Volume Three: Exploring Antiquities and Seeking Immortality Chapter 15: Repelling and Overcharging

Hearing the lackey's arrogant shouting, Lu Yi shook his head helplessly. "Why does a simple errand come with so much trouble?"

"Brat, what are you still dawdling about? Tired of living, are you?" The young dandy's lackey spoke as he reached out to shove Lu Yi.

Lu Yi casually reached out and grabbed the man's wrist, then exerted a slight squeeze. The man immediately let out a pig-like screech. "Ouch, it hurts, hurts, hurts! Let go of me quickly, kid. Ouch, ouch, I was wrong."

Hearing the other party concede, Lu Yi grabbed the man's arm and tossed him backward. This fellow, who had been so eager to show off, lacked any real skill. After stumbling back a few steps, he tripped over a paving stone and landed squarely on his backside.

The young dandy looked with a gloomy expression at the grimacing lackey sitting on the ground and holding his wrist, then lifted his gaze to glare fiercely at Lu Yi. "Good for you, daring to act so high and mighty on this street. Who gave you the dog's courage?"

"Shut up." Lu Yi narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low bark. At that moment, a ball of gray energy radiating the aura of death was spinning incessantly within his left eye as he swept his gaze quickly across the young dandy and his companions.

Swept by Lu Yi's gaze, the young dandy's face instantly turned pale, and the others fared no better. They all shuddered in unison and involuntarily stepped back a few paces.

Lu Yi let out a cold snort. "I don't have time to play house with you lot. Make way."

The young dandy and the others couldn't help but retreat a few steps to either side. Seeing this, Shen Yixue found it immensely novel. "Lu Yi, how did you do that? I didn't sense any energy fluctuation at all. Could this be the legendary aura of kings and tyrants?"

The aura of kings and tyrants? Lu Yi's mouth twitched slightly. What aura of kings and tyrants? It was clearly just the power of the undead spinning around in his eyes a few times. If he were to actually release the undead power, wouldn't a few people on the other side be scared to death?

Once Lu Yi did that, the aftermath would be entirely predictable.

Out of fear of the faction backing the young dandy, and without knowing Lu Yi's identity, the onlookers standing far away would surely not dare to praise Lu Yi openly. Instead, they would project the events onto figures of the past.

Some ancient martial hero glares, and the opposing villains wet their pants in fright; certain thugs are scared out of their minds, while a local bully who brought evil to the region simply drops dead on the spot. Then, peddlers would hype up the accessories used by the martial hero to passersby, boasting that the great hero must have achieved such divine might by consuming some rare herb.

While it certainly sounded cool to be written into such stories like that, the ensuing troubles would be endless. Lu Yi had no desire to be the second team kicked out of the operation. As for who the first one was, naturally it was Wu You and his people. With how aggressive their attitude was that day, could Shopkeeper Zhao ever let them come back? That would be like inviting an ancestor to worship.

These thoughts flashed rapidly through Lu Yi's mind. At that moment, rolling his eyes, a smug smile appeared on his face. "Not at all. This is merely the aura of the dead."

"The aura of kings?" Shen Yixue paused, stunned. "How did you acquire that kind of power? Which one is stronger, this or the aura of kings and tyrants? Oh, right."

Shen Yixue suddenly gave a start, glanced at the information on her wristwatch, and then looked at Lu Yi with a terrified expression. "Lu Yi, you didn't use the aura of kings to influence me, did you?"

Seeing Shen Yixue's exaggerated expression, Lu Yi curved his lips into an evil, mischievous smile. "Oh ho, you actually noticed? But it's already too late. Haven't you noticed that you're still walking along with me?"

As he spoke, Lu Yi raised his right hand and clenched it in front of Shen Yixue's eyes, conveying the clear implication that she could not escape his grasp.

"How could this be?" Shen Yixue's eyes widened abruptly as she lifted both arms and leaned her upper body backward. By this time, Lu Yi and his group had already passed Young Master Zhuang and his entourage, and Shen Yixue could no longer maintain her act.

She burst out laughing, reached out, and gave Lu Yi a shove. "Blow a little wind for you, and you really float up to the sky? The aura of kings, my foot—why don't you go up to the sky and pluck the stars?"

Watching Lu Yi and Shen Yixue walking forward, chatting and laughing, Young Master Zhuang's face grew even gloomier. He glanced sideways at his lackies. "A bunch of trash. You actually got scared by a single look from someone else."

Weren't you doing the exact same thing just now? That was the inner voice of Young Master Zhuang's lackeys and the onlookers, though naturally, none of them dared to voice it aloud.

"What are you standing around for? You expect me, the young master, to go settle the score myself?" Young Master Zhuang said, delivering a kick to each of the most cowardly-looking fellows.

The sturdy man closest to Young Master Zhuang looked up at the retreating backs of the three figures, then lowered his voice and said to Young Master Zhuang, "Young Master Zhuang, that fellow has a sharp gaze, and his murderous intent was completely unmasked. He is definitely a ruthless character who has blood on his hands."

Young Master Zhuang's face twisted slightly. He stared at the man with a very resentful gaze. "What? Can he sprout three heads and six arms? Useless trash, what use do I have for you? A whole crowd of you can't handle a single man and two fragile women?"

The flock of lackeys immediately trembled all over. Then, driven by a few individuals, they shouted in unison, "Don't worry, Young Master Zhuang, we'll definitely make them pay."

Young Master Zhuang let out a cold snort. "That's more like it. Remember, this is a grievance between us and that blind bastard. As the saying goes, every debt has its debtor, and every grievance has its master—don't harm the innocent. When the time comes, remember to persuade that woman to leave. You know where to persuade her to go, right?"

The lackeys immediately wore knowing expressions and nodded hurriedly. "Don't worry, Young Master Zhuang. We won't harm any innocents; we'll definitely escort her away cleanly."

Lu Yi and the others were searching for the markers left by Big Chong, so they weren't walking very fast. Soon, Young Master Zhuang's lackeys caught up with Lu Yi once more and surrounded the three of them.

Seeing this formation, Shen Yixue nudged Lu Yi with her elbow. "Lu Yi, why don't you shake them off with your aura of kings again and make them leave."

Lu Yi shrugged. "Mosquito repellent doesn't work anymore. It's time to use some heavy-handed tactics."

Heavy-handed tactics? Shen Yixue's expression changed, and she hurriedly pulled Lu Yi back. "Hey, isn't that going too far? There are so many people watching right now, and there are cameras around. It won't be good if something happens."

Lu Yi glanced at Shen Yixue and said in a low voice, "I didn't say I was going to use *that* heavy-handed of tactics."

"Hey." One of the lackeys tapped the steel pipe in his hand, then pointed it at Lu Yi. "Now we're going to settle a personal score with this guy. Anyone uninvolved, clear out immediately."

Lu Yi looked at this group of lackeys with mild amusement, immediately understanding what scheme they were playing at.

Yuchan looked with bewilderment at the steel pipes in their hands. "Captain, do they want to use those things to fight us?"

"That's right." After saying this, Lu Yi smiled and patted Yuchan's head.

Yuchan blinked. "Captain, do you need me to help?"

Lu Yi laughed freely. "No need. Since the other side has issued a challenge, how can I refuse?"

Young Master Zhuang's lackeys let out strange laughs. "Didn't expect you to be quite the protector of beauties. Since that's the case, hurry up and have them leave. Fists and clubs have no eyes, and it wouldn't be good if someone got hurt."

Lu Yi narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Unnecessary. Dealing with you lot will take about half a minute."

With that, he rushed forward, raised his leg, and kicked out. The person who took the kick landed on the ground and kept rolling around, utterly unable to get back up.

"Damn it, you're tired of living." "You're asking for death!"

The lackeys roared and swarmed forward. Lu Yi shattered a steel pipe with a single kick and laid out an opponent with every punch, knocking all of them down just as they began to harbor thoughts of retreat.

Shen Yixue checked the timer, then flashed a smile at Lu Yi. "Twenty-four seconds. True to your word as always."

Lu Yi dusted off his spotless clothes, then raised a hand in an inviting gesture. "Two elegant ladies, shall we continue our walk?"

Shen Yixue gave him a sideways glance, deliberately putting on a very reserved smile before walking past the gaps between the fallen men. As for Yuchan, she had no such inhibitions; skipping and hopping over the bodies strewn across the ground, she hurried to Lu Yi's side.

Lu Yi glanced into the distance and found that the so-called Young Master Zhuang had long since vanished without a trace. He didn't take it to heart, continuing his trip to sell off goods with Shen Yixue and Yuchan in tow.

After a while, inside an antique shop, the three of them were seated on wooden chairs while a young clerk served each of them a cup of tea.

"Tsk." A middle-aged man held a bracelet, turning it over and over, then looked at Lu Yi and the others. He frowned, looked back at the bracelet, and said, "You three, I'm a bit unsure about this piece. I need to have our chief appraiser take a look at it before I can decide whether to acquire it."

"Go ahead." Lu Yi reached out to test the temperature of the tea while nodding.

The middle-aged man placed the bracelet carefully on the table and hurried into the back courtyard, while the young clerk went back to attending to other customers buying antiques.

Seeing no one paying attention, Shen Yixue leaned a bit closer to Lu Yi and whispered, "Lu Yi, is your leg alright?"

Shen Yixue was naturally referring to the incident where Lu Yi used his leg to snap the steel pipe. "I'm fine," Lu Yi said, reaching out to tap the back of Shen Yixue's hand with a reassuring look.

Then Lu Yi leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.

To actually snap a solid steel pipe with sheer physical force was something Lu Yi couldn't do. He had simply used his magic eyes to locate the fragile point of the steel pipe, accelerated the deterioration at that specific weak spot, and combined it with black magic during the fight to produce that astonishing spectacle.

As for whether it was fair—who cared? When that mob swarmed him, they hadn't considered fairness either. Besides, acting cool through such an invincible stance was bound to have a much better effect than exhausting time and effort without using black magic.

Seeing Lu Yi pick up his tea and take a sip, Yuchan blinked, sniffed the air, and then picked up her teacup, pouring the tea leaves and water all at once into her mouth.

Yuchan chewed the tea leaves for a moment, looking blankly at Lu Yi. "Captain, what is this stuff?"

Shen Yixue covered her forehead in resignation, while Lu Yi smiled and began explaining it to Yuchan. By the time Lu Yi finished his explanation, the middle-aged man had emerged from the back, accompanied by an elderly man.

Almost the very first thing the elder did was fix his eyes on the bracelet resting on the table. Lu Yi clearly saw the elder's hanging arms twitch, a flash of brilliant light crossing his eyes.

However, the elder was a seasoned veteran of the trade; that momentary lapse of composure vanished in an instant as he concealed it completely. He gave a light cough and glared fiercely at the middle-aged man. "You're truly getting more useless with age. You still need me to personally vet such a trinket?"

"Yes, yes," the middle-aged man nodded hastily, then asked in a tentative tone, "Then this..."

"Since I'm already out here, I'll take a look." With that, the elder pointed a forefinger at the middle-aged man and walked over to the counter.

Gazing at the jade bracelet in his hand, the elder's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. He cast a glance at Lu Yi, thinking to himself, *As expected of someone from that family. Even though the family has declined and vanished from the martial world due to those past events, the martial arts passed down are still formidable.*

The corners of the elder's mouth twitched slightly as his thoughts continued. *What a pity. It seems many things were not properly handed down from the start, or else they wouldn't be selling off a bracelet of such extraordinary significance. If I can acquire it at a low price and present it to Young Master Zhuang, the Zhuang family will surely reward me handsomely.*

The elder swept a disdainful look over Lu Yi, then lowered his head with a cold sneer. This foolish brat actually dared to offend Young Master Zhuang; once he found out what he had just sold, he'd probably be turning his intestines green with regret in the days to come.

"Sigh." After pondering much in his mind, the elder let out a sigh, straightened his posture, and shook his head at Lu Yi. "This item of yours is nothing more than a modern piece, and the quality is poor. At most, it's worth around thirty thousand."