It was no secret that Shuidong Liu was the son of the Champion Marquis.
The Champion Marquis wasn’t just a peerless commander on the battlefield because of his mastery of strategy—he also possessed great skill in Martial Arts!
The two assassins understood!
Instead of answering, Shuidong Liu charged forward.
Thanks to Huang Wenlong’s warning, he understood the situation clearly.
Some of these assassins were after his Linglong Pendant, while others were driven by jealousy over him being chosen by Xiao Yue’Er.
Regardless of their motives, their words couldn’t be trusted.
They all wanted him dead.
Therefore, Shuidong Liu had no path of retreat.
The only way to survive was to kill everyone who wanted to kill him!
“Bring it on!”
The two men’s eyes flashed, and sinister grins spread across their faces.
“Kill him!”
In an instant, fists and feet collided, kicking up a whirlwind atop the mountain.
Rocks shattered as Shuidong Liu was forced back again and again.
A sharp, stabbing pain shot from his fists all the way up his arms.
He was clearly no match for either of them in terms of strength, let alone both of them working together.
But the light in Shuidong Liu’s eyes only grew brighter.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Shuidong Liu made a feint with his hands, allowing the two men’s fists to land all over his body.
The three of them fought their way from the summit to the other side of the mountain.
Every time Shuidong Liu was knocked down, he would leap back up and charge forward again.
‘What in the world is he doing?’
‘He must have some twisted, masochistic personality.
It explains why he’d go on a blind date with a woman like that Musician!’
With these thoughts in mind, the two men’s stances became firmer, and their punches grew even heavier.
With a flicker of contempt, they both landed a punch on the soles of Shuidong Liu’s feet.
Shuidong Liu shot through the dark forest like an arrow loosed from a bow.
This time, however, he didn’t charge back.
Instead, he turned and fled.
‘Looks like I was being too naive.
I’m still no match for them when they team up.
I need to get stronger before I can kill them!’
‘It seems I was right.
To rapidly strengthen my physical body, simply circulating my Cultivation Technique to absorb Spiritual Qi isn’t the only way—it might not even be the best way!’
Shuidong Liu always remembered a saying from his previous life: to forge good iron, you must first be strong yourself.
But how does one become hard?
How does one become strong?
Iron must be hammered and tempered a thousand times to become steel.
And people are the same!
Before you learn to throw a punch, you must first learn to take one!
Shuidong Liu weaved his way through the forest, quickly pressing himself against a thick tree.
He held his breath and crouched down motionless in the undergrowth.
As the two men gave chase, they roared in anger, “That bastard planned this from the start!”
“Find him, quickly!
Or the Young Master will not spare us!”
The two men rushed forward at top speed.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shuidong Liu finally made his way toward another mountain peak.
He found a hidden spot and sat down, clutching the Luminous Jade.
He was stunned to discover that he was now absorbing Spiritual Qi thirty percent faster than before.
The places where the two had struck him, which had been wracked with pain, now felt as if a warm current was converging there, a tingling sensation that was surprisingly pleasant.
By dawn, the Luminous Jade in Shuidong Liu’s hand had crumbled to dust.
‘What a pity.
A treasure in Wen Long’s eyes wasn’t even enough for me to reach the Great Success stage of the Jade Bone.
This Cultivation Technique is a bit too demanding!’
The one thing Shuidong Liu did feel was his own strength.
It had grown by more than just a little.
‘But what is the origin of this Cultivation Technique from my memories?’
It was a mystery he couldn’t solve.
Shuidong Liu carefully left the area.
An hour later, he appeared at the gates of Celestial Fragrance City.
“Young Master-in-law, you’re alright!
This is wonderful!”
Feng Wuqing clearly hadn’t slept all night.
Blood was even seeping through the clothing on his left arm, which he hadn’t bothered to treat.
“This subordinate deserves death!
I failed to capture that person, and I failed to protect you, Young Master-in-law.
Please, punish me!” Seeing Shuidong Liu’s disheveled hair, tangled with weeds, and his clothes torn and stained with blood, Feng Wuqing dropped to his knees.
“Feng, there’s no need for this.
Neither of us could have expected it.
Let’s head back first and talk.”
But Feng Wuqing seemed at a loss for words, a guilty look on his face.
“What is it?”
“Last night, your courtyard…
I…
reduced it to ruins!”
Shuidong Liu knew that an expert must have tied Feng Wuqing down last night.
He smiled instead.
“It seems our opponent was stronger than I thought.
I wonder what kind of expert will show up next time!”
“Young Master-in-law…”
“Just find me a place to stay.
It’s not like I was living in luxury in the mines!”
While the two were talking, the two men who had been chasing Shuidong Liu were kneeling on the ground.
“You couldn’t even kill one measly Shuidong Liu.
What use are you?”
“Elder Zhong, Shuidong Liu is simply too strong!
He managed to escape even with both of us working together!”
“Is that so?” Elder Chang Mei turned his head, his gaze cold and sinister.
“He’s only in the Body Refining Realm, with a mere Thousand-Pound Fist Power.
Even if he’s exceptionally talented, let’s say he has Ten Thousand Jin of Strength—that would be the absolute limit!”
“And you two are experts of the Inner Realm!
A single punch from you carries twenty thousand jin!”
The two men pressed their foreheads to the ground, cold sweat drenching the floor beneath them.
“Nothing more to say?” The old man sneered.
“To fail when success was within your grasp…
You should know the Young Master’s rules!”
“Elder Zhong, we brothers have risked our lives for the Young Master!
We even saved his life once!
Even if we have no merits, we have put in the hard work!”
As they cried out, they felt the pressure of a palm descending.
One of them, terrified, quickly looked up.
“Elder Zhong, we discovered a secret about Shuidong Liu!
Can we trade it for our lives?”
This was the main reason they dared to return, despite knowing the rules!
“Hm?”
“Elder Zhong, just the other day, Shuidong Liu was an ordinary person.
In the blink of an eye, he’s in the Body Refining Realm, with a Fist Force that can nearly rival the Inner Realm.
He must have…”
Elder Zhong pondered for a moment before nodding.
“That’s right.
The Second Miss is no ordinary person.
For her to take an interest in him, he must have something extraordinary about him.
He definitely has a secret!”
“Yes!”
BANG!
The two men had just nodded when Elder Zhong’s palm fell.
“Incompetence is punishable by death,” he said coldly.
“Trying to hide secrets is even more so!”
Their eyes widened in disbelief as they died.
Without a second glance, Elder Zhong walked out.
Soon, the house was engulfed in a raging fire, consuming everything within.
Under Feng Wuqing’s guidance, Shuidong Liu arrived at an elegant courtyard.
“This is what you call ‘just any place’?” Shuidong Liu was astonished.
“It’s just me.
A single room would have been fine!”
“It’s only ten mu.
The Young Miss often played here as a child.
It’s perfectly suitable for you, Young Master-in-law.”
Hearing Feng Wuqing’s casual tone, Shuidong Liu thought to himself, ‘Why couldn’t this kind of “just any place” have appeared in my past life?
If I had a property like this in Beijing, Shanghai, or Shenzhen, I could have lived off the rent for the rest of my life.
Would I have needed to resort to cheating and swindling?’
Shuidong Liu mentally spat on the shitty life he’d lived before he transmigrated…
But Feng Wuqing simply continued as if it were a matter of course, “You are the Young Master-in-law.
Your residence must befit your status.
Besides, this is the smallest courtyard the Xiao Family owns!”
“Isn’t it too big?”
“It’s only ten mu.
The Young Miss often played here as a child.
It’s perfectly suitable for you, Young Master-in-law.”
Shuidong Liu, however, was a bit skeptical.
“Let me ask you something.
Are you really so willing to call me Young Master-in-law?
Do you truly believe that someone like me could end up with your Second Miss?”
She was the daughter of Duke Zhen.
In the Yunlong Dynasty, aside from the Royal Family, the Four Great Dukes were the most revered.
And Duke Zhen was the leader of the Four Great Dukes.
Even in his past life, with its more liberated thinking, marriages still considered matching social status.
Shuidong Liu still suspected that these people were collectively “setting him up”!
“Young Master-in-law, to be honest…”
“Brother-in-law…
Brother-in-law…” Feng Wuqing had just opened his mouth when Xiao Liang’s voice cut him off.
“Are you okay…
Don’t worry, I’ve already dispatched the Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning squads.
Starting today, anyone who dares cause trouble in Celestial Fragrance City will be killed on sight!” Xiao Liang, round as a ball, seemed to roll over.
“Feng Wuqing, weren’t you supposed to be protecting my brother-in-law?
How did things end up like this?” Xiao Liang demanded furiously.
Just as Feng Wuqing was about to bow, Shuidong Liu said, “Second Brother, I’m fine, aren’t I?”
Feng Wuqing had been injured yesterday protecting him; how could he let Xiao Liang blame the man?
“You were chased all the way to Celestial Cloud Mountain and you call that ‘fine’?”
“Just look at the state you’re in…”
Xiao Liang roared, “Servants!
Get some water ready for my brother-in-law’s bath, bring him new clothes, and prepare some food!”
The servants heard him and muttered something under their breath, but two of them immediately went to make preparations.
“This is the first time I’ve learned that someone dares to repeatedly try to kill a member of the Xiao Family on our own fiefdom.
Very good…
If I don’t turn their world upside down for this, then my name isn’t Xiao Liang!” Xiao Liang continued to shout, his fury unabated.
Shuidong Liu was about to speak when he noticed several Xiao Family servants giving him strange looks.
Xiao Liang strode over and slapped one of them across the face.
The servants hastily knelt.
“Bastards!
It’s one thing for outsiders to spread nonsense, but you dare to spread rumors and cause trouble right here at home, in front of me?”
“Mercy, Second Young Master!
We won’t dare do it again…”
“Listen up and listen well!
Shuidong Liu is the one my little sister has chosen.
That makes him my brother-in-law, and that makes him your master!
Even if the sky is falling outside, it has nothing to do with you!” Xiao Liang stared at them intently.
“Remember this!
If I hear one more word about ‘son of a disgraced official,’ don’t blame me for making an example out of you!”
“Yes, yes, yes…”
“Get lost!”
Xiao Liang was clearly in a terrible mood.
He finally had a brother-in-law, only to find his own servants gossiping behind his back.
He had no idea if Shuidong Liu had overheard them.
“A bunch of bastards!” Xiao Liang cursed.
Then he turned back, a cheerful smile returning to his face as he opened his hands.
“Take this!”