Chapter 107 - 95: Even the Silent Villain Must Die

Chapter 107: Chapter 95: Even the Silent Villain Must Die

A faint CRACK echoed through the air where Lu Jing’an had been standing.

His figure blurred and stretched, transforming into a series of afterimages that flickered between illusion and reality.

It was as if a tear had been ripped through the fabric of the night itself!

His speed was so great, it far surpassed the limits of human Eye Power.

He even left behind a transient, white afterimage that slowly dissipated where he had stood.

The Bamboo Pole Guest across from him finally seemed to sense the mortal danger.

A muscle in his perpetually expressionless face twitched almost imperceptibly.

His grip on the pole tightened as his body tensed to move!

But it was too late.

Lu Jing’an had already materialized before him like a phantom, less than a foot away.

There were no fancy moves. It was utterly simple.

A straight punch, holding nothing back.

It landed squarely on his chest.

"THUD!"

It was a sound muffled to the extreme, like a heavy mallet striking worn-out leather.

The Bamboo Pole Guest’s body went rigid. With a loud RIP, the back of his long robe tore open.

His feet left the ground, and his entire body was launched backward like a boulder from a catapult.

He shot backward at an appalling speed!

"BOOM!!!"

His body crashed violently into the ruins of the courtyard’s screen wall.

The thick, bluestone wall, as if struck by a cannonball, utterly collapsed, sending clouds of dust into the air.

When the dust settled, all that could be seen amidst a pile of rubble and shattered bricks...

...was the Bamboo Pole Guest, embedded in the debris at an unnatural angle, his chest deeply caved in.

Countless bones in his body must have been shattered. He was already dead.

He looked like a smashed clay puppet.

Lu Jing’an slowly retracted his fist. He stood with his arms at his sides, glanced at the pile of rubble, and murmured to himself:

"Didn’t anyone ever tell you? The silent villains die just the same."

[A Divine Soul is detected, available for Refining/Repair. Collect?]

[Collect.]

He completed the action with a mere thought.

Only then did Lu Jing’an let out a sigh of relief. He raised a hand to straighten his rolled-up cuffs.

"RIP."

A soft tearing sound echoed.

He looked down. His fine, white shirt had split open in several places from his shoulder down to his ribs.

It revealed the dark, pliable Soft Armor he wore underneath.

His pant legs also showed signs of having been strained to the point of tearing.

"Tsk, I overdid it,"

Lu Jing’an shook his head helplessly, muttering to himself.

"Looks like I’ll have to find a way to get a sturdier outfit.

Ripping my clothes every time I make a move really doesn’t fit my image."

Lu Jing’an dusted himself off and walked back into the ravaged main hall.

Lu Huaiqian watched his son, tattered and torn, walk back with such composure.

The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly before he regained the steady demeanor of the Patriarch.

"Father," Lu Jing’an said, his voice clear.

"Have the men from the security team who can still move patrol the streets immediately.

I’m worried there are still insiders in the city, looking to stir up trouble amidst the chaos.

I’ve already dealt with the vermin at the docks, the armory, and the granary, but some may have slipped through the net."

Lu Huaiqian nodded firmly, not hesitating for a second.

He immediately turned to the few retainers who had managed to struggle to their feet and issued his orders in a resolute voice.

"Jing’an."

Lu Huaisan rushed over, raising a hand to clap Lu Jing’an on the shoulder again.

But when he saw his nephew’s torn clothes, his hand stopped in mid-air.

It finally came to rest gently. His eyes were a little red, and a thousand words were reduced to just three.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Lu Jing’an smiled at his forthright Third Uncle.

"Third Uncle, Jinhao and Jinglin must have been frightened.

You should go check on them.

I’ll come talk with you later, once things have settled down."

"Ah! Right! Right!" Lu Huaisan wiped his face with his sleeve, gave a hearty reply, and hurried off toward the rear hall.

Lu Jing’an then turned to his Second Uncle, Lu Huaichuan, who wore a complex expression, looking as if he wanted to speak but was holding back. "Second Uncle," Lu Jing’an said gently, "I’ll have to trouble you to check on our two aunts and calm them down."

Lu Huaichuan looked at the nephew before him, who seemed to have become unfathomably profound overnight.

Yet this nephew still showed such consideration for his family. A thousand emotions welled up in Lu Huaichuan’s heart.

He stepped forward, clapped Lu Jing’an firmly on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "You’re truly looking more and more like a future Patriarch."