Chapter 139: Facing Directly
Lying on the unfamiliar bamboo bed, Lu Yun was ice-cold all over, oppressed by the enormous crisis before his eyes to the point of difficult breathing.
Although he had been worried before that he might reveal some flaws in front of Lu Xian, he never imagined that he would expose himself so thoroughly in such a sudden way.
His mental state lost control, leading to loss of control over his meridians as well. The massive true qi stored in the acupoint in the center of his forehead surged out like a breached dam. Without Lu Xian’s intervention to save him, he would probably have died from meridian explosion by now.
Lu Xian had indeed saved his life, but the secret of his cultivation method was undoubtedly completely exposed before him! 《Imperial Extreme Profound Cave Skill》 can deceive heaven and earth because it allows one to retract all or part of the true qi into the acupoint in the center of the forehead according to one’s will, unlike ordinary martial artists whose true qi constantly circulates in their bodies.
But this time, he lost control, and all the true qi poured out from his sea of qi. With just a slight probe, Lu Xian would discover his full strength. He might even overestimate him considerably… because Lu Yun simply could not withstand the impact of full strength; even risking his life, he could at most utilize eighty percent.
Therefore, Lu Xian must have already determined that he was an Earth Rank Grandmaster, and one far exceeding the ordinary…
If he were Lu Xian, he would be utterly shocked and would use every means to pry out all his secrets!
A sixteen-year-old grandmaster, and a super first-rate one at that—this completely shattered the world’s ingrained perceptions and would drive all martial artists mad!
Moreover, aside from the current crisis, once Lu Yun’s strength spread, the Xiahou Clan, Taiping Dao, Initial Emperor… all forces under heaven coveting the Imperial Seal of the State would swarm over first thing and devour him alive!
The more Lu Yun thought, the more chilled he felt. He suddenly sat up, his face ferocious and teeth gritted as he thought darkly: ‘I cannot sit and wait for death; I must find a way to get through this!’
With this thought, the first idea that surged up was to kill Lu Xian and be done with it. But this impractical delusion was quickly cast aside. Lu Yun smiled bitterly to himself: ‘If I had that kind of strength, why would I need to hide my head and show my tail?’ He knew very well that during his flare-ups, neither Lu Xin nor Uncle Bao dared to touch him at all.
The two had once tried to help him comb his true qi, but without exception, they were all shaken flying. Uncle Bao even spat out a mouthful of old blood. But last night’s condition was ten times more dangerous than any previous flare-up, yet Lu Xian could suppress the rampaging true qi in his body and, in an inconceivable manner, comb and soothe those countless strands of chaotically scurrying true qi, neutralizing their power entirely without harming his meridians.
From this alone, Lu Yun thoroughly understood the world of difference between himself and Lu Xian. Any thought of scheming against him was pure wishful thinking.
Having figured this out, Lu Yun didn’t even consider fleeing. As long as Lu Xian didn’t want him to leave, he absolutely couldn’t take half a step out of this bamboo hut. Even retreating ten thousand steps, even if Lu Xian dozed off like a tiger and let him sneak away, with the vastness of the world, where could he go? What about the blood feud of his father emperor and mother empress?
All his revenge plans depended on his identity as Lu Clan disciple Lu Yun. Like that Lu Feng becoming a lost dog, he could forget about revenge for the rest of his life! That would be better off dead and done with!
Of course, there was one possibility: Lu Xian might pretend not to know and let him leave. But Lu Yun knew that was just wishful thinking. Never mind that Lu Xian was the Lu Clan’s Vice Sect Master—even disregarding mundane affairs, the appearance of a sixteen-year-old grandmaster in the clan would absolutely not leave him unmoved. Just the 《Imperial Extreme Profound Cave Skill》 on him alone held fatal allure for this grandmaster!
Lu Yun still clearly remembered how Xiahou Bubai and Sun Yuanlang had been like possessed, searching for this imperial secret manual.
At this thought, enlightenment rose in Lu Yun’s heart: he could not escape; he could only face Lu Xian head-on!
Although he could not predict at all how Lu Xian would handle this matter, only facing him and talking with him offered a chance, however slim, at survival!
Having thought this through, Lu Yun stood up, pushed open the small door of the bamboo hut, and saw that it was already faintly light outside. The young attendant at the courtyard gate turned at the sound, glanced at him, and said with a dark face: “You can’t leave yet; my master hasn’t given the word.”
“Who said I was leaving?” Lu Yun smiled at him and said: “I have to at least thank the Vice Sect Master for saving my life first.”
“That’s more like it,” the young attendant’s expression softened a bit, and he pursed his lips: “Better than your dad.”
“My father…” Lu Yun frowned slightly at this and asked in a deep voice: “Did he come?”
“More than just come—he was shouting and charging in, pushed me down.” The young attendant huffed: “I just didn’t stoop to his level, or else with a casual move, I’d make sure he couldn’t walk properly for the rest of his life!”
Lu Yun ignored the young attendant’s nonsense, worry for Lu Xin rising in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it. Now, the overriding top priority was to meet Lu Xian. His and his whole family’s fate depended on what came next!
With this thought, he no longer paid attention to the chattering young attendant and turned toward the main house where Lu Xian was.
The door of the main house was ajar, with no sound from inside.
Lu Yun walked to the doorway, stood still, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice: “Disciple Lu Yun requests to see the Vice Sect Master.”
With a creak, the door opened by itself without wind, slowly swinging wide.
“Enter.” Lu Xian’s voice sounded.
Lu Yun then took off his shoes, stepped onto the bamboo floor, and entered Lu Xian’s room.
The room was neat and simple, all furnishings made of bamboo, with no metal or porcelain visible. Lu Xian sat cross-legged on a low couch made of bamboo, glanced at Lu Yun, then gently waved his hand. An imperceptible breeze closed the bamboo door again.
“Sit.” No emotion was visible on Lu Xian’s face.
Lu Yun thanked him, then knelt sat opposite Lu Xian, quietly waiting for him to speak.
.
Lu Xian’s eyes were slightly closed, his mind wandering afar for a long time, before he slowly asked: “You’re practicing the 《Imperial Extreme Profound Cave Skill》, right?”
“Yes.” Lu Yun nodded. Since Lu Xian could name the cultivation method outright, there was no need to conceal it.
“As expected.” Lu Xian then looked at Lu Yun and sighed with emotion: “Only this profoundly mysterious cultivation method could produce a monster like you.” As he spoke, he seemed to sink into memories: “No wonder even Zhang Xuanyi was obsessed with this cultivation method; Kou Xianzhi even died because of it…”
Lu Yun patiently listened to him ramble on about the past; moreover, these fragmented sentences hid too many secrets he had never heard of.
After a long while, Lu Xian came back to himself and asked Lu Yun: “This cultivation method came from the Renxiao Empress through your father, right?”
Even if Lu Xian hadn’t asked this way, Lu Yun would have given the same answer. But Lu Xian asking this way made it easier for him to believe it himself than hearing it from Lu Yun.
Seeing Lu Yun nod, Lu Xian sighed: “This Heavenly Dao is indeed merciless. It doesn’t care about good or evil; it’s all your own actions—Heaven won’t intervene.”
Although Lu Xian’s tone held much offense toward Lu Xin, hearing it put Lu Yun greatly at ease. This showed Lu Xian hadn’t thought deeply at all and didn’t suspect his identity at all, only seeing him as Lu Xin’s biological son, a blood descendant of the Lu Clan!
Now, there was room to maneuver. He finally had a fulcrum to exert force!
With this thought, Lu Yun bluntly countered Lu Xian: “Disciple dares not agree with Vice Sect Master’s words!” He then asked in a deep voice: “Did Vice Sect Master personally witness and hear the circumstances at that time?”
