Chapter 102
Lu Qing's sudden attack was something Xiao Tian had never anticipated.
He never even imagined that Lu Qing would suddenly try to kill him here.
But the deadly intent in Lu Qing's strike was unmistakably real.
Xiao Tian had no doubt that if he didn't evade, Lu Qing would truly cut him in half with that strike!
Images of Lu Qing's massacre at the Happy Fort flashed through his mind involuntarily.
An intense fear instantly engulfed Xiao Tian's entire body.
In that moment between life and death, he couldn't think of anything else. He could only rely on his instincts, desperately dodging backwards.
At that critical moment, he instinctively unleashed all his strength.
He focused all his mind and willpower on his legs, hoping to draw on more power to increase his speed and avoid Lu Qing's lethal strike.
In that moment of utmost concentration, Xiao Tian seemed to sense an additional force within him that he could command.Without a second thought, he directed this force to his legs.
Boom!
In this desperate attempt, Xiao Tian finally managed to retreat before Lu Qing's blade could reach him, crashing into a fence and rolling into the vegetable garden.
Though Lu Qing's attack failed, he did not pursue. Instead, he withdrew his blade and looked at Xiao Tian lying on the ground with a smile.
"Not bad, your reaction was pretty quick."
"Young Master Lu, why are you doing this? How did I offend you?"
Lying on the ground, Xiao Tian asked in terror.
He truly couldn't understand why Lu Qing would suddenly attack him.
"You didn't offend me. Now feel the Qi and Blood in your body, see if anything is different from before?" Lu Qing said with a smile.
"The Qi and Blood in my body?"
Xiao Tian was stunned and quickly began to sense his body.
In his earlier desperate effort, Xiao Tian had used all his strength. Now he felt weak all over, his leg muscles strained and sore.
But at this moment, he didn't care about that. He discovered that his Qi and Blood were particularly vigorous. More importantly, he could control them at will, easily mobilizing and linking them.
In that moment, Xiao Tian understood everything.
He had finally grasped the secret of linking Qi and Blood, stepping into the Qi and Blood Realm that he had longed for!
"Thank you so much, Young Master Lu!"
Xiao Tian climbed to his feet and kowtowed to Lu Qing.
He knew very well how much effort he had put in over the years to enter the Qi and Blood Realm.
For some reason, he had always been unable to take that crucial step.
Even after taking the Blood Replenishing and Qi-boosting Pill earlier, he had thought he would surely break through immediately.
Yet, even after most of the pill's power had been consumed, he still couldn't find the opportunity to break through.
Just as he was about to despair, Lu Qing's strike had forced him into the Qi and Blood Realm.
Now he understood that Lu Qing's killing intent in that strike wasn't meant to kill him but to push his potential to its limits.
Otherwise, with Lu Qing's martial prowess, he wouldn't have needed to make such a show of force. A single casual strike would have been enough to kill him.
Thus, at this moment, Xiao Tian was filled with gratitude towards Lu Qing.
"Enough, no need for this. Heaven rewards diligence. If you hadn't laid a solid foundation and were just a step away from the Qi and Blood Realm, my strike wouldn't have helped you break through." Lu Qing said with a smile.
Xiao Tian kowtowed three more times before getting up.
"No matter what, Young Master Lu, you are my benefactor. I will never forget your great kindness and virtue for the rest of my life." Xiao Tian said solemnly.
Lu Qing shook his head with a smile and was about to speak when a loud voice suddenly shouted, "Who's causing trouble, breaking my fence and trampling my vegetable garden?!"
Lu Qing was startled. He saw the second son of Grandpa Zhang, glaring angrily at the ruined vegetable garden.
It turned out that earlier, to avoid Lu Qing's strike, Xiao Tian had crashed into the fence, breaking it and trampling the vegetable garden.
Now, the vegetables in the garden were a mess.
Xiao Tian's face flushed with embarrassment.
"Uncle Zhang, it's me."
Seeing this, Lu Qing had to call out.
"Ah Qing, you did this to the garden?"
The angry Uncle Zhang was stunned when he saw Lu Qing.
"Sorry, Uncle Zhang. My friend and I were sparring and accidentally broke your garden. I'll help you fix it later." Lu Qing said apologetically.
"No problem, no problem. I thought it was some troublemaker. Since it's you, Ah Qing, it's fine. I'll take care of it later. No need to trouble you." Uncle Zhang waved his hand, his anger dissipating.
He also recognized Xiao Tian.
After all, Xiao Tian often came to the Grand Bazaar, so Uncle Zhang knew this man who was in charge of maintaining order at the market and was one of Master Ma's trusted subordinates.
Seeing Xiao Tian's muddy and disheveled appearance, and then looking at Lu Qing, who was spotless, Uncle Zhang couldn't help but think this wasn't a sparring match but rather a one-sided beating.
Xiao Tian's face turned even redder. He took out a small pouch from his clothes, poured out a piece of broken silver, and handed it to Uncle Zhang.
"Uncle Zhang, I broke your fence and garden. This is compensation."
Then he bowed to Lu Qing and said, "Young Master Lu, I will return to the Grand Bazaar. If you need anything in the future, just tell me, and I will do my best to help!"
With that, he turned and walked out of the village with a flushed face.
Seeing the silver, which was half a tael, Uncle Zhang shouted, "Hey, young man, the garden and fence aren't worth this much!"
But the more he shouted, the faster Xiao Tian walked, not looking back at all.
Lu Qing found it amusing and said, "Uncle Zhang, just accept it. It's his compensation."
Xiao Tian, as a trusted subordinate of Mago, now in charge of the Grand Bazaar, wouldn't be short of money.
Half a tael of silver was nothing to him.
"Well, it isn't necessary for such a small matter. I just need to fix the fence and replant the vegetables. It doesn't cost that much silver." Uncle Zhang still felt it was too much.
Lu Qing didn't care. After chatting briefly with Uncle Zhang, he turned and walked back to his courtyard.
Once inside, Lu Qing's expression turned serious.
The news Xiao Tian brought was significant.
The county town was now turbulent, with many powerful martial artists gathering, and a major battle was likely imminent.
Although the county town was far from Jiuli Village, and the conflict there shouldn't affect them, one could never be too cautious.
If the county magistrate's office was overthrown and martial artists roamed unchecked, it could cause unforeseen trouble.
So, he couldn't let his guard down.
"Hopefully, the Wei family can stabilize the situation."
"Is it true that the Wei family's Precelestial ancestor has died?"
Lu Qing pondered.
According to Mago's letter, the mysterious group openly claimed the death of the Wei family's Precelestial ancestor. This seemed credible.
But something felt off to him.
Firstly, how did the Wei family's Precelestial ancestor die?
If it was a vendetta, why didn't the killers directly destroy the Wei family?
If it was an accident, how did the mysterious group know about it?
Moreover, the situation in the county town, where everyone seemed to know about the Precelestial ancestor's death, was unusual.
According to his master's teachings, Precelestial experts were elusive and rarely seen.
Now, the death of one was making such a commotion, which was strange.
Lu Qing felt there was a hidden agenda behind this turmoil.
"Could it be that the Wei family has some treasure worth such a grand scheme?"
"Why doesn't the schemer directly seize it? Is there fear or a test involved?"
Lu Qing recalled Mago mentioning that the Wei family's head always stayed in the county town's old mansion, suggesting a secret.
Now it seemed his guess was right.
But he wondered if the Wei family could still protect this secret.
Unfortunately, he had too little information to analyze the situation.
"Forget it. Even if there's a grand scheme, it's not something I can meddle in now."
Lu Qing thought for a while, finding no clues, and decided to stop thinking about it.
He was merely in the Qi and Blood Realm, while the county town's martial artists included many who could crush him.
Even if he knew the truth, what could he do?
Better to stay out of it and pray for the Wei family.
"But I should inform Master. The town is too dangerous now; he shouldn't go there."
Although his master was half a step into the Precelestial Realm, the town's conflict might involve Precelestial experts.
Lu Qing didn't want his master involved.
Thinking this, he locked his house and headed to the Halfway House.
As he approached, he heard Xiao Yan's laughter.
Entering the courtyard, he saw his master and Xiao Yan with Xiao Li, chatting and drinking tea.
"Brother!"
Xiao Yan saw Lu Qing and shouted.
"Hmm." Lu Qing walked over.
The old doctor turned and saw Lu Qing, a look of surprise on his face.
"Have you broken through?"
"Yes, just recently."
Lu Qing knew he couldn't hide his martial progress from his master, who was on the verge of tempering his soul force.
"Your cultivation speed is truly..."
The old doctor marveled.
His disciple's speed was astonishing.
Since becoming his disciple, it hadn't been long
, yet Lu Qing was already at the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm.
Even in his travels, he had never heard of such a rapid progression.
"It's just good teaching from Master." Lu Qing habitually humbled himself.
"Don't flatter me. I only taught you some basic Health Nourishing Boxing and made a few pills."
"If it weren't for Master's teachings, I wouldn't be where I am today."
The old doctor shook his head helplessly.
His disciple was excellent but overly humble, never seeing himself as a martial prodigy.
No matter how others praised him, Lu Qing never saw himself as a genius, genuinely not prideful about his fast progress.
"Master, Mago's man just delivered a letter. It mentions some important matters you should know about."
Lu Qing said.
"Oh? What matters?"
The old doctor noticed Lu Qing's serious expression and became serious too.
He knew his disciple had connections with Mago. Was there trouble needing Lu Qing's help?
"Everything is in the letter. Please read it."
Lu Qing handed over the letter from Xiao Tian.
The old doctor opened it and read. His face grew serious.
"To think so much has happened in just a few days."
After reading, the old doctor sighed.
"Master, the town is chaotic and unpredictable. It's best if you don't go there for now." Lu Qing suggested.
He knew his master often went to town to deliver medicine, but with the current chaos, he didn't want him to go.
"Alright, I wasn't planning to go anyway. With such trouble, it's best to avoid it."
The old doctor nodded.
He was compassionate but not stubborn.
Knowing the town was a powder keg, he wouldn't rush in.
Seeing his master's agreement, Lu Qing felt relieved.
He had feared his master's kind nature might lead him into danger, but it seemed his master understood the situation well.
"Ah Qing, be careful too. The Black Wolf Gang seems to be stirring again. You might face their retaliation." The old doctor warned.
"I will be cautious, Master."
In the following days, Lu Qing continued his usual routine but with more caution when going out.
Occasionally, he would visit the Grand Bazaar to get news from Xiao Tian.
Through Xiao Tian, he learned much about the town's situation.
With more martial artists gathering, the town's dynamics changed rapidly.
The small town couldn't contain so many martial artists without conflicts.
Street fights became common, with blood often spilled.
Some martial artists seized local forces for pleasure, exterminating those who resisted and allying with those who complied, quickly becoming major powers.
The Black Wolf Gang was a typical example.
Its leader, the Black Wolf, somehow persuaded several powerful martial artists to join, including some at the Internal Organs Realm.
Now, the Black Wolf Gang was one of the town's major forces, very arrogant.
In short, the town was in chaos, with daily deaths.
The county magistrate's office had decreed that martial artists must not disturb civilians, preventing total anarchy.
But despite this, many civilians fled the town, planning to return after the turmoil subsided.
Despite the chaos, Lu Qing was surprised that the Wei Mansion remained untouched.
The rampant martial artists avoided attacking it, seemingly in mutual agreement, waiting for something.
This struck Lu Qing as unusual.
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