Chapter 25 - 24: Bloody Wedding

Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Bloody Wedding

Two squads of Public Security Bureau officers arrived in front of the Lin family’s old residence. Acting with well-trained precision, they immediately formed an impenetrable cordon around the front and back of the estate. Five or six Sharpshooters were positioned in the surroundings. The muzzles of their rifles glinted coldly in the twilight, like the eyes of beasts waiting to devour their prey. From their high vantage points, they locked down every corner of the courtyard.

Such a massive commotion naturally alarmed Lin Shouxin and Li Jinglin. Peering through the crack in the window at the formation outside, Lin Shouxin’s face turned deathly pale. He frantically stumbled into the inner chamber to seek Li Jinglin’s advice.

Li Jinglin was also standing by the window. His brows were furrowed deeply, and his fingertips unconsciously twisted a corner of his long gown. According to his observations and calculations over the past few days, even if the Lu family refused to let matters rest after suffering such a stifled loss, they absolutely wouldn’t dare to cause too much of a stir. After all, the eldest young master of the Li family would be arriving soon, so the Lu family had to weigh the consequences. However, this current posture clearly looked like they were here to raid the estate and exterminate the entire household. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"Steward Li!" Lin Shouxin’s voice trembled, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. "What exactly is the Lu family trying to pull? You have to give me a solid plan!"

At this moment, Lin Shouxin was completely out of ideas and could only rely on Li Jinglin to figure something out. Li Jinglin was also somewhat uncertain about the Lu family’s stance now, but he suppressed the doubts in his heart. By the time he turned around, his face had recovered its usual composure. He even brushed some nonexistent dust off his cuff and spoke in a steady tone, "Master Lin, relax.

"Our young master is already on the way, so the Lu family wouldn’t dare do anything drastic.

"You go out and stall them for a bit. Li will join you shortly."

Hearing these words, Lin Shouxin’s emotions stabilized slightly. "Okay, okay, I will go out and ask them first."

After Lin Shouxin left, Li Jinglin’s expression suddenly darkened. He walked over to the curio cabinet in the chamber and immediately spoke to the empty corner of the wall, "Go find Lawrence at once. If anything goes wrong on our end, tell Lawrence to forcefully break through and fight his way out of Yin Mountain County immediately."

Naturally, Li Jinglin wasn’t actually speaking to thin air. He was a cautious and careful man; even with absolute certainty, he would always leave a backup plan. That Ting Xiu was his backup plan. Li Jinglin had stationed the Ting Xiu outside the Lin family’s residence early on, with the sole mission of constantly listening for his commands—just like now. After giving his orders to the Ting Xiu, Li Jinglin straightened his navy-blue gown and promptly left the room.

In the residential courtyard of a narrow alley, just one wall away.

The Ting Xiu, dressed in gray coarse martial attire, immediately and silently vaulted out of the backyard after hearing the command. Before his feet could even touch the ground, his body suddenly stiffened. Underneath the old locust tree in the courtyard, a man stood with his arms crossed. It was unknown how long he had been waiting there. The man’s figure was not burly and was even somewhat lean, but his entire being emanated a serene aura like a Mountain Range. It was none other than Chen Xuan.

The Ting Xiu’s pupils contracted sharply, knowing he had stumbled into a deadly trap. Pushing off with his toes, he tried to dart backward onto the top of the wall. However, the moment he moved, Chen Xuan’s figure stuck to him like a phantom. Striking with lightning speed, Chen Xuan’s five fingers grabbed and locked.

CRACK!

With a soft sound, the Ting Xiu’s cervical spine snapped. The light in his eyes extinguished instantly, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

"Young Master, it’s done," Chen Xuan said as he pushed open the courtyard door to Lu Jing’an, who was standing outside.

Lu Jing’an walked in. His well-tailored dark gray suit accentuated his tall and straight posture. He lowered his eyes and glanced at the corpse on the ground, lingering for about ten seconds.

[Divine Soul available for Refining/restoration detected. Do you wish to collect it?]

Lu Jing’an decisively chose [Collect]. This was exactly what he had come here for, after all. However, now was not the time for Refining; he still had a show to put on. Having collected the Divine Soul, Lu Jing’an turned to Chen Xuan and said, "Master, let’s go."

After confirming there was no entry, Lu Jing’an didn’t plan on wasting any more time. Chen Xuan nodded, and the master and disciple turned and left the courtyard.

After the two departed.

Someone immediately entered the courtyard to clean up and process the scene.

This location was not far from the Lin family’s main entrance; the car reached it just after turning a corner.

When Lu Jing’an stepped out of the car in his impeccable suit, he saw Lin Shouxin sweating profusely, arguing about something with the action department head of the Public Security Bureau. When Lin Shouxin spotted Lu Jing’an getting out of the car, he braced himself despite the fear in his heart and greeted him, "Nephew Lu."

Hearing the greeting, Lu Jing’an walked up to Lin Shouxin and asked, "Uncle Lin, what is going on here?"

Seeing Lu Jing’an playing dumb, Lin Shouxin didn’t dare expose him and merely said, "This director claims that the master thief, Nine-fingered Yama, has fled into our Lin family estate. He wants to lead his men to search our home. Isn’t this just spouting blatant lies? That Nine-fingered Yama was riddled with bullets. He died right at the entrance of our residence. How could he possibly run into our home?"

Lu Jing’an’s gaze swept over Lin Shouxin’s pale face before turning to the stern-looking director. He asked gently, "Director Liu, what is going on?"

Director Liu snapped to attention with a STOMP, his voice booming. "Reporting to Young Master Lu! My brothers and I tracked the notorious thief, Nine-fingered Yama, all the way here. We saw him scale the Lin family’s courtyard wall with our own eyes! To prevent the criminal from harming anyone, we’ve come specifically to conduct a search and make an arrest!"

Hearing this, Lu Jing’an turned back to Lin Shouxin, displaying just the right amount of concern. "Uncle Lin, since there are witnesses, it’s best to let Director Liu and his men conduct a search. That Nine-fingered Yama is a desperate fugitive. If he is truly hiding in your residence, it wouldn’t be good if he frightened the ladies of the house."

Lin Shouxin looked as if he had been struck by lightning. Pointing a trembling finger at the bluestone pavement in front of the main gate, he cried out, "Nephew Lu! How... how can you spout such blatant lies?! That day... that Nine-fingered Yama died right there! You saw it with your own eyes!"

"That’s right," Lu Jing’an nodded, his tone flat and emotionless. "He did fall there that day. But who knew he would fake his death to escape, fooling all of us."

"You! You!" Blood rushed to Lin Shouxin’s head, and his vision darkened in bursts.

"Lu Jing’an!" A harsh shout with a foreign accent rang out from inside the gates.

Lin Qingyi stepped out hurriedly, supported by her maidservants. She was dressed in a snow-white Void World wedding dress, her veil trailing on the ground. Tilting her chin up, her azure eyes were filled with disgust and arrogance as she shouted loudly in the French Language, "You cowardly, despicable wretch! You only know how to use such underhanded tactics to ruin my wedding! Do you think this will stop me? My husband will never let you get away with this!"

Lu Jing’an’s gaze landed on her, and the corners of his lips curled into an extremely faint smirk. Unexpectedly, he replied in fluent and elegant French Language, "Are you referring to Peter? Unfortunately, I’m afraid he won’t make it in time for the auspicious hour. By the time he arrives, perhaps he’ll be just in time to collect your body and bury you. I checked the almanac before leaving the house today; it is an auspicious day for breaking ground and burials."

Lin Qingyi froze instantly, her pupils dilating as if seeing the man in front of her clearly for the first time. His accent was pure, and his choice of words even carried a classical elegance she wasn’t entirely familiar with. She wondered how this could be possible.

"You... you can speak the French Language?" Her mother tongue slipped out, trembling with disbelief.

"Is it difficult?" Lu Jing’an chuckled softly.

He then switched to the deep, precise German Language, repeating his previous words with every syllable clear and accurate. Although Lin Qingyi didn’t understand the German Language, she had heard international students from Germany conversing before. That intonation and imposing aura were definitely not empty bluffs. The color drained from her face, and the superiority and pride she had accumulated over years of studying abroad completely shattered at this moment. She had always viewed him as an ignorant, closed-minded playboy, but right now...

"What... what did he say?" Lin Shouxin hurriedly pulled at his daughter’s sleeve.

Lin Qingyi turned her head numbly, murmuring the translation in dry Chinese, "He said Peter won’t make it in time for the auspicious hour. When he arrives, he can just in time bury us. He said today is an auspicious day for burials."

"B-burials...?!" Lin Shouxin repeated numbly, his legs giving way. Stumbling backward a couple of steps, his back slammed hard against the freezing stone gate block. He looked up at Lu Jing’an’s entirely placid face. A surge of icy terror shot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Lu Jing’an was here today... to kill!