Chapter 49: The Young Lady Faces the Marquis of Martial Strategy

"No need to look any further. I'm alone," the young girl said, strolling forward with a relaxed air.

But the Liu clan member clearly didn't believe her.

"She's telling the truth. It's just her," Liu Yuan Song spoke up.

"Just you alone, daring to block our path? I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of your elders," the Liu clan member said. His legs tensed, and he lunged forward like a leopard, his palm reaching out to grab her.

The girl tapped her toes lightly, leaping more than two meters into the air, causing the Liu clan member to clutch at empty space. Then, pressing her feet against his arm, she vaulted several meters higher, springing over his head.

"You're much too slow," she called back with a smile.

"You..." Enraged at being so easily dismissed by a young girl in front of everyone, the Liu clan member’s blood boiled. Anger surged, and red scales crawled up his arms. He flipped his palms, launching a series of strikes toward her.

The girl did not retaliate. She darted left and right, as nimble as a butterfly flitting through a flower field, effortlessly evading his attacks.

The Liu clan member unleashed more than a dozen moves, yet he couldn’t even brush the hem of her clothes.

"This is like the light-footed martial arts out of a wuxia novel," Lu Yan watched, utterly captivated.

Suddenly, he felt the flying antelope kick in his hand lost its appeal. Compared to such movement, the flying antelope kick was nothing but trash.

Ah...

The Liu clan member let out a low growl, humiliated and furious. He was no weakling—he had broken his limits four times—yet he found himself so discomfited. He regretted being the first to step forward.

"Enough. She’s not your match. Stand down," Liu Yuan Song ordered.

Reluctantly, the Liu clan member withdrew.

Liu Yuan Song fixed the girl with a slightly grave stare. "Such remarkable movement. Who are you, and why do you block our way?"

The girl removed the spatula from her back, knocking it against the iron pot she carried. "As you can see, I am a martial chef, traveling far and wide in search of exotic beast meat to hone my culinary skills. Recently, I've hit a bottleneck in my cooking and need higher-grade 'ingredients' to break through. The mutated heart meat is just what I need."

Everyone understood now—this girl had set her sights on their mutated heart meat.

It felt absurd: for such a reason, she dared to stand alone against them? Did she think martial lords were mere decoration?

"There were seven winners at the auction. Why target our Liu clan?" Liu Yuan Song asked, suspecting she had other motives.

"It was by drawing lots. I happened to pick yours. You could call it bad luck," she replied.

"Arrogant!"

"Nonsense! Seize her!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than several figures surged forward—a Liu clan member, two retainers, and two squad captains of the Red Guard. All five were experts who had broken through five times. Joining forces, their attacks were seamless, blocking every escape route.

The first to strike was a blade, shining like lightning, aiming directly at her throat.

Clang!

She swung her spatula, blocking the blade and using its force to spring into the air, dodging the retainers’ attacks. As she descended, her long legs struck out, meeting the fists and palms of the two squad captains.

Their powerful blows did not harm her; instead, they became her aid, propelling her into the air once again. She slipped past the five experts, darting straight for Liu Yuan Song.

"Stop her!"

"Kill her!"

The Red Guard attacked en masse.

But unlike the martial army, the Red Guard lacked discipline—their attacks were chaotic, uncoordinated, each fighting alone, unable to touch her.

She moved like a startled hare, graceful as a soaring swan, weaving through the crowd. In a blink, she had passed dozens, closing in on Liu Yuan Song.

Lu Yan threw a few symbolic punches, watching as those fair legs flashed before his eyes.

He secretly wondered whether, if he gave his all, he could catch those legs.

The answer: unlikely.

Swish!

With a few agile twists, the girl suddenly appeared behind Liu Yuan Song, the sharp edge of her spatula slicing toward the bundle on his back.

Liu Yuan Song spun around, his scaled palm slashing at her spatula.

Clearly wary of his strength, she didn’t dare take the blow head-on. With a flick of her wrist, she shifted the spatula aside, evading his attack, and in a flash, appeared behind him again, aiming for his bundle.

Hmph!

Liu Yuan Song leaped from his warhorse, lunging backward, his palms slicing the air with a terrifying roar, like thunder crashing.

The force of his palms sent the girl's hair flying like willow catkins.

Her expression grew serious, no longer relaxed. Crimson blood-energy surged around her as the spatula struck Liu Yuan Song’s fingertips.

Clang!

The spatula vibrated violently, her blood-energy churning, and her face blanched.

But riding the momentum, she flipped like a pigeon, vaulting over Liu Yuan Song’s head. With a swipe, she sliced through the bundle on his back, sending the food box tumbling out.

She was about to smack the box away with her spatula, but saw a scaled hand snatch it up and hold it firmly. Liu Yuan Song then stomped heavily, his burly frame bearing down on her like a wall.

Liu Yuan Song was a seasoned veteran; he'd already gauged her strengths and weaknesses.

The girl's cultivation was formidable—five breakthroughs—but the gulf between five breakthroughs and bone-force was vast.

Martial lords not only had bodies tempered by bone-force, but when their power was channeled, bone-force spread throughout, making them indomitable. If a five-breakthrough martial artist lacked a divine weapon, they couldn’t break through such defenses.

Faced with this attack, the girl could only retreat.

But behind her, the Liu clan members, retainers, and Red Guard experts joined forces to strike.

She had to rely on her movement skills to leap and dodge.

Liu Yuan Song seized the opportunity, delivering a lightning-fast palm strike. She tried to dodge, but it was too late. Her feet kicked out, colliding with his palm.

Bang. Her legs bent, and she flew back dozens of meters, landing with a pale face and blood trickling from her lips.

"I give up, I give up! I surrender," she cried, turning to flee. With several leaps, she sprang into a nearby tree, kicking off a branch to jump to another, more than ten meters away.

After a few leaps, she was already a hundred meters out.

Liu Yuan Song gave chase for a few steps, but seeing her vanish into the distance, he stopped.

He knew he couldn’t catch her, and worried there might be an ambush in the woods—if a martial lord lay in wait, it would be serious trouble.

Better to bring the mutated heart meat back first.

"Let’s go, return to the city," Liu Yuan Song commanded, mounting his warhorse and leading the way.

The rest of the journey passed without incident. They returned safely to Changfeng City.

As for what came next for the mutated heart meat, it was no longer the Red Guard’s concern.

Lu Yan returned home and began studying the flying antelope kick.

Within two days, he’d mastered its basics and could summon a flying antelope kick avatar.

But when it came to comprehending the "Shifting Technique," he hit a wall.

The Shifting Technique was far more difficult to cultivate than other second-tier martial arts.

He practiced for half a month without grasping the method.

But aware of the immense benefits of mastering this unique martial art, Lu Yan remained patient and continued to study it.

Even if it took half a year or a whole year to get started, it would be worth it. Once he mastered the basics, further cultivation would be smooth sailing.

Meanwhile, the Liu and Wu clans had nearly finished preparations for cooking the mutated nine-section heart meat—auxiliary spiritual herbs and corresponding martial food seasonings were ready, and several martial chefs had been summoned to begin the process.

A few days later, word came from the Wu clan: their attempt had failed, and the mutated heart meat was completely ruined.