Chapter 17: The Enigmatic Man

In an instant, the streak of fire pierced through the wall, clinging to the edges of the hole and bursting into flames.

“Damn, it can set even brick and concrete on fire?”

Watching the burning hole in the wall, Lu Ming couldn't help but feel a bit relieved.

He had only tried it out lightly just now—if he had used his full strength, wouldn’t the whole building have gone up in flames?

Fortunately, the problem wasn’t too serious at the moment.

He brought a basin of water and poured it over the hole.

To his surprise, the flames didn’t go out; instead, the hole grew even larger as it burned.

“Shit.”

Only now did Lu Ming realize that the power of Dragon Flame was far beyond that of ordinary fire.

He poured several more basins of water, but nothing worked. Out of options, Lu Ming let out a sharp breath.

His entire right arm began to transform, scales appearing all over it.

In a moment, his right arm and hand were covered in dense golden scales, with golden claws several inches long on his fingers.

Approaching the burning hole, Lu Ming dug into it with his clawed hand, as if scooping out tofu, and removed the entire burning section.

“Extinguish for me.”

With a crisp command, Lu Ming kneaded the burning chunk in his hands until finally, the Dragon Flame was snuffed out.

“How overbearing, this Dragon Flame.”

Lu Ming inwardly marveled at its formidable power.

No wonder the Dragon Clan could rule the world—this Dragon Flame alone was beyond anyone’s resistance.

After finally putting out the fire, Lu Ming washed up and went downstairs for breakfast.

...

Meanwhile, a figure was descending the southern mountain.

The person had long, disheveled hair falling behind their head.

From the face, they appeared barely in their twenties—features so strikingly delicate as to be almost androgynous, hard to distinguish as male or female.

Dressed in coarse linen clothes and cloth shoes, a scroll over two feet long strapped to their back, the figure strolled leisurely down the mountain.

Before long, the youthful and strangely beautiful individual arrived at the foot of the mountain, where a manor bustled with life, its gates wide open.

At the door, the youth paused briefly, then walked inside.

“Wow, Senior Huang Zhen is so handsome!”

“He’s the pride of the Huang family, a true genius.”

“Did you see the scroll on his back? That’s supposed to be our Huang family’s treasured heirloom.”

As Huang Zhen walked inside, everyone he passed whispered in excitement.

Within the family, Huang Zhen was renowned—not only for his extraordinary talent but also for his almost supernatural appearance. At just twenty, he had already attained the Innate Realm. His looks were so refined, even enchanting, that many of the family’s young women privately confessed their own inferiority.

Soon, Huang Zhen stepped into the manor’s main hall. Seated there were the family head, Huang Zhanyi, and several uncles. Huang Zhen bowed respectfully.

“My respects to the family head and uncles.”

“Haha, Zhen’er, you’ve come down from the mountain. No need for formalities, come and sit.”

Seeing Huang Zhen arrive, Huang Zhanyi’s face was wreathed in smiles. Huang Zhen gave a shy smile, sat as instructed, and Huang Zhanyi looked at him with affection.

“Zhen’er, it’s been hard work cultivating in the mountains.”

“Compared to Brother Huang Chao, my hardships are nothing,” Huang Zhen replied, still shy.

But this remark shocked everyone present.

Especially Huang Zhanyi, whose face even showed anger.

“Are you questioning me?” Huang Zhanyi spoke sternly.

Huang Zhen kept his head bowed.

“Brother Huang Chao has done so much for the family—why didn’t you save him?”

At Huang Zhen’s open challenge, Huang Zhanyi’s chest rose and fell with agitation.

“Huang Chao was at death’s door. To save him would have meant using the family’s ancestral scroll. You know well that scroll is reserved for your breakthrough to Grandmaster, don’t you?” he said sharply.

“It’s just a scroll. Breaking through doesn’t necessarily require it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Could it be...?”

“No way?”

Huang Zhen’s words left his uncles and Huang Zhanyi utterly incredulous.

Did he mean he had already advanced to Grandmaster?

That would be remarkable. At this moment, everyone watched Huang Zhen anxiously, hoping for a clear answer—even Huang Zhanyi forgot the earlier defiance, gazing at him expectantly.

Huang Zhen slowly raised his head, a bashful smile on his lips.

“I haven’t yet reached Grandmaster, but...”

He didn’t finish the sentence—instead, with a flick of his right hand, a crescent-shaped arc of razor-sharp energy flew out.

With a muffled thud, Huang Zhanyi was cut cleanly in half at the waist by the blast of energy, his lifeless body falling in two pieces to the floor.

“Breaking through to Grandmaster doesn’t necessarily require this scroll.” Huang Zhen smiled gently.

“How dare you kill the family head?”

“Huang Zhen, you’ve gone too far!”

“What do we do now?”

The core members of the Huang family were thrown into chaos by this sudden turn of events.

Who could have imagined that Huang Zhen would so ruthlessly strike down the family head, who had always treated him as his own son?

“To let someone like that become family head is the Huang family’s shame.”

Huang Zhen’s voice, as soft as his features, now struck their hearts like a thousand-pound hammer.

“Letting a bunch of useless drunkards like you run the family is a curse. From today on, I will be the family head. Does anyone object?”

His gentle voice drifted around them, but in their ears, it was like the whispering of a demon.

Huang Zhanyi had been an Innate martial artist, one of the family’s top experts. None of the others could compare.

Huang Zhen had dispatched him with a wave of his hand—whether or not he was yet a Grandmaster, he was close. Who would dare to oppose him?

Seeing everyone cowering in fear, Huang Zhen smiled bashfully.

“You really are useless. Not one of you dares utter a word in protest?”

As they murmured and deferred, Huang Zhen sighed softly.

“Announce to the martial world: three days from now, at midnight, I will duel my brother’s killer at Langya Pavilion by South Lake. I invite all fellow martial artists to witness it. From now on, I will revitalize the Huang family.”

With that, he turned and left the hall, vanishing in moments.

Only after he was gone did the core Huang family members recover, staring blankly at Huang Zhanyi’s corpse, lost and bewildered.

...

At that moment, Lu Ming had just finished breakfast and was lying down in his sundry shop when he was roused by a visitor.

“Excuse me, is Mr. Lu in?”

Lu Ming opened his eyes to see a young man of eerie, delicate beauty, giving him a shy smile.

“That’s me. What do you want?”

“I’m Huang Chao’s younger brother. My name is Huang Zhen.”

“You’re here to avenge your brother?” Lu Ming lit a cigarette and asked calmly.

Huang Zhen replied with a smile, “Regardless, he was one of my family. You killed him, and you must pay the price.”

“Heh, and all those people Huang Chao killed—who will avenge them?”

“That’s not my concern. Only I can kill members of my family,” Huang Zhen replied coyly.

Lu Ming frowned, sighing, “Suit yourself. If you want to die, I won’t stop you.”

“Three days from now, at midnight, Langya Pavilion by South Lake—I’ll be waiting, Mr. Lu.”

“What a hassle,” Lu Ming said, glancing at the scroll on Huang Zhen’s back but nodding in agreement.

Huang Zhen gave him a perfect, toothy smile. “Smoking is bad for your health.” Then he turned and left.

A voice drifted in from the doorway, “If you beat me, this scroll will be yours.”

Lu Ming shook his head and lay back down, apparently unconcerned about Huang Zhen’s challenge.

He had only just settled in when more footsteps entered the shop.

Annoyed, Lu Ming got up. “Can’t a guy get some sleep around here?”

His sudden outburst caught Huo Yutong off guard.

“It’s you?”

Lu Ming realized it was Huo Yutong.

“I need your help—why the attitude?” she asked.

Lu Ming shook his head. “Just ran into a lunatic, never mind.”

“I just saw a weirdo too—dressed oddly, looked so androgynous I couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman. Even smiled at me, it was creepy,” Huo Yutong said with a frown.

“There are lots of crazies these days,” Lu Ming muttered, sprawling on the sofa.

Huo Yutong sat down beside him. Watching him prepare to nap again, she frowned.

“Mr. Lu, my sister’s been missing for days. We can’t reach her. Can you help me find her?”

Since Huo Yufeng stormed out of here last time, her driver had followed at first, but by nightfall, she’d vanished without a trace. Now, they couldn’t contact her at all, and Huo Yutong was getting worried.

She had tried everything, but nothing worked. With no other options, she came to Lu Ming, hoping he might have a solution.

Lu Ming sighed in sympathy—he could only imagine what it was like to have a sister like that.

He pulled out his phone and called Futu immediately.

A few moments later, the call was answered.

“Help me find someone—her name’s Huo Yufeng, eighteen years old. Notify me when you find her.”

Hanging up, he instantly lay back down.

Futu was the underground boss of Xijing now, having united all the local forces. With one word from him, if Huo Yufeng was still in Xijing, she’d be found.

Seeing Lu Ming willing to help, Huo Yutong felt relieved.

Watching him fall asleep, she wondered how he could always be so sleepy—ever since she’d met him, he seemed to do nothing but sleep.

Feeling helpless, she glanced around the messy shop, shook her head, and began cleaning up.

When Lu Ming awoke, it was already noon. He stretched, surveyed the now-tidy shop, and looked at Huo Yutong beside him.

“Thank you. I’ll treat you to lunch today.”

He knew that, as a wealthy young lady, this kind of work wasn’t something she was used to—it must have been hard for her.

“Sure! What are we eating?” Huo Yutong beamed at the prospect of lunch.

“You’ll see when we get there,” Lu Ming said, heading out. Huo Yutong quickly followed.

Soon, they were speeding down the road in a battered old Santana.

“Why do you drive such a junky car?”

Huo Yutong didn’t mean to look down on it—she knew Lu Ming could afford any car he wanted. Why stick with this one?

Lu Ming smiled. “This was a gift from a friend. I can’t bear to part with it.”

Huo Yutong nodded in understanding. Sometimes, things aren’t about their value, but about who gave them and the memories attached.

Not long after, they arrived at the gates of Xijing University.

Across the street was a small noodle shop. Lu Ming looked inside at the busy figure within and smiled.