We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 198 The First Person, Ancestor Luo Emerges from Seclusion
"But what?" Qian Ruyuan was curious about his daughter's change.

Qian Xingyue blinked and chuckled, "He was lucky to run into the Luo Clan's patriarch in seclusion. However, the Luo Clan's patriarch is about to emerge from seclusion, so let's see how he deals with the Luo Clan's revenge."

“That’s true.” Qian Ruyuan nodded in agreement.

The Luo family patriarch has been in seclusion for some time, and news of his imminent emergence from seclusion has been circulating recently.

Now that such a thing has happened, it probably won't be long before Patriarch Luo emerges from seclusion.

At that time, Su Chen will face a fierce and relentless retaliation from the Luo family. It's just unknown whether Su Chen will be able to withstand it.

"By the way, Father, have you found Su Chen?" Qian Xingyue suddenly asked.

Qian Ruyuan shook his head: "Didn't find it."

When the topic came up, he couldn't help but find it a bit strange.

According to investigations by various parties, Su Chen does not appear to be someone who has fled to evade punishment.

However, after killing Luo Yuanxiu, Su Chen was never found again in the five cities of Dafeng.

He seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Such behavior is truly baffling.

Isn't he afraid that the Luo family will target his relatives and friends because they can't find him?

It should be known that the Luo family patriarch is always vengeful. Even with Qiao Renzhou's protection, if they can't do it openly, they will resort to underhanded tactics.

With Qiao Renzhou's power, he was completely unable to resist the Luo family's despicable revenge.

Unless Qiao Renzhou brings in martial artists from the palace, perhaps the Luo family will show some deference out of respect for that person.

Just then, Qian Xingyue's voice rang out: "Father, something's strange. Wasn't Su Chen supposed to be 'diligent, upright, and clear about right and wrong'? Why did he abscond?"

"Human hearts are unpredictable, and some things can be faked," Qian Ruyuan replied ambiguously, then changed the subject, "As for whether it's true or false, we'll see soon enough."

……

A courtyard with a faint smell of blood.

After several days, Shi Hongying emerged from seclusion.

"Congratulations, Senior Sister," Wen Qingqiu said with a fist and palm salute.

Although Shi Hongying's blood fusion process was somewhat tortuous, it was fortunately successful without any major incidents. Now, Shi Hongying's strength is no less than his.

Shi Hongying was very grateful for Wen Qingqiu's care and encouragement during this time, and smiled brightly: "Thank you for taking care of me during this time, junior brother."

"Senior sister, now that you have broken through, I have a small request. I wonder if you could grant it?"

Wen Qingqiu scratched his head, a shy look on his face.

Seeing his expression, even Shi Hongying, who had never been interested in men, felt a pang of unease, recalling Wen Qingqiu's tender care during this time.

Could it be that my junior brother wants to...?

Amidst the gloomy atmosphere, a bold yet slightly stimulating thought popped into her head.

If my junior brother really wants to confess his feelings to me, should I accept or not?

After accepting the offer, when will they get married?

Given our current status, we should get married and have children as soon as possible to continue our family line.

If we get caught, let's bury him where we first met...

"Senior sister, senior sister..." Wen Qingqiu's questioning voice interrupted Shi Hongying's daydreams.

Interrupted, Shi Hongying's spirited face flushed slightly. She smoothed her hair and asked seriously, "What is it?"

Her voice carried an expectation that even she herself didn't realize.

Wen Qingqiu found it a little strange, but didn't pay it any mind. Under Shi Hongying's gaze, he said, "I want to give the position of Qing Envoy to you, Senior Sister."

Bang!
Shi Hongying stood there, stunned, as if a bubble-like world in her mind had collapsed.

Wen Qingqiu, oblivious to this, continued, "You know I'm not very good at this kind of thing, otherwise the Rebirth Sect wouldn't be down to just me. So... hey, Senior Sister, what's wrong? Where are you going?"

"roll!"

The door was flung open by Shi Hongying in a huff.

"...The number one young person in Donglin Prefecture, and also the number one person below the Meridian Opening Realm. This person has quite a few titles."

Inside the room, Luo Zhuo and the others were looking at the information they had gathered about Su Chen.

Shi Hongying greeted the group and then asked, "Who is it?"

“Su Chen,” Luo Zhuo replied, handing over a stack of documents. “It’s him.”

"Su Chen?!"

Upon hearing this name, Wen Qingqiu, who was chasing after them, paused in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Qiu Wuyai frowned as he looked at Wen Qingqiu, who seemed completely out of sorts.

Wen Qingqiu did not answer, but instead asked, "What realm is he at now?"

"Move the Blood to the Fifth Realm!"

"What?! How is this possible?!" Wen Qingqiu exclaimed in shock.

After a short while, seeing everyone looking at him with suspicion, Wen Qingqiu explained, "I have met this person before and seen him fight. It must have been three months ago. At that time, he was still below the Blood Transformation Realm. How could he have reached the fifth level of the Blood Transformation Realm in just a few months?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Wuyai and Luo Zhuo exchanged a glance and frowned.

Luo Zhuo spoke up: "Tell me in detail."

Soon, Wen Qingqiu recounted the details of their meeting.

After listening, both Qiu Wuyai and Luo Zhuo fell into deep thought, their brows furrowed and their expressions becoming quite serious.

Suddenly, Luo Zhuo seemed to have thought of something and kept flipping through Su Chen's information.

When he saw Su Chen use the Myriad Wonders of the Profound Heart Style and reveal his identity as a swordsman, his eyes lit up.

"So that's how it is. This person is an accomplice of the Moon Worshiping Thief, and also that mysterious swordsman!"

Liang Qingsong also guessed Su Chen's identity.

After reading Su Chen's information for the first time, he was amazed, as he had never heard of this person before.

The second time, he was furious. Why didn't the Liang family have such a brilliant talent?

On the third attempt, he pondered which unmarried women remained in the clan and how he could preserve this person through a marriage alliance.

The fourth time, the Myriad Wonders of the Profound Heart style, the terrifying swordsmanship, and the deep-seated hatred between him and the Luo family... all reminded him of one person.

A person who had to be killed.

"It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to you effortlessly!"

All the amazement and emotion vanished, replaced by a chilling killing intent that leaped from his face.

Liang Qingsong clenched his teeth, his face contorted with rage.

"If it weren't for the Luo family, I really wouldn't have been able to find you. Don't worry, even if the Luo family doesn't kill you this time, I will, otherwise I won't be able to eat or sleep in peace!"

Luoshan City in Cangzhou, Luoshi Castle, the back mountain.

The Luo family members knelt before the stone gate, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

After an unknown amount of time, a rumbling sound came from the ground, and the motionless stone door was pulled open with a loud crash, revealing two old figures.

"Congratulations to the two patriarchs on their emergence from seclusion!" the crowd shouted, bowing their heads.

After a long while, an old voice rang out: "Get up."

The leading elder of the Luo clan looked up but did not stand up. The two ancestors seemed to sense this.

Before the two elders could speak, the leading elder of the Luo clan said, "We beg the elders to make a decision for us."

"We beg the Ancestor to uphold justice for us!" The unified and resounding voices rang out once again.

The two elders exchanged a glance, their expressions slightly hardening: "Get up, what is it?"

……

The patriarch of the Luo clan emerged from seclusion.

The news, once it spread from the Luo family, quickly swept through the five cities of Dafeng, adding even more heat to the matter of Su Chen.

City Lord's Mansion.

After bringing Hong Ming and the others over, Qiao Renzhou deployed heavy troops to guard them and protect them closely.

However, this did not alleviate much of the people's worries.

In the lobby.

Qiao Renzhou and Qiao Qiliang looked worried, clearly having also heard the news of the Luo family patriarch's emergence from seclusion.

"Father, how about we secretly send Master Hong and the others away?"

After much deliberation, Qiao Qiliang realized this was the only solution he could come up with. It was a last resort, as the pressure from the Luo family was immense.

As long as Hong Ming and the others are sent away, the Luo family will not have the opportunity to take action even if they want to. Otherwise, even with the protection of the city lord's mansion, they may not be safe.

Qiao Renzhou shook his head after hearing this: "We can't leave. The Luo family has been secretly monitoring us. They will find out as soon as there is any disturbance at the City Lord's Mansion. Moreover, leaving the City Lord's Mansion now would be tantamount to walking into a trap."

Although the Luo clan chief was dead, the Luo clan was not leaderless like the Hong clan had been before. They quickly reacted and took countermeasures.

If Qiao Qiliang hadn't acted quickly, they probably wouldn't have even been able to pick up Hong Ming and the others before being taken away by the Luo family.

Now that Hong Ming and the others have been settled in the City Lord's Mansion, although the Luo family hasn't taken any action, they've secretly sent people to monitor the entire mansion. Faced with such shameless behavior, even Qiao Renzhou is quite troubled; there's simply no way to catch all these people.

"What should we do then!" Qiao Qiliang sighed. He didn't blame Su Chen, but blamed himself for being useless.

Su Chen avenged him, but he was unable to protect Hong Ming and the others, leaving him feeling helpless and frustrated.

"Why panic!"

Just as Qiao Qiliang was feeling lost and disoriented, Qiao Renzhou spoke calmly and slowly.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Qiliang's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Father, do you have any other ideas?"

"I've kept this from you for so long, it's time to tell you..."

Qiao Qiliang: "...!"

"You mean, I have an aunt in the capital, and she's one of the emperor's concubines?"

After hearing Qiao Renzhou's confession, Qiao Qiliang exclaimed in surprise.

Qiao Renzhou nodded: "Otherwise, what makes you think your father deserves to be the city lord of Fengbei City?"

"Father, you've kept this from me for so long!" Qiao Qiliang said resentfully.

Qiao Renzhou kept more than one thing from him, such as his cultivation level. He didn't expect that he would only tell him about his concubine aunt now.

He stared blankly at Qiao Renzhou and said, "Father, is there anything else you're hiding from me? Tell me all of it at once."

For example, your cultivation level is not actually about moving blood, but about opening the meridians.

For example, after Emperor Qianlong learned of this, he sent a large army to support us.

For example, my mother wasn't actually dead; she was a princess of a great dynasty. Upon learning of this, she led a group of powerful warriors from her palace to come here.

Qiao Renzhou: "...!"

Before Qiao Qiliang could finish speaking, his face darkened.

He sneered, his face contorted with anger, "Nonsense!"

He paused, then softened his tone slightly: "However, I have already informed your aunt about this matter. With your aunt's intervention, the Luo family will not dare to be too presumptuous."

"is it?"

Just then, a sudden voice rang out.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Renzhou and Qiao Qiliang's expressions immediately changed drastically.

Inside the courtyard, a lean old man appeared out of nowhere. Dressed in a blue robe, his hunched figure stood upright, making him impossible to ignore.

Hearing the commotion, a group of people rushed over and surrounded the old man, but no one dared to approach him.

“A member of the Luo family.”

Qiao Renzhou, who had just arrived, felt a chill run down his spine. The newcomer was Luo Zhengxun, one of the patriarchs of the Luo clan.

Upon hearing footsteps, Luo Zhengxun turned his gaze to Qiao Renzhou, his indifferent voice rang out: "Are you City Lord Qiao?"

Before he could finish speaking, a faint pressure enveloped Qiao Renzhou, causing him to pause in his steps.

He adjusted his breathing, walked towards Luo Zhengxun, and nodded, saying, "Not bad. Trespassing into the City Lord's Mansion, is this the style of the Luo family's patriarch?"

"If you can all break into the Luo residence, why can't I enter the City Lord's mansion?" Luo Zhengxun retorted sarcastically.

Qiao Renzhou did not reply, but instead asked, "What brings you here?"

"Hand over Su Chen."

Luo Zhengxun cut to the chase, his icy tone sending a chill down everyone's spine: "If you don't hand it over, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"This is the City Lord's Mansion. Do you dare to cause trouble?" Qiao Qiliang shouted coldly.

As the voice faded, all the guards stared at Luo Zhengxun with murderous intent.

However, the next moment, everyone only saw a blur before their eyes, a fleeting image fell, and then they heard Qiao Renzhou's furious voice: "Stop!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and immediately froze. Before they knew it, Luo Zhengxun had broken through the encirclement and appeared in front of Qiao Qiliang, grabbing him by the throat.

Thin, withered fingers gripped his throat like giant pincers, and in just a few breaths, Qiao Qiliang's face turned red.

Upon seeing this, Qiao Renzhou flew into a rage, stomped his foot on the ground, and attacked in a fit of fury.

However, this all-out attack was easily defeated by Luo Zhengxun, and he was instead pushed back several steps.

"Lord Qiao, my patience is limited. You'd better hurry up, otherwise, I can wait, but Young Master Qiao can't." Luo Zhengxun said calmly, his fingers loosening slightly, but Qiao Qiliang's expression did not improve much.

Qiao Renzhou grunted, his eyes filled with rage, and then gritted his teeth and said, "Luo Zhengxun, if you really dare to kill my son, Consort Yi will not let you get away with this."

Yi Fei?

Upon hearing this address, Luo Zhengxun's expression froze, as if he had remembered something.

"Qiao Yiyi, Qiao Renzhou, no wonder!"

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I will let you go this time for the sake of Consort Yi, but you can only protect Su Chen for a while, not forever."

After saying that, he released Qiao Qiliang and changed the subject: "I remember that Su Chen's master and senior brother were taken to the Qiao residence by you, right? Hand them over and I will leave immediately."

Luo Zhengxun revealed his true purpose. He naturally knew that Su Chen was not there, and he also knew that he could not harm Qiao Renzhou and his son.

But if we can't touch them, surely we can at least touch Hong Ming's few henchmen?

That would be a gross underestimation of the Luo family!

This time, even if Qiao Renzhou invoked Consort Yi's name, it wouldn't make a difference if Consort Yi herself came!
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Qiao Renzhou's expression changed, and Qiao Qiliang blurted out without hesitation, "Dream on!"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Luo Zhengxun's eyes. "If you won't hand it over, then I'll go and capture it myself!"

"You dare?" Qiao Qiliang roared.

Seeing that Qiao Qiliang had repeatedly obstructed him, Luo Zhengxun felt a chill run down his spine. He suddenly struck out with a palm, aiming straight for Qiao Qiliang's face.

"Luo Zhengxun, how dare you lay a hand on someone from the City Lord's Mansion!"

Just as Luo Zhengxun was about to take Qiao Qiliang's life, a cold shout suddenly rang out.

Immediately, he saw a figure descend through the air and strike him with a palm.

Bang!
Luo Zhengxun's expression froze, and he subconsciously changed his position.

Before their palms even touched, a thunderous impact resounded, echoing in all directions, and the ripples that followed pushed away all the guards around them.

"Qian Ruyuan!"

Luo Zhengxun staggered back several steps, steadied himself, and looked up at the suddenly appearing figure with a look of horror on his face.

Qian Ruyuan landed gracefully, his cold gaze falling on Luo Zhengxun, carrying a chilling aura.

Luo Zhengxun's expression shifted between light and dark, and he gave a cold snort without responding.

He turned to Qiao Renzhou and said, "I have come here today only for Hong Ming and the others. I ask Lord Qiao to hand them over so as to avoid a major conflict."

The tone became more polite, but it still sounded aggressive.

Before Qiao Renzhou could refuse, Qian Ruyuan said sternly, "Luo Zhengxun, this matter is a grudge between your Luo family and Su Chen. Why involve others? If your Luo family is capable, you can capture Su Chen instead of resorting to these crooked methods."

Upon hearing this, not only was Luo Zhengxun surprised, but even Qiao Renzhou was somewhat taken aback, not expecting Qian Ruyuan to speak up for Su Chen.

Luo Zhengxun's heart sank, his face turning as black as ink. Hearing Qian Ruyuan's words, it was clear that he intended to stand up for Hong Ming and the others.

He could disregard a distant concubine, but he could not ignore Qian Ruyuan, who was right before his eyes.

"What the Lord says makes some sense. So, may I ask what we should do?"

Just as Luo Zhengxun was hesitating, a gentle voice rang out, and then everyone saw an old man appear beside Luo Zhengxun at some point.

Qian Ruyuan narrowed his eyes, looking at the person in front of him. This person was another ancestor of the Luo family, Luo Zhengting.

“Su Chen is the real culprit that your Luo Clan is looking for. If you want revenge, you should seek it out on Su Chen. How about this, I, the Lord of the Manor, will make the decision for you: your Luo Clan and Su Chen will have a life-or-death duel. What do you say?”

Qian Ruyuan smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping over Luo Zhengting and the other man before settling on Qiao Renzhou.

Luo Zhengting asked, "May I ask, Lord of the Manor, what is the outcome of this battle?"

"If Su Chen wins, you shall not pursue the matter of Luo Yuanxiu and his son any further. If you win, I, the Lord of the Manor, will no longer interfere in this matter," Qian Ruyuan replied.

Upon hearing this, Luo Zhengting and Luo Zhengxun exchanged a glance.

The two quickly replied, "In that case, we agree."

All eyes then fell on Qiao Renzhou.

Qiao Renzhou glanced at Qiao Qiliang, who then said, "We agree to this, but the martial arts competition will be held three months from now."

"Why don't you say a year from now?" Luo Zhengxun sneered.

"Okay." Qiao Qiliang nodded seriously.

"you……"

Luo Zhengting stopped Luo Zhengxun and shook his head, saying, "Young Master Qiao, we agreed to the martial arts competition this time to give face to the Lord of the Manor. As for the time, we will only give Su Chen three days!"

“Three days isn’t enough…” Qiao Qiliang said anxiously.

However, Luo Zhengting completely ignored his words and continued, "If Su Chen doesn't arrive in three days, then we'll admit defeat!"

As he spoke, he looked at Qian Ruyuan and said with a smile, "Lord of the Manor, the Donglin Banquet will be held in three days. I would appreciate it if you could be a witness at that time."

Qian Ruyuan was silent for a moment, then nodded indifferently: "Okay!"

(End of this chapter)