Chapter Five: The Third Young Master of the Lu Family

“Hmph, be smart and quickly reveal the secret to advancing in martial arts, or else you’ll regret it!”

The three Lu family disciples, with furrowed brows and fierce expressions, though only at the Clay Mold Realm themselves, unleashed an aura comparable to the Mercury Realm.

Hearing this, Su Ling’s frown deepened. Though he did not possess the secret to advancing in martial arts that the Lu family disciples spoke of, the performance of his Limit-Breaking Artifact was akin to a monumental opportunity.

How did these troublemakers discover the secret he had kept hidden until now?

It was impossible for him to have been exposed, as he had never revealed his martial arts level to outsiders, except for Chen Ping’an...

Thinking of this, Su Ling shook his head with a wry smile. That fool Chen Ping’an would never willingly leak his information.

Therefore, after ruling out all impossibilities, the last answer, no matter how unbelievable, must be the truth!

“Song Jixin.”

“What?”

Su Ling’s low whisper was not heard clearly by the Lu family disciples, who mistakenly thought he was refusing, and thus tried to intimidate him by force.

“You mongrel, you trash like you don’t deserve such a great opportunity. Hand it over to our Third Young Master of the Lu family!”

One of the Lu family disciples, a young man with an ordinary physique who had yet to break into martial arts, was extremely arrogant and paid no heed to Su Ling.

Although he knew Su Ling’s current strength was formidable, having reached the Third Realm of Body Training, he was not intimidated, as if backed by a powerful force.

That force came from the Lu family, one of the Four Surnames and Ten Clans of the town.

Moreover, with the Third Young Master of the Lu family present, if he showed any cowardice, he would lose trust and become a commoner within the clan.

Though somewhat fearful internally, worried Su Ling might fly into a rage and kill him outright, as a disciple of the Lu family, he was well aware of the rules of this town.

Thus, a strange scene unfolded in Clay Bottle Alley: three youths dressed lavishly surrounded a dilapidated wooden door, one of them barking loudly.

Yet none dared to make the first move. The Third Young Master of the Lu family, eyes narrowed with impatience, fixed his gaze on Su Ling who remained motionless.

As the saying goes, a biting dog does not bark; those under the Third Young Master were merely vanguards—he was the true master.

Meanwhile, Su Ling, although uncertain why the unfamiliar Song Jixin sought to harm him, understood that the immediate problem needed handling first.

“I’ll say it once more: I have no such great opportunity.”

Hearing this, the Third Young Master’s anger flared from within. Two of his men, with a glance from him, steeled themselves and rolled up their sleeves, ready to fight.

Seeing this, Su Ling laughed instead of getting angry. Without a word, a moment before the thugs’ fists struck, he sidestepped and kicked to trip the rigid attacker.

The man stumbled with a cry, falling to the dusty ground in a sorry state.

As for the other man, moving as slowly as a turtle, Su Ling could not bear it and stepped forward, delivering a heavy palm strike to his cheek.

“Ah!”

The man screamed in pain, soaring three meters into the air, tracing a ten-meter arc before crashing down like a rag doll, limbs convulsing, his cheek visibly swollen and bruised.

“You!”

The tripped Lu family disciple, still struggling to get up, suddenly saw Su Ling slap another man weighing at least fifty kilograms aside, his expression turning to horror.

The man fled like a stray dog, scrambling behind the Third Young Master of the Lu family, as if that was the safest place.

The commotion had already drawn the attention of the residents of Clay Bottle Alley.

A group of curious onlookers, eager for a spectacle, stood nearby, cracking sunflower seeds and whispering excitedly as if watching a rare play.

“Brother Su, are you alright?”

Having just finished washing the dishes at home, Chen Ping’an pushed open the door and saw the crowd gathered before Brother Su’s house.

Worried, he squeezed through, noticing the Lu family disciples causing trouble, and hurried forward to check on Su Ling.

“I’m fine. These ordinary people haven’t even reached Body Training; they can’t hurt me.”

“To be honest, even mosquitoes can pierce my skin to suck blood, but you lot aren’t even worthy to carry my shoes!”

Since the grudge was clear, Su Ling was naturally unreserved.

If not for concerns about excessive casualties, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill every one of these Lu family disciples causing trouble.

But for his reputation and a peaceful life ahead, he suppressed his rage and simply taught them a lesson.

One had a broken foot bone, explaining why he crawled away screaming; another had several teeth knocked out, his bruised face unlikely to heal for months, possibly disfigured.

Yet, Su Ling remained silent about the ringleader, knowing the Third Young Master of the Lu family was no ordinary person to be insulted casually.

If he harmed the juniors and the elders intervened, that would bring trouble. He understood the Third Young Master was extremely favored.

For now, making an example of the small fry was the safest and most effective approach. As for how to handle the Lu family’s retaliation later, he already had a plan.

“Brother Su, glad you’re okay,” Chen Ping’an sighed in relief.

Watching the scene, Su Ling almost laughed. That foolish boy was truly fearless, blatantly ignoring the nearby Third Young Master of the Lu family...

“You’re quite something.”

The Third Young Master’s face was as calm as still water, his eyes flickering with changing emotions. After his show of force, he understood today’s matter was likely over.

Though he was the top of Body Training and the Lu family’s cherished treasure, the facts were clear: the mongrel before him refused to acknowledge his status and dared offend the Lu family.

“We have a long way to go!”

With a cold snort, the Third Young Master turned sharply, sweeping his robe with force, sending a gust of wind that overturned his subordinates at his feet.

The hidden, potent air pressure struck toward Su Ling like wind shaking a great tree.

Seeing this, Su Ling stepped forward. The strong wind brushed his face.

To Chen Ping’an’s astonishment, a few strands of Su Ling’s hair seemed cut by a sharp dagger, floating to the ground.

“Impressive. I’ve learned my lesson.”

Though a casual remark, Su Ling’s tone was dismissive, as if it was nothing.

This caused the Third Young Master, who had stepped forward ten meters, to pause. His retreating figure seemed even angrier, his steps quickening in a somewhat chaotic manner as he left alone.

The Lu family disciples who had just recovered helped each other, their heads bowed in shame, fleeing miserably under the watchful eyes of the Clay Bottle Alley residents who treated it as an entertaining spectacle.

“Brother Su, what was that just now?”

“Didn’t understand?”

“Yeah.”

Chen Ping’an nodded in confusion. Su Ling shook his head with a smile.

“That was an attack, but quite powerful — it cut several strands of my hair…”

Hearing this, Chen Ping’an’s expression grew complicated, as if pondering some unspeakable thought.

In truth, Su Ling understood the attack was likely one of the Third Young Master’s trump cards, unexpectedly used in such an unseemly place.

The Third Young Master’s sneak attack before leaving had also targeted Chen Ping’an, revealing his sinister mindset.

Frankly, any ordinary Third Realm Body Training practitioner would have been defenseless against such a treacherous strike. Su Ling was clearly no ordinary one.

With that in mind, Su Ling teased Chen Ping’an while remaining utterly composed.

As the drama ended and the performers left, the audience naturally dispersed and returned home.

However, the news of Su Ling having stepped into martial arts spread through Clay Bottle Alley like a flood, stirring undercurrents.

Having been rebuffed, the Third Young Master of the Lu family would not easily give up. Endless troubles awaited him next...

Moreover, Su Ling planned to find an opportunity to probe Song Jixin, who leaked his information. Once confirmed, he would find a chance to eliminate him.

After all, Su Ling was no native of this world and had no fear of the Great Li Dynasty.

Besides, he had the capital to fight back... just not yet — perhaps in three years.

With that understood, Su Ling feigned indifference but was already searching for a way to turn the tables.