Chapter 64: Did you kill them?
Translator: Panda_Penn Editor: Chrissy
The Rolling Thunder Xuan Skill!
Lu Li read it for several times before he made sure that was it. He trembled in excitement; it was a silver lining after all.
He had in his possession Volume 2 of the Rolling Thunder Xuan Skill. He almost tore that into pieces that night at the tavern in that small town. Without Volume 1, the Volume 2 was of no use. Lu Li could not believe that he had found Volume 1 here in the Hall of Xuan Skills of the Liu Family.
"Twelve thousand contribution points. Won’t it cost me 24,000 contribution points?"
Lu Li hadn’t even finished his smile before he read through the notes. He only had 7500 contribution points now. Part of that should be spared to buy some food for Little White. Even he wouldn’t be worth 24,000 contribution points…
Lu Li picked up Volume 1 of the Rolling Thunder Xuan Skill and browsed it. He was certain that this was about the same Xuan Skill as his second volume. Lu Li paced up and down in the room, trying to figure out how to get the Xuan Skill out of here.
He couldn’t take it by force unless he wanted to be killed by the Liu Family. Therefore, he had only two ways, first of which was to ask for help from Liu Yi, and the second was to get enough contribution points.
Lu Li thought about the options and didn’t feel it would be of much help asking Liu Yi, of course… only if he agreed to join the External Clan of the Liu Family. This was out of the question. Lu Ling had made it very clear.
Lu Li walked around inside and got out. He found the elder and asked him, "Sir, I want to trade for that Volume 1 of the Rolling Thunder Xuan Skill. Eh… would it be possible to get for less contribution points?"
"Rolling Thunder Xuan Skill?"
The elder mocked him, "You have quite a taste. That is a Xuan Skill of the Earth Grade. Were it not for the fact that the Volume 2 is missing, it couldn’t have been placed on the first floor. That Xuan Skill booklet requires 12,000 contribution points, right? Since you are a Guest Warrior, that will be 24,000 contribution points. It is not negotiable. That is the Family Rule. Not even the Family Patriarch can change it."
"Xuan Skill of the Earth Grade!"
Lu Li nodded. It could double one’s strength. The Xuan Skill was not some low rank lame skill as he had expected. Lu Li had no choice but to walk out. He went directly back to his house and asked Lu Ling to think of some means.
"Xuan Skill of the Earth Grade? Double your strength?"
Lu Ling took over the booklet Lu Li gave her and read it intensively. She read it for the time it took for two incense sticks to burn before she looked up and said, "This Xuan Skill suits you greatly. You must get it. Now you have three options. You can deliberate by yourself."
"Three?" Lu Li’s eyes lit up. He sat down and asked, "Sis, tell me."
"First."
Lu Ling said pointing to Lu Li’s room, "You turn the two Xuan Artifacts of high ranks into the Liu Family and get some contribution points in turn. But if you do this, many of the Liu Family will have questions about your real power. You will have endless troubles from now on."
"Second, you hand the Volume 2 of the Rolling Thunder Xuan Skill over to the Liu Family and trade it for Volume 1 so that you can cultivate the complete set of the Xuan Skill. There will be a big disadvantage as well. The Liu Family will keep asking you where you got it. And… they might take the Rolling Thunder Xuan Skill by force and give you something else as a remedy. After all, it will become a complete Earth Grade Xuan Skill. Third, you take some risks and go on another quest. Eh… don’t think about this one. You cannot go out in the meantime."
Lu Li mediated. Lu Ling’s analysis made a lot of sense. Finally, he decided to hand over the two weapons and see how many contribution points he could get.
Lu Li liked carrying out his tasks with drive and resolve. Putting the weapons on his shoulders, he went directly to the Hall of Weapons.
It was still Patriarch He who was on garrison duty there. He did not pay much attention to Lu Li when he saw him. Patriarch He just figured Lu Li had come to ask for more abandoned Xuan Artifacts, so Patriarch He waved his hands randomly and said, "Choose as you like."
"Bang!"
Lu Li put the long spear and the long sword on the table and said, "I am not here to trade for abandoned Xuan Artifacts. I want to turn in these two weapons to the Family. How many contribution points do you think I can get?"
Patriarch He glanced over and his eyes instantly glowed. He stood up suddenly and picked up the long spear to thoroughly examine it. He also poured his Xuan Energy into the weapon.
Then he looked over to the long sword. He seemed even more serious now. Only after some inspection did he say to Lu Li, "The Azure Dragon Spear and the Silver Rainbow Sword. Little punk, where did you get these two Xuan Artifacts?"
"Um…"
Lu Li’s heart skipped a beat. Patriarch He knew these two weapons?
He had to say something vaguely, "I found them in the wilderness. Patriarch He, just tell me whether I can get contribution points or not. If not, then I won’t trade."
"Yes. Wait here. I will go and set the price."
Patriarch He picked up the long sword and the long spear and left just like that. He left in quite a hurry as well. Lu Li’s eyes twinkled and he felt anything but reassuring. But the weapons were taken away by Patriarch He. There was nothing he could do but wait.
As he had expected!
Patriarch He came back with two elders. They were clearly warriors at the Spirit Sea Realm, having a gait that was so majestic and a bearing so mighty. They should be seniors at the Liu Family.
Patriarch He pointed to the grizzled haired elder and a middle-aged man in a black robe. "Lu Li, this is the Patriarch Seven, the Patriarch of the Internal Clan. This is Patriarch Lu [1], the Patriarch of the Scouts Clan of the Family."
Lu Li felt uneasy seeing the two big shots here. He bowed and said, "Greetings, Patriarch Seven, Patriarch Lu."
They two glanced over the Lu Li and had some doubts. Patriarch Seven first opened his mouth. "Lu Li, tell us frankly. Where did you get these two weapons?"
Lu Li still wouldn’t tell the truth. "Patriarch, I went out on a mission a while back. I found two dead bodies at the Frigid Cloud Mountain, so I just took them."
"The Frigid Cloud Mountain?"
Patriarch Seven nodded and then he looked to Patriarch Lu and said, "Brother Lu, what do you think?"
Patriarch Lu picked up the long sword with a smile and said, "This Azure Dragon Spear was the weapon of Piao Longyu, and the Silver Rainbow Sword belonged to Qi Sihai. According to the intelligence I gathered, these two men were indeed dead, that scar-faced man as well. The three were killed at the Frigid Cloud Mountain. Lu Li, you went to steal eggs of the Red Phosphorus Hawks at the Frigid Cloud Mountain, so the time and place were right."
"But…"
Patriarch Lu switched the conversation to another subject and he now looked gloomy. He looked at Lu Li and inquired, "According to the information I got, as soon as you got out of the county, Zhao Rui had sent people to hunt you down. That scar-faced man was with Zhao Rui. Piao Longyu and Qi Sihai were also called away by Zhao Rui from their base camp to pursue and kill you. You went to the Red Stone Mountain and Qi Sihai and Piao Longyu died there, and you got their weapons?"
"Besides, on your way back, the Zhao Family deployed more than ten warriors at the Spirit Sea Realm outside of the county trying to ambush you. Put it all together, is it okay for me to see it like this—the scar-faced man, Qi Sihai and Piao Longyu were killed by you?"
"Um?"
Patriarch Seven looked sharp. Patriarch He was in disbelief. Lu Li had killed three men of the Zhao Family at the Spirit Sea Realm? How could it even be possible?
Patriarch Lu sure did a nice job gathering information. His inference was right as well. Lu Li, on the other hand, was unwilling to admit it. Lu Li put on a forced smile and replied, "Patriarchs, I am only a warrior at the Xuan Wu Realm. How can I kill warriors of the Spirit Sea Realm? I don’t know who had led them to their end. I just happened to see their bodies and grabbed their weapons."
Patriarch He agreed to what Lu Li offered as an explanation. Patriarch Seven also couldn’t believe that Lu Li could do it. After all, he was just at the Xuan Wu Realm.
But Patriarch Lu shook his head in disbelief. "Zhao Family has not established relationship with Lord Yu. Apart from people from the Liu Family, nobody dared to kill Zhao Family warriors at the Frigid Cloud Mountain. Based on what I know, no one of the Spirit Sea Realm of the Liu Family did this. Lu Li, relax. We are not trying to find you trouble. Instead, if you really did kill these three men, our Family will grant you with abundant rewards. Zhao Family is our enemy now."
Patriarch Seven continued, "Lu Li, don’t be afraid. If you did this, just admit it. We will not blame you. The rewards will be many!"
"It really was not me…"
Lu Li resolutely said. If he admitted, endless trouble would ensue. He might expose his Bloodline Skill. Maybe the Liu Family would hand him over to the temple for them to study. When all was said and done, he did not have Bloodline mark on his neck, but a large dragon pattern on his back…
[1] The surname Lu here is "鹿", which means "deer" literally. This is different from Lu Li’s surname "陆".