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

Besides his ability to flatter, Huang Danian was also quite intelligent to become the steward of the Huang family.

However, Huang Danian misjudged him. He never expected that this old horse breeder, Lu, would become so arrogant after gaining power. He had been subservient to the Huang family his whole life, but now he was finally standing up for himself.

The First Madam is right to get rid of Lu Xuan as soon as possible.

If someone like Lu Xuan were to climb over him, who knows what he might do.

"Hmph... Old Lu, don't give me that crap. I'll remember this beating for you."

"Tell the kitchen staff to give them both a three-day fast. Anyone who dares to give them food is to be beaten to death with sticks!"

Although he can't touch Lu Xuan right now, he can still punish him by starving him. In the Huang family, Huang Danian has plenty of ways to kill a servant. He'll torture him a little first and let him know who's in charge here.

"yes!"

The servants responded in unison.

Huang Danian suffered a setback at Lu Xuan's hands.

Without lingering any longer, he flicked his sleeves and left.

Lu Xuan also breathed a sigh of relief.

At least we don't have to fight our way out today.

With the incense tree still there, the more time Lu Xuan has, the stronger he will become!

As for food, there's no need to worry.

"Sir, that was close..."

Shen Yue also breathed a sigh of relief.

She would rather be punished herself than see Lu Xuan get hurt. After all, Lu Xuan was already so old, and if he were really beaten up, he would definitely not survive.

"It's okay, don't be afraid."

Lu Xuan comforted Shen Yue.

His gaze turned toward the direction Huang Danian had left, and his eyes gradually turned cold.

Although they couldn't get food from the kitchen, Lu Xuan and Shen Yue didn't go hungry. They had saved a lot of eggs and sweet potatoes from the horse feed they used to keep.

After a quick and simple meal.

Lu Xuan stopped doing chores and instead practiced Iron Stone Palm and the newly acquired Killing Blade Technique in the stable.

However, whether it was because these techniques and martial arts were too profound or something else, Lu Xuan's comprehension was extremely slow, and his progress was as slow as a snail's pace.

Lu Xuan was not discouraged and continued to cultivate diligently.

You can't deny getting old; it's normal for your comprehension to slow down as you get older.

Midnight arrived.

A large amount of spiritual energy quickly surged from the incense-scented sprout.

Lu Xuan absorbed the spiritual energy fed back from the incense buds, and circulated the basic incantation technique within his body, continuously injecting a large amount of spiritual energy into his blood and bones.

Normally, martial artists can only absorb spiritual energy directly from extremely precious spirit stones or high-grade medicinal herbs. They can usually only absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, so their progress is very slow.

"Although I started late, the spiritual energy provided by these incense buds has saved me from months of arduous cultivation."

After Lu Xuan refined all the spiritual energy that had flowed into his body...

Physical strength also increased rapidly at this moment.

boom!

At that moment, Lu Xuan seemed to hear the roar of his internal energy like a dragon.

Qi and blood are abundant.

Blood Tempering Realm!

Its strength can reach a thousand pounds!

"I've broken through!?"

Lu Xuan himself did not expect that it would only take him such a short time to advance from the Body Tempering Realm to the Blood Tempering Realm.

Then the final step, the Unity Realm, is fast approaching.

Just as Lu Xuan was filled with joy.

But suddenly I felt the power feedback from the incense tree.

[The tree master grows and gains extraordinary comprehension]

At that moment, Lu Xuan felt the thick fog in his mind being directly dispelled by a cool force.

Exceptional comprehension!?

Lu Xuan never expected that he would receive a reward for breaking through his cultivation level.

This incense tree is truly mysterious!

"Exceptional comprehension... Let me give it a try."

Lu Xuan immediately began to comprehend the Iron Stone Palm technique anew.

This is the lowest-level Yellow Rank low-grade martial arts technique.

Lu Xuan only needed one glance to fully understand how the Iron Stone Palm worked.

"I see!"

"By mobilizing one's own Qi and blood and stimulating acupoints, the palms can temporarily lose sensation and unleash even greater power."

"If we were to alter the pathways of these acupoints..."

Lu Xuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike.

A tearing sound was heard, and the feed bag ten steps away was ripped open.

"It's done! This technique can be called the Iron Wind Palm!"

"Its grade can reach the middle level of the Yellow Rank."

"Based on the operational principles provided by Iron Palm, this is the extent of the modifications that can be made."

"This extraordinary comprehension is truly terrifying!"

Lu Xuan was overjoyed.

While resources are important for cultivation, comprehension is even more crucial in determining one's potential; otherwise, no matter how many resources you accumulate, it will be useless.

Even the low-grade Xuan-level Fiend Blade Technique was improved by Lu Xuan.

He directly reached the middle grade of the Xuan rank, and Lu Xuan changed the method of operation, transforming it into a whip technique.

"My strength is progressing faster than I expected... It seems there's no need to lie low for too long; I can proceed slowly."

A fierce glint appeared in Lu Xuan's aged eyes.

If I remember correctly, Huang Danian would go to Hongliu Lane every night to seek pleasure. As the head steward of the Huang family, Huang Danian's income was very considerable. In addition, with the secret skimming behind his back, Huang Danian was naturally very rich.

After giving Shen Yue his instructions as usual, Lu Xuan left from behind the stable.

In Hongliu Lane, every household has a red willow branch hanging above their door, signifying the type of business the people inside are in.

If there is a leaf on a willow branch, it means that it costs one hundred coins per transaction.

Two leaves cost two hundred coins each.

At the entrance to the alley, there was a guard who would charge ten coins to enter.

"Brother Huang is here!"

Huang Danian arrived at the alley entrance with several servants. The gatekeeper immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Hmm...make arrangements for all my brothers."

Huang Danian took out one tael of silver.

The servants behind him were also excited when they saw this.

"The manager is really kind!"

"I'm definitely going to make her surrender and admit her mistake tonight!"

"You better not come out before you even get in."

The servants joked with each other.

Huang Danian walked straight to the deepest part of the alley. The red willow branch hanging at the entrance had three leaves, making it the most upscale one there.

Huang Danian pushed the door open and entered. Immediately, a heavily made-up woman came forward and helped Huang Danian take off his coat.

"Brother Danian, you're finally here..."

"Hmph, you little slut, tonight I'll make you cry for your parents!"

"Damn it, that old bastard actually got to taste such a fresh and tender girl, I'm so angry!"

"Hehe, what kind of slut is she that makes Brother Da Nian drool so much... I'm pretty young too..."

Clearly, Huang Danian still harbored feelings for Shen Yue, but he knew he couldn't touch her, otherwise, when the master returned, he would be the first to be skinned alive.

At the entrance of the alley.

Lu Xuan also handed ten copper coins to the gatekeeper.

The man looked at Lu Xuan's aged appearance and then sneered.

"Heh, old man, are you even up to the task...?"

Ignoring the gatekeeper's mockery, Lu Xuan lowered the brim of his hat.

After finding Huang Danian's room, they simply forced their way in.

Huang Danian was almost finished at this point.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of the door being broken down, and I was immediately jolted awake.

"who!"

Huang Danian suddenly turned his head.

The next moment, a powerful palm strike came straight at him.

Bang!

Huang Danian's head exploded on the spot.

The woman lying on the bed was splattered with blood, and in her shock, she was about to scream.

Lu Xuan acted decisively, shattering the woman's throat with a single palm strike.

The room returned to peace.

Huang Danian was not a martial artist, so when he went out, he would bring a few servants with him, making it easy for him to kill.

This is the feeling of having power.

Lu Xuan glanced at his palm.

"I was once an ant, and I still am an ant, but I have more opportunities than other ants!"

"Only by becoming stronger can one survive in this world."

Lu Xuan did not linger at the scene.

Instead, he quickly rummaged through Huang Danian's pockets.

"Only ten taels of silver?"

Lu Xuan frowned, clearly very dissatisfied with the result. But that was normal; there was no need to bring so much money when going to a brothel.

However, just as Lu Xuan was feeling disappointed, he noticed that something seemed to be hanging from Huang Danian's broken neck.

"This is... a golden key!?"

When Lu Xuan received the key, a possibility immediately came to mind.

They slipped out silently.

Things happened so fast that no one was alerted.

The guards at the alley entrance are only there to prevent people from skipping out on their bills or causing trouble while drunk.

Lu Xuan even swaggered away from the group.

"Tsk tsk, it's over so quickly? The old man really isn't very good."

"I guess they just came here to have some fun. I wonder who was so lucky to get such an easy job."

The guards, seeing Lu Xuan emerge, mocked him without restraint, treating it as an amusing anecdote.

There are several black markets in Wuling County.

They all belong to different gangs. Last time, Lu Xuan went to the black market under the protection of the East Snake Gang. This time, Lu Xuan headed towards the black market in the south.

With fifty taels left in hand, he planned to buy more bone-strengthening herbs to improve his strength and reach the Unity Realm as soon as possible.

The black market in the south was indeed more reasonably priced; a dose of the bone-strengthening and blood-nourishing soup only cost four taels of silver.

But Lu Xuan is now at the Blood Tempering Realm and needs even more potent medicinal herbs.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he reluctantly bought a dose of Tiger Blood Powder worth fifty taels.

This Tiger Blood Powder is specifically for experts in the Blood Tempering Realm to temper their blood and qi. It has a powerful effect, but its effectiveness depends on the degree of absorption.

In contrast, the people in the southern black market were much more disciplined, and none of them followed Lu Xuan.

Back home, Lu Xuan also gave the tiger blood powder to the patient.

I immediately felt my blood and energy boiling.

"My strength has increased by at least 150 jin!"

"Two more doses of Tiger Blood Powder, and my strength will be about 1,500 jin!"

"The product processing is faster than I expected."

"But... I don't have any money..."

Lu Xuan couldn't help but feel troubled.

Suddenly, Lu Xuan's eyes lit up.

"Um……?"

"Could it be... the golden key found on Huang Danian...?"

The Huang family's wealth in Wuling County is at least among the top ten.

On the surface, the Huang family is in the cloth business.

It mainly refers to some of the less-than-honorable dealings that Master Huang does in private.

One of them is a forbidden drug called "Paradise Powder"!

This ecstasy powder is like opium, and it has a strong effect. After taking it, one can enter a state of euphoria, becoming fearless of life and death, and the income is very considerable.

Master Huang's trip to Yongkang County was precisely because a batch of Pleasure Powder had run into problems.

Although most of the money was deposited in money shops.

However, businesses like the Huang family's should all have a certain amount of cash on hand. Lu Xuan had been in the Huang family for a full sixty years, so he knew quite a bit about things he should and shouldn't know.

"If I remember correctly, there is a secret underground chamber beneath the Huang family's residence. Huang Tianba was very farsighted and would store some important money there."

At this moment, Lu Xuan took out the golden key from his pocket.

"Could it be...?"

"This is the key to that treasure vault."

"That's right. Huang Danian is the steward of the Huang family, and Huang Tianba trusts him greatly, so it's very possible that he would be entrusted with the household affairs."

Lu Xuan decided to take the risk and go check it out.

There are no more experts in the Huang family now. In fact, there are not many martial artists in the entire Wuling County. If it weren't for Dugu Bei's arrival, it probably wouldn't be this lively.

Therefore, as long as the people from Fengwu Hall don't make a move, Lu Xuan's current strength is considered quite formidable in Wuling County.

Furthermore, thanks to his extraordinary comprehension, Lu Xuan deduced the originally low-grade Yellow Rank Spirit Serpent Step into a mid-grade Yellow Rank footwork, which he named the Wandering Serpent Step.

It was already late at night, and the Huang family mansion was quiet. Shen Yue had also gone to sleep. Lu Xuan put on a night-clothes outfit and a mask, and quietly arrived at the Huang family's ancestral hall.

The Huang family mansion is very large, covering an area of ​​over 300 acres, so it's no wonder that they built a horse farm inside the mansion.

Including the horses Huang Tianba took, there were a full twenty fine horses, which shows the strength of the Huang family.

There were four guards standing watch outside the ancestral hall at night.

Although these four guards looked strong and powerful, each of them was burly and imposing. But in Lu Xuan's eyesight, these four men had only barely reached the Body Tempering Realm, and their strength was at most about 400 jin.

Moreover, this strength was forged through external force, not through the tempering of spiritual energy. In other words, it was utterly ineffective against Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan did not disturb the four people, and moved with the serpentine steps.

They easily climbed over the courtyard wall.

It fell into the ancestral hall.

He quickly circled around to the back of the ancestral hall, groped around on a wall but found no mechanism. Suddenly, his eyes fell on an oil lamp on the wall, which looked exceptionally bright. Lu Xuan stepped forward and tried to push the oil lamp.

Sure enough, a click sounded, and then a paving stone in the distance was seen to open.

"The design is quite ingenious."

Lu Xuan is highly skilled and daring. Since gaining power, he has become more aggressive in his choices and decisions.

Although Lu Xuan knew that lying low was the most comfortable thing to do, he also knew that if you don't seize every opportunity to improve your strength, one day, the crisis will come before you are prepared.

He didn't want it, and only then did he feel powerless.

Whoosh!

Lu Xuan jumped into the secret passage and landed lightly. He was already quite light, and with the added effect of the Snake Step, he made almost no sound when he landed.

To Lu Xuan's surprise, the space beneath the tunnel was quite spacious.

A long passageway stretched ahead.

At the end of the passage was a bronze door, and faint flames could be seen on either side of it.

At that moment, the faint firelight illuminated a dark figure.

someone!

Lu Xuan was startled.

The next moment, with a whoosh, a cold arrow shot straight toward Lu Xuan's face.