Chapter 122 - 100: Ambush at the Entrance

Chapter 122: Chapter 100: Ambush at the Entrance

The wait seemed to grow even longer.

After about half an hour, just as the crowd began to whisper amongst themselves and cold sweat beaded on the county magistrate’s forehead...

...the car that had been sent out came tearing back from the end of the road like a startled beast, moving much faster than it had on its way out.

Its tires screeched against the frozen earth, letting out a piercing sound.

Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, it screeched to a precarious halt in front of them, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The car door was thrown open, and the two men who had been sent out practically tumbled out.

Their faces were as pale as paper, their lips trembled, and their eyes were filled with horror.

One of them staggered and fell before Lu Huaiqian, his voice distorted with sheer terror:

"Director... Director Lu!

It’s... it’s terrible!

Something’s happened... up ahead!

Minister Zhou and his men... they’ve... they’ve all been killed!

There wasn’t a single survivor!"

"What?!"

Lu Huaiqian’s pupils contracted, and the air around him instantly turned cold.

Hearing this, the surrounding gentry representatives erupted in an uproar, looks of horror on every face.

The county magistrate’s reaction was even more extreme. He took a sharp step back.

As if trying to avoid a plague, he then pointed a finger.

Trembling, he pointed at Lu Huaiqian and shrieked:

"You... Lu Huaiqian! How could you!

How dare you ambush and kill Minister Zhou on the road?

He was personally chosen by Secretary Hu, appointed by the province..."

Before he could finish, two gazes from Lu Huaiqian, so cold they held not a trace of human emotion, stabbed toward him like tangible shards of ice, freezing the rest of his words in his throat.

"If my father wanted to kill Zhou Renli,"

Lu Jing’an stepped forward, positioning himself slightly in front of and to the side of his father.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly cut through the noise of the crowd and the wind.

His gaze swept over the terrified county magistrate and the agitated crowd, his tone terrifyingly calm.

"would he choose to do it at a location barely a fifteen-minute drive from Yin Mountain County Town?

Wouldn’t that be tantamount to announcing to the world that the Lu Family killed Zhou Renli?

Use your head, Magistrate."

He paused, then continued, each word landing like a cold stone hitting the ground:

"Furthermore, Minister Zhou was being escorted to his post by an elite unit from the Provincial Public Security and Garrison Department.

There were no fewer than several dozen of them, all skilled fighters.

If the Lu Family had truly made a move, how many men would we need to mobilize to leave no survivors?

Have there been any recent movements of armed personnel of such a scale in or around Yin Mountain County?

Once the province launches a thorough investigation, tracing it layer by layer, could the Lu Family escape involvement?

This is clearly a case of someone committing murder and trying to divert the blame, framing my Lu Family!

Instead of considering how to investigate the scene and apprehend the real culprit,

you’re in a hurry to slander the Lu Family’s good name. What is the meaning of this?"

The county magistrate was rendered speechless by this clear, logical, and cutting series of questions, his face flushing red and pale by turns.

Only then did he snap out of it, realizing that in his panic, anger, and fear, he had misspoken.

’What kind of man is Lu Huaiqian? How could he do something so foolish?’

Besides, he had indeed been secretly monitoring the Lu Family’s activities, and there had been absolutely no signs of any large-scale personnel mobilization recently.

The one said to have the highest Martial Arts, Chen Xuan, had never even left the county town.

With the Lu Family’s publicly known strength in Yin Mountain, it would indeed be difficult to silently eliminate Zhou Renli’s convoy, which was protected by dozens of skilled fighters from the province.

"Director... Director Lu, Young Master Lu, just now... just now I was muddled with panic.

I spoke without thinking. I... I beg you, Director and Young Master, to be magnanimous and forgive me! Please, forgive me!"

The magistrate pulled out a handkerchief and wiped ceaselessly at the cold sweat on his forehead, bowing repeatedly in apology with an extremely deferential posture.

Lu Huaiqian had recovered from his initial shock by now. He paid no mind to the magistrate’s disgraceful display.

His brow was tightly furrowed, his mind racing.

’I don’t even need to send men to investigate this matter in detail.

I can already guess most of it. Nine times out of ten, it was the Bai Family’s doing!

I expected the Bai Family wouldn’t just sit by and watch Secretary Hu’s faction take over Xin City smoothly.

They were bound to make a move, but I never thought they would be so brazen.

To strike so close to Yin Mountain County Town!

This isn’t just a harsh show of force against Secretary Hu; it’s a blatant warning and show of contempt for the Lu Family.

I’ll strike right on your doorstep, and you, Lu Huaiqian, will be none the wiser beforehand. And what can you do to me afterward?’

"Has the scene been secured? Have any unauthorized personnel approached?"

Seeing his father lost in thought, Lu Jing’an knew he was weighing the bigger picture.

He once again took the initiative to assume command of the situation, asking the messenger in a low voice.

His face was still young, but the composure and authority emanating from him now could not be underestimated.

"Young... Young Master, we left four of our brothers there to guard the scene and keep anyone from getting close," the messenger quickly replied, his voice still trembling slightly.

"Could you tell who did it? Were there any obvious traces left behind?"

Lu Jing’an pressed, but his heart couldn’t help but beat faster.

He recalled what the man had said just moments ago: the scene was a mess, with clear signs of being searched!

"It... it looked like they were ambushed by mountain bandits."

The messenger tried to recall the bloody, terrifying scene, the lingering fear still visible on his face.

"The cars were all ransacked, and luggage and valuables were scattered everywhere.

Minister Zhou... and the valuables on the guards, they all seem to be gone.

Oh, right! A small leather case that Minister Zhou was carrying with him was pried open.

It was empty inside. We don’t know what was in it."

When Lu Jing’an heard the words "a small leather case... pried open... empty inside,"...

...his heart sank, as if seized by an icy fist.

To be honest, Lu Jing’an didn’t particularly care whether Zhou Renli lived or died.

But the Six Harmonies Fist Manual, which could be crucial to his future in Martial Arts, absolutely could not be lost!