: One Against Two

It's as fragile as paper.

Lu Jianghe kept walking, his speed undiminished.

Qi Yunxiao could only numbly follow behind.

A dozen or so rooms soon appeared ahead, lined up in a row.

A sweep of divine sense revealed that most of the rooms were empty, but some rooms had protective barriers around their doors.

It was clear that the women imprisoned inside were women with cultivation potential who had been forcibly abducted by the Fu family.

Ultimately, bringing them here was not for the purpose of fighting and killing.

Instead of resorting to violence and threats, it would be better to temper their temperament first, like taming a spirit beast.

When you encounter those who are inherently arrogant and unwilling to bow down, you have to gradually wear down their spirits and wait until they lose their temper and become docile and submissive.

After all, these women were originally used to win over and befriend high-level cultivators, or to become concubines for the patriarch, so that they could give birth to offspring with spiritual roots.

The ultimate goal is to ensure the continuation and increasing strength of the family bloodline.

Arriving at a room, Lu Jianghe swung his longsword, unleashing a condensed, snow-white sword aura that struck the core of the barrier.

In an instant, the runes flashing on the door shattered and vanished like glass.

At this moment, Qi Yunxiao finally snapped out of his numbness, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement, and he rushed into the door first.

"Like a sound!"

Once inside, Qi Yunxiao froze, his feet rooted to the spot.

It's called a room, but it's actually just a private bedroom.

As far as the eye could see, there was only an unusually large bed and a dressing table standing alone beside it.

Apart from that, it was completely empty.

Lu Jianghe strolled into the room, saw the scene before him, and clicked his tongue softly.

The old man certainly knows how to have some fancy tricks up his sleeve.

A dozen or so curtains hung down from the dome, densely woven like a screen, layer upon layer, wrapping the carved bed into a secluded cage.

Several transparent threads of spiritual energy emanated from the four corners of the beams and pillars, intertwining like a spider web, binding Xin Ruyin, who was only wearing a lotus-pink gauze nightgown, to the center of the bed.

Seeing that Qi Yunxiao was still standing there in a daze, it was hard to tell whether he was stunned or wanted to take a few more glances.

Lu Jianghe kicked him in the lower back.

The latter stumbled, only then snapping back to reality.

Qi Yunxiao rushed to the bedside and called out urgently.

Xin Ruyin was imprisoned in the center of the bed, her head bowed in silence. Upon hearing the sound, her body trembled slightly, and she struggled to slowly open her dazed eyes.

Upon realizing that the newcomer was Qi Yunxiao, and seeing Lu Jianghe following closely behind, his dim eyes instantly flashed with astonishing brilliance.

It was a miraculous escape from a desperate situation, a hope for a revival from the ashes.

"Brother Qi...Brother Qi? Senior Lu?"

Xin Ruyin's voice trembled with weakness and disbelief, her lips moving as if she were seeing a phantom in despair.

"It's me! Ruyin, we've come to rescue you!"

Qi Yunxiao's voice choked with emotion as he frantically tried to untangle the translucent spiritual energy threads that bound and restricted her limbs and torso.

Those threads, though seemingly thin, are exceptionally strong.

Qi Yunxiao tried every possible method, but he could not destroy or sever it.

Xin Ruyin was inherently strong-willed and knew that falling into the hands of the Fu family would lead to a miserable end. She was determined to die and even attempted suicide several times to preserve her innocence.

If it weren't for wanting to temper her temperament, and seeing her elegant demeanor and outstanding appearance, I fear I would have ruined this "rare find".

Fu Jiacai used this special restriction to firmly bind her to this small bed, making her unable to move and cutting off any possibility of her suicide or escape.

In contrast, the other women detained in nearby rooms were mostly free to move around, but were confined to their own small spaces and unable to escape.

The situation of Xin Ruyin, who was tightly bound by special means and even deprived of the opportunity to commit suicide, stands out all the more.

Just as Qi Yunxiao hesitated, several sword lights flashed, severing the spiritual energy threads, which then dissipated.

Xin Ruyin suddenly felt her body lighten, and all the restraints were gone.

Qi Yunxiao was already heartbroken beyond measure. He immediately took out an outer garment from his storage bag, draped it over her thin undergarment, and wrapped her tightly in it.

Lu Jianghe turned around, sword in hand, facing the door.

From the moment they broke into the Fu family fortress, killed people, and broke the place's protective barrier, the entire process took less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

This gives the other party enough time to react.

In his divine sense, two auras, as striking as candlelight in the dark, were rapidly approaching.

They were all Core Formation cultivators.

Lu Jianghe didn't turn around. He reached out and flicked his hand behind him, and two shimmering blue Shrinking Earth Talismans landed precisely in front of Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin.

"This talisman can help you teleport to outside the inner fortress."

Qi Yunxiao grabbed the talisman, looked at the life-saving blue light before him, and said urgently, "Senior, let's go together..."

"Walk."

Xin Ruyin interrupted him, her voice weak but clear and undeniable.

"Our presence here will only be a burden and cause Senior Lu unnecessary worries. We must leave immediately."

One is emotional, the other is rational.

Qi Yunxiao instantly realized what was happening, nodded emphatically, and no longer hesitated.

The two exchanged a glance and frantically poured their spiritual power into the talismans in their hands.

In an instant, a bright blue light enveloped them, causing a slight distortion and fluctuation in space. The two disappeared without a trace, like water droplets merging into the ocean, leaving only faint ripples of spiritual energy that quickly dissipated.

"Who dares to trespass on the Fu Family Fortress and kill my clansmen?! You're courting death!"

Before the people arrive, the sound comes first.

The goal is to first crush Lu Jianghe's momentum and courage.

It's just a petty trick; how could it possibly work out as desired?

If Lu Jianghe wanted to leave, it wouldn't be difficult for him to escape now.

However, even with Qi Yunxiao and Xin Ruyin by his side, their escape speed might not be comparable to that of a Core Formation stage cultivator.

Moreover, he wanted to assess his own capabilities against two Core Formation cultivators.

In any case, today we are going to completely destroy Fujiabao.

There's no need to wait nearly two hundred years for that kid Han Li to come.

Before the other party could even show himself, Lu Jianghe transformed into a streak of blue light and flew out from the pavilion's exit, hovering above the Fujia Fortress in an instant.

The two Core Formation cultivators swept their divine senses over the scene, clearly not expecting the other party to be so decisive. They immediately transformed into two streaks of light, one black and one red, and chased after them.

The two Core Formation cultivators from the Fu family were quite surprised to see that Lu Jianghe did not flee.

The two figures appeared in the air dozens of feet away from Lu Jianghe.

One of them was dressed in a purple robe, his face as red as fire; he was none other than Fu Tianhua, the patriarch of the Fu family.

The other was pale-faced and beardless, with sinister eyes, and his entire body was shrouded in wisps of black malevolent energy.

Seeing how young the other person looked, the two couldn't help but mutter to themselves.

Facing two Core Formation cultivators, one of whom was still in the mid-stage.

Instead of avoiding or fleeing, they stayed in the same place, which greatly surprised them.

In normal circumstances, even if the other party had killed many people, they might have let it go, considering that they were both Core Formation cultivators, and if the other party had called them "fellow Daoist" and offered some compensation.

But this is Fujiabao.

It concerns Fu Tianhua's reputation.

If we let them leave so easily, how will the Fu family ever have the face to stand in the Yuanwu Kingdom again?!

(P.S.: Congratulations to "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality" for surpassing 60 billion views.)