Chapter 22: Search!!

Late at night.

Shen Yuyan was already asleep.

Lu Xuan watched her peaceful breathing for a moment before quietly getting out of bed.

He stepped into the courtyard and stood beneath the night sky, his gaze settling in the direction of the Lu Family estate.

The Lu Family and Flying Cloud Fortress were still holding themselves back.

Neither side had made the first major move.

They were circling one another like two dogs, each waiting to see which one would bite first.

Lu Xuan's eyes narrowed, that wouldn't do.

If they kept hesitating, things would take too long, "It seems..."

He murmured softly, "I need to give them a little push."

His figure vanished from the courtyard.

-----------

The next day.

Early morning.

[Ding! Sleep Cultivation complete.]

[Five Animals Transformation Art progress: 93%.]

[Deer Form: Great Perfection. Tiger Form: Great Perfection. Bear Form: Great Perfection. Crane Form: Great Perfection. Ape Form: 85%.]

[Demon-Subduing Righteous Sun Blade progress: 0%.]

[Current Realm: Martial Artist Realm: Level One.]

Martial Artist Realm.

Lu Xuan opened his eyes, a faint smile appeared on his face.

He had finally crossed the threshold, after washing up, he headed to the escort agency.

He hadn't even properly sat down in the gatehouse before Xiao Lin came rushing over, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Brother Xuan! Something HUGE happened!"

Lu Xuan looked at him.

"What happened?"

"One of the Lu Family's warehouses was burned down by Flying Cloud Fortress!"

Xiao Lin's eyes were wide with excitement.

"I didn't expect them to make such a big move!"

He scratched his head.

"I just don't know what was in that warehouse or whether it was important."

Lu Xuan paused, then he casually answered, "Silk and satin."

Xiao Lin blinked, "Very valuable."

"Eh?"

Xiao Lin stared at him, "How do you know?"

Lu Xuan didn't answer, Because I'm the one who lit the match.

Instead, he calmly looked away.

"Oh! Right, I forgot you used to be..."

Xiao Lin suddenly stopped, he realized he had almost touched a sore subject.

"Ahem. Anyway..."

He quickly changed the topic.

"On my way to the agency this morning, I saw that young master of the Lu Family."

"Lu Hao."

He shook his head.

"He was leading a whole column of men out of the city on horseback. They're probably heading straight for Flying Cloud Fortress."

Lu Xuan remained silent, Lu Hao.

Oh, Lu Hao...

You'd better be careful out there, don't you dare die at someone else's hands.

That privilege is reserved for me, Xiao Lin was still talking.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... this is definitely going to be a bloodbath!"

---------------

Thick black smoke was still rising from the ruins of the Lu Family warehouse when Lu Hao's forces reached Flying Cloud Fortress.

The burning of that single warehouse had enraged the entire Lu clan.

What infuriated them most was how precise the attack had been.

The Lu Family owned dozens of properties, shops, and warehouses throughout the city.

Yet Flying Cloud Fortress had somehow identified and targeted the most valuable one.

Inside had been the finest silks and satins transported all the way from the Southern Provinces.

Their total value...

Three hundred thousand silver pieces, that number alone was enough to make the entire Lu clan furious, they wanted to skin every last person in Flying Cloud Fortress alive.

Lu Hao was the most furious of them all, he led six clan Elders and nearly a hundred Martial Academy apprentices straight to the fortress.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on NovelPhoenix, not stolen versions.

He swore that he would leave no one standing, regardless of age or gender, not even the livestock.

He would even dig up the earthworms beneath the fortress and chop them in half if that could somehow vent the hatred boiling in his chest.

The battle was brutal, Flying Cloud Fortress fought with the desperation of cornered animals, refusing to surrender even when the situation became hopeless.

The Lu Family paid a heavy price for its victory, two clan Elders died, thirty Martial Academy apprentices were killed.

Another massive expense.

Another pile of dead bodies.

Another debt written in blood.

Lu Hao himself suffered only a minor wound to his arm and was otherwise fine, but when the dust finally settled...

All eighty-seven people inside Flying Cloud Fortress, young and old, had been slaughtered, the fortress was set ablaze, an eye for an eye.

A life for a life.

And yet, despite winning, no one in the Lu Family could bring themselves to celebrate, the victory had cost too much, the ride back was almost completely silent.

------------------

As they passed through a particular stretch of mountain forest, Lu Hao suddenly pulled on his reins.

"Young Master? Where are we going?"

"To the Ancestral Home."

The group turned east, they rode for a while before an old thatched cottage finally appeared through the trees, Lu Hao dismounted.

He walked to the door and pushed it open, but the room was empty, cold, dust covered the furniture.

No one had lived here for a long time, Lu Hao slowly scanned the room.

He was about to turn away when something in the corner caught his attention.

A pile of bones, he crouched down and picked one up, A wolf bone.

His brows furrowed, upon closer inspection, the bone hadn't been cut, It hadn't been broken by a weapon, It had been smashed.

Completely shattered by overwhelming force, Lu Hao's eyes narrowed, who could smash a wolf to death with their bare hands?

His first thought was absurd: that trash?

He stood and walked outside. The courtyard had long since become overgrown with weeds, but an old locust tree still stood in the center.

Lu Hao stopped. The trunk was covered in fist marks. Some were shallow, barely leaving a dent in the bark, while others were much deeper... deep enough to completely shatter the bark and expose the pale wood beneath.

Lu Hao slowly reached out and touched one of the deepest marks. His fingers traced the edges, and his expression gradually darkened.

"That trash Lu Xuan..."

His voice was low, "How long did he live here?"

The servant beside him immediately lowered his head.

"I... I don't know."

Lu Hao said nothing. He remained beneath the tree, staring at the fist marks. The wind moved through the leaves overhead. For some reason, the sound suddenly seemed very quiet.

Could a piece of trash kill a wolf? Could a piece of trash leave fist marks like these on a tree?

Lu Hao wasn't sure. But for the first time in his life, when he thought about Lu Xuan, he felt something he had never felt before: doubt. A faint, unsettling doubt.

He remembered the Lu Xuan he had known: weak, useless, a person who couldn't even cultivate, and someone everyone in the Lu Family had long since stopped caring about.

Yet now...

Lu Hao looked at the shattered wolf bone in his hand. His fingers tightened.

Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe everyone had been wrong.

His expression became cold.

"Search."

The servant looked up, Lu Hao turned toward him.

"Even if you have to tear this entire city apart, stone by stone..."

His eyes were filled with suspicion something more... fear, "Find that trash for me."

"Yes!"