"I have already made myself perfectly clear. Since your Lu Family cannot return the betrothal gifts in full, I will show no mercy today."
For three years, the Lu Family had constantly made demands of him—not only without the slightest bit of courtesy, but also berating him as a "useless waste" at every turn. Recalling this, combined with the humiliations he had suffered at the hands of Lu Xueqing and Lu Tao over the past two days, and the fact that the Lu Family could not return the gifts in full, he felt that even if he were to wipe out the Lu Family today, it would be entirely justified.
"Heiyun, set the estate ablaze. Burn the manor first, then kill them all."
What! Burn the manor first, then kill them? This was wanton murder and arson. Was Chu Xuan truly going to destroy the Lu Family, completely disregarding the consequences?
Before anyone could react, two balls of flame erupted from Heiyun’s palms. Heiyun then sprang into the air, and from a height of ten meters, hurled both fireballs simultaneously into the General's Estate.
Only then did Lu Youwei and his wife snap out of their stupor. They turned to look, and two buildings within the estate were already engulfed in roaring flames, which were spreading rapidly to the neighboring structures.
Madam Lu shrieked, "Hurry, put out the fire!"
Lu Youwei glared at Chu Xuan with murderous intent. He could wait no longer. With a roar, his inner strength exploded, and he shouted, "Chu Xuan! You dare burn my General's Estate? I’ll kill you!"
Seeing Lu Youwei move to attack, the Lu Family servants followed suit immediately.
"Ha! Well come! Brothers, today, let’s vent some pent-up rage on behalf of the Prince!" The men from the Langya Prince's Estate did not hesitate; in an instant, they clashed with the Lu Family servants.
"Mere ants, ignorant of the heights of heaven and earth."
Chu Xuan remained in his carriage, looking at the charging Lu Youwei with undisguised disdain. Lu Youwei’s cultivation was only at the Second Grade. It was precisely because of his low cultivation that he had tried to stall for time, waiting for Lu Xueqing and the Jingzhao Prefecture guards to arrive. But now, since Chu Xuan had already made his move and was openly burning down his estate, if he didn't fight back, it would be too late by the time Lu Xueqing and the guards arrived.
Heiyun, standing before the carriage, swung his long sword violently. A flash of fire broke away from the blade, forming a sword-light of flames that slashed toward the charging Lu Youwei.
Madam Lu had just pushed a few servants into the estate to fight the fire when she saw Heiyun’s strike. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she cried out, "Master, watch out!"
Time seemed to stand still in that moment. Everyone present could clearly see the fiery sword-light reaching Lu Youwei, and they could feel the immense power it carried—enough to hack a Second Grade martial artist to pieces.
At that critical juncture, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly echoed from the street to the left. Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a female general in silver armor, holding a pair of silver hammers, galloping toward them on a white horse.
When she was still a hundred meters from the General's Estate, the female general vaulted from her horse and flung the silver hammer from her right hand toward Lu Youwei’s side.
*Bang!*
The silver hammer struck the fiery sword-light perfectly. As it shattered the attack, the impact also slammed into the ground, the force of which sent Lu Youwei stumbling back more than ten steps.
"Chu Xuan, you are being presumptuous!"
This female general was none other than Lu Xueqing. She had been at the Imperial Palace attending a victory banquet held personally for her by the Sovereign, attended by the entire imperial court. It was the crowning moment of her life, and she never expected that just as she was at her most glorious, this dire news would arrive.
The news shocked her, and left the Sovereign and the entire court in disbelief. The Heir to the Nation-Guarding Prince of Langya, under the pretext of reclaiming betrothal gifts, had not only surrounded the General's Estate and killed its people, but had also publicly forged an imperial edict to declare himself the Nation-Guarding Prince of Langya.
The Dayuan State had been founded a thousand years ago, and in all that time, there had been countless earth-shattering events, but never once had anyone dared to forge an imperial edict—let alone do so in public to bestow a royal title upon themselves. Consequently, the Sovereign and the court were furious, and they ordered Lu Xueqing to rush back to the General's Estate to handle the situation, with the official edict to follow.
"Right on time." Seeing Lu Xueqing return, a smile appeared on Chu Xuan's face. After all, how could such a spectacular show be complete without the guest of honor?
"Heiyun, teach her some manners."
Chu Xuan stood on his carriage with his hands behind his back, not even bothering to glance at the leaping Lu Xueqing.
Heiyun obeyed. He stomped one foot on the ground, and a burst of energy rippled out, shaking the earth and causing Lu Xueqing’s silver hammer to leap off the ground.
"General Lu, acting out before the Prince is a grave offense."
*Boom!*
Controlled by Heiyun’s energy, the silver hammer was sent flying back at Lu Xueqing. She furrowed her brow, intending to catch it, but the speed of the returning weapon exceeded her expectations. Before she could react, it slammed hard into her chest.
Fortunately, Lu Xueqing’s cultivation had reached the Fifth Grade, and Heiyun had not used his full strength, so the blow was not enough to cause fatal damage. However, it threw her internal energy into chaos, and she coughed repeatedly as she landed.
"You... you are at the Peak Fifth Grade!"
Lu Xueqing stared at Heiyun in disbelief. She had known Heiyun for three years; she knew he was Chu Xuan's personal guard, but she had no idea he possessed such profound cultivation.
"I am unworthy of such praise; I am merely two minor stages above General Lu."
In the Fourteen Grades of Martial Dao, each grade is divided into four minor stages: Initial, Mid, Late, and Peak. Lu Xueqing was now at the Mid-Fifth Grade, but three years ago, she had been a novice at the First Grade. The only reason she had reached the Mid-Fifth Grade in just three years was because of the martial techniques and rare treasures included in Chu Xuan’s betrothal gifts. Yet, not only was she ungrateful, she boasted of being a genius, claiming that everything she had today was earned through her own effort.
But now, Heiyun’s power struck her hard. A mere guard, a servant, was higher in cultivation than her. It was something this "Nation-Guarding General" could not accept.
"No wonder... no wonder Chu Xuan dared to come and cause trouble at my General's Estate. So, the Langya Prince's Estate has been hiding a master like you!"
*A master?* Hearing this, Heiyun almost laughed out loud. He thought to himself: *Compared to our Prince, what is my cultivation? And what is your pride worth?*
"Xueqing, you’re finally back! Quick, take down this useless waste Chu Xuan! He actually dared to burn our General's Estate and has killed so many of our people!" Lu Youwei and his wife ran to Lu Xueqing as if they had found their savior.
"Father, Mother, are you alright?"
"We are fine, but our people, our General's Estate..."
Lu Xueqing looked around and saw that all the Lu Family servants were lying in pools of blood. Her General's Estate was enveloped in fierce flames, and it seemed it would be reduced to ashes in moments.
"Chu Xuan! Even if you want revenge on me, you cannot involve the innocent! And you dare to forge an imperial edict in public to declare yourself the Nation-Guarding Prince of Langya! For such crimes, the few merits of your Langya Prince's Estate will not be enough to save you!"
Chu Xuan still ignored Lu Xueqing, saying only to Heiyun, "She still doesn't understand the rules. Continue the lesson."
Heiyun bowed and replied, "As you command, my Prince."