Chapter 133 - 105: If You Can’t Fix It, Don’t Leave

Chapter 133: Chapter 105: If You Can’t Fix It, Don’t Leave

The leader’s face was ashen, his chest heaving violently, but he ultimately held back his temper. He took a deep breath, suppressing the fury that was on the verge of erupting.

His voice squeezed through his gritted teeth. "...How much?"

This question momentarily stunned the security officer blocking their path. How much was the theater stage? How would he know?

The security officer had no choice but to turn around, jogging over to seek instructions from Lu Jing’an.

At this moment, Lu Jing’an was storing Leopard One’s Divine Soul into the Zhengqi Furnace.

"Young Master Lu, look... how much would be appropriate to ask for?" The officer bowed slightly. Seeing that Lu Jing’an wasn’t looking at him, he had no choice but to brace himself and ask.

Lu Jing’an didn’t answer. He turned and walked straight down from the stage. The afternoon sun stretched his shadow long and thin. His pace was neither fast nor slow, his steps almost silent on the compacted dirt ground.

He spoke as he walked, his voice clear but devoid of warmth. "The money doesn’t matter. What matters is that this stage must be restored to its original state. Every brick and tile, every stroke of paint and drawing, must be exactly as it was before. If they are willing to do it themselves, then they can stay here and repair what they smashed with their own hands. If they want to throw money at the problem, tell them to find the best craftsmen and use the best materials."

Having received his instructions, the security officer seemed to straighten his back a little. He turned and raised his voice at the group from the Leopard Camp, "Did you hear Young Master Lu clearly? Restoring the stage is the only condition. Either you stay here yourselves and work at it, hammer and chisel, or you immediately head into the county town and find the most skilled crew. Price doesn’t matter, but the work must be flawless, and it must be done quickly. Until the stage is restored to how it was, don’t even think about leaving this area."

Hearing this, the last trace of color drained from the faces of the Leopard Camp members.

Detained as coolies? This was far more unbearable than forcing them to cough up a large sum of Silver Coins on the spot; it was naked humiliation. Worse still, they absolutely could not stay here. Leopard One’s corpse had to be brought back as soon as possible. Their camp commander would never accept repairing a theater stage as an excuse. If they delayed even an hour, what awaited them would likely be a punishment worse than death.

"You two," the leader abruptly turned his head, growling at the two subordinates behind him. Every word felt like it was squeezed from the depths of his chest. "Go find the best craftsmen right now, no matter the cost. Hire as many men as it takes, and get it done as fast as possible!"

"Yes, sir!" The two cupped their fists in acknowledgment and vaulted onto the horses tied nearby. With a fierce crack of the whip, they kicked up a trail of dust as they galloped away.

The leader glared daggers at Lu Jing’an’s back as the latter was about to climb into a black car. Unable to swallow his resentment any longer, he shouted, "Lu! Your humiliation of us today means you have offended our master beyond reconciliation! Has your Lu Family made up its mind to fight our master to the bitter end?"

Since his superiors hadn’t authorized him to reveal their identities, he couldn’t speak plainly and could only express it in such vague terms.

Lu Jing’an, who had already pulled the car door open, merely paused his steps upon hearing this. Turning his head halfway, the corner of his lips curled into an extremely faint, almost mocking arc. An ambiguous chuckle rolled from his throat.

Then, he ducked his head and slid into the car. The door SLAMMED shut, sealing off the glare and the shouting from outside.

To the bitter end? From the moment the other party set foot in Yin Mountain County and made a move against him, they were already at the bitter end. Playing both sides? In this kind of vortex, harboring delusions of having it both ways would only lead to losing everything and sinking to a watery grave. Since he had chosen to join forces with the Hu Family, there was no turning back, and certainly no need to leave any margin for reconciliation.

The black car slowly started up, driving away from the messy theater stage. The interior smelled of leather and a faint hint of motor oil.

Inside the car, Lu Jing’an chose to begin Refining Leopard One’s Divine Soul.

[Refining in progress. Estimated time to completion: 4 hours.]

Seeing this time prompt, Lu Jing’an frowned almost imperceptibly. Four hours was much shorter than expected. It meant that the quality of Leopard One’s Divine Soul was not high, and not much of value could be produced through Refining.

Lu Jing’an’s mind raced, quickly drawing a conclusion. "It seems that the technological gimmicks of those Void Devils only boost power on the physical surface. Like water without a source or a tree without roots, it fails to truly imprint itself onto the origin of the soul."

This kind of shortcut that relied on external forces was an unorthodox path after all. The strength and purity of a soul could not be faked.

However, although Leopard One was dead, he brought more questions than answers. Just how many of these Technology Martial Artists had the Bai Family trained? What was their combat power level? Aside from short-term bursts of strength, did they possess any other bizarre abilities?

He could easily dispose of Leopard One today because his strength far exceeded that of his peers. But what if other Martial Artists from the Lu Family encountered them? In the same realm, when facing this kind of unorthodox enemy who could use drugs and other methods to forcefully elevate their combat power, their chances of winning would probably be extremely low.

He had to get to the bottom of this matter.

Lu Jing’an opened his eyes and looked at Chen Xuan beside him. "Master, have you ever seen anything similar to Leopard One’s condition before?"

Chen Xuan was silent for a moment, as if recalling, before he slowly spoke. "I have. It’s a wicked path concocted by the Voiders. They seem to dismantle every major realm and even minor bottleneck of a Martial Cultivator into different ’physical indicators,’ and then purposefully develop stimulant drugs or implant certain foreign objects. It takes effect extremely fast, allowing a person to gain brute strength, speed, or Defense far beyond their own tier in a short period of time."

Chen Xuan paused, his voice turning heavier. "But the drawbacks of this method are too great. Out of ten people, it’s a stroke of luck if even one or two survive. Furthermore, their minds are damaged, and their temperaments often become violent and bloodthirsty."