Chapter 35: The Wu Brothers

Li Moxuan spoke, his words brief and to the point:

"Hand over the Yin Stone and get lost!"

Wu Hai sneered coldly. "Even Xue Ming wouldn't dare speak to us like that. Boy, do you have any idea who we are?"

Li Moxuan, however, couldn't be bothered with small talk.

*Whoosh...*

In the next instant, Li Moxuan vanished completely.

Where did he go?

The Wu brothers’ eyes widened in utter astonishment. They scrambled to retreat, but Li Moxuan reappeared instantly before them.

Wu Ming’s pupils contracted to the size of needlepoints. As a martial artist, his intuition for danger was incredibly sharp. His instincts screamed that he was facing an ancient, primordial beast. Only one thought raced through his mind: Run! Get as far away as possible!

But before his body could react, Li Moxuan’s large hand clamped firmly onto his throat, lifting him as easily as one would a chick. With a flick of Li Moxuan’s finger, the Yin Stone in Wu Ming’s robes flew out and landed in Li Moxuan’s hand. As for Wu Ming, he was tossed aside like a piece of trash.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Wu Ming, a formidable master in the early stages of his cultivation and a renowned figure throughout the martial world, was thrown away without the slightest chance to resist. He crashed through several large trees before slamming into a pile of jagged rocks. Gasping, he crawled out from the debris, blood streaming from his mouth, looking utterly pathetic.

Only then did Xue Ming and Wu Hai snap out of their shock. A gloating smile spread across Xue Ming's face—he was clearly enjoying the sight. They had dared to disrespect a superior, and now they were paying the price. He was still aching all over from his own broken bones, and it was only fair that they should get their turn.

Wu Hai looked at Li Moxuan standing before him, but he was too terrified to make a move. Instead, he flashed over to help Wu Ming up. "Are you alright?"

Wu Ming wiped the blood from his lips, staring at Li Moxuan with a body racked by tremors. Deep fear filled his eyes. Now that they had crossed paths, he realized just how terrifying this young man was. He was like an ancient god of slaughter.

"Why are you helping Xue Ming steal this?" Wu Ming asked, his voice filled with frustration. "Who on earth are you? We are the Wu family of Wushi. Do you have any idea what the consequences are for provoking us?"

Li Moxuan calmly tucked the Yin Stone away. "The Wu family? What is that?"

Wu Hai said indignantly, "My Wu family is one of the six great clans of Wushi! We have hundreds of years of heritage, a deep foundation, and experts everywhere!"

Li Moxuan scoffed. "And what does that amount to in my eyes? It's just the difference between one ant and a swarm of ants."

"You..."

The Wu brothers were furious. "How dare you look down on our Wu family! Were you hired by the Lin family?"

Li Moxuan shook his head. "I am only here for the item. It has nothing to do with anyone else!"

Seeing that he wasn't sent by the Lin family, the Wu brothers relaxed slightly. If he was just there to rob them, that was a different matter.

*Whoosh, whoosh...*

Wu Ming and Wu Hai quickly took up positions, flanking Li Moxuan from both sides.

"Return the Yin Stone, or we brothers will make sure you die without a burial plot! Our Wu family is not something a person like you can contend with."

Xue Ming rolled his eyes from the sidelines. "What a pair of idiots."

Li Moxuan was already in a foul mood because of Gu Yaqing, and these two were actively seeking their own deaths.

"Oh? Commendable courage," Li Moxuan said. "Fine, let's play a little."

Li Moxuan waved his hand twice. Two bursts of energy struck the brothers with lightning speed.

*Boom! Boom!*

The two men were sent flying backward, smashing through a dozen more trees and gouging two deep trenches into the forest floor before finally coming to a halt in a massive crater.

Xue Ming gulped instinctively. This senior was truly fierce. He had been beaten for a long time and still couldn't even track the trajectory of Li Moxuan’s power. It was as if he were using magic—a wave of his hand, and people just flew away. Though Xue Ming was only a martial artist and couldn't perceive the spiritual energy Li Moxuan was using, he understood the terrifying nature of that strength. Two experts—one at the early stage and one at the mid-stage of the Master level—had been dispatched in seconds. It was beyond comprehension.

A long moment later, the Wu brothers crawled out from the rubble, bloodied and disheveled.

"Well? Do you want to keep playing?"

The brothers looked at Li Moxuan with sheer terror. Only now did they realize they were dealing with a living legend.

"You... are you a Grandmaster?" Wu Ming asked, trembling. "With such world-shaking power, you couldn't be a Martial Saint, could you?"

Wu Ming wasn't entirely foolish. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "If you, Senior, desire the Yin Stone, please take it. Our Wu family offers it with both hands."

They were certain that the Lin family could never afford to hire someone of this caliber. Since the man wanted it, he could have it. If they resisted further, their family would face total annihilation.

Li Moxuan smiled confidently. "Smart choice."

The brothers were terrified, no longer daring to overstep. They had assumed that against a Grandmaster, they might have had a fighting chance, but they had been completely powerless. It was highly likely this man was a legendary Martial Saint. There was only one such existence within the entire Martial Alliance, and if another had appeared, it would be world-shaking news. This was a force they could not afford to provoke.

Xue Ming gloated from the side, "Hahaha... Old Dog Wu, look at you now!" He mocked them relentlessly; seeing someone else get beaten up made him feel much better.

Wu Ming glared at him viciously. He now realized that Xue Ming had tricked them into coming out just to get pummeled. He was so angry he could have bitten Xue Ming to death.

Li Moxuan nodded in satisfaction. "Fine. Since you've handed it over yourselves, we'll leave it at that today."

Li Moxuan turned and left. Xue Ming hurriedly followed. "Wait for me, Senior..."

...

After Li Moxuan left, Wu Ming smashed a rock into powder with a single punch. "I have never felt so humiliated!"

Wu Hai looked equally bewildered. "How did a Martial Saint so young suddenly appear? We've never heard of him."

"The plan failed," Wu Ming growled. "We didn't catch the target, we got tricked out by that bastard Xue Ming, and then we were beaten to a pulp. It’s pathetic."

Wu Hai regained his composure. "The rules of the martial world are that the strong prey on the weak. You aren't a novice; don't act as if you're naive enough to talk about 'fairness'."

Wu Ming calmed down, realizing the truth of his words. "If we had known that young man was so powerful, we should have actively tried to win his favor instead of offending him. Now, giving up the stone was completely meaningless."

Wu Hai frowned. "Indeed. The Lin family is willing to marry Gu Yaqing, despite her having a child, just to secure an alliance with the Gu family of Yun City. The Gu family is one of the top elite clans in Yun City, with at least five Grandmasters. Once they form this alliance, our Wu family is doomed."

The Wu family and the Lin family were blood enemies; it was a matter of one or the other. They had kidnapped Lin Xuan specifically to use as leverage against the Lin family, hoping to force them into a stalemate. They hadn't expected Xue Ming to fail and then double-cross them.

Wu Ming suggested, "Gu Yaqing had a child out of wedlock, and the child suffers from an extremely rare leukemia. The Lin family claims they can find someone to treat it, which is why Gu Yaqing agreed to the marriage. Perhaps we can use that as a breakthrough."

A cold glint flashed in Wu Hai’s eyes. "Divine Physician Lu Yuan has deep ties to our family. If we can convince him to intervene, perhaps we can pull the Gu family to our side. If that fails, to prevent the alliance, we must kill Gu Yaqing. Once she’s dead, the marriage can't happen."

"That is the only way!"