Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 40

Chen Shi stared at Lu Xuan in astonishment, even feeling a sense of absurdity. For a moment, he wondered if his old mind was playing tricks on him, conjuring illusions.

Who would have thought he’d run into the young master of the Lu Family Medicine Shop in a place like this?

Wasn’t it said that this young master of the Lu family rarely left home?

Him appearing alone in the rugged mountains was one thing, but here—right at the doorstep of the Black Wind Bandit leader’s lair? That was downright strange.

Another person who gasped in surprise was Ye Qingxuan.

Her beautiful eyes swept over Lu Xuan, as if trying to confirm whether he was the wealthy young noble she had once met. She never expected to encounter the man she’d seen at the Drunken Immortal Inn in Shili Town again—especially in the depths of this remote wilderness.

Hmph. What’s someone doing in these mountains, right at the foot of a bandit stronghold? Who’s to say he isn’t secretly colluding with them?

Might as well capture him—maybe we can squeeze some information about the Black Wind leader out of him.

At that moment, Su Tianqi stepped forward, his eyes burning with hostility as he glared at Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan wore an elegant black brocade robe, a sash of fine silk tied at his waist. His sharp, ink-black hair swayed slightly in the wind, his handsome face exuding an air of natural authority, his gaze as calm as still water.

The flames of jealousy in Su Tianqi’s eyes threatened to erupt, as if he wanted nothing more than to devour Lu Xuan whole.

Especially after seeing the way Ye Qingxuan was looking at him.

Damn bitch!

Sensing the malicious stare and the accusation of being a bandit accomplice, Lu Xuan glanced at Su Tianqi in mild confusion.

Do I even know this man?

Why does he act like we have some deep-seated grudge, as if he wants me dead?

But Lu Xuan didn’t dwell on it. He could already tell this man was nothing more than a Bone-Forging Realm ant. If the fool truly intended to harm him, Lu Xuan wouldn’t hesitate to crush him without a second thought.

Seeing Su Tianqi slander Lu Xuan as a bandit, Chen Shi quickly stepped in to mediate, forcing a smile.

“A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! Officer Su, this young man is an acquaintance of mine—there’s no way he’s involved with bandits.”

Old Master Lu had once treated Chen Shi’s ailments, so he couldn’t just stand by and let Su Tianqi falsely accuse Lu Xuan.

Though he had no idea why Lu Xuan was here in the first place.

Ye Qingxuan, unable to tolerate Su Tianqi’s baseless accusations any longer, snapped, “Su Tianqi! Stop spouting nonsense!”

Chen Shi hurried over to Lu Xuan, lowering his voice in concern.

“Young Lu, what are you doing here?”

“This place is crawling with ruthless bandits—it’s dangerous. We’re here today to wipe them out. You should leave immediately.”

“Bandits?”

Lu Xuan paused for a moment upon hearing their purpose, but his expression remained unchanged.

“I see. Thank you for the warning, Uncle Chen. I’ll take my leave now.”

Li Yanran, seeing that Lu Xuan was someone Chen knew, lost interest.

Their priority was to swiftly eliminate Fang Sheng, the leader of the Black Wind Stronghold. She turned to Chen Shi and said, “Enough delay, Constable Chen. Lead the way.”

Lu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching as Chen Shi and the others ascended the mountain. His deep, shadowed eyes gleamed faintly, lost in thought.

So they were here to exterminate the bandits—and the direction they were heading was exactly where that bandit had earlier pointed out.

In that case, Lu Xuan wouldn’t need to intervene.

Because he had already sensed it—among their group was a Blood-Forging Realm martial artist.

Even though the person had suppressed their aura, the overwhelming vitality unique to a Blood-Forging expert couldn’t escape Lu Xuan’s perception.

A Blood-Forging martial artist?

It seems that bandit wasn’t lying—they really do have a Blood-Forging master.

Otherwise, why would such a powerhouse appear in a small backwater like Qingyun County?

An unfamiliar Blood-Forging expert—one Lu Xuan had never seen before—must have come specifically for that bandit leader.

Once the group disappeared from view, Lu Xuan’s mind stirred, channeling his inner qi.

His figure blurred, flickering like a ghost before vanishing entirely, leaving behind only a fading afterimage that dissipated within seconds.

…..

On the mountainside…

Chen Shi expertly guided Li Yanran and the others forward until a massive stronghold came into view.

But then, Chen Shi suddenly halted, his expression turning wary as he scanned the surroundings.

Strange… Why haven’t we encountered a single bandit along the way?

Logically, a bandit stronghold like this should have scouts and traps everywhere.

The last time he had been ordered by the magistrate to sweep the mountains and eliminate the bandits, he’d faced numerous ambushes.

Yet now—nothing. No bandits, no traps.

His face darkened with concern as he turned to Li Yanran.

“Officer Li, be careful. Something’s off—we haven’t seen a single bandit. I suspect a trap!”

Li Yanran paid no heed to his warning. Ordinary bandits were nothing more than insects to her.

The only one in this entire stronghold worth her attention was Fang Sheng, the Black Wind leader.

With a dismissive wave, she dashed toward the stronghold with her two companions.

“No need. You two stay here. Let’s go.”

“But—”

Before Chen Shi could protest further, Ye Qingxuan stopped him.

“Uncle Chen, there’s no need to worry about Sister Yanran.”

“Have you forgotten? She’s a Blood-Forging Realm expert—what could a few petty bandits hiding in the mountains possibly do to her?”

“…You’re right.”

Without hesitation, Li Yanran reached the stronghold’s gates in moments, followed closely by Su Tianqi and the silent, burly Chen Lingfeng.

Her sharp eyes swept over the two watchtowers flanking the entrance—both empty.

The oddity made her brow furrow slightly, but only for an instant.

Then, she spoke coolly:

“Tianqi, Lingfeng—if you see any bandits, deal with them. I’ll handle Fang Sheng.”

“Yes, Officer Li!”

Chen Lingfeng, who had remained silent the entire time, finally spoke in unison with Su Tianqi.

BOOM!

A deafening crash echoed as the stronghold’s gates were obliterated by a single palm strike from Li Yanran, the massive doors exploding into splinters that rained down in all directions.