Sun Li suddenly started screaming and bolted.

The other girls, including Lin Xiyue, turned pale with shock, flailing their arms and screaming chaotically. Seeing Sun Li run, they all followed suit, forgetting all about their props.

Just then, a figure darted out from the bushes. It flickered like a ghost in the night, appearing before the girls in the blink of an eye and blocking their path.

Sun Li, who was at the very front, was so scared by the figure that she practically jumped out of her skin. Wailing, she spun around to run back, only to collide with Lin Xiyue. Immediately after, Su Shanyue and Xu Qianqing crashed into them from behind. The girls tumbled to the ground in a messy heap, flailing and pulling at each other, unable to get back up.

Amidst the chaos, Xu Qianqing's dress was somehow pulled down below her shoulders, revealing her underwear. On the lace trim, a faint reddish hue was vaguely visible, like watered-down red ink spreading across white paper...

"Sigh."

A sigh suddenly came from ahead of them. "I really don't get it. With cowards like you, where did you find the nerve to come out here in the middle of the night to scare people by pretending to be ghosts?"

Hearing the voice, the girls froze and gradually fell silent.

Lin Xiyue looked up at the figure blocking their way, her tear-filled eyes widening in shock. "Luo... Luo Xiu? Why is it you?"

Luo Xiu shrugged. "Who else would it be?"

By then, Sun Li had also calmed down. Wiping her tears, she asked with a choke in her voice, "Was that old man's voice just now... you?"

Luo Xiu glanced at Sun Li's red wedding dress and couldn't help but laugh. "This is what you call karma."

He had leaped to the opposite bank earlier to find the "red-dressed ghost" who had been struck by lightning. But his search had unexpectedly led him straight to these girls, and he had overheard their little scheme. So, he decided to give them a taste of their own medicine and scare them by pretending to be a ghost himself. He just hadn't expected them to be so fainthearted that they would immediately burst into tears.

The air suddenly fell quiet.

The girls exchanged glances, their eyes gradually filling with rage. They all whirled to face Luo Xiu and, with ferocious expressions, pounced on him.

"You damn Luo Xiu! How dare you pretend to be a ghost and scare us!"

"We'll teach you to scare us! We'll teach you!"

"We'll beat you to death!"

Unable to take it anymore, the girls dogpiled Luo Xiu and began pummeling him mercilessly.

Luo Xiu howled in pain, scrambling away while shielding his head. In that moment, he had an epiphany... The truly terrifying things in this world are women!

A moment later, Luo Xiu was sitting under a tree with an expression of pure innocence, looking pitifully at the fuming girls standing before him with their arms crossed. He couldn't figure it out. They were the ones who started this by pretending to be ghosts, so how did he end up being the one in the wrong?

Sun Li picked up a small twig, pointing it at Luo Xiu like a sword. "Speak!" she demanded coldly. "Will you ever dare to pretend to be a ghost and scare us again?"

Luo Xiu looked utterly exasperated. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

"Hmph? You dare talk back?" Sun Li's eyebrow shot up as she waved her little pink fist. "Sisters, get him! Let's show him the power of our girl group!"

"Hey, hey, hey! That's enough! A gentleman doesn't fight with women. You all need to stop!" Luo Xiu scrambled to his feet and hid behind a tree, raising his hands in surrender. He could knock out ten of them with a single punch, but he couldn't bring himself to actually hurt them. He had no choice but to swallow his pride.

He patted the leaves off his pants and said, "Don't go running around acting crazy late at night anymore. It's a good thing I didn't use much force earlier."

He glanced at Sun Li, whose face was smeared with dirt and whose long hair was standing on end, and felt a wave of relief. If he had used a bit more power and summoned a larger lightning bolt, Sun Li probably would have kicked the bucket.

"Xiao Li, how are you feeling now?" Luo Xiu asked with some concern.

Hearing this, Sun Li's face flushed red. She quickly turned her head away and said stiffly, "I'm not Sun Li. You have the wrong person. I'm her sister, Sun Yue. A gentle, beautiful, and virtuous woman like my sister would never run around late at night."

Luo Xiu just shook his head with a smile, not bothering to argue with her. "Scaring me by pretending to be ghosts... only you guys would think of something like that," he sighed. "Are you telling me the five of you can't scrape one brain together?"

"Alright, you all should head back. It's getting late. Go get some sleep and give those brains of yours a rest. I'll be back later."

「...」

After sending the girls on their way, Luo Xiu returned to the opposite bank and picked up his fishing rod again. Suddenly, he remembered something. A righteous smile spread across his face as he looked toward the spot dozens of meters away where the fat old man had been fishing.

He turned to Li Jiuzhen. "Ah, Teacher Li," he said with an embarrassed smile. "That fat old man ran off, so his fish..."

Li Jiuzhen instantly understood his meaning. He shook his head with a helpless, kindly expression. "This old man already went over to check. There were several large topmouth culter. I've already helped myself to them." As he spoke, he pointed to a fish basket beside him.

Luo Xiu's expression turned serious. "We're civilized people. How can you use a word like 'steal'? We're simply reallocating them. Let's split them later."

「...」

Time flowed like water.

「Five days passed in the blink of an eye.」

Luo Xiu's days were quite leisurely. He spent his time either fishing or riding his electric scooter on aimless jaunts around the city. Of course, he also occasionally checked in on the Lan Gui Casino.

Wu Tianhua and Ling Feng had become much more disciplined since being discharged from the hospital. They dedicated themselves to their training each day and rarely interfered with the casino's business. After Luo Xiu had used the Heavenly Essence Restorative Balm to transform their constitutions, the two brothers had both reached the Qi Holding Stage. Across all of Sea City, besides the old-timers at the Martial Association, few could now match them.

As for the company, Lin Xiyue was managing everything. Overall, Luo Xiu was very satisfied with her efficiency. His only complaint was the name she had registered for the company: Luo Dapao Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Apparently, this name had been concocted by the major shareholder, Sun Li, after a full night of deliberation, and President Lin Xiyue had actually approved it.

But Luo Xiu, as the boss, simply couldn't stomach the name. At his adamant request, the name was finally changed to "Shen Luo Company."

「...」

「That morning.」

By a wild river on the outskirts of Sea City.

Luo Xiu, having arrived early for the morning bite, had just found the perfect fishing spot and settled down when an elderly figure approached from behind.

"How do you feel?" Luo Xiu asked without turning his head.

Guan Changyun bowed respectfully. "Much better. Thank you, Master."

Now, all Guan Changyun felt toward Luo Xiu was respect and gratitude. After all, Luo Xiu had given him a new lease on life.

Luo Xiu said, "You can't use your previous method of circulating Qi anymore. As I told you, that technique is better suited for a blade, not a sword."

"Please instruct me, Master," Guan Changyun said humbly.

Luo Xiu thought for a moment, then suddenly put down his fishing rod and casually plucked a blade of grass from the ground. Guan Changyun watched him, puzzled, with no idea what he intended to do.

Luo Xiu slowly stood up, took a deep breath, and then swung the blade of grass horizontally.

An invisible Sword Qi sliced through the air.

Dozens of meters away on the opposite bank, a row of willow trees as thick as rice bowls snapped silently and crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar!

"Holy... shit!"

Witnessing the scene, Guan Changyun's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't help but curse. Although he had long suspected Luo Xiu was powerful, he had never imagined he was this absurdly strong. A single blade of grass, swung casually, had produced enough Sword Qi to fell a row of large trees from dozens of meters away? If he used his full strength...

Guan Changyun didn't dare to imagine it. It was too terrifying!

At the same time, he felt an immense sense of relief. He was thankful that he had come to his senses during those two days and nights, choosing not to remain Luo Xiu's enemy but to concede and become his disciple.

Luo Xiu turned to look at him. "Not bad," he said with a smile. "You're right. I am holding a blade of grass."

"Uh, Master... I..." Guan Changyun raised a hand, hesitating. He wanted to explain that he had exclaimed "Holy shit," not merely observed that Luo Xiu was "holding grass."

Luo Xiu continued, "When your swordsmanship reaches a certain level, all things can be your sword. A blade of grass can cut down anything. You, however, are too obsessed with the sword itself. You focus too much on techniques and methods of circulating Qi while ignoring the very essence of the Sword Dao."

Guan Changyun asked, "The essence of the Sword Dao... what is it?"

Luo Xiu thought for a moment. "A thousand people would give you a thousand different answers to that question. For me, the essence of the Sword Dao is destruction and killing. My conviction for wielding a sword is simple: to destroy anyone who provokes me."

He looked at Guan Changyun. "So, what about you? What is your conviction when you hold a sword?"

Guan Changyun was stumped by the simple question.

Luo Xiu asked, "Is it to land a single strike on me?"

Guan Changyun shook his head. "That is my goal, but it is not my Sword Dao."

"Then I will teach you the rest after you find your answer," Luo Xiu said. "If you don't even know your own conviction for wielding a sword and just practice blindly, you won't achieve much, even with the correct Qi circulation method."

He added a final warning, "And don't get caught up in proving you're stronger than others. My Master once said that every swordsman's conviction is the strongest; it is not weaker than anyone else's. If you take competition as your conviction, you will only be led astray."

"I understand." Guan Changyun nodded. He then quietly walked to the side and stood there motionlessly, beginning to ponder the question.

"You should come fishing with me more often when you're free," Luo Xiu said.

"Alright," Guan Changyun replied with a smile. Then, he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Master. My senior brother came to Sea City yesterday... He's here to get revenge on you."

Luo Xiu frowned. "Who is your senior brother?"

"Actually, strictly speaking, he's my former senior brother. I've pledged myself to you now. His name is Zhou Jingong. He was Cao Hong's mentor. His strength and talent far surpass mine, and he's even one of the top ten masters on Hua Country's Mysterious Rankings."

"..."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.