Chapter 45 : Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Junior, the Old Ancestor Is Still More Skilled
On the street in the Southern District of Peach Blossom Alley.
Lu Zhan looked at the crying Little Stone in the distance and fell silent. That child’s life was even more miserable than his own had been at the very beginning.
Now he had truly seen just how unfriendly this world was to ordinary people.
What now?
Lu Zhan frowned and thought it over.
“...Brother, I’m sorry. I didn’t know this was your jurisdiction...”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lure them over here. They were chasing me too hard, and I just happened to pass through your jurisdiction. I meant no harm...”
Zhang Ziliang walked out of the darkness. A moment ago, when he realized the Xu brothers had stopped chasing him, he had still been rejoicing.
But the sounds of battle from this direction had quickly made him realize what had happened.
So he apologized desperately, but Lu Zhan ignored every word he said.
He merely stared fixedly at a certain corner in the direction of Duckweed Road.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
Only when Zhang Ziliang finally said sincerely, “Brother, I won’t tell anyone about tonight’s matter. That child’s grandfather died because of me, after all, so I’ll make proper arrangements for him.”
Only then did Lu Zhan come back to himself. He shifted his gaze onto Zhang Ziliang and gave a slight nod.
“All right.”
That conveniently solved one troublesome matter for him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At some point, Little Stone had come before Lu Zhan and kowtowed three times in a row.
“Thank you, sir. Thank you for avenging my grandfather.”
Lu Zhan lowered his eyes, only to see hatred in the eyes of that six-year-old child.
Not hatred toward him, but toward this world.
Looking at the child’s gaze, Lu Zhan felt as though something had scorched his heart, and his chest turned a little tight.
“You don’t have to call me sir. This is a new society. Just call me Lu Zhan. There’s no taboo against it.”
“As for your grandfather... I was only doing my duty.”
Lu Zhan turned his head slightly. The child was truly ruthless with himself.
When Lu Zhan had been brutally killing the Xu brothers just now, Little Stone had been frightened, but he had never blinked once.
It was practically like watching a horror film in person.
For some reason, Lu Zhan felt as though he saw a trace of his younger self in him.
When had he himself become this ruthless?
Unfortunately, he had forgotten...
And he had no idea what sort of influence he might have on the boy.
Suddenly, Lu Zhan felt especially irritated inside.
“Zhang Ziliang, take him away first. Tomorrow, handle his grandfather’s funeral arrangements. After all, that’s the last trace he left behind in this world. If there’s any problem, come find me in the Western District of Peach Blossom Alley.”
That old man had toiled his whole life, only to end up with a fate like this...
“Sir, I will repay you one day. But all the evil people in this world deserve to go to hell.”
Little Stone stared fixedly at the corpses of the Xu brothers, then heavily kowtowed to Lu Zhan once more. The light in his eyes had turned into fire.
Zhang Ziliang hurriedly took Little Stone away. He had a feeling Lu Zhan had some other purpose for remaining here.
Since Lu Zhan was willing to let him do something, it meant Lu Zhan had no intention of making things difficult for him.
“Lu Zhan, be careful. The Xu brothers have an uncle in the Divine Sea Realm named Xu Ji. He never lets a grudge go. You killed his two nephews, so be careful of his retaliation...”
Lu Zhan did not care in the slightest.
Calling for backup?
It was not as though he had no backing of his own, and his backing was both big and solid.
A Divine Sea Realm Martial Artist simply was not worth his attention.
“Oh, right. Take him with you too.”
Lu Zhan pointed at the drunken young man. He had already been half-dead drunk, and Xu Er’s throw had knocked him completely unconscious.
Xu Er had struck him heavily, though.
With a squeeze of his right hand, a Rejuvenation Talisman turned into a stream of light and flew toward the young man.
“Tsk! A Rejuvenation Talisman? Brother, you really can bear to spend it...”
Zhang Ziliang clicked his tongue in amazement.
Very soon, the young man’s broken ribs reset themselves amid the green light, his bruises rapidly faded, and his breathing gradually steadied.
The green light lasted for two or three minutes.
By the time Zhang Ziliang lifted him onto his back, he was basically unharmed.
“I’m only maintaining order within the jurisdiction. Go on.”
Lu Zhan waved a hand, utterly unconcerned.
Once they left, the street returned to its usual cold stillness.
“Hoo...”
Lu Zhan let out a long breath.
“So, are you really not planning to make a move?”
The surroundings remained silent, as though Lu Zhan were speaking to the empty air.
Lu Zhan sneered. “Tsk. You’ve already given yourselves away. What’s the point of hiding?”
He looked at the dense cluster of System notifications.
【Ding! Detected nearby enemies releasing killing intent toward the host. Scanning information...】
【Scan complete】
【Name: Wang Fei】
【Realm: Sixth Layer of the Aperture Opening Realm】
【Ding! Detected nearby enemies releasing hostility toward the host...】
【Ding...】
Lu Zhan dismissed the notifications, impatience appearing in his eyes.
“I’m in a bad mood tonight. I’m not in the mood to play hide-and-seek with you. Isn’t this what you want?”
“Come on, come on. I’ll leave the item right here. If you’ve got the guts, come take it. Once tonight passes, you won’t get another chance.”
A porcelain bottle shot high into the air. Lu Zhan held his saber level, and it landed lightly on the blade.
With a deft flick, the bottle stopper flew open, and the fragrance of the Marrow Cleansing Pill instantly spread through the entire street.
With a light twist of his wrist, he tilted the porcelain bottle holding the pill.
Then, with a flick— The bottle was tossed high into the air.
Dozens of meters high.
That was finally enough to make the people hiding in the dark unable to hold back any longer.
Under the bright moonlight, a shadow wearing a silicone mask shot swiftly down from a tree, diving from high to low like a bird of prey. He reached out with one hand and grabbed for the bottle.
The corners of Lu Zhan’s mouth lifted slightly. He activated Glimmering Light Shadow Escape, reinforced by Windshadow Step, and his speed became as swift as flowing light.
Though he moved later, he arrived first.
Just as Lu Zhan was about to close his hand around the porcelain bottle again, that person did not panic in the slightest. There was even a trace of mockery in his eyes. He merely made a light grasping motion with his empty hand, and the porcelain bottle that should have fallen back into Lu Zhan’s palm vanished in midair.
In the end, it landed in the hand of the man wearing the silicone mask.
Lu Zhan was slightly surprised. So there was even a martial art like that.
“That technique... Steal the Beams and Replace the Pillars! It’s that old thief Sima!”
Someone hidden in the darkness cried out in alarm.
Sima Zheng’s gaze turned cold. After all, he had just stolen something from a Jurisdiction Head of the Demon Extermination Bureau. Exposing his identity would undoubtedly be very troublesome.
“Noisy.”
He flicked a hidden weapon into the darkness. A muffled groan came from the corner.
Then a figure fled in panic through the dark.
Sima Zheng gave a cold snort.
Then he looked at the jade bottle in his hand. The mouth of the bottle still carried the lingering medicinal fragrance of the Marrow Cleansing Pill.
At the sight of it, his expression turned excited, almost crazed.
“Hahahaha! I got it! I got it! The Marrow Cleansing Pill is mine now!”
“Hahaha! Divine Sea—Yuan Gang is within reach!”
“This old ancestor can extend his lifespan now!”
Extend his lifespan?
The Qi Condensation Realm, the Aperture Opening Realm, and the Divine Sea Realm were collectively known as the Mortal Realm.
So in terms of lifespan, there was no difference between them and ordinary people.
The Divine Sea Realm, however, was somewhat special. Although it could not actually extend one’s lifespan, it did allow one to reach the utmost limit of an ordinary human lifespan—one hundred and twenty years.
So calling it life extension was somewhat exaggerated, but not entirely unreasonable.
Although the Marrow Cleansing Pill could not directly help someone break through, it could improve the eater’s aptitude and foundation.
It seemed this man was already very old and, limited by his talent, had been trapped in the Aperture Opening Realm. Lu Zhan just did not know which faction he belonged to.
Still, this man called himself an old ancestor...
The thought of an Aperture Opening Realm old ancestor almost made Lu Zhan laugh.
Reining in his thoughts, Lu Zhan looked as though he had played himself. His eyes turned frighteningly cold.
“Old thing, give me back my Marrow Cleansing Pill!”
He drew his saber coldly and barked the order.
“Hahaha, junior, in the end this old ancestor was still the more skilled one. Still, you’re not bad either.”
“For the merit of presenting this pill today, once this old ancestor breaks through to the Divine Sea Realm in the future, I will take you in as a registered disciple under me. What do you say?”
He said he would take Lu Zhan as a disciple, but what he really meant was humiliation. It was as though he were saying, Look—even a genius of the Demon Extermination Bureau is no more than this.
When he saw Lu Zhan rush toward him without a word, face dark and gloomy, he grew even more pleased and taunted him again, “Junior, don’t tell me you’re dissatisfied with becoming this old ancestor’s registered disciple?”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. If you perform well in the future, making you my closed-door disciple would not be impossible.”
Although Sima Zheng did not understand why Lu Zhan had brought the Marrow Cleansing Pill out of the Demon Extermination Bureau, now that the pill was in his hand, he was no longer afraid of Lu Zhan’s schemes.
Smug with triumph, he laughed loudly as he sped eastward.
Lu Zhan’s face was ice-cold as he pursued him all the way, yet still could not catch up. “Old thing, you’re courting death. You even dared steal something from my Demon Extermination Bureau!”