Chapter 138: A Wily Hare Has Three Burrows

Chapter 138: The Cunning Rabbit's Three Burrows

Li Jun awoke.

There was no nonsense about some doggy amnesia; he remembered everything that had happened before he lost consciousness with crystal clarity.

Every detail was vivid, etched into his bones and marrow.

Three days prior, amid the torrential rains that had swept through the entire Chengdu Mansion.

He had shattered Yu Kou’s flying sword, severed his Dao foundation, finally expelling the malice from his chest, and successfully ascended to the rank of Wu Qi Dufu.

Yet in the very moment Yu Kou’s heart ceased beating, the monitoring device within his body instantly transmitted a signal to the Yu family’s celestial abode on the third floor of Qingcheng Group.

The eternal lamp extinguished, the heir died.

Having struck the lesser, one must naturally face the greater.

Amid the transcendent voices that turned the entire city into a water-land arena, the Yu family elders training within the abode immediately downloaded their consciousness and raced toward Jiulong Street.

A Jin Dan cultivator at the peak of Dao Qi, wielding a flying sword shaped like a crimson dragon.

Though aided by Li Hua, Li Jun had initially withstood the blade’s fatal strike.

But without the "Ying Zheng Shuo" of the Le Chong Fa Chi, he could not resist the hypnotic power of the Crimson Dragon Flying Sword, and could only watch helplessly as he was dragged into the opponent’s illusion.

In that realm where all was crimson, Li Jun stood atop the cliff in ink armor, striking waves with his fists.

Yet Li Jun had only just ascended to the early stage of Wu Qi, and his inner energy alone could not hold back the tide.

Li Hua, too, was only recently a "Ming Gui," and her armor’s strength could barely rival that of a seventh-rank novice.

Even with their combined efforts, the two could not withstand the sharpness of the Crimson Dragon Flying Sword.

After seventeen layers of struggle against the waves, the armor finally shattered, and the man fell.

In the blood-soaked waves that surged across the seas and mountains, a claw of the crimson dragon emerged!

Li Jun’s body, perfected to the eighth rank, was pierced through the chest like paper by the dragon’s claw.

The bone-corroding pain jolted him awake from the illusion.

When the rain-soaked street reappeared before his eyes, the final image frozen in his gaze was a terrifying explosion.

Flames roared, vaporizing the rainwater into white mist.

Zhao Qingxia, clad in exoskeleton armor, lunged toward him, but the red eye in his helmet had dimmed for some reason.

“Your body’s impressive. What company’s enhancement methods did you use? When you appeared at my place, there was even a wound this long on your chest. Now it’s healed?!”

Zhou You adopted a familiar air, gesturing with his hands as he dragged a stool and sat across from Li Jun.

Upon hearing this, Li Jun unconsciously pressed his hand to his chest, only to feel an eerie, searing heat, as though a flame burned within.

Beneath the healed flesh lay the claw of the “Crimson Dragon,” and a section of the sword tip radiating contamination.

Fortunately, immediately after ascending to Dufu, he had refined the Jumang Technique to its perfected state, allowing him to suppress the radiation that constantly polluted his body.

“A stranger who suddenly appeared at your home—aren’t you afraid at all?”

Li Jun curiously studied the young “host.”

The youth was not old, at most in his early twenties. It was only those eyes, so weathered, that made him appear older.

His neck and below were wrapped in a filthy robe, with some abnormal bulges beneath it—clearly mechanical structures.

And likely, the crude, low-grade machinery would show such obvious modifications even through the disguise of clothing.

Such machinery was not even used by the lowest-ranked Pa Geng in Chengdu Mansion.

Why had Zhao Qingxia left him here?

Was this place a refuge of the Tian Zhi Hui?

But in a refuge, why was there a child who couldn’t even be counted among the warrior sequence?

The youth laughed broadly, “What’s there to fear? It means my reputation is good.”

Li Jun’s face was puzzled. “Reputation?”

“Anyway, I’ll probably only do this kind of business once. Let’s get the terms clear first. No misunderstandings—everyone’s in danger.”

The youth’s eyes flashed with a maturity far beyond his years as he spoke solemnly:

“My name is Zhou You. I have no relatives in this slum, and I’m steady in temperament. I help cats and dogs daily. My nickname is the Chongqing Young Wandering Knight!”

Such a self-praising introduction was indeed unique.

Alas, Li Jun still didn’t understand. “What does that have to do with your reputation?”

“You’ve never really been in the martial world, have you? You don’t even grasp such basics?”

Zhou You rolled his eyes, helplessly raising a hand wrapped in black cloth.

He first raised a finger. “First, I live in the slums. That means my place probably won’t have any high-ranking masters.”

“Second, no relatives. That means no outsiders will come to this courtyard.”

“Third, steady temperament. It shows I won’t provoke trouble.”

“As for the fourth point, being helpful…”

The youth looked Li Jun up and down. “It means if a wounded stranger appears here, I won’t abandon them.”

“With these conditions, this place is the best refuge.”

After hearing this, Li Jun’s lips parted slightly.

“Is this your reputation?”

Zhou You nodded. “Of course. If I didn’t do these things, how could a big shot notice me and send someone here to take shelter?”

Only now did Li Jun realize: Ma Wang Ye and Zhao Qingxia had likely scouted this place beforehand, using the youth as a “cover” for hiding.

The cunning rabbit prepares three burrows.

This, Li Jun could understand. But someone like Zhou You, who actively sought to be a “burrow,” he had never encountered before.

Li Jun’s face was astonished. “Aren’t you afraid of courting death? Those who are sent here—their enemies, you probably can’t handle them all, can you?”

“Of course I’m afraid.” Zhou You answered candidly. “But I fear poverty more.”

The youth adjusted his robe. “So let’s settle this first—I’ll hide you. How much can you pay?”

Li Jun glanced at his tattered “Night Not Accepting Series” martial attire, reaching into the torn seam of his chest.

After a moment, Zhou You stared at the bloodstained, tattered banknotes in the other’s palm, falling silent.

“Since that’s the case, then these three days count as me continuing to act as a wandering knight.”

Zhou You grabbed the banknotes, so rotten they were nearly illegible, and moved the stool to reveal the courtyard door behind him.

“Once we step out this door, we’ll part ways and go our separate ways!”

Li Jun showed no sign of moving. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll be targeted by enemies the moment I leave, and they’ll deal with you too?”

“If you want to eat this meal, you must bear the risk of serving it. If this fails, I’ll accept my fate.”

“Don’t blame me for lacking propriety. I really need money, and I can’t afford to lose this deal. Please.”

The young man's speech carried the essence of the martial world, and as it reached Li Jun's ears, it felt oddly familiar.

"I have no cash on me at present; let me offer this as collateral. Would that be acceptable?"

Li Jun flicked his wrist, and a dragonfly, its whole form gleaming with a chilling light, lay still upon his palm.