Chapter 29

"Master Zhao, I risked my life to return your son's body, and this is how you treat someone who has done you a favor?" Lu Tianyu couldn't help but roar in anger and sorrow.

He deeply regretted why he had to be such a good person and agree to return Zhao Tianxiao's body. Now, he found himself in such a predicament, and he could only blame himself for trusting people too much.

"Old Liu, release Master Lu," Zhao Yunbing said, his face darkening as he glared at Old Liu, shouting sternly.

"Master, this matter is none of your concern. I am determined to have this ten thousand taels of gold," Old Liu replied with a cold laugh, quickly grabbing Lu Tianyu, whose acupoints were sealed, and dashing towards the main gate.

"Old Liu, are you planning to rebel?" Zhao Yunbing couldn't help but tremble with anger, roaring loudly.

"Master, I have followed you for so many years, merely to earn more money to support my family. But you only give me a meager five taels of gold each month. I could never earn ten thousand taels in my entire life. With this gold, my family of four can live a comfortable life forever. Master, I'm sorry, but I must take my leave. From now on, we have no more ties," Old Liu explained with a greedy look in his eyes, then immediately hoisted Lu Tianyu onto his left shoulder, pulled open the main gate with his right hand, and was about to run away.

"Looking for death!" Seeing this, Zhao Yunbing was so enraged that his face turned red. His body moved, transforming into a green blur, and he appeared beside Old Liu. He raised his right fist and struck down without hesitation.

Old Liu was terrified and hastily lifted Lu Tianyu to block Zhao Yunbing's punch, thinking that Zhao Yunbing would not dare to strike for fear of harming Lu Tianyu.

Old Liu's guess was correct. Seeing Lu Tianyu used as a shield, Zhao Yunbing's right fist stopped in mid-air, unable to land.

A look of triumph flashed in Old Liu's eyes, and he moved again, carrying Lu Tianyu and fleeing.

But before the triumph in Old Liu's eyes could fade, he felt a sharp pain in his heart. Looking down, he saw a golden small sword piercing through his chest, blood gushing out wildly.

"Thud" Old Liu's body fell heavily to the ground, and Lu Tianyu, who was on his shoulder, also fell to the side.

It turned out that while Zhao Yunbing's right fist was a feint to distract Old Liu, his left hand had secretly taken out the golden small sword from his storage bag. The real killing move was the golden small sword.

"What happened, Master?" The two guards at the main gate saw Old Liu die at Zhao Yunbing's hands and were shocked, exclaiming in alarm.

"This old man had a rebellious heart and has been punished. Remember, you saw nothing today. Do not let a third person know, or I will take your lives," Zhao Yunbing said coldly, his voice icy.

"Yes, Master," the two guards replied in unison, trembling and bowing their heads in respect.

"Quickly dispose of Old Liu's body," Zhao Yunbing ordered coldly, glancing at Old Liu's body with a sigh.

Greed has cost many their lives. Old Liu met his fate today because of his greed. His death was his own fault, and he had no one to blame but himself.

"Yes, Master," the two guards hurriedly carried away Old Liu's body.

With the two guards gone, Zhao Yunbing quickly rushed to Lu Tianyu, who was lying on the ground, and swiftly released the acupoints that were sealed.

"Brother, I apologize for the fright. Let's go inside and talk," Zhao Yunbing said apologetically as he helped Lu Tianyu to his feet.

"Master Zhao, since the matter is settled, I have no reason to stay. I should return as soon as possible. I misunderstood you earlier, I'm sorry. Farewell, and we'll meet again!" Lu Tianyu didn't want to stay any longer and hurriedly bowed, turning to leave.

"Brother, please wait," Zhao Yunbing immediately moved to block Lu Tianyu's path.

"Master Zhao, what do you mean? Do you also want to capture me and claim the reward from the Wang family?" Lu Tianyu asked angrily.

"Brother, you misunderstood. I have no ill intentions. You risked your life to return my son's body, and I have no way to repay you. I only wish to treat you well and show you some hospitality," Zhao Yunbing explained sincerely.

"There's no need, Master Zhao. Your son gave me the valuable Flowing Cloud Token, which I feel unworthy of. I cannot accept your hospitality. Farewell, and we'll meet again if fate allows," Lu Tianyu, worried about his mother and Lu Yi, hurriedly said goodbye and dashed out of the city.

"Brother, if you need anything, come find me," Zhao Yunbing's voice echoed behind him.

"Alright," Lu Tianyu replied absentmindedly, not looking back as he ran away.

Leaving Xishui City, Lu Tianyu feared being discovered by the Wang family and retraced his steps, taking detours through the wilderness. About an hour later, he finally reached the cave entrance.

But upon arriving, Lu Tianyu was shocked to see the waist-high grass in front of the cave trampled and buried in the damp soil, with countless footprints scattered around.

"What happened?" Lu Tianyu's eyes turned red, and he rushed into the cave, his feet crunching on the sand and soil.

"Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi!" He called out loudly before reaching the depths of the cave.

But the dark cave only echoed his shouts, with no response from Lu Yi.

"Something must have happened." Lu Tianyu's sense of foreboding grew stronger. Rushing to the depths of the cave, his heart sank when he saw that it was empty. His mother and Lu Yi were gone.

"Mother, Xiao Yi!" Lu Tianyu looked up at the cave ceiling and let out a heart-wrenching roar.

His voice echoed in the cave, and Lu Tianyu, with red eyes, turned and rushed out, frantically searching.

First, he went to the forest, but no one was there.

Next, he rushed to the pond on the mountain slope, thinking his mother and Lu Yi might have come for water.

But the pond was empty, and there was no sign of the two women.

"Mother, Xiao Yi, where are you?" Lu Tianyu fell to his knees by the pond, his hands clutching his head, and he screamed in pain.

"Where... where...?" The echo lingered in the mountains, and Lu Tianyu felt his heart breaking.

"It's all my fault, all my fault. If I hadn't left, they wouldn't have been in danger." Lu Tianyu's hands were clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood, but he didn't notice, overwhelmed by guilt and regret.

"Mother, Xiao Yi, where are you?" Lu Tianyu's right fist pounded the pond, sending cold water splashing over him.

The cold water brought him back to his senses.

"Shouting won't help. I must find them quickly and make sure they are safe." Lu Tianyu calmed down, thought for a moment, and turned back to the cave, determined to find any clues.

At the cave entrance, Lu Tianyu examined the trampled grass, noticing several different footprints.

Two smaller, shallower footprints belonged to his mother and Lu Yi, while three larger, deeper footprints were different, indicating that his mother and Lu Yi had been taken by three people.

With this conclusion, Lu Tianyu entered the cave, searching for useful clues.

Rushing to the large rock where his mother and Lu Yi had rested, Lu Tianyu activated his battle qi, focusing it in his eyes, which glowed with a fierce red light, scanning the area inch by inch, not missing a single detail.

The large rock had been overturned, and there were signs of battle qi on the nearby cave walls, suggesting that Lu Yi had fought fiercely but was eventually overpowered and captured.

"Hmm?" At that moment, Lu Tianyu's eyes fixed on a small white object partially exposed under a face-sized rock.

He flipped the rock over, revealing a palm-sized token.

Picking it up, Lu Tianyu examined the token, which had a dragon and phoenix "Wu" character carved on one side and a sinister skull on the other, emitting a terrifying white glow.

"This token must have been dropped during the fight with Lu Yi, but what does it represent?" Lu Tianyu was puzzled. Although he had a clue, he didn't recognize it, leaving him at a loss.

"Right, Master Zhao of the Zhao Family Martial Hall is well-informed. He might recognize this token. I should ask him," Lu Tianyu thought, immediately thinking of Master Zhao.

The Zhao Family Martial Hall was the largest force in Xishui City, and Master Zhao would certainly know about the local forces.

With this in mind, Lu Tianyu rushed out of the cave like a whirlwind, sprinting along the mountain path straight to Xishui City. He didn't take detours this time, as his mother and Lu Yi's whereabouts were unknown, and their lives were in danger.