Chapter 44: Lu Family Spies Hanged!

The backyard in Shen Family was quiet.

In Shen Wanqing's room, the candlelight was dim.

Shen Wanqing sat on the edge of the bed, with a hat covering her bald head completely.

Her eyes were swollen like walnuts from crying, and their rims were red as if she hadn't slept for days.

Shen Wanrong lay on the bed, her wrist wrapped in thick bandages and unable to move. She also wore a hat, and the tear stains on her face had not yet dried.

Shen Zhenghai pushed the door open and entered.

When they saw him, their eyes reddened again.

"Father..."

Shen Wanqing's voice was hoarse, as if she had ruined her throat from crying.

Shen Zhenghai walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at his two daughters.

One had a ruined hand, while the other was too terrified to leave her room.

The Shen Family had been established in Azure Sun City for decades and had never suffered such a great loss.

"That person... do you really not know them?"

Shen Wanqing shook her head, and tears fell again.

"No... it was a face I've never seen before..."

"What about their martial arts style? Could you tell which family it belongs to?"

Shen Wanqing thought for a moment and shook her head.

Shen Wanrong, who was lying on the bed, suddenly spoke in a weak voice.

"Father... that person... that person's acupoint-striking technique... it's a bit like..."

"Like what?"

Shen Wanrong bit her lip.

"It's a bit like... the Lu Family's."

Shen Zhenghai's pupils constricted slightly.

"The Lu Family?"

"Yes. When I was young... I saw people from the Lu Family practicing. Their acupoint-striking technique is different from our Shen Family's. When that person struck my throat, the technique was light, but the position was precise... it was very similar to the Lu Family's style."

Shen Zhenghai stood up and paced the room with his hands behind his back.

The Lu Family?

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He and Lu Tianhe had been engaged in overt and covert struggles for many years. On the surface, the two families were polite, but in secret, they both wanted to take a bite out of each other.

But why would the Lu Family target Wanrong and Wanqing?

No, that's not right.

Shen Zhenghai suddenly stopped.

"A few days ago, someone told me they saw Lu Family members loitering near our Shen Family estate."

Shen Fu stood at the door and nodded.

"Yes. Your subordinate heard of it too. Those people were acting suspiciously; they didn't look like they were just passing by, but rather like they were keeping watch."

Shen Zhenghai's eyes narrowed.

People from the Lu Family were keeping watch near the Shen Family?

And then Wanrong and Wanqing were attacked?

"Father—"

Shen Wanqing suddenly sat upright, her face pale.

"I remember now!"

Shen Zhenghai looked at her.

"Remember what?"

"Some time ago... I ran into that ugly freak Shen Yuyan on the street."

Shen Wanqing's voice became urgent.

"There were two people following her at the time. I noticed them and asked; they were from the Lu Family. They said they were acting on Lu Hao's orders to protect his sister-in-law."

She paused.

"I believed it then, but thinking about it now, why would the Lu Family send people to follow a wretched woman like Shen Yuyan who was kicked out of the Shen Family? They were clearly following me and Wanrong, and they made up a lie when we caught them."

"At the time, I even cursed them, saying, 'Tell Lu Hao he'd better not mess with the Shen Family, or I'll break his legs.'"

Shen Wanqing's face grew paler and paler.

"Then... then a few days later, Lu Hao's legs were actually broken."

Shen Zhenghai's frown deepened, but Shen Wanqing continued to reminisce.

"Later, I even mocked them in public, saying the Lu Family had committed so many evils that seeing him turned into a cripple was truly heart-warming."

Shen Wanqing's voice was trembling, Shen Zhenghai didn't speak.

He stood by the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the moonlight in the courtyard.

"Could it really be the Lu Family, and Lu Hao's doing..."

"Father! You must avenge your daughter! This humiliation... even skinning Lu Hao alive would hardly satisfy my hatred!"

Shen Zhenghai looked at his pitiful daughter, and his eyes were full of heartache.

"Don't worry. No matter who it is, once I find out, Father will make them wish they were dead."

"For now, first clear out all those Lu Family dogs surrounding the Shen Family!"

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Early morning.

The gates of Azure Sun City had just opened, and the guard yawned as he pulled the bolt from the iron rings.

Then he froze.

Outside the city gates, five people were hanging.

They weren't hanging from the city walls... they were hanging from an old locust tree outside the gates.

Five people were lined up in a row, hanging from the branches like laundry set out to dry.

Ropes were tight around their necks, their heads lolling, and their faces already purple.

They were still wearing their clothes: the Lu Family servant uniforms, with the chinese character for "Lu" embroidered on their chests, clearly visible even from a distance.

The guard's yawn got stuck in his throat.

His mouth hung open, and his eyes bulged as he stood stunned for three seconds.

Then he turned and ran back into the city, shouting as he went, "Something's happened... something's happened... people from the Lu Family are hanging at the city gate!"

-----------------

The news spread through Azure Sun City as if it had grown wings.

The Lu Family.

In the main hall, Lu Tianhe sat in the main seat, his face ashen.

Seven or eight people knelt before him, none daring to look up or speak. The entire hall was as silent as a graveyard, and even the sound of breathing was suppressed to a minimum.

A steward knelt at the very front, his forehead against the floor and his voice trembling.

"Family Head... the bodies... have been brought back. All five people sent to watch the Shen Family are dead."

Lu Tianhe said nothing.

He picked up a teacup, and with a sharp "crack," it sounded like a bone snapping.

"Five useless fools, and they all got themselves exposed."

The steward trembled all over and asked, "Family Head, what do we do now?"

Lu Tianhe looked out the window, his gaze sharp.

"Set a table at Grand Spring Tower and send an invitation to Shen Zhenghai. I will speak with him in person..."

"Yes!"