Chapter 168 - 117: Director Bai, Please Be On Your Way

Chapter 168: Chapter 117: Director Bai, Please Be On Your Way

She threw her arms around her husband, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Huaisan! Huaisan, you’re back! You scared me to death!"

The two children, Lu Jinglin and Lu Jinhao, shot forward like little cannonballs.

They clung to their father’s legs, bawling their eyes out.

Even Lu Huaisan, a tough-as-nails man, couldn’t help his eyes from reddening as he held his wife and children tight.

His rough hands gently patted his wife’s back and stroked his children’s heads. He murmured, "It’s okay... It’s okay. Dad’s back. I’m back..."

Lu Jing’an stood quietly to the side, a warmth spreading in his eyes as he watched the reunion.

He took a silent step back, preparing to leave this precious moment entirely to his third uncle’s family.

"Jing’an, wait," his third aunt suddenly said, looking up and stopping him.

Lu Jing’an paused. "Third Aunt?"

His third aunt wiped away her tears and pulled her two children in front of her, her expression more solemn than ever before.

"Jinglin, Jinhao, kneel to your Brother Jing’an."

Hearing this, the two children didn’t hesitate for a second and immediately began to bend their knees.

Lu Jing’an shot forward, firmly catching his young cousins’ arms and preventing them from kneeling. He frowned.

"Third Aunt, what are you doing? This is too much."

His third aunt looked at Lu Jing’an, fresh tears streaming down her face, but her tone was resolute.

"They are your younger brother and sister. It is only right that they kneel to you!

You saved their father, which means you saved our entire family.

They should kneel, and I should kneel too!"

As she spoke, she began to kneel herself.

Lu Jing’an quickly supported his third aunt as well, pleading earnestly,

"Third Aunt, we are family.

We are bound by blood; we share in glory and disgrace.

If it were me in trouble today, would you and Third Uncle just sit by and do nothing?

By doing this, you’re treating me like an outsider."

Lu Huaisan also put an arm around his wife’s shoulders and said in a low voice,

"Listen to Jing’an. The Lu Family doesn’t stand on such ceremony. Keeping it in your heart is more important than anything."

His third aunt looked at her husband, then at Lu Jing’an’s sincere expression.

She finally relented, but she took hold of her children and said seriously,

"You two remember this: from now on, your Brother Jing’an’s words are your father’s and my words.

You must listen, and you must take it to heart.

If you dare to disobey him in the slightest, I will disown you!"

Having gone through this ordeal, Lu Jinglin and Lu Jinhao seemed to have matured considerably in an instant.

They both nodded forcefully, their gazes toward Lu Jing’an filled with trust and affection.

Lu Jing’an smiled and said no more.

’This is Third Aunt’s way of teaching her children, her way of showing gratitude.’

"Third Uncle, Third Aunt, please enjoy your reunion. I’ll be heading back now," Lu Jing’an said, taking his leave once more.

"Brother Jing’an!"

Lu Jinhao suddenly called out again, his little face tense, his eyes holding a resolve uncommon for a child.

"Hm? Is there something else?" Lu Jing’an asked gently.

Lu Jinhao clenched his small fists and declared, "Brother Jing’an, I want to practice martial arts with you! I want to get stronger, to protect Mom, Dad, and my sister!"

Lu Jing’an was momentarily taken aback, then his smile deepened.

Unlike how Chen Xuan had once discouraged him, Lu Jing’an didn’t say anything like "Practicing martial arts is hard."

He simply walked over and ruffled Lu Jinhao’s hair.

"Alright. Come to my courtyard at dawn tomorrow morning. I’ll train with you."

"Okay!" Lu Jinhao nodded emphatically, his eyes sparkling.

Whether he could persevere was a question for another time.

But that determination deserved encouragement.

The night was as black as ink, the wind bone-chilling.

By the time Bai Lang’s motorcade entered the Provincial City, the streets were nearly empty of pedestrians.

The dim yellow streetlights swayed in the wind, stretching and shrinking the vehicles’ shadows like phantoms.

The Defense Command, a gray, three-story Western-style building, stood silently in the darkness like a slumbering beast.

Only a single window on the third floor glowed with a light as crimson as blood.

Bai Lang went up to the third floor alone.

The corridor was laid with a thick carpet that absorbed all sound of footsteps, making it terrifyingly silent.

He stopped before the carved wooden door that emanated the red light and took a deep breath.

He straightened his collar, though it was already stained with the River’s wind and dust.

Then, he raised his hand and knocked.

"Enter," came a flat voice from within.

Bai Lang pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was filled with a mixed aroma of cigars and a strange, sweet fragrance.

Heavy velvet curtains were drawn tight, and a fire roared in the hearth.

Commander Bai, dressed in a silk robe, was lounging on a large leather sofa, swirling a glass of blood-red wine.

The room was warm, a completely different world from the biting cold outside.

"Commander." Bai Lang came to a halt three meters before the sofa and bowed his head.

Commander Bai didn’t speak, merely sipping slowly from his glass.

His gaze was fixed on the dancing flames in the hearth, as if he hadn’t seen him at all.

Time ticked by, second by second. The silence fermented in the warm air, yet it felt colder than the wind outside.

Bai Lang’s back gradually became soaked with cold sweat.

Finally, Commander Bai set down his glass. The base of the cup met the sandalwood coffee table with a crisp CLINK.

"So."

Commander Bai began to speak slowly, his voice devoid of emotion.

"The Snake Demon has not been eliminated, and Lu Huaisan has not been brought back. Is that right?"

Bai Lang’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He dropped to one knee, lowering his head even further. "This subordinate was incompetent! I have failed the Commander’s trust. I ask for punishment!"

"I recall saying,"

Commander Bai’s voice was still flat, but it pierced Bai Lang’s ears like an Ice Cone.

"If you failed the mission, you were to bring me your head."

Bai Lang’s body trembled almost imperceptibly. Then, he suddenly straightened his back and said in a hoarse voice, "This subordinate... is willing to atone with my life!"

"Use your hands."

Commander Bai’s gaze finally turned to him. In the reflection of the firelight, his eyes seemed to glow with a faint, dark red.