Plop!
Seeing Li Chonglou glare at him, the burly man actually bent his legs and knelt on the mountaintop.
Trembling all over, his voice filled with panic, "Sir... spare me, please spare my life..."
Witnessing Li Chonglou's divine might, his courage had shattered.
He was filled with regret and fear.
Regret that Zhao Hui, that disaster, had said this was just a small bodyguard and offered them a high price to hunt him down. How could a small bodyguard possess such skills?
This was practically like filming a wuxia movie.
His subordinates, every one of them, had trained since childhood, meticulously cultivated.
They said ten years of cultivation were not as good as three years of fighting.
These men trained with three small fights a day and one big fight every three days.
Armed with weapons, it was difficult for ordinary people to get close.
Yet, they were utterly defeated by Li Chonglou. What was the point of fighting?
In these desolate mountains, no one would investigate the deaths of one or two people. He was afraid Li Chonglou would kill him and throw his body off the cliff.
After all, projecting one's own feelings onto others was human nature.
Beside Li Chonglou, Zhou Yacheng and Huang Jian's mouths were still agape, their eyes bulging.
No one could have imagined such a dramatic outcome.
"Spare you? What value do you have?" Li Chonglou feigned displeasure, coldly scoffing.
He had never been a good person, and those who considered him a good person were bound to suffer.
For antique collectors, failing to understand human nature was a path to ruin, leading to betrayal and deception.
To understand human nature was to cease being a good person, for all pretense became transparent before you.
These people were mere pawns, not worth mentioning.
But even flies were annoying, and he disliked trouble.
Letting them go without any punishment would not teach them a lesson.
In reality, one had to beat such people into submission.
As he spoke, Li Chonglou walked up to him.
Seeing the burly man's blank expression, he reached out and slapped him hard.
Slap!
The blow sent the burly man tumbling to the ground. Half his face rapidly swelled, and two front teeth, mixed with blood, were spat from his mouth. His eyes were filled with utter terror.
This slap had nearly scrambled his brains. He never would have believed that Li Chonglou, with his seemingly frail physique, could possess such strength.
"Hurry and think, if you have no value, I'll throw you off the cliff." Li Chonglou's words sent the burly man's soul scattering.
Sweating profusely, he sat on the ground, stunned like a wooden effigy.
"Will he… will he really do that?" Huang Jian asked in a hushed voice, wide-eyed.
Li Chonglou had just broken Zhao Hui's leg in broad daylight last night. Now, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't silence witnesses.
He was a law-abiding citizen and dared not get involved in such a serious matter of life and death.
"Don't worry, I'm just scaring him." Zhou Yacheng, knowing Li Chonglou a bit better, thought he wouldn't kill anyone.
After all, he was just an antique appraiser. With his extraordinary vision, he could already be considered a superior being. There was no need to kill for profit.
Little did they know, the blood Li Chonglou had on his hands far exceeded what this spoiled rich kid could imagine.
As the words fell, Li Chonglou forcefully grabbed the burly man's collar and, like lifting a chick, dragged him towards the cliff.
The burly man struggled desperately, but it was futile. Despair filled his eyes.
As he reached the cliff edge, he burst into tears, "Sir, sir… I have money, I'll give you money…"
Unexpectedly, Li Chonglou remained unmoved.
He could only beg again, "I know you're here to find treasure, I know Zhao Hui has treasure!"
"Let me go… I'll help you snatch his treasure…"
"Sir, have mercy, have mercy!"
Tears streamed down his face. At this moment, the burly man was nothing like his former arrogant and overbearing self.
He resembled a frightened quail.
No matter how the world evolved, in the end, after stripping away all facades, it still came down to strength.
Other methods were merely built upon the foundation of sufficiently strong fists.
"What treasure?" Li Chonglou stopped, a smile appearing on his face.
He hadn't expected to actually extract useful information.
"It's a bronze sword, I heard it's called… Chun… Chun Jun… yes, that's the name…" The burly man was ashen-faced, trembling like a leaf.
"Chunjun?" Li Chonglou's pupils contracted.
Bronze sword, Chun Jun… Most likely, this man misheard the character.
Could it be the Chunjun Sword, representing noble and unparalleled status, from the Ten Great Ancient Swords?
The ten ancient swords often originated from legends. Few physical objects existed in the world. Only Yuchang had a physical artifact; the others were lost.
Even decades later, only four swords would reappear.
He never expected to hear news of Chunjun in the obscure place of Shuyu.
Even he couldn't help but be shaken.
He released the burly man's clothes, letting him fall to the ground, "What's your name?"
"Wang… Wang Bin…" The burly man didn't understand Li Chonglou's intentions.
"I'll spare your dog life for today. Get back to Shuyu and tell Zhao Hui that I'll personally visit him when I return from the mountains."
"As for you, I'll find you for that Chunjun Sword later!"
"Don't think about running, unless you're completely alone."
Li Chonglou's faint smile looked like that of a devil in Wang Bin's eyes.
The threatening lines were incredibly familiar to him.
Wasn't this how he used to warn those who offended Zhao Hui or owed him high-interest loans?
Truly, the heavens have their cycles. He was now being threatened in the same way.
And he dared not defy it.
"Yes, yes, yes…" Wang Bin kowtowed incessantly, as if granted a great pardon.
Without another word, he pulled his able subordinates into the car and fled, tail tucked between his legs.
After watching their cars disappear, Huang Jian finally let out a long sigh and gave Li Chonglou a thumbs-up, praising, "Brother, I'm impressed."
"Are you a legendary sword immortal? This skill… even if you went to film action movies, you'd be top-tier."
"What action movies? They're all lies. You have to believe in science," Li Chonglou chuckled, waving to signal his departure.
But before getting into the car, he stopped.
"What's wrong, brother?" Zhou Yacheng asked, confused.
"I'm going to check out that temple." A glint flashed in Li Chonglou's eyes.
He looked towards the dilapidated temple not far away.
Just moments ago, as he thought the ruined temple looked ancient, he'd cast his Heavenly Eye upon it and made a great discovery.
Indeed, everything was destined. Heaven did not fail the earnest.
"You be careful, my legs are too weak to walk." Zhou Yacheng waved his hand.
Huang Jian also didn't want to go. He just wanted to sit in the car, enjoy the scenery, and rest.
Although they hadn't participated in the fight, they had been on edge, and their adrenaline had been pumping. It was normal for their legs to feel weak now.
Tian Lingli was busy taking selfies with the scenery or photos of the landscape.
Li Chonglou walked alone to the two-eyed, ruined temple on the mountaintop.
This place likely used to enshrine Guan Yu, the God of War. The temple gate had long since rotted and weathered, falling into disrepair. A gentle push wouldn't open it; brute force was needed to break it down.
Inside, it was filled with dust and cobwebs. The roof had holes. The statue of Guan Sheng, half intact, was missing its upper body, and the great Guan Dao in its hands was reduced to just the hilt.
Clearly, it had been neglected and fallen into disuse over time.
The bluestone-laid walls, however, remained intact, unassailed by the mountain winds, and were very sturdy.
Li Chonglou, covering his mouth, walked to the bluestone wall behind the half-statue and reached into a crack in the wall, pulling out a cloth-wrapped package.
Before even opening it, his face lit up with joy.
"I searched high and low without finding it, yet it came to me effortlessly!"