Of course, all this land belonged to the City Affairs Bureau, so there were few property disputes.
Acquiring land within a ten-kilometer radius required passing a strict review process.
Money wasn’t enough. Without the right background, connections, or sufficient status, you didn’t even qualify to apply.
Besides, the higher-ups at the City Affairs Bureau had long been secretly arranging things for themselves. Who wouldn’t want to live near the home of Lord Lu?
He was Daxia’s first Grandmaster of Divine Intent to reveal himself to the world, and he was the one and only sky over Yun Port City. Living a little closer made everyone feel more at ease.
If something were to happen, having Lord Lu nearby meant a much higher chance of survival.
Even the Bai and Gong Families, along with other Grandmasters of Huajin—every last one of them—all crowded into the area.
Bai Longfei bought a plot of land east of the Lu Family estate, built an elegant courtyard, and ambled over every day, hoping Lu Yun would accept him as a disciple.
Gong Yuanshan settled down west of the Lu Family estate, and he and his daughter, Gong Ning, became frequent visitors.
Then there were the Grandmasters of Huajin who had rushed in from out of town, each one scrambling to find a way in.
Just yesterday, Lu Jingjun had personally gone to the docks to welcome Li Zhen and his family, who had arrived from Yanjing.
The docks were a sea of people. As soon as the ship docked, a massive crowd surged off it.
Li Zhen and his family, laden with bags of all sizes, struggled to push their way through the crowd.
Standing on the docks, Li Zhen looked out at the completely unfamiliar city—the orderly streets, the spirited populace, even the soldiers who, though armed with live ammunition, had amiable attitudes. He couldn’t help but sigh with emotion once again.
’Thank goodness my family is connected to Lu Yun by marriage,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, I really don’t know what would have become of us.’
’Yanjing is in chaos. The warlords are fighting endlessly. One day, one of them takes the eastern district; the next, another takes the western district.’
’The common folk are caught in the middle, paying taxes to one side today and surrendering grain to the other tomorrow.’
’For a family like ours, a single misstep could mean utter ruin and death.’
Lu Jingjun personally escorted Li Zhen and his family to the area around the Lu Family estate, finally stopping at a plot of empty, leveled land.
"Father-in-law, I had this plot of land set aside especially for you. It’s right next to our house, just a short walk away."
"We’ll break ground in a couple of days to build you a Western-style villa. It’ll be a three-story house with a garden and a garage. I guarantee you’ll be pleased."
"In the meantime, you can stay with us at the Lu Family estate. It’ll be a perfect opportunity for you to have tea and chat with my dad."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhen broke into a grin so wide he couldn’t close his mouth, the wrinkles on his old face bunching up.
He cradled his little grandson, the youngest child of Lu Jingjun and Li Zhiyu. The boy was fair and chubby, adorable as if carved from pink jade.
Just then, the little fellow started gurgling, waving his tiny hands and playfully tugging at Li Zhen’s beard.
"Excellent, excellent! You’re a good man, Jing Jun!"
Then he turned to his eldest daughter, Li Zhiyu, and couldn’t help but praise her. "Ah, Zhiyu, you married well! This is the proudest accomplishment of my life!"
’From now on, our Li Family has finally put down roots in Yun Port City,’ he mused. ’What incredible luck. I wonder what good deeds we must have performed in a past life.’
「That evening, in an area near the Yun Port City train station.」
It was a district of old houses that had been abandoned for many years.
Just then, a figure completely shrouded in black cloth sprinted through the ruins at a speed that surpassed human limits.
As the figure ran, it kept glancing over its shoulder, its lively and bewitching eyes filled with terror and rage.
’Damn it! Why is it this bastard human again! I’ve been hiding here for over a month! How did he find me?’
The thought had barely formed when a stream of red energy shot through the air from behind!
The dark figure didn’t look back, but its senses had already perceived the danger.
The next moment, the black cloth wrapped around it burst apart, revealing the figure within as the tatters scattered.
It was a scantily clad woman. Her skin was as white as the finest mutton-fat jade, and her figure was seductively curvaceous. Her eyes overflowed with a bewitching charm.
But upon closer inspection, there was a hole punched clean through the woman’s right breast, about the size of an infant’s fist.
Strangely, the wound was not filled with human flesh and blood, but with a constantly churning black fluid.
The black fluid writhed like a living thing at the edges of the hole, trying to heal the wound, but each time it was blocked by a cluster of red energy.
The red energy coiled around the wound, forming an invisible barrier that prevented the black fluid from mending it.
This was the very same Great Demon that had devoured people in Ping’an Town over a month ago—or rather, the White Fox that had been possessed by an Outer Celestial Demon.
Sensing the red energy closing in from behind, the woman’s eyes filled with venomous hatred.
She let out a piercing shriek as her body began to twist and swell. White fur sprouted from beneath her skin, her bones reshaped, and she dropped to all fours.
Within a few breaths, the woman had reverted to her true form: a White Fox as large as a tiger.
Then, with a powerful leap, she narrowly dodged the streak of red energy that shot toward her from behind.
In the brief moment of delay, a man appeared. He wore a long white robe, his hair was a short crew cut, and his face was strikingly handsome.
Who else could it be but Mr. Mei? For over a month, he had done nothing but sweep the entirety of Yun Port City with his Divine Sense.
Although Mr. Mei’s Divine Sense only had a range of three hundred meters—far inferior to Lu Yun’s five hundred-plus—it was more than enough to uncover any hidden auras.
And tonight, he had actually found it.
The White Fox continued to flee for its life, as fast as a bolt of white lightning, with Mr. Mei in relentless pursuit.

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