Ding Yuan's head was smashed open like a melon, with red and white substances splattered all over the ground.

When the woman rushed to him, Ding Yuan's body was already swaying and falling.

She grabbed her son's body and collapsed into the pool of blood, weeping uncontrollably.

"My son—my son—!"

The wailing echoed through the courtyard.

Some members of the Ding family turned their heads away, unable to bear to watch, while others gritted their teeth.

Someone in the crowd muttered "Serves him right," the voice was very soft, but it was clear that it came from the bottom of their heart.

Some people cursed Luo Chen in their hearts for being too ruthless, saying that even if Ding Yuan was wrong, he didn't deserve to die.

But no one dared to speak up; no one wanted to become the second Ding Yuan.

Ding Yue stood there, completely stunned, tears still streaming down her face, her lips trembling. Looking at her older brother's corpse, she didn't know whether to cry or what to do.

Luo Chen stood up from his chair and sheathed his ink sword.

"Your own life is precious, and so are your family's lives. A person who pushes their own family into a fire to save their own life doesn't deserve to live."

He said this to everyone in the Ding family, and every word was clear.

No one in the courtyard responded.

Only the woman's cries continued to tear through the air.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the gate.

Ding Buqun staggered in, clutching two storage bags in his hands, his face showing exhaustion and dishevelment.

The first thing he saw when he entered the door was a pool of fresh blood in the center of the courtyard, and Ding Yuan lying in the pool of blood.

Ding Buqun froze, unable to believe his eyes.

"Yuan'er—!"

He rushed over like a madman, knelt beside his son's body, and reached out with trembling hands to touch the face whose features were no longer recognizable.

With his fingers stained with blood and bits of flesh, Ding Buqun suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

"Luo Chen!"

He roared furiously, his voice cracking.

"You said you wouldn't kill members of the Ding family! What's going on?!"

Luo Chen stood a few steps away, his hands behind his back.

Meeting his gaze, her face remained calm, and she said indifferently:

Ask your daughter.

Ding Buqun suddenly turned his head, his blood-red eyes fixed on Ding Yue.

"Moon! Tell me! What happened?"

Ding Yue clutched the hem of her clothes, tears still streaming down her face, her lips trembling as she managed to squeeze out a sound.

"Father, my elder brother wants to give me to this man as a furnace in exchange for a chance to live... I... I don't want to, but my elder brother is forcing me..."

She raised her trembling hand and pointed at Liu Feng.

"Then this person...this person killed him..."

After hearing this, Ding Buqun's shoulders slumped.

Kneeling beside her son's body, she looked at his face, whose features were no longer recognizable.

His lips trembled violently. Finally, he closed his eyes briefly, exhaled a long breath, and his voice was extremely dry.

"So be it... My Ding family deserves this calamity."

"Yuan'er...you shouldn't have!"

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Patriarch Ding, time's up. Bring the spirit stones."

Ding Buqun raised his head, his face drained of color.

He propped himself up on his knees, his legs still trembling.

He pulled two bulging storage bags from his pocket, held them in his palm, and handed them forward.

"The spirit stones are all gathered, three million, not a penny less."

Luo Chen glanced at the storage bag, took it, and scanned it with his mind; the quantity was correct.

"Well, at least you still have some integrity."

Ding Buqun's face twitched.

Is this any kind of credibility? This was forced upon them, okay?!

"Aren't you going to check it?"

"No need, I trust you."

Luo Chen had already seen his every move clearly through the view mode of the Burial Heaven Pavilion.

After Ding Buqun left, his first stop was the Gu family. Before he could finish speaking, Gu Dingshan pushed and shoved him out.

Then they went to the Chen, Wang, and Zhao families, and kowtowed more than a dozen times before they finally gathered all the spirit stones.

Ding Buqun felt a chill run down his spine as he looked into Luo Chen's all-seeing eyes.

Does this person even know what he did after he left? Does he still have any secrets in Falling Sand City?

Luo Chen put the storage bag into the Burial Heaven Pavilion, and its quality will be upgraded by one level in a few days.

"Are you sure you won't bully the Ding family again?"

Ding Buqun stared intently at him.

"I never intended anything; you all brought this on yourselves. When I, Luo Chen, seek revenge, I only go after those who owe me money."

Luo Chen sheathed his ink sword, nodded to Liu Feng and Wang Tie, and turned to walk towards the main gate.

Liu Feng and Wang Tie quickly followed, the three of them walking at a leisurely pace, stepping over the bloodstains in the yard that had not yet been cleaned up.

"Okay, I hope you remember what I said today."

After shouting, Ding Buqun stood still, watching Luo Chen's figure walk further and further away, and clenched his hands tightly.

A thought kept swirling in his mind.

Are you going to say it or not?

Just as Luo Chen was about to step out the door, Ding Buqun suddenly called out.

"Master Luo, wait!"

Luo Chen paused, but did not turn around.

"Is there anything else?"

Ding Buqun took two steps forward and stood inside the threshold, his voice neither loud nor soft.

"Actually, this wasn't entirely the Ding family's idea. The Gu family started it first. They instigated a few mine owners to steal spirit stones, and that's how the Ding family got involved..."

He paused for a moment, then emphasized his words.

"The Gu family is the real mastermind."

Luo Chen turned around, raised his eyelids slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Are you trying to use someone else to do your dirty work?"

Ding Buqun's heart skipped a beat, and the wrinkles on his face twitched.

This kid is much smarter than he thought; with just one sentence, he completely exposed all his thoughts.

He quickly waved his hand, forcing a wry smile.

"Patriarch Luo, you misunderstand! It was my fault for being so talkative; I shouldn't have brought this up, but..."

He changed the subject, as if mentioning it casually.

"Gu Yuanjie, the eldest son of the Gu family, is an inner disciple of the Fierce Blade Sect; he's not to be trifled with. Patriarch Luo should be careful in the future."

Luo Chen looked at him, his mind perfectly clear.

This Ding Buqun, he speaks in a very sophisticated way, subtly trying to shift the blame onto the Gu family.

On the surface, they advised him to be careful, but in reality, they wished he would go to the Gu family right now and wipe out the entire Gu family to avenge the Ding family.

Ding Buqun's thoughts were completely copied by his son Ding Yuan, who always tried to push others to take the blame when something went wrong.

Luo Chen was too lazy to expose him, and simply left a comment.

"You don't need to trouble yourself with that."

After they finished speaking, they left the Ding family's gate, with Liu Feng and Wang Tie following closely behind.

As he turned the corner, Liu Feng lowered his voice, his brows furrowed.

"Patriarch, this Ding Buqun is truly a scoundrel. He just accepted the spirit stones, and now he's trying to lure you towards the Gu family."

Wang Tie also chimed in.

"Exactly! His intentions are too obvious; he's using the patriarch as a tool. Patriarch, should we still go to the Gu family?"

Both of them stared at Luo Chen, waiting for him to make a decision.

Luo Chen didn't stop walking, and the smile on his lips remained.

"Of course I'll go."

Liu Feng was taken aback, then took two steps to catch up.

"Master! Isn't that playing right into Ding Buqun's trap? He's hoping you'll deal with the Gu family so he can sit back and watch the two tigers fight!"