Mr. Chu’s real name was Chu Baoshen.
The man’s background was nothing short of extraordinary. He had been a first-class Imperial Guard of the former Yin Dynasty, a personal attendant to the Emperor himself, renowned for his profound martial skill and respected status.
Back when Lu Yun had won the title of Martial Champion Scholar and gone to the Golden Hall for an audience with the Emperor, Emperor Yongxi had a sudden whim. He wanted to see for himself what kind of abilities this new champion possessed.
And so, he ordered Chu Baoshen, who was standing guard at his side, to "exchange a few pointers" with Lu Yun for a bit of refined entertainment.
That match, while ostensibly a "casual spar," was in reality a test before the imperial throne.
Chu Baoshen was around forty at the time, in the prime of his life. His cultivation at the Peak of Anjin made him a standout even among the Imperial Guard.
Lu Yun, on the other hand, had just turned thirty. He too possessed the strength of the Peak of Anjin, and his drive was at its absolute zenith.
The two fought in the open space before the hall. After a few exchanges, Lu Yun noticed that Chu Baoshen seemed constrained, holding back due to the strict rules of sparring before the Emperor.
With his sharp perception, Lu Yun immediately understood the other man’s predicament.
Thus, in the subsequent exchanges, Lu Yun also began to hold back at every turn.
He managed to both display his own strength and preserve the Imperial Guard’s honor. In the end, they fought to a "draw," leaving both host and guest satisfied.
Chu Baoshen was no fool; how could he not see Lu Yun’s good intentions?
This act of preserving his dignity before the Emperor made him see the young Martial Champion Scholar in a new light, and he developed a favorable impression of him.
As it happened, after his success, Lu Yun needed to remain in the Capital City—now Yanjing City, the capital of the Daxia New Country—for several months to handle various formalities and attend official social functions.
During that time, whenever Chu Baoshen had a moment of leisure, he would request permission from his superiors to leave the Imperial Palace to drink and converse with Lu Yun, and to practice their Martial Arts.
Their personalities clicked, and they soon became fast friends, despite the age gap.
Not long after, the sturdy ships and powerful cannons of the Western Countries, along with some indescribable "mysterious forces," completely blasted open the nation’s gates. The corrupt Yin Dynasty, beset by crises both internal and external, collapsed with a thunderous crash.
As the great edifice was about to collapse, Chu Baoshen, the former Imperial Guard, saw that the situation was hopeless. He was terrified that the precious Martial Arts Classics, antiques, and artifacts in the Imperial Palace’s inner treasury would fall into the hands of the Western "barbarians," opportunistic warlords, or national traitors.
An idea took root in his mind: he had to get those "things" out of the Imperial Palace.
Twenty-five years passed. During this time, Chu Baoshen lived a reclusive and anonymous life in Yanjing City.
Now, the once-vigorous guard was an old man in his seventies. His martial prowess had long since faded, his strength and vitality diminished by age.
Five years ago, he knew his time was short.
Chu Baoshen’s only wish was to entrust these hidden treasures of the former dynasty to someone absolutely trustworthy and capable of protecting them before he died.
He thought of Lu Yun.
So, starting about five years ago, Chu Baoshen personally traveled to Yun Port City to meet with Lu Yun.
From then on, he used the Lu Family’s cargo ships that traveled between the north and south to gradually and safely deliver these items into Lu Yun’s hands, entrusting them to his care.
Lu Yun accepted this trust, partly out of respect for their old friendship, and partly because he agreed that these items should not fall into foreign hands or those of villains.
Therefore, for the past five years, the usual process was for Chu Baoshen to personally board the ship in Yanjing and hide the imperial treasures in an extremely secret location on the Lu Family’s cargo vessel.
Once the ship arrived in Yun Port City, Lu Jingwu would personally board it, retrieve the items, and transfer them to an even more secret storeroom in the Lu Family Mansion.
This "retrieval" process, and the exact location where the goods were hidden on the ship, were known to only four people.
Lu Yun, Lu Jingwu, Lu Jingteng, and Chu Baoshen, far away in Yanjing.
Now that someone had secretly reported them, Lu Yun knew exactly what it meant.
’The leak could only have come from one of those four people.’
’First, I can rule out myself, my eldest son Lu Jingteng, and my nephew Lu Jingwu.’
’That leaves only one possibility: something has happened to Chu Baoshen... to Brother Chu.’
’That former Imperial Guard—over seventy, living in anonymity, and guarding the secret of the former dynasty’s treasures—has likely met with some misfortune in Yanjing.’
’Or perhaps someone close to him made a mistake.’
Only a problem on Chu Baoshen’s end could have allowed the authorities in distant Yun Port City to obtain such precise intelligence about "ancient relics from a former dynasty hidden on a Lu Family ship" and act so swiftly!
’To think that after all our efforts, all our layers of defense and meticulous planning, something still went wrong!’
A chill flashed through Lu Yun’s heart. In fact, to protect Chu Baoshen’s operation, he had had the Lu Family, Lu Jingwu, and the others make extensive preparations.
Because the Yun Port City authorities had been conducting exceptionally strict inspections over the past year, even the cargo ships at the Lu Family’s three piers had been searched inside and out.
They had almost been discovered several times.
Therefore, just ten days ago, the brothers Lu Jingteng and Lu Jingwu had specifically orchestrated a ploy: "openly repair the plank roads, while secretly crossing through Chencang."
They had deliberately arranged for a ship to transport a batch of "porcelain from the former dynasty"—meticulously aged to look convincingly real—from Jingbao City, a place famous for producing high-quality replica antiques. They then intentionally leaked some information about it near Hai Cui Bay Pier.
The goal was to attract the attention of the cultural relics department and certain interested parties, leading them to believe they had found "proof" of the Lu Family smuggling artifacts. This would provide cover for the real "hard goods" from Yanjing to arrive safely at Longyuan Bay Pier.
’Who could have imagined that this time, the problem would be with Chu Baoshen in Yanjing City?’
Although he was worried about his old friend Chu Baoshen’s safety, Lu Yun felt no impulse to rush to Yanjing City and investigate.
He and Chu Baoshen had a clear agreement: "Younger Brother Yun, if I, Chu Baoshen, ever meet with disaster, or if this matter is exposed, you must not come looking for me, and you absolutely must not investigate further."
"Remember, there has never been any connection between you and I. You need only protect these items to fulfill our friendship and honor my loyalty."
"If you come rashly, you will only drag yourself into the mire as well. It will make those behind the scenes even more certain that the items are in your possession. Remember this, you must remember this!"
Chu Baoshen saw things clearly. He was guarding a secret deadly enough to get him killed.
If one of them ran into trouble, the other’s primary duty was not revenge or rescue, but to cut all ties, protect themselves, and continue to guard the secret.
Any emotional or impulsive action could expose both of them, and even the powers behind them, leading to a total loss.
Lu Yun was not some sentimental, indecisive person. Having lived two lives and experienced life and death, he deeply understood the art of survival in chaotic times.
He would never make the kind of cliché mistake you see in melodramas, "rushing over to help a friend in trouble regardless of the consequences." Not only would it fail to save anyone, but it would also end up harming even more people.
’Death is decreed by heaven; everyone must accept their fate.’
He had done his duty as a friend by accepting Chu Baoshen’s trust. Now, if his old friend truly had met with disaster, the best he could do was not to take a pointless risk, but to fulfill his promise and guard the secret.
Then, after gaining full control of the situation, he would use the most ruthless methods to eliminate the threat and claim a measure of belated justice for his old friend.
A few minutes passed. After a brief period of deliberation, Lu Yun waved his hand. "Don’t worry about it."
"I’ll handle it myself!"

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