Chapter 61: Save It

Dragon-Style Fierce Fist.

With the momentum of a galloping steed, the force pierced through the rainbow!

A single punch smashed heavily against Lu Chengwen's chest.

Lu Chengwen did not budge an inch; he merely looked calmly at Iron Lump King.

Iron Lump King was shaken to the core!

Slowly raising his head, he was met with a face that bore not the slightest expression.

It was not just Iron Lump King; his four lackeys, and even Long Aotian, were too stunned for words.

Everyone present, save for Lu Chengwen, was a practitioner of martial arts and knew full well the terrifying power of that punch.

It was not to say that Iron Lump King's fist was the absolute pinnacle of physical might in the ancient martial world.

Rather, unleashing such a punch against an ordinary person who knew no kung fu was like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito—death was guaranteed with a single blow!

Even an average martial artist, or a master of Long Aotian's caliber at his absolute peak, would likely sustain internal injuries if they took that punch head-on.

At the very least, they would have to retreat several paces, regulating their breathing and channeling their inner Qi with utmost focus, just to slowly suppress the tyrannical force rampaging within their body.

Yet Lu Chengwen simply spoke up: "Is that it?"

Then, appearing slightly disappointed, he gave an encouraging nod: "Not bad, actually."

Iron Lump King involuntarily took two steps back.

He suddenly felt that the young man before him was utterly bizarre!

Clearly, he appeared to know no kung fu, yet... his protective body energy was unimaginably formidable!

And that was while he stood completely still and let him strike; what if he had retaliated?

Wouldn't he have crushed him to death like an ant in a matter of seconds!?

Hua Xuejiu said with a grave expression, "Young Master, Lu Chengwen is a true master! Surprisingly, he is also practicing the Immovable Vajra Art, and his mastery appears even deeper than yours—so profound that it transcends our level of understanding, making it impossible to gauge his tier. Based on my humble estimate, his Immovable Vajra Art has likely reached the sixth layer!"

Long Aotian turned his head to look at Hua Xuejiu, his complexion exceedingly dark.

"Are you my bodyguard, or Lu Chengwen's head of public relations?"

"Young Master, were you struck amnesia by Iron Lump King? I am your bodyguard!"

Long Aotian felt like dying.

Iron Lump King had repeatedly mistaken Lu Chengwen for him and, as a result, ended up fighting against him.

Hua Xuejiu, that brain-dead woman, lacked proper wiring and kept exposing his trump cards, making him lose all face.

And he had just taken Iron Lump King's punch head-on while already injured. Now the aftereffects were fully manifesting: his chest felt terribly oppressed, and he could not muster his Qi.

As for Lu Chengwen!

This bastard actually turned out to be a hidden master!?

Having hunted eagles his entire life, was he really going to be pecked in the eye by an eagle today?

Hua Xuejiu said earnestly, "Young Master, Lu Chengwen's kung fu is unfathomably deep. I'm afraid you might die here today!"

Long Aotian glared back at Hua Xuejiu: "Shut your mouth!"

Iron Lump King remained rooted to the spot in a daze.

Lu Chengwen looked at him: "Now, do you know who the Young Master is?"

Iron Lump King said in utter disbelief, "That's impossible! In all this world, the person with the strongest Immovable Vajra Art has only reached the seventh layer, yet your Immovable Vajra Divine Art..."

Lu Chengwen raised an eyebrow: "Is certainly above the fourth layer."

Iron Lump King immediately dropped to one knee: "This subordinate is in absolute awe of the Young Master's peerless divine art!"

Seeing Long Aotian quietly retreating backward, Hua Xuejiu immediately urged, "Young Master, are you taking this chance to escape? Your subordinate will go with you!"

Iron Lump King stood up and pointed domineeringly: "Beat them to death! Leave Long Aotian to me!"

Lu Chengwen breathed a sigh of relief.

He had won.

Damn it all! He wasn't entirely devoid of protagonist halo after all!

If there were three to five hundred of these Immovable Vajra trial cards, he could strut around this world unchecked, and even Long Aotian wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to him.

Too bad there was only one.

He had already used the art of verbal persuasion to maximize the utility of this trial card. Hopefully, the events that followed would unfold as he wished.

Long Aotian and Hua Xuejiu fled. Eager to redeem himself for his past mistakes, Iron Lump King led the Four Great Guardians in pursuit.

Left entirely alone in the vacant factory hall, Lu Chengwen suddenly felt his legs go weak.

A lingering wave of terror washed over him.

If he had slipped up on a single detail, he would have been a goner.

If he had said just one wrong word during any of the conversations, he would have been dead.

Fortunately, that massive organization was both bizarre and clumsy. Their administration was bloated, and the actual operatives executing tasks were few; this Iron Lump King was merely a leader of the Crimson Faction.

The organizational framework of the vast organization was extremely complex.

It was divided into several major branches:

Lord, Plot, Guide, Strategy, Crimson, White, and Black.

"Lord" referred to the management tier. The Strategist belonged to this level; they were responsible for single-line communication with various departments, issuing specific tasks, and doling out rewards or punishments based on completion status.

"Plot" referred to the internal logistics agency, primarily responsible for gathering and analyzing intelligence, providing information and plans for the "Lord." Simply put, they were like the office-bound think tank. Likewise, they communicated strictly via a single-line channel with the "Lord."

"Guide" referred to external intelligence personnel tasked with gathering information and submitting it collectively to the "Plot," responsible only for intelligence collection and observing the effects of operations.

"Strategy" consisted of professionals responsible for handling the aftermath of assassinations.

"Crimson" was the combat department. The Four Great Lump Kings—Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron—were the standout figures within this sequence, tasked with specific combat missions. However, most of them specialized in head-on confrontations.

"White" was another combat department, responsible for reinforcements. Sometimes they turned Crimson, and sometimes they turned Black. They turned Crimson most of the time and Black very rarely.

"Black" was the most crucial department. All other departments operated around the "Black" branch. This department was the most mysterious; aside from the "Lord," no one knew who they were, how many of them there were, or where they were located.

They handled unspeakable assassination duties.

To ensure that personnel from different departments never recognized or communicated with one another, there were no secret codes, no contact methods, and they were often entirely ignorant of each other's existence.

You simply did your own job; aside from your assigned work, you needed neither concern yourself with nor ask about anything else.

Kill when you were supposed to kill, drink when you were supposed to drink. Everything was meticulously orchestrated behind the scenes by the "Lord."

Long Aotian only knew a few "men in black," yet he didn't know a single "man in black" from the Northern Realm, let alone a "man in white" or a "man in red."

Lu Chengwen had gambled on the loophole created by their internal mutual precautions, mutual isolation, and completely sealed communication channels.

Fortunately, he had won the gamble.

Ding-dong!

System: "Congratulations, Host, on completing a transformation and successfully repelling the grand protagonist once! Sending you virtual hearts!"

Toying with a wine glass, Lu Chengwen raised his head, a fierce glint in his eyes: "I've officially gone to war with the main protagonist; aren't you guys worried at all?"

System: "Not worried in the slightest! The higher-ups are all extremely appreciative of your performance!"

"Is that so?" Lu Chengwen remarked. "They just love watching a good show, is that it?"

System: "Mm-hmm! The Host is truly brilliant. Everyone bet that you would be slapped to death by Long Aotian, but not only were you not slapped to death, you even had Iron Lump King beat up Long Aotian. None of them anticipated this twist! Though, there is one little thing that's not quite ideal!"

"What's not ideal?"

System: "We've discovered a major problem!"

Lu Chengwen chuckled: "Let's hear it."

System: "Judging by the current situation, the original storyline of this world has completely collapsed!"

Lu Chengwen sprang to his feet, waving his fists: "Didn't it collapse ages ago, dammit?! What are you people playing at? Can't you say something useful?! Rewards, rewards, rewards! I want my rewards!"

System: "Very well! This time, you have three rewards to choose from."

"Spit it out."

System: "Reward number one: Peak Trial Cards—two Immovable Vajra Trial Cards!"

"Reward number two: A growth-type reward, the Beginner Great Sage Subduing Tiger Fist Card! Upon using this card, you will instantly acquire the level-one capability of the Great Sage Subduing Tiger Fist, a martial art that continues to grow stronger alongside the Host's continuous progression."

"Reward number three: A Superpower Acquisition Card—holding this card, you will henceforth acquire a random superpower."

Lu Chengwen fell into deep thought.

The Immovable Vajra cards were very tempting, but there were only two of them.

In other words, he would need them to constantly extend his life, continually using rewards of this caliber to duel against Long Aotian in exchange for new cards to protect himself.

Yet there was a catch here!

What if Long Aotian went insane and struck him three times?

He couldn't possibly settle things with a literary debate every time—each taking turns throwing one punch and then going home?

Such cards could easily backfire at any moment.

The growth card was a good item, but it required time to cultivate and level up; in the early stages, it was practically useless.

A level-one Great Sage Subduing Tiger Fist...

As for the superpower card... random?

Ha, give me a break.

Hadn't he suffered enough losses at their hands?

During one transmigration, the superpower he obtained was that his bowel movements always formed a spiral shape!

Who could he possibly show off that superpower to?

How was he supposed to strut around with a superpower like that?

When he wanted to act arrogant, would he shout out, "Little ones! Bring in the master's commode and let these grandsons open their eyes?!"

Utterly useless.

"I choose the Great Sage Subduing Tiger Fist!"

System: "Congratulations to the Host for acquiring the Great Sage Subduing Tiger Fist set. Wishing the Host a pleasant time playing!"

No sooner had Lu Chengwen acquired the Great Sage Subduing Tiger Fist than he felt his entire physique strengthen considerably!

Delighted, Lu Chengwen threw a couple of punches and felt it was truly fantastic!

Ordinary people stood zero chance against this set of boxing techniques.

While others had to toil away cultivating for years, relying on exceptional talent and fortunate encounters just to step into the ranks of ancient martial arts masters, he had acquired it directly.

He had to admit, it felt exhilarating.

At that moment, Iron Lump King and his four subordinates returned. Dropping to one knee upon arrival, he reported, "Young Master, we pursued Long Aotian to the cliff in the suburbs. With a Black Tiger Steals Heart strike, I knocked him right off, plunging him to his death!"

Hearing this, Lu Chengwen grew excited: "Are you certain he's dead?"

"He's bound to be dead without a doubt!"

"Not 'bound to be.' Did you see his head get separated from his body with your own eyes?"

"No."

"Where did he fall?"

"A cliff, super high up! Given injuries that severe, falling off means instant death, no question!"

Lu Chengwen thought to himself: *We're doomed.*

This idiot had actually knocked the protagonist down a cliff. Wasn't that just helping Long Aotian undergo a protagonist transformation and level up?

Hadn't this fool ever watched television or movies? Which protagonist ever died from falling off a cliff?

At the bottom, either a beautiful woman would take care of him, a cave filled with martial arts manuals awaited him, or a peerless master trapped below would impart the Nine Suns Divine Art to him, enabling him to return and exact vengeance upon him!

Lu Chengwen said in a clear voice, "Take me to the cliff, quickly, quickly, quickly!"

"Why go to the cliff?"

"That bastard is definitely not dead! We must go to the bottom of the cliff, catch him, and finish him off!"

Iron Lump King burst into laughter: "You worry too much, Young Master. That cliff is ages high; falling down means certain death, survival is impossible."

Lu Chengwen retorted, "I'm telling you, it's entirely possible he didn't die! Follow me!"

Fuming with anger, Lu Chengwen marched toward the precipice, gnashing his teeth inwardly: *Playing this trick on me?!*

*Am I an ordinary villain?*

*Meeting a villain like me is your bad luck, Long Aotian!*

*Today, no matter what, you're dying!*

The precipice.

Lu Chengwen glanced downward.

Sure enough, it was terribly high; just looking made his head spin.

Iron Lump King chimed in from the side, "Young Master, don't look. With a cliff this high, it's all rocks at the bottom; a fall means certain death."

Lu Chengwen gave him a sideways glance: "We need to go down and find his corpse."

"Is that really necessary?"

"Hell yes, it's necessary," Lu Chengwen said. "Hold onto me a bit; let me check if there are any caves or anything down there."

Lu Chengwen searched diligently, clinging to a sliver of hope.

If he could find him and successfully land the finishing blow, Long Aotian would truly be finished.

If he could actually get rid of Long Aotian, then this book wouldn't have a grand protagonist anymore!

Ha! He could do whatever he pleased.

Did he still need to reject those major heroines? Did he still need to bankrupt his family fortune just for self-preservation? Did he still need to keep a low profile and remain cautious?

His family wealth was in the hundreds of billions, and with no natural predators in this world, he could do whatever he wanted!

Standing at the very edge of the cliff and holding onto a crooked tree, Lu Chengwen strained to look down. He couldn't see a corpse; he couldn't even make out the boulders at the bottom.

Bored, Iron Lump King muttered, "Young Master, he's definitely dead. If he could survive a fall from this height, it wouldn't make any sense at all—it would practically be a miracle."

Stepping on a loose stone, Lu Chengwen leaned his body as far outward as possible.

"Young Master, you aren't planning to jump down to find his corpse, are you? Let me remind you, no lightness kung fu can save you from this height; don't be overconfident."

Lu Chengwen turned back to glare at him, and just as he was about to speak, the small tree suddenly snapped, sending Lu Chengwen tumbling straight down, clutching a broken branch.

Iron Lump King had turned around to light a cigarette. With wide eyes, his four subordinates pointed toward the cliff.

Rushing hastily to the edge and finding Lu Chengwen's figure no longer visible below, Iron Lump King nodded.

Turning back, he declared, "The Young Master is truly a divine being! His protective kung fu genuinely terrified me today. I used to think his Immovable Vajra Art was peerless in the martial world! Who would have thought his lightness kung fu has also reached this realm? Facing a cliff this high, my legs turned to jelly just looking at it, yet the Young Master leaped without a second thought. What does this tell us?"

The four men uniformly pointed at the broken tree.

Iron Lump King nodded approvingly: "Spot on! You've grasped it well! The Young Master is a towering tree, and we must cling to this mighty tree! Rejoice, men! With the Young Master as our tree, we are bound to soar to greatness in the future! Hahaha!"

"What's the point of being a crimson guard in the vast organization? You earn next to nothing and break your back executing missions every day. The Young Master is a wealthy man; whatever leaks through his fingers will be more than enough for us to carouse and live in luxury for the rest of our lives! Hahaha!"

One of them wore a weeping expression: "Iron King, you didn't notice earlier... the Young Master actually... fell."

"Huh?"

Upon closer inspection, Iron Lump King laughed: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"The Young Master possesses peerless divine arts; how could he be clumsier than us? Fell down? If he smashed to his death, then we really will be left without a burial place!"

The four men burst into tears: "Iron King, let's go down and search. Who knows, we might still find his remains."

Iron Lump King's legs instantly turned to jelly: "He actually... fell?"

"And he even let out a miserable scream."

Turning around, Iron Lump King let out a grief-stricken roar:

"Young Master—!"