My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

Outside the ancestral hall, under the same cold moonlight, Li Mu saw him nod. Soon after, the Steward Disciples approached, chatting and laughing.

Liang Cheng gave them a simple handover and a few words of encouragement, then had Li Mu lead them to Yuelai Tower while he returned to the Martial Arts Academy ahead of them.

...

Treasure Pavilion, Underground Secret Chamber.

At this moment, Qian Wanjing’s chubby face was devoid of its usual amiable, business-like smile. Instead, he stood to the side with a slight bow.

A mysterious figure, completely shrouded in a voluminous black robe and wearing a pure white mask, stood with their back to him, hands clasped, admiring a seemingly ordinary landscape painting on the wall.

"Wanjing, you’ve been a bit hasty."

The mysterious figure’s voice had been intentionally altered. It was hoarse and neutral, making it impossible to discern their age or gender.

Qian Wanjing trembled and hastily explained.

"I originally intended to use Xu Zhi to probe the Qiao Family’s situation and, at the same time, see if the item was in Liang Cheng’s hands. I never expected Liang Cheng to be so ruthless and direct. He completely uprooted the entire Xu Family, disrupting all of my plans."

Qian Wanjing wiped the sweat from his brow and said in a low voice, "It was my oversight. I hope you’ll give me another chance, my lord."

The mysterious figure’s voice betrayed no emotion. "Those lunatics from the Martial Arts Academy are fiercely protective of their own. Fortunately, your work was clean, and you left no evidence that points directly to us. I suppose that’s a silver lining."

The figure turned, their cold gaze piercing through the white mask to land on Qian Wanjing. "The Qiao Family’s item... how certain are you that Liang Cheng is the one who took it?"

Qian Wanjing bowed his head even lower. "At the time, Xu Zhi wanted to get the item from the Qiao matriarch to save Qiao Zhi. She said the item had been given to Liang Cheng. My subordinate was so shocked when he heard this that he gave away his position."

"We had no choice but to kill her and frame Xu Zhi. Unfortunately, our subsequent attempts to use Xu Zhi failed, and it instead resulted in Liang Cheng wiping out the entire Xu Family."

"So, you aren’t certain who has the Qiao Family’s item, either..."

The mysterious figure paused. "In that case, first investigate whether the item is still with the Qiao Family. Have your men continue to watch Qiao Zhi, but do not make any unnecessary moves. Investigate from the shadows."

"Yes!"

Qian Wanjing bowed and replied.

"It would be best to keep that boy Liang Cheng from pursuing this. We were outmaneuvered before, and our little gambit backfired. We shouldn’t stir up any more trouble now. Continue with our original strategy of remaining above the fray."

Upon hearing this, Qian Wanjing’s eyes darted. "Rest assured, my lord. I will make arrangements at once. We will not make another move. I absolutely will not let Liang Cheng find any evidence against us."

"But what if Liang Cheng refuses to let it go...?"

"If it truly comes to that... plenty of people want him dead. You know what to do."

A knot formed in Qian Wanjing’s stomach.

"Rest assured, my lord. I know what to do."

...

City Lord’s Mansion, Martial Preparation Hall.

Situ Lang sat in the main seat, while Wu Zhenshan sat to the side, responding cautiously.

"Have the Martial Arts Academy’s Steward Disciples outside the Xu Family residence withdrawn?"

Wu Zhenshan quickly replied, "Yes. Today, Liang Cheng personally invited them to a victory celebration at Yuelai Tower. The matter with the Xu Family had some complications, but thankfully, it concluded without any major mishaps."

"Without any major mishaps?"

Situ Lang snorted. "Don’t underestimate those lunatics from the Martial Arts Academy. They’re probably still secretly investigating which True Essence Realm expert attacked Liang Cheng that night."

At this point, he lowered his voice and instructed Wu Zhenshan, "From now on, lay low. Even if Shen Jun’s people pressure you, you are to endure it for the time being."

"They used this incident with Liang Cheng to seize most of the Xu Family’s assets, which has greatly increased their power. Combined with the instability at the Martial Arts Academy over the Liang Cheng affair, we’ll let them have their moment of arrogance."

"Yes, my lord. But..."

"But what?"

"The only one left of the Qiao Family is a pregnant, orphaned girl. The whereabouts of the item likely rests with her. Remember to assign your most capable men to watch her closely. But mark my words, she cannot die until we have the item in hand."

"Yes!"

"And another thing, Liang Cheng. Don’t be fooled by his appearance. He supposedly settled his grudge with the Xu Family long ago, but he was just biding his time, waiting until he was confident enough to strike a single, fatal blow."

"The boy has both strength and cunning. Thinking about it now, our own grudge with him runs deep. I doubt he’ll be willing to let it go so easily."

"Keep an eye on him. If the situation looks like it’s about to turn against us, strike first."

"The annihilation of the Xu Family is a lesson. We cannot afford to be careless. Zhenshan, there is no room for error this time."

"Otherwise..."

"People will die."

A chill ran down Wu Zhenshan’s spine.

"Yes, my lord. Rest assured, I know what to do."

...

「A few days later.」

True Inheritance Peak, Courtyard Three.

Under meticulous care, Liang Cheng’s "injuries" had mostly "healed." On the surface, at least, he seemed fine, which put the Martial Arts Academy at ease.

He had spent most of this time cultivating quietly in his courtyard, and his Cultivation had improved further.

[Broken Wave Technique, Second Layer: Great Success (336/15,000)]

[Profound Yin Sword Technique: Minor Success (2,645/5,000)]

[Wind and Thunder Slash: Great Success (165/12,000)]

The outside world believed he was recuperating from injuries inflicted by a True Essence Realm expert. Who could have imagined that he was still cultivating diligently without pause, his Cultivation steadily advancing?

That afternoon, Li Mu arrived in a hurry. He had Liang Cheng dismiss the attendants, a grave expression on his face.

"Senior Brother, I found it!"

Li Mu whispered, "You asked me to secretly monitor the Qiao Mansion and Uncle Wang, and to follow up on the remaining leads regarding Xu Zhi’s death. I’ve made a new discovery."

Liang Cheng set down the Zhenxian Saber he was wiping. "Speak."

"Every five days, the old steward of the Qiao Mansion, Uncle Wang, makes a trip to the West City Market on the pretext of buying daily supplies."

"On the surface, nothing seems out of the ordinary. But I followed him from a distance and found that he always stops for a moment at Chen’s Grocery Store, located in the middle of the market. He pretends to be choosing goods, but in reality, he makes brief contact with a limping shopkeeper behind the counter."

"I managed to run a check on Chen’s Grocery Store. Its background is clean—just a regular old shop. But when I dug deeper, I discovered that the limping shopkeeper’s wife has a distant cousin who worked as a warehouse Steward at the Treasure Pavilion for ten years. He resigned three years ago due to an injury."

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