I'm seventy years old this year, and you want me to have many children and much happiness?

The two iron-clad constables were thrown from their horses.

Lu Xuan stepped forward, picked up the spirit stones, and searched the iron-clad constable.

The two of them only managed to scrape together four taels of silver.

It's clear that these constables weren't necessarily living a glamorous life.

"Both of these two are at the Unity Realm, but they couldn't withstand a single move from me."

"It seems my strength has increased quite a bit."

Lu Xuan thought to himself.

After glancing at the corpses on the ground, Lu Xuan picked up one of them with one hand.

They led a horse to a hillside and tied the body to the horse's back.

At that time, Xu Wanshan took six people with him, making a total of seven people including himself.

Now that two are dead, it would be best to split the remaining five into two groups, giving us a chance to take them down one by one.

Xu Wanshan's own strength should be at the first-rank level.

However, their strength is probably not very high.

Chu Xiao should also be at the mid-level of the first rank.

The battle with Dugu Bei was so fierce back then. Dugu Bei's cultivation was also at the middle stage of the first rank. However, because his swordsmanship was very strong, Chu Xiao and the others paid a great price to defeat him.

Xu Wanshan's strength should not exceed that of Chu Xiao.

"Mid-level of the first rank, with my current strength, I should be able to take it."

Lu Xuan made his own judgment.

He possesses extraordinary comprehension and has already mastered the Fiend Whip Technique. He can also easily master some martial arts techniques. With the added boost from the Profound Heaven Martial Bone, his chances of winning are much greater.

However, if you can launch a surprise attack, that would be the best outcome.

When two opponents are of equal strength, ambushing them will always give you the advantage.

Lu Xuan hid in the mountains and forests, observing the direction of another corpse left in place.

Soon after, several figures crept over.

They were the Iron-Clad Constables under Xu Wanshan's command.

When these iron-clad constables discovered the body, they were immediately horrified.

"How could this happen?"

"Who did this?!"

"Notify the boss immediately!"

The two men immediately took out bamboo whistles from their sleeves and blew them towards the jungle.

Xu Wanshan arrived with the remaining two men.

Just as Lu Xuan was about to make his move, he suddenly saw three more figures emerge from the jungle.

"Um?"

Although they were quite far apart, Lu Xuan could tell that the three men were dressed like江湖人士 (jianghu figures, people of the martial arts world).

It's even highly likely that they are the bandits that Chu Xiao is trying to capture!

Lu Xuan didn't know why Chu Xiao wanted to arrest these people, but it was probably related to the treasure map.

What Lu Xuan didn't expect was...

These thugs actually had a connection with Xu Wanshan!

"Could it be... that Dugu Bei's arrival near Wuling County was not a coincidence, but rather a transaction with Xu Wanshan and his men! These bandits are actually Xu Wanshan's subordinates!"

Lu Xuan quickly figured out what was going on.

At this moment, Lu Xuan understood why Xu Wanshan wanted to get rid of him.

Because of his arrival, Chu Xiao was able to find these bandits.

"Looks like we didn't kill the wrong person."

"However, there may be someone else behind Xu Wanshan."

"Never mind, let's wipe them out first."

Lu Xuan didn't know the strength of these bandits. If he was no match for them, it was not advisable to launch a direct attack. Otherwise, revealing his identity and strength in advance would be extremely difficult for him.

The group of people appeared to be squatting in place, examining the body of the iron-clad constable, and seemed to be talking about something.

Lu Xuan immediately retreated dozens of feet away, flicked his finger, and a stone struck the horse's back. The horse then carried the corpse of another person and quickly ran away into the distance.

Tapping.

"There's movement over there! You two stay here! Go after them!"

Xu Wanshan roared.

He ordered the two iron-clad constables to stay where they were, while Xu Wanshan, along with the two men and the three bandits, chased after the fast horse.

Lu Xuan immediately used the Snake Step.

His figure moved constantly through the jungle.

They soon approached the two iron-clad constables who had stayed behind beside the corpse.

Snapped!

Lu Xuan suddenly appeared, then lashed out with his long whip, hurtling straight towards the face of the iron-clad constable.

This person was already on guard, but Lu Xuan was too fast, so he could only draw his long sword to defend himself.

bass!

He drew his long sword and held it in front of him.

Seeing the long whip coming at him, he tried to block it with the long sword in his hand.

Unexpectedly, true energy surged on that long whip.

And there was also a chilling, menacing aura about it.

"Oh no...it's a master of the first rank!"

Snapped!

Lu Xuan's whip was as if it were forged from black iron.

The constable in iron armor was whipped in two, sword and all.

The other person reacted quickly, leaping forward and slashing at Lu Xuan's head with a knife.

However, Lu Xuan used footwork.

Moving with the grace of a snake, he easily evaded the opponent's attacks.

He immediately flicked his whip, and in an instant, the whip whistled through the air like a venomous scorpion before striking the iron-clad constable hard on the back.

Snapped!

The iron-clad constable immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

Lu Xuan's whip struck him with at least a thousand pounds of force, instantly shattering the bones in his back.

The iron-clad constable collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.

"No...don't kill me..."

The iron-clad constable used the last of his strength to beg Lu Xuan for mercy.

But Lu Xuan had no intention of listening at all.

With a flick of his whip, he shattered the head of the iron-clad constable.

Lu Xuan has been wielding his whip for sixty years. Although it is not a martial art, his mastery of the weapon has long been ingrained in his very being. The force of this whip strike is quite smooth.

"If the remaining people gather together, they might be difficult to kill."

Lu Xuan stepped forward and took all the valuables from the two of them.

This time I received ten taels of silver.

After killing four people, Lu Xuan no longer hesitated. He immediately retreated from the forest, found his hidden horse, and then quickly ran towards the outside of the Misty Abyss Mountains.

Meanwhile, Xu Wanshan and his group had just chased after them.

They soon realized something was wrong. When they caught up with the horse, they were horrified to find that the horse's back was tied to the corpse of their companion.

"Oh no! We've fallen for their diversionary tactic!"

Xu Wanshan slapped his thigh and quickly chased back in the direction he had come from.

This back-and-forth journey alone took a considerable amount of physical exertion.

Especially when Xu Wanshan returned and saw the two new corpses, he was furious.

"You bastard!"

"Who the hell is this?!"

"Come out here if you dare!"

Enraged, Xu Wanshan swung his long sword, unleashing a blade of energy that severed the trees in front of him.

His anger was not because his four men had died.

Instead, he was angry that someone dared to play him for a fool.

At this moment, Xu Wanshan's gaze swept across the depths of the jungle like a venomous scorpion.

"Could it be Dugu Bei?"

One of the bandits asked.

"Impossible, that guy is dead, I saw it with my own eyes."

"Could it be... someone from the Yunhe Alchemist family?"

Another person asked.

When this possibility is mentioned.

Even Xu Wanshan couldn't help but feel nervous.

"That shouldn't be the case... Their entire family is dead. If they were old friends of Alchemist Yunhe, wouldn't killing us be as easy as turning one's hand?"

"Who could it be?"

Everyone was completely baffled.

Four of their own men have been killed, and they still haven't found out who the killers were.

The unknown is what's most frightening.

"What do we do now? Should we keep looking?"

One of the bandits couldn't help but ask.

They were all people Xu Wanshan had brought in to do favors.

They all have a number of cases on their hands.

So I also want to make a big score and then go far away.

It would be best if we could find the remains of alchemist Yunhe.

But since we can't find it now and are being watched, we might as well retreat first.

"Let's stop looking for now and leave this place."

"You two come with me to Lingshui County to rescue the black snake first."

Black Snake was another bandit.

Of the four bandits, Black Snake was the most agile and had a better chance of escaping. He might not have been caught yet.

"If possible, it would be best to capture both Chu Xiao and Yan Shiba!"

"This way, we can buy a few more days to continue the search."

Xu Wanshan said.

The others nodded in agreement, agreeing that the method was feasible.

Xu Wanshan frowned deeply.

He was still pondering who had killed the four people.

It couldn't be Chu Xiao.

After all, she is still chasing the black snake, and if the black snake escapes, it will contact them immediately.

If it's not Chu Xiao, then who could it be?

Suddenly, a figure flashed through Xu Wanshan's mind.

But Xu Wanshan quickly shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.

"I must have lost my mind. That old man is practically half-buried, how could this be..."

Xu Wanshan dismissed this unrealistic idea.

on the official road.

Lu Xuan was galloping away on his horse.

Since there's no chance to deal with these people, we might as well just give up.

There's no need to take greater risks to get things done; there will always be other opportunities.

They did not encounter Chu Xiao and the others along the way.

Ahead, the outline of Lingshui County came into view.

Although it is called a county, Lingshui County is actually not very large, at most equivalent to a small town.

Lu Xuan was riding an official horse. Chu Xiao didn't specify where they were going to meet, but it should be at the Lingshui County government office.

With the help of his horse, Lu Xuan successfully entered Lingshui County. The guards at the city gate were all older veterans.

Lu Xuan did not go directly to the government office.

Instead, they inquired and found out that there was indeed a Liu family in the city.

However, everyone was tight-lipped about the Liu family's affairs and kept quiet. When they heard that Lu Xuan was going to the Liu family, they all shook their heads and didn't dare to say a word.

In the end, Lu Xuan stopped an old beggar and gave him a tael of silver.

The old beggar then told Lu Xuan about the location of the Liu family and what had recently happened.

It turns out that half a month ago, the Liu family offended someone and the entire family was killed. Now, their house has been forcibly occupied by a local gang called the Black Axe Gang.

These members of the Black Axe Gang are known for their ruthlessness and extreme domineering nature.

In Lingshui County, almost no one dared to provoke them. Even the local government dared not clash with the Black Axe Gang, because the leader of the Black Axe Gang was a martial artist of the first rank.

In small places like Lingshui County, even a martial artist at the rank of entry-level is a very powerful deterrent.

After all, overcoming the three major hurdles before becoming a martial artist is no easy feat.

No wonder the people in the neighborhood didn't dare to say much about the Liu family.

"Young brother, listen to my advice. Don't go to the Liu family's affairs anymore. Those Black Axe Gang members are not to be trifled with. Like me, I don't care about anything, and I can live a peaceful and comfortable life until I'm sixty-five. Isn't that wonderful?"

After the old beggar accepted Lu Xuan's money and explained the situation, he couldn't help but speak up when he saw Lu Xuan's interested expression.

"Hehe, it seems you should call me 'old brother,' I'm seventy years old this year."

Lu Xuan chuckled softly.

Because of his cultivation, Lu Xuan looked like he was in his forties or fifties.

Lu Xuan usually kept a low profile and pretended to be someone else, and with some deliberate concealment in his behavior, Chu Xiao and the others did not notice.

The old beggar's eyes widened immediately upon hearing Lu Xuan's words.

Watching Lu Xuan's departing figure.

The old beggar's face still held disbelief.

"Damn it, what kind of magic did this old man eat? He's seventy years old but looks younger than me!"

Lu Xuan arrived outside the Liu family's residence.

It was just dawn, and only a few vendors were setting up their stalls on the street.

For Lu Xuan.

There's no real need to avenge the Liu family or reclaim their house.

But ironically, the Xuan-level cultivation manual that Liu Qingxue mentioned was hidden in the Liu family's residence.

These Black Axe Gang members are probably also after that Xuan-rank cultivation manual.

Therefore, Lu Xuan had no choice but to take action.

The strongest among them was merely a newly initiated martial artist.

Lu Xuan was confident that he could control them.

The horse was tied up in front of a tavern.

Lu Xuan bought two jars of old wine, then carried the wine towards the Liu family's courtyard.

In front of the Liu family's courtyard, two members of the Black Axe Gang were chatting while keeping watch at the gate.

Seeing Lu Xuan approach, she wasn't overly wary, just a little curious.

That's the advantage of being older; you won't make people nervous wherever you go. At most, they might urge you on a little, thinking you've gone the wrong way.

"What are you doing? Get out of here! This is Black Axe Gang territory. You think I won't kill you?"

One of them, seeing Lu Xuan approach, immediately waved his hand and said.

"Gentlemen, I'm from the tavern, here to deliver wine to your gang leader."

As he spoke, Lu Xuan deliberately shook the two jugs of wine in his hands, and a refreshing aroma of wine immediately wafted out.

"Tsk...it smells so good..."

The aroma of the wine made both of them swallow hard.

Looking at Lu Xuan, this white-haired old man, how could he possibly have any doubts?

"Go in, turn right after you go in. The gang leader is probably still asleep, just leave him to the people at the door."

"Okay."

There's no need to doubt reasons like these.

Lu Xuan walked into the courtyard.

They saw that the yard had been ransacked, the lawn had been dug up in many holes, and even the roof and pillars had been dismantled and smashed, clearly indicating that they were searching for something.

Lu Xuan recalled the location Liu Qingxue had mentioned.

Behind the second step of the master bedroom, there is a hidden compartment.

When Lu Xuan arrived at the master bedroom, he saw four burly men holding large swords standing guard at the door.

When they saw Lu Xuan arrive, the four burly men all turned their gazes toward him at the same time.

Lu Xuan immediately bowed and grinned.

"Gentlemen, I'm here to deliver wine to the gang leader."