Chapter 21: Adding Fuel to the Fire.

Early morning.

Lu Xuan opened his eyes.

Beside him, Shen Yuyan was still asleep, her long eyelashes trembling slightly with each breath. Last night... they had tossed and turned until midnight again, leaving her so exhausted that even the morning light couldn't wake her.

Her veil had slipped off.

Without it, the red spots covering her face were impossible to miss. Her skin, which had been smooth as snow and supple as a newborn's the night before, was once again covered in uneven red marks, scattered across her cheeks and forehead like a stubborn rash that refused to disappear.

But Lu Xuan didn't look away.

At such a close distance, with nothing hiding her face, he could see what others never bothered to see: a high-bridged nose, vermilion lips, eyebrows like strokes of dark ink, a perfectly shaped jawline, and a slender neck disappearing beneath the blanket.

She was beautiful.

Devastatingly beautiful.

The only thing hiding that beauty was the layer of red spots left behind by the curse. Most people recoiled the moment they saw her face, never staying long enough to look closely and discover the breathtaking woman underneath.

Lu Xuan's gaze softened.

To completely cure these red spots...

Would it really require a Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus and someone at the Great Grandmaster Realm?

That was an absurd price, he hadn't heard about the realm yet.

And yet, looking at her sleeping face, Lu Xuan couldn't help but feel that if he had the ability to cure her someday, no price would be too high.

He watched her quietly for a while before finally getting out of bed.

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[Ding! Sleep Cultivation complete.]

[Five Animals Transformation Art progress: 89%.]

[Deer Form: Great Perfection. Tiger Form: Great Perfection. Bear Form: 95%. Crane Form: 85%. Ape Form: 65%.]

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

[Current Realm: Martial Apprentice Realm: Perfection.]

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Lu Xuan clenched his fists, feeling the faint strength gathering in his fingers. The sensation made his heart beat faster, but he forced himself to loosen his grip before his excitement carried him away.

Martial Apprentice Realm.

Perfection.

One more night of sleep, and he would finally break through.

Then he would enter the Martial Artist Realm.

At that point, he would be able to release True Energy beyond his body and injure people from a distance. It was the true threshold into the world of martial experts, and it meant he would no longer be helpless if someone tried to attack him.

Lu Hao was also a Martial Artist.

Second level.

Lu Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He remembered Lu Hao's arrogant expression and the way he had treated him as worthless. The thought of finally standing above him made a cold satisfaction rise in his chest.

A few more days, and Lu Hao would no longer be his match.

However, there was still a considerable distance between him and the Lu Family's Elders, not to mention his second uncle.

Those people were all Martial Masters of the Spirit Gathering Realm, a realm above the Martial Artist Realm. Their accumulated strength, experience, and influence were far beyond what Lu Xuan possessed now.

Lu Xuan quickly suppressed the excitement in his heart. He lowered his gaze and took a slow breath, reminding himself that a single careless decision could expose everything he had hidden for years.

No rush, stay steady.

He had already endured for more than a decade.

There was no reason to throw everything away now because his strength had finally begun to rise.

Without absolute certainty, he would never take unnecessary risks.

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At the same time, at the Lu Family, Lu Tianhe stood in the main hall, staring down at a corpse laid out on the cold stone floor.

It was a Martial Academy apprentice, he was dead, as dead as he could be.

And his death had been ugly.

Beside the corpse lay a small token. The emblem of Flying Cloud Fortress was clearly engraved upon it.

Lu Tianhe's face was cold enough to freeze the air, "Flying Cloud Fortress."

His voice carried a dangerous chill.

"They kill my Lu Family's people... and leave a token behind as a calling card?"

Lu Hao stood below him, head lowered, not daring to meet his father's eyes.

"Father, Flying Cloud Fortress has indeed been arrogant lately. Last time, we intercepted one of their escort missions, and ten of their men died."

He hesitated.

"Could this be retaliation?"

Lu Tianhe slowly raised his head.

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"Whether it is or not doesn't matter."

His gaze hardened, "Anyone who kills my Lu Family's people must pay the price."

He turned toward Lu Hao, "Go investigate. Find the Flying Cloud Fortress outposts outside the city."

His voice became colder, "Once you find them, report to me."

"Yes."

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At Flying Cloud Fortress, Huo Tianba sat on a tiger-skin chair inside the main hall.

Before him lay the corpse of one of his scouts, his face completely caved in by a single punch. The fatal wound was unmistakable.

Beside the corpse, the man's stiffening hand still clutched a jade pendant bearing the Lu Family's emblem.

Huo Tianba stared at it, his jaw tightening.

"Lu Tianhe..."

His teeth ground together.

"To kill my Flying Cloud Fortress's people..."

His second-in-command stepped forward cautiously.

"Fortress Master, the Lu Family isn't someone we can easily provoke..."

"Not someone we can easily provoke?"

Huo Tianba suddenly slammed his palm against the armrest.

Crack!

The wood split beneath his hand. His eyes burned with fury.

"Is my Flying Cloud Fortress easy to trifle with?"

His voice thundered through the hall.

"Do they think I have no one left?!"

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

At the Escort Agency, Lu Xuan sat in the gatehouse. He had originally planned to slack off for a while and perhaps catch some sleep.

After all, if he slept enough, he would reach the Martial Artist Realm a day sooner.

Unfortunately, his peaceful plan didn't last long.

Xiao Lin came over again.

"Brother Xuan, have you heard?"

Lu Xuan gave a lazy yawn, "What big thing happened?"

"Your Lu Family's people killed someone from Flying Cloud Fortress!"

Lu Xuan's brows furrowed slightly as he looked at Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin suddenly smiled awkwardly.

"Ah... not your Lu Family."

He quickly corrected himself.

"I mean that bastard Lu Family."

Lu Xuan's expression remained calm, but inwardly he almost laughed.

Xiao Lin's eyes were shining with excitement.

"There's going to be a real show now!"

Lu Xuan casually asked, "What? Have the two sides started fighting?"

"No, no."

Xiao Lin shook his head.

"No news yet. Neither side is easy to provoke, so they're probably still testing each other out."

Lu Xuan nodded slowly.

"Oh."

His gaze lowered.

So they were still hesitating, then it seemed he needed to add a little more fuel to the fire.

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Evening.

Lu Xuan closed the door behind him and walked home. Shen Yuyan was standing beside the stove, and the moment she heard him enter, she turned around with a smile.

"Husband, you're back?"

"Mm."

Lu Xuan sat down, and Shen Yuyan quickly brought the food over, a bowl of brown rice, a plate of vegetables and one egg as usual.

She carefully placed the egg into Lu Xuan's bowl.

"You eat it."

Lu Xuan looked at the egg, then at her.

"Half each."

He broke the egg apart and placed half into her bowl.

Shen Yuyan wanted to refuse, but when she saw the look in his eyes, she quietly lowered her head and took a small bite.

Seeing corners of her mouth curled upward, Lu Xuan smiled too.

"Did you go out today?"

Shen Yuyan's chopsticks paused, "I went to the market."

"Did anything happen?"

There was a hint of concern in Lu Xuan's voice. He was worried she might have encountered someone from the Lu Family again.

Shen Yuyan lowered her eyes, "No."

She hesitated, "It's just... I ran into some people from the Shen Family."

Lu Xuan's expression changed slightly, "People from *your *Shen Family?"

"Shen Wanqing and Shen Wanrong."

Her voice became softer, "They... said a few things."

"What did they say?"

"Nothing much."

Shen Yuyan looked up and gave him a small smile, "Just some idle gossip. I don't mind."

Lu Xuan looked at her for a long moment, he knew she minded.

He could see it in the way she held her chopsticks a little too tightly, in the faint tension around her lips, and in the smile that never quite reached her eyes.

But he didn't press her, if she wanted to tell him, she would.

"Be careful when you go out in the future. Don't go too far alone."

"Mm."

Shen Yuyan nodded.

After finishing the meal, she went to wash the dishes.

Lu Xuan sat on the threshold and looked toward the tree.

Moonlight filtered through the leaves, shifting gently whenever the night breeze passed through them.

Shen Wanqing.

Shen Wanrong.

Lu Xuan silently carved both names into his memory, right beside all the others.