Chapter 79: Chapter 76: Parents Missing?_1
The Wu Family had only three hundred martial troops, but now two hundred were making their way, full of fury, towards Changfeng Mountain. What on earth had happened to prompt such a response?
Boom, boom, boom!
The ground trembled violently. Before the Wu’s forces could reach Changfeng Mountain, another troop of cavalry charged diagonally from the other side. The sign on their flag identified them as the Liu Family’s forces.
The Liu’s forces were actually targeting the Wu’s forces.
They were clad in steel armor, wielding long spears or war knives, and carrying longbows. They charged toward the Wu’s forces like a pack of steel beasts.
"Change direction, prepare for battle."
A roar, as thunderous as a clap of thunder, erupted from the midst of the Wu Family’s forces.
Lu Yan was startled; the person who’d shouted that order must be a Martial Marquis.
The Wu’s forces, well-drilled and disciplined, swiftly maneuvered their warhorses to change direction, their movements orderly and coordinated, without a hint of disorder.
"Shoot!"
The Wu’s Martial Marquis gave the command again.
The Wu’s forces drew their bows and stirred their Qi-blood. Instantly, their Qi-blood surged like a massive tide, its momentum as imposing as mountains. The atmosphere filled with murderous aura. Even at a distance, Lu Yan felt a tremendous pressure.
Whiish, whiish....
A dense rain of arrows descended upon the Liu’s forces.
On the other side, the Liu’s forces also released their respective arrows.
Cling, clang... a flurry of noises resounded.
Both the forces were thoroughly armed; even their horses were covered in heavy armor. Very few soldiers were killed by arrows, with only a minority injured.
"Fire again!"
Another round of arrow rain was shot out. The two forces were closing in on each other. Both sides put away their longbows, wielding long spears or war knives, and charged at each other.
The two steely torrents clashed, erupting in a deafening din. Shouts of killing echoed throughout the field.
Lu Yan’s face was extremely serious.
The two feudal lords were really at war.
In the past, while the two lords had constant friction, the skirmishes were usually small-scale. Never before had such a large number of troops been involved in a fight.
Without certainty of slaughtering the other party, neither side dared to initiate a full-scale war lightly.
Something major must have happened inside the forbidden area.
The fierce battle on both sides resulted in numerous casualties. Soon, dozens were down, never to rise again.
Suddenly, Lu Yan’s expression shifted, his gaze focused on the depths of Changfeng Mountain.
A group of people were charging out quickly from there.
Leading them were the two Martial Marquises, Liu Yuansong and Liu Yuanfu.
Following them were the direct descendants of the Liu Family and their troops.
Chasing them from behind were, unsurprisingly, the Wu Family’s elites.
"Hand over that item; don’t even think of monopolizing it, Liu Family!"
From behind, roared a member of the Wu Family’s powerful line-up.
Yet Liu Yuansong and his allies seemed deaf to the screams. After escaping from Changfeng Mountain, they rushed straight towards the direction of the Liu Family’s Blood Land Vein.
"Stop them!"
The Wu Family’s Martial Marquis roared, attempting to lead his forces to intercept Liu Yuansong and the others, but they were held back by the Liu Family’s troops, hardly able to tear themselves away.
Shortly, Liu Yuansong and his allies passed the battlefield.
The Liu Family’s forces began to retreat while providing cover for Liu Yuansong’s group to move toward the Liu Family’s Blood Land Vein.
Both sides continued the bloody fight, gradually receding from Lu Yan’s line of sight.
"Things are not looking good, it seems staying with the Red-clad Guard and Changfeng City is not safe any more. I need to get my parents out of Changfeng City."
Lu Yan had made a decision.
Should the two lords really go to full-scale war, the Red-clad Guard will inevitably be dragged in, maybe even used as cannon fodder.
Qingyang City was his first choice.
He wouldn’t feel at ease sending Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui to Qingyang City alone. If Zhou Zhengkong got wind of it, he could seize Lu Yan’s parents to threaten him and force him to produce the ’evidence of guilt’.
However, if he himself were there guarding them personally, this worry can be mitigated.
Also relying on the connection with Zhou Zhengkong, he could gradually set down roots and expand in Qingyang City.
Lu Yan quickly rushed home.
However, when he got home, his parents were nowhere to be found.
"Could they have gone to sell the bamboo ware again?"
Lu Yan hurried to the market. Yet his parents were not there either. He asked other stallholders, but they all said that they hadn’t seen Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui selling bamboo ware that day.
What was going on?
Lu Yan felt a sense of unease brewing in his heart.
The routines of his parents were quite regular—they were either at home, making bamboo ware, or at the market, selling these items. They rarely went anywhere else.
Lu Yan searched a few other places where his parents might have gone but found no trace of them anywhere.
Then he went back home and waited for several hours, but his parents still hadn’t returned.
Lu Yan’s face darkened as he hoisted the Red Blood Blade and headed towards the Red-clad Mansion.
As soon as he arrived at the Red-clad Mansion, he ran into Wang Lin.
Wang Lin’s face was filled with anxiety. Seeing Lu Yan, he immediately asked: "Lu Yan, have you seen your sister-in-law and Xiao Yuanbao?"
Xiao Yuanbao was Wang Lin’s son.
"What? My sister-in-law and Xiao Yuanbao are missing too?"
Lu Yan’s heart trembled as he asked.
"Yeah, I’ve searched everywhere, but I can’t find them. Not only them, even my mom is gone."
Wang Lin said anxiously, then realized something, "Also? Lu Yan, why did you say ’also’? What do you mean?"
"My parents... are also missing."
Lu Yan said, his face turning even more grim, with a vague guess lingering in his heart.
Subsequently, numerous Red-clad Guards rushed over, only to find that their family members had also disappeared.
All of the Red-clad Guards’ relatives had inexplicably disappeared.
Anybody not a fool would realize that something big had happened.
In the entire Changfeng City, only the Liu Family had the power to carry out this.
"All gather at the Red-clad Mansion. There will be an announcement soon."
A commanding voice echoed inside the Red-clad Mansion.
As they entered the Red-clad Mansion, they saw six members of the Liu Family standing side by side on the elevated platform of the martial arts arena.
Dozens of Red-clad Guards stood below, their faces filled with anxiety.
The crowd grew, and an hour later, almost all the Red-clad Guards had arrived.
"Do not worry, your family members are safe. We only invited them to be our guests up the mountain."
A senior member of the Liu Family with gray hair replied with a grin.
Referring to the mountain, obviously meant the Blood Land Vein, where the Liu Family headquarters was located.
The crowd murmured with unrest.
Inviting their families to be guests at Liu Family’s Blood Land Vein?
No one believed that.
The Blood Land Vein, the core of the Liu Family. On normal days, even these Red-clad Guards were not qualified to visit. Why would they suddenly invite their family members as guests?
Did they think them as fools?
"We appreciate the hospitality, but my parents are accustomed to their home. I’m afraid they won’t be comfortable in a new place. Please either send them back home, or I can go fetch them."
A Red-clad Guard team leader stepped forward and made a fist salute.
"Rest assured, they will adapt. They are given the best of food and drink, and we will not let them suffer."
Said the old man from the Liu Family.
"But..."
The team leader tried to say something more.
The elder’s face darkened, "What? You’re not satisfied with the best food and drink? Then, let’s try a different method."
The threat was quite obvious.
The team leader’s face turned pale instantly. He quickly yielded, bowing and saying, "I dare not. I dare not. On behalf of my parents, I thank you, sir."
"Rest assured, as long as you continue to fulfill your duties without wavering, your families will be safe."
The elder of the Liu Family stated.
"Sir, tell us what needs to be done. Just speak straightforwardly."
One of the Squadron Leaders said.
There were no fools present. They all knew something major was about to happen. The Liu Family was afraid of them running away, so they had taken their family members hostage to force them to work for the Liu Family.
Lu Yan understood it more clearly.
The Liu Family and the Wu Family were bound to wage war. Hundreds of Red-clad Guards, all Limit Breaking Warriors, represented a significant force that they needed to maximise utilisation of.
"It’s simple. For the coming period of time, you will guard around the Liu Family’s Blood Land Vein, strictly preventing outsiders from approaching. Anyone who is not from the Liu Family who trespasses into Blood Land Vein, kill them without mercy."
The Liu Family Elder’s face was cold and filled with a merciless tone.
Immediately, six members of the Liu Family led the way. Hundreds of Red-clad Guards followed, taking positions around the Liu Family’s Blood Land Vein.
This was the first time that Lu Yan had seen the Liu Family’s Blood Land Vein.
The area wasn’t particularly large or majestic but was suffused with a faint smell of blood, rendering the entire range of mountains strange and mysterious.
As was evident, the elites and martial troops of the Liu Family had all returned to the Blood Land Vein. Guards were posted at each checkpoint, defending it fiercely
The Wu Family had already retreated.
The Seventh Squadron of Red-clad Guards, where Lu Yan was situated, was guarding one of the side routes leading up the mountain.
Lu Yan noticed that most Red-clad Guards had arrived. Some of them didn’t have families, but somehow, the Liu Family had found a way to tame them.
"There’s no time left. From now on, I will stop gathering Qi-blood and focus all my energy on enhancing the Man Xiang Body. I’ll cultivate the Man Xiang Body to the state of Unity of Man and Martial Arts first."
Lu Yan decided to himself.
