Chapter 29 - 28: The Groom Has Finally Arrived

Chapter 29: Chapter 28: The Groom Has Finally Arrived

Lu Jing’an and Chen Xuan returned to the Lin Family estate by car.

Even before they got out, the dilapidated scene was already in view.

The vermilion-lacquered main gate had long since vanished.

The courtyard walls had collapsed in several places.

The ground was littered with shattered bricks, broken tiles, and dried mud.

Only the festive red silks hung for the wedding remained.

They hung miserably between fractured beams and broken rafters.

Shuddering in the wind.

The color of the red cloth was strangely deeper than when Lu Jing’an had left.

It was so red it was almost black, and beads of blood were slowly forming at its edges.

Drip by drip, they seeped into the earth below.

Spreading into dark blossoms.

Seeing Lu Jing’an’s car arrive,

several men in black scrambled forward.

With deft movements, they used clean wooden planks and stones they had found somewhere,

and in the middle of the filthy, ravaged courtyard,

they painstakingly laid out a narrow but tidy path.

They stood respectfully on either side, their hands lowered.

Terrified that Young Master Lu’s gleaming, exquisite custom leather shoes

might be sullied by even a speck of dust or blood.

Lu Jing’an’s expression was placid.

Following this temporarily cleared path,

he walked slowly into the center of the courtyard.

At this moment, the vast courtyard was nearly filled with corpses.

Members of the Lin Family, members of the Li Family.

They lay scattered about, frozen in their final moments.

Lin Shouxin lay on his back.

His clothes, aside from a few wrinkles, were still fairly neat.

Only a conspicuous bullet hole in the center of his forehead marked a dignified End.

Lin Qingyi, beside him, was a different story.

Her bridal gown was riddled with a honeycomb of bullet holes, stained dark red.

Lu Jing’an’s gaze swept over her, and he understood.

’This was most likely my men,’

’who decided that my former fiancée had humiliated me,’

’and took the opportunity to vent their anger during the chaos.’

He shook his head almost imperceptibly.

He wasn’t a petty person.

Or rather,

he had never truly taken this short-sighted Miss Lin seriously,

let alone held a grudge against her.

It was just that his subordinates always loved to show their loyalty in this manner.

Without pausing, he walked right past the Lin Family members and toward the Li Family’s group on the other side.

The one at the head was Li Jinglin.

The Li Family’s Military Advisor, who had boasted of his infallible strategies,

had not been spared.

His body was covered in bullet holes.

He had likely believed victory was in his grasp,

and had positioned himself at the very front. When the gunfire erupted, he became the most obvious target.

Lu Jing’an paused briefly before him.

His gaze was devoid of emotion.

He then turned to his real targets—

the bodies of the four Cultivators.

Three Martial Cultivators and one Smoke Cultivator were laid out separately in a corner, setting them apart.

The elderly Smoke Cultivator was slumped on the ground,

his eyes wide with defiance.

He was still biting down hard on the brass mouthpiece

of his long, ebony-stemmed pipe.

The moment Lu Jing’an’s gaze focused on the pipe,

a faint light, invisible to ordinary people, surfaced in his eyes, and a line of text quietly appeared:

[Object detected that can be Refined/Repaired. Make a selection?]

"Secure this pipe."

Lu Jing’an turned his head and gave the order in a low voice to a trusted subordinate by his side.

"Yes, Young Master."

The subordinate responded crisply, stepping forward to carefully pry open the Smoke Cultivator’s clenched jaw.

He removed the pipe, which was still warm.

He wiped it meticulously with a snow-white handkerchief from his pocket,

then wrapped it carefully and tucked it into an inner pocket.

This was a spoil of war; there was naturally no reason to return it to the Li Family.

If the Li Family were to ask about it later, the phrase "destroyed by the hand of the Nine-fingered Yama" would be the perfect explanation.

Once the pipe left the body, a new prompt appeared over the Smoke Cultivator’s corpse:

[Divine Soul detected that can be Refined/Repaired. Collect?]

"[Collect]."

A flicker of intent crossed Lu Jing’an’s mind.

Next, he walked over to the other two Martial Cultivators.

The same prompt appeared, and he chose to collect theirs as well.

Finally, he stopped before the corpse of the Great Martial Cultivator who had Broken the Blood Barrier.

This man, conversely, had the fewest injuries.

Aside from a few light bruises and torn clothing,

there was only a clear, sunken Fist Seal over his heart.

He had clearly been killed by a single, fatal blow that had shattered his heart.

Lu Jing’an mused,

’It seems that when he fought my master, Chen Xuan,’

’the scene may have looked intense,’

’but in reality, he was utterly suppressed from beginning to end,’

’which is why he died so cleanly.’

[Divine Soul detected that can be Refined/Repaired. Collect?]

"[Collect]."

Lu Jing’an confirmed.

He couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation about what kind of entry he could Refine from the Divine Soul of this Great Martial Cultivator.

After examining the four Cultivator corpses,

Lu Jing’an surveyed the bloody courtyard, where there was hardly a clean place to stand, and frowned slightly.

"Master, the courtyard is filthy. Let’s go back to the car and wait,"

Lu Jing’an said to Chen Xuan, who had been standing silently as his Guard.

"Alright," Chen Xuan nodded, having no objection.

The two had just settled back into the car

when Director Liu from the Public Security Bureau came jogging up to the vehicle.

Through the car window, he lowered his voice and said:

"Young Master Lu, the Bureau Chief sent me to give you a message.

The Qian Family situation... it’s been handled. Cleanly."

Lu Jing’an showed no surprise, merely giving a slight nod.

He spoke to another attendant beside him:

"Take Director Liu to the back of the car,

and bring out the ’tea money’ we prepared.

Distribute it among the brothers who put in the work today.

Everyone worked hard."

"Yes, Young Master."

The attendant complied, leading Director Liu to the car’s trunk.

The lid opened, and Director Liu’s breath caught in his throat.

His eyes were filled with the gleam of silver; it was packed to the brim with shiny silver coins.

The glare was almost blinding.

A quick estimate told him it was at least 40,000 silver coins!

He had expected a hefty reward from the Lu Family, but he hadn’t imagined it would be this generous.

The entire Yin Mountain Public Security Bureau had been mobilized, numbering just under two hundred men.

This meant that, on average, each person would receive over two hundred silver coins!

For officers like them, a monthly salary of ten silver coins was already considered top-tier pay in Yin Mountain County.

Two hundred silver coins was almost two years’ salary!

Director Liu rubbed his hands together and hurried back to Lu Jing’an’s car window,

his voice filled with a mix of excitement and just the right amount of trepidation:

"Young Master Lu, this... this reward is too generous! The men feel they don’t deserve it!"

Lu Jing’an waved his hand dismissively, his tone casual yet unassailable:

"You men took a great risk for the Lu Family’s sake. This is what you’ve earned.

Just distribute it as I said."

"Yes! On behalf of all my brothers, I thank Young Master Lu for his immense generosity!"

Director Liu gave a deep bow, then asked,

"But as for the specific distribution of this sum, I’d like to ask for Young Master Lu’s instructions."

Lu Jing’an had already worked out the details and spoke slowly:

"All brothers who participated in the operation, regardless of rank, will receive a bonus equal to two years’ salary.

Those who were lightly injured in the action will receive an additional half-year’s salary.

For the seriously injured, an extra year.

If any brothers unfortunately died in battle,

their families will receive a one-time compensation of five years’ salary.

If the family has a son of suitable age, the Public Security Bureau will give him priority for recruitment."

Director Liu stood by, nodding repeatedly, his heart burning with excitement.

These arrangements were not just generous, but also thoughtful and righteous.

’I’m afraid that after hearing this, quite a few of the uninjured men’

’will secretly curse themselves for not getting lightly injured,’

’so they could get that extra half-year’s salary.’

"If that’s not enough money, there’s more in the car behind this one,"

Lu Jing’an said, pointing to another car following them.

"You two, go help Director Liu move it," Lu Jing’an ordered two of his men by the car.

"Oh my, I wouldn’t dare trouble Young Master Lu’s men!"

Director Liu quickly stopped them, then turned and bellowed to some men not far away.

"You two, come over here and lend a hand!"

The two officers who were called out came jogging over.

The moment they saw the chest full of silver coins, their eyes went wide.

Director Liu puffed out his chest, his voice booming to ensure many of the people nearby could hear:

"Look closely, everyone!

This is ’hardship pay,’ a special reward from the benevolent Young Master Lu, in consideration of all your hard work!

You two, carry it carefully over to that open space.

Tell the brothers to come over one by one and collect their reward according to the rules!

And don’t you forget whose grace this is!"

"Yes, sir! Thank you, Young Master Lu! Thank you, Director!"

The two officers snapped back to their senses, bowing and scraping in Lu Jing’an’s direction.

After showering him with thanks, they carefully lifted the chest.

The reward distribution point was set up not far from Lu Jing’an’s car.

Director Liu personally oversaw the process.

With every person,

he would loudly announce their name and the amount they were due.

Everyone who received their money was beaming with joy.

After taking the heavy silver coins, they all reflexively turned

and bowed respectfully or clasped their fists in gratitude toward Lu Jing’an’s car.

For a time, cries of "Thank you for the reward, Young Master Lu!" rose and fell.

Lu Jing’an sat calmly in his car, nodding slightly through the glass.

He thought to himself, ’Being a director really is different.’

When most of the rewards had been distributed,

an officer ran over in a hurry.

He whispered a few words in Director Liu’s ear.

Director Liu’s expression turned serious. He waved the man away,

adjusted his uniform, and hurried to Lu Jing’an’s car.

He bowed and whispered, his voice extremely low:

"Young Master Lu, the Li Family has arrived. Their convoy is at the end of the street."

A near-imperceptible arc formed on Lu Jing’an’s lips.

After all this work, after spilling so much blood,

wasn’t this the very moment he had been waiting for?

He recalled the taunt Li Jinglin had shouted at Lin Shouxin:

"Does the Lu Family dare return only one corpse to me?"

He sneered inwardly.

’Today, the Lu Family certainly won’t be returning just one corpse.’

’With so many bodies, returning only one...’

’It’s not like the Lu Family has room to store the rest, is it?’

"Understood."

Lu Jing’an’s tone was flat.

"You can handle the negotiations shortly.

I am but a common citizen. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to get involved in official business."

Director Liu understood perfectly and immediately straightened his back. "This subordinate understands. I will handle it properly."

Almost as soon as Director Liu’s voice fell,

a chaotic chorus of revving engines and screeching brakes approached from a distance.

Several cars, carrying a palpable Evil Qi, screeched to a halt outside the Lin Family’s ruined courtyard gate.

The Li Family’s eldest son, dressed as a groom,

had a face that was frighteningly ashen.

Flanked by two old men in Martial Attire whose temples bulged and whose gazes were like lightning,

he shoved the car door open and stepped out.

His steps were unsteady, and his eyes were ringed with the dark circles of debauchery,

completely out of place amidst the grim slaughter of the courtyard.

But the venom and malice on his face were thick and suffocating.

Chen Xuan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, sat up a little straighter and said to Lu Jing’an:

"Young Master, two tough ones have arrived. Their skills are considerable.

I’ll go down to keep an eye on things, just in case."

Lu Jing’an nodded. "I’ll leave it to you, Master. Be careful."

Chen Xuan silently opened his door, got out, and stood beside the car, his presence as deep and unmoving as a mountain.

He didn’t step forward, but his aura, which subtly blanketed the entire scene,

had already caused the pupils of the two old men flanking the Li Family’s young master to contract.

Their steps faltered involuntarily, and their muscles tensed.

The Li Family’s eldest son, however, seemed not to notice, or perhaps he was too consumed by rage.

After getting out of the car, he didn’t even glance at the officers blocking his way and started to barge into the courtyard.

"Stop!"

Director Liu took a swift step forward, extending an arm.

He blocked the Li Family’s eldest son, his face stern and his voice loud, carrying the cold, business-like tone of official duty:

"This is the scene of a major crime, currently under investigation!

Unauthorized personnel are forbidden from entering!"