The courtyard was deserted.
The ground was covered in thick fallen leaves that rustled loudly underfoot.
After entering, the drastic change in temperature was immediately apparent. Though only a step apart, it felt as if they had crossed from the warmth of early spring into the freezing depths of winter.
At Lu Tianxiong's command, a group of armed men immediately surged into the courtyard, spreading out to search for clues.
"There's something wrong with this residence. It looks like no one has lived here for a long time."
Lu Tianxiong's expression was solemn as he continually surveyed his surroundings.
"Lord Lu."
"I just sent people to ask around, but they couldn't find Scholar Fan's family."
"We don't know where they went."
At that moment, a young man hurried in and reported to Lu Tianxiong:
"The brothers asked quite a few refugees."
"Someone said that Scholar Fan's family had initially been walking with everyone else, but after running for a while, they suddenly disappeared."
"We checked the buildings along the way but found no clues."
They were gone?
Lu Tianxiong's expression darkened, and he reprimanded him displeasedly, "That's it? They're just gone?"
"If you didn't find any clues, then keep looking!"
"You found nothing at all, yet you came running to report to me? Just to tell me how useless you are?"
Seeing Lu Tianxiong lose his temper, the young man trembled all over and hurriedly said, "Yes, Lord Lu. It's our fault for failing to handle the matter properly. I'll go make the arrangements now."
He hurriedly left after saying that.
"This is utterly ridiculous. A bunch of good-for-nothings."
Lu Tianxiong's expression was extremely grim.
At the meeting earlier, everyone had basically concluded that the bandits' siege of the city was merely a smokescreen meant to draw attention.
It wasn't