The night was as cool as water.
On the square of the Miaoshou Garden, numerous corpses were laid out on the ground, roughly numbering in the tens!
A strong scent of blood permeated the air.
Many apprentices, pharmacists, doctors, and guards, all stood on the square, silently gazing at the corpses on the ground.
The entire square seemed to have fallen into a deathly silence.
Lu Changsheng was among the crowd, and his gaze fell on one of the mutilated corpses on the ground, Old Man Wen!
Among the dozens of corpses, one of them was Old Man Wen.
Old Man Wen's chest had caved in, a clear sign that his internal organs had been shattered by powerful strikes.
Such power could only be possessed by those in the Refined Organ Realm.
One of Old Man Wen's arms had been severed, and it was nowhere to be found, lost in the chaos.
His face still bore the expressions of panic, fear, and pain.
Lu Changsheng didn't speak, but his gaze grew colder by the moment.
Although Old Man Wen wasn't his official mentor, in practice, Old Man Wen had practically imparted all of his skills to him.
Not master and disciple, but better than master and disciple.
But now, Old Man Wen was dead, and in such a miserable state.
"Family Head, we've captured the traitor."
At this moment, two guards approached with a battered man in tow.
"Swoosh."
Numerous eyes focused on the battered man.
Zheng Renxin's gaze narrowed slightly, and his tone was as cold as ice as he said, "It's you, Zheng Yihai! As a member of the Zheng family and a member of the Guard, you are supported by the Miaoshou Garden. Why would you collude with thieves and harm your own kin?"
"Thud."
Zheng Yihai knelt down on the ground, pleading, "Family Head, spare my life, it was a moment of foolishness."
"I... I owed a lot of money from gambling, and those thieves came looking for me."
"They promised that if I provided information about the Refined Organ warriors in Miaoshou Garden, they would give me money to pay off my debts."
"I thought the thieves wouldn't dare to do anything to Miaoshou Garden, and I would only be providing some information, nothing difficult, so I agreed."
"But I really didn't expect those thieves to be so audacious, actually daring to invade Miaoshou Garden."
"Family Head, spare my life, please spare my life..."
Zheng Yihai had clearly been beaten badly; his teeth were knocked out, and he could hardly speak clearly.
However, his words were still understood by everyone present.
Traitor!
Zheng Yihai was the traitor!
It was because of Zheng Yihai's disclosure of information about the Refined Organ warriors in Miaoshou Garden that the group of thieves saw an opportunity to attack.
Zheng Renxin's eyes turned red, and he stared at Zheng Yihai, gritting his teeth as he said, "Spare your life? You've caused the deaths of so many people and you still want to live?"
The next moment, Zheng Renxin suddenly drew his sword and struck.
"Crack."
Zheng Yihai's head fell to the ground, blood spewing everywhere.
Zheng Renxin was covered in blood, but he didn't care.
His face was grim, and he said coldly, "Last time, the thieves looted our pharmacy at Miaoshou Garden, and I could tolerate that. But this time, they actually invaded Miaoshou Garden itself, going too far! Did they think the Zheng family of Nanyang was powerless?"
At this moment, one of the guards spoke up, "Family Head, those thieves looted the treasury at Miaoshou Garden, and there's so much silver. They couldn't possibly carry it all away in a short time. Besides, we've had people watching all the city gates, and no suspicious individuals have left. So, those thieves must still be inside the city."
"In that case, search for them! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find those thieves."
"I'll personally lead the Guard to eliminate those thieves when the time comes!"
Zheng Renxin was filled with killing intent.
The Zheng family of Nanyang had a formidable reputation, and they had never been attacked in Miaoshou Garden before.
Unexpectedly, now it had been bloodily attacked by a group of thieves.
This grudge must be avenged, or how could the Zheng family of Nanyang maintain their standing in Nanyang Prefecture?
This time, Zheng Renxin was determined to eradicate those bandits!
Gradually, the people on the square dispersed, and Lu Changsheng returned to his courtyard.
He checked his attribute panel.
Host: Lu Changsheng
Comprehension: 211 (considerable potential)
Bull's Body Forging Technique: Third level
Lu Changsheng's Bull's Body Forging Technique had reached the third level.
He had even begun to attempt the fourth bone tempering.
Calculating the time, it would either be tonight or tomorrow.
So, as usual, Lu Changsheng began to temper his bones by mobilizing his blood and vitality.
Once, twice, three times...
Lu Changsheng's blood and vitality were very robust, allowing him to repeatedly temper his bones.
In the past, he could temper his bones dozens of times, and with his current level of blood and vitality, it was not a problem.
However, Lu Changsheng suddenly stopped.
The scene from the square and Old Man Wen's corpse, especially Old Man Wen's open eyes in death, kept replaying in his mind.
His memories churned, and his emotions couldn't settle. Lu Changsheng's bone tempering practice naturally lost its effectiveness.
"My heart is unsettled!"
Lu Changsheng muttered in a low voice.
His heart was unsettled because of Old Man Wen, and Old Man Wen's tragic death!
"When the heart is unsettled, blood will be shed!"
Lu Changsheng reached into his bosom and touched the dagger hidden there.
With a weapon in hand, murderous intent emerged.
Moreover, he was seeking revenge for Old Man Wen!
At this moment, Lu Changsheng's blood seemed to be boiling.
He put on his night clothes, donned a bamboo hat, and covered his face with a black cloth, concealing his identity completely.
"Swoosh."
The next moment, Lu Changsheng's figure shot away, disappearing into the night.
In the west of the city, outside an abandoned temple, dozens of figures could be vaguely seen.
"Thud, thud, thud."
The sound of drums echoed from afar.
"The air is dry, be careful with the candles."
It was already the third watch of the night, but the figures outside the temple remained still.
"Family Head, it's the third watch, and it seems there's no movement inside..."
One of the guards from the Miaoshou Garden said cautiously.
Zheng Renxin's gaze was deep, and his expression was extremely grave. He didn't speak but fixed his eyes on the temple.
Inside the abandoned temple, there had been lanterns earlier, but now they had all been extinguished.
"Are those thieves hiding inside the temple?"
Zheng Renxin asked again.
"Yes, the thieves are inside the temple. Moreover, there are only about thirty of them, while we have seventy to eighty experts. We have the advantage in strength..."
Zheng Renxin was weighing his options.
Perhaps he had grown accustomed to a life of luxury, and he couldn't make up his mind.
After all, this battle was crucial.
The elites of Miaoshou Garden had practically all been mobilized, and if they failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Take action!"
Finally, Zheng Renxin made up his mind.
This time, he had gathered four top Refined Organ experts.
While the group of thieves that had entered Miaoshou Garden during the day had only two Refined Organ warriors.
In any case, Miaoshou Garden held the advantage.
Zheng Renxin gave the order, and dozens of dark figures slowly approached the abandoned temple.
"Bang."
The dilapidated temple door was suddenly kicked open.
Dozens of experts from Miaoshou Garden rushed inside.
But in the next moment, from the pitch-black interior of the temple, numerous crossbow bolts were shot out.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh."
These crossbow bolts, aided by the cover of night, were practically impossible to defend against, and they instantly struck down many of Miaoshou Garden's experts within the temple.
"Crossbow bolts?"
Zheng Renxin widened his eyes.
Weren't crossbows the weapons of the imperial army?
But how could these thieves have them?
Suddenly, Zheng Renxin thought of a possibility.
The group of bandits that had blocked the trade route before, although they had been wiped out by the imperial army, some of them might have escaped.
Perhaps those bandits had taken crossbows from the corpses of the imperial army soldiers.
"Haha, since you're here, don't leave. Stay right there!"
Suddenly, a loud shout rang out.
Following that, many torches appeared in the abandoned temple, illuminating the temple as if it were daytime.
Zheng Renxin squinted and saw a tall man with copper-bellied eyes and a body like a bear standing calmly in the temple. He carried a large door-like blade and stood there.
His aura was like blazing fire, making everyone inside the temple feel as if they were in a furnace.
This man's head was even bald, and there was a conspicuous scar on his forehead.
"Li Ji, the Dragging Sword King! You're not dead after all?"
"It's impossible! The last time the imperial army surrounded and annihilated the bandit leaders, didn't they say that the bandit leader had been killed? How could you still be alive?"
Zheng Renxin seemed to recall something and exclaimed in shock.
"Hehe, how can the hounds of the empire kill this king? They only claimed merit by killing the innocent, falsely reporting their achievements."
"Zheng Renxin, this king only took some silver from you. You're coming to me yourself."
"In that case, this king will take care of you. Once you're gone, the Zheng family of Nanyang will be finished, and this king will regain his prestige!"
It turned out that this Li Ji was the leader of the bandits who had previously blocked the trade route, known as the "Dragging Sword King."
It was said that he possessed immense strength and had even escaped death at the hands of a God-Refined expert.
With this person here, how could the four Refined Organ experts of Miaoshou Garden be a match?