“That’s good,” Zhang Junrui said with a huff. “Zhao Dahe isn’t like most people. Despite his young age, his cultivation level is much more profound than mine. You’ll have to try to get rid of the fist force from his Divine Light Fist by yourself!”

　　“… Understood.” Lu Xiaofeng gritted his teeth.

　　It seemed like he would have to enhance his skills and surpass Master if he wished to defeat Zhao Dahe.

　　Then, Zhang Junrui exhaled sharply and said, “If you can’t defeat me, don’t even think about going up against Zhao Dahe. Otherwise, you’ll only bring disgrace upon yourself. Worse yet, you might even lose your life!”

　　“Understood.” Lu Xiaofeng nodded. “Master, Elder Huang was killed by him.”

　　“What’s done is done,” Zhang Junrui replied. “That makes things easier for me too. Now, I don’t need to take care of him myself.”

　　Lu Xiaofeng was dumbstruck.

　　Zhang Junrui gave a humorless laugh. “Elder Huang has done many shameful things behind your back. You’re still young and pure-hearted, so he has been able to fool you numerous times.”

　　“That can’t be true,” Lu Xiaofeng said in disbelief. “He seems like an honest man to me.”

　　“That’s why I said that you’re still young and very easy to fool. There are many people out there who are two-faced and deceitful.” Zhang Junrui waved a hand and said, “Focus on your cultivation right now and forget about everything else, including Miss Yue Ru.”

　　“… Understood.” Lu Xiaofeng nodded reluctantly.

　　As Yue Ru’s charming face appeared in his mind, he felt a great longing to be with her. Unfortunately, he was not capable of defeating Zhao Dahe yet. He should work on his martial arts until he could defeat Zhao Dahe and snatch Yue Ru back from the man. Then, he would be worthy of her!

　　In the following days, Chu Li continued to stay at the Phoenix Goddess Brothel.

　　That night, the Phoenix Goddess Brothel was as lively as usual. With silk and bamboo music echoing through the entire building as well, it made the place seem like a heavenly palace.

　　Suddenly, a grey-clothed elderly man rushed into the Phoenix Goddess Brothel. He pulled a servant to the side and anxiously said, “Bring me to meet my clan leader, Zhao Dahe!”

　　“Young Master Zhao?” The servant was startled. “He’s an important guest of the Phoenix Goddess Brothel. May I know who you are?”

　　“Just bring me to him. I have an urgent matter to inform him!” The grey-clothed elderly man, Lu Shu, seized the servant by his collar and lifted him off the ground. “If the matter gets worse, I’ll hold you responsible for it!”

　　“Sir, even if you beat me to death, I wouldn’t dare to bring you to him directly,” the servant replied helplessly. “Why don’t you put me down first? I’ll go and inform Young Master Zhao. Then, we’ll see if he’s willing to meet you. How about that?”

　　Lu Shu glared at him as he put the servant down and patted his shoulder. “Hurry up then. I’m called Lu Shu!”

　　“Okay, understood,” the servant quickly replied before he ran upstairs at once.

　　Chu Li stuck his head out through one of the windows on the second floor and said loudly, “Come upstairs!”

　　Lu Shu hurriedly glided up and entered the room through the window. Then, he rose to his feet and gave a fist salute. “Clan Leader!”

　　Chu Li frowned and said, “Go on then. What’s the matter?”

　　“Elder Kou is dying,” Lu Shu replied. “He has suffered an ambush and was beaten up quite badly. I don’t think he’ll be able to pull through this even after receiving medical help.”

　　Chu Li asked, “When did this happen?”

　　“Elder Kou has only just managed to make his escape and came back to us,” Lu Shu replied. “His injuries are too severe. He may be breathing his last breaths very soon.”

　　Chu Li nodded. “Okay, I’ll go and take a look.”

　　He vanished as soon as he finished speaking.

　　Lu Shu leaped out through the window and hurried back as well.

　　His heart was burning with anxiety. He wished he had a pair of wings that could allow him to fly back to their place instantly.

　　The three of them had been companions for a long time now and had gotten used to being together all the time. He could not bear the thought of losing any one of his friends so suddenly. Now that they had grown old, they were even more afraid of death. Their lives were just turning around for the better, but how unlucky Elder Kou was to have to die so soon. Fate was indeed unpredictable! The other two of them did not know how much longer they could live either.

　　…

　　Chu Li appeared in the room and saw a very pale Kou Qiong who was barely breathing. His chest rose and fell quickly as he struggled to breathe. It seemed that he would be dying soon.

　　Feng Wuji was sitting beside the bed, watching him with a pained expression while he held his hand.

　　Chu Li waved a hand and said, “Move aside!”

　　When Feng Wuji saw Chu Li show up, he exclaimed in joy, “Clan Leader!”

　　Again, Chu Li waved his hand.

　　Feng Wuji quickly took two steps backward.

　　Chu Li took out a jade bottle from his inner pocket, poured out a snowy white pill and proceeded to stuff it into Kou Qiong’s mouth. After that, he hit a few spots on Kou Qiong’s chest with his finger before pressing his hand on the man’s precordium. Right then, a surge of spiritual energy entered into his precordium. A while later, Kou Qiong’s pale complexion turned rosy again. Filled with vitality, he no longer looked like a dying man.

　　Feng Wuji and Lu Shu, who had just returned, stared at him with wide eyes. They knew how severe Kou Qiong’s injuries had been earlier. Given that his vital organs were crushed so, it would have been impossible for him to survive.

　　They were only left with slight hope when they decided to look for Chu Li. However, they did not expect that he would be capable of saving their friend’s life.

　　Kou Qiong slowly regained consciousness.

　　Chu Li huffed and asked, “What happened? Who ambushed you?”

　　A look of uncertainty appeared on Kou Qiong’s face as he sighed and replied, “I’m not sure about that too, Clan Leader. They all had their faces covered.”

　　“How many of them were there?”

　　“Four men.”

　　“Four men…” Chu Li read Kou Qiong’s mind and saw what had happened back then.

　　“Could they be from White Tiger Sect?” Feng Wuji said with a huff. “They must be upset that Clan Leader has managed to overpower them and has even killed off five of their elders. They’ve been trying everything they could to seek revenge. Since they can’t defeat Clan Leader, they’re now targeting us.”

　　“That makes sense.” Lu Shu nodded.

　　Chu Li looked to Kou Qiong.

　　Kou Qiong frowned and said, “The martial arts they used were mostly techniques that are commonly seen. They didn’t use any unique martial arts techniques or skills. However, those men were all Grandmasters, and their cultivation level was roughly the same as mine.”

　　Chu Li replied, “Leave this to me. You guys should be more careful. Don’t go anywhere alone.”

　　There was a thoughtful look in his eyes. One of the man’s physique seemed rather familiar to him as if he had seen someone with the same physique before. Hence, he searched through his mind and finally recalled who it was — Zhang Junrui!

　　Previously, when Zhang Junrui had gone to the Phoenix Goddess Brothel along with Zhou Ninghe and Fu Yu, Chu Li had seen him in the Omniscient Mirror.

　　“Recover well.” Chu Li waved a hand.

　　“Clan Leader, why don’t you come back and stay with us?” Lu Shu suggested.

　　Chu Li glared at him impatiently.

　　Lu Shu laughed sheepishly and said, “Elder Kou hasn’t fully recovered yet. If those people come again, we have to take care of Elder Kou while fighting them off. I’m afraid we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

　　“Alright then. I’ll stay here tonight,” Chu Li replied.

　　The three men were overjoyed.

　　Chu Li shook his head and said, “You’re all Grandmasters too. Yet, you’re so cowardly and afraid to die; how disgraceful. In the future, when you have to guard Radiance Clan without me, you’ll bring shame upon Radiance Clan.”

　　“Clan Leader, you’re still very young, so you won’t be able to understand how precious and wonderful life is. You may become like us when you reach our age,” Feng Wuji replied and laughed.

　　Chu Li grunted and did not bother to say anything else. Instead, he went back to his room.

　　…

　　At dawn, the official residence of Blazing Sun Clan burned with ardor. The powerful shouts of more than two hundred men echoed through the martial arts field; it was a majestic sight to behold.

　　“Bang, bang!” With two loud crashing sounds, the protectors who had been guarding the main entrance were sent flying into the courtyard and falling to the ground. Immediately, they immediately fell unconscious and lay there motionless.

　　As loud noise had been overpowered by the thunderous shouts of the men on the field, it did not draw their attention as the men carried on practicing their martial arts.

　　Chu Li stepped through the front gate and entered the official residence of Blazing Sun Clan.

　　He was dressed in white and had a stern expression on his face. His droopy eyes contained a cold glint as he went to stand at the top of the stairs in the courtyard. He then slowly swept his gaze over the people on the martial arts field.

　　His piercing gaze sent a shiver through them and made them look over involuntarily.

　　Finally noticing that something was wrong, they quickly stopped their practice. With one look, they immediately understood what had happened and proceeded to gather around Chu Li.

　　With a cold gaze and a grave expression, Chu Li raised his voice and shouted, “Zhang Junrui, come out!”

　　“How dare you!” A middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd and yelled back, “Who are you to call Elder Zhang by his name!”

　　Chu Li stared at this man with a steely gaze that seemed to pierce through his mind and heart.

　　The middle-aged man scoffed and said, “Who are you and where are you from?”

　　“Zhao Dahe from the Holy Church of Light!” Chu Li slowly replied.

　　The people’s expressions changed all at once.