https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-56-His-Words-Cast-a-Deep-Shadow-on-My-Psyche/12808873/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-58-Ultimately-Captured-by-a-Mischievous-Woman/12808877/
Chapter 57: Civility and Manners
Chapter 57: Civility and Manners
Lu Ke was a decent man and not particularly adept at torturing others.
So, after the fourteenth time of crushing and healing Wang Ai's bones, successfully memorizing all the techniques of summoning spirits, Lu Ke thoughtfully stopped his actions. He even used his powers to heal Wang Ai to the point where no external injuries were visible.
However, the meridians became a bit fragile, making it difficult to channel qi. Lu Ke believed this was a normal phenomenon of aging, considering that Old Man Wang was over a hundred years old and his body was naturally in poor condition.
In any case, he hoped Old Man Wang could hold on.
It would be best if he couldn't hold on and provoked someone to attack him. Otherwise, since he had only targeted Zhang Chulan and hadn't tried to trip Lu Ke, there was no real enmity, and Lu Ke felt it would be embarrassing to use excessive force.
After all, Lu Ke and his ilk were civilized people who understood reason and manners.
The summoning techniques that Wang Ai had revealed included the Spirit Servitude chapter. Whether or not to use the Spirit Servitude was a different matter, but Lu Ke felt that if it was part of the package, it should be included.
Progress in collecting the Eight Odd Techniques: 2/8
He silently recited the Spirit Servitude chapter, pondering and analyzing it.
Like the Outrider technique, the concept of Spirit Servitude also appeared in other worlds created by the same author.
Controlling spirits, allowing spirits to possess a witch, and consuming one's own spirit to gain some power, came with a price. The witch who consumed the spirit would become unpopular among the spirits.
If the witch consumed their own life-bound spirit, they would be shunned by all spirits, unable to form new contracts, and could only continue down the path of Spirit Servitude.
There was no room for change.
In summary, it was a method to gain strength quickly, but it was also a bottomless pit.
Lu Ke noticed that Wang Ai's recitation of the Spirit Servitude chapter was quite rough, only briefly explaining how to disperse and absorb the spirit body, without mentioning how to clear the negative emotions and memories of the spirit body.
Although the spirit body of the dead was not as complete in memory and emotion as a living soul, it still contained many memory fragments and negative emotions.
Especially for those who died violently.
The resentment at the moment of death took a long time to resolve. If the spirit consumption was excessive, the person would appear normal on the surface, but their emotions would become increasingly extreme, stubborn, and irritable.
The Wang family must have noticed this issue, but the shortcut of spirit consumption to enhance cultivation was too tempting to give up. Consuming a single spirit could offset days or even months of arduous cultivation, and higher-quality spirits were even more effective.
From the moment they started consuming spirits, the Wang family was walking further down the path of destruction, like a burning piece of wood that burned brighter and more intensely, but was also closer to death.
"Wind Tianyang's move is pretty vicious," Lu Ke marveled, wondering what kind of circumstances this person must have endured to come up with such a malevolent method.
However, the Wang family deserved their fate, and he felt no sympathy, even a bit of admiration for Wind Tianyang.
"Uh~"
Wang Ai, lying on the ground, had a deathly pale face, covered in sweat and urine. He had lost control of his bladder when his cheekbones were crushed for the fourth time, but fortunately, his stomach was empty, sparing a more disgusting scene.
Finally, he could pass out after fulfilling his mission.
"Old Man Lu, I'll leave the rest to you. You can handle it, right?" Lu Ke glanced at Lu Ci, "Make sure he doesn't cause any trouble during the Great Luo Heaven Sacrifice. After it's over, let him return to the Wang family quietly."
"Understood." Lu Ci nodded, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Do you plan to... take down the Wang family?"
"Don't say things without evidence. If you do, I'll have to sue you for defamation!" Lu Ke raised an eyebrow and rolled up his sleeves, making Lu Ci's eyelids twitch.
"No, what I mean is, if you want to bring down the Wang family, our Lu family can provide a little help," Lu Ci managed a grim smile on his scarred face.
"Oh, I'm interested. Tell me more," Lu Ke said, showing a bit of interest.
"Spirit Servants always require materials. The Wang family certainly can't wait for the Yi people to die before receiving their souls. And with their radical nature, they've done plenty of unsavory things in secret. My Lu family's Clear Soul Technique can extract memories..."
Having a bit of leverage over various factions is one of the reasons the Lu family has grown so powerful. It's not just the Lu family, though; all the major factions hold some dirt on each other. The Lu family just has a bit more due to the Clear Soul Technique.
Lu Ke gave Lu Ci a half-smile. "Looks like you have your eye on the Wang family's territory."
"Lu Jin is too upright and inflexible, and the Gao family is on the decline. Neither of them has the means or the ambition to take over the Wang family's territory. But my Lu family is different," Lu Ci's eyes gleamed with ambition.
"Desire at your age isn't good. You're almost in the coffin, and instead of enjoying your twilight years, you're fixated on these things."
"Heh, that's just the way I am. I can't change it now," Lu Ci grinned, a hint of melancholy in his voice.
"I can't trust the Lu family to those useless brats. But as you said, I don't have many years left. So I have to make the Lu family stronger, even stronger, so that when I'm gone, it can hold on a bit longer."
"This position as family head, I inherited it. If my brother hadn't passed away, it wouldn't have been my turn... Let's not talk about it," Lu Ci closed his eyes, reopening them with a calm expression.
"Once these things are exposed, Wang Ai will definitely lose his position among the Ten Elders. Then, it will be much easier to move against him, and the company won't pursue it too much. It's a win-win for us. What do you think?"
"All the benefits are yours, and I'm providing free labor. How is that a win-win?"
Lu Ke refused without a second thought.
How could the old fox Lu Ci miss the meaning behind those words?
We need to increase the offer!
"Do you have any interest in the Ruyi Energy? Or money, as long as it's not an outrageous amount, the Lu family can provide it," Lu Ci slowly laid out his conditions.
Zhang Chulan, who had been listening to the conversation, felt increasingly uncomfortable. He whispered to Lu Ke, "Lu Senior, why don't you and Grandfather Lu chat a bit more? I'll wait outside?"
"Look at you, you coward," Lu Ke waved him off dismissively. "Junior Brother, I'll remind you, if you pretend to be a coward for too long, you might actually become one."
Easy for you to say. If our strengths were swapped, I'd like to hear you say that!
Zhang Chulan didn't respond, just smiled bitterly and left, thoughtfully carrying the unconscious guard with him.
"Lu Gong, you should also go out."
"Yes, Great-Grandfather."
Lu Gong left with a slight tremor, feeling overwhelmed by being dragged into this conflict. He had only stayed this long because of the Clear Soul Technique, and now he felt like he was falling apart.
With Wang Ai still unconscious, only Lu Ci and Lu Ke remained in the room.
Lu Ke then made his own demands. "Gather your family's elite forces on Dragon Tiger Mountain over the next two days. They'll need to act as bodyguards for the mountain soon."
Lu Ci's heart skipped a beat. "I've heard some rumors. Is it about the Quanxing ascending the mountain?"
"Something like that. The company has already noticed and is planning to set a trap, but the Quanxing have a significant number of people, so it might take some time to handle."
Lu Ke smiled. "The mountain's buildings can be rebuilt, but my fellow disciples, even if they are not the best, are still family. I don't want any casualties."
"Understood." Lu Ci nodded and pulled out his phone to make the call.
"Oh, one more thing," Lu Ke scratched his cheek, looking almost shy. "I'll need the money and the Ruyi Energy too."
"…Understood."
---
After watching a few of the latest Marvel movies, he rated them as a pile of garbage.
(End of Chapter)
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