Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 26

The seemingly deranged man staggered back from the recoil of his own strike, staring at Lu Xuan in disbelief, as if his entire worldview had been shattered.

The man before him looked impossibly young—no older than twenty—yet he had effortlessly blocked a full-force cleaver strike with just two fingers.

Is this guy at the Bone-Forging Realm?

He himself was a master of the Muscle-Tempering Realm. At his full strength, he could bisect an ox with a single slash. Yet this youth had stopped it like it was nothing.

“Who… who the hell are you?!“

Before the man could react further, Liang Cheng, now furious, drew the saber at his waist. “You dare attack us? You’re dead!”

The man—Zhang—dodged with unnatural agility, using the momentum to leap backward and put distance between them.

“Did that damned official send you?” he spat, his voice venomous. “That bastard—I’ll drag him to hell with me even if I die!”

His eyes burned with hatred, like a vengeful ghost. For years, he had hidden here, pretending to be mad. No one knew his true identity.

Yet these two had appeared out of nowhere—one of them a constable, the very kind of lackey he despised most.

Who else would come after a “madman” but that dog official’s men?

But before he could even finish his curses, a crushing gust of wind blasted against his face.

A towering figure now loomed over him, casting a shadow that swallowed his entire frame.

Lu Xuan stood before him, silent and imposing.

Zhang’s pupils dilated. Cold sweat trickled down his grime-streaked face, dripping onto the dirt below.

Was he… trembling?

A calm voice snapped him out of his daze.

“It seems I was right,” Lu Xuan said, his tone indifferent. “Senior Zhang does practice movement techniques.”

A Muscle-Tempering cultivator shouldn’t have been able to evade Liang Cheng’s sudden attack—yet Zhang had moved with speed rivaling a Bone-Forging expert.

Zhang didn’t answer. His feet shifted slightly, muscles tensing as if preparing to flee.

But before he could act, a heavy hand clamped onto his shoulder, pinning him in place like a boulder had been strapped to his back.

“Senior Zhang,” Lu Xuan continued, “I have no connection to the official you despise. I came only for your movement technique.”

He spoke plainly, dispelling Zhang’s assumptions.

…He’s not with them?

Some of the tension left Zhang’s body, though suspicion lingered.

The truth was obvious now—this young man’s strength far surpassed his own. If Lu Xuan had wanted him dead, he would already be a corpse.

Satisfied that Zhang had calmed, Lu Xuan released his grip.

“Well?” Lu Xuan asked. “What is your answer?”

Zhang’s lips twisted into a bitter grin. “Hah! Then how about this—kill that damned official and the bastard who ruined my daughter. Do that, and I’ll give you the technique. Hell, I’ll give you my life too!”

His voice cracked with desperation. This stranger might be his only hope for vengeance.

For years, he had fantasized about torturing his daughter’s murderer, making him suffer as she had.

Lu Xuan studied him silently, his gaze cool and unreadable—as if Zhang were a fool.

Did this man really think a mere movement technique was worth assassinating a government official?

The risk was absurd.

And for all Lu Xuan knew, the technique might be flawed or incomplete.

His silence extinguished the fire in Zhang’s eyes.

Of course. No sane person would take such a deal.

Just as Lu Xuan turned to leave, Zhang blurted out:

“Wait! Just—just capture that bastard for me! Bring him here, and the technique is yours!”

Lu Xuan didn’t even glance back.

“Please!” Zhang’s voice turned ragged. “You know who I am—you’ve heard what happened. Do you know why I vanished for half a month back then?”

Lu Xuan paused.

Zhang exhaled sharply. “Purpleblood Ganoderma.“

The name sent a ripple through Lu Xuan’s composure.

Purpleblood Ganoderma was an exceptionally rare medicinal herb—its potency ten times greater than the Red Essence Fungus Lu Xuan had once consumed.

Zhang’s eyes reddened.

That herb… was why he had left his daughter unprotected.

“I don’t even need you to kill him,” Zhang whispered hoarsely. “Just hold off his guards. I’ll do the rest.”

He couldn’t wait any longer. Every day that monster lived was agony.

Lu Xuan finally turned.

“And how do I know you’re not lying?”

A flicker of interest had entered his eyes.

Zhang’s offer was… tempting.

Too tempting.

In the end, Lu Xuan faced him again.

He was offering too much.

Far more than Lu Xuan could refuse.