Chapter 140: Max, the Tenth-Tier Master

"I'll rent, I'll rent."

"Oh, really? Weren't you just holding 12 million, ready to buy the place outright?"

"Can't afford it, can't afford it."

"Then why the hell did you lie to my wife, saying you were going to add her name to the property deed?"

"Just bragging, just bragging."

In the small garden nearby, Su Qianqian and Feihong were sitting under a parasol, posing like landladies, laughing uncontrollably at Liu Bo's awkward predicament.

Liu Bo, however, had a skin thick enough to rival a city wall. Even after being exposed for putting on an act in front of the actual owner, he could still lower himself to continue renting Lu Ye's property.

Even Lu Ye was a bit surprised. He had expected Liu Bo to be stubborn and keep up the charade for a while longer, not expecting him to fold so easily once caught.

Lu Ye sneered, saying indifferently, "You tried to hit on my wife and called me an idiot—do you really think you can just walk away from that?"

"Landlord-sama, I'm sorry!"

"I was wrong, hehehe."

Liu Bo instantly switched to a sycophantic, grinning persona.

This shameless attitude left Lu Ye feeling somewhat helpless; after all, as the saying goes, one shouldn't strike a smiling face.

"Landlord-sama, let's have a hug and let bygones be bygones, shall we?"

As he spoke, Liu Bo suddenly threw his arms open and lunged at Lu Ye. Lu Ye reacted with a sharp jolt of alertness!

*Bang!*

Lu Ye lashed out with a kick, but Liu Bo twisted his waist in an uncanny fashion to dodge it.

A cold glint flashed in his hand; he was now gripping a dagger.

Lu Ye narrowed his eyes at him and said, "You really were faking it. Nice acting—you almost fooled me!"

The sycophancy and exaggeration on Liu Bo's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a cruel, cold smirk: "As expected of the captain of the Apostles. Ivanka didn't die in vain falling into your hands."

"Did Max send you to take revenge on me?"

Liu Bo smiled without answering: "Heh."

The commotion happened in the blink of an eye. Although it hadn't alerted many people yet, a large crowd of prospective tenants was still gathered under Building C.

Lu Ye stood with his back to Su Qianqian and Feihong, and neither woman had noticed anything unusual.

Lu Ye turned back and smiled at Su Qianqian, "Wife, please handle the tenants behind you for a moment. I need to personally take this Mr. Liu upstairs to take a look."

"Alright!"

Then, Lu Ye said to Liu Bo, "I assume you don't want to expose your identity in public, do you?"

Liu Bo grinned, "Landlord-sama, please take me to the top floor."

And so, the two of them, each harboring their own ulterior motives, walked into Building C with their arms draped over each other's shoulders.

The moment the elevator doors closed, Lu Ye moved!

His fists flew like the wind, and he began to brawl with Liu Bo in the narrow elevator cabin.

Liu Bo gripped his dagger, hacking and slashing with it, using offense as his only defense.

*Swish, swish, swish!*

*Bang, bang, bang!*

Even though Lu Ye was unarmed, he did not fall behind.

The space in the elevator was tight, and Liu Bo couldn't maneuver his dagger with full freedom.

Lu Ye felt a secret sense of alarm.

If one were to measure Liu Bo’s strength using the rankings of martial arts families, he was likely at the eighth rank or higher, while Lu Ye was currently at a crossroads between the ninth and tenth ranks.

Ivanka had been a true ninth-rank expert.

After their last battle, Lu Ye’s skills had improved.

He was stronger than a ninth-rank, but still had a long way to go before reaching the tenth.

Unable to find a precise label for his own strength, he temporarily called himself a "rankless expert."

But Liu Bo was strange.

Judging only by his strength and speed, he was a standard eighth-ranker.

However, Liu Bo’s combat techniques were incredibly seasoned, allowing him to hold his own against Lu Ye with only eighth-rank power, using killing techniques aimed directly at vital points!

Of course, this was only because Lu Ye hadn't gone for the kill yet.

He needed to keep him alive to extract information; otherwise, a single punch infused with his Jade Maiden Heart Sutra would have been enough to finish Liu Bo on the spot.

*Ding!*

The elevator reached the top floor: the rooftop.

Lu Ye and Liu Bo both flashed out, putting a dozen meters of distance between them.

Taking advantage of the gap, Lu Ye scrutinized Liu Bo’s stance and asked, "Navy SEALs?"

Liu Bo gave a cold smile: "Good eye. I come from the SEALs. In my eyes, the Apostles are just a bunch of boy scouts."

"Boy scouts?"

Lu Ye curled the corner of his mouth slightly and said, "Yet you fell for the trap set by the very 'boy scouts' you mock, and you’re still talking big."

"What?"

Liu Bo froze, suddenly noticing that the wrist holding his knife had gone rigid and wouldn't obey his commands. He panicked: "What did you do to me?"

Lu Ye smiled: "Acupoint striking. It’s been a while since I’ve used this traditional craft, so I’m a bit rusty. Forgive me."

The moment they stepped out of the elevator, Liu Bo hadn't even noticed Lu Ye striking his pressure points.

Liu Bo’s brain was desperately sending commands to struggle, but his body was completely unresponsive.

Lu Ye walked over slowly and effortlessly snatched the dagger from his hand. The silver blade was coated with a layer of green, crystalline substance.

"Well now, did you poison this fruit knife?"

Lu Ye held the dagger up to his nose, sniffed it lightly, and laughed: "This poison is called 'See Blood, Seal Throat.' Even a ninth-rank expert would likely die in regret if you stabbed them with this."

Liu Bo gritted his teeth and remained silent.

He hadn't expected Lu Ye’s powers of observation to be so meticulous.

He had planned to pose as an arrogant fool to get close to Lu Ye, then kill him in one strike with this poisoned blade while his guard was down.

He never expected to be exposed the moment he made a move.

Before he could even get into a fighting stance, he had been paralyzed by acupoint striking.

The mission was a failure!

Lu Ye dropped his smile and asked coldly, "Where is Max?"

Liu Bo held his head high in defiance and scoffed, "Do you think I'd tell you?"

*Squelch!*

Lu Ye lightly sliced Liu Bo’s face with the poisoned dagger. The skin began to fester rapidly from the wound.

"Ugh..."

The burning pain spreading across his face made Liu Bo twitch all over, but he kept his teeth clenched, refusing to yield.

Soon, half of his face turned a dark shade of green.

The poison continued to spread down to his neck, slowly moving toward his heart.

"You might know that I have the skill of the 'Healing Fist,' but I regret to inform you..."

"If this poison reaches your heart, even I will be unable to save you."

"Liu Bo, you have ten seconds to consider."

Lu Ye took out his phone, turned on the front camera, and held the screen up to Liu Bo so he could clearly see his own horrific state.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

As the "See Blood, Seal Throat" toxin spread over a larger area, the pain Liu Bo endured multiplied. He finally couldn't help but shriek, feeling as if thousands of ants were gnawing at him from the inside.

Liu Bo wanted nothing more than to end his own life, but his body was completely beyond his control. He could only watch on Lu Ye’s phone screen as he rotted away piece by piece...

Liu Bo broke down, screaming hysterically: "Max is in Mingzhu City! He wants to kill all the people closest to you to bury them with Ivanka!"

Lu Ye continued his interrogation: "How strong is Max?"

Liu Bo wailed: "If you measure by your standards, he is a tenth-rank expert!"

"Lu Ye, just give me a quick death!"

*Bang, bang, bang...*

Lu Ye, having already prepared his Healing Fist, unleashed the seventy-four-ninety-nine strikes onto Liu Bo in an instant.

*Pfft!*

He neutralized the poison and simultaneously released his acupoints.

Liu Bo spat out a mouthful of black blood and collapsed limply to the ground.

Lu Ye said coldly: "A quick death? In your dreams. Get your ass to the Shield Agency’s dungeon and reflect on your actions."

Ten minutes later, a helicopter hovered over the rooftop and dropped a cable.

Lu Ye tied Liu Bo to the rope, and the helicopter hauled him away as it returned to the Shield Agency.

Seeing Lu Ye return downstairs alone, Su Qianqian sensed that something had gone wrong.

"I saw that helicopter fly off with someone hanging from it. Was that Liu Bo?"

"What exactly happened?"

Lu Ye pressed her shoulders and said seriously, "Wife, you and Feihong should stay in Shangjing for a while longer. I need to go back to Mingzhu City to handle something, and I'll come to pick you up later."

Su Qianqian’s face turned pale: "Did something happen at home?"

Lu Ye said calmly, "I haven't received any bad news yet. I'm rushing back precisely to prevent anything bad from happening!"

"I know you want to say you'll come back with me, but not this time!"

Max was a tenth-rank expert!

No one around Lu Ye could contend with him, including himself.

"Feihong, help me look after Qianqian."

"Until I return, you two are not to leave this complex for any reason!"