Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 51

Inside the county jail, flickering candlelight lined the narrow corridor, casting dim, wavering shadows across the decrepit cells.

From the depths of the prison, agonized screams echoed—men’s voices, howling in pain, their cries enough to chill the blood.

“You bastards have some nerve!”

“Daring to lay a hand on Old Master Lu? You must have a death wish!”

“You worthless trash, don’t you know he’s Brother Cheng’s uncle?”

“Brother Cheng gave us orders—we’ll stay up all night if we have to, just to ‘take care’ of you lot!”

“Talk! Who sent you to assassinate Old Master Lu? Spill it, and we’ll stop the beating!”

Inside a crude cell, two young constables stood, short whips in hand, lashing out at several bound men. The prisoners were in terrible shape—their flesh torn, bloodied, faces streaked with wounds.

“Damn it, still not talking?”

“Fine, let’s take a break. We’ll deal with you properly later.”

The two constables, exhausted from the beating, stepped out of the cell and slumped beside a rickety wooden table, gulping down water.

A sudden breeze swept through the corridor, extinguishing most of the candles. Only a few remained lit, plunging the already gloomy prison into deeper darkness.

Before the constables could react, their vision went black—consciousness slipping away.

A tall, imposing figure strode toward the cell where the beaten men were held.

The prisoners, their mouths stuffed with rags, had just begun to relax, relieved at the temporary reprieve—until a strikingly handsome man appeared before them, removing the gags.

The burliest of the bound men, tied in the center, frowned. He didn’t recognize the stranger, but a sense of dread settled over him.

“Who the hell are you?!” he barked. “Hey! Those little bastards outside—someone’s here!”

“I am Lu Xuan,” the man replied coldly. “Son of Lu Jiahe.”

“You—”

The three prisoners froze, their faces twisting in terror as if they’d seen a ghost.

Lu Xuan’s gaze was icy, devoid of emotion—as though he were looking at corpses.

The central thug, after a moment of shock, sneered at Lu Xuan’s youthful appearance.

“Heh! So you’re that old fool Lu Jiahe’s brat?” he jeered. “What, you think a little whelp like you can make us talk?”

“If pain won’t loosen your tongues,” Lu Xuan said flatly, “then I’ll make you feel something worse.”

His hand shot out, clamping onto the thug’s skull. A surge of violent inner energy tore through the man’s body.

“AHHH—!”

In less than half an incense stick’s time, Lu Xuan glanced at the lifeless bodies before him—their insides shredded by his energy—then turned and walked away without a backward glance.

He had his answer.

The Huang Family.

…..

In the residence of Deputy Magistrate Huang Yangping, three men huddled in a private chamber, while outside, an elderly steward stood guard—the Huang family’s trusted butler.

Inside were Huang Yangping himself, Jia Sheng, and Huang Yangping’s son, Huang Wen.

“Brother-in-law, what do we do?” Jia Sheng paced anxiously. “Those idiots were caught! What if they rat me out?”

Huang Yangping sat calmly in his chair, his expression unreadable.

Jia Sheng, seeing his indifference, pleaded, “You can’t just abandon me!”

“Fool!” Huang Yangping snapped. “So what if they name you? Where’s the proof? Deny it!”

“Oh… right!” Jia Sheng’s face lit up with realization. “Thank heavens I didn’t leave any evidence with them.”

Huang Yangping sighed in exasperation before asking, “Did Lu Jiahe die?”

“No!” Jia Sheng scowled. “The old bastard’s tough as nails. The poison I prepared—deadly enough to kill a bull—didn’t finish him!”

He frowned, puzzled. The venom had been extracted from rare, lethal snakes—it should have been incurable. Yet, reports from the Lu family confirmed the old man had survived.

Silence hung in the room until Huang Yangping finally spoke again.

“If Lu Jiahe survived, he’ll be on guard now. Getting to him again won’t be easy.”

“In that case… we’ll strike at his sons instead,” he mused. “Let the old man suffer the pain of losing his children.”

“Right! Wise as always, brother-in-law.” Jia Sheng grinned, his face twisting into an ugly smirk.

Huang Yangping nodded, then turned to his son. “Wen, you’re still injured. Rest for now. In the coming days, assist your uncle as needed.”

“Yes, Father.”

BOOM!

The door exploded inward as a body crashed through it, slamming onto the floor.

Huang Yangping’s eyes widened in shock.

It was the Huang family’s steward—his chest caved in, a massive footprint embedded in his ribs.

Lu Xuan stepped inside, his cold gaze sweeping over the three men.

He had just come from the Jia residence. Not finding Jia Sheng there, he had come straight to the Huang family.

Without a word, he looked at Huang Yangping—the so-called Deputy Magistrate of Qingyun County—as if he were already dead.

“How dare you!” Huang Yangping roared, his aura flaring—the power of a seasoned Bone-Tempering Realm martial artist. “Who are you to barge into an official’s residence? Do you have a death wish?! Guards!”

Yet despite his strength, an inexplicable fear gripped him.

Lu Xuan didn’t answer.

In a blur, he appeared before Huang Yangping—his hand clamping onto the man’s skull.

A surge of inner energy erupted, tearing through flesh and bone from within.

Huang Yangping’s eyes bulged in horror—then went blank.

Lu Xuan repeated the process with the other two before vanishing into the night like a ghost.