Chapter 94: A Surprise from Beyond the Passes
The moment Lu Yuan stepped into the dungeon, a wave of damp, musty air rushed over him, tinged with the faint smell of blood.
Agonized screams were incessant.
Sun Qian sat in his cell. Though he looked utterly wretched, upon seeing Lu Yuan, he said coldly, "The Sun Family will make you pay for this."
Lu Yuan shot him a cold glance. "Let’s see if your Sun Family can even survive this first."
Then, he turned his gaze to the bound and bloodied Shopkeeper of the Baihua Courtyard, who had lost all trace of his former dignified appearance.
The man looked completely broken.
Lu Yuan produced a piece of paper listing the names of the Sun Family’s core members. It alleged that these individuals had colluded with the Charm Demon Sect.
He then ordered his men to grab the Shopkeeper’s hand and press his thumbprint onto the document, all in one smooth motion.
Without lingering, he turned to leave.
Sun Qian seemed to realize something and shouted, "What was that thing you just had?"
He was no stranger to the darkness of officialdom; he had done plenty of similar things himself.
"Naturally, it’s something that will annihilate your Sun Family. After tonight, the Sun Family will be erased from Sai City." After speaking, Lu Yuan walked straight out of the dungeon.
He paid no mind to Sun Qian’s wails.
He made his way toward the Captain’s Mansion.
As soon as he stepped back into the front hall of the mansion, he saw Zhou Xiong with a portly figure, already waiting. Upon seeing Lu Yuan, Zhou Xiong quickly made the introduction, "Sir, this is the Patriarch of the Huang Family, Huang Sheng."
"Mm," Lu Yuan acknowledged before walking directly to the seat of honor and sitting down.
Huang Sheng’s portly body immediately dropped to the ground in a kneel. "Sir, regarding the commoners coerced by the Sun Family, give me two hours, and I guarantee they will never dare to appear outside the General’s Mansion again."
"From now on, my Huang Family will follow your lead, Sir."
As Huang Sheng spoke, he took a wooden box from his robes. Opening it revealed a thick stack of silver notes, estimated to be over a hundred thousand taels.
Lu Yuan’s eyes narrowed. ’So this is the power that authority brings.’
’I’ve only been in this position for a short time, yet I’m already seeing wealth I never would have dared to imagine in the past.’
’Of course, the most important reason is that I happened to be here when the imperial court decided to move against the Charm Demon Sect.’
’But then again, without power, even if the opportunity arose, it wouldn’t have been mine to take.’
Then, he gestured for Zhou Xiong to accept the silver notes.
Afterward, he looked at Huang Sheng, the stern expression on his face instantly melting into a smile. "Patriarch Huang, you’re too kind. Since you have a way to make those commoners return home, the Captain’s Mansion is naturally grateful."
"However, they are just ordinary people who were used and coerced by the Sun Family. You must not use force. Placate them as best you can. As long as they stay away from the General’s Mansion, that will be enough."
Huang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he had succeeded. He said to Lu Yuan, "Yes, Sir. I’ll get right on it."
Then, he cautiously withdrew.
After he had left the front hall, Lu Yuan took out the list the Baihua Courtyard’s shopkeeper had put his thumbprint on. "Arrest everyone on this list. Don’t miss a single one."
"If any resist, kill them on the spot. You’ll be in charge of confiscating their assets this time."
"If you don’t have enough men, take my command token to the barracks and requisition more soldiers."
Zhou Xiong took the list and glanced at it, clicking his tongue in astonishment. At the same time, his gaze toward Lu Yuan gained a new layer of awe.
Then he said, "As you command!"
With that, he turned and withdrew.
After Zhou Xiong left, Lu Yuan was the only one remaining in the front hall. He returned to his room to rest.
That night, the figures of the City Guard Army could be seen all over Icefield Fortress, arresting people en masse.
The several dozen members of the Sun Family were all thrown into the main prison.
Accustomed to lording it over others, they now cowered in the corners like quails, not daring to make a peep.
The assets confiscated from the family were being packed into crates.
However, there was no intention of hauling them away immediately. Zhou Xiong had ordered that they wait until the following night, when no one was around, to move everything to the Captain’s Mansion.
When Lu Yuan woke up the next day, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.
He got dressed, went next door to bum a free breakfast, then left with his saber at his hip.
Zhou He was already waiting outside.
He was holding the reins of a warhorse—not Lu Yuan’s Red Scale, just an ordinary steed.
After all, Lu Yuan wasn’t carrying his Crescent Saber, and Red Scale was too conspicuous.
"Let’s go!"
After a glance at Zhou He, Lu Yuan leaped onto the horse and headed out of the city.
About two hours later, the two of them arrived at the edge of a pine forest.
They were wearing masks, making it impossible for anyone to recognize them.
Wu Han was standing in the shade of a tree. When he spotted the two of them, his mouth instantly split into a wide grin.
He had clearly gotten a serious upgrade.
He wore a suit of exquisite black armor, and his cultivation seemed to have reached the Tendon Refining realm, on the verge of breaking through to Organ Refining. One had to admit, Wu Han’s talent was truly impressive. He was surrounded by several dozen Bone Forging experts, all fully armored.
An overwhelming, ferocious aura practically radiated from him.
Wu Han glanced at the men beside him, pointed at Lu Yuan, and said, "Greet him!"
The dozens of iron-clad men immediately bowed and roared in coarse voices, "Greetings, First Chieftain!"
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and looked at Wu Han.
The latter stepped forward, gave him a hug, and said, "These are our Celestial King Stronghold’s thirty-eight leaders. Each one has about five hundred men under his command."
"I called them all over today to meet you, the real First Chieftain."
Lu Yuan didn’t refuse the title. Instead, he swept his gaze over the crowd and produced a Tiger-shaped Jade Pendant. "From this day forward, seeing this Jade Pendant is the same as seeing me in person."
In that moment, he had completely solidified his position.
"As you command!"
everyone shouted in unison.
Lu Yuan, however, playfully pounded Wu Han’s chest and joked, "You’ve done pretty well for yourself. In such a short time, you’ve gathered over twenty thousand men."
"That’s more than I have under my command."
The latter waved his hand, dismissing his subordinates. He then took out a stack of letters and said, "It’s all thanks to the support of those two nobles you saved. That’s the only reason I was able to gain a foothold on Celestial King Ridge and recruit so many men."
"These letters were all sent by the noble lady, but you had gone on a military expedition, and I couldn’t find you, so I had to hold onto them."
Wu Han said with a wry smile.
Lu Yuan looked at the thick stack of envelopes and knew that Xiao Hua must have been worried sick all this time.
However, he didn’t let it show on his face and instead said, "Besides this, I assume there’s something else?"
"Heh heh, I knew I couldn’t hide it from you. The Northern Barbarians sent an envoy to the Celestial King Stronghold. They want to support us and have us act as a buffer zone between them and the Great Yu."
"It’s not an annexation, just a mutual cooperation."
"They said if I agree, they’ll provide support. What do you think? Should we do it?"
"Does this have anything to do with her?" Lu Yuan asked in a low voice, gesturing with the letters in his hand. "Or have they approached others as well?"
"It shouldn’t be directly related to the two nobles you know. From what I’ve heard, the Northern Barbarians have sent envoys to all the major strongholds Beyond the Passes."
"This should be a decision made by their court, not the result of some individual’s impulse."
"Right now, the Northern Barbarians are at a severe disadvantage among the various nations, and they have an old feud with Dayong. So, they want to pick some factions to prop up to avoid confronting Dayong directly," Wu Han said softly. He had clearly matured a great deal recently.
Lu Yuan understood that this was an opportunity for growth, one he absolutely could not miss. ’Personal strength is ultimately limited. But with the support of the Northern Barbarians, things would be different. At the very least, I wouldn’t have to worry about weapons, armor, or warhorses.’
Therefore, he nodded and said, "I think this is feasible. However, you must make your position clear: it is a cooperation, absolutely not a submission. If possible, absorb the surrounding factions and bring them all under your command."
Lu Yuan had made his decision. At the same time, he began to consider his next move. ’After this is settled, I should go to Yunzhou and bring my mother here. I wonder what the Zhang Family’s attitude will be.’
’However, with my current status, plus the support of the Zhou Family and Hong City, I shouldn’t have to worry too much.’