Chapter 38

The three large carriages from the City Lord's residence left, and the northern exit, which had been bustling with activity, suddenly fell silent.

Blood splattered everywhere, and Lu Ping was drenched in it. The horse's head and body were separated, lying helplessly on the ground. Soon, a swarm of flies, drawn by the scent of blood, buzzed over.

"Who is this guy?" Mo Lin was still shaken. He had only felt a gentle breeze, but it had caused such great destruction. It was clear how fast the attack must have been for Mo Lin to only feel a breeze.

What if the attack had been aimed at him instead of the horse?

Mo Lin didn't dare to think about it. The other party's realm was clearly much higher than his.

"Wei Ming," Xifa said, "one of the twelve bodyguards of the City Lord, known as the first strategist by the City Lord's side. His realm is unknown."

As he spoke, Xifa turned to look at the silent Lu Ping, "Are you okay?"

Lu Ping shook his head, his expression as calm as ever.

"I'll go wash up," Lu Ping said, taking off his blood-soaked shirt and tossing it aside, which happened to cover the horse's head. He then walked towards the stream on the side of the road.

The clear stream water quickly turned red from the horse's blood that Lu Ping washed off his face. Su Tang followed silently, taking out a handkerchief to wet it and help clean the spots Lu Ping missed.

Everyone was watching. They watched as Lu Ping went to the stream, washed himself, and then returned to the road, bare-chested.

Everyone was waiting to see how Lu Ping would react.

But there was no reaction. Lu Ping silently walked through the crowd. Xifa and Mo Lin had already hired a carriage, and after Lu Ping got in, the carriage set off and soon disappeared.

"See, I told you!" The crowd began to murmur.

"The City Lord's people! What did you expect this kid to do?" someone said, claiming to have predicted this outcome.

"That day when he pushed Wei Tianqi away, he was pretty arrogant," another person said.

"Didn't you notice? This kid didn't even know Wei Tianqi at first, but now, he recognizes him," someone else said.

"That's not right. When Xifa told him that Wei Tianqi was the City Lord's only son, he didn't show much fear and even mocked Wei Tianqi," another person pointed out.

"But he's still afraid."

"Because of Wei Ming..." When this name was mentioned, everyone instinctively shrank back, as if afraid that Wei Ming might hear them. Clearly, Wei Ming's decisive act of severing the horse's head had truly frightened them.

The moment this name was mentioned, the murmurs suddenly stopped.

"It's getting late, let's get going..."

"Yeah, yeah, there's still a lot of mountain roads to go!"

"Let's go, let's go."

Everyone laughed and hurried to prepare for the journey, one carriage after another setting off on the road.

In the carriage of the four from Zhaifeng Academy, they sat on either side, with Xifa's wheelchair tied to the back of the carriage.

The carriage had been moving for almost half an hour, and no one had spoken. Mo Lin was carefully observing Lu Ping's expression, hoping to discern something, but found nothing. Xifa, who was clearly better at reading people, couldn't figure out what Lu Ping was thinking either, so he decided to speak.

"Intimidation," Xifa said.

"More like a horse-killing warning, right?" Mo Lin was relieved that someone finally spoke, as the half-hour of silence had almost made him want to jump out of the carriage.

Xifa ignored Mo Lin's nonsense and continued, "The City Lord's residence usually doesn't act so aggressively, but that's not because they are merciful. It's just that no one in the Gorge Peak District dares to defy the City Lord's residence, or rather, the Wei family. So they never need to show their strength."

"But you did."

"Yesterday, you pushed Wei Tianqi away, then refused the City Lord's invitation, and just now, you made Wei Tianqi lose face. Killing the horse was a warning to you."

"This time it was a horse, next time it will be you," Xifa said in one breath.

But Lu Ping asked a strange question, "If I were killed, how much would the price be multiplied by ten?"

"Hey, hey, aren't you focusing on the wrong thing?" Mo Lin said.

"The focus should be on me, not the horse," Lu Ping said.

"So you think what he did was pointless and unnecessary?" Xifa asked.

"Yes," Lu Ping nodded.

"Suddenly, I feel a bit sorry for Wei Ming..." Xifa was speechless. Lu Ping's perspective on things was so different from the norm, always very direct, extremely direct.

So, to Lu Ping, Wei Ming's horse-killing intimidation seemed pointless and unnecessary.

"Then next time you see him, chat with him and tell him to be more careful next time!" Xifa, who could also joke, said.

"I will," but Lu Ping's serious attitude made Xifa wonder if his joke might lead to some unforeseen consequences. They would likely encounter Wei Ming soon!

The Gorge Peak Pass.

Though called a pass, it was actually the end of the road. From here, the carriages could no longer pass, and they would have to walk to cross the mountains. Over two hundred years, a path had been barely trodden out of the mountains. The Gorge Peak Pass was the entrance to this path.

The three large carriages from the City Lord's residence were parked at the entrance, their family emblems clearly visible. Lu Ping jumped out of the carriage and immediately walked towards the large carriages.

The carriage driver, who was sitting at the front, saw Lu Ping and quickly jumped down, looking at him with a nonchalant expression. Clearly, he didn't take Lu Ping seriously.

But Lu Ping didn't pay much attention to him. After a few steps, he glanced into the large carriage and asked, "Where is Wei Ming?"

"He's gone up the mountain," the carriage driver replied casually.

"Ah," Lu Ping responded and turned to leave.

"Hey..." the carriage driver called out in surprise.

Lu Ping turned back and looked at him, "What is it?"

The carriage driver looked puzzled. What could he have to say? Shouldn't Lu Ping be the one to start trouble, and then he would give him a good lesson? That was the script Wei Ming had given him.

Wei Ming had specifically instructed the carriage to wait a bit longer, until Lu Ping appeared, to test his attitude. If Lu Ping was obedient, there would be no problem. If he came looking for trouble, the three fine horses of the City Lord's residence would be a very reasonable target for retaliation. If Lu Ping came looking for trouble, then...

"Give him a good lesson, and it doesn't matter if you kill him," Wei Ming had instructed. And this carriage driver was not just any driver; he was also one of the twelve bodyguards of the City Lord, Wei Meng. He was a capable protector, and in Wei Ming's eyes, dealing with Lu Ping was more than enough.

Seeing Lu Ping approach, Wei Meng had already prepared for a big fight. But to his surprise, after Lu Ping asked about Wei Ming and learned that he had left, he was about to leave as well.

"What did you want with Wei Ming?" Wei Meng couldn't help but ask when he saw Lu Ping turn back.

"To apologize," Lu Ping said.

"Oh," Wei Meng smiled. This kid was pretty smart! His attitude changed quickly!

(I have to go out tonight, not sure when I'll be back, so don't wait for the next chapter!)

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