Chapter 2158.1: Prodigal
There were nine ranks to pills and medicines—first rank was the lowest, ninth rank was the highest.
Third rank was already a premier rank in Darklake Cultivation Empire. Being able to come up with five such pills would be an enormous feat, to say nothing of five hundred pills. Thus, Lu Yun’s demand was the height of unreasonableness.
“Five hundred third rank pills? Sir Lu and young master Lu, do you have too much time on your hands? Surely you have better things to do,” the general manager"s sneer deepened. He might show some respect for Lu Yun’s ident.i.ty in ordinary times, but Lu Tianling had just exhausted his nascent soul to save Lu Yun. The old general was gravely injured, and if this only pillar of strength fell, then the entire Lu Clan was done for.
“I just happen to have a ton of time and energy on my hands today, what of it?” The petulant tyranny of a prodigal scion appeared on Lu Yun’s face when he saw the general manager’s expression.
Lu Xiaochi closed his eyes when the general manager talked back to his nephew. As he thought, the kid was here to pick a fight.
“Lingtian Pill Pavilion sure speaks loudly, huh!” Lu Yun suddenly darted forward and slapped the manager across the face.
The grand manager was latter foundation establishment, but he registered with shock that his body seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand. He couldn’t move and his internal energy was completely confined. Even his thoughts seemed to be grinding to a halt!
Smack!
All he could do was watch as Lu Yun’s hand descended on his cheek. Without the protection of internal force, his left cheekbones shattered and he spewed out all of his teeth.
Then, the grand steward flopped to the ground without another word and fainted dead away.
“How dare you offend this young master?! You’ve plainly had enough of living! Lu Xuan, smash everything!” Lu Yun surrept.i.tiously took out a few talismans from his storage ring and flung them into the surroundings. The talismans twinkled and vanished out of sight.
Bam bam bam!
Several nearly imperceptible explosions later, the defensive formations surrounding Lingtian Pill Pavilion fell without resistance.
Since Lu Xuan had been given orders, he immediately leapt into action. His fingers formed a hand seal, shooting out a bolt of radiant sword brilliance that rampaged through the s.p.a.cious structure.
“Lu Xuan, you blithering idiot!” Lu Yun shrieked with pain. “Just smash the restrictions and whatever around the shelves, what are you doing destroying the pills and medicines for?! They’re all spirit stones!”
Lu Xuan’s eternally stoic expression flickered when he heard his master’s anguished howl. He quickly adjusted his actions and redirected his sword light to attacking the restrictions around the pills instead.
Lu Yun relieved the general manager of his storage ring and placed it into his own. He then swiftly collected the exposed pills and medicines on the shelves.
Hovering outside the door, Lu Xiaochi’s jaw dropped. His nephew really was out to do business, but the business of beating and robbing others!
Lingtian Pill Pavilion had swiftly expanded after its grand opening three months ago and was one of the top five pill pavilions in the capital. It boasted of unfathomable pills and wealth—its general manager’s storage ring was a miniature walking treasury.
“Who is the cretin that dares stir up trouble in my clan’s pill pavilion?!” A furious roar echoed throughout the building as a flying sword shot out of the air, aimed at Lu Xuan.
The deathsworn remained expressionless as his hands flickered through sword seals. His careening sword light immediately altered direction to block the flying sword and dueled it in a nearby corner.
A middle-aged man swiftly charged out of an inner office. Bearing a cultivation level of initial golden core, he was the family steward in residence at the Lingtian Pill Pavilion.
Dark City was the capital of Darklake and innumerable heavyweights walked its streets. No one could’ve ever imagined that anyone would brazenly commit robbery in open daylight. Lu Yun was likely making history with his visit to the Lingtian Pill Pavilion!
There was only an initial golden core steward holding down the fort and the building’s defensive formations were casually installed. Given that it hadn’t been long since the pavilion’s opening, much of its protective measures were incomplete.
“Stop wasting time, kill him!” Lu Yun shouted at his guard while busily collecting everything he laid eyes on. He ignored the Ling steward after casually pointing at him.
Pfft!
Lu Xuan’s sword light crashed through the steward’s sword and chopped his head off. Lu Xuan himself blinked at the outcome, unable to comprehend what had just happened. They were of the same cultivation level, so how had his opponent died so easily?
Lu Tianling had employed secret arts to raise Lu Xuan’s cultivation to golden core—it was an entirely different notion compared to the steward’s cultivation. The Ling steward was a core figure of the Ling Clan and had solidly walked the path of cultivation to reach his current heights. His foundations were solid and he bore a very high likelihood of rising further.
Even Lu Xuan knew that if the fight dragged on, it would be he who died, not the steward.
Despite the unexpected, Lu Xuan remained composed. He was just Lu Yun’s guard and the family’s deathsworn. There were many things that he didn’t need to think too deeply about.
Lu Xiaochi’s heart sank to see Lu Xuan execute a golden core Ling steward. There was no redeeming the relations between the two families now. The Lus had just expanded their family fortune and was making enemies everywhere. Lu Yun well deserved his reputation of being the scourge of Dark City!
Lu Xiaochi’s lips trembled and he shook from fury, but found nothing to say.
Nothing held Lu Yun back after he disposed of the steward. He likewise relieved the other of his storage ring and then charged into the inner offices of the pill pavilion.
Lu Yun departed from Lingtian Pill Pavilion after one hour pa.s.sed, stroking his storage ring with immense satisfaction. The city guards were dispatched during this time and rushed to the scene. Upon seeing the livid Lu second master, however, they quietly returned to their posts without taking any action.
Although Lu Xiaochi’s cultivation was crippled, he still commanded high respect in the army. Not to mention, they were located near the Lu family residence and the Lu second master was also here. There was nothing that the city guards dared undertake.
By the time the Ling Clan received word of the day’s happenings, their Lingtian Pill Pavilion was a pile of rubble.
“Lu Yun, are you trying to destroy the Lus?!” Lu Xiaochi shuddered as he looked at his highly self-satisfied nephew.
“Eh? Destroy the Lus? Why do you say that, second uncle?” Lu Yun blinked. “Your nephew’s come into a huge sum of wealth and will be using it to replenish our vaults. How is that destroying the family?”
“You…” Lu Xiaochi bit off with frustration, “You’ve fully offended the Lings! There will never be peace between the Lings and Lus now!”
“Was there peace between us before?” Lu Yun raised his eyebrows. “Second uncle, how were you crippled?”
Lu Xiaochi paused.
“You were injured by the Nineheavens PaG.o.da—the foremost faction of the fourth rank cultivation empire, the Dark Orchid Empire. I’m not idiotic enough to provoke someone like that,” Lu Yun shrugged.
His second uncle stared wordlessly at him.
“But an easy target? Let’s. .h.i.t ‘em where it hurts! That’s how your nephew is—I pick on the weak and avoid the strong, hehe.” Lu Yun grinned broadly.
“Hoi, young master Lu! There you are, I’ve finally caught up to you!” A young man a few years older than Lu Yun huffed and puffed up to them. Two servants were hot on his heels.
“Haha, Yu Shuai! It’s been a while, but you look as good as ever!”
The young man was second master Yu Shuai of the Yu Clan, one of the seven great families of the capital! Just as the “shuai” character of his name encompa.s.sed good looks, he was as handsome as he was named. A strapping young man, it wouldn’t be hyperbole to call him the best looking of the capital.
There were seven great families of Darklake Empire that ranked beneath the imperial family—the Mo, Ouyang, Yuwen, Ling, Zhao, Yu, and Lu Clans. There were six to begin with, the Lu Clan was a later addition and Lu Tianling its first patriarch.
As good-for-nothing as Lu Yun usually was, he still had a few close friends that they all got up to no good with. Second young master Yu Shuai of the Yu Clan, for one, and third young master Zhao Chenguang of the Zhaos
However, birds of a feather flock together and like begets like. Seeing Lu Yun’s character was to know the character of his friends. Lu Yun, Yu Shuai, and Zhao Chenguang were categorized as the three pestilences of Dark City.
“Hahaha!! I’m nothing compared to young master Lu!” Yu Shuai stuck his thumb up at Lu Yun. “You keep the lowest of profiles at home, but kick in the Lings’ s.h.i.+tty pavilion as soon as you walk out! Come come come, I hear that you’ve recovered. These are the medicines that I’ve prepared for you!”
Yu Shuai waved his servants forward; they placed a ma.s.sive chest taller than their master in front of Lu Yun.
Yu Shuai had received word when Lu Yun woke up, yet Lu Tianling wasn’t the sort to welcome the profligate friends of his grandson. He’d refused to let Yu Shuai into the residence, so when Yu Shuai heard that Lu Yun was out on the streets, he’d quickly come with the chest.
“Um, eh, uh…” It felt like something was stuck in Lu Yun’s throat. “My dear Yu Shuai, why don’t you put these things in a storage ring? What are you hauling them around for?”
He didn’t know what to say when he looked at the chest several heads taller than his friend.
“Heh, this makes my present much more sincere!” Yu Shuai guffawed.
Lu Yun laughed as well and waved the chest into his storage ring, then cracked the p.o.r.nographic fan open again.
“C’mon, Chenguang’s set up a banquet at Rouge… uh… Immortal Gathering.” A proud Yu Shuai spontaneously thought better of their destination when he saw the foreboding Lu second master off to the side. One of his servants slipped off toward Rouge Pavilion when he cast meaningful glances at them.