Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 383 Slaying the Vengeful Spirit, Reviving the Heroic Spirit

"If ten or eight boxes won't work, then three or five boxes will do."

"You think these are cabbages growing by the roadside, three or five boxes at a time? Not a single box! Not a single one!"

"Then give me one box, one box, and I'll leave immediately."

Gao Zhan and Lü Ci tugged at each other's sleeves, haggling over the so-called thank-you gift. In the end, Lü Ci's shameless manner prevailed, and he pulled out three ginseng kings of the seventh grade and fifth form from Gao Zhan's private treasury.

Meanwhile, Gao Zhan, who possessed treasures, couldn't stand Lü Ci's smugness and immediately ordered his men to arrange a carriage to send the Lü family grandfather and grandson on their return journey.

On this train, besides the people arranged by the Gao family, there were only two passengers, Lü Ci and Lü Qian, and their destination—the demon sword Hirumaru.

The vehicle sped through the white mountains and black waters. Inside the restaurant, Lü Ci, carrying his demon sword, was no longer as witty as before. He sat opposite Lü Qian with a solemn expression. The lights inside the car mingled with the sunlight outside, illuminating the white-haired, youthful-minded old man, as if a flame was being ignited.

"Clang!"

Lu Ci took the demon sword from his body, his aged hand grasping the hilt, his wrist turning as he carefully examined this "enemy" he had cherished all his life.

The moment Lü Ci gripped the hilt of his knife, a strange sound echoed in his ears. The sound was noisy and illusory, like the resentful whispers and the irresistible temptations of many people.

The demonic sound entered his ears and pierced his heart, disturbing Lü Ci's thoughts and driving him to grip the hilt of his knife tightly, swing the blade, and wash the rust on the blade with blood, allowing the vengeful spirit trapped inside to drink its fill of blood once more.

"Oh......"

Lu Ci's face was cold as he gripped the hilt of the knife. He ran his hand over the blade, a crazed look on his face, as if he had been controlled by the demonic sword. But just as the blade turned, the silent old man effortlessly released his killing intent and uttered a sarcastic laugh.

"The Japanese, though lacking in cultural heritage, have learned some aspects of both Eastern and Western cultures by using human sacrifices to build armies and souls to bestow spirits."

"Thump!"

After his mockery, Lü Ci casually tossed the demon sword aside. The blade struck the table with a dull groan, as if the vengeful spirits within were voicing their bewildered questions.

They couldn't understand why they hadn't succeeded in tempting Lü Ci, this murderous fellow, who had so easily escaped his bloodthirsty depravity.

There's nothing shameful about learning someone else's techniques. What's truly despicable is failing to learn them completely, being unable to create anything original, and only producing something that's neither fish nor fowl.

Lu Qian raised his hand and picked up the demon sword. The seductive low chanting sounded again, but before the vengeful spirits could exert their strength again, a vast and pure aura that flowed naturally instantly silenced all the resentful demonic sounds.

It wasn't that Lü Qian used underhanded tactics, but rather that he was now flawless.

The realm of the "True Person" who uses his own heart to represent the heart of Heaven and the hearts of the masses to reflect his own heart makes him stand apart from the world and wander in the mortal world. When good people and ordinary people see him, it is like seeing the bright moon in the sky; when vengeful spirits and evil people see him, it is like seeing the sun shining brightly.

This has nothing to do with Lü Qian himself, but rather with the aspirations of all people, their hearts resonating with each other, yet each person is different.

The demonic sound fell silent, and Lü Qian ignored it. He gripped the hilt with one hand and stroked the blade with the other, pinching the tip. With a violent and savage gesture and force, he snapped the demonic sword that the Japanese regarded as a divine weapon in two.

"Zheng—"

The blade shattered, flashing a cold light through the air, its lingering tremor echoing throughout the dining car where only the two members of the Lü family were present.

"Shh..."

After the sharp, piercing sound of the blade shattering, a series of subtle sounds gradually emerged from the resounding rhythm, like the rustling of leaves or the footsteps of an unseen figure approaching from afar.

"Free?"

"We...are we free?"

The cacophony gradually drowned out the demon sword's mournful cry, and a multitude of chaotic and bewildered voices rose up, while wisps of green smoke and black mist drifted out from the broken edge of the blade.

"ah--"

Before the gradually waking, smoky figures could even react, the excited yet bewildered Japanese speech abruptly ceased, replaced by even more agonizing screams.

With each breath, wisps of ethereal, fiery energy were exhaled by Lü Qian. These were the Samadhi True Fire, a true fire that scorched the soul and forged ghosts, now unleashing its fierce power to refine and kill the scattered vengeful spirits of the Japanese.

"Revenge for grievances, revenge for grudges. You were not killed by people from our Central Plains. Now that you have come to this land, there is no reason for you to leave."

Lu Qian put down the demon sword, exhaled a long breath, and the invisible aura instantly transformed into fierce and formless Samadhi True Fire upon touching the Japanese vengeful spirits. In an instant, it forged nearly a hundred vengeful spirits into a single furnace, and also intercepted the vengeful spirits of the Japanese who kept emerging.

Flames wandered in the void, and among the vengeful spirits that drifted out from the broken blade, some were unaffected by the Samadhi True Fire. The wisps of green smoke, after passing through the Samadhi True Fire, became no longer ethereal, but rather more solid and agile.

One by one, warriors dressed in short clothes and knights in long robes emerged from the wispy green smoke. They were unrestrained in the Samadhi Fire, and the fire that burned and killed ghosts continuously refined the true spirits of the Japanese vengeful souls, replenishing their souls.

Below the flames were the vengeful ghosts of the Japanese, who were being constantly forged and melted. Above the flames were heroic spirits who had awakened from the imprisonment of the demonic sword. They were awakened by the Samadhi Fire and replenished by the true spirits of the Japanese, and showed no signs of dissipating. As their spirituality became more vibrant, they gradually opened their eyes.

"Where are we...?"

"Big brother!"

Among the several heroic figures standing amidst the flames was a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Lü Ci, but with a more benevolent appearance. He had just opened his eyes when he heard shouts from beside him.

The familiar address, though the voice that uttered it was no longer childish or young, still allowed the young spirit to recognize the person who had called out to him.

"Little brother?"

The young man, whose ethereal soul was gradually solidifying, turned to look down. What came into view was not the spirited, cunning, and agile youth he remembered, but an old man with a straight back and white hair and beard.

"It's me, big brother...it's me."

Lu Ci's narrow eyes no longer held any trace of arrogance or ruthlessness, only the pure, childlike innocence of yesteryear. He tried his best to widen his eyes, wanting to reflect the image of that heroic spirit as much as possible in his eye sockets.

"So you've grown up and gotten old too."

The young man carefully examined Lü Ci's face. On that old, wrinkled face, besides the marks left by time, there were also scars left by enemies.

After a moment of shock, the young man nodded, his tone a mixture of relief, concern, and regret, "These past years must have been tough for you too, haven't they?"

"good."

Faced with his brother's concern, Lü Ci did not choose to vent his untold sorrows. Instead, he put on a sincere smile and appeared relaxed.

"Brother, the Lü family is doing well now, and we are all doing well."