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

Chapter 358 Settling the Debt, People from Liangshan Arrive

"Click!"

Before Lü Qian could finish speaking, the locked door in front of him was opened from the inside, and an old woman with white hair stood behind the door. Her bright and piercing eyes swept over the two members of the Lü family in front of the door. When her eyes caught sight of the demon sword on Lü Ci's back, her calm eyes suddenly changed.

Xiuju, now an old woman, stared intently at the Japanese sword, a hint of resentment and confusion flashing across her face, before stepping aside to make way.

"Come in. What you're saying is so rambling, even this old woman can't make sense of it."

"Old woman..."

Xiuju's husband, clutching the kitchen knife that had just slipped from his hand, looked at the two members of the Lü family with suspicion before finally following Xiuju and making way for them.

Thank you.

Lu Ci stepped out from behind Lu Qian, first thanked the couple, and then went into the warm room.

The couple led the two to a seat in the living room. There was no tea to welcome them, only two kitchen knives, one long and one short, pointed at the two members of the Lü family. Lü Ci, who was never swayed by soft or hard tactics, had no objection and silently unsheathed the demon knife from his back and placed it on the table in front of him.

"It's him, that's definitely him."

When Xiuju saw the slightly rusty Japanese sword, she couldn't help but stand up from her seat, gripping the knife even tighter, the veins on the back of her old hand standing out.

"Old man, I never actually told you that I killed someone, a Japanese devil."

"And you guys, you can't be ordinary people, right?"

Xiuju reached out her other hand, wanting to touch the demon sword and examine the murder weapon that killed her father, but stopped when she got close.

Sitting to one side with Xiuju, the elderly man, still shaken, was not surprised to hear these secrets. He just looked at his wife with great concern, worried that she might be traumatized.

Lu Qian spread his palm and pointed to the demonic sword in front of him, explaining the grudges and debts from decades ago.

"This sword is called Hirumaru. It was a cursed sword wielded by Higanbana, a Japanese soldier. When the Japanese invaded our border, our skilled and extraordinary people joined forces to resist them, but suffered heavy losses for various reasons."

At this point, Lü Qian pointed to Lü Ci, then to himself, "We are from the Lü family of Qilu. This is my great-grandfather. Back then, our great-grandfather was ambushed by a demonic sword and died."

"Later, my Lü family joined forces with the Tang Clan of Sichuan to challenge Higo Ren to a duel at Toutenkulong. When we surrounded and killed the sword-wielding demon Nikaido Eita, we accidentally let him escape, and that's how we encountered the family of three who had taken refuge with you back then."

"I see. So what brings you here today?"

Xiuju ultimately did not touch the demon sword. With a look of realization, she sat back down in her original seat.

Although she still couldn't understand the existence of those extraordinary people after just a few words, she understood the cause and effect of her family's misfortune. She could only say that fate was cruel.

Lu Qian stood up and bowed in the direction of Xiuju. "This visit is only to settle the debts from back then, to thank you, and to apologize."

After saying that, he turned to look at the vigilant old man and said, "In addition, based on my diagnosis by observing the qi, your husband is currently suffering from an illness, and given his advanced age, it is feared that he will not be able to overcome this illness."

"The Lü family is skilled in both medicine and martial arts. If you trust us, I can treat you and your husband as repayment for the karmic consequences of your past actions."

"Who are you cursing?"

Upon hearing Lü Qian's diagnosis, the previously wary old man immediately put down his cleaver, braced himself against the table, and stood up abruptly.

"You came knocking on my door late at night with a knife. I'm already being lenient by not calling the police to kick you out, and you even cursed me."

Even so, the old man kept glancing at his wife, Xiuju, and his silence made him uneasy. The elderly couple had supported each other all these years, and it would be a wonderful and happy ending if they could live in peace and harmony.

"Don't worry, it won't be any trouble. Just shake my hand."

As he spoke, Lü Qian extended his right hand and grasped the aged hand that was offered with a mixture of disbelief and skepticism.

From a perspective unseen by ordinary people, a red and blue light shone from Lü Qian's palm, climbed up the old man's arm, and covered his entire body in the blink of an eye.

As the light from the double-handed technique began to flicker, the old man's initially skeptical expression suddenly froze. Although he could not sense the Qi, the increasingly smooth feedback from his body shattered his doubts.

"Alright, take good care of yourself from now on, and you'll grow old together."

"Hey young man, could you prescribe some more medicine for me? I don't think I'm fully healed after just a couple of rubs. And could you take a look at Xiuju too?"

The old man felt his body light and agile, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time, as if the sense of decline he had felt recently was just a dream.

"No need. Miss Xiuju will live a peaceful and healthy life from now on, and she can also be spared the pain of losing her husband."

Lu Qian opened the dark paper umbrella, the few bright and colorful patterns on the umbrella surface shimmering. He picked up the demon sword in one hand and held the umbrella handle with the other. With a flick of his wrist, the umbrella surface was instantly filled with light and color. The figures of the two Lu family members disappeared again under the cover of the dark umbrella, leaving only a few echoes of farewell.

Until we meet again.

Ignoring the shock of Xiuju and her husband, the two members of the Lü family, who suddenly appeared in the alley downstairs, looked up at the room on that floor. Bright light shone through the curtains, casting swaying shadows.

"So be it. I didn't mean to cause the young man to lose his father back then. Now let's give the old woman a happy ending."

Lu Ci, who had been silent the whole way, suddenly broke his silence as he gazed at the lamp. He took the demon sword from Lu Qian's hand, put it back on his back, and a light smile appeared on his face.

"Grandpa, where shall we stay tonight?"

"Come on, I'll take you to the Gao family to beg for money."

With the resolution of this intangible karmic consequence, Lü Ci seemed to have become a few years younger. He carried the demon sword on his back and led Lü Qian toward the Gao family.

"Let me tell you, when we get to the Gao family, don't be shy. Eat whatever you can, including the medicinal food. Gao Zhan and I are brothers who have been through thick and thin together."

Lu Ci pounded his chest so hard it made a loud thud, while Gao Zhan, who was delivering the invitations south of Shanhaiguan, felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason.

"It must be that Hedgehog Lü is up to no good. Hurry up and finish delivering the goods and go home, or I'll lose all my savings."

As a close friend of Zhen and Lü Ci, Gao Zhan knew this seemingly crazy but actually eccentric guy all too well. He was a bad seed, true to his word. He used to have the filter of his seniority to shield him, but now he had completely let loose and was no longer restrained.

So, the energy and malice he's accumulated over these decades are enough for him to turn Northeast China into a complete mess, and then shamelessly pack up and leave, without caring about the host's reputation at all.

Thinking about his hidden stash of money, Gao Zhan accelerated his schedule of sending out invitations and had no intention of catching up with other old friends.

In Liangshan, Sichuan, Gao Zhan had just finished delivering the invitations and was about to continue his journey south when the elders of Liangshan saw their old friend off at the foot of the mountain.

"Old Sha, no need to see me off. See you at the Gao family banquet in a while. Also, the descendants of the Feng family, if you're not afraid of death, you can come along."

Gao Zhan's hurried figure disappeared on the mountain path, and as he vanished, he loudly "invited" Feng Tianyang, who was among the elderly people.

The old shamans of Liangshan sighed as they looked at Feng Tianyang's familiar yet youthful face.

"Tianyang, you heard it too. It's not that we don't want to help you, it's that we can't help you."

"The ability to command spirits and generals is something that some people in Liangshan do, but not everyone is willing to do it."