Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

"The moonlight is so blurry,

the earth is shrouded in night fog,

my dream person, oh,

where are you?"

The phonograph in the living room was still playing "Dream Person."

Lu Dongliang had disappeared, and He Yuxiu had disappeared as well.

Lu Dongjun looked at Zhuo Yuling and said, "Where did he go? What technique is this?"

Zhuo Yuling looked astonished. "He Jiaqing. It's He Jiaqing's technique. He Jiaqing is a Traveling Cultivator."

Lu Dongjun had no interest in He Jiaqing.

"Lu Dongliang is still alive!" Lu Dongjun said, his face full of panic as he furiously glared at Zhuo Yuling. "He won't let us off! I shouldn't have believed you!"

Chief Custodian Zuo Wugang came downstairs with Lu Xiaolan, followed by several bodyguards.

They didn't see Lu Dongliang; they only saw Zhuo Yuling and Lu Dongjun, who had appeared at some unknown time.

Mother Wu came back with the teapot. She seemed to have witnessed something.

Lu Dongjun looked towards Mother Wu, his fingers crossed ever so slightly, and Mother Wu's head fell to the ground.

There were two followers with He Yuxiu; they witnessed the scene that had just unfolded.

A few meters away, Lu Dongjun made a light waving motion at their necks, and the two followers' heads fell to the ground.

To deal with lower-level Cultivators like them, Lu Dongjun didn't need to get close.

To an ordinary person, the deaths of these three seemed to have nothing to do with Lu Dongjun.

But for the bodyguards who had just come downstairs, the situation was very different, especially for Chief Custodian Zuo Wugang, a Sixth Layer expert who could sense Lu Dongjun's actions.

Lu Dongjun made no attempt to hide it, pointing at Mother Wu's corpse and shouting, "She was one of He Yuxiu's people. He Yuxiu hurt my brother, and I'm going out to look for him. You guys must protect the house at all costs!"

Lu Dongjun rushed out of the house, speaking nothing but the truth.

He did go to look for his brother and would kill Lu Dongliang as soon as he found him.

His order for the bodyguards to protect the house had only one purpose: to keep them from running around, especially from finding Lu Dongliang before Lu Dongjun did.

Lu Dongjun had chosen the situation that was most advantageous to him, but this was not very beneficial for Zhuo Yuling.

But if these bodyguards didn't leave, how could Zhuo Yuling help Lu Xiaolan escape?

Zhuo Yuling was at the Fifth Layer, and the hidden Da Boyins was also at the Fifth Layer. Lu Xiaolan only had a cultivation level of the Third Layer. As a Peeping Cultivation, she was not skilled in combat; furthermore, all her Magical Treasures had been confiscated by Lu Dongliang.

What to do?

With the situation critical, Zhuo Yuling had a stroke of inspiration and yelled, "Quick, check on the lady and the young master!"

The bodyguards were stunned for a moment, still unsure of what to do.

Since entering the Lu Family's House, they had only followed the orders of Lu Dongliang and Qiu Zhiheng.

But tonight, an accident had occurred.

Monkey Qiu wasn't present, and Lu Dongliang's whereabouts were unknown. Lu Dongjun had given an order, and then Zhuo Yuling gave another.

Should they listen to them?

Zhuo Yuling yelled again, "Are you still dazed? He Yuxiu has led people to attack us!"

Chief Custodian Zuo Wugang snapped to his senses and ordered his men, "Quick, go upstairs and check on the madam! You two, check on the eldest young master, and you two, check on the second young lady..."

With clear assignments, Zuo Wugang dispatched most of the bodyguards, leaving only three to guard Lu Xiaolan.

But Zuo Wugang did not leave. He was a difficult opponent, a Sixth Layer Martial Cultivator not easy to handle.

As Zhuo Yuling pondered the right moment to make her move, a bodyguard came running in panic. "Head Zuo, it's bad! Miss Chunying and Madam Yeci are gone!"

Zuo Wugang stomped his foot. "Damn it! Those He Family bastards!" He then quickly went upstairs.

Madam Yeci could be left alone, as Lu Dongliang didn't care much for her.

But Miss Chunying couldn't be ignored. Lu Dongliang had instructed his guards to give her extra protection.

Now, only one bodyguard remained by Lu Xiaolan's side. Zhuo Yuling no longer hesitated. She suddenly lifted her skirt and, with a flick of her waist, a long tail flew out from beneath, piercing the bodyguard's throat.

The bodyguard collapsed on the spot, barely alive.

With another twist of her waist, Zhuo Yuling's tail pierced through the bodyguard's head from above.

Lu Xiaolan was still in shackles. Zhuo Yuling, having no time to unlock them, quickly left the residence with her.

By the time Zuo Wugang returned, all that was left on the ground was the bodyguard's corpse.

"What the hell is going on here?" he exclaimed.

Zuo Wugang's eyes turned red. Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying were lost.

Now Zhuo Yuling and Lu Xiaolan had vanished as well.

What would happen when Lu Dongliang came back? He'd surely flay Zuo Wugang alive.

"Quick, call Steward Qiu!" Finally regaining his senses, Zuo Wugang realized they needed Monkey Qiu to handle this.

...

Just as He Jiaqing had settled back into bed, stretching lazily, he suddenly heard a voice, "Where do you think Lu Dongliang might have gone?"

"There's no way to predict," He Jiaqing responded softly. "I guess even he doesn't know where to go. This was an emergency; he definitely had no prearranged location."

"I'm worried that Lu Dongliang won't die. A Ninth Layer Cultivator is hard to kill."

"I have a premonition that he will die. I just can't see how it will happen," He Jiaqing said confidently with a smile. "Wait and see his corpse. A change is coming to Puluo State, and the headline news will be yours."

...

Lu Dongliang was flying in midair.

He hadn't flown far, as he was seriously injured and unable to exert much strength.

He also didn't know where he would end up. While using the Thousand Mile In A Step Technique, he would lose his sense of direction.

If there had been a specified direction, he could have sent He Yuxiu to a designated location or transported himself there, but at that moment, he had no opportunity to do so.

He had no other techniques left to utilize and was greatly drained by the Ninth Layer Technique. Compounded by the severity of his injuries, Lu Dongliang was barely hanging on to life. Now, he could only rely on a Traveling Cultivator's First Layer Technique, Seek Fortune and Avoid Disaster, to fly in the most favorable direction.