"What!"
Upon hearing the report, Yue Qinglong crushed the teacup in his hand into powder with a snap, roaring furiously, "Who is it-!"
"It's, it's a man wearing a cloak and dressed in black. I, we... didn't see his face..."
What he saw was indeed black because Lu Li had changed the Ink Cloud Treasure Garment to black when escaping.
"C-cloaked? Could it be... the same person who stole the spirit herbs from White Sun Stronghold and Earth Tiger Stronghold?!" Yue Qinglong sprang to his feet, taking two or three steps out of the hall, and shouted coldly, "Hear my order: all members of the Roaming Dragon Stronghold, mobilize immediately... This time, we are going to catch that herb-stealing thief!"
"Yes!"
Not long after.
Dong, dong, dong...
The stronghold's summoning bell rang out. Figures rushed swiftly from all directions toward the square, gathering together to murmur about what had happened.
That summoning bell hadn't rung in who knows how many years; people had almost forgotten it existed.
About a quarter of an hour later.
Everyone had gathered. Yue Qinglong, Shao Yunfeng, Zhang Dawu, and Lu Li stood facing the mass of disciples.
Over a dozen team captains stood at the head of the disciple formations, each team comprising more than ten people, totaling no less than a hundred and fifty.
This gave Lu Li a start. Although the strength of these people fell far short of the Qingyang Sect, in terms of sheer numbers alone, they weren't much behind the sect's formal disciples.
"Where is the captain of the first team?" Seeing that everyone was present, Yue Qinglong suddenly glanced at the vacant spot at the front of the leftmost column.
"R-reporting to the Great Chieftain, my son... is ill." Zhang Dawu hardly dared meet Yue Qinglong's gaze.
Frowning, Yue Qinglong demanded, "Don't tell me he's out dallying with women again? Drag him out here immediately, or he can forget about holding this captain's post!"
"Y-yes, right away." Trembling, Zhang Dawu hurried away toward his private courtyard.
Before long.
A young man in cloud-patterned robes with a sickly greenish complexion was dragged out by Zhang Dawu, struggling all the while.
Could this be Zhang Yu?
Inspecting him closely, Lu Li couldn't help frowning to himself. This fellow's condition was bizarre; not only were his pupils gray and white, but his face looked entirely devoid of life.
Yue Qinglong and Shao Yunfeng both wore looks of astonishment.
"Forget it. Since he's in this state, let him rest!" Yue Qinglong shook his head, turning to the assembled crowd to say in a deep voice, "Follow me!"
The large force set out in a grand procession, and Lu Li fell in behind them.
Casting a glance at his son, Zhang Dawu sighed and muttered, "Go back inside. I don't know what on earth you're up to, but I hope you know your limits. Nothing matters more than your own life."
Zhang Yu finally stopped struggling, rasping out, "I understand." Without looking back, he trudged off toward the Grand Martial Courtyard.
Casting one last look at Zhang Yu's retreating back, Zhang Dawu composed his features, flicked forward a few times, and left Roaming Dragon Stronghold.
Arriving at the edge of the mountain branch vein.
Yue Qinglong ordered the men to spread out and conduct a carpet-like search heading upward.
Seizing the chance, Lu Li drifted away from the group, slipping into the mountain woods with his movement technique. Catching sight of Lu Li breaking away, Zhang Dawu felt a flash of murderous intent in his eyes, but when he moved to pursue, he found he could no longer sense Lu Li's whereabouts and had to drop the matter.
In truth, Lu Li hadn't gone far at all; he had simply hidden beneath a rocky cleft using the God-Concealing Jade.
Once the main force had swept past, he dashed swiftly down the mountain.
By midday, Lu Li had returned once more to the deserted Roaming Dragon Stronghold.
Grand Martial Courtyard.
The courtyard was dead quiet, guarded only by two burly sentries at the rear gate, as all the other cultivators possessed of cultivation had already departed.
Inside a training room on the eastern side of the rear courtyard.
Zhang Yu sat cross-legged in meditation. His cultivation method was grotesquely bizarre: corpses were strewn haphazardly across the floor, most of them rotting away, some reduced to mere skeletons.
Yet judging from the tattered garments clinging to them, these corpses appeared to be entirely female.
The room reeked with a foul stench, but Zhang Yu seemed utterly oblivious. Pressing both hands upon a relatively intact female corpse, he drew strands of gray-black Qi through his palms and slowly absorbed them into his body.
His face grew progressively greener, and his eyes increasingly ashen.
A moment later, Zhang Yu stood up. His facial skin twitched as if he were trying to smile, though no smile could be seen, and he whispered with a chilling rasp, "Just a little more. I can't wait any longer. Come, my treasure, grant me fulfillment!"
With that, he shoved the stone door open with a crash and strode rapidly toward the rear courtyard.
In the courtyard, the red-clad girl suddenly felt an icy gust sweep over her. Trembling, she turned around, gasped in sheer terror, and scrambled back a few steps while stammering, "Y-what do you want? You... you promised me!"
"Little darling, your husband can't wait another moment... Just grant me fulfillment..." Uttering these words, he lunged forward, extending a claw-like, withered hand straight toward Lei Xiaoman's collar.
"No!"
Shrieking in alarm, Lei Xiaoman scrambled backward, a sphere of purple lightning instantly materializing in her hand. "D-don't come any closer! One more step and I won't hold back!"
Seeming genuinely wary of the lightning sphere, Zhang Yu slowed his pace slightly. "Xiaoman, you know... I love you. Let's go to the bridal chamber; I'll treat you well..."
"No, we aren't married yet! Books say people can only enter the bridal chamber after marriage." Staring fixedly at him, Lei Xiaoman edged step by step toward the courtyard gate.
At that exact instant, the corners of Zhang Yu's mouth curled into a cruel smirk as he rasped out, "Take her!"
Bang! Bang!
Without warning, two heavy strikes landed squarely on Lei Xiaoman's back.
She pitched violently forward.
"Nowhere left to run!" Seizing the opening, Zhang Yu clamped a hand around her throat and hoisted her into the air. Licking his parched lips in a frenzy, he cackled, "Come, little darling... give me your Yin essence so I can achieve great completion!"
He thrust his face forward toward hers!
"N-no!" Kicking her legs wildly, Lei Xiaoman thrashed her head from side to side as two streams of tears poured down her cheeks. "Father, I was wrong... I was wrong..."
"Heh, heh, heh... Don't you think it's a bit late to say that now? Come..."
"I'd say it's right on time." A cool, casual voice suddenly drifted from the rear courtyard gate.
A young man in dark blue martial attire walked in, his arms crossed over his chest.
It was Lu Li, who had hurried back. Seeing that Lei Xiaoman was still unharmed, he let out an internal breath of relief.
"Audacious wretch! How dare you trespass upon the Grand Martial Courtyard!"
With a furious shout, the two guards charged straight at Lu Li.
"Hah, just the two of you?" Shifting his stance, Lu Li met them head-on while flicking out a pair of fireballs.
Bang! Bang!
Before they could even react, the fireballs slammed into them, sending both men hurtling backward by ten-odd feet. As they hit the ground and tried to scramble up, Lu Li descended like a falling star, planting a heavy foot squarely on each of their chests.
With two muffled crunches, their ribs caved in, and unable to draw another breath, the guards instantly expired.
"You... who are you?"
Dragging Lei Xiaoman back a few paces, Zhang Yu stared at Lu Li with a wary glare.
"S-save me..."
With her throat locked in his grip, Lei Xiaoman struggled desperately for air.