The images that had just been churning in his mind instantly dissipated.
In their place came a fear that seeped from his very bones. He didn’t know why he was afraid, but he was. Terrified.
In the distance, Lu Yun walked slowly. As a Grandmaster of Divine Intent, his Divine Sense constantly blanketed a five-hundred-meter radius, so not the slightest disturbance could escape his perception.
The moment Lu Yun stepped into the garden, he had noticed the figure in the corner.
A groundskeeper was tucked away in a corner over a hundred meters away, holding a broom with his head lowered, appearing to be sweeping diligently.
But with a single, casual glance, Lu Yun sensed that something was amiss.
The man had been staring at his eldest daughter-in-law. Despite the hundred-meter distance, the fleeting flash of desire in his gaze couldn’t be concealed from Lu Yun’s Divine Sense.
That wasn’t even the most peculiar part. Most importantly, this servant’s aura indicated he was of the Dark Force Realm.
A Dark Force expert could easily make a good living on the outside. A bodyguard, a martial arts instructor, a gang enforcer—wasn’t any of that better than sweeping floors?
Yet here he was, at the Lu Family estate, working as a groundskeeper? ’Something’s off.’
Lu Yun withdrew his gaze, his expression unchanged, but he had already silently committed the man’s face to memory.
"Father, you’re here!" Shen Luoying hurried over, holding her child, the moment she saw him.
Li Zhiyu also approached with her child in her arms, bowing slightly. "Father."
"Grandpa!"
The moment the children saw Lu Yun, they abandoned the flowers they were fiddling with and came running over, hopping and skipping.
The eldest threw his arms around Lu Yun’s leg. The youngest, unable to reach that high, simply hugged the walking cane, pressing his little face against the wooden staff and giggling.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!"
"Grandpa, up!"
"Grandpa, toss me high!"
The children chirped and chattered, swarming around Lu Yun.
A rare smile broke across Lu Yun’s perpetually placid face.
He laughed heartily, handed his cane to a nearby maid, then bent down and stretched out his arms.
He gently tossed a grandson into the air, then caught him securely.
"Hahaha!"
The child shrieked with laughter in midair. Once he was back on the ground, he begged for more, "Again! Again!"
Lu Yun picked up another and tossed him into the air as well. One by one, all six of his grandsons took turns enjoying this "flying" treatment.
Laughter echoed through the garden, warm and joyful. The maids standing to the side couldn’t help but smile as they watched the scene unfold.
Who would have thought that this Grandmaster of Divine Intent, a man feared throughout Yun Port City, could be so kind and affectionate with his own grandchildren?
In the distance, the figure in the corner had vanished. Zhou Daniu, seizing the moment when no one was watching, had hastily tidied up and hurried out of the garden.
But what he didn’t know was that at the very moment he turned to leave, Lu Yun’s gaze had flickered over him once more.
「Meanwhile, at Pier 3 of Yun Port City.」
A passenger ship arriving from upstream slowly pulled alongside the pier. Once the gangplank was down, passengers began to disembark.
The first one off the ship was a powerfully built man. He wore a simple black tunic, open at the collar, revealing a chest dense with scars and knotted muscles.
His features were rugged and stern, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, but a hint of a devil-may-care smile played on his lips.
The dozen or so men trailing behind him were all formidable and fierce-looking, the kind of men who clearly made a living on the edge of a blade.
What drew the most attention were two people in the middle of the procession, bound tightly with ropes and carried by two burly men as if they were nothing more than chickens.
Black hoods covered their heads, obscuring their faces. One could only guess from their builds that they were a man and a woman.
The large man and his entourage swaggered off the ship just like that, their brazen actions immediately drawing the attention of the guards on the pier.
Near the pier’s guard post, dozens of soldiers in gray uniforms, armed with Mauser C96 pistols, stood on duty.
They were members of the Yun Port City garrison, responsible for maintaining order at the pier.
Their leader was a sergeant in his thirties, lean and grim-faced. His eyes widened the moment he saw the two bound figures in their midst.
’Good God! These bastards from out of province are completely lawless!’
’Kidnapping a man and a woman in broad daylight, right in front of us government men?’
’It’s like they think we’re invisible!’
The next moment, the sergeant waved his hand, leading the dozens of soldiers to intercept them.
"Halt!"
At his command, the soldiers raised their pistols in unison, the dark muzzles aimed squarely at Zhou Lie and his men.
"Who are these people you’re holding? Unhood them!"
The big man stopped in his tracks. He glanced at the sergeant, then at the soldiers with their raised pistols, and suddenly broke into a wide grin.
"Take off their hoods."
At his word, the two burly men behind him reached out and yanked the black hoods off their captives’ heads.
Two faces were revealed.
The sergeant’s gaze fell upon the two faces. He froze for a second, then his pupils instantly dilated.
’These two faces... I think I’ve seen them in the newspapers!’
’It’s Chen Baitong and Chen Yuyu! The two people a Grandmaster of Divine Intent personally put a bounty on!’
The sergeant’s mouth fell open, words failing him. Behind him, his soldiers stared wide-eyed, their faces etched with shock.
Seeing their expressions, the big man’s grin widened. He strode forward, clapped the stunned sergeant on the shoulder, and announced boisterously,
"I’m from Shun’an Province! The name’s Zhou Lie, and I’m not one to hide it!"
"I’m here to see the Military Governor of Yun Port City, Elder Lu!"

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