SFS Chapter 49 The Living Yama Carrying Ribs Enters
Chapter 49 The Living Yama Carrying Ribs Enters
Eighty meters underground in Beijing, the defense zone command center.
Deathly silence is the only defining characteristic of this place.
The central air conditioning vents barely emitted a whispering sound, as if even the wind itself was afraid of something. The cold light from the control panel reflected on the commander's pale face. His knuckles gripped the edge of the control panel so tightly that his knuckles were almost shattered, and the cold sweat embedded in his fingernails had long since frozen into frost. Yet, his gaze was fixed on the main screen, unable to look away even a fraction.
Those were ultra-high-definition images transmitted in real time by a high-altitude military satellite—the Ye family's old house, which once covered dozens of acres, with its upturned eaves and a history of over a hundred years, was now completely gone, leaving not a single rubble. All that remained was a huge pit, ten meters deep underground, with an eerie, glassy sheen. From the churning mud at the bottom of the pit, pungent white smoke, carrying the smell of burning, rose continuously, like a crack in hell.
Outside the giant crater, several bustling streets had already been overturned by the shockwave. The hard asphalt road surface was shattered into tortoise-shell-shaped debris, broken walls and ruins were scattered haphazardly, and even the streetlights on the roadside were twisted into pretzel shapes. The hustle and bustle of the past was completely swallowed up by deathly silence.
What's most chilling is the data bar in the lower right corner of the screen—the red dot that represented "extremely dangerous target" and had been flashing for three whole hours disappeared without warning just two minutes ago, as if it had never existed.
"Sir, sir..."
The radar operator's voice trembled, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. The dry, grinding sound was particularly jarring in the deathly silent command center. He stared intently at the radar screen, his fingers shaking so badly he could barely press the keys. "Target signal... completely lost! The thermal imager has scanned the entire area, not even a trace of life... Where... where did he go?!"
The commander didn't reply; it felt like a red-hot iron was stuck in his throat, making even breathing painful. He suddenly grabbed the red secure telephone on the table, his hand trembling so much he almost dropped the receiver. His fingertips left deep marks on the cold receiver from the force of his grip.
"Connect to the central hub! Quickly!"
The moment the call connected, an aged yet imposing voice boomed through the static, offering no pleasantries, only a cold confirmation: "I saw it."
"Commander!" The commander could no longer contain himself and roared into the microphone, his voice filled with despair and urgency. "The Ye family has been wiped out! Utterly gone! That target named Lu Yuan is currently missing! Requesting immediate activation of the capital's highest-level defense plan, sealing off all entrances and exits, and searching for the target!"
There was a deathly silence on the other end of the phone.
The silence lasted only five seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Everyone in the command center held their breath, and even their heartbeats could be heard clearly.
The next second, the old man's voice came again, calm and without a ripple, yet carrying an unquestionable and absolute decisiveness. Every word was like a heavy hammer hitting the commander's heart: "Cancel all defense plans, unload all anti-aircraft missiles, and withdraw all guard units."
"Commander?!" The commander was completely stunned, thinking he had misheard. "That's a ruthless character who could wipe out the Ye family! If he acts recklessly..."
"Reckless actions?" The old man sneered, his tone laced with mockery and helplessness. "If he wants to storm the lake, all your junk won't even stop a hair on his head. Notify Chu Jianguo of the Jiangnan City Bureau of Extraordinary Beings. No matter the cost, you must keep him in check. Remember, as long as he doesn't actively harm innocent civilians, whatever he wants, the country will give him—even half the country—without hesitation!"
"Beep—beep—beep—"
The piercing dial tone echoed through the command center, shattering everyone's last hope. The commander slammed the receiver back onto the landline with a resounding clang, the sound jarring in the deathly silence. He slumped into his swivel chair, all strength drained from his body. His uniform, soaked with cold sweat, clung to his skin, chilling him to the bone, his teeth chattering uncontrollably—he finally understood that the man named Lu Yuan was not someone they could contend with; he was a demon in human skin!
At the same time, in Jiangnan City, at the Old Town Farmers' Market.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, it was the peak time for the elderly to rush to buy vegetables. The place was bustling with noise and chatter. The air was filled with the fishy smell of fish stalls, the sour smell of fermenting rotten vegetable leaves, the shouts of vendors, and the haggling of the elderly women. The atmosphere was so lively that it was hard to breathe, which was a stark contrast to the deathly silence of Beijing.
Lu Yuan stood in front of a meat stall, holding a transparent plastic bag containing two large, clean, bright green scallions. He wore unbranded casual clothes and faded white sneakers, the uppers spotless, without a trace of blood or dust. It was as if the person who had just stirred up a bloodbath in the capital and wiped out the entire Ye family was not him at all.
His expression was calm, without a trace of hostility in his eyes, just like an ordinary young man next door. However, his eyes were as deep as a bottomless cold pool, occasionally flashing with a cold light that was too fast to catch.
"Boss, how much are the ribs?"
Lu Yuan raised his finger and pointed to the pork chop on the cutting board, still bloody and freshly cut. His voice was calm and even, yet it inexplicably inspired awe.
The butcher was a fat man with a menacing face, clutching a gleaming boning knife. He was usually a formidable opponent, but the moment Lu Yuan's gaze swept over him, he inexplicably shivered, nearly dropping the boning knife. He quickly plastered a smile on his face: "Thirty-five a pound, young man. How much do you want? I'll chop it clean for you, I guarantee not a drop of fat!"
"Two pounds, cut into small pieces, to make sweet and sour pork ribs." Lu Yuan's tone remained calm, without saying much more.
"Alright!" The boss didn't dare to be negligent in the slightest. With a swift movement, the sound of chopping meat was particularly loud in the noisy market. The force was so great that it almost chopped through the cutting board. He didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
Less than ten meters from the meat stall, around the corner, a middle-aged man in a gray jacket was pressed tightly against the cold wall, panting heavily. His face was ashen, and cold sweat dripped down his face like broken beads, soaking his shirt.
He was Lin Zhen, the deputy director of the Jiangnan branch of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals. With a peak cultivation level of the Transformation Realm, he was a formidable figure who could rank among the top three in the entire Jiangnan City martial arts world. He had mastered the art of internal energy cultivation to perfection and was usually very arrogant. But at this moment, he was like a frightened rabbit, not even having the courage to raise his head.
Ten minutes ago, he received a death order from Director Chu Jianguo. Chu Jianguo's voice on the phone was filled with unprecedented panic and solemnity. He only said one sentence, which sent chills down Lin Zhen's spine: "Lin Zhen, go to the old town's farmers' market immediately and find Mr. Lu Yuan. With the utmost sincerity, no matter what he says or does, you are not allowed to contradict him! He just returned from the capital. The Ye family is gone, and Envoy Kunlun is dead. You can't even breathe loudly when you speak, otherwise, our entire Jiangnan Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals will die with you!"
At the time, Lin Zhen didn't take it seriously, secretly thinking—how much skill could an eighteen-year-old kid possibly have, even if he'd been practicing martial arts since birth? Chu Jianguo was probably just terrified by the commotion in Beijing and making a mountain out of a molehill. But when he followed the location and found the market, and saw that slender figure standing in front of the meat stall from dozens of meters away, all his disdain and arrogance were instantly shattered.
Just one glance.
With just one glance, Lin Zhen's knees buckled uncontrollably, his legs trembled, and he almost collapsed to the ground. His internal energy, cultivated for forty years, was like a frightened mouse in the face of the invisible aura emanating from that figure's back. He instantly shrank back into his dantian, not even having the right to circulate it. Stinging pains emanated from his meridians, as if any movement would crush him under that aura.
That was murderous intent.
The murderous aura, so intense it was almost tangible, pressed down on his heart like an invisible mountain, making it hard for him to breathe. That aura carried within it the wails of countless lives, the arrogance of someone who had trampled the forbidden land, and the indifference of nine thousand years of cultivation. It was like an ancient beast that had just devoured billions of lives, now dressed in the skin of an ordinary mortal, calmly buying sweet and sour pork ribs.
Lin Zhen's muscles were spasming violently, his teeth were grinding together, and he desperately bit his tongue, using the excruciating pain to forcefully suppress the urge to turn and run away—he knew that if he dared to move, he would be completely wiped out like the Ye family, leaving not a trace.
"Young man, that's seventy-five yuan in total. Will you pay by QR code or cash?" The butcher deftly packed the chopped ribs into a plastic bag and handed it to Lu Yuan, his tone still respectful.
Lu Yuan reached out his hand, about to take it.
"I'll pay! I'll pay!"
Lin Zhen suddenly rushed out from around the corner, scrambling and stumbling. He almost fell on the oil-stained cement floor. He didn't bother to brush the dust off his clothes. He took out his phone, his fingers trembling so much that he couldn't even scan the QR code accurately. He had to scan it several times before he heard that life-saving notification sound.
"Received payment via WeChat, 75 yuan."
The mechanical female voice emanating from the cheap speaker sounded more beautiful than heavenly music to Lin Zhen's ears. The butcher was startled by the middle-aged man who suddenly appeared, and the boning knife in his hand clattered onto the cutting board, almost cutting his finger. He looked at him with a face full of doubt—why was this middle-aged man acting like he had seen a ghost?
Lu Yuan, carrying the ribs, slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Lin Zhen, who was covered in sweat and had a pale face. His tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable penetrating power, as if he had already seen through Lin Zhen's thoughts: "Chu Jianguo sent you."
It's not a question, it's a statement.
Lin Zhen froze, his legs buckled, and he could no longer support himself. With a "thud," he knelt down on one knee on the oil-stained cement floor. The sound of his knee hitting the ground was particularly clear in the noisy market. The middle-aged women who were buying vegetables around him immediately gathered around, pointing and whispering, their eyes full of curiosity and doubt.
Lin Zhen didn't care about saving face, the dignity of a peak-stage Transformation Realm cultivator, or his status as deputy director of the Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals. Before Lu Yuan, all of that was worthless. He held a pure black magnetic card high above his head, his arms trembling slightly from the effort, his voice trembling with tears, almost shouting, "Mr. Lu! This...this is a specially approved purple-gold black card from the central government! It contains 10 billion in liquid funds. You can access any official resource in the country, even a battalion of troops—you can mobilize them with a single phone call!"
He took a deep breath, suppressing the fear in his heart, and continued to roar, "The commander said that our Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals was blind and ignorant before, and offended you! This card is to apologize to you! From now on, as long as you are in China, everyone in our Bureau of Extraordinary Immortals, from the director to the ordinary staff, will be at your command. If you tell us to go east, we will never dare to go west; if you tell us to die, we will never dare to live!"
Lu Yuan looked down at the purple-gold black card in Lin Zhen's hand, his eyes showing no emotion.
10 billion.
For ordinary people in the secular world, this is wealth that they could never spend in ten or a hundred lifetimes, a temptation that could drive people mad. But in Lu Yuan's eyes, this thing is not even worth a low-grade spirit stone—in the nine thousand years of the cultivation world, he has been in charge of thousands of immortal sects and is richer than a country. Let alone 10 billion, even 10 billion top-grade spirit stones have never caught his eye.
But he also knew that now that he was living in the mortal world with Qingxue, there were some troubles that ordinary people would encounter. Using this card would indeed save him a lot of trouble, so he wouldn't have to do it himself and would avoid offending Qingxue's eyes.
Lu Yuan extended two fingers, and with a slight twitch of his fingertips, the purple-gold black card seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, gently landing on his fingertips. He casually slipped it into his pocket, the movement as casual as if he were picking up a pebble.
"Go back and tell your boss." Lu Yuan, carrying the ribs, turned and walked out of the market. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Lin Zhen's ears, carrying a cold warning, "I don't cause trouble, but don't bother me with your secular world's stupid rules. If there's a next time, I'll go to your Central Lake and personally reason with them—let's see who gave them the guts to interfere in my affairs."
Lin Zhen knelt on the ground, watching Lu Yuan's departing figure. His back was soaked with cold sweat, so much so that water could be wrung out. Even his breathing was trembling.
Go to Zhongshu Haizi to reason with them?