Chapter 17: Martial Apprentice Realm: Level Seven.

At the same time.

The Lu Family.

Lu Hao sat alone in his study, a half-empty cup of tea growing cold beside him. His expression was calm on the surface, but the return of the person he had sent out had already put him on alert.

The servant stepped forward and lowered his head.

"Young Master, I've found out. Flying Cloud Fortress intercepted an escort team near Maple Leaf Town today."

Lu Hao raised an eyebrow.

"Did they succeed?"

"No... no. Flying Cloud Fortress lost ten men, and the escort team escaped."

Lu Hao's brow furrowed.

"Who did it?"

"I... I don't know. It's said there was an expert in the escort team who killed them with one punch each, punching straight through their chests."

Lu Hao fell silent for a moment.

Ten men.

Killed with a single punch each, that was no ordinary martial artist.

"Which escort agency?"

"The Iron Mountain Escort Agency on the west side of the city."

Lu Hao's eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled Fang Tieshan.

He had studied martial arts at the Lu Family Martial Academy more than ten years ago. Later, after changes in the Lu Family's leadership, Fang Tieshan had resigned from his position at the academy and opened his own escort agency.

The Iron Mountain Escort Agency was neither particularly large nor particularly small.

Lu Hao hadn't expected someone so ruthless to be hiding among its escort warriors.

Killing more than ten people from Flying Cloud Fortress meant that whoever had done it would undoubtedly attract trouble sooner or later.

But one thing was certain.

Whoever this expert was, he had nothing to do with the disappearance of the Lu Family's steward or Chen Si.

With that kind of strength, why would he bother hiding in a dark alley to deal with people from the Lu Family?

If he truly wanted to make a move against them, there were far easier ways.

"Continue investigating," Lu Hao said after a moment. "Keep an eye on Flying Cloud Fortress and continue monitoring the Zhao Family's movements."

"Yes."

The servant bowed and withdrew.

Once the door closed, Lu Hao slowly stood up and walked toward the window, outside, the moon hung high in the night sky, bathing the courtyard in pale silver light.

For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was quietly approaching.

Something he couldn't see, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He stared into the darkness for a while before finally shaking his head.

"Probably nothing."

-------------------

Early morning.

[Ding! Sleep cultivation complete.]

[Five Animals Transformation Art progress: 83%.]

[Deer Form: Great Perfection. Tiger Form: Great Perfection. Bear Form: (90%). Crane Form: (80%). Ape Form: 50%.]

[Demon-Subduing Righteous Sun Blade progress: 0%.]

[Current Realm: Martial Apprentice Realm: Level Seven.]

Lu Xuan opened his eyes.

A familiar feeling of power flowed through his body, and a small smile appeared on his face.

The three-day round trip had not been nearly as comfortable as sleeping at home, but the journey back had been much easier. Sitting on the empty cart, Lu Xuan had slept soundly almost the entire way.

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Of course, that hadn't stopped Old Guo and the others from giving him the same dirty looks as before.

Lu Xuan simply couldn't bring himself to care, those people's opinions meant nothing to him now.

For him, nothing was more important than increasing his cultivation.

Although he had killed more than ten mountain bandits this time, he wasn't foolish enough to become arrogant because of it. He knew very well that luck had played a significant part in what happened.

The Five Animals Transformation Art had given him a natural advantage in the forest. The darkness, the trees, the narrow paths...

It was practically his home ground, and the bandits themselves had underestimated him completely.

They had chased after him one by one, practically delivering themselves to his fists.

But if the fight had taken place during the day, on flat and open ground...

Ten against one?

He would have died.

Knowing your own limits was what separated confidence from arrogance.

Lu Xuan chose confidence.

He had no intention of becoming drunk on his own strength.

For now, he only wanted to raise his realm, complete the Five Animals Transformation Art as soon as possible, and properly begin cultivating the Demon-Subduing Righteous Sun Blade.

A few more days of sleep should be enough for him to reach the peak of the Martial Apprentice Realm.

And after that...

The Martial Artist Realm.

Just thinking about it made Lu Xuan's eyes brighten.

--------------------------------

After breakfast, Shen Yuyan suddenly brought out several pieces of embroidery, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Husband, look at this one."

She carefully held up one of the pieces. It was a painting of peonies, the petals layered naturally and the colors blending so smoothly that the flowers looked almost alive.

Lu Xuan stared at it for a moment before smiling. "It's beautiful."

He looked at Shen Yuyan. "Just like you."

The tips of her ears immediately turned red. She lowered her head, trying to hide her embarrassment, but the smile on her lips refused to disappear.

"That lady came again yesterday," she said softly. "She said this piece could sell for one silver piece."

"One silver piece?"

"Mm!"

Shen Yuyan nodded enthusiastically, her eyes practically sparkling. "She said she'll take all my embroidery from now on."

Lu Xuan looked at her quietly. There was something different about her expression now: pride, simple and innocent pride. She held the embroidery in her hands like a child showing her parents a drawing she had spent hours making.

For most of her life, people had looked down on her, mocked her appearance, and treated her as though she were worth less than others. And now, for the first time, someone was telling her that something she had created with her own hands had value, that it was worth money, and that people actually wanted it.

Lu Xuan smiled. "That's wonderful."

Then his expression became a little more serious. "But don't overwork yourself. Money is important, but your health is more important."

Shen Yuyan nodded obediently. "Mm."

Yet even after she lowered the embroidery, the smile on her face remained.