Even his own sister, the Great Xia Emperor Xia Mingyue, probably couldn’t compare to this Lu Xuan.
If he could snatch this martial arts prodigy away from the Li family, that would naturally be the best outcome.
As long as Lu Xuan was willing to pledge allegiance to him, then Xia Mingqing could let bygones be bygones and would absolutely never bring up anything about the Luo family.
Hmph, dead people have no use anymore.
That Xia Mingqing definitely wouldn’t waste his energy meddling in such trivial matters.
Even though the dead man was his own martial arts master, Xia Mingqing still felt no sorrow at all.
Luo Jin’s death only made Xia Mingqing feel like someone had slapped him in the face.
That was why he was so furious.
Now, it all depended on whether that Lu Xuan would come to see him.
To win over this Lu Xuan, Xia Mingqing had gone all out with his sincerity.
That Lu Xuan could make any request he wanted, including his personal maidservant Chen Luomeng.
Hehehe!
Xia Mingqing simply didn’t believe that a vigorous young man full of vitality could resist such a temptation.
While Xia Mingqing was setting his plans in motion, over at the center of the prefectural city…
There stood a massive mansion complex – it was precisely the Anzhou Provincial Governor’s Mansion!
At this moment, inside the main hall of the Provincial Governor’s Mansion, two people were present.
An old man dressed in red official robes sat on the main seat of the hall.
The old man had pure white hair and beard; although his aged face was etched with the marks of time, his spirit was exceptionally vigorous and energetic.
This old man was none other than Tao Zhenbang, the Provincial Governor of Anzhou and the Deputy Chief of the Heavenly Soldiers Department.
Standing before Tao Zhenbang was a man, his body bent respectfully, looking at Tao Zhenbang with extreme deference.
This man was the Prefect of Qingling Mansion.
Upon learning the news of Luo Jin’s death, the Prefect of Qingling Mansion had rushed over without stopping to inform Tao Zhenbang.
After hearing the Qingling Mansion Prefect’s account, Tao Zhenbang found it utterly bewildering.
That old fellow Luo Jin is dead?
And it was done by Wu Hui, the Luo family guard?
Others might not know Luo Jin’s background, but Tao Zhenbang knew it very clearly.
That old guy Luo Jin possessed the protective power left by a sacrificial artifact.
Unless a martial artist was at least a Grandmaster of the External Gang stage at the Perfected level, breaking through that protective power would be impossible.
“Sigh, troubled times indeed!”
Now, Tao Zhenbang could only sigh with worry.
Besides himself, the only other person in all of Anzhou who was a martial artist above the Perfected External Gang Grandmaster stage was that Prince An.
It couldn’t possibly be that Prince An had assassinated his own martial arts master, could it?
Luo Jin’s death proved that there still existed a force above the Perfected External Gang Grandmaster stage here in Anzhou.
This matter might even alarm His Majesty!
“Lord Provincial Governor, this subordinate has already sent people to seal off Qingling Mansion.”
“Should we still issue a warrant and pursue that Wu Hui?”
Regarding the actions of the Qingling Mansion Prefect, Tao Zhenbang had no objections whatsoever.
Subsequently, Tao Zhenbang immediately issued another order.
“Convey my command: all prefectures and counties within Anzhou are to post reward notices for the capture of Wu Hui.”
For now, the only course of action was to first find this so-called Luo family guard.
Anyway, regarding Luo Jin’s murder case, the imperial court would send someone to investigate.
Barring any accidents, it should be those fellows from the Mirror Department.
Jingtai Mansion City!
After most of the day had passed, Lu Xuan had already left Qingling Mansion and headed straight for Jingtai Mansion City.
Finally, just as the city gates of Jingtai Mansion were about to close, Lu Xuan managed to arrive within the city.
Lu Xuan coming to Jingtai Mansion City naturally had his own plans; he certainly wasn’t making the trip for nothing.
On the road to Jingtai Mansion City, Lu Xuan only made a brief stop to rest, using all his system points to deduce the Indestructible Diamond Physical Training Technique.
Host: Lu Xuan
Realm: External Gang Grandmaster (Perfected)
Techniques: Skyburning Blade Art 1/9, Flowing Light Steps 1/9, Indestructible Diamond 8/9
Points: 30
He consumed 810 system points to advance the Indestructible Diamond from the seventh level to the eighth level.
This was the reason why Lu Xuan had appeared in Jingtai Mansion City.
Facing this situation of empty system points, only Old Mo’s stockpile at the Mysterious Bird Guard could solve Lu Xuan’s needs.
Given his relationship with Old Mo, borrowing some heavenly treasures here shouldn’t be a problem.
He believed that once Old Mo knew his intentions, he definitely wouldn’t refuse his request.
Mo Ronghua had once told Lu Xuan the location of the Jingtai Mansion Mysterious Bird Guard.
It was right in the center of the city’s eastern district.
After entering the city, Lu Xuan slowed his horse’s pace, riding along a wide and flat street.
However, as Lu Xuan passed by an inn, he gently tugged on the reins, stopping his horse.
“Hmm?”
“This aura?”
“Yin energy?”
“But it doesn’t seem quite like it?”
Lu Xuan turned his head to look inside the inn. Through the main entrance, he could see people gathered inside, with nearly all the guests seated at the dozen or so tables.
However, Lu Xuan focused his gaze on a corner in the west.
There was a table there, and seated around it were four men, all dressed in sharp, neat black short robes.
Embroidered on the front of their black short robes was a pattern resembling an eagle’s claw.
The strange yin energy that had caught Lu Xuan’s attention originated from these individuals.
But this yin energy felt very peculiar to Lu Xuan.
Because the nature of this yin energy was completely different from any he had perceived before.
Normally, the yin energy from those ghastly things was supposed to be bitterly cold, deathly still, despairing, and devoid of any vitality.
However, the yin energy on these four men gave Lu Xuan an inexplicable feeling.
It was a kind of frantic resentment, as if they were haunted by vengeful spirits, making Lu Xuan feel somewhat uncomfortable.
This yin energy was mixed with human emotions?
Nevertheless, Lu Xuan didn’t dwell on it too much.
Although this yin energy was unusual, Lu Xuan was certain it originated from those ghastly things.
And those ghastly things were precisely the anomalies that could provide him with a large number of system points!
While Lu Xuan was observing the four men…
These four men seemed completely unaware of Lu Xuan’s presence, continuing to converse quietly among themselves.
“Brother Li, I think that woman Zhang Yingxue seems more and more off.”
“Should we report this to the Hall Master?”
One of the younger men spoke, addressing the big man in the main seat.
However, before the “Brother Li” he mentioned could answer, the person sitting opposite the young man directly mocked him.
“Pfft!”
“Brother Li, look at this guy, ‘Bold.’ He’s getting more timid and afraid of trouble.”
“That woman Zhang Yingxue has long been a cripple, and she’s acting all crazy and demented.”
“What could possibly be ‘off’ about her now?”
“Brother Yong, you…”
The young man, stung by the mockery, flushed with anger and was about to retort.
Just at that moment, a gentle breeze brushed across the faces of the four men.
In the blink of an eye, a human figure appeared before them as eerily as a phantom.
