A Water Monkey the size of an elephant? One that couldn’t even be killed by foreign guns? Lu Yun found the whole situation baffling.
Then, he slowly rose to his feet, his right hand gripping the Wisteria Spirit Staff.
"A Water Monkey the size of an elephant... Where is it now?"
Lu Jingwu quickly replied, "It ran back into the river!"
Hearing this, Lu Yun’s brow furrowed slightly. If that monster was hiding at the bottom of the river, there was truly nothing he could do about it.
Even a Grandmaster of Divine Intent, no matter how powerful, couldn’t fight in a river.
Moreover, the Water Monkey was a water spirit to begin with. In the water, it was in its element. If he went in after it, he would be at a disadvantage.
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Yun finally spoke. "Jingwu, take some of the new Western weapons we’ve recently purchased and stand guard over there. If it shows up again, kill it at any cost!"
Lu Jingwu’s expression turned grim, and he nodded heavily. "Yes, Great Uncle!"
For the past few days, the Lu Family had been recruiting soldiers and buying horses, expanding their power.
Lu Jingteng had recently been negotiating a lot of business with Vice-Consul William Harris of Great Britain.
Speaking of this William Harris, he was an interesting character. The man had made a fortune by using the Lu Family’s three docks to ship goods back to Great Britain for resale.
Now that the Lu Family wanted to expand its power, he was naturally the first person they thought of.
This time, they weren’t discussing ordinary business, but a major arms deal.
The Lu Family had paid this man several times the going rate in advance for him to pull some strings back home and procure a batch of advanced weaponry, which was then shipped to Yun Port City.
These weren’t ordinary foreign guns. It was a large number of heavy machine guns, more than ten times better than the knockoffs produced by the Daxia New Country. They were the kind of high-quality goods that money couldn’t always buy.
The most outrageous part was that the shipment even included the latest model of howitzers. A single shell could collapse half a building.
After Lu Jingwu strode away, Lu Jingteng, who had been standing by his side the whole time, finally spoke.
His expression was grave. "Dad, my informant on Zhang Cheng’an’s side sent word. That man wants to mobilize the garrison stationed outside the city."
The air in the living room froze for an instant.
’Power is so seductive.’ Lu Yun knew that Zhang Cheng’an, the Military Governor of Yun Port City, would never give up his position so easily.
As the Military Governor of Yun Port City, the forty-nine-year-old Zhang Cheng’an held military authority over the entire city. He was a man whose word was law in this territory.
This was an age when a man was full of vigor and ambition.
Of course, Zhang Cheng’an was no mediocre hedonist. His ancestors had once held the rank of a General of Cavalry of the first subordinate rank in the Yin Dynasty.
That was a title earned through genuine slaughter on the battlefield, an honor built on a mountain of corpses.
Therefore, the Zhang Family had practiced martial arts for generations, passing down a set of techniques called the Black Armor Breaking Army Saber Technique. The style was fierce and domineering, its movements powerful and heavy, born purely for slaughter.
By Zhang Cheng’an’s generation, he had mastered this saber technique to the point of transformation.
This was also why he had been appointed by that personage in Yanjing. He had the background, the strength, the seniority—he had it all.
How could a formidable man of such extraordinary origins be willing to relinquish the position of Military Governor?
This was also why Lu Yun hadn’t rushed to the docks immediately.
The main player, Zhang Cheng’an, had yet to make a move. Who knew what he was capable of?
Since Zhang Cheng’an had chosen to mobilize the garrison outside the city, it meant he intended to face them head-on.
"Jingteng, I’m going out. In two hours, have Uncle Fu take two hundred men to clean up the aftermath!"
Lu Yun left these words hanging in the air and walked toward the villa’s entrance.
At night, the Yun Port City Governor’s Mansion was brightly lit. The mansion bore almost no resemblance to Daxia architecture; it was built entirely in the Western style.
Soaring spires, enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, and white marble colonnades—the entire Western-style villa stood a full four stories tall. It was less a Governor’s Mansion and more a Western manor.
Behind the heavily guarded iron gates lay a wide driveway leading directly to the immense villa deep within the grounds.
Two rows of soldiers, armed with live ammunition, stood at the entrance. Each stood ramrod straight, their gazes vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
Not only did they have the latest model of Mauser pistols at their waists, but they also held rifles with fixed bayonets. The level of security was no less stringent than what Lu Yun had seen at the President’s Mansion.
In the distance, a figure in a black Zhongshan suit was slowly approaching. The soldiers at the gate quickly spotted him.
The leading non-commissioned officer frowned, raised his hand, and shouted, "Halt! This is the Governor’s Mansion! Unauthorized personnel are forbidden to approach!"
Seeing that the figure did not stop and continued to approach with unhurried steps, the officer’s expression changed. He quickly placed a hand on the holster at his waist. "I said halt! One more step and we’ll open fire!"
As soon as his voice fell, the two rows of soldiers behind him raised their rifles in unison, the dark muzzles aimed squarely at the newcomer.
The figure finally stopped. Lu Yun hadn’t wanted to be so conspicuous.
But this Zhang Cheng’an was too clever. There was no cover whatsoever around the Western villa.
Within a hundred-meter radius, there was nothing but flat lawns and open ground.
Furthermore, the entire area was patrolled by a large number of soldiers. With sentry posts every few steps, it was impossible to get in from any direction without being seen.
Rather than trying to sneak in, it was better to walk in openly.
Lu Yun looked at the soldiers pointing their guns at him, and those guarding the iron gates finally got a clear view of the visitor’s face.
After all, it was a face that had appeared in the newspapers countless times. It was all too familiar to them.
"Advisor... Advisor Lu!" someone cried out in shock.
Immediately after, more of them recognized him.

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