Chapter 222: Dancing Wildly in Your Minefield

Chapter 222: Dancing Wildly in Your Minefield

The Qu family had experienced ups and downs, and their once-prosperous household was now desolate. The only thing they could still boast about was the Azure Dragon Sword, which every patriarch cherished as if it were their life. This was not just because the sword was rare but also because it was the foundation of their standing in Wangzhou.

The river without the Azure Dragon can still be called the Azure Dragon River,

But the Qu family without the Azure Dragon Sword cannot be called the Qu family anymore.

Originally, this incident should not have been blamed on Qu Shaotan, but he inadvertently became the one to expose the truth, thus bearing the blame. Even someone as proud as him was willing to kneel and kowtow to Lu Yan in public, making it hard for others to stand idly by.

Lu Yan's original intention was merely to teach Qu Shaotan a lesson for his insolent words that day. He did not intend to cause the destruction of Qu Shaotan's family. After staring at the weeping Qu Shaotan for a moment, he finally showed mercy and said:

"This is not a place to talk; let's go to the dining hall."

Qu Shaotan looked up in surprise: "Are you going to tell me now?!"

Lu Yan: "No, I'm hungry."

Qu Shaotan: "..."

Although Lu Yan did not need food before, he now had to eat since he occupied a human body. Qu Shaotan, being quite quick-witted, immediately got up from the ground and ran to the dining hall. Without a word, he handed a bag of high-grade spirit stones to the chef, who then prepared a table full of fine wine and dishes.

"Manager Lu, please take a seat!"

"Manager Lu, please drink!"

"Manager Lu, please eat!"

Lu Yan sat down at the table, while Qu Shaotan served him diligently, pouring wine and serving dishes as if attending to an ancestor. It happened to be mealtime, so many servants gathered around, though whether they were truly there to eat or to listen to gossip was known only to them.

Goodness, the Azure Dragon Sword of the Qu family was stolen—this was a big deal in the cultivation world. Although the Qu family had long fallen from grace, the Azure Dragon Sword was undoubtedly a divine weapon. Let’s see what Lu Yan has to say. If he doesn’t know, Qu Shaotan will turn him into mincemeat without anyone else lifting a finger.

After eating his fill and drinking tea to clear his throat under Qu Shaotan's intense gaze, Lu Yan finally spoke amidst everyone's expectant looks: "Your family's Azure Dragon Sword, it's easy to find if you know where to look, and difficult if you don't."

Qu Shaotan was so nervous his heart was pounding in his throat: "How should I find it?"

Lu Yan did not deliberately keep him in suspense and pointed south: "In the Concealment Mountain’s Marvelous Void Cave, there is a wandering cultivator with no name. His nickname is Dao Wudao. He loves stealing things, despite only having the cultivation level of the Nascent Soul realm. However, his skills in concealing his aura can fool even Great Consummation cultivators. Your Azure Dragon Sword was stolen by him."

Qu Shaotan stared in shock: "Dao Wudao?! How come I’ve never heard of such a person? Why would he steal our sword?!"

Not only him, but even the others found it absurd. Could it be that Lu Yan didn’t know the whereabouts of the Azure Dragon Sword and was making up a fictitious character to deceive Qu Shaotan?

One of the servants sneered: "What Dao Wudao? If he really had such skills, how could no one know his name? Are you making this up?"

Though Lu Yan wasn’t in a position of power, he was still highly favored by Ying Wujiu. Others treated him with respect, so this remark seemed intentionally provocative. However, due to the crowd, the culprit couldn’t be identified.

Fortunately, Lu Yan didn’t mind and calmly replied:

"There are countless skilled cultivators in the world. Some are famous, and many more are unknown. Do you think you can recognize all of them? Among the free-roaming immortals, there are many powerful ones. For example, the Buddhist monk Jiana, the White-robed Flying Immortal Ji Songfeng, and the old man Bai Lixi from the Medicine Hut. They can even compete with the head of the top sword sect, Tan Yue. How many of them have you heard of?"

He rattled off several unfamiliar names, claiming they could rival Tan Yue, which immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

Although the world today has severed its ties with immortality, it cannot stop people's pursuit of it. There are hundreds of sects, large and small, and the foremost among them is the number one sword sect, Wuwang Sect.

Its leader, Tan Yue, is said to be half a step away from the Golden Core Immortal Realm, just one step from ascending. His strength is unfathomable, and many of the top cultivators among the hundred sects are his disciples. If one were to name the best swordsman of this era, it would undoubtedly be Tan Yue.

Lu Yan mentioned names that no one had ever heard of, and claimed they could challenge Tan Yue?!

"Utter nonsense!"

A cold rebuke came from the crowd, but the voice was distant one moment and close the next, making it impossible to pinpoint its source. It seemed some secret technique was being used. Lu Yan remained calm, sipping his tea, remembering what Tang Su had told him earlier: all the sects were eyeing Xinpo as a big prize and had sent their disciples to gather intelligence. He already had a plan in mind.

Without responding, Lu Yan redirected his gaze to Qu Shaotan: "Thieves often have peculiar collecting habits. Dao Wudao's greatest passion is collecting famous swords and divine artifacts. It's not surprising he targeted your Qu family. However, he is elusive, so it will be difficult for you to catch him."

Qu Shaotan, seeing Lu Yan's composure, couldn't help but believe him. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and his face turned pale. "What should we do? If I can't find that sword, how can I face my parents?"

Lu Yan suddenly changed the subject: "But this matter isn't entirely hopeless."

Hearing this, Qu Shaotan's eyes lit up, and he knelt down again, clutching Lu Yan's leg excitedly. "Brother Lu, please help me! If you help me, my life is yours, no matter the danger!"

Lu Yan helped him up, thinking the Qu family must be lacking successors if they had to rely so heavily on a single sword. "Your life is your own. I'm just going to say a few words; whether it works or not remains to be seen."

Qu Shaotan's heart sank again at these words. Lu Yan glanced at the crowd, who were all listening intently, and said meaningfully: "Dao Wudao didn't just steal your family's Azure Dragon Sword. He also took Tianyu Sect's Blissful Buddha statue, Hongmeng Academy's Book of Heaven, Shenji Palace's Eight Trigram Disk, Feixing Sect's Yi Yang Sword..."

With each sect named and each stolen artifact mentioned, the sound of chopsticks dropping echoed around them, clattering incessantly.

"Clang—"

"Clang—"

"Clang—"

It was even more lively than the sounds of a theatrical performance.

Some of the servants looked surprised, while others were visibly shocked, their faces turning grim as if the stolen treasures belonged to them.

Lu Yan poured himself a cup of hot tea and brought it to his nose, pretending not to notice the suspicious figures among the servants. A faint smile played on his lips as he deliberately drew out his words, making people grind their teeth in frustration:

"So, there's no need to rush. Once those sects discover their treasures are stolen, they'll certainly put all their efforts into catching the thief. They are much stronger than the Qu family and will surely recover the artifacts. You can simply claim them then. I doubt they'd risk their reputations by hiding the Azure Dragon Sword."

Qu Shaotan's expression shifted between joy and worry. Joy because the sword might be recovered, but worry over when that would happen. "When... When will those sects realize their treasures have been stolen?"

Lu Yan grinned. "That's hard to say. For the clever ones, like Shenji Palace, it might take ten days or half a month."

After all, Shenji Palace is full of wise Taoists, as sharp as monkeys.

"But for the dull ones, like Hongmeng Academy, where the scholars revere the Book of Heaven before their founder's tablet without ever touching it, they might never discover it's missing."

"Crack—!"

One of the servants was so angry that he snapped his chopsticks in half.

Lu Yan pretended not to notice the strange and tense atmosphere in the air. He stood up from the table, brushed away the non-existent creases on his sleeves, and said, "Alright, it's about time. Everyone, finish your meal quickly and get back to work. The city hasn't been peaceful lately, so stay alert."

After saying this, Lu Yan turned and walked towards the door. Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from behind him—

"Steward Lu, Tan Yue is the foremost swordsman in the world. We've never heard of the names you just mentioned. Can they really match him?"

Lu Yan turned around upon hearing this and saw that the speaker was a young, handsome man with a face full of defiance. Beside him was another companion, nervously tugging at his sleeve, signaling him to stop talking.

"The foremost swordsman in the world?"

Lu Yan slowly mulled over these words, and after a moment, he suddenly smiled, shook his head, and sighed, "Truly, in an age without heroes, even a mediocre person can gain fame. If Tan Yue could be considered the top swordsman, wouldn't that be a huge joke?"

His words caused an immediate uproar. It was too cutting!

The young man who had asked the question slammed the table and rose angrily, "How dare you insult Lord Tan Jian! He established his foundation at thirty, formed his core at fifty, and reached the nascent soul stage in two hundred years—a true prodigy unseen in a century. He is the only one in the world who has half a foot in the golden core realm. How can that be a joke?!"

His behavior seemed odd, and his companion quickly got up to apologize and smooth things over, "Please forgive my brother, Steward Lu. He has always been passionate about swordsmanship and admires Lord Tan greatly. He spoke out of turn; please pardon him."

This wasn't unusual, as people generally respected those with true abilities. Tan Yue, being the top swordsman in the world, was admired by all sword practitioners. Even within the demon realm, many secretly admired him, making him a figure with countless devoted followers.

In modern times, Lu Yan's remarks would be akin to insulting someone's idol right in front of their fans; he would likely be beaten up.

Lu Yan didn't get angry but instead smiled sardonically, "What does it mean to have half a foot in the golden core realm? If he can't form a golden core, then he can't. Why must people make excuses for him and praise him?"

"If Tan Yue established his foundation at thirty, formed his core at fifty, and reached the nascent soul stage in two hundred years, that makes him a rare genius. But what if I told you that there was someone who established their foundation at eighteen, formed their core at twenty, and comprehended swordsmanship at thirty, reaching the soul transformation realm overnight? What would you say then?"

The young man looked shocked and exclaimed, "Reaching the soul transformation realm at thirty? How is that possible?!"

Lu Yan stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "That person is dead, but I'm sure you've heard of his name—Fuguang, the previous ruler of the demon realm. It took the combined efforts of Tan Yue and the leaders of the top three sects to suppress him under the White Bone Sword Furnace. If he hadn't fallen, he would have been unmatched in the world."

"As for Tan Yue..."

Lu Yan chuckled and shook his head,

"Still the same old saying: in an age without heroes, even a mediocre person can gain fame."