Chapter 42 Lu Zheng is an old fox

"Old Fourth, take a look back. Is anyone secretly trailing us?"

"..."

"No, there’s no sign of anyone, not even a sound."

"That’s good. Seems like that guy really doesn’t have the heart to kill."

"Heh, he’s just a novice!"

"Probably been living peaceful days for too long. Though he acts decisively, he truly doesn’t dare to kill."

"Damn, thought he was a pretty boy, and he’s so timid in the day, who would’ve thought he’s actually a master!"

"Really unlucky, my tendons are severed. Even if we get Old Man You to help, it’ll take a year or two to recover."

"Quit complaining. Luckily, he’s a novice and was intimidated by our words. Otherwise, he might’ve silently taken us out, and I’ve still got Corpse-Dissolving Powder on me."

Old Third shivered.

"Boss, what do we do now?"

"Of course, we leave the city overnight."

"Luckily, we sent the goods out beforehand. Otherwise, we’d never be able to climb the walls with them."

...

At Lu Zheng’s home, he reassured Uncle Li and Aunt Liu, who came out to check due to the noise, and comforted them to go back to rest. Then he returned to his bedroom and decisively traveled back to the present, changing into a black Hongxing Erke sports outfit and a pair of black Anta sports shoes.

Traveling back, he immediately grabbed a short knife.

He had confiscated it when he broke Old Fourth’s wrist, specifically for this moment.

Taking out the Qi-Seeking Talisman, he formed a Seal Technique with his hands, quickly condensing a large mass of energy, which carried faint hints of cold air.

Folding the Paper Talisman and holding it in his palm, Lu Zheng grabbed the knife and jumped out of the courtyard, swiftly leaving while sticking to the corners.

When Lu Zheng caught up to the four, they arrived at a dead corner of the county’s city wall.

Compared to the walls modern people conceive based on their impression from films, where walls are ten meters high and wide enough for horses to run.

In fact, ancient county towns usually had ordinary earthen walls, five meters high at most, and a width sufficient for three people to walk abreast.

The Great Jing Dynasty was similar, and Tonglin County wasn’t a major city or town, so the earthen walls were only a few meters high, unable to stop the four brothers.

The eldest and second brothers assisted the other two, threw a Flying Claw up, and quickly climbed over the wall in a few steps.

Outside the city, there was an empty stretch of land, so Lu Zheng waited a moment before sprinting to the wall, accelerating rapidly, and was over it in a few strides.

Getting down from the wall, he saw several indistinct figures ahead, just disappearing into the woods outside the city.

With a slight smile, following the guidance of the Qi-Seeking Talisman in his hand, Lu Zheng silently followed.

...

"We’re here."

"Rest for a bit. Ugh, it hurts!"

"Damn it, we definitely need to make that pretty boy pay!"

"Boss, you’re married to the Second Hall Master. If you ask him to act, it’ll be easy to deal with that pretty boy, won’t it?"

"Are you dumb? Have you not seen how beautiful that woman is? If the Second Hall Master takes her, where would we benefit?"

"Uh, this..."

"To deal with a novice, do we really need the Second Hall Master to act? Today was just a face-off, and we lacked time to use many tricks."

The second brother said darkly, "After some time, I’ll get some poison from Old Man You and send him off at night directly!"

"Heh, exactly, exactly. We were foolish, just thinking about venting our anger."

"Once he’s dead, we’ll find time for another trip, heh heh..."

"Hmph, when we use the Corpse-Dissolving Powder then, ten or so people from both families, I’ll make them disappear without a trace!"

As he spoke, he took out a small bottle from his pocket and flipped it in his hands, as if he’d already dealt with Lu Zheng.

"Alright, take out the stuff and head closer to the main road. Be wary of poisonous insects in the woods, and don’t let the mountain cats sneak up on you."

"When day breaks, I’ll go to the station to rent a cart and first take shelter at Li Family Town."

The boss and second brother got up, came to a large tree nearby, bent down and tidied up for a moment, cleared the bushes, and took two big bundles from the tree hole.

"Let’s go."

Said the boss, and each took one, carrying a bundle on one side while supporting the one whose tendons were severed on the other.

The boss supported Old Fourth in the front, while the second brother assisted Old Third from behind.

The next moment...

"Swish!"

In a flash, the heads of the second brother and Old Third flew into the air.

Hearing the wind from behind, the boss instantly put Old Fourth behind him and dashed towards the depths of the woods.

Lu Zheng fought off the discomfort in his body, and switched hands for another chop.

"Slash!"

The Patterned Steel Brocade Spring Saber, powered by Martial Artist’s Blood Qi, was razor sharp, slicing off Old Fourth’s outstretched arm, before continuing its momentum, cutting open most of his neck.

Lu Zheng dodged the splattering blood by sidestepping, and then leaped into the woods.

...

In the night, within the woods, the moonlight was obscured by the canopy, not completely pitch black, but sight beyond seven paces was impossible.

The boss fled earlier, picking up stones as he went, throwing them in all directions.

When Lu Zheng swiftly finished off Old Fourth and leapt into the woods, all went silent.

With a faint grin, Lu Zheng revealed another Qi-Seeking Talisman in his hand.

...

Inside a tree hole, the boss crouched, hiding, breathing so lightly that he dared not even look outside for fear Lu Zheng would sense his gaze.

"Damn it, a novice he is not. That pretty face deceived us; he’s like an old fox who’s lived for decades!" the boss cursed inwardly.

They had been caught in Lu Zheng’s scheme from start to finish.

"He never intended to let us live; he just didn’t want to kill us in the city, to avoid legal trouble."

"Then when we revealed our backers, it played right into his hand, making us think he feared us, allowing us to leave calmly while he silently tailed us, not wanting us to die in his home."

"When he struck, he crippled the legs of Old Third and Fourth, but not me or the second brother, ensuring we could leave the city but had to support each other, slowing us down."

"Fortunately, he doesn’t know about the Corpse-Dissolving Powder, otherwise he would’ve killed us in the city."

"No, not right also; damned if he didn’t intentionally leave that woman with a kind-hearted impression."

"Just wait, when I return, I’ll report to the Hall Master and make your life a living hell..."

"Slash!"

The long saber pierced through the tree trunk, straight into his neck.

"Grr... Grr..."

"Slash!"

The saber was pulled, and the boss clutched his neck, collapsing, as if all his strength had been drained by the saber.

Next, a bit of powder was sprinkled into the tree hole, landing directly in the blood flowing from the boss’s neck.

"Fizzle!"

A haze spread, and in just moments, the boss vanished from the world...