Chapter 141: Profiting from Another’s Misfortune (Subscription Requested)

Outside the City of Waters, the Xu family resided within a bastion.

Its outer walls stood twenty zhang high, cast from steel and etched with intricate patterns in cinnabar and gold thread. Along the walls were numerous apertures, through which the silhouettes of patrolling guards could be seen. The bastion had no gate; Xu Yuan approached the wall from a distance, retrieved a token, and drew a crimson talisman in the air.

Whoosh!

As the talisman pressed against the wall, a large opening materialized.

"The young master has returned. Any news?" A crowd gathered as Xu Yuan led Lu Qian inside.

"Indeed. This is the Master of Black Mountain. He has successfully refined the Soul-Calming Pill," Xu Yuan announced, gesturing toward Lu Qian.

"The family owes you a debt of gratitude that we shall never forget," several middle-aged men and elders said, bowing to Lu Qian. Some were sincere, some expressionless, and others seemed openly dissatisfied—a sight Lu Qian found quite amusing. It seemed this family was far from united.

"Senior, I am Xu Wu, head of the Xu family. Please, follow me to the grand hall," said a middle-aged Confucian scholar who bore a striking resemblance to Xu Yuan. As the family head, he possessed cultivation at the early stage of Spirit Nourishment.

The person whose soul had been severely damaged was, in fact, Xu Yuan’s grandfather. If the ancestor died and this elder were also lost, their status as the ruling family would likely crumble.

"Brother, is it really wise to let an outsider treat him so casually?" another middle-aged man suddenly remarked with a sneer. He was followed by two youths who cast unfriendly glares at Lu Qian. Xu Yuan had warned him that the second branch of the family was at odds with the first. Clearly, this was them.

"Nonsense! The Mountain Master is Yuan’er’s savior; how could we not trust him?" Xu Wu turned to Lu Qian with an apologetic smile. "My apologies, Senior. My kin are ignorant; I beg your forgiveness." Although Lu Qian looked young, he was a master of the Condensed Sha stage. With the ancestor dead, the Mountain Master’s power was on par with the strongest in the Xu family, so the title of "Senior" was well-deserved.

"It is of no consequence. Take me to see the patient," Lu Qian said, waving his hand dismissively.

The family head led Lu Qian to a secret chamber. Inside the dim room, an old man with a face like golden paper sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes tightly shut, an occasional flicker of agony crossing his features.

Lu Qian produced a casket. When opened, it emitted a brilliant golden light and a lingering, exotic fragrance. It was a Spirit-grade Three-Orifice Golden Pill. The father and son exchanged glances, their eyes filled with pleasant surprise. They had not expected to have the fortune of befriending a Spirit-grade alchemist. Such a person would be an honored guest in any faction; if they only put out the word, countless others would clamor for their services.

"Just have him consume it," Lu Qian said, handing the pill to the family head.

The head cautiously fed the pill to the elder. It melted upon contact, and the elder’s complexion began to turn rosy, yet there was still no sign of him waking.

"What is happening?" Xu Wu asked, stunned. The pill was genuine—why had he not awakened?

"It is quite simple. The Grand Elder’s soul was not injured; someone has abducted his Yin Spirit," Lu Qian said, casting a meaningful look at those present.

"Impossible! He was perfectly fine when he returned," the family head insisted, unable to believe it.

"I cannot speak to that, but it suggests there is a traitor in your midst," Lu Qian chuckled.

"Do not attempt to sow discord within the Xu family! I suspect you are the one who tampered with him," the steward of the second branch stepped forward, shouting.

"Believe what you will. My task is done. Pay me, and I shall take my leave," Lu Qian shrugged, unconcerned.

"You haven't saved him yet, and you want payment?" the second branch member sneered.

"Yes, indeed. That makes no sense."

"I say we don't let him leave. Perhaps he is the one who did this."

Lu Qian’s brow arched. His pupils turned pure gold, and mysterious frost-cold Sha energy swirled around him. "Are you trying to welch on the deal?"

Whoosh!

A frigid, murderous intent swept through the room. Frost crept over everything, and the crowd shivered violently. They had clearly forgotten that Lu Qian was a master of the Condensed Sha stage, still acting with the arrogance of the old Xu family.

"Senior, forgive us! Senior, have mercy!" the family head hurriedly intervened. He could not afford to offend Lu Qian, not when they were already facing such a powerful enemy.

Boom!

Suddenly, a series of explosions erupted outside the bastion.

"Bad news! The Changfeng Hall has attacked!" Guards, covered in blood, stumbled into the room. A clamor broke out among the crowd.

"Why the panic? The bastion has not been breached, has it?" the family head barked.

"The Master of Changfeng Hall is leading the attack himself. The bastion cannot hold much longer; they intend to wipe out the Xu family!" the guard cried with a face of despair.

The members of the Xu family were in a state of disbelief. The moment the Grand Elder fell, the enemy had launched an assault.

Whoosh!

Xu Wu lunged, grabbing the second branch leader by the collar, and hissed, "Don't tell me this has nothing to do with you. What exactly have you done?"

The second branch leader looked shattered, muttering, "This shouldn't be happening... he said he would help me seize the position of family head, not destroy the Xu family!"

"Fool! Go and summon the Second Elder!" The Second Elder was severely injured, but they had no choice. They needed him to control the bastion’s formation to hold out a little longer. They could surrender external interests, but they could not allow the enemy to breach the family home.

Lu Qian did not intervene, watching the panicked crowd. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the second branch leader hurriedly opened an incense burner, releasing the Grand Elder’s Yin Spirit.

The Grand Elder’s eyes snapped open, shooting out crimson rays. "What is happening outside?" his voice was hoarse, yet laden with authority. Upon learning the truth, he didn't waste time on settling scores; after thanking Lu Qian, his Yin Spirit, wreathed in crimson flame-sha, flew off.

Lu Qian stepped outside. A massive crimson light-film appeared in the sky. Dozens of Xu family members held longbows, focusing their power into a beam of light fired at a phantom in the sky.

The phantom was composed of small white whirlwinds, ten zhang high. With a single punch, the whirlwinds tore at the light-film, causing the defensive formation to shake precariously. The light fired by the Xu family’s bows, known as Void God-Bolts, was incredibly fast and sharp. Yet, whenever they touched the phantom, they were instantly neutralized by the whirlwinds.

Two elders hovered in the air, pulling their bows to the limit.

Boom!

A crimson God-Bolt and a frigid, icy God-Bolt streaked across the sky like meteors, trailing ten-zhang-long plumes of fire. The sight was as beautiful as it was dangerous. Lu Qian was surprised by the power—the Void God-Bolts were truly extraordinary. They could likely strike enemies from hundreds of miles away; it was unfortunate they were currently being besieged in their own lair.

Boom!

The two bolts exploded one after another, creating a massive fireball in the sky. The earth for hundreds of zhang was upturned. As the smoke cleared, the crowd watched in despair: the Master of Changfeng Hall remained completely unscathed.

"Ha! You cannot even break my protective Qi-罡; you might as well bring your ancestor back to life!" The phantom pointed a finger, and a bone-piercing gale flew out, continuously grinding down the bastion’s formation.

The two elders vomited blood, their forms swaying. Already injured, the strain of maintaining the formation had reached their limit. The Master of Changfeng Hall cultivated the Innate Bone-Piercing Gale-Sha, gathered from the ten-thousand-year storms above the Gobi. A single blast of this gale was sharp enough to shatter the very bones of his enemies.

As time passed, the formation began to fail. Xu family members lay dead or wounded, and an atmosphere of hopelessness engulfed the survivors. The Xu family was on the brink of annihilation.

Thud!

The family head knelt directly before Lu Qian. "I beg you, Senior, please intervene!"

"Senior, please help us! We are all in this together; if the formation breaks, we all die!"

"Master of the Mountain, please see this through to the end!"

Those who had doubted Lu Qian only moments ago now clung to him like a drowning person to a straw. The Grand Elder also looked toward him, cupping his hands. "Fellow Daoist, if you help the Xu family through this, we will pay you twenty thousand Dharma coins."

Lu Qian was also at the Condensed Sha stage; even if he could not defeat the Master of Changfeng Hall, he could at least help maintain the formation.

"Not enough. I want one-third of the Xu family's assets. In return, I will help you defeat the Changfeng Hall."

The Grand Elder’s expression changed. "You are dreaming! This is extortion!" If he were at the late stage of Spirit Nourishment, perhaps, but why would a mid-stage master claim he could defeat the Changfeng Hall?

The family head’s face darkened; he decided to offer nothing. He figured that if the Master of Changfeng Hall broke through, Lu Qian would be forced to fight regardless.

Boom!

At that moment, the formation shattered.

"Ha! Boys, slaughter them all!" the Master of Changfeng Hall shrieked. The gale descended, and dozens of the Xu family perished instantly. The two elders were sent flying hundreds of meters, vomiting blood. The Xu family had no strength left to resist.

"Senior, I accept your terms," the head said, his face ashen. Regardless of whether Lu Qian could win, he had to treat this as a last-ditch effort.

"Ha! Should have said so sooner!"

Lu Qian laughed heartily. His figure transformed into a horned dragon and soared into the sky.