Chapter 44: Enraged Slaughter! (Part 1)

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  After solving the three killing swordsmen, Lu Qing and his party set off again and finally returned to Chaoyang Town before midnight.

  At this time, Chaoyang Town had gradually returned to silence, and the smoke from each household's kitchen had slowly faded away. Only the oil lamps in each home were still lit. It was already winter, and the Purple Mist Sect region had distinct seasons. Now, Chaoyang Town was also unusually cold. Under the eaves of the houses, on the fences, icicles hung down one by one, emitting waves of cold air. The puddles of water that had accumulated on the ground during the day quickly froze as soon as they were blown by the night wind.

  On a cold winter's night, the streets of Chao Yang Town were not bustling with activity. Only some wine houses remained open, occasionally emitting the sounds of cups and chopsticks clinking together, as well as the loud calls of waiters serving dishes. A familiar feeling washed over Lu Qing, who felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him. This was probably the longest time he had spent away from home since growing up. Now that he had returned to Chao Yang Town, he couldn't help but feel a warm sensation in his heart, and at the same time, a sudden urge to see his mother arose within him.

  They dispersed the four mountain men at the town entrance, and Yi Lao and Lu Qing went straight to the Lu residence. Along the way, there were few people, only the regular town guards wearing wide-bladed sharp long swords, braving the cold wind to patrol the streets and alleys. Nowadays, the offerings of Chaoyang Town have been completely allocated to the Lu family, so it can be said that the current guardian of Chaoyang Town is Lu Qing. The real enthronement will have to wait until he comes of age at 16 and wears a crown. For now, his mother Yan Ruyu is in charge.

  "Isn't that Yi Zhen Guan?"

  "It seems there is still a young master."

  Perhaps it was Lu Qing's Heart Refining Sword that was too eye-catching, the leader of the ten-man patrol team from the Town Guard noticed them at first glance.

  Since Lu Yun's passing six months ago, the Zixia Sect has added rewards and the Lu family's status has risen with the tide. Correspondingly, Yi Lao, who was originally just the daily manager of the Lu family, has now become the town manager of the entire Chaoyang Town, regardless of whether it is managing the streets, coming and going merchants, or making decisions on the daily disputes of the sect members, all have been handed over to him by Yan Ruyue.

  "Town Master, something's wrong!" The two town guards immediately ran towards Lu Qing and the other, their faces anxious.

  Yi Lao and Lu Qing's faces changed at the same time. Had something happened to Mother? Lu Qing's heart was anxious, now his heart was most concerned about his mother Yan Ruyu, this is his only closest relative now. He took a step forward and grabbed the shoulder of the leader of the town guard, Lu Qing's face was gloomy: "What exactly happened?"

  The middle-aged town guard leader was caught by Lu Qing, and as the only swordsman in charge, he instinctively tried to break free with force. However, after struggling for a moment, he felt that Lu Qing's hands were like a vice tightly gripping his shoulders, making it impossible for him to escape. The faint pain made him suddenly come to his senses, and he hastily replied: "Just now, the masters of the Lu and Xu families, along with over a dozen people, entered the Lu Manor in the middle of the night. There were also several unfamiliar faces guarding the gate. We brothers were worried about the safety of our mistress and wanted to go in and investigate, but we were refused entry on the grounds that it was a family matter."

  "What!" Yi Lao's face turned red with rage, "The small Xie family is so arrogant! In the past when my Lu family had not fully taken over Yangguang Town, we were very respectful and did not dare to be presumptuous. Now that Master has just passed away, they have joined forces with outsiders, truly despicable people are hard to guard against!"

  "You follow me, I'd like to see who dares to stop me and the young master!" Yi Lao called out to a team of people to follow him, while Lu Qing walked ahead with a gloomy face. The Lu family in Chaoyang Town had been making a living by casting swords for generations, but they didn't emphasize martial arts, so they hadn't cultivated any family swordsmen. Normally, they only controlled the three teams of town guards in Chaoyang Town, and no one dared to bully them. Now, the three families were jointly entering his Lu Manor, while there was only his mother, Yan Ruyu, and a dozen or so maidservants and servants inside the manor, as well as a few sword-wielding guards responsible for daily security. How could this not make Lu Qing's heart burn with anger? Did they think that the Lu family had no one to rely on?!

  They rushed all the way, passing through streets and alleys, taking a shortcut to arrive at the Lu Manor in no time. It was still that same old, rustic, bluestone mansion. At this moment, many people were blocking the entrance, and Lu Qing could see clearly that there were many of their family's business associates from the market, including five swordsmiths from sword shops, three appraisers from mineral shops, and even two accountants from wine houses. Without exception, they were all people who had been carefully nurtured by the Lu family over the years, and were deeply grateful for the family's kindness. This time was no different; upon hearing that the Lu Manor had been entered by outsiders, they rushed to offer their assistance but were blocked at the entrance by four strangers with swords on their backs. For a moment, the crowd was stirred up in indignation, yet unable to enter.

  At this time, someone saw Lu Qing and others busy shouting: "Everyone quickly let go, Yi Zhen Guan and the young master are back."

  This shout suddenly shifted the attention of everyone to the back, and it was indeed that more than half of the attention was focused on Lu Qing. There was nothing else, but the sword behind him was really too eye-catching. The huge sword body wanted people not to notice, but apparently, Lu Qing would be the guardian of Yangguan Town in the future, although this had to wait until Lu Qing came of age and wore a crown. However, these old men of the Lu family had seen Lu Qing grow up, and they all had very good feelings towards this young master of the Lu family who was upright and well-read in ancient books. They all had great support in their hearts, but as for the two families that suddenly returned from the collateral branch, they didn't have a good impression.

  The crowd parted to make way for Lu Qing and his group. The four young men guarding the gate also seemed to sense that something was amiss, one of them hastily gestured with his hand, and another person understood and turned around to report inside.

  "Where to go!" The front Lu Qing's eyes were like a torch, and he saw through the movements of the two people at a glance. His right foot stepped heavily on the ground, and the hard stone floor suddenly cracked open. Everyone only felt their body shake, and then they saw Lu Qing like a big eagle swooping down, crossing over three feet of distance in an instant, grabbing the man's collar with one hand, swinging his hand back and forth, the man was caught off guard, feeling the sky and earth spinning around, and then thudded to the ground in front of the mansion.

  The other three men exchanged a glance, drew their swords and prepared to attack Lu Qing. However, with just a light sweep of his divine sense, Lu Qing knew that the three were only Sword Servants, and their sword energy had not yet been fully replenished, making them merely mid-tier. As for Lu Qing's current level of eye power and strength, he didn't even need to draw his sword. His body slid into the midst of the three like a swimming fish, his gaze flashing like lightning as he easily saw through their sword moves. With a whirl of his hands, the tips of his fingers brought forth a hint of sharp purple sword energy that instantly tore apart the faint red sword energy surrounding the three men's bodies. One after another, he sealed off their dantian meridians and sent them flying.

  Everyone in front of the mansion, except for Yi Lao, was stunned. This young master had become so formidable after going up to Chaoyang Peak, and four sword attendants who looked extraordinary were easily subdued and thrown out. What kind of strength was this? Among them, there were also sword attendants of the same rank, but just now no one dared to move, which shows how formidable these four people were. Yet, they were solved by Lu Qing's return with a flick of his wrist.

  Leave a few people to watch the four, now with the return of Yi Lao and Lu Qing, everyone has a good reason to come out, and one person from the town's defense also went to gather other two teams' defenders for support. Meanwhile, more than 20 people followed closely behind Lu Qing and entered the government office.

  At this time, inside the Lu Mansion's main courtyard, two groups of people stood facing each other. On one side was a woman with a sword on her back and several servants, as well as several swordsmen wearing animal hide soft armor, who were the orthodox members of the Lu family led by Yan Ruyi. On the other side, three middle-aged men stood in a row, behind them were ten swordsmen standing neatly, as well as a young man in white shirt with a sword and a delicate-looking girl holding a sword with a charming face.

  "Madam, why must you be so unreasonable? You and I are of the same clan and bloodline as the Lu family. Now that the Yangguang town is leaderless, we are indeed anxious and worried, fearing outsiders will take advantage of us. That's why we resolutely gave up our foundation in Yangguang city and returned to our hometown, wanting to protect the Lu family's thousand-year-old foundation. But why, madam, do you obstruct us in every way?" At this time, a middle-aged man with a long beard stroked his smooth beard slowly and said.

  "The words of Brother Lu are extremely correct, and I would like to ask Madam to let us handle the affairs of the Lu family. Although Madam is a skilled swordswoman, she is after all a woman, and there are many things that cannot be handled personally. It's better to leave it to us, we will not disappoint the ancestors' reputation, and we will make the Lu family even more prosperous." The middle-aged man standing on the left smiled, his face sincere, but his eyes kept wandering over her slender and delicate body. Obviously, these two people were the two collateral relatives who came today.

  Looking across, Yan Ruyu's eyebrows were tightly knitted. Although the situation was pressing in on her, she didn't give an inch. Her gaze was sharp and swept over the group of people in front of her. Lu Jianyi was scanned by her gaze and suddenly felt as if a thousand swords were pressing down on him, cold sweat breaking out all over his body. However, it seemed like he had something to rely on, his expression and demeanor still resolute.

  Yan Ruyu shifted her gaze to the last middle-aged man on the far left, her tone icy: "Today is a matter within the Lu family, Master Xu, it's best if you leave and avoid this."

  "This doesn't require your concern, madam. Now that my daughter Xu Yun has been betrothed to the eldest son of the Lu family, Lu Tianjin, she can be considered half a member of the Lu family. How could I stand idly by when it comes to matters concerning the prosperity of our town in the future?" The middle-aged man replied calmly and composedly, while the two family heads on either side nodded their heads in unison.