Chapter 21

After a busy day, Lu Xingkong finally finished handling the affairs of the Lu family. He sat down in a chair, exhausted, and took a cup of tea from a maid, drinking it in one gulp.

"Go and get another cup of tea." Lu Xingkong handed the empty cup to the maid and ordered.

"Yes, Fourth Young Master!" The maid nodded and obediently went to pour more tea.

Lu Xingkong leaned back in his chair, rubbed his temples that were throbbing slightly, and then slowly closed his eyes, wanting to take a short rest.

"Fourth Young Master, Fourth Young Master, something terrible has happened!" At this moment, a servant suddenly rushed into the hall, shouting in a panic, which startled Lu Xingkong into opening his eyes wide.

"What happened? Why are you making such a fuss?" Lu Xingkong glared at the servant angrily and shouted.

"Fourth Young Master, Third Young Master secretly released Third Lady, and they have already fled the Lu family estate." The servant, out of breath, reported.

"What?" Upon hearing this, Lu Xingkong couldn't help but stand up abruptly from his chair, his eyes full of shock and anger.

"What's going on? Didn't I order you to keep a close watch? How could she escape?" Lu Xingkong was so angry that he trembled, his face dark as water.

"I'm sorry, Fourth Young Master. Third Young Master just said he was going to visit Third Lady in the secret room, and we naturally didn't dare to stop him. But unexpectedly, Third Young Master suddenly attacked, severely injuring all the guards. I managed to escape and came to report." The servant, with his head lowered, explained nervously.

"What are you standing there for? Quickly gather all the guards of the Lu family and come with me to catch them." Lu Xingkong was almost driven to the point of spitting blood, glaring at the servant fiercely.

"Yes, Fourth Young Master, I'll gather the men right away." The servant wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly rushed out to carry out the order.

"The escape of Third Lady is a matter of life and death for the Lu family. I must inform Father immediately." Lu Xingkong, anxious like an ant on a hot pan, dashed out of the hall and ran towards the place where the old master was in seclusion.

"Father, Father, come out quickly, something terrible has happened." Lu Xingkong, out of breath, ran to the entrance of the secret room and shouted without restraint.

"Clack, clack" The door of the secret room slowly opened, and Lu Bingwei, with a displeased look, stepped out.

"Such a loss of composure, what is the matter?" Lu Bingwei sternly demanded.

"Father, Third Brother has rescued Third Lady, and they are now nowhere to be found." Lu Xingkong immediately reported the facts.

"What? You... you useless thing..." Upon hearing this, Lu Bingwei's face changed dramatically, and he pointed at Lu Xingkong, too angry to speak.

"Father, it's my fault for not keeping a good watch on Third Lady, but now is not the time to be angry. What should we do, Father?" Lu Xingkong, with a guilty look, lowered his head.

"What else can we do? Quickly gather all the people of the Lu family and do your best to capture that traitor and Third Lady. Under no circumstances can we let them escape, or the Lu family will face a great disaster." Lu Bingwei shouted angrily.

"Father, I have already given the order, but if we fail to catch them, what should we do?" Lu Xingkong, worried, stared at his father and asked.

"Ah, that traitor, he is truly disobedient. For that evil woman, he has even disregarded the lives of over a thousand people in the Lu family. Heaven, are you really going to destroy the Lu family?" Lu Bingwei, upon hearing this, sighed deeply, his eyes filled with tears of despair.

Lu Bingwei had thought that his son, Lu Xingyao, even if he were foolish, would not be foolish enough to release Wang Cui'e, a woman with deep scheming and extreme malice. But unexpectedly, his son had betrayed the Lu family for such a woman, plunging the Lu family into an unprecedented crisis.

"If we really can't catch them, there's nothing else we can do. I, Lu Bingwei, would rather die than let anyone harm a single hair of Yu. The hope of reviving the Lu family rests entirely on Yu." Lu Bingwei, after sighing, stared at Lu Xingkong resolutely.

"Father, are you really going to fight the Wang family to the end?" Lu Xingkong, upon hearing this, was greatly alarmed, his face trembling with fear.

"Yes, Kong, there are some things that I have never told you, but at this point, I don't want to hide them from you anymore. Do you know the history of our Lu family?" Lu Bingwei, as if lost in thought, said slowly.

"I don't know, Father. You have never told me about the history of our Lu family. What was it like?" Lu Xingkong, upon hearing this, immediately asked in surprise.

"Kong, have you heard of the five great families that flourished a hundred years ago?" Lu Bingwei asked instead of answering.

"I have heard of them. A hundred years ago, the Shenhuang Continent had five famous families: Zhao, Qian, Sun, Wang, and Lu. But for some unknown reason, the Lu family suddenly declined a hundred years ago, was swallowed up by the other four families, and the entire Lu family was massacred, with no survivors...

Ah? Father, you... you can't be telling me that our Lu family is a branch of the Lu family?" Lu Xingkong, upon saying this, opened his eyes wide, staring at his father in disbelief, shocked.

"Kong, you are right. I am the only survivor of the massacre of the Lu family. Because this matter is of great importance, after I escaped, I immediately changed my identity and moved to the Qinlan Empire. To survive, I even changed my name. My original name was Lu Jizu, which means to inherit the family business and make the Lu family great. But unexpectedly, the Lu family declined during my generation, and over five thousand people of the Lu family were brutally killed. If it weren't for your grandfather using a trick to replace me with a servant who looked similar to me, I would have died in that massacre.

After I escaped to the Qinlan Empire, I immediately joined the army and adopted a general surnamed Lu as my foster father, thus completely changing my identity. For many years, no one knew my true identity, or I might have already been killed.

Kong, I am telling you this today because I want you to understand that my lifelong wish is to revive the Lu family, even if it costs my life.

Now, you should understand why I am determined to protect Yu at all costs, right?" Lu Bingwei, speaking with pain, his tears quickly wetting his chest, but his eyes shining with a firm and indomitable light.

"Father, I understand. Yu is a rare talent for cultivation, and only he can shoulder the responsibility of reviving the Lu family. Rest assured, even if I risk my life, I will not let anyone harm a single hair of Yu." Lu Xingkong finally understood how hard his father had lived for so many years, bearing such a heavy responsibility.

It was already a great achievement that his father had not fallen. If it were anyone else, they might have committed suicide under such a heavy burden.

"Good, child. Now, the situation of our Lu family is extremely critical. Wang Cui'e is a woman with a heart as venomous as a snake. She will not rest until she kills Yu. What we need to do is to protect Yu and ensure his safety, so that he can grow up safely. In the future, the hope of reviving the Lu family will rest entirely on him.

Kong, whether we catch Wang Cui'e and that traitor or not, I must make preparations. You must immediately take Yu and his mother and escape through the secret passage on the back mountain. The farther you go, the better. Yu is still very weak, and after you escape, it's best to change your names and hide in the deep mountains and marshes. When Yu has enough strength, we can implement the plan to revive the Lu family. Do you understand?" Lu Bingwei, as if giving his last instructions, earnestly reminded.

"Father, why don't you come with us?" Lu Xingkong, upon hearing this, immediately said sadly.

"No, I must stay and deal with the Wang family." Lu Bingwei immediately shook his head and said firmly.

"Father, why? The Wang family is powerful. If you stay, you will surely die." Lu Xingkong, unable to hold back, shouted with tears streaming down his face.

"Kong, I am not unwilling to leave, but I cannot. You must understand that if I leave, Wang Cui'e will not let us off. She will chase us to the ends of the earth to kill us. So, I must stay and give her an answer. I believe that my old life can quench some of her hatred." Lu Bingwei said resolutely.

"Father..." Lu Xingkong, upon hearing this, could no longer hold back his tears, which flowed freely.

"Say no more. My mind is made up. Kong, for the glory and honor of the Lu family, I hope you will not disappoint me. Take Yu and his mother and leave quickly!" Lu Bingwei urged anxiously.

For the revival and glory of the Lu family, Lu Bingwei was already prepared to die. As long as Yu could fulfill his last wish in the future, he could rest in peace in the netherworld.

Lu Lao Taiye had spent his entire life striving to revive the Lu family, to restore its former glory, and to uphold the family's honor, even at the cost of his life.

In the past, every time the Lu family held a ceremony to test the spiritual roots of the younger generation, Lu Lao Taiye was extremely concerned, hoping that a world-class genius would appear in the family to carry on his will and one day revive the Lu family.

But each time, Lu Lao Taiye was disappointed, as none of the younger generation met the criteria, all being mediocre in talent, not even surpassing himself.

Lu Lao Taiye had already given up hope of reviving the Lu family in his lifetime and intended to keep the secret of the Lu family being a branch of the original five great families until the day he died, then choose a reliable descendant to tell and have them continue the struggle.

Unexpectedly, a stroke of luck came from the heavens, and he discovered that his grandson, Lu Tianyu, was a rare individual with the five-element spiritual roots, a person who, even in the entire Shenhuang Continent, was as rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn horn. Such a person, if allowed to grow up smoothly, would have an unlimited future, and reviving the Lu family would not be a difficult task.

Therefore, Lu Lao Taiye poured all his heart and soul into Lu Tianyu, helping and protecting him, with the goal of hoping that Lu Tianyu would carry on his will and one day make the Lu family stand tall again on the continent, becoming one of the famous great families.

Family honor is above everything, and even at the cost of one's life, it is worth it.