I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 139: Chapter 61: Attacking the Heart

Amidst this resentment and fury—

The two men fell to the ground with a thud, their eyes losing focus as they breathed their last.

Phew!

Fang Rui let out a soft breath.

To be honest, the combined attack from those two just now had been truly stunning.

It was only because it was him—channeling Dark Force throughout his body to unleash speed far surpassing a Sixth Grade Martial Artist, seizing an opening that wasn’t truly an opening, and piercing through—that he was able to execute a backhanded flick at the other man in the instant they passed each other, completing the double kill.

It was just as he always said: the Life-taking Saber Technique was simple to the extreme. It had no flashy moves, striving only to kill and take a life with the fewest moves in the fastest time possible.

Perhaps it lacked the breathtaking splendor of other Saber Techniques, but it possessed a clean, crisp beauty all its own!

...

After killing, of course, came the looting.

Old Patriarch Xia had tasked these three with surveillance, but that didn’t stop them from making some money on the side. Specifically, they were doing the same as Fang Rui: robbing the Martial Artists who had just looted the Lin Mansion.

The small fish eat the shrimp, and the big fish eat the small fish.

Of course, in the end, Fang Rui was the one who reaped all the benefits.

”Hmm, quite a few golden leaves, even more than what I got... a lot of manuals, too... Huh, what’s this? A Jade Pestle? No, it’s... Ptooey, it dirtied my hands!”

Fang Rui sorted through his spoils, organizing them by category. He put away the manuals and found a place to hide the gold, silver, jade, and other valuables.

He packed up his loot in high spirits, wondering if he should go rob another one or two people.

Just then, a tremendous noise suddenly erupted from the direction of the Lin Family’s estate.

”What’s happening?”

Fang Rui tapped his toes, leaping high into the air. Pushing off a wall twice, he landed on a rooftop and gazed out from his high vantage point.

In the center of the Lin estate, on an open, flat area that looked like a training ground, not far from the battlefield of Lin Xiong, Old Patriarch Xia, and Zuo Boyang, a group of Xia Family guards and Taiping Bandits were banging gongs and drums, shouting at the top of their lungs.

”Patriarch Lin, the head of your fourth son, Lin Xiao, is here!”

”Patriarch Lin, the bodies of your eldest son, Lin Lei, and his family of six are here!”

”Lin Xiong, your third son Lin Feng’s head has arrived!”

...

Because Fang Rui had stirred up the situation, killing Tiger Gang’s Leader Chong Jihu and Wild Wolf Gang’s Leader Duan Lang, the conflict between the Lin and Xia Families had been ignited ahead of schedule...

Furthermore, the Xia Family and Taiping Bandits’ sudden decision to surround the Lin Mansion today had been too abrupt and executed too quickly, leaving the Lin Family’s spies within both factions no time to send a warning...

In short, the Lin Family was caught completely off guard!

The result was that far fewer of the younger generation of the Lin Family managed to break the blockade and escape today than Lin Xiong had expected.

...

’Hm? Lin Feng’s head was taken too?’

’No wonder the Xia Family and the Rebel Army were so intent on intercepting and killing members of the Lin Family. So this was what they were waiting for. I have to say, this move by the Xia Family and the Rebel Army is vicious! Truly insidious!’

Fang Rui praised them silently.

He felt that compared to the Xia Family and the Taiping Bandits, he was far too merciful. He had never done something so psychologically devastating.

’When experts clash, their state of mind and condition are also crucial factors. Patriarch Lin Xiong... is finished!’

Fang Rui sighed and made his judgment.

...

Just as Fang Rui had predicted.

Hearing those shouts, Lin Xiong was distracted for a moment. Glancing over, his mind fell into chaos, and Zuo Boyang, the Fourth Grade Martial Artist from the Rebel Army, seized the opportunity to run him through the chest with his sword, grievously wounding him.

But in doing so, he also had to bear the man’s final counterattack.

”Die!”

Like an enraged lion, Lin Xiong’s hair stood on end. Ignoring the sword piercing his chest, he unleashed his Power and struck out with a palm, directly causing Zuo Boyang’s shoulder to collapse and deform. Zuo Boyang let out a muffled grunt and retreated repeatedly.

”Vile cur! General Zuo, this old man is here to help you!”

It was hard to say if it was a coincidence or the cunning that comes with old age, but just as Lin Xiong was severely wounded and his condition plummeted, Old Patriarch Xia swooped in for the kill.

BANG!

His cane, wrapped in immense Power, smashed into Lin Xiong’s chest, sending him flying. He crashed through a wall, which collapsed, and he fell heavily amidst the earth, stone, and splintered wood.

CRUMBLE! CRUMBLE!

Amidst a great shower of falling dust.

”Cough, cough cough!”

Lin Xiong struggled to sit up. Half of his torso had been blasted open, a mess of mangled flesh and blood. He coughed up fresh blood, his face as pale as gold foil. He was clearly on the verge of death.

”Xia Zhensheng, Zuo Boyang... I hate you, I hate you so much... But don’t you get cocky, Old Xia! What happened to my Lin Family today will happen to your Xia Family tomorrow! HAHAHAHA~”

He died amidst his laughter, his last breath expiring.

...

’Is he dead? The Lin Family... I’ve witnessed your fall!’

Fang Rui thought of how the once-glorious Lin Family of Changshan City had crumbled to dust and vanished like smoke, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy.

With Lin Xiong’s death, the joint operation against the Lin Family by the Xia Family and the Taiping Bandits tonight was also drawing to a close.

He didn’t bother waiting for any more rabbits by the tree stump.

After all, with Lin Xiong dead, Old Patriarch Xia and Zuo Boyang—two Fourth Grade powerhouses—were now free. The area around the Lin estate had become a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den, its danger level soaring.

’Forget it. My goals for this trip—to fish in troubled waters and to settle my grudges—have both been accomplished. There’s no need to stay any longer.’

’It’s time to leave!’

Fang Rui turned decisively and disappeared into a dark alley, moving away from the Lin estate.

As for the Xia Family?

Old Patriarch Xia was still around, so it was far from the right time for a reckoning. There would be plenty of time in the future.

...

Changshan City, shrouded in the pitch-black night, was like a giant beast. The howling night wind was its furious roar, and as Fang Rui darted through the streets, he was like something leaping through the fur on the beast’s back.

He sped along, heading straight for Willow Alley.

...

Upon returning, he led Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan out of the cellar to wash up and go to sleep.

For the same reason as the day before, Fang Rui didn’t tell them about his spoils from tonight. Besides not wanting to worry them, he also considered the risk of them letting something slip outside.

He told a story to lull the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, to sleep.

Fang Rui got up quietly and began to organize the manuals he had acquired that night.

The single flame of the oil lamp was as small as a bean.

He sat before the oil lamp, quickly flipping through the pages, his eyes scanning ten lines at a glance.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

He finished looking through them. Of the twenty to thirty Cultivation and Martial Techniques manuals in total, not a single Cultivation Technique was accepted by the panel, and only a meager five Martial Arts were recorded.

’Actually, a situation like this is only normal!’

A realization dawned on Fang Rui: ’Cultivation Techniques are lengthy, making it easy to omit sections or leave out key points to keep one’s subordinates in check.’

’As for Martial Arts? They’re considered much less important than Cultivation Techniques. But profound Martial Arts also have secret codes, with the crucial parts passed down orally.’

’Low-to-mid-tier Martial Arts are a dime a dozen, so they aren’t highly valued. They’re meant for the guards to practice, and to avoid the trouble of teaching each one individually, they are usually complete... But treasured editions containing the insights and experiences of previous cultivators would certainly never be made public...’

With so many restrictions, combined with the great families’ siphoning of resources, they held an absolute advantage over their subordinates.

’It’s a shame. There were three to five profound Cultivation and Martial Techniques among them, but the panel couldn’t record them. I can only look at them for reference, to broaden my horizons and way of thinking, and to deepen my foundation.’

Fang Rui looked at the five meager Martial Arts recorded by the panel: Rapid Trace Step, Disguise Technique, Thirteen Throws of the Flying Swallow, Xue Family Spear, and Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique.

’My luck isn’t bad. Three of them are practical. Rapid Trace Step, Disguise Technique, and Thirteen Throws of the Flying Swallow correspond to Body Technique, disguise, and Hidden Weapons, respectively. They perfectly cover my weaknesses.’

As for the Xue Family Spear and the Mountain-Splitting Saber Technique...

Fang Rui had no plans to replace his Life-taking Saber Technique with them for now, because these two Attacking Martial Techniques were also a dime a dozen, not much better than the Life-taking Saber Technique.

Besides, he would have to start from scratch with a new attacking technique, so it was more cost-effective to continue improving his Life-taking Saber Technique. For now, he would just leave them on the panel.

’I have all sorts of Martial Arts now, but it’s a pity about the Tribulation Points...’

Everything that happened tonight had earned Fang Rui just over two hundred Tribulation Points.

’It’s not that much, actually. Is it because my involvement wasn’t that deep, and the scope of a single Lin Family is too narrow? After all, they’re just a major family in a county town...’

Fang Rui mused.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Just then, he heard a soft knock on the door, accompanied by Third Lady’s voice, ”Brother Rui?!”

...