182: Chapter 182 The Lu Family

The Lu Residence was located at the end of a bluestone alley in the east of Yan City. A slightly weathered plaque hung above the lintel, and the two stone lions in front of the gate had their edges worn smooth by the passage of time.

The residence was not large, consisting of a three-section courtyard with several side rooms surrounding a small patio. In the patio, a crooked jujube tree was planted, with a stone table and stone stools placed beneath it.

Compared to the towering palaces of the Soul Realm, this place was as shabby as a woodshed, yet for some reason, Hun Muxiao felt this courtyard possessed something that the Soul Realm lacked.

Lu Qing shouted toward the main hall, "Dad, I picked up a little girl!"

A fit of violent coughing came from the main hall, and shortly after, an old man in his fifties came out to greet them.

He was thin, wearing a faded blue long robe, with a few strands of white hair at his temples. His features bore a slight resemblance to Lu Qing's, though with added calmness and gentleness honed by the years.

City Lord Lu Yuanshan, the head of the Lu family in Yan City, had the cultivation of a peak Dou Ling, which made him a figure of some standing in this small city.

"Qing'er, you're acting recklessly again."

City Lord Lu Yuanshan shook his head helplessly, his gaze falling on Hun Muxiao, and he was slightly taken aback.

He was a man of the world and could tell at a glance that the young girl in red before him was certainly not a child from an ordinary family.

He had never seen the material of that fiery red dress before, and the aura emanating from the nine-colored scale at her waist made even him, a peak Dou Ling, feel a faint palpitation.

He suppressed the shock in his heart, cupped his hands in a salute, and politely asked where she was from and how she had come to Yan City.

Hun Muxiao blinked and brought out the story she had fabricated earlier: she was from the Mu family in the Imperial Capital, they dealt in medicinal herbs, she had gone out alone to train, and she had been cornered by three ruffians in the alley before Lu Qing arrived in time to save her.

City Lord Lu Yuanshan pondered for a moment after listening and said that since Yan City was near the Magical Beast Mountain Range, there were all kinds of people, and it was indeed not safe for a girl to travel alone. If she didn't mind, she could stay at the Lu Residence tonight, and they could make other plans tomorrow.

Hun Muxiao agreed immediately and added sweetly, "Thank you, Uncle Lu."

City Lord Lu Yuanshan asked Lu Qing to take Hun Muxiao to the guest room in the west wing and instructed the kitchen to prepare a few extra dishes.

Lu Qing took Hun Muxiao's arm, walked through the corridor, and pushed open the door to the west wing guest room.

The room was not large, but it was kept spotlessly clean. The bed was covered with a freshly sun-dried quilt, and a pot of unknown plain white flowers sat on the windowsill.

Leaning against the door frame, Lu Qing, whose moon-white outfit still had dust on the cuffs from the alley earlier, said with a grin that she would take her to the Yan City morning market tomorrow. It was much livelier than the Imperial Capital; mercenaries would set up stalls to sell Magical Beast materials before dawn, and there was a wonton shop that was especially delicious.

Hun Muxiao leaned the blood abyss sword against the corner of the bed and sat on the edge, her fingers unconsciously fiddling with the nine-colored snake scale at her waist.

She wanted to ask about many things—how big Yan City was, who was in charge of the Jia Ma Empire now, and whether those three ruffians would come out to harm people again.

But she knew that asking too many questions would easily reveal her secrets, so she simply nodded.

Thinking she was just shy, Lu Qing didn't ask any more questions, closed the door for her, and returned to her own room.

Dinner was set in the main hall, and City Lord Lu Yuanshan had instructed the kitchen to prepare a table full of dishes.

Although they were not exotic delicacies, they were fresh and authentically prepared.

Hun Muxiao took a bite of the braised pork, and her peach-blossom eyes suddenly lit up—what she ate in the Soul Realm was always Soul Origin Pills, ten-thousand-year lingzhi, or grade nine medicinal meals, which were high in energy but bland and tasteless.

The bowl of glistening, salty, and fragrant braised pork before her was simply the most delicious thing she had eaten in her fifteen years of life.

She picked up several pieces in a row, her cheeks bulging. Lu Qing watched from the side, dumbfounded, asking how the young lady from the Imperial Capital could act like she had been starving for half a month.

Hun Muxiao replied indistinctly, "Because it's too delicious."

City Lord Lu Yuanshan sat opposite, watching the fierce way the young girl in red was eating, and the smile at the corners of his eyes was gradually replaced by a faint trace of worry.

He put down his chopsticks, hesitated several times, and finally spoke up, calling out, "Miss Mu."

Hun Muxiao raised her head from her rice bowl, a grain of rice still stuck to the corner of her mouth.

City Lord Lu Yuanshan carefully chose his words, saying that there were some things he shouldn't ask, but he had lived in Yan City for most of his life and knew the background of the three people who had blocked her in the alley today.

The bald man was named Zhao Laosan, and the other two were his sworn brothers. The three of them had been entrenched in the West Street of Yan City for years, specializing in robbing lone foreign merchants, and sometimes, they also took women by force.

In the past few years, at least four or five girls had fallen into their hands, and afterward, even their bodies could not be found.

Although the Lu family had some foundations in Yan City, Zhao Laosan was backed by a bandit gang from the Black-Corner Region called the Black Wind Stronghold, whose leader was a peak Dou Wang expert. The Lu family could not afford to provoke them.

This time, Lu Qing had ruined their plans in the alley, and given Zhao Laosan's vindictive nature, he would certainly not let the matter rest.

He himself was not afraid; having lived to this age, he had seen all kinds of storms, but he was truly worried about Qing'er and the young girl in red before him.

Seeing that Hun Muxiao had an extraordinary bearing and that the scale at her waist was not an ordinary object, he ventured to ask, "Does Miss Mu's family have some influence in the Imperial Capital? If you could send a message back to bring some reinforcements, I would feel more at ease."

Hun Muxiao put down her chopsticks, picked up a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth, and her mind raced.

City Lord Lu Yuanshan's words revealed several pieces of information: those three ruffians had a backer, the bandit gang called the Black Wind Stronghold often harmed people, and the Lu family did not have deep roots in Yan City and could not afford to provoke these desperadoes. More importantly, City Lord Lu Yuanshan was clearly worried to death, yet he did not urge her to leave immediately to distance herself, but instead asked if she had a way to protect herself.

This old man was a kind person.

She looked up at City Lord Lu Yuanshan, a trace of extreme seriousness flashing in her peach-blossom eyes: "Uncle Lu, I ran into those three people today. If they dare to come again, it will not be your Lu family's affair, but my affair."

"As for my family—my father does indeed have some abilities, but he is not here, and he won't be able to rush over for a while."

"However, rest assured, they are just a few petty thieves; they won't be able to stir up any trouble."

City Lord Lu Yuanshan still wanted to say something, but Lu Qing had already impatiently tapped the table, saying, "Dad, stop nagging. Mu Xiaoxiao has come from afar and hasn't even finished her meal. Save the serious talk for after she's full."

City Lord Lu Yuanshan sighed and didn't press further, but the trace of worry in his eyes never dissipated.

Hun Muxiao picked up her bowl and continued to eat, still enjoying it, but her right index finger tapped her knee lightly under the table.

A streak of blood-colored Dou Qi, completely invisible to the naked eye, silently escaped from her fingertip, penetrated the wall, crossed the alley, and spread silently toward the low-lying shantytown in the west of the city.

The tracking mark of an Emperor Realm Soul could not be detected by even a Dou Sheng, let alone a few Dou Ling.

She had left one on each of the three ruffians.

After dinner, Hun Muxiao returned to the west wing guest room, closed the doors and windows, and sat cross-legged on the bed to regulate her breathing.

Her Emperor Realm Soul spread out, and the entire Yan City was within her perception range.

In a dilapidated courtyard at the end of West Street, three men were drinking around an oil lamp.

The bald Zhao Laosan had his right arm wrapped in bandages, cursing and swearing, saying that today was truly damn bad luck, as a stinking woman had ruined their good deed.

The scarred man said in a low voice, "What's the rush? I've found out clearly; that girl in red went into the Lu Residence."

"The Lu family only has one old thing at the peak of Dou Ling in Yan City; he won't be able to stir up any trouble. In a few days, when the sky is high and the night is dark, we'll take care of them all at once."

The tall, thin man chuckled and added, "That girl from the Lu family is also a beauty. We'll catch her too when the time comes, and the three of us brothers will each take one."

"As for that old thing from the Lu family, just kill him; the Black Wind Stronghold will cover for us anyway. Since they dared to ruin our good deed, we must let the Lu family know what happens when they provoke us."

Hun Muxiao slowly opened her eyes, unmasked killing intent surging in her peach-blossom eyes.

Black Wind Stronghold? A peak Dou Wang?

She flicked her finger and extinguished the oil lamp on the windowsill. The room plunged into darkness, with only the cold sneer on her lips appearing and disappearing in the night.

No rush. Let these toads jump around for a few more days.

It's a good opportunity to see if that Black Wind Stronghold is worth her drawing a sword.