Chapter 165: Overwhelming Power

It was 9:50 PM at Toudaoling Station.

Lu Dongjun, still looking worn out, entered the platform.

Since his arrival in Haichiling, Wan Jinxian had acquired over seventy businesses for him, and now all of them had been sold off to others.

While the owners of each business were different, there was news of Lu Dongjun personally overseeing the transfer of each one, with photographs accompanying every report.

Lu Dongjun didn't know how these photos came about, but he knew one thing: he had lost everything in Haichiling.

The hundreds of thousands of silver dollars in the bank couldn't be withdrawn, at least certainly not in Haichiling.

He had brought some scattered cash from his mansion, and in the past few days, he had also managed to gather over a thousand silver dollars from various sources. These were all the assets he currently possessed.

What was lost could be found again, but a reputation was not so easily restored.

In Haichiling, Lu Dongjun was universally condemned. He had plunged Haichiling into an unexpected famine once again, and even the mansion where he used to live had been burned down by the angry populace.

Lu Dongjun was not a meticulous person, but he knew danger was approaching. He had originally intended to publish a few more articles in the newspaper to maintain his standing in Haichiling for a while longer.

But now he realized he couldn't hold on any longer.

The newspapers were harming him, major gangs wanted him gone, prominent families sought his downfall, and even the common people wouldn't tolerate him.

Although he hadn't brought enough money, there was one item he never parted with.

It was an unregistered, indefinite travel pass that allowed Lu Dongjun to travel anywhere in Puoluo Province, under any identity.

This was a privilege granted to noble families by outer provinces. When Lu Dongjun produced the pass, the ticket seller didn't ask a single extra question and immediately helped him purchase a ticket.

After passing through the ticket gate, Lu Dongjun walked towards the platform.

He had never traveled alone by train before, nor was he used to looking at platform signs. The platform seemed a bit further away than usual.

Sparse passengers on the platform were getting on and off the train.

Lu Dongjun didn't buy a private compartment, as that would attract too much attention.

He found a window seat in the hard-seat carriage and sat down. He pulled his fedora over his face, trying to calm himself down gradually amidst the steam whistle of the train.

The last time he rode in a hard-seat carriage was with Lu Dongliang.

Lu Dongjun was just thirteen then. He had an argument with his father, and fearing a beating, he secretly ran away from home.

Lu Dongliang found him and told him if he was going to run, he should run far.

Lu Dongliang was particularly fond of traveling back then, always carrying a travel pass. He bought two hard-seat train tickets and took Lu Dongjun all the way to Kudaikan.

Kudaikan was truly a good place...

Actually, Lu Dongliang had always been very good to him.

When it came to being the family head, everyone wanted the position, but life as the second master at home, following Lu Dongliang, wasn't bad either.

Why did I attack Lu Dongliang?

Before, I only dared to think about it. How could I have had the audacity?

Because of Zhuo Yuling?

She was beautiful, and good at what she did.

But I wasn't without experience with women.

Because of Wan Jinxian?

Ever since that bastard gained importance by my side, my life had known no peace.

He definitely played a part, but the blame wasn't entirely on him.

Is Lu Dongliang still alive?

If I sincerely admit my mistake to him, could this matter be forgotten?

What the hell am I thinking about this for?

Puff, puff, puff.

The train had already started.

Lu Dongjun felt a bit stuffy and took his fedora off his face.

The scenery outside the window slowly receded: residences, farmlands, and forests.

Lu Dongjun wanted to open the window to get some fresh air, but he couldn't find the latch.

His mood was foul; he truly wanted to smash the train window with a punch!

No, he couldn't act recklessly; this wasn't a private train of the Lu family.

On a train like this, he couldn't cause trouble, especially not offend the crew.

Amidst his irritation, he suddenly realized something strange about the carriage.

He was the only passenger in the carriage.

Impossible. When he got on, at least one-third of the seats in the carriage had been occupied.

Where had everyone gone?

Clang!

The carriage door was pushed open. A man in a grey suit, with a cigarette between his fingers, sat down in the adjacent row of seats, across the aisle.

"Second Brother, long time no see."

He Laosan?

Lu Dongjun put the fedora he was holding back on his head, preparing for a fight. "You've got the wrong person," he said.

He Haisheng smiled. "Why bother?" he said. "I've already recognized you; it's pointless to keep up the pretense."

After speaking, He Haisheng offered Lu Dongjun a cigarette. "Have a puff," he said.

Lu Dongjun didn't take it. He kept his eyes on the half-smoked cigarette in He Haisheng's hand.

He Haisheng was a Smoke Cultivator; according to Lu Dongjun's knowledge, He Haisheng possessed a seventh-level cultivation.

Lu Dongjun was at the eighth level, clearly holding an advantage.

But Lu Dongjun wouldn't underestimate his opponent.

When it came to strategy, Lu Dongjun's mind wasn't particularly agile.

In terms of management, Lu Dongjun was virtually useless.

When facing an opponent in a life-and-death struggle, Lu Dongjun feared no one.

When Lu Dongliang and He Yuxiu fought, he found an opportunity to seriously injure Lu Dongliang with one move. Although he gained an advantage by surprise attack, this was also due to his talent for seizing combat opportunities.

Even when Monkey Qiu was on guard, he was beaten by Lu Dongjun to the point of being unable to retaliate, purely because Lu Dongjun's response was very appropriate. Of course, Duan Shaoxia's methods were also exceptionally unique.

Today, facing He Haisheng, Lu Dongjun still had a clear counter-strategy.

"He Laosan," Lu Dongjun began, "I'm down on my luck and just want to go back to Lushuicheng to make a living. We're childhood friends, and there's no bad blood between us. You shouldn't make things difficult for me at a time like this, should you?"

As Lu Dongjun spoke, he observed He Haisheng's seating position.

He Haisheng took a deep drag from his cigarette, then quickly exhaled, his entire body enveloped in smoke.

"Since you've brought up grudges," He Haisheng said, "there's something I truly want to ask you. Back when you invited my brother for a meal, he fell ill after returning home, broke out in a rash, and nearly died. You remember that, don't you?"

Lu Dongjun watched the direction of the smoke, determining the wind direction in the carriage. "I remember," he said. "Your family wanted to pin it on me at the time. I even told your sister He Yuxiu to her face that I didn't do it, and your sister believed me then."

He Haisheng nodded. "Actually, even I believed you back then," he said. "It wasn't until I came to Haichiling this time that I realized something was wrong. Your strategist, Wan Jinxian, must be a Sickness Cultivator, right?"

Lu Dongjun said nothing more; the truth had been revealed.

He Haisheng continued, "My brother's illness at the time was almost incurable. Later, he was cured by a foreigner."

"We initially thought he was a foreign divine physician, but later, after having someone investigate, we found out he was a Sickness Cultivator. His method of curing diseases was to extract the root cause of the illness from the patient."

"I've thoroughly investigated this matter. The root cause of the illness the foreigner took away was created by another Sickness Cultivator. Sickness Cultivators are almost extinct in the world, so how coincidental is it that you also have one by your side?"

Lu Dongjun shook his head. "Wan Jinxian, you mean?" he said. "He's not a Sickness Cultivator; he's a Poison Cultivator."

He Haisheng bit his cigarette and smiled. "Second Brother," he said, "it's come to this point, and you're still hiding it from me."

"If you hadn't gone to Haichiling to kill mosquitoes, our He family might have remained in the dark."

"The mosquitoes in Haichiling died from sickness, not from poison. In Puoluo Province, who else could make mosquitoes sick? Now that things have come to this, what more do you have to say..."

Lu Dongjun had nothing more to say.

He directly threw a punch at He Haisheng.

The punch didn't land on He Haisheng's body but rather on a cloud of smoke, seemingly hitting nothing.

But Lu Dongjun knew clearly in his heart that the punch hadn't missed.

"Smoke Dispersion, Star Scattering"—this was a seventh-level Smoke Cultivator skill that allowed the body to dissipate into smoke, neutralizing a portion of an attack.

But only a portion.

He Haisheng directly took Lu Dongjun's punch, and it truly hurt.

The smoke moved within the carriage, then suddenly vanished without a trace.

Lu Dongjun looked around. The smoke suddenly gathered above his head, and He Haisheng transformed back into human form. The cigarette in his mouth transformed into a fiery snake, quickly striking towards Lu Dongjun's head.

Lu Dongjun dodged the fiery snake, reached out a hand, and pulled He Haisheng down from the train's ceiling.

He had fought Smoke Cultivators many times, understanding their usual routes after dissipating into smoke, and also knowing their movements were affected by wind direction.

Relying on his past combat experience, Lu Dongjun directly determined He Haisheng's attack position.

He Haisheng's body rapidly heated up, transforming into scorching flames, forcing Lu Dongjun to let go.

Lu Dongjun hadn't intended to keep holding him; he directly slammed him into a corner of the carriage.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A row of seats along the way shattered as He Haisheng crashed into a corner of the carriage, but Lu Dongjun didn't rush forward to finish him off.

The seats were shattered, the carriage itself was undamaged, but there were scorch marks. This proved that He Haisheng had already transformed into smoke upon impact.

Rushing in to finish him off at this moment wouldn't seriously injure He Haisheng but would instead put Lu Dongjun at a disadvantage.

Lu Dongjun, remaining in place, directly swung his palm.

What was he doing?

Slapping someone from a distance?

Wasn't that too childish?

He Haisheng also felt puzzled when he suddenly felt a fierce gust of wind rise in the carriage.

He Haisheng's face turned pale with shock, only then realizing something was wrong.

The intensity of this gale was immense, capable of scattering He Haisheng in a short time.

He was originally a Smoke Cultivator; couldn't his body already dissipate into smoke?

Dissipating into smoke was indeed an advantage for a Smoke Cultivator, but it depended on the degree of dispersal.

Lu Dongjun grasped the characteristics of a Smoke Cultivator. Taking advantage of He Haisheng's body turning into smoke, he intended to scatter him completely, to the point of being utterly annihilated.

He Haisheng tried his best to solidify his body, but Lu Dongjun's gale was too fierce, and He Haisheng couldn't withstand it.

His cheeks cracked open, green smoke surged from the wounds, his entire body constantly showed new injuries, and large amounts of smoke drifted outwards from his body.

He Haisheng's body was on the verge of collapse when the carriage door suddenly opened, and He Haiqin walked in.

Lu Dongjun was startled, not understanding why He Haiqin would appear in the carriage.

Had he been ambushing on the train all along?

Then why didn't he show himself earlier?

Lu Dongjun quickly swung his palm, wanting to finish off He Haisheng as quickly as possible.

The gale struck. He Haiqin opened his mouth and sucked the gale into it, chewing and swallowing it along with some of the smoke.

Ninth-level Food Cultivator skill: 'Devouring Mountains and Rivers.'

"Damn it!" He Haiqin cursed. "I rushed all the way here and now I've got a belly full of cold wind!"

Where had He Haiqin rushed from?

Esteemed readers, Happy New Year!