Liu Yang

“The Xiantian One Qi realm?”

“Your cultivation is higher than I expected.”

Lu Chang’an had initially thought this notorious bandit was merely skilled in lightness kung fu, perhaps not even having reached the Xiantian realm.

But today, seeing him in person, he confirmed that this bandit had indeed achieved Xiantian.

One should not underestimate the Xiantian realm.

It was a major threshold.

The vast majority of martial artists in the jianghu would remain stuck at this bottleneck for their entire lives, never breaking through.

All in all, the Xiantian realm was enough to earn one the status of a powerful figure in the jianghu.

Even the lowest of the three Xiantian sub-realms—the One Qi—could establish a minor sect.

As for the Condensing Spirit realm beyond Xiantian, that was the mark of a regional overlord.

“I’m rather curious about your appearance.”

“After all, no one has seen your real face.”

“Even the wanted posters only show a masked portrait with just the eyes visible…”

At that moment, the image of the Second Manor Lord’s wife of Liantian Manor, whom he had seen on the street during the day, flashed through Lu Chang’an’s mind.

He carefully compared the portrait of Liu Yang in his memory with the wife’s face.

It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind.

Grabbing Liu Yang by the shoulder, he turned him to face him.

Lu Chang’an stared at the masked visage before him.

Those eyes, exposed above the mask—the more he looked, the more they resembled the Second Manor Lord’s wife.

“No wonder I felt I had seen her before, yet couldn’t place it.”

Muttering to himself, Lu Chang’an directly pulled off Liu Yang’s mask.

But when the mask came off, the face beneath was completely different from the Second Manor Lord’s wife.

Lu Chang’an couldn’t help recalling the theory Lu Yuesheng had mentioned.

If Liu Yang only showed his eyes, one would indeed think they looked very much like the Second Manor Lord’s wife.

But with the full face revealed, the resemblance vanished.

The face under the mask was rather delicate—pale and soft, with the smooth skin of a pretty boy.

He didn’t seem old, probably just a teenager.

Even though Lu Chang’an had sealed his acupoints, Liu Yang’s face was full of stubbornness, with an expression that said, “Do what you will, kill or spare.”

Lu Chang’an found it somewhat amusing.

After a moment’s thought, he temporarily unsealed Liu Yang’s mute acupoint.

“I have a few things I want to ask you.”

Liu Yang glanced at Lu Chang’an and pressed his lips tightly together.

Lu Chang’an pulled a chair over from the table and sat down beside him.

“There’s a rumor in the jianghu that the bandit Liu Yang only robs the rich to aid the poor, and never harms the good or the needy.”

“So why did you set your sights on me this time?”

“I am no bandit!”

“I am a… a chivalrous thief!”

Liu Yang finally spoke, retorting against Lu Chang’an’s characterization of him as a bandit.

Lu Chang’an looked at Liu Yang with interest.

From just that one sentence, he could already sense a bit of Liu Yang’s character.

He was about to continue questioning when suddenly, a knock came at the door.

“Is my husband in?”

“Husband is not, but Boss Lu is.”

Lu Chang’an raised an eyebrow.

The voice was unmistakably Lu Yuesheng’s.

Using the term “husband,” which she had never used before, was clearly a cautious move to test whether something had happened to him.

He got up and opened the door.

As expected, standing outside was Lu Yuesheng, a hint of worry on her face.

When she saw Lu Chang’an open the door, the worry faded, replaced by a faint blush.

“I heard some commotion just now.”

“I was worried something might have happened to you.”

This was her explanation for using the address “husband” earlier.

Lu Chang’an understood perfectly.

He moved aside slightly and shrugged.

“It nearly did.”

“If not for Fairy Wen’s reminder during the day, I might have actually fallen for it.”

As Lu Chang’an stepped aside, Liu Yang, still bound by acupoints and dressed in his night clothes, was exposed to Lu Yuesheng’s gaze.

Her eyes turned icy cold instantly.

Without needing words, she could piece together most of what had happened.

Moreover, Lu Yuesheng had heard Wen Qingying’s somewhat sudden explanation to Lu Chang’an in the carriage.

“So that’s it.”

“I wondered why she suddenly spoke up.”

“It seems she noticed during the day that this bandit had his eyes on us, right?”

When Liu Yang heard someone call him a bandit again, he grew angry and opened his mouth to retort.

But a glimpse of Lu Yuesheng from the corner of his eye, with the coldness in her gaze, made him swallow his words.

‘Strange.’

‘She clearly doesn’t seem to have any martial arts cultivation.’

‘So why does being stared at by her make my heart freeze?’

Liu Yang found it odd.

In his eyes, Lu Yuesheng didn’t look like she knew any martial arts at all.

But at this moment, a single look from her had cowed him.

“It seems I should congratulate Fairy Wen.”

“She must be close to the Condensing Spirit realm.”

Though he said “congratulate,” Lu Chang’an clearly sensed displeasure in Lu Yuesheng’s tone.

Was it because she realized Wen Qingying had gotten a step ahead of her?

“Boss Lu, how do you plan to deal with this villain?”

Lu Yuesheng walked up to Liu Yang and sized up his features as she asked Lu Chang’an what he intended to do.

“I’m not a villain.”

Before Boss Lu could answer, Liu Yang whispered a weak retort.

“Mm?”

Lu Yuesheng’s gaze fell on him.

Her expression was indifferent, with a hint of displeasure at being interrupted.

Liu Yang’s heart tightened.

He felt that if he said one more word, this cold woman would take his life right then and there.

Yet even so, he insisted on speaking his mind.

“I am the disciple of the Dao Saint.”

“I will inherit my master’s legacy and become the next Dao Saint… a chivalrous thief.”

Probably frightened by the iciness of Lu Yuesheng’s stare, his voice was very soft, but his words were exceptionally resolute.

“The Dao Saint?”

A flicker of surprise passed through Lu Yuesheng’s eyes, followed by a trace of realization.

“No wonder your lightness skill is so superb.”

“So you’re a disciple of the Dao Saint?”

“The Dao Saint who believed ‘heaven and earth have feelings, even thieves have their way’?”

Lu Chang’an had also heard of the Dao Saint’s reputation.

He was a powerhouse of the previous era.

When the Dao Saint became famous in the jianghu, Lu Yuesheng’s generation hadn’t even been born yet.

He was a truly remarkable figure—one who spoke for the weak throughout his life, who adhered to the principle of robbing the wicked to aid the righteous, and who lived with all his heart and soul.

After a brief silence, Lu Chang’an suddenly took Lu Yuesheng by the hand and led her out of the room.

“Do you think he really is the Dao Saint’s disciple?”

That was the first question he asked once they were outside.

Lu Chang’an himself was inclined to believe Liu Yang’s words.

From just a few simple exchanges, he could tell that Liu Yang was a somewhat naive person, like a young hero fresh in the jianghu, unacquainted with the world’s dangers.

“It should be true.”

“What do you plan to do with him?”

Faced with Lu Yuesheng’s second time asking this question, Lu Chang’an glanced back at Liu Yang inside the room and smiled slightly.

“Yuesheng, think carefully about his eyes.”

“Don’t you think they resemble someone’s?”

“Resemble someone?”

Lu Yuesheng frowned and thought for a long while, but couldn’t figure out who.

“The Second Manor Lord’s wife we saw during the day!”

Lu Chang’an clapped his hands, beaming.

“Not just the eyes—they’re similar in height and figure too.”

“Only her waist is a bit thicker, and her chest is also quite similar…”

Lu Yuesheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She lightly kicked Lu Chang’an, cutting off his rambling.

“Now that you mention it, there is a resemblance.”

“I also understand what you want to do.”

“Do you need my help?”

“I have some medicine that can make a person obey completely.”

“No need.”

“Or rather, those medicines are useless unless they can completely control his mind… But I’m not willing to do that sort of thing.”

Lu Chang’an shook his head, declining Lu Yuesheng’s offer.

He said softly, “Call it youthful naivety or a teenager’s fearless ignorance—either way, a boy like him can’t be controlled by such drugs.”

“For someone like him, you can only use reason to persuade.”