“What’s that?!”
The man’s figure halted, his entire body suddenly frozen, his mind screaming, “A binding spell! It’s actually a binding spell!”
His face contorted, his inner energy surging frantically, attempting to break the spell.
However…
Just as he broke free from the binding spell and was about to raise his hand, a dazzling blade flash streaked before his eyes.
Within the blade’s light, a fierce tiger roared, the wind sharp and biting. The next moment, he felt a chill at his neck…
His head rolled, blood spurting skyward.
“Ya… ya… ya…” Night owls took flight, circling in the air.
Lu Zheng stood leaning on his blade, drenched in blood, though it was all his opponent’s.
As for the opponent’s soul, unprotected by a physical body, it had been shattered by Lu Zheng’s blood-infused blade light, utterly dispersed.
…
“Buzz!”
A tremor in his mind’s jade seal, and as expected, he gained dozens more strands of destiny light.
…
“A binding spell!” Yuan Jing stood dumbfounded.
Lu Zheng had been training for less than a year, hadn’t he? And he had already mastered the binding spell?
Though he could only hold a Southern Border sorcerer for a moment, that was merely a matter of cultivation. It would surely grow stronger in time, for with a spell like the binding spell, the key difference wasn’t strength but whether one could cast it at all.
Yuan Jing began to recall how many seniors at White Cloud Temple knew the binding spell.
…
“Lu Lang!”
Liu Qingyan rushed to Lu Zheng’s side, heedless of the blood and grime on him, simply supporting him. Seeing the flashes of dark energy and blood light on his body, her face was full of heartache.
“It’s fine.” Lu Zheng shook his head, waving a hand to signal Liu Qingyan not to worry. “I can dispel it.”
Though the two curses were sinister and strange, their power had been reduced to less than a third by the Golden Light Spell. Now, under the surge of his inner energy, they were slowly being eroded.
Tears welled in Liu Qingyan’s eyes as she shook her head.
“By the way,” Lu Zheng blinked, about to ask why Old Man Liu and the others hadn’t been knocked out by the sedative incense, when he saw Liu Qingyan open her mouth. A bright red pill, exuding a medicinal fragrance and about the size of a thumb, floated out, hovering an inch above her hand.
Yuan Jing: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
Lu Zheng: ∑(°Д°)
Old Man Liu, Madam Liu, and the two old servants exchanged glances, not expecting Liu Qingyan to reveal her secret so abruptly.
Liu Qingyan blinked, looking at Lu Zheng, then at Yuan Jing, before quietly slipping behind her father.
“Lu Lang, open your mouth!”
Lu Zheng instinctively opened his mouth, and the pill flew in. A wave of medicinal and spiritual energy merged into his body, rapidly dissolving the curse marks within.
Moments later, Lu Zheng was healed.
He opened his mouth, and the pill flew back out, returning to Liu Qingyan’s mouth.
…
Lu Zheng stared at Liu Qingyan, stunned.
Liu Qingyan’s face flushed red, her expression uneasy, her eyes darting away. When they met Lu Zheng’s gaze, she fled like a startled rabbit.
The scene grew awkward, though the courtyard was splattered with blood, a subtle undercurrent of affection lingered.
Yuan Jing, of course, broke the atmosphere.
“Merit surrounds the body, refining a red pill with countless herbs,” Yuan Jing murmured. “Miss Liu, you’re truly remarkable!”
“I… Lu Lang… well… actually…”
Then, with lightning speed, Lu Zheng planted a quick kiss on Liu Qingyan’s delicate cheek. “Thank you, Qingyan. I’m fine now.”
Liu Qingyan’s face flushed even redder, a wave of heat rising into the still-cool air above her head.
But that light kiss eased the Liu family’s tension completely.
“Let’s clean up the courtyard first,” Lu Zheng said, rubbing his hands together, his tone casual. “As for tonight’s events, we shouldn’t report them to the authorities. I’ll go find Constable Liu privately tomorrow.”
“Right, right, good idea!” Old Man Liu nodded hurriedly. “Liu Three, Liu Five, get to work!”
The two old servants exchanged glances, thinking Old Man Liu was getting senile. A pile of corpses… how were they supposed to handle that?
Cremate them to ashes or bury them deep? They weren’t cannibals, after all.
“Wait a moment. I’ll go grab some corpse-dissolving powder,” Lu Zheng said, adding, “The stuff we got from those Golden Absolute Hall guys last time.”
Knowing the Liu family wasn’t ordinary, Lu Zheng spoke openly.
…
He vaulted over the wall and returned with a bundle in addition to the powder.
Lu Zheng used the corpse-dissolving powder to turn the eight bodies into puddles of sewage. Liu Three and Liu Five rinsed the area with stored water, washing away the blood and sewage until only the sorcerer’s body remained.
“This guy must be that Southern Border sorcerer. I’ll take his body to Constable Liu tomorrow,” Lu Zheng said.
With the man dead, his disguise spell had faded, revealing a human skin on the ground. The head and body, now separated, showed his true form: a gaunt, white-haired old man with a sinister face.
“Southern Border sorcerer?” The Liu family looked confused. “What’s that?”
Lu Zheng briefly explained the Southern Border sorcerer.
Old Man Liu smacked his lips, shaking his head. “Healing people and doing good deeds, and still being targeted. What a world.”
No one picked up on that. There were no officials present to defend the Great Jing Dynasty’s honour. Instead of lamenting being targeted, it was better to check the spoils.
Lu Zheng first picked up a wooden bracelet from the ground, with twenty-two beads engraved with uniform runes. He tried activating it with White Cloud True Qi, but nothing happened.
“It’s likely a unique artifact, only usable with their sect’s true qi,” Yuan Jing explained.
“So it’s useless?” Lu Zheng frowned.
“Not at all. This bracelet has been nurtured for decades, its material already attuned. Erase their runes, engrave our White Cloud Temple’s charms, nurture it with true qi for a while, and it’ll be our artifact,” Yuan Jing said with a smile. “From the spells he used, this bracelet is best suited for the Golden Light Spell.”
Lu Zheng’s eyes gleamed. “Let’s see what else there is.”
Soon, they found a bone shard, seven treasure leaf talismans, and three packets of unknown powder.
Lu Zheng was disappointed not to find any techniques or spells, leaving his destiny light without a use.
…
After looting the body, Lu Zheng placed the old man’s head and body together, pulling a dog skin from his bundle. He formed hand seals, draped the skin over the corpse, and in three breaths, it transformed into a convincing… dead dog.
“Beast Creation Technique?” Yuan Jing raised an eyebrow.
Lu Zheng nodded. “A few days ago, I caught a child trafficker and got a copy of *Beast Creation Technique*. Had some free time, so I learned it.”
Yuan Jing: ⚆_⚆?
Though *Beast Creation Technique* wasn’t high-level, Lu Zheng’s casual tone was a bit…
…
With everything tidied up, it was time for Lu Zheng and the Liu family to talk.
Glancing at Liu Qingyan and then Lu Zheng, Yuan Jing rubbed his nose, chuckling. He took the dead dog and bundle. “You guys chat. I’ll head back to rest.”
Without waiting for a reply, he vaulted over the wall, followed by the sound of tossing the dog and a door opening and closing.
In the Liu family’s back courtyard, Liu Three and Liu Five exchanged a look. “We’re off to rest too.”
Before their words settled, they vanished as shadows back to the front courtyard rooms.
Lu Zheng grinned. They weren’t holding back at all.
Old Man Liu bared his teeth, turning to Lu Zheng with a dry cough. “Lu Lang, well…”
“Father,” Liu Qingyan interrupted, “let me talk to Lu Lang.”
“Lu Lang, let’s go to the study.”
“Alright!”
…
In the study, they sat across from each other.
Liu Qingyan’s eyes darted, her breathing quick, her face flushed pink. Her fingers twisted together, and though she opened her mouth several times, she didn’t know what to say.
Lu Zheng said nothing, just watched her with a warm smile, clearly intrigued.
The more he looked, the redder her face became.
The more he looked, the more flustered she grew.
“What are you looking at?”
“You’re beautiful, that’s what.”
“Lu Lang!” Liu Qingyan’s tone was coy, almost melting Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng smiled, then asked seriously, “Did dispelling the curse on me take a lot out of you?”
Liu Qingyan shook her head. “Not much. My red pill excels at healing all sorts of injuries, breaking curses, and warding off evil. I’ll recover in two days, no harm done.”
Lu Zheng relaxed, giving a knowing smile. He adjusted the oil lamp on the table, took a chessboard from the shelf behind him, and grabbed two boxes of pieces. “Let’s talk while we play.”
“Alright.” Liu Qingyan’s face lit up, her brows relaxing, her eyes bright, her lips curving to reveal dimples, making her look even more pure and charming.
*Click!*
*Click!*
*Click!*
They placed pieces casually, and the atmosphere soon calmed.
“When Father was injured years ago, a skilled physician saved him and cared for him. So, Father studied medicine under him, staying by his side and taking his Liu surname.”
“After the physician passed, Father practised medicine as his disciple, using the merit from saving lives to mask his own aura.”
“Then he met my mother, and they had me and Qingquan.”
“Uncle Liu Three and Uncle Liu Five are actually my mother’s relatives.”
“Father shared his merit with us, so we don’t reveal demonic aura at night, avoiding detection by experts. But this means we can’t freely show our cultivation, or it’ll break the merit’s cover.”
“Since Father and Mother are from Wanfu County, the local creatures there know our identities.”
“Later…”
Liu Qingyan bit her lip lightly, placing a piece. “A demon wanted to marry me. I refused, and Father, feeling for me, brought us to Tonglin County.”
