Chapter 126 - 101: Looting a Burning House

Chapter 126: Chapter 101: Looting a Burning House

"With you here, Father can act with more confidence, and everyone in the family will be more at ease.

Your value is far greater than just fetching a Fist Manual for me."

Seeing the clear, determined look in Lu Jing’an’s eyes,

Chen Xuan said no more. He just gave a heavy nod, cupped his fist, and said, "I understand. I am at your disposal, Young Master."

「An hour later.」

News from outside the city began to trickle in.

The county magistrate paid a personal visit, hoping to ask Lu Huaiqian to come out and help manage the situation. Instead, he was met with a closed door.

There was nothing the county magistrate could do. He had only himself to blame for speaking so rashly and without a filter.

About two hours later, a more detailed report from the investigation outside the city arrived.

One of Lu Huaiqian’s confidants delivered it personally to Lu Jing’an’s courtyard:

"Young Master, the scene was disguised to look like a robbery and murder by mountain bandits.

The carriage was overturned, the horses killed, and valuables plundered, but there is no way this was the work of common brigands.

The perpetrators are professionals. They came prepared, and their plan was terrifyingly meticulous."

"First, the guns.

They have Sharpshooters—more than one.

Everyone who was shot, from Minister Zhou down to the last Guard,

was killed by a single shot.

Every bullet was fatal, hitting either between the eyes or right in the heart.

The angle and depth of entry for each wound were nearly identical. Clean and efficient.

Moreover,

not a single person had a second bullet wound.

This means the shooters were incredibly steady and accurate.

They were completely certain of their shot from the moment they pulled the trigger; they never needed a second bullet.

That’s not the kind of marksmanship you see from common bandits."

"Now, for the Martial Cultivators."

The investigator continued,

"There were signs of a fierce struggle at the scene, but it was mostly concentrated around Minister Zhou’s carriage.

The captain of the Guard was a trained martial artist, and not a weak one.

But judging from the wounds on his body,

his ribs were completely shattered, his sternum caved in.

It looks like he was struck head-on with immense force and killed in a single blow.

The other tough ones also died horribly, most with their Tendons and Bones broken.

The assailant’s strength and technique were both ruthless and practiced. Their cultivation realm is by no means low.

We are not skilled enough to determine their exact level.

But they are certainly far beyond any ordinary Hospital Martial Artist. I fear they have already reached the Great Success Realm of Bone Cultivation."

He paused for a moment before continuing:

"Furthermore, based on some very faint traces left at the scene,

we’ve determined that there were at least two or three other Cultivators present at the time.

They didn’t directly participate in the killing. Their main purpose

was apparently to use a Technique to isolate the sounds of the fight in that area.

They also sealed off the perimeter, forming an invisible barrier to prevent anyone from getting lucky and escaping to raise the alarm."

The investigator glanced up at Lu Jing’an, then quickly lowered his head again.

"A lineup like this, a setup this elaborate...

Every step was calculated, every part interlinked. ℴ

This is far beyond the capabilities of a disorderly mob of bandits.

Disguising the scene to look like a robbery and murder...

It was just a token effort to cover their tracks, a mere formality for anyone who came after."

Lu Jing’an listened in silence, his expression betraying no surprise.

These conclusions aligned with what he had already suspected.

’If the Bai Family was going to make a move, of course they wouldn’t leave such amateurish openings.’

’The question now is, after this Thunderous Strike,’

’where will the Bai Family’s next move land?’

’And what form will it take?’

’Will they continue to target the Public Security Bureau?’

’Or will they go straight for the Lu Family’s businesses?’

’Or... attack from a more insidious angle?’

He waved his hand, dismissing the exhausted and still-shaken investigator to get some rest.

He also instructed the bookkeeper to give him an extra reward.

Then he walked to the window alone and pushed it halfway open.

The winter sun set early, and it was now deep into the night.

A chill blast of air surged in, carrying the scent of damp earth and decaying vegetation.

Lu Jing’an gently clenched his fist, feeling the qi and blood within him circulate slowly with each breath.

A warm strength coursed through his muscles and fascia.

’No matter what the Bai Family does next, be it an open assault or a dagger in the dark,

only my own strength is the foundation for handling any eventuality, for cutting through all the fog.’

’I need to get faster, and stronger.’