Chapter 140

Chapter 140: Infiltrating the General’s Residence

Hearing the name "Qin Luoyuan," Lou Yun’s heart stirred slightly. Back at the Ancient Weapon Academy, there was a man named Qin Wufeng. Driven by resentment and jealousy towards Lou Yun over his pursuit of Xia Zhilan, Qin Wufeng had led men to ambush Lou Yun while he was out. However, he ended up seeking benefit but end up with loss, leading to his quiet departure from the Ancient Weapon Academy. Unwilling to give up, he even sent assassins to kill Lou Yun later, but they also failed in the end. This Qin Wufeng was none other than Qin Luoyuan’s son!

Qin Luoyuan was indeed a major figure in the Gu Feng Nation. For the illustrious military exploits he had achieved for the royal family, he was enfeoffed as the Breakthrough General. With the decrease in warfare in recent years, he commanded tens of thousands of troops, garrisoning the frontier fortress and holding sway over a vast territory, possessing immense power. It was unexpected that he had also come to Yuyang City.

Lou Yun just didn’t know his purpose for being here. Could it also be to deal with him?

Thinking this, Lou Yun listened more attentively to the conversation of the two men nearby, wanting to figure out why this powerful frontier official had come to Yuyang City.

The dialogue between the two men continued: "Breakthrough General Qin Luoyuan? Heavens! Why would he come to Yuyang City? Quit spinning tales here trying to fool me!"

"How could I fool you? Don’t forget, I have a cousin in the city gate guard. He personally told me. Although he didn’t say why General Qin came to Yuyang City, I reckon he’s definitely here to protect the King!"

"Oh, you mean that business with Lou Yun!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Someone might hear. Let’s go. This place has too many eyes and ears, not the spot to talk. Let’s go somewhere else."

The two men walked off. Lou Yun did not follow them further. They didn’t really know Qin Luoyuan’s true purpose in coming to Yuyang City; it was just speculation. And the reason for their speculation actually tied back to him. So, he decided eavesdropping further was pointless.

"Breakthrough General Qin Luoyuan!" Lou Yun muttered to himself. "Though I haven’t met you, your son has tried multiple times to kill me. There’s some history between us now. I’ll just make you take me to see the King! After all, whatever you came to Yuyang City for, you’ll definitely have to meet the King!"

Having settled on his plan, Lou Yun strolled leisurely around the city again. Although Yuyang City had four gates, judging by the direction of the frontier garrison Qin Luoyuan commanded, it wasn’t difficult for Lou Yun to conclude he must be entering through the East Gate.

While Qin Luoyuan hadn’t arrived yet, Lou Yun meticulously scouted ahead of time all the routes and specific locations along the way from the East Gate to the royal palace. He needed to find a suitable spot to take action and slip into Qin Luoyuan’s entourage.

A thought struck him then: He didn’t know exactly when Qin Luoyuan would reach Yuyang City. That pair earlier said he wouldn’t arrive until evening. If it was very late, he wouldn’t go to see the King immediately; he’d inevitably need to rest somewhere for the night and likely go to the palace early the next morning.

So where would he stay?

Although Lou Yun had never dealt with court affairs, he wasn’t foolish. Considering Qin Luoyuan’s extremely high rank and status, even if he was permanently stationed at the frontier, he must surely have his own residence within Yuyang City!

Indeed, through some inquiries, Lou Yun found the Breakthrough General’s Residence!

Even though Qin Luoyuan might not set foot here for years on end, the royal family assigned a significant number of servants to maintain the mansion’s environment and cleanliness. So when Lou Yun arrived, he found the residence bustling with activity, countless servants bustling about inside.

This also indicated that Qin Luoyuan really was coming to Yuyang City; otherwise, these servants wouldn’t be rushing to clean and tidy the place so urgently.

Lou Yun circled the general’s residence twice, using his spiritual sense to observe the situation inside as he walked. Although the residence did have dedicated soldiers, perhaps because no one would dare cause trouble or steal in the general’s home, their cultivation levels weren’t particularly high. However, there was one among them whose magical weapon realm did reach the human level; Lou Yun speculated this person was probably the steward or similar position for the residence.

Next, Lou Yun found a tavern near the general’s residence. He went in, ordered a few dishes, and ate slowly. He was waiting for the sky to darken completely so he could infiltrate the general’s residence. As for that human-level magical weapons master, Lou Yun wasn’t worried in the slightest. Chang Xiang had long since thoroughly concealed the energy fluctuations within Lou Yun’s body. Forget human-level, probably even a heaven-level magical weapons master would find it hard to detect.

Soon, the sun set in the west, and the moon rose. Lou Yun patiently waited a while longer until the patrons in the tavern were nearly all gone, then he stood up, settled the bill, and left.

Reaching the spot outside the general’s residence he had reconnoitered earlier in the day, he glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to him. Then, taking a light breath, his whole body floated into the air like a fallen leaf. He flew over the four-meter-high wall and landed inside the general’s residence.

His spiritual sense remained vigilant. No one had detected his infiltration. The next part required extra caution since he had never been to this residence before. He had no idea where Qin Luoyuan’s bedroom was and could only search slowly.

He briefly considered just finding a servant and forcing an answer out of them but quickly dismissed the idea. The risk was too great. Qin Luoyuan’s arrival time was still unknown; Lou Yun needed to wait. If he took too long, a missing servant would inevitably prompt an investigation, putting him in even greater danger.

The general’s residence was truly massive. And it was decorated everywhere with lanterns and colored banners, blazing with light, in preparation for Qin Luoyuan’s return. Lou Yun was forced to creep forward, relying on the cover of darkness as much as possible. Naturally, this significantly slowed down his search. He had been sneaking around inside for nearly two hours and still hadn’t located Qin Luoyuan’s bedroom.

Just as Lou Yun was starting to feel anxious and impatient, he suddenly heard someone shout loudly: "The General has returned!"

Instantly, the previously quiet residence exploded into chaos. Almost all the servants surged out of their posts and rushed towards the main gate to welcome Qin Luoyuan.

Lou Yun had also thoroughly lost patience with waiting like the farmer by the tree stump. His eyes flashed. Like a phantom, he floated near a servant who was lagging behind but still doing their best to run towards the gate. A soft tap rendered the man unconscious. Lou Yun dragged him into the bushes to hide him, then stripped the man’s uniform, put it on over his own clothes, and checked for any flaws. Only then did he emerge from the bushes and stride purposefully towards the gate entrance, impersonating a residence servant.

The great gates of the residence were wide open. From outside the gate to inside covered roughly twenty meters. A red carpet laid on the ground was flanked by two rows of twenty burly men each holding a massive torch, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.

About a hundred meters from the gate entrance, a large, imposing group riding tall horses was approaching. Leading them was a man in his fifties, bearded, with a stern face. His extremely sharp eyes stared straight ahead without glancing around. The entire man radiated an aura of natural authority. Unmistakably, this was the Breakthrough General, Qin Luoyuan.

Lou Yun naturally dared not get too close and stood off to the side observing him. As he saw Qin Luoyuan, his spiritual sense silently extended, probing Qin Luoyuan’s cultivation level: a three-star human-level magical weapons master. While not low, it was certainly not high. However, within a court, possessing such a level could be considered strong.

Actually, on the Spirit Weapon Star, regardless of which nation, whether royal family members or civil and military officials, except for those constitutionally incapable of forming a magical weapon, they were mostly magical weapons masters. Their individual strengths weren’t low, but neither were they too high, falling into a generally average range. But they leveraged their large, formidable collective strength. While they could acquire relatively high-level cultivation methods and weapon techniques, most tended to become embroiled in power struggles or indulge in luxurious living, rarely putting much active effort into cultivating their magical weapons in the later stages.

Of course, someone like the Sixth Prince, who managed to cultivate to the earth-level three-star magical weapons master realm, was a special exception. He harbored other ambitions and concealed his depths deeply.

Thus, the true powerful figures on the Spirit Weapon Star never emerged from royal courts or the ranks of officials. To achieve real mastery, one must sacrifice something. Those who could cultivate to the peak were ones who had abandoned certain things to stand on the summit.

Lou Yun had originally thought the renowned Breakthrough General would bring a considerable military escort back to Yuyang City. However, counting carefully, there were only about twenty men. This included his son, Qin Wufeng.

Among the twenty-plus men, only one person’s magical weapon realm was undetectable to Lou Yun. This person also carried himself with the most aloof pride. Perhaps also in his fifties, his body was lean. His hair was tied in a tall topknot, and a few strands of black beard hung below his chin, fluttering in the wind. He rode a black horse, keeping an appropriate distance from the main group. His eyes were slightly closed, seemingly utterly uninterested in his surroundings.

Without thinking, Lou Yun knew this man must be the powerful expert Qin Luoyuan had invited along. Subsequent events proved Qin Luoyuan showed this man considerable respect. The general personally dismounted to greet him and led the way, letting him enter the residence first before following himself.

Lou Yun watched as the group paraded in. Qin Wufeng conducted himself with the most pretentious air of them all. As he walked, his eyes swept left and right, beaming with vitality, acting as if he was the protagonist of the occasion, not his father.

Blending in with the other servants, Lou Yun stepped back a few paces, bowing his head slightly. Using the corner of his eye and his spiritual sense, he tracked Qin Luoyuan’s steps until he stopped and entered a room. Yet, this wasn’t his bedroom. Instead, he was showing the aloof elder into the room. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qin Luoyuan, accompanied by his servants, resumed walking and returned to his own quarters.

Lou Yun had initially worried that this formidable expert might stay close to Qin Luoyuan, making it impossible to act. Now that the two were separated, it became relatively easier. It seemed Qin Luoyuan was quite confident in his own position and the residence’s defenses. He absolutely wouldn’t expect someone to have infiltrated here, especially someone targeting him!

Lou Yun found a dark corner untouched by torchlight and waited patiently. He was also pondering how exactly he could make Qin Luoyuan obey his instructions meekly and lead him to see the King.

After much thought, a sly grin suddenly appeared on Lou Yun’s face. He had thought of an excellent plan!

Finally, the lanterns in the residence started going out, one by one. Besides the soldiers on patrol duty, most people were deep in slumber. Lou Yun, like an agile raccoon dog, darted swiftly through the shadows of various buildings under the cloak of night. However, his current target wasn’t Qin Luoyuan’s bedroom. It was switched to Qin Wufeng’s room!

Qin Luoyuan, as the Breakthrough General, a powerful frontier official, wouldn’t yield to ordinary threats. Getting him to comply obediently seemed difficult. But Lou Yun remembered Bai Yue saying that Qin Wufeng was indulged and spoiled from childhood. If something unfortunate were to befall this precious son, the situation might become unpredictable!

Moreover, Qin Luoyuan was only a three-star human-level magical weapons master himself. Lou Yun might have been able to ambush him thanks to Chang Xiang hiding his energy. But that carried considerable risk; he could easily get subdued instead.

However, dealing with Qin Wufeng, whose current magical weapon realm was a mere intermediate five-star warrior? At Lou Yun’s level of strength, subduing him would practically be effortless!

He hadn’t even reached Qin Wufeng’s door yet when he heard loud laughter echoing from inside: "Why be so shy? After you satisfy your Young Master Qin tonight, you won’t be a lowly maid anymore!"

A girl’s voice, clearly full of fright, pleaded: "Young Master Qin, please! I beg you, let this servant go!"

"Don’t you know countless girls dream of sharing my bed and are denied? If I, your Young Master, fancy you, you should count yourself lucky! Instead, you’re here, completely disregarding such favors! Hmph! If you really anger me, watch out! I might make your whole family die horribly! Come now. Be a good girl. I, your Young Master, will definitely reward you handsomely!"

Following this were Qin Wufeng’s obscenely lustful laughs and the sound of a girl weeping as she struggled vigorously.

Hearing this, two flashes of anger ignited in Lou Yun’s eyes.

Qin Wufeng, you brought this upon yourself!