At night, Lu Chen took action once again.

Out of old sentiments, he refrained from targeting the eleven remaining shops of the Lu Family, instead choosing the ones that had just been taken over by the Lin Family.

Two hours passed, and Lu Chen had looted four shops, obtaining two hundred and thirty-two Spirit Crystals from them and the guards.

After finishing, Lu Chen returned to his room and continued his cultivation.

As the martial path progresses, more Spiritual Energy is required for breakthroughs. That night, Lu Chen only managed to break through one Yin Dantian, while the Yang Dantian remained unchanged.

After using up all the Spirit Crystals, Lu Chen, like the previous days, practiced the Soul Refining Art to enhance his Soul Power, aiming to boost his strength in the shortest time possible.

Morning

When Lu Chen returned to his room, full of energy, Lu Zhan came in with breakfast. As soon as he entered, he started talking about the major events that happened in Tianyuan City last night.

"Brother Chen, I heard that the assassin struck again last night, looting four shops in one night. The entire Tianyuan City is in an uproar now," Lu Zhan said while feeding Lu Chen.

Lu Chen feigned ignorance and said with a smile, "Brother Zhan, four shops looted in one night, the First Branch and Second Branch must be furious."

Lu Zhan replied with resentment, "I wish I could see the First Branch and Second Branch so angry, but unfortunately, the shops looted last night weren't theirs."

Lu Chen curiously asked, "Brother Zhan, didn't you say yesterday that it was the Lu Family's turn tonight, prompting the First and Second Branches to increase their guards?"

Lu Zhan said, "The eleven shops of the First and Second Branches weren't looted. Last night, the assassin targeted the shops we used to own."

Lu Chen said, "Well, the Lin Family just took over our shops, probably still celebrating, and now they've been looted. It must sting a bit."

Lu Zhan angrily said, "They bullied you so much, even worse than the First and Second Branches. I hope the assassin loots all of the Lin Family's shops."

Lu Chen said, "He probably will."

"No, he won't," Lu Zhan said, shaking his head in disappointment.

Lu Chen asked, "Brother Zhan, why not?"

Lu Zhan said, "I heard this incident has become widely known throughout the city. The City Lord's Manor has already sent people to investigate, so the assassin probably won't dare to strike again."

"I see!" Lu Chen showed a thoughtful expression.

His Yin Dantian had now reached the 7th-level Martial Apprentice Realm. In a full-force battle, he could handle Mid-level Martial Warriors, and even High-level Martial Warriors were within his reach.

However, the City Lord's Manor is the overlord of Tianyuan City. Since they sent people to investigate, the warriors dispatched must be Martial Masters, and likely more than one.

The news brought by Lu Zhan made him realize he needed to lay low for a while. Otherwise, if caught, he would become a public enemy of Tianyuan City.

"Brother Chen, Brother Chen..."

As Lu Chen pondered his next steps, Lu Zhan's voice rang in his ears. When Lu Chen snapped back to reality, Lu Zhan was waving a hand in front of his eyes.

Lu Chen said, "What?"

Lu Zhan said, "Brother Chen, what were you thinking about? You were so engrossed that I called you several times, and you didn't respond."

Lu Chen chuckled awkwardly, "Nothing, I was just wondering who that assassin could be, daring to offend all Four Great Families of Tianyuan City at once."

Lu Zhan pouted, "No idea who he is."

With that, Lu Zhan fed the prepared meal to Lu Chen.

After the meal, Lu Zhan left, and Lu Chen entered the Stone Pearl World to practice the Soul Refining Art.

Meanwhile, the Lin Family was furious. They had painstakingly seized ten shops from the Lu Family, only for four to be looted overnight.

Not only was the money from the shops wiped out, but the guards were also killed. The Lin Family's takeover of the Lu Family's shops had turned into a massive loss.

Moreover, what infuriated the Lin Family the most was that the looting started with them. Last night, the original Lu Family shops were looted, and tonight, by order, it would be the Lin Family's turn again.

In their anger, the Lin Family's top members gathered to discuss countermeasures. Like the Lu Family brothers, they decided to increase their manpower.

As for the Lu Family

Although Lu Chen didn't target the shops of Lu Qian and Lu Meng last night, they weren't happy. In just one night, another twenty-four people had left.

During Lu Yi's time, the Lu Family had over three hundred warriors. Now, including the legitimate members, there were only sixty-three left.

In just six years, the Lu Family's warriors had dwindled to one-fifth. At this moment, the two brothers had to admit that the Lu Family had declined.

Back then, to become the Patriarch, Lu Qian had teamed up with the second brother, Lu Meng, to squeeze out Lu Yi and seize the position from him.

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He thought that by becoming the Patriarch, he would be the master of the Lu Family, gaining more cultivation resources, status, and power.

However, he now realized he was wrong.

When Lu Yi was the Patriarch, everyone obeyed him internally, and externally, the other three families dared not show any disrespect to the Lu Family.

Under his leadership, internally, his subordinates often criticized him, and externally, the three families frequently bullied the Lu Family, constantly seizing their shops.

In terms of cultivation resources, back then, everyone could get at least ten Spirit Crystals a month. Now, the most any outsider could get was ten Spirit Crystals.

Lu Qian had to admit he couldn't compare to the former Lu Yi. He neither had the status Lu Yi had as Patriarch nor gained more cultivation resources from the position.

Looking at the empty hall, for the first time, Lu Qian felt the Patriarch's seat was too hot to handle, making him feel uneasy.

Lu Qian asked with some dejection, "Second Brother, now that people are leaving one after another, what should we do next?"

Lu Meng coldly replied, "Big Brother, if they want to leave, let them go. We don't need them."

Lu Qian said, "But if everyone leaves, we won't have anyone to guard the shops."

Hearing this, Lu Meng fell silent.

After a while, with a sly look, he said, "Big Brother, if people leave, we can have the fourth brother guard the shops. With his strength, no one would dare make a move."

Lu Qian frowned, "Second Brother, although the fourth brother is strong, because of that brat Lu Chen, he no longer listens to us."

"Big Brother, I have a plan!"

With that, Lu Meng walked over to Lu Qian and whispered in his ear.

After hearing Lu Meng's words, Lu Qian smiled, and the two of them headed to Lu Kuang's courtyard together.