Bloody Wedding 1 [Seeking Follow-up Reads]

Two squads of peacekeepers arrived before the old Lin Family residence.

They immediately surrounded the front and back of the Lin Family residence with well-trained precision, leaving no gaps.

There were even five or six sharpshooters positioned all around.

The muzzles of their guns glinted coldly in the twilight.

They were like eyes waiting to devour their prey.

Looking down from above, they locked onto every corner of the residence.

Such a massive commotion naturally alarmed Lin Shouxin and Li Jinglin.

Peering through a crack in the window at the formation outside, Lin Shouxin's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

He stumbled in a panic into the inner chamber to seek guidance from Li Jinglin.

Li Jinglin was also standing by the window at this moment.

His brows were knitted into a deep frown, his fingertips unconsciously twisting the corner of his long gown.

According to his observations and calculations over these past few days, even if the Lu Family refused to let the matter go after suffering such a loss, they would never dare to cause such a massive stir.

After all, the eldest young master of the Li Family would be arriving soon, and the Lu Family had to weigh the consequences.

Yet, the current display was clearly intended for a house raid and total annihilation.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

"Li—Steward Li!"

Lin Shouxin's voice trembled, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"What exactly is the Lu Family playing at? You must give me a definitive plan!"

At this moment, Lin Shouxin had lost all composure and could only rely on Li Jinglin to make the call.

Li Jinglin was also finding it difficult to gauge the Lu Family's true intentions.

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Li Jinglin turned around, his face having already regained its habitual composure.

He even brushed some non-existent dust from his cuffs, his tone steady:

"Master Lin, set your heart at ease. My young master is already on his way; the Lu Family would not dare to truly do anything. You go out and stall them for a moment, and I shall follow shortly."

Hearing this, Lin Shouxin's emotions calmed down slightly.

"Good, good, I will go out and ask them first."

Once Lin Shouxin left, Li Jinglin's expression sank abruptly.

Li Jinglin walked over to the curio shelf in the side room and spoke directly to the empty corner of the wall:

"Find Lawrence immediately."

"As soon as the situation here turns sour, tell Lawrence to force his way out of Yinshan County at once."

Of course, Li Jinglin was not actually talking to thin air.

Li Jinglin was a cautious and prudent man.

Even if he had one hundred percent certainty, he would always leave a backup plan.

That Listening Cultivator was the backup plan he had left behind.

The Listening Cultivator had been arranged by Li Jinglin outside the Lin Family residence long ago.

His task was to monitor his commands at all times, just like now.

Li Jinglin finished giving his instructions to the Listening Cultivator.

He straightened his dark blue long gown and promptly left the side chamber.

In the narrow alleyway courtyard just a wall away.

The Listening Cultivator, dressed in grey cloth short-garb, finished hearing the order.

He immediately vaulted over the back wall without a sound.

Before his feet even touched the ground, his body suddenly stiffened.

Under the old locust tree in the courtyard, a man stood with his arms crossed.

It was unclear how long he had been waiting.

The man's frame was not burly; he was even somewhat lean.

Yet, a mountain-like, tranquil aura condensed around his entire being—it was Chen Xuan.

The Listening Cultivator's pupils shrank, knowing he had fallen into a death trap.

He tapped his toes, intending to spring back up toward the wall.

However, the moment he moved.

Chen Xuan's figure was already upon him like a ghost.

Striking like lightning, he hooked his five fingers into a grip.

Snap!

With a soft sound, the Listening Cultivator's neck bone shattered.

The light in his eyes extinguished instantly, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

"Young Master, it is done."

Chen Xuan pushed open the courtyard gate.

He spoke to Lu Jing'an, who was standing at the entrance.

Lu Jing'an pushed the door open and entered.

A well-tailored dark grey suit accentuated his tall, upright posture.

He lowered his gaze to glance at the corpse on the ground, pausing for about ten seconds.

[Detected a soul capable of Refining/Repairing. Collect?]

Lu Jing'an decisively chose [Collect].

Wasn't this the very reason he had come?

However, now was not the time for Refining.

Lu Jing'an still had a performance to put on.

After collecting the soul, Lu Jing'an turned to Chen Xuan and said:

"Master, let us go."

Confirming there were no Affix, Lu Jing'an did not intend to waste any more time.

Chen Xuan nodded.

The master and disciple turned and left the courtyard.

After the two of them departed.

People immediately entered the courtyard.

They began to clean up and dispose of the scene.

This place was not far from the main entrance of the Lin Family.

A single turn of the car brought them to the Lin Family's main gate.

When Lu Jing'an stepped out of the car in his proper suit.

He saw Lin Shouxin, covered in sweat, arguing with the Chief of the Operations Division from the Public Security Bureau.

Lin Shouxin saw Lu Jing'an stepping out of the car.

Although he felt some fear in his heart.

He still braced himself and greeted, "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 feign ignorance, Lin Shouxin dared not expose him, only saying, "This Chief claims that the great thief Nine-Fingered Yama has run into our Lin Family."

"He wants to lead his men to search our Lin Family."

"Isn't this just telling lies with his eyes open?"

"That Nine-Fingered Yama has already been riddled with holes."

"The man died right at the doorstep of our Lin Family."

"How could he possibly have run into our Lin Family residence?"

Lu Jing'an's gaze swept across Lin Shouxin's pale face.

He then turned to the stern-faced section chief and asked in a gentle voice, "Section Chief Liu, what is the meaning of this?"

Section Chief Liu snapped to attention with a sharp click of his heels.

His voice was booming: "Reporting to Young Master Lu! My men have been tracking the notorious thief Nine-Fingered Yama all the way here. We saw with our own eyes that he vaulted over the Lin Family wall! To prevent the villain from harming anyone, we have come to conduct a search!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jing'an turned to Lin Shouxin, his expression showing just the right amount of concern: "Uncle Lin, since there are witnesses, it would be best to let Section Chief Liu and his men conduct their search. That Nine-Fingered Yama is a desperate criminal; if he is truly hiding in your estate, it would be terrible if he were to frighten the ladies of the house."

Lin Shouxin looked as if he had been struck by lightning.

He pointed at the bluestone slab in front of the gate, his finger trembling: "Nephew Lu! How... how can you tell such barefaced lies! That day... that day, Nine-Fingered Yama died right there! You saw it clearly!"

"That is correct," Lu Jing'an nodded, his tone flat and ripple-free, "He did indeed collapse there that day. But who could have known he was faking his death to escape, deceiving us all?"

"You! You!" Blood rushed to Lin Shouxin's head, and his vision began to blur.

"Lu Jing'an!"

A shout carrying a foreign accent came from inside the gate.

Lin Qingyi appeared, dressed in a snow-white Western wedding gown with a veil trailing on the ground. She hurried out, supported by a maid. She lifted her chin, her azure eyes filled with disgust and arrogance, and shouted in French: "You cowardly, despicable villain! You only know how to use such base tactics to ruin my wedding! Do you think you can stop me this way? My husband will never let you off!"

Lu Jing'an's gaze fell upon her, a faint curve touching his lips as he responded in fluent, elegant French: "Are you referring to Peter? It is a pity, but I fear he will not make it in time for the auspicious hour. By the time he arrives, he might just be in time to collect your remains for burial. I checked the almanac before leaving home today; it is a day suitable for breaking ground and for burials."

Lin Qingyi froze instantly, her pupils dilating.

It was as if she were seeing the man before her clearly for the first time.

His accent was authentic, and his choice of words even carried an archaic elegance she was not entirely familiar with.

How could this be?

"You... you speak French?"

Her mother tongue slipped out, trembling with disbelief.

"Is it difficult?"

Lu Jing'an chuckled.

He immediately switched to a low and rigorous German. He repeated his previous words, every syllable clear and precise.

Although Lin Qingyi did not understand German, she had heard German exchange students conversing before.

The tone and the aura were by no means a bluff.

The color drained from her face, and the superiority and pride she had accumulated over years of studying abroad shattered completely in this moment.

She had always viewed him as an ignorant, narrow-minded playboy.

But right now...

"Wh-what did he say?" Lin Shouxin hurriedly tugged at his daughter's sleeve.

Lin Qingyi turned her head woodenly, murmuring a translation in dry, hollow Chinese:

"He said Peter won't make it in time for the auspicious hour.

By the time he arrives, it will be just right for him to bury us.

He said today is a suitable day for a burial."

"B-burial...?!"

Lin Shouxin repeated the word, his legs turning to jelly.

He stumbled back two steps, his spine slamming hard against the cold stone door base.

He looked up at Lu Jing'an's calm, ripple-free face.

A chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Lu Jing'an had come today... to kill!