Chapter 46: In My Hands, There Is No Chance of Survival!

Outside the house, the cold wind howled bitterly.

Large, goose-feather-like snowflakes drifted down from the sky.

Lu Chuan wore a solemn expression, his eyes scanning his surroundings with sharp vigilance. With a subtle movement, he concealed a firewood chopper behind his back.

He could sense it.

At least five figures were closing in to surround him.

Their footsteps were exceptionally light.

Yet, the intent to kill emanating from them was intensely palpable!

Who could it be?

People from the Zhao Family Village?

No!

Although the folks at Zhao Family Village were at odds with him, it shouldn't have escalated to murder. To put it bluntly, while he did have grievances with the hunters of Zhao Family Village, if they truly dared to openly target him in such a manner, they would inevitably be arrested by the local magistrates.

People sent by Zhou Zheng?

Lu Chuan furrowed his brow deeply!

Subconsciously, he reached toward the wall, intending to pry off a few hanging icicles, but after a second thought, he stopped himself. Instead, he drew the firewood chopper from the adjacent woodshed.

Killing someone with icicles was far too conspicuous.

Besides, he had just used icicles to kill Zhou Tong!

If he used icicles to kill again now, even if Zhou Zheng were a fool, he would immediately trace the crime back to him.

Right at that moment.

Lu Chuan suddenly heard a sharp whistle cutting through the air.

The sound of the projectile piercing the wind was crisp!

Lu Chuan swiftly retreated two steps backward, and an arrow embedded itself deeply into the frozen ground just a fraction of a second later.

Immediately after, Lu Chuan ducked behind a sturdy wooden pillar.

"Hmph, I didn't expect him to be a martial practitioner!"

A voice rang out, and a figure dressed in dark night-garb vaulted over the tall courtyard wall, landing squarely in Lu Chuan's yard.

All around, four more figures emerged from the shadows.

The five of them completely blocked off all of Lu Chuan's potential escape routes.

"Gentlemen!"

"Which faction do you belong to?"

Lu Chuan's voice remained steady and calm. Gazing at the five men before him, he showed not a trace of panic.

One of them chuckled, as if he had just heard something immensely amusing: "Well, well, not only are you a martial artist, but you've also got some nerve. Not only are you unafraid upon seeing us, but you even have the leisure to ask questions!"

"Still, you can save your questions to ask the King of Hell!"

As the words left his mouth, one of the men lunged forward with blinding speed.

A gleaming saber in his hand slashed directly toward Lu Chuan's neck. The speed was fierce, and his saber technique was decent—though merely decent!

Lu Chuan quickly stepped forward!

Following up with a fluid sweep of his body, he unleashed an iron mountain shoulder-strike.

With a heavy impact, he directly slammed the man and sent him flying backward.

Things having reached this point, he held nothing back. Every strike he executed was meant to kill. Before his footing had even stabilized, the firewood chopper in his hand was already hacking toward another man's head!

"This target is a tough nut to crack!"

"Charge together!"

At this sight, the leader realized that Lu Chuan was no ordinary amateur practitioner, but someone with genuine, lethal skills.

However!

Lu Chuan was not feeling comfortable at the moment either!

Though his combat prowess was impressive, his physical body remained far too weak.

Having taken down two men in rapid succession, Lu Chuan cursed under his breath.

Instantly, the three remaining men launched a coordinated attack all at once.

Just as Lu Chuan intended to evade the onslaught first and formulate a new plan, a wooden arrow suddenly pierced through the skull of one of the attackers, bursting open a bloody hole!

The man dropped straight to the ground, falling rigid and lifeless.

Su Ruan stood in the distance.

Holding a heavy bow in her hands!

"Let me see who dares to move another inch!"

Su Ruan's voice was frigid, her posture striking and heroic.

The thick scent of blood hung heavy in the air, mingling with the biting winter wind and piercing the nostrils of everyone present.

"I didn't expect this!"

The leader stood his ground calmly, casting a quiet, detached glance at Su Ruan: "For a young maiden, you possess remarkably superb archery! Even a bit better than my subordinate Xiao Liu!"

"Both of you!"

"I am from the Heishui Mountains!"

"Since you possess such skills, why suffer hardship in a wretched place like this? Come up the mountain with us!"

"Live boldly and freely, act on your own impulses!"

"What do you say?"

A flicker of genuine admiration surfaced in the leader's eyes!

"The Heishui Mountains?"

Lu Chuan frowned slightly. He had heard of this name before, but he never imagined that the bandits of the Heishui Mountains would actually come looking for him.

Yet, he had no past grievances nor current enmities with them.

Why on earth would they target him?

It made no sense!

A profound, fathomable glint flickered in Lu Chuan's eyes.

After musing in silence for a moment, he finally spoke up: "Good men, I wonder how I could have possibly offended you all, prompting you to dress in night-garb, break into my home, and attempt to take my life?"

"Hmph!"

"We take people's money to eliminate their disasters!"

The man gave a light, casual cupped-fist salute, and continued, "We merely take money to do a job; we know nothing of other matters!"

"How much is my head worth?"

Lu Chuan asked, suddenly overcome with curiosity.

"One hundred silver taels!"

The man made no attempt to conceal it, answering with absolute candor.

"Damn it!"

Lu Chuan never imagined that someone would value his life at a mere one hundred silver taels.

"Have you considered my offer?"

The leader's tone remained even. From beginning to end, he had stood aloof; though he ordered his men to attack, the deaths of his subordinates evoked neither fear nor sorrow in him.

He simply stared quietly at Lu Chuan!

One hundred silver taels!

Zhou Zheng wanted him dead!

Lu Chuan drew a deep breath. He had not anticipated that Zhou Zheng would retaliate so swiftly.

Yet, it was clear that Zhou Zheng lacked any concrete evidence, and knowing that Lu Chuan had already secured food provisions, he had resorted to this underhanded method!

Among the people Lu Chuan had crossed recently, aside from Zhou Zheng, no one else could casually produce one hundred silver taels.

This Zhou Zheng was truly a vicious and merciless character.

"My apologies!"

Lu Chuan shook his head slightly at this, and replied, "We are merely ordinary commoners and have never harbored any desire to become outlaws of the marsh, so I'm afraid I must disappoint you!"

"..."

"You really are quite interesting!"

"With skills like yours, you're actually willing to rot away in a place like this!"

"However!"

"Since we cannot walk the same path, then I'm truly sorry!"

As he spoke, the man fixed his gaze on Lu Chuan: "Have you caught your breath?"

"Hmm?"

Lu Chuan narrowed his eyes, quietly studying the man before him.

"Your practical combat skills are commendable, but your physical constitution is too weak. You must have been training diligently for a long time, yet your family has always been impoverished!"

"As the saying goes: literature requires poverty, but martial arts require wealth! That is precisely why. Only when you possess sufficient financial resources can you strengthen your physique and purchase enough medicinal herbs to temper your body!"

"Therefore, your life will likely never amount to much more than this."

"No matter how much your techniques improve, they remain merely techniques!"

"Only raw, solid strength can make a person truly formidable!"

The man looked at Lu Chuan with a hint of helpless pity, saying, "Your technique is remarkable, but alas, you are simply too weak! In my hands, you have no chance of survival."