CHAPTER 138: CHAPTER 139: NARROW ENCOUNTER (3,000 WORDS)

Seeing the sofa rolling towards him, Lu Ren gently shook his wrist, and the light Feiyan Sword in his hand shimmered under the dim light, splitting the sofa directly in half.

Having completed this series of actions in the blink of an eye, Lu Ren did not pause for a moment. His arm muscles suddenly swelled, and the muscles of his shoulders, neck, and back were extraordinarily pronounced.

At this moment, Yang Zan had already darted out, intending to grab the longsword hanging on the wall. It was too late to shout for help now. His whole body was tense, and if he relaxed even a little, causing a slight delay, he would find himself in an extremely dangerous situation.

However, as fast as he was, Lu Ren was faster. The Phoenix Falcon Fist he specialized in was already inclined towards speed. At this moment, under the operation of his entire body’s muscles and bones, he pounced fiercely at lightning speed, like an arrow leaving the string, crossing the ten-meter distance in an instant, landing beside Yang Zan.

The strong inertia did not stop Lu Ren’s forward-leaning body.

Clang!

Hands raised, sword dropped!

In the light, the Longquan Sword in Lu Ren’s hand reflected a silver streak, agile like a swimming dragon. Although he practiced Basic Swordsmanship, every swing of his sword, bolstered by systematic learning, carried an artistic grace.

Yang Zan, who hadn’t made a move for decades, didn’t even have time to react, merely watching Lu Ren’s actions woodenly.

His opponent’s actions were faster than his imagination.

Despair! Fear!

He thought a lifetime of killing had numbed him to life and death, yet now, facing true death, he felt an endless terror.

He couldn’t even speak to beg for mercy in time.

Lying on the shattered glass, He Ling, just shaken out of her stupor, saw a scene that terrified her to the core.

In a flash of silver light, the man she thought of as her reliable support, a so-called master of the Sword Dao, had his head separated from his body. His head flew high, and from the bowl-sized neck, blood sprayed, sprinkling all over as the head hit the ground.

Thud!!

A round object rolled to her feet with the inertia of the fall, warm blood splashing all over her.

Her pupils shrank sharply, her heart racing, wanting to scream, but in extreme fear, her voice was stuck in her throat and wouldn’t come out, only a ’ha ha’ sound echoed in her throat.

Though she also particularly enjoyed tormenting her targets, she had never encountered such a bloody scene before.

Then her gaze shifted slightly, watching Lu Ren silently walking towards her.

Before she could do or say anything, she saw Lu Ren lift the longsword, stabbing straight at her.

Poof!

The soft sound of penetration made her stare at the longsword piercing her heart on her chest, running through her body from behind. As Lu Ren moved his wrist, trying to pull out the sword, she reached out and gripped Lu Ren’s hand tightly, trying to keep the longsword inside her body.

He Ling knew full well that once the longsword left her body, she would quickly die. She had seen such scenes many times and done it many times, thinking she was immune to such situations, but experiencing it herself filled her with unparalleled fear.

Lu Ren showed no expression in response, with only his eyes exposed, filled with indifference. Although this beautiful lady had an outstanding figure and appearance, for Lu Ren, it was at most lamenting it was a pity. He considered whether to take advantage of the situation, but he definitely wouldn’t show it externally.

Cold-blooded, indifferent, decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

He had read the information; this woman’s hands had stained with at least twenty or thirty lives, extremely cruel, very fond of torturing others.

Watching He Ling lying in a pool of blood, Lu Ren didn’t let his guard down at all. He scanned around and, confirming there was no one else, took out his phone and compared it with someone, then slightly relaxed his brows upon confirmation.

"The first one..."

...

...

Early in the morning of that night.

In a luxurious presidential suite of a top night club in Shu Capital, Lu Ren, holding the lightweight Longquan, quietly watched the Mediterranean middle-aged man lying on the blood-soaked bed sheets.

The middle-aged man’s eyes were wide open, staring fixedly at Lu Ren, but he had long since lost any breath.

Lu Ren felt nothing about this, using his longsword to flip the pillow next to the corpse, revealing a handgun underneath. The distance between the middle-aged man’s hand and the gun was only half an inch, and with just a little more time, he would have reached the gun.

"Ding, you executed the enemy with one blow using Basic Swordsmanship. You have gained a subtle understanding of Basic Swordsmanship and found a seemingly more effortless method to kill. Skill level increased by 100."

He glanced at the opponent expressionlessly for the last time, then turned and left.

The opponent’s martial skills were excellent, with such a strong sense of vigilance that even Lu Ren found it troublesome. Yet relying on the agility given by the Phoenix Falcon Fist, the opponent still died easily by Lu Ren’s sword.

This was the fourth one.

Four martial artists from the Assassination Swordsmanship School, two Great Perfectionists of Fist Technique, one being Yang Zan, who due to old age and long-term inactivity was cut down by Lu Ren in a thunderstorm,

The other was Zhang Qingzhong, about thirty-five years old, vigorous in energy, unfortunately facing Lu Ren bare-handed.

After dodging two swords, the third sword pierced directly through the heart, killing him.

Facing a Lu Ren proficient in Swordsmanship and the Great Perfection of Fist Technique, Zhang Qingzhong still erupted with astounding combat skills, eventually forcing Lu Ren to resort to the Yan Form, with dual swords to execute the Phoenix Falcon Flapping Wing Change from the Phoenix Falcon Fist, slaying him.

As for the remaining two skilled martial artists of the Hidden Kill Stream, in front of a Great Perfectionist of Fist Technique wielding a weapon, they were truly like fish on a chopping board, hardly flopping before falling silent.

When Lu Ren left the nightclub and walked along the dark corners, he suddenly halted.

He looked indifferently at the tall and robust figure ahead, who at this moment appeared truly broad and heavy.

Like an ancient warrior, if clad in heavy armor, he would be a formidable opponent against ten thousand.

It’s Yan Zhenghua!

That wide and fat hand was surprisingly nimble, flipping a coin expertly, making it dance on his fingertips.

"This is the fourth, right? Who’s next?"

Seeing Lu Ren brimming with killing intent with no sign of restraint, how could Yan Zhenghua not know that Lu Ren would never relent?

Lu Ren moved his gaze away from the longsword hanging by Yan Zhenghua’s side, and spoke lightly.

"Pengdi."

A flicker of surprise flashed in Yan Zhenghua’s eyes, and he asked in return: "You’re not looking for anyone else? This old guy isn’t easy to deal with. If he were ten or so years younger, he might have already reached the threshold of Bright Awakening. Even if his physical strength has declined, it’s still quite risky."

The strength levels among Great Perfectionists of Fist Technique vary, as entering the Great Perfection Realm of Fist Technique is merely the refinement of one’s body and soul to the pinnacle of human capability.

Yet those immersed for decades experience no further boost in physical quality, but their skill mastery, secret techniques from their martial arts schools, and especially their exploration of spiritual power, all widen the gap between individuals.

Not to mention, a person like Pengdi, in his youth, could certainly have broken through the threshold to achieve the name of Extraordinary Martial Taoist Family.

Lu Ren smirked, do you not see who stands before you?

Have you not heard of my demonstration of the Great Perfection Realm of Fist Technique strength during Professor Li Changming’s class?

Are you unaware of the news?

What courage supports you in standing here?

"Just him, since he sent four swordsmen of the Assassination Swordsmanship to kill me, I will eliminate all four high-level members of the Hidden Kill Swordsmanship."

Yan Zhenghua frowned and said, "This is indeed the territory of the Hidden Kill Swordsmanship Stream. If you go in, you might be surrounded and killed. You need to understand, your current actions are merely personal vendettas, and how they react to you wouldn’t be too excessive."

Lu Ren looked at Yan Zhenghua with a deeper meaning: "Did someone come to ask you to mediate?"

An awkward smile appeared on Yan Zhenghua’s face.

"How could you say that?"

"Did they offer you a lot of money?"

Yan Zhenghua coughed twice, seemingly feeling his image might suffer, and quickly waved his hand.

"Be careful not to say such things recklessly, I will accuse you of defamation, you’re slandering me!!"

Lu Ren was speechless: "Then why are you here?"

Actually, Lu Ren was not a reckless person. This action was calculated after assessing the pros and cons. He had done plenty of preparation work and devised at least two contingency plans.

Lu Ren couldn’t help but touch his somewhat bulging waist, even though Zhang Li said firearms were not allowed. In times of crisis, who cares? Besides, there are many other means to use, aren’t there?

"Wanted to come and discuss the stakes with you."

"It’s my business."

Having confirmed with Zhang Li that it was a Jianghu vendetta, how to proceed was Lu Ren’s own affair.

Yan Zhenghua sighed softly at his words and shook his head slightly.

He walked slowly to remain ten steps away from Yan Zhenghua and said, "Boss Yan, what guidance do you have for me?"

Yan Zhenghua didn’t answer immediately. He stared fixedly at Lu Ren for three seconds before sighing and saying: "I didn’t expect you to achieve the Great Perfection of Fist Technique in just over three years, it’s unbelievable, a Great Perfectionist under thirty."

"So, you knew."

"Oh, how could I not know?"

When Lu Ren teamed up with Li Changming in the Security Department, his punch amazed everyone, silently reaching the Great Perfection Realm of Fist Technique, causing quite a commotion within the department.

Despite his solitary nature, Lu Ren hadn’t had much interaction with the leading martial arts factions in the Security Department, and even if there was interaction, it wasn’t a pleasant experience, so he wasn’t very aware of it.

A Great Perfectionist under thirty, who had been practicing martial arts for barely four years, was truly astonishing.

Seeing Yan Zhenghua’s expression of disbelief, Lu Ren remained calm.

"The clumsy guard of the Buddhist Five Peaks Mountain Vajra Stream reached Fist Technique Great Perfection at the age of twenty-six, and Li Kan of the Taoist Sect’s Wudang True Martial Demon-Vanquishing Fist School reached Great Perfection of Fist Technique at twenty-eight. If you told me that, I wouldn’t believe it either."