Chapter 14: Mommy!!

At the same time, in the Lu Family.

Lu Tianhe sat in the main hall, his face livid. The news that Xu Zhong was dead and Chen Si had gone missing had arrived one after another, and the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became.

"Xu Zhong is dead, Chen Si is missing. Such consecutive incidents are definitely not normal."

Lu Hao stood below him, his head lowered and his body tense. He could feel the anger rolling off Lu Tianhe, and he had no desire to become the target of it.

"What does the City Lord's Mansion say?"

"The City Lord's Mansion told us to investigate it ourselves and not to cause a big commotion."

Lu Tianhe let out a cold laugh. The City Lord's Mansion was clearly unwilling to get involved, leaving the Lu Family to deal with the mess on its own.

"Investigate it ourselves? Fine."

He rose from his seat and paced slowly across the hall, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Who has had a grudge against us recently?"

Lu Hao thought carefully before answering.

"The Zhao Family in the west of the city fought with us over a piece of land last month."

"The Shen Family in the south of the city... that is, the Shen Family of Shen Yuyan... has always looked at us with displeasure. Also..."

He hesitated, as though he was reluctant to mention the next name.

"There is also Flying Cloud Fortress outside the city..."

Lu Tianhe's footsteps stopped. His brows drew together slightly at the mention of Flying Cloud Fortress.

"I heard that Flying Cloud Fortress has been very active lately, with frequent movements. It is not impossible that they entered the city to cause trouble."

His eyes narrowed, and a dangerous glint flashed through them.

"Flying Cloud Fortress?!!!"

---------

The Iron Mountain Escort Agency.

Fang Tieshan gathered a group of escort warriors in the courtyard. A new assignment had just arrived, and judging by his serious expression, it was not something he intended to leave to inexperienced hands.

"We received an order to escort a batch of goods to Maple Leaf Town. It will be a three-day round trip. Who is going?"

Old Guo immediately raised his hand. "I'll go."

Xiao Lin followed closely behind. "I'll go too."

Ye Qingyi said nothing. She simply stepped forward, her calm expression making it clear that she had already made her decision.

Fang Tieshan's gaze then fell on Lu Xuan.

"You go too. Help watch the carts and handle some odd jobs."

Lu Xuan was stunned. He had not expected to be included.

"Uncle Fang, I..."

"I'll pay you wages. One silver piece a day."

The rest of Lu Xuan's words vanished before he could say them.

One silver piece a day. Three days would be three silver pieces, enough to buy several pounds of meat. More importantly, this was a three-day round trip with Old Guo, an experienced head escort warrior, and Ye Qingyi, a Martial Artist Realm expert.

Fang Tieshan was clearly giving him a chance to earn some extra money while quietly looking after him.

Since someone was willing to give him an opportunity, there was no reason for him to refuse it.

"Alright."

Lu Xuan answered decisively.

-----------

Evening.

After returning home, Lu Xuan told Shen Yuyan about the trip to Maple Leaf Town.

The moment she heard that he would be leaving the city, worry appeared in her eyes.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from NovelPhoenix. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Lu Xuan quickly comforted her, explaining that it was only a three-day trip and that the escort team was made up of experienced warriors. There was no need for her to worry.

Of course, there was another reason they needed to rest early tonight.

They could not overexert themselves before leaving.

Shen Yuyan nodded, her cheeks turning red. In truth, she was usually the one who insisted on continuing every day, unwilling to disappoint her husband.

----------

The next morning.

Because they had rested for a few extra hours, Lu Xuan was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had already reached the sixth level of the Martial Apprentice Realm.

He could not help but sigh inwardly.

Sure enough, sometimes getting a little more rest really was the right choice.

After arriving at the escort agency, the team quickly prepared to set off.

There were three escort carts, six escort warriors, and Lu Xuan.

Old Guo rode at the front on horseback, glancing back at Lu Xuan with obvious displeasure.

"Why bring a piece of trash along? He's just a hindrance."

Xiao Lin was chewing on a grass stalk as he looked around. Hearing Old Guo's muttering, he leaned closer to Lu Xuan and whispered, "Don't pay him any mind."

Lu Xuan did not respond. He had heard insults like that countless times during his years in the Lu Family. Compared to those people, Old Guo's words barely stirred his emotions.

He did not ride a horse. Instead, he sat on one of the escort carts, quietly watching the mountains and forests on both sides of the road.

Maple Leaf Town lay north of Azure Sun City, and the route passed through a long mountain road.

At first, the road was still fairly wide. But as they went deeper into the mountains, it gradually narrowed. Dense forests pressed in from both sides, their branches blocking out much of the sunlight.

Then even the birdsong disappeared.

The silence settled over the road like a heavy blanket.

Lu Xuan's expression slowly changed.

Something felt wrong.

The Deer Form of the Five Animals Transformation Art was not merely a movement technique. After practicing it for so long, his body had developed an instinctive sensitivity to danger, much like a deer in the mountains.

Before the wind moved or the grass rustled, its ears would already be raised, warning it that something was approaching.

And now, every instinct in Lu Xuan's body was telling him that this silence was unnatural.

There were no birds singing.

No insects chirping.

Not even the faint rustling of small animals moving through the undergrowth.

It was as if the entire forest was holding its breath.

Lu Xuan frowned and lowered his voice so that only the people near the escort cart could hear him.

"Could there be danger? I heard there are often mountain bandits in this area."

Old Guo turned his head and gave him a contemptuous glance before snorting coldly.

"A piece of trash. I knew bringing him along would be troublesome. I don't know what the boss was thinking."

Lu Xuan's mouth twitched.

"I'm worr..."

"Shut up!"

Old Guo waved his hand impatiently, clearly having no patience for Lu Xuan's warning.

"If you keep blabbering, I'll throw you out to feed the wolves!"

Lu Xuan fell silent. He clenched his fingers slightly, suppressing the urge to punch the man in the face.

At that moment, Xiao Lin leaned over and whispered, "Brother Xuan, don't be afraid. I've traveled this road more than a dozen times, and nothing has ever happened. This escort trip is very safe."

Lu Xuan glanced at him and curled his lips.

Xiao Lin's words were meant to reassure him, but Lu Xuan trusted his own instincts more. The feeling in his chest had not faded. If anything, it had grown heavier.

The other escort warriors soon noticed his unease and began laughing among themselves.

"This kid is timid enough."

"Hahaha, maybe he didn't sleep well last night and had a nightmare."

"Coward. He'd be better off going home and hugging his wife to sleep. Why come out on an escort trip?"

Their laughter echoed through the narrow mountain road, sounding especially harsh against the unnatural silence of the forest.

Ye Qingyi was walking at the back of the group, and she heard every word. She did not join in the laughter, but even she felt that Lu Xuan was being overly cautious.

If someone really intended to rob the escort, she was confident that she would be the first to notice.

The escort team continued forward.

They had gone roughly another hundred paces when Ye Qingyi suddenly pulled on the reins.

Her horse stopped sharply.

Ye Qingyi's expression changed.

She felt it.

She had not heard anything, but she had sensed the same strange danger Lu Xuan had mentioned.

"Stop."

Her voice was low, but it carried clearly through the group.

Old Guo looked back with irritation. "What is it now?"

Ye Qingyi did not answer. Her hand slowly moved to the hilt of her blade as her sharp gaze swept across the dense forest.

Old Guo curled his lip.

"What is wrong with you two? I've been walking this road for twenty years..."

Whoosh—

An arrow suddenly shot out from the forest.

It struck the wooden board of the escort cart with a loud crack, the arrowhead sinking deep into the wood while its tail trembled violently.

Old Guo's unfinished words died in his throat.

"Ambush!"

The shout had barely left his mouth when dozens of figures burst from the forest. They carried blades and spears, surrounding the escort team from every direction.

At the front was a one-eyed man riding a horse. In his hand was a massive broadsword carved with a terrifying skull pattern.

"Flying Cloud Fortress is borrowing the road. Leave the goods and get lost."

Old Guo's face turned pale with anger, but he still forced a smile and cupped his fists.

"We are from the Iron Mountain Escort Agency. We are friends of Flying Cloud Fortress. Please..."

"Cut the crap."

The one-eyed man raised his broadsword, his single eye filled with cold killing intent.

"Even if the gods himself came today, these goods must stay."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand.

The mountain bandits roared and charged forward.

In an instant, the escort warriors clashed with the bandits of Flying Cloud Fortress. Blades struck against blades, shouts rang out, and the quiet mountain road erupted into chaos.

Lu Xuan quickly glanced over the battlefield.

There were roughly twenty-four mountain bandits on the other side, while the escort team had only six escort warriors.

Counting himself, that made seven people.

But Lu Xuan had no intention of revealing his true strength in front of everyone. Once his abilities were exposed, trouble would inevitably follow him back to Azure Sun City.

He lowered his eyes, his mind turning rapidly.

Then, an idea came to him.

Lu Xuan suddenly let out a terrified cry.

"Mommy!"

Before anyone could react, he rolled toward the front of the escort cart, lifted his leg, and kicked the horse hard in the rear.

The startled horse neighed and surged forward.

The cart jolted violently, knocking two mountain bandits off their feet before charging wildly down the mountain road.

Old Guo stared after it, his face turning purple with rage.

"Damn it! That piece of trash! He ran away!"