Bloody Wedding 2 [Seeking Follow-up Reads]

Lin Shouxin heard Lu Jing'an's words.

He was struck as if by lightning, frozen in place.

His complexion drained to a deathly pallor, inch by inch.

Just as he stood at a loss, his breath hitching in his chest.

Li Jinglin finally paced out from the depths of the hall.

The dawn had yet to arrive.

The lanterns under the eaves cast flickering shadows across his face.

Facing those dark, heavy gun barrels.

Li Jinglin did not dodge or evade; he merely lifted his eyelids.

His voice carried a composure that was deliberately steadied:

"The Lu Family has quite the arrogance."

He paused, his gaze like needles, piercing toward Lu Jing'an:

"Think clearly. If you strike today, there will be no room left for reconciliation between my Li Family and you."

Although Lu Jing'an had never met Li Jinglin in person.

He had encountered this voice and appearance countless times while monitoring him.

He was far too familiar with them.

The familiar tone, the familiar pauses, even the rhythm of his breathing.

To him, this man had long held no secrets.

"Mr. Li is joking."

A faint arc appeared at the corners of Lu Jing'an's lips.

"It is not the Lu Family that is striking."

He nodded slightly to the side, his voice as steady as if stating a fact:

"Nine-Fingered Yama has fled here, and the Security Bureau is acting under orders to make an arrest."

"If you resist and refuse to surrender, and the bandit rises up to kill!

Such a matter could never be blamed on the Lu Family."

This was the script the Lu Family had long prepared, every word like a wedge, nailing down the logic of tonight.

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglin actually began to laugh in a low voice.

The laughter rippled through the silent courtyard, carrying a hint of mockery and a touch of chill.

"Is this the script you have concocted?" He shook his head.

"But do you not know that as long as one of us escapes tonight, this play will no longer be able to continue."

Lu Jing'an did not respond; he merely raised a hand to summon Section Chief Liu.

He leaned in and whispered a few words into his ear.

Section Chief Liu's expression tightened, and he nodded before hurrying away.

Watching this composed demeanor, Li Jinglin felt an inexplicable tightening in his chest.

That posture of having everything under control.

Caused a sliver of unease to surge from the bottom of his heart.

"Is Mr. Li worried about this?"

Lu Jing'an turned his gaze back, his tone as light as the mist before dawn.

"What if not a single one of you... can escape?"

Li Jinglin's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

He stared at Lu Jing'an for two breaths.

As if he had heard some absurd joke, he laughed out loud once more:

"Kill all of us? Lu Jing'an, do you even know what you are saying..."

"Are you counting on the Listening Cultivator to notify Lawrence?"

Lu Jing'an calmly cut him off.

The smile on Li Jinglin's face froze instantly.

His pupils contracted slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed: "You... how could you know?"

"I know much more than that."

Lu Jing'an gazed toward the east side of the courtyard wall, as if he could see through the heavy layers of brick and tile.

"For instance... did someone just vault over the east wall and leave?"

Before the words had even faded.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two crisp gunshots suddenly erupted from the east alley, tearing through the silence before dawn.

Li Jinglin's expression shifted violently.

That was a contingency he had arranged at the last minute.

Aside from himself, not a single soul knew of it!

Lu Jing'an, however, no longer looked at him, merely snapping his fingers lightly.

"Click."

The moment the sound fell.

"Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!"...

From all directions, moving from far to near.

Eight heavy, synchronized sounds of bodies hitting the ground echoed out.

It was like eight sacks of sand dropped from a great height.

The muffled impacts hammered against everyone's eardrums.

Li Jinglin's breath hitched.

Those eight positions.

They were the gunmen he had planted three days ago.

Hidden deep, they were supposed to be his final trump card.

Yet, without firing a single shot, they had all become corpses.

This Lu Jing'an.

This playboy, rumored to know nothing but wining and dining.

How could he have calculated all of this?!

Li Jinglin opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

A chill crawled up his spine.

For the first time, he felt that the chess game had completely slipped from his grasp.

Lu Jing'an had already turned around, nodding slightly to Chen Xuan:

"Master, I leave this place to you.

I am going to the city gate to have a word with that Mr. Lawrence."

Chen Xuan gave a hum, his gaze calm as he swept over the people in the courtyard:

"Take care of yourself. I will finish this as quickly as possible and join you."

Lu Jing'an walked toward the exit, his gait steady, his voice drifting back on the wind:

"No need to rush, Master. I have prepared a grand gift for him; it will keep him occupied for quite a while."

Seeing Lu Jing'an's figure about to vanish into the night outside the gate, Lin Shouxin finally snapped out of his daze.

He scrambled forward, his voice hoarse and trembling:

"Nephew Lu! Nephew Lu, wait! It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! We can talk..."

Lin Shouxin was no fool.

He saw the situation clearly.

From the very beginning, whether in momentum or strategy, Li Jinglin had been completely suppressed by Lu Jing'an.

If he didn't beg for mercy now.

The Lin Family would be wiped out.

Lu Jing'an did not look back.

Lin Qingyi stood by the pillar.

Watching that receding silhouette, her fingertips unconsciously tightened around her sleeves.

Deep within her heart, something seemed to have been gently nudged.

The long street was quiet and desolate, save for the sound of carriage wheels rolling over the bluestone road.

Because of the Lin Family's wedding banquet today, the path ahead was completely unobstructed.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the carriage approached the city gate.

Lu Jing'an stepped off the carriage in front of a teahouse.

He had barely steadied himself when Chen Heqing and Situ Yiyun emerged from the shadows to greet him.

"Young Master Lu."

Situ Yiyun cupped his hands and said in a low voice, "Martial Arts Hall Street and the Martial Arts Arena have both been taken care of.

No one will come out to cause trouble today."

Lu Jing'an nodded slightly and walked into the teahouse:

"I have troubled you both.

Once this matter is concluded, Martial Arts Hall Street and the Martial Arts Arena will be placed under your jurisdiction.

The martial atmosphere of Yinshan County will require your efforts to rectify and revitalize."

Situ Yiyun and Chen Heqing exchanged a glance, both seeing the joy in the other's eyes, and spoke in unison:

"We will certainly not fail Young Master Lu's trust."

The group ascended to the second floor of the teahouse.

Lu Jing'an sat by the window, and someone immediately stepped forward to report:

"Young Master Lu, the gunmen are all in position, occupying the high ground as you ordered.

The banners on the city walls have also been hung properly."

Lu Jing'an looked out the window.

From this angle, although he could not see the Lin Family residence, he could see the faint glow of fire in that direction, as well as the intermittent sounds of gunfire and explosions drifting on the wind.

The fire was quickly extinguished.

Lu Jing'an knew that the Smoke Cultivator was gone.

What followed

was a roar, clear and distinct even from this distance.

It was like muffled thunder rolling across the ground, interspersed with the cracking sounds of crumbling walls.

Chen Xuan and that Martial Cultivator had clashed.

Lu Jing'an's expression remained unmoved.

He had previously used an Affix to probe that Martial Cultivator at close range.

The opponent, however, had not sensed it instantly like Chen Xuan had.

With just that, the disparity between the two was clear.

Such movements by the Lu Family naturally could not be hidden from the people in the city.

The first to lose their composure was the Qian Family.

Qian Family Head paced back and forth in the hall, sweat beading on his forehead.

He had originally thought the Lu Family would swallow this insult.

He had not expected them to strike with such decisiveness and ruthlessness.

"Send men! Quickly, send men to investigate the situation!"

Before his voice had even faded, panicked shouts from servants and dense gunfire erupted outside.

The men he had sent out had been blocked and driven back.

The Qian Family was being watched personally by Lu Huaichuan.

Having fought for so many years, Lu Huaichuan knew exactly how much weight the other side carried.

As the night began to fade, a commotion gradually rose in the city.

Many doors were quietly pushed open a crack, peering out with a mix of curiosity and fear.

At this moment, the thousands of Canal Gang members under Lu Huaishan's command proved their worth.

They were scattered across every street, sternly warning everyone they encountered:

"A dangerous criminal is on the loose, and the Public Security Bureau is conducting a city-wide manhunt!

If you don't want trouble, get back inside!"

For those who still craned their necks or intended to gawk, there was inevitably some [kind persuasion].

Atop the teahouse, Situ Yiyun gazed down at the still-empty street below.

Unable to hold back any longer, he asked in a low voice, "Young Master Lu, how can you be so certain that Lawrence will leave the city through this gate?"

He hesitated for a moment before adding, "According to what you said earlier, if this man is truly at the level of a Western Battle Master, he is comparable to our Copper Skin Martial Cultivator. He has plenty of ways to leave if he wants to."

Lu Jing'an lifted his teacup and blew the floating leaves aside.

Amidst the swirling steam, he looked toward the city walls, the brightening dawn light reflecting in his eyes.

Lu Jing'an said slowly, "Because I understand him."

As his voice fell, the first ray of morning light pierced through the clouds, illuminating the massive banners written in Western script that had been hung overnight along the city walls, their ink still wet.

The wind whipped by, causing the fabric to snap and flutter.

These were the gifts Lu Jing'an had prepared for Lawrence.