Chapter 106: Shocking Natural Talent (I)

Songyi City, Xing residence.

It was already late at night, yet the Xing residence remained brightly lit. Xing Zhiyuan paced back and forth in the main hall while Xing Jing’an practiced his fist technique nearby.

Strange. It’s been more than an hour. Why hasn’t Yue Jiang returned yet? It’s just a youngster in the Bone Forging Realm. With Yue Jiang’s strength, it should have been an easy task. There shouldn’t be any complications. Could it be that he was discovered?

A sense of irritation stirred within Xing Zhiyuan. His son had been dead for over a month, and though the family elder had promised to investigate, no results had surfaced so far.

Xing Zhiyuan had originally planned to capture Lin Zheyu during the raid on Baishi Mountain, hoping to extract some clues through interrogation. But who would have thought those bandits were so useless? Despite all their preparations, they had failed to take Baishi Mountain.

Seeing his father pacing restlessly, Xing Jing’an stopped his practice and spoke up. "Father, why don’t I go check it out?"

"No. This time, we’ll go together," said Xing Zhiyuan after a brief pause for thought.

***

Woof! Woof! Woof!

A dog’s barking echoed through the courtyard.

The man in black struggled, trying to get up and strangle the dog, but he could not move. His whole body felt numb, and his vision blurred. Under normal circumstances, with his skills, he could have easily killed the dog before it noticed him. But to his shock, he was poisoned the moment he vaulted into the courtyard.

Is this guy insane? Who sets up all this nonsense in their own house?

The man in black cursed inwardly as his consciousness grew hazy, and soon he began to snore. The dog barked a few more times, but after inhaling the sedative, its voice weakened and it too fell asleep.

Someone’s here?

In the kitchen, Lin Zheyu’s eyes snapped open. He crawled out from behind the firewood pile and peered through the crack in the door to see what was happening in the courtyard. There, in the middle of the yard, lay a man dressed in black, snoring softly.

Creaaak.

Lin Zheyu pushed the door open and went around the courtyard, gathering the thin threads he had strung up. These were traps he had devised after studying the Toxicology Codex.

If anyone tried to sneak over the wall and accidentally broke the threads, pre-set sedative powder would scatter into the air. The scent of the sedative was faint and easily masked by the fragrance of flowers in the courtyard, making it nearly undetectable. Only someone highly experienced and skilled in toxicology could detect it beforehand.

"Little Huang, you’ve earned your keep again. I’ll give you an extra meal tomorrow."

Lin Zheyu squatted beside the big yellow dog and rubbed its head. The dog had been with him for several months, growing from a tiny pup into a sturdy hound. During the month he spent at Baishi Mountain, Little Huang had been left in Manager Wu’s care.

Walking into the courtyard, Lin Zheyu tore the black cloth from the man’s face, revealing an unfamiliar visage.

Who is this guy, and why did he break into my house? Could he be a thief?

wondered Lin Zheyu as he stared at the stranger. He fetched a rope from inside, tied the man up tightly, and after making sure the knots were secure, splashed a basin of water over him.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

When the man still didn’t wake, Lin Zheyu smacked him hard across the face several times. His face swollen from the blows, the man finally groaned and stirred awake.

"

Ugh...

" the man groaned, his face burning painfully. He opened his blurry eyes, his mind still clouded. Although forced out of unconsciousness, the drug’s effects lingered, leaving his spirit dazed.

"Who sent you here?" asked Lin Zheyu.

"It was... Lord Xing..."

"What did he send you here to do?"

"H-he... sent me to... capture Lin Zheyu... take him back... for questioning. He... he might know something about Young Master Xing’s... death..."

Half-dazed, the man in black revealed everything he knew.

"Lord Xing... Young Master Xing? This man was sent by Xing Jing’an’s father?" Lin Zheyu frowned slightly.

It had been so long without any movement from the Xing Family that he had nearly forgotten the matter.

Crack.

With a sharp crack, the man’s neck was snapped, and in his daze, he departed this world to meet the King of Hell. Lin Zheyu dragged the corpse into the storage room for now, erased all traces from the courtyard, then leapt lightly up to the beam.

Since the man had been sent by Xing Jinglong’s father, they were surely waiting for him to return with a report. If he didn’t return after a long time, they might send more people. Lin Zheyu fully activated the Tortoise Breath Grand Method, lowering his aura to the barest whisper. Hidden in the shadows, he was nearly impossible to detect.

Time slipped by as he waited in silence. After more than an hour, two dark figures vaulted into the courtyard.

They came, just as I thought!

Lin Zheyu let out a cold smile. With a slight motion of his hand, he released the sedative powder into the air. A gentle breeze carried it across the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Xing Jing’an and Xing Zhiyuan, who had entered the yard, saw no trace of Yue Jiang. The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with suspicion and caution.

Before entering, they had carefully scouted the surroundings. There was no ambush, and everything was eerily quiet. There were no signs of a struggle inside the courtyard either.

Could Yue Jiang have run into trouble on the way and never made it here?

Xing Zhiyuan’s heart sank.

"Let’s go back for now. Something feels off," whispered Xing Jing’an.

Xing Zhiyuan nodded and was just about to move when his body suddenly felt weak.

Not good!

Xing Zhiyuan’s heart lurched, and in the next moment, a powerful force struck the back of his neck, plunging him into unconsciousness.

Thud! Thud!

Two heavy thuds echoed as the dark figures collapsed to the ground.

Lin Zheyu crouched beside them and pulled the black cloths from their faces. One was a middle-aged man, the other a young man. He didn’t recognize them, but their features looked somewhat familiar.

"Could these two be Xing Jinglong’s father and brother?" muttered Lin Zheyu to himself. The more he examined them, the more likely that seemed.

Lin Zheyu looked at the two and pondered for a moment.

Should I just kill them now?

Both of them were quite powerful, having reached the peak of the Organ Forging Realm. This was especially true for the young man; he was undoubtedly considered a promising talent within the Xing Family. If he died here, they would likely launch a major retaliation.

Lin Zheyu did not rush to deliver the killing blow. He moved swiftly, leaping out of the courtyard to carefully inspect the surroundings. After confirming that no one else was around, he returned.

Crack... crack...

Two sharp cracks echoed through the night, and the father and son of the Xing Family breathed no more.

"With even these two showing up, surely no one else will come," murmured Lin Zheyu to himself.

Leaving the corpses in the courtyard would be troublesome if they were discovered. Without wasting time, he grabbed a shovel, hoisted the middle-aged man’s body, and with a light tap of his toes vanished into the night. A few minutes later, he returned, carrying the other body in one hand before disappearing into the darkness once more.

After returning, Lin Zheyu did not go inside to sleep. He stayed perched on the roof beam for the rest of the night, but no one else attempted to sneak in. Only when dawn broke did Lin Zheyu return inside to catch up on sleep. He did not rise until the sun was already high in the sky.

***

During the afternoon, inside Feihong Tower.

"From now on, he will be your leader. Address him as Lord Lin!" announced Xu Jingwu to the members of the Feihong Gang.

"Yes, sir! Greetings, Lord Lin!" the gang members shouted in unison.

"Don’t let your pride get in the way. Lin Zheyu may only be at the Bone Forging Realm, but his combat strength already rivals those at the Organ Forging Realm. If anyone refuses to accept this, step forward. I’ll give you a chance to challenge him. If you win, you’ll receive the same treatment as an Organ Forging Realm cultivator," said Xu Jingwu calmly.

He had only said that the winner would receive Organ Forging Realm-level treatment, not that Lin Zheyu would lose his position. At those words, the Bone Forging Realm fighters showed signs of excitement and eagerness, though none stepped forward right away. None of them wanted to be the first to stick their necks out.

Leader Xu might usually appear mild-mannered and always smiling, but when he became ruthless, he was terrifying.

Before long, a burly man on the left stood up and said, "I’ll do it!"

He was nearly two meters tall, with an imposing and muscular build.

"Alright!"

Lin Zheyu nodded, took off his coat, and revealed his well-built physique. He beckoned to the burly man and said calmly, "Make your move."

"

Heh.

Lord Lin, fists and feet have no eyes. If I offend you, please forgive me."

The man chuckled and loosened his body, the distinctive crackling of bones at the Bone Forging Realm peak ringing from his frame.

"

Ha!

"

With a loud shout, he lunged forward, his right leg swinging up into a powerful side kick aimed straight at Lin Zheyu. He too cultivated leg techniques, and his speed was blistering. In a flash, he was right in front of Lin Zheyu.

Thud!

A dull thud echoed.

Lin Zheyu bent his knees slightly and thrust out his right fist. The force wasn’t overwhelming and was merely at the peak of the Bone Forging Realm, but his strike was razor-sharp. He spotted the flaw in the man’s technique at a glance and drove his fist precisely into the force node, cutting off the attack’s momentum.

Thump, thump, thump...

The burly man staggered back several steps from Lin Zheyu’s punch. His right leg no longer dared touch the ground firmly, leaving him limping.

"Good!" shouted Jia Yanyong loudly as he led the applause.

"Brother Lin, no, Lord Lin, magnificent!" shouted Xie Jiang and Ning Hui in praise as well.

"Thank you for the match." Lin Zheyu clasped his hands and bowed slightly to the man.

"

Hu...

"

The man let out a long breath. Though unwilling to accept defeat, his right leg trembled uncontrollably. That punch had been vicious, striking a key acupoint and numbing his right leg, which still hadn’t recovered. Such perception, combat reflexes, and precision were far beyond his own.

"I admit defeat!" said the burly man in a deep voice as he limped back to his seat.

"Anyone else want to give it a try?" Lin Zheyu swept his gaze across the crowd and asked calmly.

"I will!" A powerful voice rang out from the crowd, and a man of a similar build to Lin Zheyu stepped forward.

"I am Wu Chao, skilled in saber techniques. Lord Lin, would you like to use a weapon for this match?" asked Wu Chao.

"No need. Make your move," replied Lin Zheyu coolly.

"Then I won’t hold back!" Wu Chao chuckled and charged forward, his blade flashing as he attacked.

The previous burly man had indeed been strong. Without relying on a weapon, Wu Chao knew he would not stand a chance either. But his primary cultivation technique was saber. With the advantage of his weapon, there was a chance he could defeat Lin Zheyu.

Whoosh!

Wu Chao’s saber style was broad and forceful. The edge howled through the air as it came crashing down toward Lin Zheyu. Lin Zheyu shifted to the side, and Wu Chao changed his strike into a horizontal slash aimed at his chest. Lin Zheyu ducked low to avoid the blade, twisted his waist, planted his right hand on the ground, and lashed out with both legs toward Wu Chao’s chest.

Thud, thud, thud.

His legs slammed into Wu Chao’s chest several times in quick succession, driving him backward step after step.

Boom!

Seizing the moment while his opponent was off balance, Lin Zheyu delivered a powerful kick that sent Wu Chao flying.

"Good!" Cheers erupted all around.

"Lord Lin, magnificent!" shouted Jia Yanyong and the others loudly.

"Does anyone else wish to come up?" asked Lin Zheyu, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"I want to try as well!"