Lin Shouxin heard what Lu Jing'an had said.
It was as if he'd been struck by lightning. He froze in place.
The color drained from his face, inch by inch, until it was deathly pale.
Just as he stood at a loss, his breath growing tight,
Li Jinglin finally strolled out from deep within the hall.
Dawn had yet to break.
The lanterns beneath the eaves cast wavering shadows across his face.
Facing those dark muzzles,
Li Jinglin neither flinched nor dodged. He merely raised his eyelids,
his voice carrying a deliberately measured calm:
"The Lu Family certainly talks big."
He paused, his gaze like a needle aimed at Lu Jing'an.
"Have you thought this through? If you make a move today, there'll be no turning back between the Li Family and yours."
Though Lu Jing'an had never met Li Jinglin in person,
he had seen that face and heard that voice countless times while monitoring him.
He knew him too well.
The familiar tone, the familiar pauses, even the rhythm of his breathing.
There were no secrets left about this man.
"Mr. Li, you jest."
A faint curve appeared at the corner of Lu Jing'an's mouth.
"It isn't the Lu Family making a move."
He inclined his head slightly toward the side, his voice as steady as if stating a fact.
"Nine-Fingered Yama fled here. The Security Station has orders to apprehend him."
"If you defy the order and refuse to hand him over, the bandits may fly into a rage and kill someone! How could the Lu Family possibly be blamed for something like that?"
The Lu Family had prepared this explanation long ago, every word driven home like a wedge to nail down the story of the night.
After hearing it, Li Jinglin let out a low laugh.
His laughter echoed through the silent courtyard, carrying a measure of mockery and a measure of chill.
"So this is the play you've prepared?" He shook his head. "But don't you know that if even one of us escapes tonight, the show can't go on?"
Lu Jing'an didn't answer. He simply raised a hand and beckoned Section Chief Liu over.
Turning slightly, he leaned close and whispered a few words.
Section Chief Liu's expression sharpened. He nodded and hurried away.
Watching Lu Jing'an's unruffled manner, Li Jinglin felt a sudden tightness in his chest.
That air of having everything under control
stirred a trace of unease within him.
"Is this what you're worried about, Mr. Li?"
Only then did Lu Jing'an turn his gaze back. His voice was as light as mist before dawn.
"What if not a single one of you gets away?"
Li Jinglin's laughter cut off abruptly.
He stared at Lu Jing'an for two breaths.
As though he'd heard some ridiculous joke, he burst out laughing again.
"Kill every one of us? Lu Jing'an, do you even know what you're saying..."
"Are you counting on a Listening Cultivator to notify Lawrence?"
Lu Jing'an cut him off, his tone flat.
The smile froze on Li Jinglin's face.
His pupils contracted ever so slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed. "Y-You... how did you know?"
"There's plenty more I know."
Lu Jing'an looked toward the eastern wall of the courtyard, as if he could see through the layers of brick and tile.
"For instance... did someone just climb over the eastern wall and get out?"
Before his words had faded,
"Bang! Bang!"
Two crisp gunshots suddenly rang out from the eastern alley, tearing through the silence before dawn.
Li Jinglin's expression changed drastically.
That had been a contingency he'd arranged on the spur of the moment.
No one but him could possibly know about it!
But Lu Jing'an no longer looked at him. He simply snapped his fingers.
"Tap."
The instant the sound fell,
"Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!"...
From all directions, drawing nearer,
came eight heavy, orderly thumps as bodies hit the ground.
Like eight sacks of sand dropped from a height,
the dull impacts pounded against everyone's eardrums.
Li Jinglin's breath caught.
Those eight positions—
they were the gunmen he'd planted three days ago.
They were deeply concealed, meant to be his final killing move.
But they hadn't fired a single shot before every one of them became a corpse.
This Lu Jing'an—
this playboy rumored to do nothing but eat, drink, and have fun—
how could he have possibly seen all this coming?!
Li Jinglin opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
A chill crawled up his spine.
For the first time, he felt the whole game slipping completely out of his hands.
Lu Jing'an had already turned around. He gave Chen Xuan a slight nod.
"Master, I'll leave this place to you.
I'm going to the city gate to meet Mr. Lawrence."
Chen Xuan gave a quiet "Mm," his gaze calm as it swept over the people in the courtyard.
"Be careful. I'll finish up here as quickly as I can, then come join you."
Lu Jing'an headed outside, his steps steady, his voice drifting back on the wind.
"Master, there's no need to hurry. I've prepared a grand gift for him. It'll keep him busy for quite a while."
As Lu Jing'an's figure was about to disappear into the night beyond the gate, Lin Shouxin finally snapped out of his daze.
He scrambled forward several steps, his voice hoarse and trembling.
"Dear Nephew Lu! Dear Nephew Lu, wait! It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! We can talk..."
Lin Shouxin wasn't a fool.
He could see the situation clearly.
From the very beginning, Li Jinglin had been completely outmatched by Lu Jing'an, whether in presence or in planning.
If he didn't beg for mercy now,
the Lin Family would be wiped out.
Lu Jing'an didn't look back.
Lin Qingyi stood beside a corridor pillar.
She watched the figure receding into the distance, her fingers unconsciously gripping her sleeve.
Somewhere in her heart, it felt as if something had gently nudged her.
The long street lay quiet, with only the sound of wheels rolling over its stone paving.
Because the Lin Family was holding a wedding feast today, the road was clear all the way.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the carriage had reached the city gate.
Lu Jing'an got down in front of a teahouse.
As soon as he steadied himself, Chen Heqing and Situ Yiyun emerged from the shadows to greet him.
"Young Master Lu."
Situ Yiyun cupped his hands and spoke in a low voice.
"Everything's been taken care of on Martial Arts Hall Street and at the Martial Arts Arena. No one will cause trouble today."
Lu Jing'an nodded slightly and walked into the teahouse.
"Thank you both for your efforts.
Once this matter is settled, Martial Arts Hall Street and the Martial Arts Arena will be under the two seniors' command. Yinshan County's martial arts community will need you both to put it in order and help it flourish."
Situ Yiyun and Chen Heqing exchanged a glance, both seeing delight in the other's eyes. They answered in unison:
"We won't fail Young Master Lu's trust."
The group went up to the teahouse's second floor.
Lu Jing'an took a seat by the window. Someone immediately stepped forward to report:
"Young Master Lu, all the gunmen are in position, stationed at the various high points as you instructed. The banners on the city wall have also been hung."
Lu Jing'an gazed out the window.
From this angle, he couldn't see the Lin Family residence,
but he could make out faint flames in that direction,
along with gunshots and explosions drifting intermittently on the wind.
The flames soon went out.
Lu Jing'an knew the Smoke Cultivator was gone.
What followed
was a rumbling that remained clearly audible despite the distance,
like muffled thunder rolling across the ground, interspersed with the cracking of collapsing walls.
Chen Xuan had engaged the Martial Cultivator.
Lu Jing'an's expression didn't change.
Earlier, he had approached the Martial Cultivator and used an Affix to inspect him.
The other man hadn't sensed it instantly, as Chen Xuan had.
That alone made it clear who was superior.
The commotion caused by the Lu Family naturally couldn't be hidden from the people in the city.
The first to lose their composure was the Qian Family.
The Qian Family Head paced back and forth in the hall, sweat beading on his brow.
He'd thought the Lu Family would swallow this insult,
but he hadn't expected them to strike with such decisive ruthlessness.
"Send someone! Hurry and send someone to find out what's happening!"
Before he'd even finished speaking,
the panicked cries of servants and a burst of gunfire came from outside.
The men he'd sent out had all been forced back.
Lu Huaichuan was personally keeping the Qian Family under watch.
After fighting for so many years, Lu Huaichuan knew better than anyone how they measured up against each other.
As the night began to fade, unrest stirred throughout the city.
Many doors creaked open just a crack.
People peered outside, curious yet afraid.
And now, the thousand-odd Canal Gang disciples under Lu Huaishan finally came into use.
They spread through every street and sternly warned anyone they met:
"A wanted criminal is on the run, and the Security Station is searching the whole city! If you don't want trouble, get back inside!"
Those who still craned their necks to gawk or tried to join in the excitement were sure to receive a bit of "friendly persuasion."
Above the teahouse, Situ Yiyun gazed down at the long street, still empty.
In the end, he couldn't hold back and asked in a low voice:
"Young Master Lu, how can you be certain Lawrence will leave the city through this gate?"
He hesitated briefly, then continued,
"From what you said earlier,
if this man truly is a Western [Fighter]...
he's comparable to our Copper Skin Martial Cultivators.
If he wants to leave, he has plenty of ways to do it."
Lu Jing'an lifted his teacup and blew the floating leaves aside.
Through the hazy steam, he looked toward the city walls, where the brightening dawn was reflected in his eyes.
Lu Jing'an said slowly, "Because I know him."
As his words fell, the first ray of dawn pierced the clouds,
illuminating the huge Western-language slogans hung all along the walls overnight.
The ink was still wet.
The wind swept past, setting the banners rustling.
These were the gifts Lu Jing'an had prepared for Lawrence.
Before you continue