Chapter 57: The Silent and Invisible Strike of Silk!

On this extremely cold night, the streets were empty, with only the night watchman making rounds through the alleys.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The watchman struck his gong. When he passed by the Cui residence, he noticed the place was still brightly lit. Faint noises came from inside, and moments later, several figures hurried out of the building.

The watchman stiffened and quickly stepped aside.

The man leading them was the Cui Clan's Ninth Master—one of their Organ Refinement martial artists and a well-known figure in Jubei City.

The watchman didn't dare block their path. Seeing Ninth Master Cui rush out with a grim expression, he figured something serious had to have happened, though he knew better than to pry into the Cui Clan’s business. So, he continued on his route, beating his gong and calling the hour as usual.

Once he was gone, two figures slipped out from the shadows.

"The Ninth Master Cui has headed for the Chamber of Red Delights. The Cui Clan only sent one Organ Refinement martial artist there. That means there are now eleven Organ Refinement martial artists left guarding the residence," Li Hongzhuang said in a low voice.

She had studied the Cui Clan thoroughly. For a matter involving the Chamber of Red Delights, she had expected them to send at least two Organ Refinement martial artists. The fact that they had sent only one meant that a particularly powerful cultivator remained at the residence, which made Lu Changsheng's task even more difficult.

However, he didn't seem fazed. "It makes little difference whether there are ten or eleven Organ Refinement martial artists. Let’s go meet the ones still in the Cui residence."

He stepped out of the shadows and headed straight toward the building, with Li Hongzhuang following close behind.

Even at night, the Cui residence was heavily guarded. Among the guards, there were even martial artists. Even though they were only at the Blood Strengthening Stage, the fact that the Cui Clan had martial artists standing watch through the night showed just how powerful and influential they were.

The two martial artists on duty were chatting enthusiastically about the Ninth Master's sudden departure.

"One of the people from the Chamber of Red Delights came earlier," one of them said. "They reported that something happened over there. I asked around, and apparently, Master Luo Tian's been killed."

"Master Luo Tian was killed? That monk was always bad-tempered and overbearing. He looked down on everyone and often beat or scolded the servants and even the martial artists in the residence. Good riddance, if you ask me."

"

Shh

! Keep your voice down. Don't go on saying things like that, especially since we don't know the details yet. Have you forgotten that the Patriarch trusted him deeply?"

In truth, neither of them were fond of Master Luo Tian. His violent temper was infamous throughout the Cui residence, and no one enjoyed serving him. Now that he was gone, even the servants felt quietly relieved.

As the two guards continued their conversation, they suddenly noticed two figures emerging from the darkness.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!"

The guards immediately stepped forward to block the two approaching strangers.

"It's late. Who are you people?"

Their eyes were filled with caution.

Lu Changsheng made no response. Instead, he simply lifted his hand and pointed a finger at them.

Whizz. Whizz.

Two strands of Silken Thread Sword shot out and pierced silently through the guards' throats.

Splurrrrt!

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The guards' eyes widened in shock, then they collapsed to the ground. The faint scent of blood instantly filled the air.

Li Hongzhuang's eyes narrowed slightly.

This was the Cui Clan, the most powerful family in Jubei City. But Brother Shisan had just killed their guards and is now brazenly walking through the main gate!

Li Hongzhuang opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she decided to stay quiet. She knew that once Shisan had already decided to take action, he would already have prepared for anything that might happen.

"The Cui Clan..." Li Hongzhuang gritted her teeth, her gaze firm with resolve.

She wasn't strong enough to personally deal with the Cui Clan that night, but since she was the one who brought Shisan here, she saw this as the beginning of her payback. Once she obtained the Marrow Transformation Pill and advanced to the Divine Strength Realm, she would return and settle the entire debt with the Cui Clan herself.

As she stepped through the main gate, she saw lanterns glowing across the vast compound. Their warm light washed over the estate, giving the entire place an air of luxury and grandeur. Servants bustled about, helping family members wash up and prepare for bed. In some cases, the younger and prettier maids were even sent to warm their masters' beds.[1]

Suddenly, a group of martial artists who were patrolling the area came face-to-face with Lu Changsheng and Li Hongzhuang.

"Which part of the residence are you from? How dare you act so improperly! Do you not know where you are?" one of them barked.[2]

Lu Changsheng ignored them and kept walking.

"Stop!" the man shouted again, realizing something was off.

Lu Changsheng didn't answer. He continued forward until he was barely three zhang[3] away. Then, he flicked his finger.

Whizz, whizz, whizz!

Several strands of the Silken Thread Sword shot out toward the martial artists.

Splurrrt.

Even though some of them were Bone Tempering martial artists, none of them had time to react. The strands pierced their vital points, and they collapsed to the ground, twitching violently.

"Ahhh!"

"Assassins! There are assassins!"

"They're killing people!"

With the entire patrol team dead at Lu Changsheng's feet, his presence was now fully exposed. Servants who had seen what happened screamed in terror and scattered in all directions.

Lu Changsheng frowned slightly, but he wasn't taken aback by the situation. He had entered the Cui residence boldly and openly—being discovered was only a matter of time.

"Let's keep going," Lu Changsheng said calmly.

Li Hongzhuang nodded and led him toward the furnace chamber. It was a fair distance away, and now that Lu Changsheng had been exposed, guards and martial artists were rushing in from every direction. But this didn't slow him down. Anyone who rushed at him was dealt with in an instant.

Under the cover of night, his Silken Thread Sword was almost impossible to defend against. The deadly threads were so thin they were almost impossible to see in the dark, and they moved so fast that no one could even react before they struck. It didn't matter if they were an ordinary guard or a Bone-Tempering martial artist, one by one they fell to Lu Changsheng's Silken Thread Sword.

This was the power of a seventh-tier martial technique after all. It was truly extraordinary!

Terrified screams echoed through the Cui residence as Lu Changsheng kept advancing, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Anyone who dared to stand in his way was instantly killed by his Silken Thread Sword.

Li Hongzhuang looked back and saw bodies scattered across the courtyard. The scene was horrifying, but somewhere deep within her, a thrill surged. This was what she had always dreamed of—to walk through the Cui residence, killing freely, unstoppable and invincible.

At first, she had thought that only a Divine Strength martial artist could do this, but Shisan had pulled this off as an Organ Refinement martial artist.

"I can't believe someone at the Organ Refinement Stage possesses this kind of power..." she muttered to herself.

She had thought she knew Shisan after watching him kill the Fiery Saber, Zhao Qilei, with her own eyes. But what she was seeing now was beyond anything she had ever imagined.

Thud!

Another martial artist fell.

Suddenly, Lu Changsheng stopped in his tracks.

By now, bodies were piled around him and the thick stench of blood filled the air. Even a supreme Organ Refinement martial artist would have struggled to force their way through so many opponents, but Lu Changsheng had done it as casually as if taking a stroll.

"Miss Li," he said calmly, looking at the building ahead, "it seems getting to the furnace chamber wasn't that big of a deal."

The furnace chamber was the core area of the Cui residence. Under normal circumstances, only the family's core members were allowed inside.

"Not a big deal?" Li Hongzhuang glanced back at the trail of corpses, her lips twitching. She was starting to wonder if Shisan was actually a Divine Strength martial artist. After all, how could an Organ Refinement martial artist wipe out hundreds and walk straight into the Cui Clan's most heavily guarded place as if it were nothing?

In any case, they had reached the furnace chamber, and this was where the true challenge was about to begin.

Creak...

The doors of the furnace chamber creaked open, and three elderly men stepped out. Though their hair was white, their faces were youthful and full of vigor. Their eyes immediately locked onto Lu Changsheng and Li Hongzhuang.

"Third Lady of the Li family," one of the elders said with a sigh, "you managed to escape last time. Why come back now just to throw your life away?"

1. In ancient China, especially during cold seasons or in colder regions, wealthy families sometimes had young maids or concubines lie in their beds before they entered, so the bedding was warm and comfortable. ☜

2. In large aristocratic families of ancient China, strict rules governed who could move where within the residence. Servants were ranked, and most areas, especially at night, were off-limits without permission. Lu Changsheng and Li Hongzhuang’s free movement through the residence would be seen as a serious breach of this hierarchy. ☜

3. Three zhang is roughly 10 meters (or about 33 feet) ☜