Luli directly exchanged a palm strike with the assailant, unexpectedly forced to retreat a few steps by the opponent.
However, the astonishment was on the assailant's face when he looked at Luli. This was no Fourth Pulse Realm martial artist; at the very least, he was at the Sixth Pulse Realm.
Luli's profound spiritual power, far superior to martial artists of the same realm, had led to a misunderstanding on the assailant's part.
As Luli was forced to retreat, he had already gauged the opponent's strength. The assailant was stronger than him, but the strength was limited. If not for Luli's foundational cultivation method, the previous palm strike could have caused light injuries or, in the worst case, rendered his entire arm useless.
"At the Seventh Meridian Realm, who ordered you to act?"
"I'm only responsible for killing you! I didn't expect you to be this strong!"
Luli refrained from unnecessary words at this point. The Gale Blade Technique, infused with a hint of the Breaking Wave Seven Blades intent, swept towards the opponent like a crimson storm.
The blade storm unleashed by the spirit weapon was not something a Seventh Meridian Realm martial artist dared to confront head-on.
"You're lucky today, but your luck won't last next time!"
Forced into a precarious situation by Luli, the assailant spoke before decisively fleeing, leaving his back exposed to Luli.
At this moment, a sharp blade aura directly threatened the assassin's back. Overwhelmed by the killing intent and blade aura from behind, the assassin, drenched in sweat, trembled as if struck by lightning. The entire back was soaked by now.
He desperately evaded, but the blade aura sliced across his shoulder, directly severing an arm. The assassin let out a miserable scream, losing one arm.
By this time, Luli had already approached, the crimson blade edge now held against the assassin's neck.
"Speak, who ordered you to act?"
"I'm only responsible for killing you; I don't know who paid for it!"
Luli directly kicked the assassin's severed arm, causing him intense pain.
"Begging you for a quick death, I truly don't know!"
"Fine, tell me where you're from; that, at least, I can find out!"
"Fengyu Tianlei Hall, Yunzhou Branch!"
As the blade descended, a stream of refined blood entered the Red Sleeve Blade, causing the entire blade to tremble with excitement.
"Congratulations, host, for successfully killing the Fengyu Tianlei Hall assassin. Ferocity Value +8!"
"Congratulations, host, for successfully killing a Seventh Meridian Realm martial artist across realms. Ferocity Value +4!"
Two system prompts echoed in Luli's mind, but he frowned.
Fengyu was the largest assassin organization within the Western Qin Territory. Unexpectedly, someone had hired assassins from Fengyu to kill him.
This time, Luli was fortunate; the assassin had followed him from the city gate, and the information provided to Fengyu by the employer was evidently inaccurate. As a result, the assassin was turned into prey by Luli.
If there were a next time, he wouldn't be as fortunate.
As for who paid for it, Luli had a general direction. In Donglin City, aside from the remnants of the Zhang family, the only individuals who wished for his death were the Lady of the Lu family and her son, Lu Yan.
Fengyu's fees were always high. If investigated thoroughly, the person who paid for the assassins would be revealed soon.
"Lu Yan, Lady Lu, I initially wanted to let you live and torment you slowly. It seems that won't be possible now!"
Instructing Chen Kang to handle the body, Luli returned to the courtyard and instructed Xiao Qing to find his second brother.
When night fell, Lu Xiong had already arrived at Luli's courtyard.
"Third brother, what brings you to me?"
"Second brother, do you want to deal with Lu Yan and Lady Lu?"
"If you wish to deal with them, I will naturally assist you!"
"Second brother, you are as straightforward as always. In that case, inform our mother. Check the accounts of the properties controlled by Lady Lu and Lu Yan. There should be a significant expenditure recently!"
"Alright, I'll inform Mother right away."
"Second brother, wait. Can you find out the whereabouts of the Zhang family members now?"
After the deaths of Zhang Yao and his son, the Zhang family had declined, and their assets were divided among other families. The remaining members of the Zhang family scattered.
"I heard they went to Wuzhao City; there are two shops owned by the Zhang family there!"
"Thanks, Second brother!"
Wuzhao City, the closest city to Donglin City, was reached by Luli on a fast horse in no time.
Finding the two shops owned by the Zhang family was not difficult. In this world, shops usually came with courtyards; business and residence were intertwined.
After finding the Zhang family's shops, Luli directly entered the courtyard.
In the darkness, the sound of the Red Sleeve Blade slicing through throats was exceptionally faint, almost silent.
Uprooting the grass without removing the roots leads to endless trouble.
Having thoroughly offended the Zhang family, leaving them alive was unnecessary. Therefore, there was no need for the Zhang family to remain.
The two courtyards emitted a faint bloody scent. Luli had already left Wuzhao City on horseback by dawn.
Having killed the Fengyu assassin, the remaining members of the Zhang family, Luli's Ferocity Value had surged to two hundred and ninety-four points. From the Zhang family's two shops, he had also acquired a substantial amount of gold and silver, now stored in the system space.
"Young Master, you've finally returned. I was worried all night!"
Just as he knocked on the door, it swung open. Luo Xiaozhao immediately embraced Luli. Luli rubbed her forehead, noticing the slight fatigue in her expression.
"I told you, I had something to do. You should have rested early!"
Luli pinched Luo Xiaozhao's cute nose. Since she started cultivating, she had become increasingly affectionate towards Luli.
"Master, I've reached the Third Realm!"
"So quickly, my little Zhao is truly amazing!"
"Well, should Master reward me?"
"What do you want?"
"I want Master to go out less at night and stay safe!"
Luli's nose twitched slightly, feeling a bit emotional.
"Quickly go rest. Girls who stay up late won't be pretty!"
"Okay, I'll go get some sleep!"
Luo Xiaozhao obediently released Luli and looked at him. After being able to cultivate, her figure had become more and more charming. Luli was afraid to look for too long; his emotions were hard to control.
Moreover, for some reason, since she could cultivate, Luo Xiaozhao exuded a special aura, making Luli unable to resist.
"Xiao Qing, you naughty girl, sleeping like a pig. Quickly prepare hot water for Young Master! I want to take a bath!"
Instructing Luo Xiaozhao to rest, Luli continued to shout in the courtyard, displaying the aura of a young master.
Xiao Qing, rubbing her sleepy eyes, looked at Luli
.
"Young Master is truly biased!"
Muttering, Xiao Qing's words were clear to Luli. He extended his hand, pinching Xiao Qing's face.
"Silly girl, what are you mumbling about!"
"I didn't say anything! I didn't!"
"Don't speak the truth; it seems like this face doesn't hurt when pinched!"
Luli said, both hands reaching up, turning Xiao Qing's face into a funny expression.
"If you don't speak the truth, it seems like I'm not pinching hard enough!"
Luli pinched Xiao Qing's face into a grimace.
"How is it, does the young master hear you now?"
"Ah, Young Master heard everything!"
"Tell me, how is the young master biased?"
Xiao Qing, unable to hold back any longer, blurted out, "Miss Xiaozhao has become a martial artist, but I'm just an ordinary servant girl. Hmph!"
It was evident that Xiao Qing had been holding in her grievances. At this moment, she couldn't bear it any longer and spoke up.
"So, that's it! Becoming a martial artist is not easy!"
"Xiao Qing is not afraid; I'm willing to endure any hardship. But if Xiao Qing doesn't become a martial artist, and the young master and Miss Xiaozhao become powerful, Xiao Qing is afraid she'll be looked down upon!"