Chapter 1059: Difficult to Strike

Though Lu Xun had never met Zhou Tai, the old master of the Lu family had specifically commissioned a painting of him and made sure that both Lu Xun and Lu Ji committed it to memory. After all, the fact that the Lu family had survived their ordeal was largely due to Zhou Tai’s actions.

The Lu family held the belief of repaying a drop of kindness with a spring of gratitude. They were known for being a gentle, amiable family, valuing goodwill towards others. Zhou Tai had once allowed them to escape by holding off pursuers, saving their lives.

Zhou Tai had never mentioned this to anyone, but the Lu family wasn't foolish. After carefully thinking through the timing of events, they realized someone had delayed their enemies just long enough for the Lu family’s escape plan to go off without a hitch.

The old master of the Lu family had confirmed that both Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were part of Sun Ce’s army, and these two men were famous for their loyalty and righteousness. As soon as the Lu family found safety, the old master instructed his sons and grandsons to remember these benefactors.

The family could afford to forget its enemies, but never its benefactors. This was part of the Lu family's long-lasting wisdom. The reason was simple: when a young person encountered an enemy, they might not be able to control their emotions and could spark unnecessary trouble. But when meeting a benefactor, even an emotional reaction could only bring good outcomes.

The old master, however, had underestimated just how clever his sons and grandsons were. With just a few clues and a little reasoning, Lu Xun had already deduced the identities of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu.

Should I strike down Sun Ce and Zhou Yu here? A flicker of coldness passed through Lu Xun’s eyes as he lowered his head. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had never killed a direct member of the Lu family, but many of their close acquaintances had died in the Battle of Lujiang.

No, Lu Xun immediately dismissed the thought. From the look of the city management forces here, the number of guards had significantly decreased. This area was an important place, and normally there should be twenty-five squads on duty. Now, only a fifth of that remained.

"Let’s go. We’ll take this brave warrior to see Doctor Hua and find out what’s wrong with him," Lu Xun raised his head and smiled, showing no trace of the inner conflict he had just experienced, not even a hint of animosity toward his enemies.

"Right, Doctor Hua’s place is over there," Lu Yu said somewhat gloomily, pointing in the direction of Hua Tuo’s residence.

Lu Yu had a strong aversion to Hua Tuo’s place, especially after his first visit. Back then, despite being in perfect health, Hua Tuo had diagnosed him with a few hidden problems and then mixed up a concoction with a small spoonful of arsenic right in front of him...

Even though Lu Yu refused to drink it, Jia Xu had held him down and forced it down his throat. After vomiting up several worms, Lu Yu developed a deep-seated fear of Hua Tuo’s clinic. Now, he avoided it as much as possible.

"I’ll skip the clinic. I’ll go visit Big Brother Qu next door instead. I didn’t expect him to still be up this late," Lu Yu, clearly scarred from his past experience, said as he turned to head for Qu Qi’s place.

"Be careful, Gongjin. These city management troops are battle-hardened veterans, on par with my personal guards," Sun Ce, carrying Zhou Tai on his shoulders, cautioned Zhou Yu, his tone serious. Having come from a military background, Sun Ce could tell these were elite soldiers.

"I know," Zhou Yu responded through voice transmission. "I’ve fought on the battlefield too. I can recognize fierce warriors. The fact that they’ve stationed five squads of such soldiers here means Liu Xuande places great importance on this area."

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu followed Lu Xun as he knocked on Hua Tuo’s door. It took quite a while, but eventually, a light came on inside. Ma Zhong muttered to himself, "How odd. Doctor Hua usually goes to bed this early."

Meanwhile, across the way, Lu Yu knocked on the door of the agricultural research institute. When the door finally creaked open, an old face peered out, leaving Lu Yu feeling regretful.

Hua Tuo glanced at Lu Yu briefly before shutting the door, saying from inside, "No illness? Then why are you knocking?"

At the same time, the door to Hua Tuo's old residence swung open. Qu Qi, rubbing his eyes, looked at the group gathered outside and muttered, "Aren't you that... uh, who are you again?" He struggled for a moment before pointing at Sun Ce and asking, "Who are you, knocking on my door in the middle of the night? Can’t a man sleep?"

"Brother Qu, why are you staying here at Doctor Hua’s place?" Ma Zhong asked awkwardly. "Aren't you supposed to be next door?"

"He took my place, said I was full of illnesses, and force-fed me a bunch of poison..." Qu Qi grumbled, gritting his teeth. Though he had to admit, after taking those ‘poisons,’ he felt much better. Still, Qu Qi stubbornly refused to believe that it was the medicine that had helped.

"It’s probably because many of Sir Qu’s herbs ripened in autumn," Lu Xun sighed helplessly. Having Qu Qi and Hua Tuo as neighbors was indeed quite the situation. "Sorry for the disturbance, Sir Qu. We’re here to help someone seek medical treatment."

"Medical treatment?" Qu Qi, who was barely dressed, thought for a moment. "I’ll come with you then. That guy is really good at treating illnesses, but why are you back here?"

"We were summoned back by Master Jia. Something about relocating the administration. But Sir Qu, why didn’t you go to Ye City?" Lu Xun quickly substituted Jia Xu for Liu Bei as the reason for their return. Ma Zhong wasn’t paying attention and didn’t notice the switch.

"I have a lot of experimental fields that aren’t finished yet. How could I leave?" Qu Qi replied, tagging along with Lu Xun without paying much attention to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu.

"Oh, that explains why security is so much lighter here," Lu Xun said, nodding as if everything made sense now.

"There are only five squads left, but that’s plenty. Any more wouldn’t make a difference. They’ve gone to protect our lord and the families of several others," Qu Qi casually revealed the information Lu Xun had been hoping to learn.

Lu Xun felt a heavy weight in his heart. He knew enough about Sun Ce’s capabilities to understand that he was a top-tier Inner Qi master. Without another master of the same level to hold him down, capturing Sun Ce would require a large-scale military operation. Such an operation was completely unfeasible at the moment. Fenggao simply didn’t have the necessary military strength.

If the full city management forces were still present, they could have used military soul energy and cloud formations to suppress Sun Ce, making his capture easy. But with only a fraction of the force remaining, trying to take Sun Ce down was a pipe dream.

This was a one-time opportunity. If they didn’t capture Sun Ce now, he would easily escape, and Lu Xun was certain that Zhou Yu had a retreat plan in place.

Damn, Zhou Yu really is sharp. He chose the perfect time to come. Our internal forces are spread thin, with Lord Xuande focused on relocating his family. For him, this is an ideal window to act. No wonder they dared to come here alone at this time!

Lu Xun felt a sense of helplessness. They simply didn’t have the strength to deal with Sun Ce and Zhou Yu at the moment. Once those two left the city, any chance of capturing them would vanish completely. And Lu Xun had no doubt that Zhou Yu had meticulously planned for their escape.

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