Chapter 152: Operation Begins!

Although the items auctioned at this event were numerous, the proceedings moved swiftly. Within less than an hour and a half, the auction came to an end. After the organizers delivered their closing remarks, the attendees began to file out in an orderly fashion. Lu Zhe and Elder Yi also drifted with the crowd toward the exit, soon leaving the hall and entering the spacious outer lobby.

Elder Yi was led away by a female receptionist who stated she was taking him to the counter to settle the payment for his purchases, leaving Lu Zhe standing alone to wait. Feeling rather bored, Lu Zhe let his gaze wander around the room, and before long, his eyes landed upon a familiar face. Who could it be? None other than the arrogant young master who had vied with him for the High-Grade White Goji Berries just moments ago!

At this moment, that young master was surrounded by a retinue of attendants who fawned over him like stars revolving around the moon. A triumphant smile hung upon his face. A female receptionist from the venue approached him and murmured a few words, at which he waved a hand impatiently. Reaching into his robe, he fished out a golden card and tossed it to an attendant nearby. The attendant beamed, bowing profusely as he followed the receptionist away—evidently delegated to pay for the young master's acquisitions.

Having dismissed the receptionist, the young master pulled a remarkably attractive woman into his arms, jutting out his lips and leaning toward her face. Blushing deeply, the woman tried to push him away, but the harder she resisted, the closer he pressed. He quickly succeeded in planting a wet kiss squarely on her cheek.

After planting the kiss, the young master burst into hearty laughter. The woman picked up a purple silk handkerchief and wiped the saliva from her face, but the moment she finished, she was once again dragged forcibly back into his embrace.

"What are you looking at?" Elder Yi’s distinctively resonant and clear voice reached Lu Zhe's ears.

Lu Zhe jutted his chin toward the young master and said, "Look at him."

Elder Yi followed Lu Zhe's gaze, smiled, and said, "He must be your target, then. Tell me, how do you plan to handle this? Though, I must warn you, that man in black standing beside him is not someone to be trifled with."

At Elder Yi’s warning, Lu Zhe shifted his gaze from the young master to the man in black the elder had mentioned. Had it not been for the reminder, Lu Zhe truly would have overlooked him. Though this man, clad in tight-fitting dark martial attire, possessed unremarkable facial features, he exuded an air of sharp efficiency. A sword with a black scabbard was slung across his left hip. At present, he stood silently behind the young master like a statue.

Lu Zhe examined him closely, but having experienced little of the world, he found himself utterly unable to read the man. He had no choice but to ask, "Master, just how powerful is he?"

Elder Yi squinted at the man in black, pondered for a moment, and replied, "Well, judging by his aura, he should be in the Great Spiritualist realm."

"The Great Spiritualist realm?" Lu Zhe muttered softly.

"Don't worry too much. Although he is a Great Spiritualist, I reckon he's likely in the elementary stages—probably two or three stars at most. It shouldn't be too high, and with your abilities, you should be fine," Elder Yi said, his sharp ears catching the muttering, as he chuckled. With that, he patted Lu Zhe’s shoulder and added, "Alright, I'll leave him in your hands. High-grade White Goji Berries are exceedingly rare outside; if you miss this chance, who knows when you'll ever see them again? Make the most of it."

Hearing Elder Yi’s words, Lu Zhe let out a puzzled "Huh?" and asked, "Where are you going?"

Elder Yi extended his thumb to point at a man in sky-blue robes standing behind the two of them. "My target has appeared."

"Kid, you must beat him. Remember, meet me at the small grove outside the South City Gate once you're done," Elder Yi instructed as he walked toward the robed man, soon disappearing into the bustling crowd.

Lu Zhe smiled faintly, turned around to pull up his large hood, and melted into the crowd to tail the young master in secret.

The path taken by the young master bore no resemblance whatsoever to the route Lu Zhe had used to enter; even the direction was completely reversed. It appeared this underground venue boasted numerous entry and exit points. Moving stealthily among the crowd, Lu Zhe kept a watchful eye on his target, maintaining a careful distance for fear that getting too close would alert the man in black. After walking for some time, a flight of stairs leading upward appeared at the end of the passage. Flanked by his two companions, the young master ascended, and Lu Zhe slipped in among the trailing throng to follow.

The staircase was not particularly long—about two hundred steps brought them to ground level. Upon emerging, an exceptionally spacious grand hall materialized before Lu Zhe. Frowning, he pulled his hood down a fraction further and kept his head bowed as he followed the crowd toward the main doors.

Because Lu Zhe had kept his distance and the crowd was dense, his tailing went smoothly. However, the moment they stepped outside the hall, the crowd scattered in all directions like a flock of startled birds. Lu Zhe hurriedly pivoted to the right, ducking into the shadows of a street corner to keep watch on the young master.

With a woman on either arm, the young master stood prominently on the bustling street. Before long, a fairly luxurious and imposing carriage rolled in from the left, drawn by four well-trained, robust horses that forced passing pedestrians to scatter out of the way. The carriage drew to a halt right in front of the young master. One of his attendants darted from behind him to fling open the carriage door, bowing profusely and obsequiously welcoming his master aboard.

Beaming with delight, the young master looked at the two women by his side and jovially escorted them into the carriage. The attendant in black took the driver's seat up front. Once everyone was settled, the coachman gave the reins a flick, prompting the four fierce horses to let out a few whinnies before pulling the vehicle forward at a steady, disciplined pace.

Watching the carriage slowly pull away, Lu Zhe looked up at the rooftops overhead, then sprang upward in a single bound to land firmly on the tiles.

Crouched atop a rooftop, Lu Zhe tracked the carriage's progress. Peering along its trajectory, the towering walls of the Flowing Cloud Kingdom came into view.

"Is he trying to leave the city?" Lu Zhe muttered to himself as he watched the carriage crawl toward the city gate. A sudden, wicked grin spread across his face. "Heaven truly aids me! I was just wondering how to lure him out of the city, and here you are taking yourselves right out. Heh, tired of living? I'll gladly grant your wish." With that, he broke into a sprint across the undulating expanse of rooftops.

The luxurious carriage rumbled along the main road toward the city gate. Because it was moving at a moderate pace, Lu Zhe had no need to rush, keeping his body pressed low to the rooftops to avoid detection. After roughly a quarter of an hour, the carriage finally reached the city portal. Lu Zhe flipped down from the roof, slipped back into the crowd, and exited the city in their wake.

Just outside the gates lay a compact yet dense forest. A path had been cleared through its center, though it was hardly wide. Once outside the city proper, the flow of pedestrians dwindled significantly, leaving the carriage to rattle along a nearly deserted road. Lu Zhe disguised himself as an ordinary traveler, trailing at a distance. On the other side of this forest lay the territory of a neighboring kingdom; the carriage's destination was evidently located beyond the woods.

"If I let him re-enter a city, dealing with him will become far too troublesome. It seems I must settle this inside the forest," Lu Zhe calculated silently as he walked.

The woods were not vast; at the carriage's current speed, it would take less than half an hour to pass through. Knowing the time to strike had arrived, Lu Zhe sidestepped and vanished into the thicket.

The carriage continued its unhurried journey toward the neighboring domain, the coachman humming a light tune and flicking his whip with relaxed ease. Seated beside him, the expressionless guard in black kept his eyes fixed dead ahead. Suddenly! A towering tree crashed down from the roadside thicket, blocking the road entirely. The coachman yanked desperately on the reins, causing the four horses to rear up and emit piercing cries as the carriage shuddered violently to a halt.

"What is the meaning of this?" the young master's voice demanded from within the cabin.

"A tree has fallen across the road," the coachman called back.

"What? A tree? Can't you just move it aside? Hurry up, I have matters to attend to. If you ruin my plans, you'll regret it," the young master snapped impatiently.

"Understood," the guard seated upfront replied. He vaulted down from the carriage and strode toward the fallen obstacle.

Crouched upon the thick bough of a tree within the forest, Lu Zhe watched the unfolding scene. The guard in black walked up to the tree he had supposedly felled—or rather, the tree that had conveniently fallen—and struck the trunk with the palm of his right hand, sending the entire mass hurtling completely off the road!

Having cleared the path, the guard did not immediately return to the vehicle. Instead, his right hand grasped the hilt of the sword at his left hip. His gaze hardened into a piercing glare as he whipped his blade out and slashed horizontally to the right. A gale-force wave of sword energy surged violently forward, aiming straight for the tree where Lu Zhe was concealed!

Lu Zhe executed a swift mid-air somersault, the terrifying blade pressure cleaving his previous vantage point into countless splinters!

Without panicking, Lu Zhe landed lightly on the crown of another tree upon leaving the first. The instant his feet touched down, another wave of sword energy struck. He vaulted away once more, dodging to yet another branch.

He leaped through the treetops repeatedly, and without exception, a barrage of sword energy pursued him to every landing spot. Realizing the futility of staying perched in the foliage, Lu Zhe dived out of the canopy entirely. The very moment he abandoned his footing, that branch was sliced cleanly in two.

Executing a flurry of acrobatic flips in mid-air, Lu Zhe landed squarely in the middle of the road. The guard ceased unleashing indiscriminate sword strikes, keeping his right hand locked onto his hilt. With eyes as sharp as daggers, he fixed his gaze upon Lu Zhe and demanded coldly, "Who are you?"

Instead of answering, Lu Zhe cast a glance back at the devastated forest, clicking his tongue in awe at the sheer destruction. "Are you a professional lumberjack?" he quipped.

The guard's gaze was as frigid as the steel in his hand. Ignoring the mockery, he gave his blade a subtle shake that produced a sound akin to a dragon's roar, then lunged forward to thrust straight at Lu Zhe!

With a graceful swallow-dive evasion, Lu Zhe slipped past the razor-sharp tip, his right hand darting into his robes to retrieve an item that he hurled like lightning toward his opponent.

Twisting his wrist, the guard slashed the projectile to pieces. Instantly, a cloud of fine white powder burst into the air. Stunned, the guard clapped a hand over his nose and stumbled backward, his knees buckling until he half-knelt upon the ground.

"Ugh—" The coachman uttered a bewildered groan before passing out cold, and the interior of the carriage fell entirely silent.

"Ha! I never imagined the Paralysis Powder Master taught me would be so potent," Lu Zhe remarked with a grin, watching the guard struggle on the ground.

Slowly pushing himself back to his feet, the guard looked noticeably paler than before. That he could still move at all somewhat exceeded Lu Zhe's expectations, for Elder Yi had claimed the powder was capable of incapacitating even a formidable monarch-tier expert. Failing to completely subdue a mere Great灵师 (spiritualist) made it seem the old man had been exaggerating.

In truth, Lu Zhe was unaware of a slight miscommunication: the "Paralysis Powder" capable of immobilizing monarch-tier powerhouses that Elder Yi had mentioned was merely a shorthand name. Its full, cumbersome title was the *Myriad-Ailment Qi-Disrupting Strength-Depleting Powder*, a high-tier Grade Six medicinal creation. What Lu Zhe had brewed was merely a Grade Two golden pill version of standard paralytic powder. Because Elder Yi was too lazy to recite the full moniker, the misunderstanding had occurred.

"No matter," Lu Zhe muttered to himself. "Even if he can still move after inhaling my powder, his reactions must be dulled. I should be able to take him." With a sharp shrug of his right shoulder, he tore away a black cloth wrapper, revealing the Dark Profound Mace gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight.

Grip tightening around the weapon's shaft, Lu Zhe surged forward like an arrow released from a drawn bow, charging directly toward the guard.

"Take this!"