Chapter 224: The Dragon's Hidden Scales – One Step, One Death

“Master, Young Master,” Ma Gu stepped forward, examining the corpses, then reported, “These seem to be townspeople from Qingfeng Town.”

“Hmph.” Old Doctor nodded curtly, his expression darkening.

“Let’s go in.”

The carriage creaked and groaned as it rolled into the town.

At this moment, Qingfeng Town was a scene of utter devastation.

The once-bustling village lay silent and empty—no soul in sight. Streets were littered with bodies, sprawled like broken dolls. Crimson bloodstains splattered everywhere, some already darkening with time.

The sight was nothing short of a living hell. Old Doctor’s face grew colder with every step.

Yet, he could still sense faint traces of life within the homes lining the streets—people hiding in corners, too terrified to emerge.

He exhaled slightly, relieved that the Liu Yun Zong disciples hadn’t truly slaughtered the town.

Still, his expression remained grim. His gaze fixed on the tallest building in the village, his eyes sharp and icy.

The spirit sense of the Xian Tian Jing told him: the disciples hadn’t left. They were still here.

“Old Doctor,” Zhao Qianlin said, “That’s the only inn in town—the Qingfeng Building.”

“Let’s go that way.” Old Doctor spoke softly.

But Lu Qing knew—Master was truly furious this time.

The carriage surged forward without delay.

As they neared the Qingfeng Building, a harsh sound pierced the air—whips cracking, followed by raucous, mocking laughter.

“Haha! Scream! I want to hear you scream! You claim to be tough, yet you’ve lasted only a few lashes? Think about this—your master endured over a hundred strokes without passing out. Your two brothers took dozens before they collapsed. And you? You’re already begging?”

A haughty voice echoed from within.

Strangely, though the whips fell, there was no scream—no cry of pain.

“Fine. Stubborn, are you? Bring her out! I want to see how your beloved little sister holds up when I take her right in front of you. Will you still be able to play the mute then?”

The voice sneered again. A sharp cry rang out.

Then, a furious roar tore through the air: “You bastard! Let go of my sister!”

“Release Ruoer!” A weak voice cried out, barely audible.

“Chen Laodaifu! That’s my Master! Da Shi Senior Brother and my little sister!” Zhao Qianlin gasped, her face paling.

“Ma Gu!” Old Doctor’s voice was cold, sharp.

Ma Gu understood at once. He cracked the whip—crack!—and the carriage shot forward with terrifying speed.

The sudden movement drew attention.

Two Liu Yun Zong disciples guarding the entrance drew their weapons at the sight of the large carriage charging toward them.

“Stop! Who are you? Stop now, or we’ll cut you down!”

“Silence.” Ma Gu yanked the reins hard as the carriage screeched to a halt before the Qingfeng Building.

In one fluid motion, he leapt from the carriage, his long sword still in its sheath. With two swift taps of the blade’s hilt, the two disciples’ chests collapsed inward, blood gushing as they were thrown back into the inn.

These were mere gatekeepers—nothing more than average disciples. With Ma Gu’s current strength, two strikes were all it took.

“What in the world?!” The sudden chaos startled the people inside.

A few rushed out to investigate—but barely had they emerged when Ma Gu delivered two swift kicks. They never even saw him. They were flung back into the building, crashing through tables and chairs with a cacophony of splintering wood.

The entire inn fell silent.

In that silence, Lu Qing and the others stepped inside.

The first thing they saw was a figure lying on the ground, hands bound behind her back, her body torn and bleeding, every inch of her covered in wounds. Yet even in death’s shadow, her face still burned with fury.

Beside her stood another figure—wounded, scarred from whip marks, yet standing defiantly.

Before him stood a slender, elegant youth with a cold, sly face, dressed in fine robes. In one hand, he gripped a girl—also bound—her face pale with terror.

In the corner, seven or eight corpses lay piled—likely the inn’s owner, chef, and waiters.

But one small figure among them caught Lu Qing’s eye.

“Master! Da Shi Senior Brother! Sister!” Zhao Qianlin cried out in anguish.

The injured man on the ground—Fang Tao.

“Qian Lin! You were captured too?” Da Shi stared in shock. Then, seeing Lu Qing and the others, his face turned ashen. “You brought Chen Laodaifu and the others into this?!”

“Senior Sister! Lu Gongzi! Chen Laodaifu!” Fang Rou screamed.

“Master Fang,” Lu Qing nodded. “We meet again.”

“Chen Laodaifu… Lu Xiao Langjun… You’ve been captured too?” Fang Tao’s voice trembled with disbelief.

“No! It’s not like that!” Zhao Qianlin cried. “Chen Laodaifu came to save us!”

“Save us?” Fang Tao looked stunned.

But he quickly snapped back. “Chen Laodaifu, run! They’re too strong! Don’t stay for us!”

“Run? After killing our people, you think you can just walk away?” A cold, sinister voice echoed from behind.

“Ah… So it’s you, little wretch. You brought reinforcements. Just in time to die.”

The slim youth—now staring at Zhao Qianlin—smiled cruelly.

But then his expression shifted. “Wait… You’re here… Where’s Hong Elder? And the others?”

“They’re dead,” Ma Gu said flatly. “You’re the Liu Yun Zong’s Young Master, aren’t you? Release the girl, and maybe we’ll make your death a little less painful.”

Lu Qing didn’t even glance at the man. His eyes were locked on the short, stocky figure standing three paces behind him—broad-shouldered, long arms like a monkey, built like a tank.

The man felt Lu Qing’s gaze. He lifted his eyelids, giving him a single, slow look.

“Hong Elder is dead?!” The other disciples gasped in horror.

Hong Elder was one of the top three Inner Qi Jing masters in the entire sect. If these people had killed him… their strength was beyond comprehension.

All Liu Yun Zong disciples tensed, eyes fixed on Lu Qing.

Even the stocky man remained still—his expression unchanging, yet clearly surprised.

“Interesting…” The slim youth murmured. Then, a smirk spread across his face. “So even Hong Elder fell to you? No wonder you dared come here. You must have some trump card.”

He scanned the group—Lu Qing, Ma Gu, Old Doctor, Zhao Qianlin, and the others.

Then his gaze landed on Xiao Yan, who was being held in Xiao Li’s arms.

His eyes lit up—bright, wild, greedy.

“Such a delicate little beauty… in this world?” His voice was thick with lust.

His gaze, filled with depravity, locked onto Xiao Yan. She flinched, burying herself behind Zhao Qianlin.

“You’ve done well,” the youth purred. “Bringing such a rare treasure. Hand her over, and if I’m pleased, I might forgive your defiance of Liu Yun Zong…”

Before he could finish, a killing intent so cold it froze the very air surged through the hall.

Every body froze. A chill ran through their bones.

Even the stocky man, despite his strength, felt his spine turn to ice.

“What did you just say?” Lu Qing’s voice was like ice.

“Master, be careful!” The stocky man leapt forward like a startled hornet, shielding the youth with his body, palms raised in defense.

The youth, shaken but reassured by the man’s presence, slowly smiled.

“Let me repeat,” he sneered. “If you hand over the girl…”

Boom!

The moment he spoke, the wooden floor beneath Lu Qing exploded.

He vanished—reappearing instantly before the youth, a single fist already lunging.

“Wait—there’s still time! The Young Master isn’t—” The stocky man cried out in panic.

“Get lost.” Lu Qing’s fist struck.

The blow was like a collapsing mountain.

The stocky man’s eyes widened. That technique?!

He had no time to think. He’d sensed Lu Qing’s Qi only a few days ago—just a young Qi Xue Jing cultivator. But now, this power… this pressure… it was monstrous.

He knew—there was no way to stop it.

Lu Qing’s fist struck—dead on.

The man’s arms, already thick and powerful, twisted like broken branches. They snapped inward, shattered. His defenses collapsed.

Lu Qing’s fist drove straight through, crashing into his chest.

Boom!

The impact was absolute.

Because of their height difference, Lu Qing’s punch was delivered from above. The force didn’t send the man flying—it impaled him.

The floor beneath him crumpled like paper. The shockwave ripped through the entire hall, splintering the wooden floor into dust.

The man—once a fearsome Wu Dao Zong Shi Jing expert, ranked among the top five elders in Liu Yun Zong—was now a mangled corpse, utterly lifeless.

Silence.

Utter silence.

Everyone in the hall stared, frozen in shock.

Fang Tao and the others could only gape—unable to believe that the boy who had laughed with them just days ago, so gentle and kind, was now a demon from the depths of hell.

“Qiu Elder… dead?” The slim youth, thrown to the ground by the shockwave, stared at the crater where the body had been.

He couldn’t accept it. Qiu Elder—someone whose strength could rival the sect’s top elders—had been killed in one punch.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Silence broke.

Lu Qing walked forward—slow, deliberate.

He stopped before the youth, towering over him, eyes cold, expressionless.

“Say it again,” he said. “What did you just say?”

The youth snapped back to life, screaming in terror.

“Help! Someone help me!”

“Young Master!”

A few disciples tried to move—but Lu Qing’s fingers twitched.

Pfft. Pfft. Pfft.

Three sharp sounds. Three bodies dropped—each with a hole through the forehead, dead before they hit the ground.

The remaining disciples froze in horror.

Lu Qing advanced.

“Don’t kill me! I’m the Young Master of Liu Yun Zong! My father is the Sect Leader! My grandfather is the Grand Elder! If you so much as touch a hair on my head, my grandfather will wipe out every last one of you—your families, your clans, the entire town!”

The youth, now curled into a corner, his once-pristine robes torn and filthy, hair matted with blood and dust, screamed like a madman.

No longer arrogant. No longer proud.

Just a trembling, terrified wretch.

But Lu Qing didn’t care.

He stepped forward, cold and unrelenting.

He raised his foot.

The youth, sensing the death in Lu Qing’s eyes, knew there was no escape.

His face twisted with hatred. “You filthy commoners… dare to kill me? My grandfather is the Xian Tian Jing Ancestor! If I die, you and everyone you know—your families, your people, even this whole town—will die with me!”

Crack!

Lu Qing’s foot came down.

Hard.

His heel crushed the youth’s skull into his chest.

The body went limp.

Silence.

The hall was silent.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end