The attendant at Qianling Trading Company was all smiles, asking quickly, "Sir, how many would you like?"
Anyone able to purchase a Bone-Nourishing Spirit Pill wouldn't be an ordinary person in Yangzhou City. After all, this was a Miracle Elixir for cultivating the Heavenly Destiny Bone.
Lu Chao replied, "Thirty. Do you have them?"
As his voice fell, the smile on the attendant's face froze. She quickly said, "Sir, please wait a moment. I'll go inform our Shopkeeper right away."
Such a large quantity was not something a mere attendant like her had the authority to sell.
The female attendant turned and strode quickly toward the Inner Courtyard, but she suddenly shuddered, as if she'd just remembered something.
She turned back, looked Lu Chao up and down a few times, and then left again, but this time her face wore a sinister, twisted expression.
About fifteen minutes later, the female attendant reemerged from the Inner Courtyard and said to Lu Chao, "Sorry to keep you waiting, sir. Our Shopkeeper invites you inside to discuss the matter."
Lu Chao said nothing and followed her in.
Thirty Bone-Nourishing Spirit Pills was no small matter in a place like Yangzhou City, so it was perfectly reasonable for the Shopkeeper to meet with him personally.
However, Lu Chao's eyes gradually sharpened. 'This female attendant is a problem.'
Unconcerned, Lu Chao continued to follow her.
Sure enough, the moment Lu Chao stepped into the Inner Courtyard of the Qianling Trading Company... WHOOSH.
A large number of expert guards suddenly appeared throughout the courtyard, rushing out from the shadows to surround Lu Chao.
They held long Swords, all pointed at Lu Chao.
Lu Chao's expression didn't change in the slightest. Having seen his fair share of intense situations, he was completely unfazed.
The next moment, a pot-bellied, middle-aged man walked slowly out of the Inner Courtyard's main hall. The female attendant who had led Lu Chao in greeted him with a wide grin, "Shopkeeper Wu, I've performed a great service this time, haven't I?"
This portly, middle-aged man, Shopkeeper Wu, was the head of the Qianling Trading Company's Yangzhou branch.
He chuckled, gave the female attendant's cheek a hard pinch, and nodded in approval.
Then, Shopkeeper Wu looked Lu Chao over before asking slowly, "The Cheng Mansion's prospective son-in-law. Am I right?"
Lu Chao's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't hide it, replying, "You are."
Shopkeeper Wu's smile grew even wider. "You want to buy Bone-Nourishing Spirit Pills—thirty of them, no less. You must be very rich, then?"
A full thirty pills—even the four great families of Yangzhou City might not be able to gather that much money in a short time.
Shaking his head, Lu Chao said bluntly, "No, but I have other things I can trade you for them."
"Oh? What things?" Shopkeeper Wu shot back, his face a mask of interest.
Lu Chao extended a hand, gesturing lightly toward the guards whose swords were pointed at him. "First, answer me this: what is the meaning of all this?"
At his words, Shopkeeper Wu and the female attendant beside him couldn't help but exchange a cold smile.
The next moment, Shopkeeper Wu took a soft step forward.
"First, allow me to introduce myself."
"My surname is Wu, and my given name is Bei. I am the Shopkeeper of the Qianling Trading Company's Yangzhou branch. I am also a clan uncle to the City Lord's eldest daughter, Wu Xin."
"Earlier today, the Cheng Mansion reported to the City Lord's Mansion that you and that good-for-nothing Cheng Yunsu had escaped. Right now, our Young Miss Wu Xin has a city-wide warrant out for your arrest. So, you tell me, what is the meaning of all this?"
As Shopkeeper Wu Bei spoke, Lu Chao swept his gaze over the female attendant.
'It was clearly her who recognized me just now.'
'It must have been Wu Xin who used the City Lord's Mansion's authority to order them—and people in every inn and tavern in Yangzhou City—to be on the lookout for me.'
Lu Chao, of course, had never imagined that the shopkeeper of the Qianling Trading Company would be connected to the City Lord's Mansion.
"Now, can you tell me what you were planning to trade for those Bone-Nourishing Spirit Pills?"
Wu Bei was still all smiles, not a hint of urgency on his face, as if Lu Chao were already a prize in his grasp.
Lifting his eyelids, Lu Chao suddenly replied, "I was going to trade something valuable. But now... I'll use your life!"
The words fell... WHOOSH!
Lu Chao's entire body erupted into motion like a gale force wind. He stomped down hard, and a series of loud BANGS echoed out.
The flagstones beneath his feet instantly shattered into pieces that flew toward the dozens of guards surrounding him. Amidst their sharp cries of alarm, Lu Chao charged out from the shower of stone fragments.
In a flash, he was standing before Wu Bei and the female attendant.
SMACK...
He sent the female attendant flying with a heavy slap, while his other hand formed a claw, reaching for Wu Bei's neck.
Wu Bei's expression changed drastically, but he reacted instantly, erupting with the True Qi of a Postnatal Fifth Layer cultivator from his portly frame.
But it was too late. Lu Chao's claw-hand was just a feint; the real killing move was in his left hand.
At some unknown point, his left hand had already snatched a sword from one of the guards.
PFFT...
With one thrust of the sword, Lu Chao pierced Wu Bei's knee, a spot weakly protected by his True Qi.
Wu Bei had subconsciously directed all of his True Qi to protect his vitals, like his neck and chest. The sword strike made him scream in agony, his True Qi scattering wildly.
Finishing him while he was vulnerable, Lu Chao yanked the sword out and aimed it at Wu Bei's neck. Even for a Postnatal Fifth Layer expert, his scattered True Qi was now useless.
In an instant, the tip of the sword pierced Wu Bei's neck, only to stop as lightly as a dragonfly touching the water's surface.
CRASH...
Just as Lu Chao halted his attack, the guards finally smashed through the scattered flagstone fragments and rushed forward to kill him.
But when they saw the scene before them, they all froze, dumbfounded.
Everyone could see blood trickling from Wu Bei's throat, right where the tip of Lu Chao's sword rested. Wu Bei's previously squinting eyes were now wide with utter terror as he stared at the man before him.
At the same time, his leg with the pierced knee was trembling uncontrollably, blood streaming to the ground.
Wu Bei looked as if he could collapse to his knees at any moment.
Staring at the portly, middle-aged man, Lu Chao said coldly, "If my sword moves forward just a fraction of an inch, you will die. You'd also better not kneel, or I can't guarantee this sword won't go straight through your throat."
His voice was low and powerful, and it washed over the onlookers, striking terror into the hearts of the female attendant and the guards.
'So terrifying, so decisive.'
'This legendary figure who dared to marry the Cheng Mansion's freakish Eldest Miss... he's too vicious, isn't he?'
GULP...
Wu Bei couldn't help but swallow hard. "If you dare to kill me," he said, his voice raspy, "the City Lord's Mansion and the Qianling Trading Company will both hunt you down and tear you to pieces."
His voice was hoarse, and he seemed like a completely different person from the smug man who thought he had Lu Chao in his grasp just moments ago.
No one had ever expected that some nobody who appeared out of nowhere would act so decisively and swiftly on the Qianling Trading Company's own turf, especially when faced with dozens of expert guards and a Postnatal Fifth Layer master.
"You think threats work on me?"
Lu Chao retorted with a scornful laugh, then asked again, "Now, how many Bone-Nourishing Spirit Pills do you have? I'll take them all."
With that, Lu Chao pointed to the female attendant, who was lying on the ground clutching her face. "Have her go get them!"
CLACK CLACK CLACK...
Wu Bei's teeth chattered. Finally, he could only say, "Fine. I'll have her go get them immediately. But the Bone-Nourishing Spirit Pills are extremely valuable. I keep them in a very hidden place, so it might take some time."
Wu Bei was clearly trying to stall for time...
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he saw a terrifying, cold smile spread across Lu Chao's face.
"I don't care how long it takes. But I'm afraid your leg won't hold out for much longer."
"The moment your leg gives out, or you bleed dry, will be the moment... you die!"