It was at 9:50pm in the train station of the First Ridge

Lu Dongjun entered the station still disguised as a support hook.

From the moment he arrived at the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs, Wan Jinxian had purchased more than seventy businesses under Lu Dongjun's name. Now, every single one of them has been sold off to someone else.

Each business had a different new owner. Yet every report claimed that Lu Dongjun himself had handled the transfer, complete with photographs as proof.

Lu Dongjun had no idea where those photographs came from, but he knew one thing. He had lost everything in the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs.

The hundreds of thousands of silver dollars in the bank were locked away. At least within the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs, he could not withdraw a single coin.

When he left his residence, he had only managed to bring some loose cash with him. Over the past few days, he scraped together a little more from various places, just over a thousand silver dollars in total. That was all he had left to rely on.

He could get the money back. His reputation, though, was far harder to salvage.

Throughout the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs, people cursed and scolded Lu Dongjun. They said that because of him, the region had been caught unprepared and plunged into famine. Their anger ran so deep that they even burned down the house he had once lived in.

Lu Dongjun was not a meticulous man, but he was not blind to danger either. He could feel it closing in.

Originally, he had planned to publish a few more articles in the newspapers, hoping to keep himself afloat in the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs a while longer. Now, however, he finally understood something. He could not hold on any longer.

The newspapers were already condemning him. The major gangs wanted him dead, the major families wanted him dead, and even the commoners would no longer tolerate him.

He had not brought much money, but he carried one thing at all times. It was an anonymous, indefinite travel permit. It allowed him to travel anywhere within Puluo Province under any identity.

This was a privilege granted by the Outer Provinces to powerful families. When Lu Dongjun produced the travel permit, the ticket seller did not ask a single question and immediately helped him purchase a ticket.

After passing the ticket checkpoint, Lu Dongjun walked toward the platform. He had never traveled by train alone and was unfamiliar with the platform signage. The platform seemed farther than it should have been and only a handful of passengers were boarding or getting off.

Lu Dongjun had not purchased a private compartment. That would have attracted too much attention. He took a window seat in the hard-seat carriage, pulled his fedora low, and listened to the steam locomotive's whistle while he tried to calm himself.

The last time Lu Dongjun had ridden in a hard-seat carriage, he had been with Lu Dongliang. He was thirteen then, and after arguing with his father, he worried about a beating and ran away from home.

Lu Dongliang found him and said that if he was going to run away, he might as well do it properly and run far.

Back then, Lu Dongliang loved to travel. He always carried a travel permit on him. He bought two hard-seat tickets and took Lu Dongjun along, all the way to Girdle-Slipping Hollow.

Girdle-Slipping Hollow really was a good place…

Lu Dongjun thought.

The truth was that Lu Dongliang had always treated him very well. Everyone dreamed of becoming the family head, but following Lu Dongliang and living as the Second Master was not such a terrible life.

Why did I ever make a move on Lu Dongliang? Back then, I only dared to think about it. How did I suddenly find the nerve to act?

Was it because of Zhuo Yuling? She was beautiful, and being with her had gone to my head, but it wasn't as if I'd never seen women before.

Or was it Wan Jinxian? Ever since that bastard rose up and earned my favor, my days had never known a moment of peace.

It had to be connected to him somehow, yet he didn't feel like the true beginning of it all.

Is Lu Dongliang still alive? If I went to him now, bowed my head, and admitted my mistakes, would he really be willing to let the past go?

What nonsense am I even thinking about at a time like this?

Tooooooot!

Clang! Clang!

Choo choo~ Choo choo~

The train had already departed.

Lu Dongjun felt a bit stifled and lifted the fedora off his face.

Outside the window, the scenery slid backward at an unhurried pace. Rows of houses, patches of farmland, then long stretches of woodland, all drifting away.

He wanted to open the window and let in some air, but no matter how he felt around the frame, he could not find the latch.

His mood soured at once. He found himself wanting to smash the window with a single punch, just to see it shatter and be done with it!

No. I must not act recklessly

, he told himself.

This is not the Lu family's private train. On a train like this, I must not cause trouble, and I especially must not offend the train attendant.

Amid Lu Dongjun's irritation, he suddenly noticed something strange about this train. He was the only one in the carriage.

He was the only one in the carriage.

That's impossible

, he muttered inwardly.

When I boarded, at least a third of the seats were occupied. Where did everyone go?

Clang!

The carriage door creaked open. A man in a gray suit stepped inside, a cigarette pinched neatly between his fingers. He crossed the aisle without hurry and dropped into the row beside him, as though the seat had been waiting all along.

"Second Brother, it's been a while."

Third Brother He?

Lu Dongjun thought. He pulled the fedora back down over his head and quietly braced himself for a fight of life or death.

"You got the wrong person."

He Haisheng smiled. "Why bother? I've recognized you already. Keeping up the act now is pointless."

After saying that, He Haisheng handed Lu Dongjun a cigarette. "Have one."

Lu Dongjun did not take it. His gaze stayed fixed on the half-smoked cigarette between He Haisheng's fingers.

He Haisheng was a smoking cultivator. From what Lu Dongjun knew, he had reached the seventh level. Lu Dongjun, being an eighth-level cultivator, clearly held an advantage. Still, he had no intention of underestimating his opponent.

When it came to strategy, Lu Dongjun was not particularly sharp. When it came to management, he was half useless. But when it came to a life-and-death fight, Lu Dongjun feared no one.

When Lu Dongliang fought He Yuxiu, he had spotted an opening and severely injured Lu Dongliang with a single strike. It was true that he had relied on a sudden attack, but that strike only landed because he had a natural talent for finding the exact moment to act.

Even with Monkey Qiu fully on guard, Lu Dongjun had beaten him until he could no longer fight back. His reactions had been precise, almost unsettling. Of course, Duan Shaoxia was another matter entirely. His methods were far too peculiar to be judged by ordinary standards.

Lu Dongjun already had a clear plan in mind as to how he should deal with He Haisheng today.

"Third Brother He, I have fallen on hard times. I only want to go back to Greenwater City and earn a living. We grew up together, and there's no real grudge between us. At a time like this, you wouldn't make things difficult for me, would you?"

While Lu Dongjun spoke, he continued observing where He Haisheng was seated.

He Haisheng raised the cigarette to his lips, and exhaled sharply. Smoke billowed out at once, swallowing his figure until his entire body was shrouded from view.

"Since you've brought up grudges, there's something I've always wanted to ask you," He Haisheng said. "Back then, you invited my brother out for a meal. After he returned home, he fell ill, broke out in rashes from head to toe, and nearly died. You remember that, don't you?"

Lu Dongjun watched the way the smoke drifted and quietly judged the airflow in the carriage.

"I remember," he said. "Your family tried to pin it on me back then. I even told your sister, He Yuxiu, to her face that I didn't do it, and she believed me at the time."

He Haisheng nodded. "In fact, I believed you back then as well. It wasn't until I came to the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs this time that I began to sense something was wrong. That strategist by your side, Wan Jinxian. He's a Disease Cultivator, isn't he?"

Lu Dongjun said nothing more. The matter had already been laid bare.

He Haisheng continued, "My brother's illness back then was nearly incurable. In the end, it was treated by a foreigner. At first, we thought he was some miracle doctor from abroad.

"It was only after we had people look into him that we learned the truth. He was a Disease Cultivator. His way of treatment was simple. He didn't cure the illness. He removed the root cause of the illness.

"I have already looked into this thoroughly. The root cause of the illness that the foreigner removed was created by another Disease Cultivator. Disease cultivators are almost extinct in this world. So tell me. How could it be such a coincidence that there just happens to be one right by your side?"

Lu Dongjun shook his head. "You're talking about Wan Jinxian? He's not a Disease Cultivator. He's a Poison Cultivator."

He Haisheng bit down on his cigarette and smiled.

"Second Brother, even now you're still hiding things from me," he said. "If you hadn't gone to the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs to deal with those mosquitoes, our He family would probably still be kept in the dark.

"Those mosquitoes didn't die from poison. They died from an illness. In all of Puluo Province, who else could make mosquitoes fall ill? Things have already come this far. What else can you—?"

Lu Dongjun had nothing more to say. He struck first.

His punch did not land on He Haisheng's body. Instead, it slammed into a billow of smoke, as though he had missed. However, Lu Dongjun knew clearly that the punch hadn't missed.

The smoke scattered like stardust. This was a seventh-level technique of a smoking cultivator, one that allowed the body to disperse into smoke and shed part of an incoming blow. Still, it would just be part of it.

He Haisheng took the punch head-on, and it hurt. Truly hurt.

The smoke drifted through the carriage, curling past the seats, then vanished all at once, leaving not even a trace behind.

Lu Dongjun swept his gaze around the carriage.

The smoke above him suddenly converged. In the blink of an eye, He Haisheng reformed, his body snapping back into shape.

The cigarette between his lips twisted and flared, turning into a fire snake that shot downward, stabbing straight toward the crown of Lu Dongjun's head.

Lu Dongjun twisted aside, dodging the fire snake, then reached up and yanked He Haisheng down from the ceiling.

He had fought smoking cultivators many times before. He understood how they moved after dispersing into smoke, and he knew those movements were shaped by airflow.

Relying on instincts sharpened through countless fights, Lu Dongjun immediately figured out exactly where He Haisheng would strike.

He Haisheng's body heated up in an instant, erupting into flames and forcing Lu Dongjun to let go.

Lu Dongjun had never planned to hold on anyway. He seized the opening and slammed He Haisheng straight into the corner of the carriage.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A row of seats shattered along the way. He Haisheng slammed into the corner of the carriage, but Lu Dongjun did not rush in to finish him off.

The seats were broken, yet the carriage itself was intact, marked only by scorched traces. That told Lu Dongjun everything he needed to know. He Haisheng had already turned into smoke before hitting the ground.

Charging in to finish him off now would not seriously injure He Haisheng. Instead, it would put Lu Dongjun at a disadvantage.

Lu Dongjun raised his hand and slapped the air where he stood.

What was Lu Dongjun doing? Slapping someone through the air? That sounded almost childish.

He Haisheng was puzzled as well. Then, without warning, a violent gale tore through the carriage.

His heart lurched as panic set in. Something was very wrong. The wind was terrifyingly strong, powerful enough to tear him apart in moments.

As a Smoking Cultivator, why would He Haisheng fear something like this? His body could disperse into smoke, couldn't it?

That ability was indeed a Smoking Cultivator's greatest advantage. But it depended on how far the dispersion went.

Lu Dongjun had seized upon that weakness. As He Haisheng's body dissolved into smoke, Lu Dongjun intended to scatter it completely, until nothing was left behind.

He Haisheng struggled with everything he had to pull his body back together, but Lu Dongjun's gale was far too fierce. He simply couldn't hold it.

His cheek split open with a soft rip, and green smoke churned inside the wound. More injuries appeared across his body as thick smoke leaked out, puffing and drifting away like it had a mind of its own.

He Haisheng was just about to fall apart completely when the carriage door burst open and someone walked in. It was He Haiqin.

Lu Dongjun froze. He couldn't understand how, or why, He Haiqin had suddenly appeared on the train.

Has he been lying in wait on the train all along? If so, why didn't he show himself earlier?

Lu Dongjun swung his palm again, moving fast, trying to finish He Haisheng before anything else could interfere.

The gale roared forward. He Haiqin opened his mouth, and sucked the wind, along with part of the smoke, straight into his mouth. He Haiqin chewed a few times, as if he were tasting it, then swallowed everything down.

He Haiqin was using a ninth-level Gourmandism technique known as Devouring Mountains and Rivers.

"Damn it!" He Haiqin spat. "I rushed here the whole way, and all I got for it was a belly full of cold wind."

Author's Note:

PS: They are on a train, so where did He Haiqin come from? Honored readers, Happy New Year!