Chapter 27: Lu Xuan of the Slums, Here to Pay a Visit!
The rain was torrential. It started in East Sea City, gradually spreading across the entire Langya Province. The calm before the storm was over... the storm had already arrived.
After taking down Fifth Grandpa, who had been nailed to a wooden house, Lu Xuan spoke in a voice that was calm—frighteningly so.
"So, who did this?"
"It was... the White Elephant Martial Arts Hall!" a young man said, wiping the rain from his face. "It was definitely the White Elephant Martial Arts Hall!"
"The White Elephant Martial Arts Hall..." Lu Xuan murmured, lowering his head slightly. "I understand."
"Lu the Kid, what are you planning to do?" Butcher Zheng crawled over, warning loudly, "Don't do anything stupid! It's suicide! If anyone is going to get revenge... it's going to be me!"
An immense sadness flashed in his eyes.
"My old woman isn't coming back. There's no point in me being alone anymore... My house is still intact, Lu the Kid. It's yours now. My stall at the market is yours, too. Just live a good life... please, live a good life."
Lu Xuan crouched down and took Butcher Zheng's hand.
"Uncle Zheng, I'm a Cultivator."
"What?" Butcher Zheng looked up, bewildered. His gaze pierced the fine, thread-like spring rain, and he saw the young man's frighteningly calm face. He also saw the longsword in his hand, which had seemingly appeared from nowhere.
The longsword was slick with rain, reflecting a cold light. A single glance sent a chill through his heart, a cold that seeped straight to the bone.
A fine sword.
'A fine sword,' the thought flashed through Butcher Zheng's mind.
The young man supported Butcher Zheng with his left hand and held the sword in his right, still crouched in the rain.
He turned his head and said,
"Xiaoxu, take care of everyone. I'll be gone for a little while..."
The words had barely left his mouth when Lu Xuan felt a tight grip on his wrist. It was Butcher Zheng.
"Don't go!"
"Don't worry, Uncle Zheng," Lu Xuan said softly. "I will bring Sister Zheng back, and everyone else. I'll bring them all back safe and sound."
He paused, then continued, his voice a mix of confession and self-reflection.
"I've killed twice in my life. The first time was seven years ago on the refugee road, to protect myself. The second was a few days ago in the Inspectorate, to eliminate a menace... This time, it's to eliminate a menace, get revenge, and protect myself and those around me."
Butcher Zheng looked on, bewildered and at a loss. He didn't fully understand what Lu Xuan meant.
But the young man slowly rose to his feet, letting the rain soak his tattered clothes, and said,
"I'm still weak. I can't right all the wrongs in the world, nor can I get justice for the lives lost in that city. But what I can do, right here and now, is unsheathe my sword to strike fear into their hearts."
Butcher Zheng was stunned into silence, and the other young man looked on in confusion. It was the youngest of them, Wu Xiaoxu, who seemed to have guessed what was happening.
He asked, his voice trembling,
"Brother Xuan, if there's too much bloodshed, won't the trouble that follows be even worse?"
Lu Xuan smiled.
"That trouble will fall on me and me alone. And until I die, the slums will be safe."
"Besides, if the slums can bleed, why can't they?"
With that, he turned and strode away, the dumbfounded residents of the slums watching him go.
Just as his figure was about to vanish into the downpour, he turned back and asked earnestly,
"By the way, where is the White Elephant Martial Arts Hall?"
"I'll show you the way."
Butcher Zheng shouted.
"Good."
Lu Xuan hoisted Butcher Zheng, whose legs were broken, onto his back and sped off into the downpour.
......
「White Elephant Martial Arts Hall」
Though called a martial arts hall, it occupied a vast estate, complete with everything from training grounds to courtyards. It was more like a traditional courtyard residence, but a dozen times the size.
「The Main House」
"You kid..." an old man began with a frown. "You should do this sort of thing less often. If word gets out, the reputation of our White Elephant Martial Arts Hall will be ruined!"
Bai Kai'an was unconcerned, snickering as he replied,
"What's there to be afraid of? They're just a bunch of mud-legs from the slums. Even if word does get out, with three uncles like you—all Bone Marrow Refining Martial Masters—who would dare cause us trouble?"
"Your father just passed away!" the old man continued to warn, tapping his cane. "However, what's done is done. I don't mean to blame you, but you should avoid these things in the future."
Another uncle chuckled.
"Now, now, Kai'an actually did a good job. Who would have thought there was any profit to be squeezed from the slums? We should start collecting more of our usual fees from them."
Bai Kai'an grinned and said,
"I actually thought this through carefully. With all the chaos happening right now, no one will care about a little thing like this. Even if the four big martial arts halls find out, they won't say a thing..."
After a pause, he added,
"Alright, my three uncles, I've pretty much explained everything. Can I go now?"
"In such a hurry?" one uncle chided good-naturedly. "Is chatting with us old fogeys really such an ordeal for you?"
Bai Kai'an scratched his head sheepishly.
"It's not that. It's just... among the women we brought back from the slums, there's one young girl who's especially... tender. I was going to have a taste right there in the slums, but some damned old man interrupted me..."
As he spoke, he glanced at the heavy rain outside, his smile growing even wider.
"Now is the perfect time. A spring night of passion in the spring rain. And when I'm done, I'll sell them all to the black market on the west side of the city. That's another huge sum of money, perfect for offsetting the negative impact of my father's death!"
"Fine, fine, go on then!" the old man said helplessly. "Young men are so full of vigor. You should show some restraint. Don't damage your Kidney Essence, or you'll face more obstacles on your cultivation path later on!"
"You got it!" Bai Kai'an chirped, then darted out of the room.
After he left, the three old men exchanged glances. A strange silence fell between them, each lost in his own schemes.
After a long moment, one of them said airily,
"Let me be frank. We all want to be the next hall master, but there's no need to suck up to that kid so much, is there?"
The other two exchanged a look, and the eldest among them said flatly,
"We're all thousand-year-old foxes here; no need to play innocent. Your own attempts to win him over were the most outrageous of all... Anyway, I'll call Old Man Zhong at the black market and give him a heads-up."
"Then I'll go report to the major martial arts halls. I'll just say the slums started it!"
"Hmm, so what's left for me to do? Ah, forget it. I'm going to bed!"
Just as the three were talking, something happened.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
"Who's knocking?" The old man frowned instinctively, but then his expression froze.
'We're at least a hundred or two hundred meters from the main gate, and it's pouring rain. How can the sound of knocking possibly reach all the way in here?'
"It seems we have a visitor," the other uncle said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "The only question is whether they're a friend... or a foe."
Before he could finish, the sound came again.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
The knocking sounded again. Though not loud, it bizarrely pierced the curtain of rain, echoing throughout the entire White Elephant Martial Arts Hall.
It was followed by a calm voice.
"Lu Xuan, of the slums, accompanied by the elder Zheng Shan, has come to kill."
The three uncles exchanged a look, their expressions shifting.
"A foe, it seems."