The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Lu Xiaosan immediately took a step forward and threw a punch at the man in black's face.

The man in black subtly shifted to the side, dodging the attack.

"Huh? This kid is so slow?" the man in black wondered.

Even so, he still dared not let his guard down.

He couldn't understand why the monk was so reckless, but what he feared most was the string of Buddhist prayer beads.

He was slightly relieved to see that the prayer beads were still lying quietly on the ground.

Turning back, he saw Lu Xiaosan's eyes flashing with malice, and a fist the size of a sandbag was already at his face.

The man in black leaned back slightly, overjoyed. "This guy has absolutely no fighting skills; he's using nothing but childish fighting techniques."

Then two white lights flashed from his sleeve, and two gleaming daggers appeared.

"Watch out!" Wen Ying shouted hurriedly from behind.

The man in black sneered, and three flashes of white light appeared, followed by spurting blood. Lu Xiaosan's fist already had three bloody marks.

The man in black looked smug. "Showing off when you have no ability, really... what!"

These three slashes not only failed to block the punch, but also provoked Lu Xiaosan, causing him to punch even faster.

The man in black was careless, and with a "thud," a bloodied fist slammed heavily into his face.

The man in black was so exhausted that his vision went black. His face was not only burning with pain, but also sticky with other people's blood, making him extremely uncomfortable.

I felt dizzy and lightheaded all of a sudden.

But he was a seasoned veteran, and without much rest, he opened his eyes.

Through the shaky vision, he saw Lu Xiaosan raising his blood-red fist and angrily taking his third step.

No sooner said than done, the man in black had only caught a glimpse of the general location when his black feet came flying in.

"Thump." Lu Xiaosan groaned as he was kicked to the ground.

He felt a surge of blood in his chest, followed by a sweet taste in his throat, and then he coughed up a mouthful of blood…

Lu Xiaosan had only practiced some childish tricks with bandits, and was ultimately just a brute. When he really encountered a skilled assassin like Lu Xiaosan, he was far inferior.

At this moment, Wen Ying rushed to his side and hugged him tightly, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with concern. "Brother Lu, don't be afraid, I'm here for you."

Lu Xiaosan sat in her arms, staring blankly at her concerned expression, lost in thought.

The man in black wiped the blood from his face, shook his head, and realized that the world was gradually stopping shaking. The buzzing in his head also gradually disappeared, and he finally came to his senses.

The man in black sneered, cracking his neck as he walked, then looked at the two of them and grinned maliciously, "You've finished your three steps... Now it's my turn, hehe, little sister."

Upon hearing his voice, Lu Xiaosan's brows furrowed in anger, and he was about to get up to fight again when Wen Ying forcefully pulled him into her arms.

Wen Ying looked at Lu Xiaosan seriously and said sternly, "Listen to me, don't move again!"

"No, how can a fine man like me be... um..." He was only halfway through his sentence when Wen Ying's soft hand covered his mouth, and his powerless body slumped into Wen Ying's arms again.

Wen Ying raised the three palace tokens in her arms to the approaching man in black and said seriously, "Do you recognize these tokens?"

Upon seeing the order, the man in black immediately became terrified, his legs went weak, and he was about to kneel before the token…

He stopped halfway through his kneeling, shook his head and said self-deprecatingly, "I can't seem to get rid of this habit anytime soon, how ridiculous." Then he slowly stood up straight.

Wen Ying frowned, "You..."

The man in black wore an arrogant expression, a wicked smile playing on his lips, and said, "Little sister, if you had brought out this token a few days earlier, I would have been the one in trouble. But you only brought it out now, so I've struck gold! Hahaha!"

Hearing that Wen Ying was in trouble, Lu Xiaosan disregarded his own pain and broke free from the gentle embrace to stand in front of Wen Ying. He said fiercely to the man in black, "Want to touch her? Lick my foot, and I might consider letting you die a quick death!"

“Brother Lu… how come you’re back to normal again… why are you suddenly being so nice to me…” Wen Ying said behind him, her pretty face flushed, unable to hide her joy.

Seeing him come again, the man in black couldn't help but smile contemptuously, "You've already taken three steps, how many more steps do you need this time, hahaha."

"Young man, do you want me to escort you a few steps and help you kill him?" A clear and unrestrained voice suddenly came from afar.

The three were startled at the same time and looked in the direction of the sound: the setting sun was slowly sinking into the mountains in the distance, and twilight was falling. In the hazy dusk, they could vaguely see a person and a horse on the mountain path, slowly making their way here.

The afterglow cast their shadows long on the road, and an invisible sense of oppression swept over them.

Hearing that he was willing to help him, Lu Xiaosan replied loudly, "Alright, then walk me a few steps and let me see!"

"Good!" The long note tore through the twilight, echoing through the mountains for a long time without stopping.

The man in black shuddered upon hearing this, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Who are you? Why are you ruining my plans?"

The man did not answer; only the sound of horses' hooves could be heard.

The arrogant man had already spurred his horse forward at full speed, and the fallen leaves around him were all kicked up by the horse's hooves.

The man's disheveled hair was dancing wildly in the fierce wind, and he was wearing a tattered, dark white robe.

But the sword at his waist was as bright and dazzling as frost and snow, and the silver-saddled white horse he rode came rushing in like a shooting star!

Seeing this, the man in black said angrily, "Another weirdo!"

The man in black glanced at the wounded White Eagle lying on the ground, his heart filled with resentment, and said, "The situation is not good, we should leave first!"

"Where do you think you're going!" A sharp voice rang out, causing the man in black to stumble.

The arrogant man held a whip in his left hand and merely trembled slightly with his right hand, which held a sword.

A flash of cold light appeared, and with a "whoosh," a sword flew out, heading straight for the fleeing man in black.

"Ouch!" The man in black was knocked to the ground by the hilt of the sword, while the cold sword spun wildly in the air.

"Catch the sword!"

"Watch me kill that son of a bitch!"

With a roar, Lu Xiaosan's blood boiled, and he took four steps forward to take the sword.

He stepped forward again, raised his sword and slashed down at the man in black on the ground, the cold light drawing a sharp arc in the air.

The man in black braced himself with both hands and shouted "Hah!" as he sent the man flying to the side. He then took a step back before regaining his footing.

Lu Xiaosan glared at him and took two more steps, then thrust his sword into his chest.

The man in black raised his hand to stop them, but a black scabbard flew from the arrogant man's body.

With a "thud," the man in black felt a sharp pain in his arm and could no longer lift it.

With a "thud," Lu Xiaosan plunged his longsword deep into his chest.

The man in black's eyes widened in shock, and he spat out a mouthful of blood!

Seeing that he was not quite dead yet, Lu Xiaosan immediately gritted his teeth and frowned, while gripping the sword hilt tightly with both hands.

"You try to fake it, huh?!"

He pulled upwards with all his might, and the sword slashed from the black-clad man's chest to the top of his head, creating a huge gash. Flesh and blood burst out instantly.

Only then did Lu Xiaosan sheathe his sword, coldly watching the man in black fall backward, dying in the pool of blood...

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Lu Xiaosan stood there, his eyes blazing with fury. For a moment, it was impossible to tell whether the red on his body was the blood of the man in black or the afterglow of the setting sun…

Wen Ying covered her mouth, staring incredulously at everything before her.

She couldn't help but turn around to look at the man on horseback. His hair was disheveled, but his eyes were bright, and his posture was as straight as a pine tree, as if to say that there was nothing in this world that could make him bow down!

Putting it all together: arrogance!

That man exuded such an imposing aura! Most importantly, he was only a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, yet he possessed a magnanimity and spirit that looked down upon the entire Tang Dynasty!

At that moment, his mouth was slightly open, giving him the imposing air of a tiger descending the mountain. He laughed loudly, "Young brother, how about I offer you these few steps?"

Hearing this, the gloom on Lu Xiaosan's face finally dissipated. He, like the other man, revealed an arrogant smile: "Hahaha, brother, these seven steps you gave me are just what I wanted!"

"Kill one person in ten steps, hmm, not bad!"

"Hahahaha!" The two of them burst into laughter at the same time.

After laughing, the man said, "In that case, brother, I'll take my leave now!"

"Alright! Until we meet again!" Lu Xiaosan shouted.

"Until we meet again! Giddy up!" With that, the man spurred his horse and rode off.

Wen Ying, who was watching from the side, was dumbfounded and hurriedly chased after him, asking, "You...you're leaving like this?...You haven't even taken your sword yet?"

"I'll give it to you all, hahahahaha!" Under the setting sun, Ma Yuan's shadow stretched long, but his laughter still echoed in the mountains.

Wen Ying turned to Lu Xiaosan, her face full of surprise, "You guys... you're being too hasty..."

Lu Xiaosan spat out a mouthful of foul blood. "What? You want me to invite him for tea?"

Wen Ying was taken aback, "Huh??"

Lu Xiaosan chuckled and looked up at the sky, saying, "You little golden retriever would never understand this kind of romance."