Chapter 220: Chapter 166: Old Resentment (Thanks to Alliance Hierarch 20220724175249537)
Lu Dongjun retreated repeatedly. In his memory, He Haiqin was supposed to be an Eighth Layer Food Cultivator; how could he have learned a Ninth Layer Technique?
When did he advance?
As the violent wind dissipated, He Haisheng also rose from the ground and stood behind He Haiqin.
He Haiqin chided He Haisheng, "Third Brother, you’re too impatient. Didn’t I tell you to delay him here? Why did you engage him directly?"
"Brother, you were a bit impatient yourself. You swallowed my smoke." That smoke was equivalent to He Haisheng’s own flesh and blood.
"I damn near choked on it," He Haiqin coughed twice.
He Haisheng gritted his teeth. "Brother, he’s the one who harmed you! His Strategist, Wan Jinxian, is a Disease Cultivator!"
He Haiqin also gritted his teeth. "I know. You don’t need to do anything. Today, I’ll skin him alive myself!"
Lu Dongjun appeared calm, not at all panicked.
He Haiqin looked at Lu Dongjun. "Little Jun, we go way back. When you invited me for that meal, I shared some heartfelt words with you. I genuinely wanted to help you become the Lu Family Head. How could you let that Bird Person, Wan Jinxian, harm me?"
Lu Dongjun shook his head. "Brother Haiqin, I truly didn’t know about this. If Haisheng hadn’t mentioned it just now, I wouldn’t have known my illness was connected to Wan Jinxian. I’m not a clever man, Brother Haiqin, but you are discerning. You really can’t pin this on me."
Lu Dongjun didn’t know Wan Jinxian had afflicted He Haiqin with an illness?
Bullshit! How could he not know!
This was an order given to him by Lu Dongliang. However, Lu Dongliang hadn’t instructed him to make He Haiqin sick, but rather to kill him outright. If Lu Dongjun had succeeded, Lu Dongliang had promised him half the family assets.
Lu Dongjun had also planned to use force. At the time, He Haiqin was still at the Eighth Layer. With Lu Dongjun’s strength, killing an Eighth Layer Food Cultivator wouldn’t have been too difficult. He just hadn’t expected He Haiqin to bring He Yuxiu along.
That complicated matters significantly. He Yuxiu was also an Eighth Layer Martial Cultivator. Although not as skilled in combat as Lu Dongjun, his foundational combat strength was solid, so Lu Dongjun naturally hadn’t dared to act.
Seeing the task was becoming impossible, Wan Jinxian volunteered. Disguised as a servant during the meal, he quietly planted the illness in He Haiqin.
It was from this point on that Wan Jinxian earned Lu Dongjun’s deep trust.
Two days later, when He Haiqin fell gravely ill, Lu Dongjun assumed the deed was done and awaited Lu Dongliang’s division of the family assets.
Little did Lu Dongjun imagine that He Haiqin, relying on his robust physique and the aid of Medicine Cultivator Chu Peiying, would stubbornly cling to life for another two years.
Since He Haiqin hadn’t died, Lu Dongliang had no need to fulfill his promise and naturally withheld the assets.
However, during those two years, Lu Dongliang exploited He Haiqin’s illness to gain numerous advantages. Under his pressure, the He Family gradually declined, while the Lu Family rose to become the foremost family in Puluo State.
Lu Dongjun witnessed this, hatred festering in his heart. Even though He Haiqin hadn’t died, Lu Dongjun had made a significant contribution and felt he deserved some reward.
Fueled by Wan Jinxian’s repeated instigation, he began to harbor murderous intent towards Lu Dongliang.
The assassination plot against He Haiqin had been exposed, yet Lu Dongjun was still making excuses. He Haiqin couldn’t be bothered to listen.
This was a rare opportunity, with Lu Dongjun isolated and his supporters nowhere in sight. Why not seize it to end his life?
He Haiqin charged directly at Lu Dongjun, throwing a punch.
Lu Dongjun didn’t dodge, instead striking first with a kick to He Haiqin’s chest.
He Haiqin stumbled back several steps. If not for the formidable physique of a Food Cultivator, that blow might have been fatal.
"Little Jun, quite ruthless! You’re damn good at fighting; no wonder Lu Dongliang fell to you!"
Regarding Lu Dongliang, He Haiqin naturally believed He Yuxiu.
Despite his superior cultivation level, He Haiqin truly wasn’t gaining an advantage in a one-on-one fight.
He Haiqin changed his call: "Brother, let’s attack together!"
He Haiqin and He Haisheng, the two brothers, closed in on Lu Dongjun.
Sated Food Cultivators possessed astonishing speed, strength, and resilience.
Smoke Cultivators had techniques for both close and long-range combat, their movements erratic and unpredictable.
In such a situation, was there still a chance to turn the tables?
Yes!
Lu Dongjun ripped out two rows of seats from the carriage and hurled them at He Haiqin and He Haisheng.
Martial Cultivators lacked supernatural Techniques but possessed the greatest combat prowess, relying solely on their Martial Arts. The two rows of heavy seats flew accurately towards the brothers.
He Haiqin simply barreled through the seats, smashing them to pieces, and continued his charge towards Lu Dongjun.
He Haisheng darted aside, evading the seats.
The opportunity was here; the brothers reacted differently to the direct assault.
Inside the cramped carriage, Lu Dongjun leaped onto a seatback, sprinted along it, bypassed He Haiqin, and lunged straight for He Haisheng.
He Haisheng prepared to transform into smoke, his usual tactic.
He Haiqin pursued from behind. Lu Dongjun spun and kicked, unleashing a fierce gust of wind that blocked He Haiqin.
He Haiqin opened his mouth and swallowed the wind, but He Haisheng no longer dared to transform into smoke.
Just moments before, some of He Haisheng’s smoke had been dispersed by Lu Dongjun, and another portion consumed by He Haiqin.
This smoke was He Haisheng’s very body, his life force. If He Haiqin swallowed another mouthful, He Haisheng would be gravely injured.
In that fleeting moment of hesitation, Lu Dongjun seized He Haisheng’s head, intending to crush it.
Eliminate He Haisheng, then dealing with He Haiqin alone will be much easier.
He was inept at everything else, but a master when it came to fighting.
Just as Lu Dongjun was about to crush He Haisheng’s head, the train carriage suddenly lurched violently.
Lu Dongjun stumbled. He Haisheng seized the chance to break free. He Haiqin kicked Lu Dongjun from behind, sending him sprawling. He Haisheng spat out a cigarette, and its burning butt seared through Lu Dongjun’s chest, exposing white bone and organs.
Lu Dongjun clutched his chest, trying to rise, but He Haiqin pinned him to the ground with his foot. "You son of a bitch! You’ve tormented me for two whole years!"
He Haiqin slammed a fist into Lu Dongjun’s face. Lu Dongjun’s left cheek caved in, his skull fracturing.
"You dare kill someone on a train? Don’t you know the rules? Aren’t you afraid of the attendants?" This was Lu Dongjun’s final, desperate plea.
"Attendants?" He Haiqin roared with laughter. "What train? Open your eyes and see clearly. At least die knowing the truth."
Lu Dongjun looked around the carriage.
Seats, small tables, the floor, the ceiling—it was clearly a train carriage.
He then peered out the window. Outside, dimly lit landscapes whizzed by: houses, farmland, forests...
Houses?
Lu Dongjun had seen that particular house before, right when he boarded.
Was it the same one?
Beyond the houses lay an endless field; the scenery outside the window was repeating.
Could it be... he had been tricked from the start?
No wonder He Haiqin suddenly appeared in the carriage.
So this was never a train...
How could it be so convincing?
Just like those photographs, identical to the real thing.
Lu Dongjun stared out the window in horror. He Haiqin’s fist descended, crushing Lu Dongjun’s head.
Shaking the blood from his hand, He Haiqin yelled, "Third Brother Ling, come collect the corpse!"
A window slid open, and Ling Miaoying, the youngest of the three Ling brothers, leaped in. He rolled up the carpet on the floor, wrapped Lu Dongjun’s corpse in it, and tossed it out the window.
The scenery outside continued to recede. Even opening the window and leaning out, it looked incredibly real.
The only unreal aspect was the lack of wind blowing in, because the carriage wasn’t moving at all.
This was why the windows couldn’t be opened.
Outside the carriage was another scene entirely. The train rested on the platform, its train head puffing steam, poised for departure. Passengers bustled about, boarding and alighting, while attendants stood at carriage doors, checking tickets.
Was this real?
No.
Ling Miaoying ordered all the Shadow Play Machines surrounding the train to be switched off. At last, the true scene was revealed.
There were no passengers, no attendants.
Only an abandoned platform, a derelict train, and a stretch of disused track.
Everything was a shadow play—one show for outside the carriage, another for inside.
Beneath the carriage lay a gramophone, specially customized by Ling Miaosheng.
The hissing of the steam train head, the whistle, the clatter of wheels on the tracks, and the chatter of passengers all sounded completely real.
Steel wires suspended the carriage, their vibrations causing it to tremble slightly.
Just moments ago, during Lu Dongjun’s desperate struggle, Ling Miaoying had cut one of these wires, making the carriage lurch violently and thus saving He Haisheng’s life.
A top-tier Peeping Cultivator, Ling Miaoying, had deceived Lu Dongjun with a shadow play.
Lu Dongjun had been marked since leaving the leather factory. However, due to his formidable combat skills, no one had dared to make a move lightly.
From the moment he passed the ticket checkpoint, he had been watching the illusion, unwittingly walking straight into the trap set by Ling Miaoying and He Haiqin.
He Haiqin emerged from the carriage, looked at Ling Miaoying, and grunted, "You do have some skills, I’ll give you that. When I arrived earlier, I also thought this was a real train."
Ling Miaoying removed his hat and bowed. "A trifling skill, I’ve made a fool of myself before you, Old Master He."
"Laugh? You think I’m in any mood to laugh? My brother was nearly killed by Lu Dongjun, and you just stood by and watched!"
At that moment, Ling Miaoying had been just outside the carriage; indeed, he had not intervened.
"According to our agreed schedule, Old Master He should have arrived earlier. I didn’t anticipate any complications, so I didn’t dare to intervene rashly."
"So now it’s my fault? The train was an hour late! I rushed here as soon as I disembarked."
Ling Miaoying smiled humbly. "It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I should have been more adaptable."
He Haiqin waved his hand dismissively. "Enough idle chatter. Let’s get to business. We agreed to split the Hai Chi Ridge business fifty-fifty."
Ling Miaoying nodded. "Naturally."
"You and your brothers will handle the cleanup. I want no part in it."
"That was also part of our agreement."
"This Lu Dongjun affair has nothing to do with us, from beginning to end. If anything leaks, you’re the one who’ll take the blame."
"Rest assured, we’ll handle everything from here on."
He Haiqin nodded and, with He Haisheng, left the abandoned platform.
Exiting the train station, He Haisheng glanced at the swarming mosquitoes and said to He Haiqin, "Big Brother, Hai Chi Ridge is finished. This business is probably worthless to us now."
He Haiqin laughed. "Foolish boy, do you really think I care about that little business at Hai Chi Ridge? Since Hai Chi Ridge is ruined, we’ll just appraise the business and sell it to the Ling Family. That bastard Lu Dongjun made me lie in bed for two whole years; he almost took my life! Being able to personally slaughter that bastard—you have no idea how satisfying that feels!"
「...」
Ling Miaoying finished packing all the equipment and sat alone in the abandoned carriage, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sent a message to He Jiaqing:
"The deed is done."
Lying on his sickbed, He Jiaqing replied, "Preserve Lu Dongjun’s corpse well. It will be of great use for your promotions in the future."
"But the mosquitoes at Hai Chi Ridge are proving difficult to manage."
"Have Old Wan make a trip to Greenwater Bay. See if he can entreat their Ancestral Master."
"We’ve already asked. Green Flower refuses to get involved."
"Plead again. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go myself."
PS: Thank you, Alliance Hierarch 20220724175249537. Your brilliant comments grace every Chapter. Your inspiration and encouragement give Shala extra strength while writing.