# Chapter 55: Qi Refining Fifth Layer

After returning from chopping firewood, Qin Lu stopped going out, resuming his reclusive lifestyle.

Two days later, at Qin Lu’s persuasion, Zhang Meng also resigned from Yueman Tower. From then on, they both stayed behind closed doors.

Spending all day together within the confines of their home, the two became increasingly affectionate. After all, a little playful bickering was often the catalyst for deepening feelings.

After several days of heavy snow in the market, the temperature finally stabilized and no longer dropped as rapidly as before.

Sticking to his routine cultivation, Qin Lu successfully advanced to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer on the eighth day.

In the cultivation world, every layer advancement came with bottlenecks. Some cultivators could not break through them even after exhausting their entire lives, dying in frustration.

But Qin Lu, possessing the attribute panel, faced no such bottlenecks. As long as his proficiency reached the required level, he would naturally Breakthrough.

This was a tremendous advantage.

……

Nighttime.

After a fierce bout of passion.

Qin Lu held Zhang Meng in one arm, sound asleep.

Suddenly.

A wave of heart palpitations surged, instantly jolting him awake!

The 【Warning Talisman】!

He went on full alert instantly, rolling out of bed.

Someone was approaching the courtyard!

“Mmm…” Zhang Meng was awakened by the sudden movement, opening her eyes groggily. “What…”

Before she could finish, Qin Lu pressed a finger against her lips.

“Shh…”

Then, under Zhang Meng’s panicked gaze, Qin Lu grabbed the 【Shangqing Sword】 from the bedside and moved quickly to the door.

He gently pushed it open.

A cold wind instantly rushed in, the chill invading his body and making him shiver involuntarily.

Ignoring the cold, he stepped lightly into the courtyard, pricking up his ears to listen.

Before long, he heard faint rustling outside the courtyard wall.

There really was someone!

But before he could act, a dull thud sounded from the corner of the wall.

Bang!

The Concealment Array trembled violently, a fissure cracking down its center.

Whoosh!

A figure leaped in through the crack.

However, upon seeing Qin Lu standing there, his face filled with astonishment, and he froze mid-motion.

Slice!

A flash of sword light swept past.

The 【Shangqing Sword】 severed the intruder’s head with a single strike. The body collapsed heavily to the ground, the head rolling away.

The “Proficient” level Gray Shadow Sword Art was far more lethal than before!

Qin Lu’s eyes filled with ferocity. He didn’t need to guess—these people were sent by Jishan Store!

They were going too far!

Tap!

At that moment, another figure leaped in from outside. He landed on the edge of the courtyard wall, looking down at the corpse and Qin Lu. His expression changed drastically.

Just as he was about to shout…

Pfft!

A strange burst of compressed wind shot out!

Bang!

The man’s head exploded instantly, and his body slumped limply backward.

“Hey! What’s going on? Brother Wang?!”

Seeing the corpse fall, panicked voices called out from the other side of the wall.

Hearing the shouts, Qin Lu’s gaze hardened. His figure flashed as he charged toward the main gate.

They all had to die!

He threw open the courtyard gate and leaped out. At a glance, he saw three black-clad figures crouching by the wall.

A glowing magical artifact was propped against the wall nearby—clearly the tool that had breached the Concealment Array.

Seeing the black-clad figures, Qin Lu gritted his teeth in anger. He raised his left hand, gathered spiritual energy, and unleashed the 【Finger Flick Technique】!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Several blasts shot out abruptly. In an instant, one black-clad figure who reacted too slowly was torn in two.

Seeing the situation turn dire, the other two immediately slapped defensive talismans onto themselves.

They were 【Golden Light Talismans】!

Qin Lu stomped hard on the ground. The 【Soft Wind Technique】 activated instantly as he charged forward with the 【Shangqing Sword】.

Mid-stride, he fired three finger flicks from his hand.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The 【Finger Flick Technique】 struck one man’s golden shield and shattered it instantly!

After advancing to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, his spiritual energy reserves had increased again. He could now fire thirty minor spells in one go without stopping to recover.

“You son of a…”

One of them pulled out a talisman, preparing to attack!

Seeing this, Qin Lu hurriedly raised his left hand, spiritual energy gathering within!

【Illumination Technique】!

Intense white light erupted instantaneously. The surroundings suddenly brightened, the glare blinding against the pitch-black night sky!

“Argh!”

The two cultivators took the full force of the light. They covered their eyes and fell to the ground, tears streaming uncontrollably as they let out miserable screams.

Qin Lu closed in and raised his sword!

Slice!

The black-clad figure whose shield had broken took a thrust directly through the throat. Blood gushed out.

He clutched his neck and collapsed weakly, his screams ceasing immediately.

Qin Lu turned to the other figure writhing on the ground. Pop! Pop! Finger flicks shot from his hand, shattering that person’s shield as well.

“If you dare come here, you must pay the price!”

Qin Lu’s eyes were fierce. He slashed his long sword twice.

Slice! Slice!

The black-clad figure’s arms were severed at the shoulders and sent flying. Blood sprayed like a torrent!

His screams cut off abruptly. The intense pain sent him into immediate shock, causing him to lose consciousness.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

Looking at the blood covering the ground, the severed heads, and the scattered limbs, Qin Lu’s chest heaved violently as he gasped for air.

Not wasting a second, he sheathed his sword and dragged the corpses and severed limbs into the courtyard.

He then performed a quick cleanup of the combat traces and bloodstains outside.

Afterward, he hurriedly closed the gate and secured it, returning to the safety of the courtyard.

At that moment, Zhang Meng stood in the doorway of the main room, staring at the corpses and flesh scattered across the ground. She looked at the murderous aura radiating from Qin Lu, her face pale as snow.

“This…”

Before she could speak, Qin Lu interrupted.

“Go get the medicinal liquid from last time.”

Hearing this, Zhang Meng turned around hurriedly.

Before long, she came out holding a blue porcelain bottle and handed it to Qin Lu, her hands trembling.

“What… what is happening here?” she asked, panic written all over her face.

“These people were likely sent by Jishan Store to seek revenge,” Qin Lu responded simply. He pulled the wooden stopper from the bottle and poured the medicinal liquid onto the black-clad survivor’s shoulders to stop the bleeding.

“What do we do now?”

Zhang Meng had never seen such a scene before and felt completely at a loss.

“You don’t need to worry about it. Leave everything to me.” Qin Lu pondered briefly, then instructed, “Go watch over Ziyun. Don’t let him wake up and see this!”

“Okay…”

Zhang Meng complied quickly, entering the west wing and closing the door behind her, leaving Qin Lu alone in the courtyard.

He sat there for a moment, slowly calming his emotions.

A short while later, he fetched a bucket of water and splashed it directly onto the black-clad figure’s face.

“Aah——!”

Upon opening his eyes, the black-clad figure cried out in terror, the earlier images still seared into his mind.

“Shut up!”

Qin Lu pressed his sword against the man’s neck, the edge drawing a thin line of blood.

“Fellow Daoist, please… please don’t kill me! I just wanted to earn some money to survive the winter, that’s all…” The black-clad figure trembled, sweat streaming down his face as he begged in a low voice.

“Who are you?! Who sent you?! Answer correctly and you might have a chance to live!” Qin Lu growled.

“It was Shopkeeper Wu from Jishan Store…”

“As expected!”

Qin Lu’s gaze turned ferocious, veins bulging on his hands. Fury swirled uncontrollably in his mind.

He had truly had enough. Repeated assassination attempts by Jishan Store, again and again. He stayed home every day, never provoked trouble, never stepped foot outside—yet they insisted on killing him!

Even a clay bodhisattva has a temper—how could they bully someone like this?

Are honest people not human beings?!

Screw whatever Green Mountain Sect backing they might have…

Wu Hao must die.

Qin Lu gritted his teeth and spoke in a low, demanding voice: “Where is he now?!”

“If I answer, will you spare my life? Please…” The black-clad figure sobbed.

Qin Lu pressed the sword slightly harder and shouted, “If you don’t speak, you die right now!”

Seeing the terrifying look in Qin Lu’s eyes, the black-clad figure’s lips trembled uncontrollably, and he stammered out the address.

Qin Lu asked several more questions, and the man answered each one, trembling with fear.

After answering, the black-clad figure seemed to sense his impending doom. He begged again, his voice shaking.

“I beg Fellow Daoist to show mercy… my arms are already severed, I cannot seek revenge anymore… please let me live…”

“Huff—”

Qin Lu let out a soft sigh and turned his head away. “You shouldn’t have come today.”

Bang!

A single 【Finger Flick Technique】 ended the man’s life.

“If weeds are not removed at the roots, they grow back with the spring breeze…”

This damned world forced people to become outlaws.