Lu Dongjun backed away step by step.

From what I remember, He Haiqin should be a level-eight Gourmandism Cultivator

, he thought.

When did he level up?

As the raging wind faded, He Haisheng pulled himself up from the ground and fell in behind He Haiqin.

He Haiqin shot him an annoyed look. "Third Brother, you're far too impatient. Didn't I tell you to keep him busy for a while? Why did you jump straight into a fight?"

"Brother, you're not exactly innocent either," He Haisheng shot back. "You swallowed all my smoke."

That smoke was no different from his own flesh and blood.

"You think I enjoyed it?" He Haiqin snapped, coughing twice. "I was choking on it too, damn it."

He Haisheng clenched his teeth as he spoke. "Brother, he is the one who harmed you. His strategist, Wan Jinxian, is a Disease Cultivator."

He Haiqin ground his teeth in response. "I already know. You do not need to fight for me. Today, I will skin him with my own hands."

Lu Dongjun remained silent. His expression stayed calm, and there was not a trace of panic on his face.

He Haiqin looked straight at Lu Dongjun. "Little Jun, what we had wasn't nothing. Back then, when you invited me out for a meal, I even said some heartfelt things to you. When you wanted to become the head of the Lu family, I truly wanted to help you reach that position. So tell me this. How could you allow that bastard Wan Jinxian to harm me?"

Lu Dongjun shook his head. "Brother Haiqin, I truly did not know about this. If Haisheng had not mentioned it just now, I would not even have known that your illness back then was connected to Wan Jinxian. I am not a clever man, but I know you are someone with a sharp eye and a clear mind. You really can't blame me for what happened."

Did Lu Dongjun truly not know that Wan Jinxian had implanted the illness in He Haiqin? That was utter nonsense. How could he possibly not know?

This had all begun with an order from Lu Dongliang. Lu Dongliang had not told him to implant an illness in He Haiqin. He had told him to kill He Haiqin outright. If Lu Dongjun succeeded, Lu Dongliang had promised him half of the family estate.

Lu Dongjun had originally planned to take He Haiqin head-on. At the time, He Haiqin was still at the eighth level. With Lu Dongjun's strength, killing an eighth-level Gourmandism cultivator would not have been especially difficult.

However, he did not expect He Haiqin to bring He Yuxiu along, which made things far more difficult. He Yuxiu was also an eighth-level Martial Cultivator. She was not as strong as Lu Dongjun, but she could still fight. With her present, Lu Dongjun did not dare to make a move.

Once it became clear that the plan could not be carried out, Wan Jinxian took the initiative and offered to help Lu Dongjun. During the banquet, he disguised himself as a servant and quietly implanted the root of the illness into He Haiqin.

From that point on, Wan Jinxian gained Lu Dongjun's deep trust and favor.

Two days later, He Haiqin fell gravely ill. Lu Dongjun believed the matter was settled and waited for Lu Dongliang to hand over half of the family estate, just as promised.

Who could have expected that He Haiqin, relying on his strong physique and the help of the Medicine Cultivator Chu Peiying, would stubbornly cling to life for another two years?

Since He Haiqin did not die, Lu Dongliang no longer had to fulfill his promise of handing over half of the family estate.

Yet over those two years, Lu Dongliang took full advantage of He Haiqin's grave illness and reaped enormous benefits. Under his pressure, the He Family steadily declined, while the Lu Family rose to become the number one family in Puluo Province.

Lu Dongjun watched all of this happen, hatred slowly taking root in his heart. Even if He Haiqin had not died, he had still done something that earned great merit. He felt that he should not have ended up with nothing.

With Wan Jinxian constantly whispering in his ear, murderous intent toward Lu Dongliang slowly took root in Lu Dongjun's heart.

Lu Dongjun's act of secretly harming He Haiqin had already been exposed, yet he was still trying to argue his case. No matter what he said, Haiqin could not be bothered to listen.

None of Lu Dongjun's support hooks were nearby. It was rare for him to be alone like this. If his life was not taken now, then when would be the right moment?

He Haiqin charged straight at Lu Dongjun and threw a punch.

Lu Dongjun did not dodge. He struck first, driving a kick squarely into He Haiqin's chest.

He Haiqin staggered back several steps. Without the sturdy body of a Gourmandism cultivator, that blow would have killed him.

"Little Jun, you are ruthless," He Haiqin said. "You really know how to fight. No wonder you could kill Lu Dongliang."

As for what had happened to Lu Dongliang, He Haiqin naturally believed He Yuxiu.

Although He Haiqin held the advantage in cultivation, a one-on-one fight would not actually favor him.

He Haiqin gave up on the idea of killing Lu Dongjun by himself. "Brother, let's go together."

He Haiqin and He Haisheng advanced side by side and closed in on Lu Dongjun.

A well-fed Gourmandism Cultivator possessed terrifying speed, strength, and resilience while a Smoking Cultivator could fight at any distance and vanish without warning.

In a situation like this, would Lu Dongjun still have a chance to turn things around? He would indeed!

Lu Dongjun ripped two rows of seats from the carriage and flung them straight at He Haiqin and He Haisheng. The heavy rows of seats shot toward the two brothers with deadly precision.

Martial Cultivators lacked flashy techniques, but their combat power was unmatched. They relied purely on martial skill.

He Haiqin smashed the seats apart with his body and charged straight at Lu Dongjun while He Haisheng flashed to the side and dodged the seats.

When the two brothers responded differently to the brute-force attack, Lu Dongjun knew that this was his chance.

The carriage was narrow, but Lu Dongjun used it to his advantage. He jumped onto the seat backs and sprinted along them. He circled past He Haiqin and lunged straight toward He Haisheng.

He Haisheng prepared to transform into smoke, using his usual tactic.

When He Haiqin chased from behind, Lu Dongjun spun around and kicked, sending a violent gale surging out to block He Haiqin.

He Haiqin opened his mouth and devoured the fierce wind.

He Haisheng did not dare to turn into smoke at that moment. Earlier, part of his smoke had already been blown apart by Lu Dongjun, and another part had been swallowed by He Haiqin. That smoke was his body. It was his very life.

If He Haiqin swallowed even one more mouthful, He Haisheng would suffer serious injuries.

The instant He Haisheng hesitated, Lu Dongjun seized him by the head. He meant to crush it.

Once He Haisheng was out of the way, dealing with He Haiqin alone would be far easier. Lu Dongjun was mediocre at many things, but when it came to fighting, he was truly deadly.

Just as he was about to finish it, the train suddenly lurched with a violent jolt.

Lu Dongjun lost his footing. Immediately, He Haisheng seized the opportunity and tore free. At the same time, He Haiqin struck from behind and kicked Lu Dongjun to the ground.

He Haisheng spat out his cigarette. The burning tip burnt through Lu Dongjun's chest and scorched straight through flesh, exposing his white bone and fleshy organs.

Lu Dongjun clutched his chest and tried to get up, but He Haiqin stepped down on him and pinned him to the floor.

"You bastard," He Haiqin snarled. "You ruined two full years of my life."

He Haiqin punched Lu Dongjun square in the face, causing his left cheek to cave in and his skull to crack.

"You dare kill someone on a train," Lu Dongjun said. "Do you not know the rules on board? Are you not afraid of the train attendant?"

That was the last resistance he could muster.

"The attendant?" He Haiqin threw his head back and laughed. "This is not a train at all. Open your eyes and take a good look. You should at least die knowing the truth."

Lu Dongjun looked around the carriage. He saw rows of seats, small tables, the floor, and the ceiling. This was clearly a train carriage.

He turned to the window again. Dim scenery slid past outside. He saw houses where common people lived, along with farmland and stretches of forest.

Wait. That commoner house?

Lu Dongjun had seen that house before. He had seen it right after boarding.

Is that the one I saw?

Lu Dongjun thought.

Beyond the house stretched endless fields. The scenery outside the window was repeating itself.

Could it be… that I was tricked from the very beginning?

Lu Dongjun muttered inwardly.

No wonder He Haiqin could appear on the train so suddenly. This was never a train at all. But how could it look so real? It looks just as real as those photographs with me in it.

He stared out the window, horror creeping into his eyes.

At that moment, He Haiqin brought his fist down and smashed Lu Dongjun's head apart.

He Haiqin shook the blood from his hand and raised his voice. "Third Brother of the Ling Family, come clean this corpse up!"

A window slid open. Ling Miaoying, the third of the Ling brothers, leapt inside. He rolled up the carpet on the floor, wrapped Lu Dongjun's corpse inside it, and then tossed the bundle out through the window.

The scenery outside continued to slide backward. Even when someone opened a window and leaned out, everything looked frighteningly real.

Only one thing felt wrong. Not a single breath of wind blew in through the window, because the carriage had never been moving at all. This was why the window could not be opened.

Outside the carriage was another scene entirely. The train stood at the platform. The locomotive vented steam as if it were about to depart. Travelers hurried on and off, and attendants stood by the doors to check tickets.

But was any of it real? No.

Ling Miaoying gave the order to shut down all the shadow-play machines around the train, and the real scene was finally revealed.

There were no travelers and the train attendant didn't exist. This was just an abandoned platform, an abandoned train, and a stretch of deserted tracks.

Everything had been a shadow play. There had been one illusion outside the train and another inside it.

Beneath the carriage sat a gramophone, custom-made by Ling Miaosheng.

The sounds of venting steam, the whistle, the wheels striking the rails, and the chatter of passengers had all been perfectly reproduced.

Steel wires were suspended around the carriage. When the wires trembled, the carriage shook as well.

Moments earlier, when Lu Dongjun made his final desperate struggle, Ling Miaoying had cut one of the steel wires. The sudden jolt made the carriage shake violently and spared He Haisheng's life.

Ling Miaoying, a top-tier Spycraft Cultivator, had deceived Lu Dongjun with a single, elaborate shadow play.

From the moment Lu Dongjun left the tannery, he had already been under watch. No one acted rashly only because he was too strong in combat.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

From the instant he passed through the ticket checkpoint, he had been watching the shadow play all the way, step by step, until he walked straight into the trap set by Ling Miaoying and He Haiqin.

He Haiqin stepped out of the carriage and snorted as he looked at Ling Miaoying. "You really do have some skill. When I came earlier, I thought this was a real train too."

Ling Miaoying removed his hat and gave a formal salute. "Just a small trick. Hope you won't laugh at me."

"Laugh?" He Haiqin snapped. "You think I can laugh? My brother was almost beaten to death by Lu Dongjun, and you didn't even step in to help."

Ling Miaoying had been right outside the carriage at the time and he truly had not made a move.

"According to our agreed timing, Master He should have arrived earlier," Ling Miaoying said calmly. "I did not expect the situation to change, and I did not dare intervene rashly."

"And now it's my fault?" He Haiqin shot back. "The train was delayed by a full hour. I rushed straight here the moment I got off."

Ling Miaoying smiled humbly. "It's not your fault. It's mine. I lacked flexibility."

He Haiqin waved a hand. "Enough talk. Let's get to business. The profits from the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs are split evenly. That was our agreement."

Ling Miaoying nodded. "Of course."

"As for the cleanup, you brothers will handle it. I won't interfere."

"That was part of the agreement as well."

"From beginning to end, the death of Lu Dongjun has nothing to do with us. If anything leaks, you will bear the responsibility yourselves."

"Rest assured. We will handle everything afterward."

He Haiqin nodded and left the abandoned platform with He Haisheng.

After leaving the train station, He Haisheng looked up at the mosquitoes filling the sky. "Big Brother," he said, "there's no future for the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs. The businesses here won't be worth much."

He Haiqin laughed. "Silly boy. Do you really think I care about that little bit of business? Since this place is done for, we will just name our price and sell everything to the Ling Family.

"That bastard Lu Dongjun made me lie in bed for two full years. I nearly lost my life. Do you know how refreshing and great I feel to be able to kill him with my own hands!

***

After packing up the equipment, Ling Miaoying sat alone in the abandoned carriage. He pinched the spot between his eyebrows and sent a message to He Jiaqing.

"The matter has been taken care of."

Lying in his hospital bed, He Jiaqing replied, "Preserve Lu Dongjun's corpse properly. It will be of great use to your future advancement."

"But the mosquitoes in the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs are difficult to deal with."

"Have Old Wan go to Greenwater Bay and see if he can persuade the founding cultivator," He Jiaqing said.

"He already tried," Ling Miaoying replied. "Green Beggar refuses to intervene."

"Go and ask again," He Jiaqing said. "If it still doesn't work, I will go personally."