parentshiftbook Chapter 16 Protection
Chapter 16 Protection
More than an hour later, the moon was high in the sky.
Lu Cheng, soaking wet, quietly appeared in the village.
Without stopping, I followed the moonlight to my own alley.
The front door of his house was wide open, and the yard was in complete chaos.
The same was true inside the room; all the furniture, tables, and chairs were smashed to pieces.
All of this was expected, but the key point is that the same thing happened to Old Ge's family next door.
As you walk into the Ge family courtyard, under the moonlight, you can still see several dried dark red patches on the ground.
In an instant, the dark red pierced his chest cavity, and Lu Cheng's heart clenched violently.
Without even thinking, you can tell what happened in this courtyard.
Despite being prepared, Lu Cheng couldn't help but feel a surge of anger, and his eyes immediately turned red.
"Good, very good."
Lu Cheng clenched his fists tightly, his nails almost digging into his palms.
Suddenly, he turned his head and looked at the harpoon lying on its side in the corner of the courtyard wall.
He took a few steps, flicked his toes, and the harpoon seemed to come alive as it "whooshed" into Lu Cheng's hand.
Holding the harpoon, Lu Cheng turned and went out.
……
Liu Daozi is considered a veteran in the fishing community.
However, their abilities are indeed limited.
So after the leader of Hanliu Town was promoted, his position was taken over by You Lanchuang, who came later than him.
This made Liu Daozi feel resentful, but he dared not show it.
Finally, Yu Lancang disappeared.
Even Liu Daozi doesn't believe that he absconded with the money.
There's only one possibility: something's wrong with You Lancang.
But that had nothing to do with him; all he knew was that a spot had been made available.
After some walking, the spot that was four or five years late finally arrived under my butt.
For three days in a row, Liu Daozi and his henchmen celebrated excitedly all night long.
They drink in the first half of the night and gamble in the second half.
The fact that a few thugs had gathered together saved Lu Cheng the trouble of dealing with them.
Lu Cheng hid in the darkness behind the house and waited for a long time before a scoundrel finally emerged.
While he was urinating, Lu Cheng swung his fork and pierced his neck.
"Hey, why isn't that bastard Qu San'er back yet? Could he be sleeping outside?"
The scoundrel who was killed by Lu Cheng didn't return for a long time, which eventually caught the attention of the people inside the house.
Two men immediately went out to look for the person.
Including Liu Daozi, there are only four people in this courtyard.
Therefore, Lu Cheng no longer concealed his presence.
As soon as the two opened the door, he suddenly emerged from the shadows, brandishing a harpoon and slashing one of them across the neck.
It continued its momentum, slicing across the ugly face of the person next to it.
Before the man's cry of pain could even subside, Lu Cheng thrust out with his fork again, ending the second man's life.
The man inside the room, who had already realized something was wrong, reached out to grab the knife behind him.
But his drunken body wouldn't obey him. He had just drawn his knife when he saw a flash of cold light before his eyes, followed by excruciating pain.
However, Lu Cheng pierced her wrist with a fork.
"I'm asking you, what did you do to Uncle Ge's family?"
The excruciating pain instantly sobered Liu Daozi up, and when he saw it was Lu Cheng, his heart skipped a beat.
He couldn't understand how Lu Cheng had become so powerful in just four days.
But his survival instincts allowed him to suppress his fear and force himself to remain calm as he threatened:
"Lu Cheng, it's not too late for you to stop now. Killing a few henchmen is fine, but it's different for me. If you kill me, you will completely offend the Fish Gang. In the end, you will inevitably end up like Old Man Ge, having to go to the river."
Upon hearing that Old Man Ge had indeed been murdered, Lu Cheng's blood boiled, and he forced out the words through clenched teeth:
"Different? How are they different?"
With a forceful pull, he yanked the harpoon out and plunged it into the thigh of the man who had been stabbing at the knife.
This blow sent a chill down Liu Daozi's spine, making him feel like he was about to be reborn. Tears and snot streamed down his face, but he still didn't forget to threaten:
"I'm the young master's man. If you kill me, the young master won't let you get away with it!"
Lu Cheng snorted coldly upon hearing this, and with a backhand thrust, he plunged his other leg in:
"What a fine young leader! It's a pity he passed away before you."
Upon hearing this, Liu Daozi looked at Lu Cheng in disbelief, even suppressing his groans.
Lu Chenglian killed the young leader of the Fish Gang, so he certainly wouldn't let me off the hook.
But then he suddenly remembered something, and while trembling, he laughed wildly:
"You're finished, you're finished."
"The gang leader and the master of the Vermilion Bird Martial Arts School are sworn brothers. They're both body-training martial artists. If you kill the young gang leader, you won't survive either, you won't survive either, hahaha!"
Strangely enough, this guy, who had never shown any bravery since joining the Fish Gang, is now acting like a completely different person.
In his dying moments, he didn't know where the strength came from, but he picked up a short knife that had fallen beside him and threw it at Lu Cheng.
But with his body so badly injured, how could he possibly be accurate?
Lu Cheng didn't even need to dodge; the knife flew out at an angle.
Lu Cheng snorted coldly, said no more, and plunged his fork into Liu Daozi's chest.
……
Liu Daozi's words weighed heavily on Lu Cheng's heart.
I originally thought the Fish Gang was just a local thug gang, but I never expected that they were actually connected with martial arts forces.
"Vermilion Bird Martial Arts Hall, Body Refinement Realm".
If it's just about cultivating internal strength, Lu Cheng figured he didn't need to worry.
I will soon reach the pinnacle of Qi Refining.
But if it's the Body Refinement Realm, then it becomes a bit troublesome.
There was no way he could defeat someone with Feng Zhan's strength.
After much deliberation, the best course of action turned out to be to temporarily avoid the limelight and leave Yangcheng.
When it comes to life and death, even if it's hard to bear, this is the only way.
But before leaving, I should let the escort agency know.
If the Fish Gang can't find them, they'll definitely have to go to the Changfeng Escort Agency; they need to let the three escort leaders know what's going on.
With that in mind, Lu Cheng returned to the escort agency and knocked on Feng Zhan's door.
……
"The Yangcheng Fish Gang is indeed not comparable to those small gangs. Not only does it have close ties with the government, but it also has dealings with several martial arts schools in the city."
"Among them, the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, Vermilion Bird Martial Arts School, White Tiger Martial Arts School, and Black Tortoise Martial Arts School are the most profound. There are also the Xu family and Huang family, two martial arts families in the city."
"Among these forces, the Vermilion Bird Martial Arts School, the White Tiger Martial Arts School, the Xu family, and the Huang family each have a martial artist at the early stage of Body Refinement."
"Although most of the transactions are just about mutual benefit, the Fish Gang has money and can spend a lot of money to get at least a large portion of them to come out."
Inside Feng Zhan's room in the second courtyard of Changfeng Escort Agency.
Feng Zhan, dressed in his undergarments, sat in a chair and looked at Lu Cheng after saying these words.
Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng felt even heavier.
What Feng Zhan said was even more detailed than what he said about the knife.
In that case, it seems we really can't stay in Yangcheng County any longer.
Fortunately, we just managed to swindle more than ten taels of silver from Liu Daozi.
Putting everything else aside, at least it's a change of scenery.
Just as I was about to say goodbye to Feng Zhan, I heard Feng Zhan ask:
"How's your practice of the Black Eagle Stance coming along?"
Ok?
Lu Cheng's heart stirred, as if he had something on his mind, but he couldn't be sure for the moment.
Looking at Feng Zhan, he saw that Feng Zhan was also staring sharply at him, his eyes bright and piercing.
"No matter what, the Fish Gang is just a local gang and can't cause any big trouble."
"As for those martial arts schools and sects..."
As Feng Zhan spoke, he stood tall and straight. Although he was only wearing his undergarments, his posture and demeanor were in no way inferior to those during the day.
"Although Changfeng Escort Agency cannot completely suppress them, if we take a tougher stance, we can make them follow some rules."
The implication is that Changfeng Escort Agency can help Lu Cheng handle this matter, but the price to pay will be considerable.
It all depends on whether Lu Cheng is worth it.
Realizing this, Lu Cheng knew he absolutely could not keep anything to himself tonight.
Not only must we not keep anything to ourselves, but we must also give full play to our abilities and demonstrate extraordinary value.
As for its value, didn't Feng Zhan already ask?
This naturally leads to advancement in martial arts.
Lu Cheng recalled that after killing Shi Da, [Heaven's Mandate] had given some feedback.
I didn't have time to look at it then, but I only remembered it now that Feng Zhan asked about it.
I immediately checked my sea of consciousness.
【The Twelve Forms of the Black Eagle Stance】
[Grade: Low-grade human grade]
[Level: Beginner (127/200)]
In his battle with Shi Da, Lu Cheng's first strike was a full-force attack that he had been preparing for.
The second step involves using leverage and twisting.
Both moves he made utilized the Xuan Ying stance he had practiced for a long time.
The effect was also extremely good, increasing proficiency by twenty-five points at once.
This was a pleasant surprise, neither too big nor too small.
When you've mastered more than half of the skills, you've achieved a preliminary level of proficiency.
To have mastered stance training and reached such a level in just four days is unprecedented, though I wouldn't say it's the first or second time such a feat has been achieved. In a place like Yangcheng County, this is certainly not the case.
"The disciple has already mastered the basics of stance training. He has now achieved a state where the power of his legs, arms, and limbs flows smoothly, allowing him to borrow force from the ground and transmit power throughout his body."
Feng Zhan was taken aback upon hearing this:
"really?"
Lu Cheng first assumed a horse stance before replying to Feng Zhan:
"Please have the three镖头 (bodyguards/escorts) examine them!"
Seeing this, Feng Zhan was already 80% convinced.
He said "good" three times in a row, and held out one hand, palm facing Lu Cheng:
"Come on, throw a punch with all your might."
Lu Cheng knew this concerned whether he would stay or leave tonight, so he immediately dared not hold back.
Take a deep breath, step back with your right foot, and slowly bend down.
With his left hand outstretched in front of him, resembling a black eagle spreading its wings, and his right fist tucked into his waist, he assumed the third stance of the Black Eagle Stance.
Next, lift your right heel and step down, while simultaneously twisting your left foot outward. The reaction force surges up your legs and feet, then twist your waist and hips.
Using that force, his right fist slammed out like lightning.
"Thump!"
As their fists and palms collided, Lu Cheng felt as if he had punched a rock.
At the same time as feeling the hardness, there was also a huge recoil force.
Lu Cheng tried his best to support himself with his legs, but still couldn't keep his balance.
He stumbled back five steps in quick succession until his back slammed against the door with a loud thud before finally stopping.
As a martial artist in the Body Refinement Realm who also practices the Xuan Ying Gong, Feng Zhan was naturally familiar with Lu Cheng's strength.
This exchange immediately confirmed that Lu Cheng was not lying.
It has indeed reached the point where the strength of the limbs is fully integrated.
Feng Zhan withdrew his hand, stared at Lu Cheng for a while, and then spoke calmly:
"Go back to sleep. Tomorrow morning, practice as usual."