The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Lu Xiaosan and Wen Ying rushed to the side of the seriously injured He Lai.

Seeing that blood was flowing from his severed arm, she was about to help him treat the wound, but he declined, saying, "It's just a broken arm, it's nothing. But you, young lady, must be very careful of that child from now on."

Lu Xiaosan exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't he targeting me to kill me? Why would he tell her to be careful?"

Lu Xiaosan had originally planned to keep her away from him for her safety during this time. But after hearing what he said, he realized he couldn't leave her side for even a moment.

He Lai asked with a serious expression, "Do you know who that red-clad figure was just now?"

Wen Ying said anxiously, "I don't know who he is, but I do know that you will die if your injury is not treated." Then she went to help him again.

"Haha, thank you for your concern, young lady. I am deeply grateful, but this little injury is nothing compared to your safety." With that, he slightly moved his breath, and the severed arm seemed to be sealed by something, no longer bleeding.

Wen Ying was very surprised, "This is...?"

He Lai stood up, swinging his empty arm as he limped to the center of the hall and continued to speak solemnly: "Listen carefully, that child named Anan is also known as the Red Shadow Lone Demon."

"Red Shadow, as the name suggests, is like the red shadow on the wall."

"And this orphan, it is said, lost his parents when he was four years old, became as mentally mature as an adult at five, and by six, he had become a top-notch assassin in the martial arts world thanks to his innocent and easily deceived appearance and his extremely high assassination skills!"

Wen Ying felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this. "To have become like this at such a young age, what... what has he been through?"

"Then what does all this have to do with him targeting the little golden retriever?" Lu Xiaosan asked anxiously.

He Lai continued, "Then we must talk about this 'evil star.' Legend has it that he was a jinx. His parents were killed by him."

"After that, everyone who was close to him would inevitably die. So every time he killed someone, he would make that person experience the taste of death first, just like him."

Lu Xiaosan swallowed hard. "How was it? The experience?"

He Lai sighed, his eyes filled with worry. "First, kill all of the target's close relatives, making them suffer to the point of wishing they were dead, and then slowly torture the target to death. The reason he didn't attack you earlier was because he wanted to torture you later."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaosan shoved Wen Ying aside, shouting, "Who are you? Get away! I don't know you!"

Wen Ying lay on the ground, looking bewildered, unsure whether to be happy or sad.

Seeing this, Helai couldn't help but laugh and said, "Haha, it seems that you also consider this girl to be your closest person. But it's too late for you to pretend now, as Ananda has already seen everything."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaosan said, "You're right. Whether during the day or just now, I haven't held back my affection for the little golden retriever..."

"Since we can't avoid her, let's stay by her side every step of the way."

Thinking of this, he stepped forward and hugged Wen Ying tightly in his arms.

Faced with his sudden change of attitude, Wen Ying curled up in his arms like a frightened and confused little rabbit, neither responding nor rejecting, and unsure whether to be afraid or happy.

As the saying goes, it's not the theft itself that's scary, but the thief's eye on you, especially when the thief has his eye on your loved one.

So Lu Xiaosan was naturally very worried, and asked again, "Then...who does this Anan work for? I'll go talk to him and ask him to release Little Golden Retriever."

He Lai shook his head and said, "This guy doesn't work for anyone. He comes and goes without a trace, and he can kill whomever he wants."

He Lai then said passionately, "He attacked me just now because he didn't want me to participate in the Kaiyuan Martial Arts Tournament, so he could watch his own team lose. Hmph, what a joke, how could I not participate?"

As Helai spoke, he seemed to become emotional, and blood began to flow from his severed arm again.

Wen Ying hurriedly said, "The wound has started bleeding again, we should treat it quickly."

Helai waved his hand and said in a serious tone, "The time has come, the person has arrived, I must go to keep my appointment!" After saying that, he limped out of the house.

"Although this figure is a disabled fisherman, he is upright, never gives up easily, and has amazing resilience. He might really be a hero who will lead his teammates to victory. I just don't know how strong he is," Lu Xiaosan thought.

Upon arriving outside, they saw a man standing in the center of the yard, holding a hoe; it was the same farmer who had treated the pigs during the day.

He Lai bowed with one hand and said solemnly, "I am He Lai. Have you come to keep our appointment?"

The pitch-black night had completely obscured the farmer's face, only his faint voice could be heard: "Yes, it's me."

Nong Han then said, "Commanding ten thousand soldiers alone—the great hero He Lai, that must be you, right?"

He Lai was very excited upon hearing this. He exclaimed, "Brother Ning, please take these two friends with you first. I need to stretch my muscles."

As soon as he finished speaking, green light flashed around Lu Xiaosan and Wen Ying, and they floated down onto the roof. It was Ning Konglou who was controlling them.

Ning Konglou left the two of them far away from him before coldly saying, "Don't go down and cause trouble, or you'll lose your life."

Lu Xiaosan said anxiously, "But...but that farmer is a demon! Can he handle him?"

Ning Konglou scoffed, "Demon? Hmph, if you're so ignorant, don't embarrass yourself."

He Lai stepped forward and looked the farmer over, then suddenly showed admiration. “Judging from your attire, you must be the one who challenged a top-tier expert—the Moon-Chasing Shennong—Yuan He.”

Yuan He took two steps forward, the bright moonlight shining directly on his angular face. He said coldly, "Judging from your attire, it's hard to associate you with a hero... Wait, what happened to your arm?"

"Oh, something happened just now, and it was gone in an instant. But it won't hinder our battle."

Yuan He's face instantly darkened. "You should know my rules! I will not take advantage of such an unjust situation."

"Is that so? Since you value rules so much, then... we'll have to fight another day." Tsurugi lowered his head and said, full of resentment.

Yuan He looked up and sighed, "He... is He Lai... I've waited for him here for so long... am I just going to give up like this?"

.........

"and many more."

He Lai turned his head, "Does Your Excellency have any further instructions?"

Under the moonlight, Yuan He threw down the hoe with a grim face, pressed down on his left arm, and pulled hard. With a scream, blood splattered, and his entire arm was ripped off.

Lu Xiaosan said, "That's more like it."

Wen Ying's eyes trembled as she watched, exclaiming in astonishment, "How can these people... do this... so easily..."

He Lai turned around completely, his expression solemn, "Brother Yuan, you..."

Yuan He forced a smile onto his pained face and said in a trembling voice, "In this way, you and I are both...one-armed, which... conforms to the rules."

"God of the Moon, if you are injured, you will not fight; if you are sick, you will not fight; if you are not armored, you will not fight. We will not decide who wins or loses, but only who lives and who dies! Alright! Then let's fight!" He Lai shouted.

Yuan He nodded in satisfaction.

He Lai then said very seriously, "While I admire your backbone, you should know that for me, losing an arm or a leg doesn't actually affect my strength!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a red light flashed from the spot where He Lai's arm had been severed, illuminating the surroundings and instantly solidifying into a thick, red axe of light. A powerful sense of oppression spread outwards instantly.

Upon seeing this, Lu Xiaosan couldn't help but exclaim, "This...this is much more useful than an arm!"

Despite this, Yuan He remained unfazed. He raised the hoe with one arm, pointing it directly at He Lai, and roared, "Come on!"

"Great!" My blood boiled instantly.

With his broken leg, He Lai leaped lightly into the air. Red waves were constantly gathering on the large red axe on his arm. In the blink of an eye, the red axe was already the size of the house behind him.

Just as the giant axe was about to smash down, Yuanhe didn't dodge; instead, he charged forward with his hoe. Blood from his severed arm splattered on the ground, creating a trail of crimson.

With a loud "boom," dust billowed up all around, and the courtyard was plunged into a deep pit.

He Lai frowned and stared at Yuan He in the deep pit. "Are you alright?"

……

"Go all out, don't let me get away with this!" Yuan He said, holding a hoe in the pit.

At this moment, he was filled with rage, and the red waves on the red axe began to shrink, as if they were being sucked away by the hoe.

He Lai was startled. "This hoe... can it absorb waves? No wonder you only have level one armor!"