Starting as the young master of a medicine shop, he practiced swordsmanship for twenty years

Inside the Qingyun County jail, flickering candlelight cast long shadows down the corridors, illuminating the dilapidated cells.

Deep within the jail, a chorus of agonizing screams echoed – the cries of several men, chilling to the bone.

"You bunch of bastards, you've got some nerve!"

"Daring to lay a hand on Master Lu, you've clearly grown tired of living!"

"You good-for-nothings, don't you know Master Lu is Brother Cheng's uncle?"

"Brother Cheng instructed us to stay up all night if we have to, just to 'take good care' of you lot."

"Speak! Who ordered you to assassinate Master Lu? Tell us, and you'll be spared further pain!"

Inside a sparsely furnished cell, two young jailers stood guard.

Each held a short whip, which they used with vigor on the bound men before them.

The bound men were a gruesome sight, their flesh torn open, a bloody mess, with streaks of blood marring their faces.

"Damn it, are you going to talk or not?!"

"Forget it, let's take a break. We'll give them a proper going-over later."

Seemingly exhausted from their efforts, the two young jailers left the cell, settling down at a decaying wooden table, gulping down water from it.

A gentle breeze swept through, extinguishing most of the candles lining the corridor.

Only a few candles remained lit, plunging the already dim jail into deeper shadows.

Before the two young jailers could react, darkness engulfed them, and they slipped into unconsciousness.

A tall, imposing figure strode towards the cell where the beaten men were held.

The burly men, their mouths stuffed with thick rags, were just beginning to feel relieved when a tall, handsome man appeared before them, removing the gags.

The man bound in the center looked puzzled, unsure of the newcomer's identity, but a sense of foreboding washed over him, and he shouted:

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Hey, you two little devils outside, we've got company!"

"I am Lu Xuan, son of Lu Jiahe!"

"You…"

The three burly men were instantly seized by terror, staring at the tall man before them as if they had seen a ghost.

Lu Xuan's indifferent gaze swept over them, as if they were already corpses.

The burly man in the center saw Lu Xuan's youthful face, and the fear in his eyes momentarily faded, replaced by a sneer.

"Heh heh heh!"

"So, you're that old codger Lu Jiahe's son, eh? What? You think a little whelp like you can pry anything out of us?"

"Physical pain won't work? Then I'll just have to let you taste heart-piercing agony!"

Lu Xuan's large hand shot out, pressing down on the crown of the central man's head, as terrifying internal energy rampaged into the man's body.

"Ah!"

Before half an incense stick's time had passed, Lu Xuan glanced at the corpses whose insides he had pulverized with his internal energy, then turned and left without a word.

Because Lu Xuan had already obtained the answer he sought.

The Huang family!

Inside County Magistrate Huang Yangping's study, three people were gathered, while an aged servant stood guard outside the door – the Huang family's head steward.

The three people in the room were Huang Yangping, Jia Sheng, and Huang Yangping's son, Huang Wen!

"Brother-in-law, what are we going to do?!"

"Those good-for-nothings have been caught! I'm worried they'll rat me out."

Jia Sheng paced back and forth in the room, his anxiousness evident.

Huang Yangping's face remained calm, and he sat composed in his chair, unmoved by Jia Sheng's words.

Seeing Huang Yangping's indifferent demeanor, Jia Sheng quickly adopted a pleading tone, saying, "Brother-in-law, you can't abandon me!"

Huang Yangping was enraged by Jia Sheng's stupidity and couldn't help but scold him.

"Idiot!"

"Just because they say it's you, does that make it so? What evidence do they have? Just deny it!"

"Ah, that's right! Luckily, I didn't leave anything behind for those good-for-nothings."

Huang Yangping's words were like a wake-up call, and Jia Sheng realized his mistake.

Huang Yangping gave Jia Sheng a disappointed look, then continued, "Is Lu Jiahe dead or not?!"

"Not dead!"

"That old geezer is truly blessed! The potent poison I personally prepared didn't even kill him!"

Thinking of this, Jia Sheng's eyes filled with confusion.

Logically speaking, the poison he had obtained from rare venomous snakes should have been incurable.

However, the information from the Lu manor indicated that the old man Lu Jiahe was actually fine.

Silence descended upon the room once more, until Jia Sheng could barely contain himself.

Huang Yangping slowly spoke, "Since that old geezer Lu Jiahe didn't die this time, he'll definitely be on guard. It'll be difficult to strike again."

"In that case, let's target his sons and let that old geezer Lu Jiahe taste the pain of losing his children."

"That's right, Brother-in-law, you're right. I'll go back and make the arrangements."

A sly smile crept across Jia Sheng's weasel-like features, seemingly agreeing with Huang Yangping's suggestion.

Huang Yangping nodded, then turned to the young man beside him and said gently, "Wen'er, you're still injured. You should go back to your room first.

Thank you for your hard work these past few days, assisting your uncle!"

"Yes, Father!"

Boom!

The door was suddenly smashed open by a body, which crashed heavily to the ground.

Huang Yangping's eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized the body on the floor.

It was the Huang family's head steward.

The Huang family's head steward lay on the ground, half of his chest caved in, with a massive footprint on his chest.

Lu Xuan walked in from outside, his cold eyes sweeping over the three people in the room.

He had just rushed over from the Jia residence. After visiting the Jia residence and not finding Jia Sheng, Lu Xuan had come to the Huang residence.

Lu Xuan didn't speak, but glanced at the so-called Qingyun County Magistrate Huang Yangping as if he were already dead.

The Qingyun County Magistrate, eh?

"How dare you!"

"Who are you?!"

"Daring to intrude upon the residence of a government official!"

"This official thinks you've got a death wish!"

"Guards!"

Huang Yangping unleashed his Bone Tempering Realm cultivation, looking warily at Lu Xuan at the door.

What was happening to him? He, a Bone Tempering Realm martial artist, was actually feeling fear.

Lu Xuan didn't answer Huang Yangping's question, his body moving like a ghost, appearing before him in an instant!

Under Huang Yangping's horrified gaze, Lu Xuan's large hand pressed down on the crown of his head, internal energy erupting from his palm, destroying Huang Yangping's internal organs and flesh.

Then, Lu Xuan followed the same method, killing the other two people in the room, before turning into a blur and disappearing into the horizon.