The middle-aged man could do nothing but present himself in front of Lu Yun as ordered. The young man reached out and took a flaming red fruit from the baskets hanging off the carrying pole. He crunched noisily after taking a bite.
âAlthough this flame fruit isnât a spirit fruit, it tastes not bad.â A nodding Lu Yun smacked his lips.
âIf the gentleman likes, this humble one can give you all of these fruits,â the trembling man offered with fear and reluctance.
âLu Yun!â hectored the Lu second master, unable to accept what was happening in front of him.
Lu Yun paid his uncle no mind and cocked his head, sizing up the seemingly honest and simple man. A gentle smile played on his lips. âYo, youâd win an Oscar if you were on Earth.â
âAn Oscar? What is that?â Both the Lu second master and middle-aged man blinked when they heard the unfamiliar word.
Lu Yun reached out and gently caressed the manâs face.
He suddenly wound his hand back and slapped the man across the face. How could the latter stand up to Lu Yun when he was only six levels qi refinement? Not to mention that he didnât dare offer any resistance.
He spun around on the spot and spat out several teeth before falling to the ground. Lu Yun swiftly followed up with a few vicious stomps on the downed man.
âHow dare you piece of shit try to fool this young master with a flame fruit?! Do you really think Iâm a beggar??â Lu Yun cursed as he kicked and beat the man.
âMercy, mercy, sir! This humble one will never dare do so again, never!â the man wailed as he suffered a torrent of blows.
âLu Yun!â The Lu second master could no longer bear what he was seeing and ran forward to stop his nephew. He wasnât the only one, many cultivators in the surroundings also itched to rush forward and teach the bully a lesson.
But they all quieted down when they saw Lu Xuan standing ramrod straight next to Lu Yun. That was a golden core powerhouse!
Lu Yun stopped when he saw Lu Xiaochi draw near. Having lost all of his cultivation, his second uncle was less than a cultivator now and could not withstand the strength of someone at seven levels qi refinement.
âYou may go,â Lu Xiaochi said with a frown when he saw Lu Yun pause his abuse.
âYes, yes, yes, thank you second master! Thank you!â The middle-aged man forfeited his carrying pole as he scrambled off to the side.
âHalt! Did I say you could go? Lu Xuan!â Lu Yun tilted his head back and called out lazily. His guard flashed out like a ghost, returning with the middle-aged man dangling from his hand like a dead dog.
Lu Xuan was a deathsworn raised by Lu Tianling to be Lu Yunâs guard. He obeyed the young manâs commands without question or an inkling of hesitation.
âThis young master is too poor these days. Hand over your storage bags, rings, or whatever.â Lu Yun cocked his head like a ruffian and lazily regarded the honest man.
The Lu second masterâs expression was wooden. As they said, to know a man by reputation was not as good as meeting him face to face. It was always far better to see someone in person than to hear of them from others.
Lu Yun was called the pestilence of Dark City and he well deserved the title. But when Lu Xiaochi heard his nephew demand the vendorâs storage bags and rings, he sighed all the same.
Lu Tianling was wise and awe-inspiring, yet his only grandson failed so spectacularly to live up to expectation and was so magnificently incompetent!
Storage bags were regarded as more precious items in Darklake Cultivation Empire. How would a civilian of the qi refinement stage afford one? Storage rings were even more valuable, not even wandering cultivators of golden core might possess them.
Only children and disciples of powerful families such as Lu Yun would own them, yet he was demanding them from a qi refinement civilian?? This nephew of his was beyond ridiculous!
What the Lu second master failed to notice was a hint of true panic that flashed through the manâs eyes when he heard the demand.
âYouâre not going to hand them over, are you?â Lu Yun cackled and smacked the vendor again, then manhandled him roughly in search of the items. When he fished out a storage bag the size of a palm from the manâs robes, he lightly slapped the latterâs dantian.
Color drained from the manâs face as his dantian was destroyed and his cultivation crippled.
âLu Xuan, throw him into the sewers.â Lu Yun waved the man away with distaste. âThe fuck, you hollered and danced in front of me with a pole of flame fruits for four years. Do you really think this young masterâs gone senile and lost my memory, that I canât remember you? You may enjoy the act, but Iâm completely over it.â
There was no light left in the manâs eyes anymore. Lu Xuan grabbed him and vanished with a quick jump.
âDonât you think youâre out of line, Lu Yun??â Lu Xiaochi shook with fury. Seeing that Lu Yun had retrieved a storage bag from the manâs robes, he thought that Lu Yun had done the deed because he desired the manâs wealth.
âThe dude was pretty richâthereâs a storage ring inside his bag. Tsk tsk,â Lu Yun clucked his tongue when he found a stage ring inside the bag.
This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
âWhat a pity that the man was only one step away from establishing his foundations. He was fortunate enough to obtain a seniorâs storage ring and couldâve joined the army, but itâs all empty dreams after encountering a hooligan like you,â Lu Xiaochi sighed when he saw the ring.
Meanwhile, Lu Yun chuckled at his second uncleâs words.
âSecond uncle, this thingâs interesting. You can have it.â Lu Yun retrieved a blue stone the size of a fist from the ring and tossed it at Lu Xiaochi. The man blinked as he reflexively caught the stone.
âThis is⌠a communication stone?â Lu Xiaochi paused. When he looked up again, he saw only Lu Yunâs back and Lu Xuan sticking to him like a shadow.
âLu Yun, do you know what this is?â Lu Xiaochi quickly caught up to his nephew.
âThat was the only thing inside the storage ring apart from spirit stones. I have no use for it, so you can have it, second uncle,â Lu Yun said casually.
Lu Xiaochi sighed inwardly. Heâd thought that his nephew had suddenly grown a brain, but it seemed to be pure coincidence. Communication stones were exceedingly rare and, in fact, restricted items within the empire. Only the army could use them; it was an incredible crime for civilians to possess them. Ordinary families wouldnât pass messages through communication stones.
It was normal for a sheltered noble scion like Lu Yun not to recognize it. But since Lu Xiaochi had followed Lu Tiangling since he was a child and fought by the war godâs side, he naturally recognized the communication stone.
âItâs just a rock, thereâs no need to make a big deal out of it.â Lu Yun waved him off. âIf second uncle likes it, you can have it. There are only a few mid rank spirit stones inside the storage ring⌠Man, even the storage bag is more valuableâŚâ
Lu Xiaochi smiled wryly at Lu Yunâs sigh and placed the stone inside his robes. He was certain now that it was a happy coincidence that his nephew had crippled the vendor. The vendor was also a spy that an enemy family had planted near the Lus.
âIâm so hungry, letâs go eat at Immortal Gathering.â Lu Yun rubbed his stomach and looked at the sun in the sky.
Another wave of resignation struck Lu Xiaochi. Immortal Gathering was Dark Cityâs biggest restaurant and it belonged to one of the seven great familiesâthe Mo Clan. The Mos were, without a doubt, the foremost family in the city. They were the largest beneath the imperial family.
The Lus were able to meet them toe-to-toe, and more, when the former was in its prime. But the Lu Clan now boasted of only Lu Tianling and no other nascent soul powerhouses. If it wasnât for Lu Tianling hanging on for dear life, the Lus would likely immediately collapse and become a third-rate family.
âHuh? Whatâs that?â Lu Yunâs eyelids jumped when they took a few steps out and saw a pill pavilion of immense scale. Its signboard proclaimed it to be the âLingtian Pill Pavilionâ.
âWhen did this Lingtian Pill Pavilion appear?â Lu Yun frowned.
âThis pavilion belongs to the Ling Clan, they opened shop when you were unconscious,â Lu Xiaochi explained when he saw Lu Yunâs expression. âYour grandfather is heavily depleted right now, so donât provoke the Lings.â
He couldnât help warning since the Lings were also one of the seven great families and stronger than the Lus.
âPfft,â Lu Yun curled his lip. âMy grandfather is called Tianling, but this pavilion is Lingtian. Theyâre doing this on purpose! Hmph!â
He snapped open his pornographic fan with a loud crack and sauntered into the pill pavilion.
Behind him, Lu Xiaochi smacked himself on the forehead. What was the point of saying all that to the kid? The Lings and Lus didnât have a conflict of interest and appeared to be friendly with each other on the surface, but Lu Yun had secretly clashed with many of their sons under the table.
There was no one apart from Lu Tianling who could keep this young master in check. The Lu second master absolutely lacked that ability.
The general manager of Lingtian Pill Pavilion started when Lu Yun sauntered in, then smirked with barely imperceptible derision.
âLook whoâs arrived, itâs young master Lu! Come in, come in! Ah Lian, serve tea!â He quickly welcomed their latest guest with a wide smile.
âYouâve got some nerve calling yourself the Lingtian Pill Pavilion,â Lu Yun said leisurely as he looked around.
There were quite a few cultivators in the pill pavilion, but they scattered like startled birds when they saw Lu Yun. He was the only customer left in the massive hall within the blink of an eye.
âNot at all, not at all. Young master Lu is always so humorous.â The general manager smiled a smile that didnât reach his eyes.
âAlright then, give me five hundred of the third rank King Qi Pill,â Lu Yun demanded after brief thought.