Chapter 143

Chapter 143: The Trap

Lou Yun had not only used his spiritual sense to follow Qin Luoyuan back into the building, but he had also carefully scanned the room again with his spiritual sense just before entering. He was certain the person inside was indeed Qin Luoyuan, the Breakthrough General.

However, he was utterly shocked that the other party recognized and called out his name without hesitation!

Lou Yun was slightly stunned for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and answered, "Correct, I am Lou Yun!"

As Lou Yun’s voice faded, the lamp inside the room lit up. Qin Luoyuan was standing beside the table, scrutinizing Lou Yun. He smiled faintly and said, "So you really are Lou Yun. Your abilities are indeed impressive. You must be wondering, how did I know it was you coming in?"

Though Lou Yun didn’t speak, his silence served as answer enough.

Qin Luoyuan walked over to a chair and sat down. He picked up a teacup and took an unhurried sip before speaking again. "Your reputation precedes you, young man. For someone so young, it’s quite surprising that you managed to get guarantees from all three major powers simultaneously!"

At this point, Qin Luoyuan shook his head slightly and continued, "Actually, someone notified the royal court the very day you returned to Lingjiang City. While no one was sent to tail you personally, arrangements were made ahead of time at the Spirit Weapon Sect, the Ancient Weapon Academy, and within Yuyang City itself. The aim was to see where you would go next. And as a result… you came to Yuyang City."

Listening to Qin Luoyuan’s explanation, Lou Yun kept his expression blank, though inwardly he was slightly astonished. He truly hadn’t expected his movements to be detected by the royal court so early on, nor that they had prepared traps waiting for him at each potential location he might visit. However, upon reflection, it made sense: he hadn’t made any real attempts to conceal his whereabouts in the first place. Knowing they were tracking him, therefore, didn’t change much.

Qin Luoyuan continued, "Since you’ve come to Yuyang City, your objective is undoubtedly singular: to rescue your family members. And given that you came alone, it’s impossible for you to attempt a brazen jailbreak. Therefore, your only feasible option would be to request an audience with the King and plead for him to spare your clan."

"However," Qin Luoyuan emphasized, "your identity is currently… problematic. Virtually everyone in Yuyang City believes you intend to lead a rebellion. If you dared to announce your name, forget getting an audience with the King—you wouldn’t even make it near the palace gates. Consequently, you would need to devise a plan to infiltrate the palace."

"The most effective way to infiltrate the palace is, naturally, by accompanying someone who has the freedom to enter the palace at will and can also meet the King. We inquired beforehand: within Yuyang City, there isn’t a single acquaintance belonging to the Lou Family, much less anyone capable of approaching the King."

"And conveniently, that’s when I arrived. I heard you had a minor conflict with my son. So, logically, you saw an opportunity: firstly, to take revenge, and secondly, I became the perfect target. You decided that by finding a way to control me, you could masquerade as my subordinate, follow by my side, infiltrate the palace, meet the King, and thereby achieve your goal!"

As Qin Luoyuan spoke each segment of his deduction, Lou Yun felt a fresh wave of cold sweat break out over his body. By the time Qin Luoyuan finished speaking, Lou Yun realized his robes were completely drenched!

Every step of his meticulously crafted, self-assessed "perfect plan" had been anticipated by his opponent. He had danced along, oblivious, smugly congratulating himself on remaining undiscovered. In reality, however, this entire scenario was nothing but a trap carefully excavated beforehand, waiting for him to leap right in. Even worse, the opponent had likely watched his every move from the sidelines, amused like a cat toying with a mouse, treating him as nothing but a plaything!

Qin Luoyuan’s voice resumed, "You might not know much about me, but you do know one crucial thing: I deeply cherish my son, Qin Wufeng. Therefore, the surest way to control me would be to seize my son. Let me ask you, Lou Yun: where are you hiding Wufeng right now?"

Lou Yun gently closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply and with great force, willing his spirit to refocus.

When his eyes reopened, calm had settled back upon his face. Instead of answering Qin Luoyuan’s question, he retorted with a cold smile, "The Breakthrough General is truly formidable. I do, however, have a few questions for you. You should have been waiting for me outside Yuyang City much earlier, shouldn’t you? So, what was your actual purpose in coming to Yuyang City? Was it solely to act as bait dangled to lure me into this trap?"

Lou Yun deliberately equated the esteemed Breakthrough General to mere bait, aiming solely to provoke and humiliate him!

Lou Yun had already thrown caution to the wind. His plan might have utterly crumbled, but he refused simply to be led around by the nose. He needed to find a way to introduce chaos, create some variables, wrest back even the tiniest sliver of control.

Qin Luoyuan’s reaction proved his taunt landed perfectly. The muscles in the old general’s face visibly flinched several times, a clear sign of anger. Yet, he didn’t attack. Instead, his expression hardened as he said, "Lou Yun, don’t bother trying to provoke me. I’ll tell you this plainly: if you refuse to release my son, the lives of your own family members will not be spared. So weigh your options carefully!"

This statement struck fiercely at Lou Yun’s core vulnerability. He might disregard his own life; he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Qin Wufeng. But he absolutely dared not—could not—use the lives of his captive family members as bargaining chips, not even the slightest risk was acceptable. With no way out, he had no choice but to expel Qin Wufeng from the Chaos Golden Cauldron directly onto the floor.

Qin Luoyuan’s reputation for doting on his youngest son was clearly well-founded. The moment he saw Wufeng lying unconscious on the floor, he immediately hurried over to examine him. His head was bowed, completely preoccupied, leaving him utterly unguarded against Lou Yun. If Lou Yun attacked now, his chances of capturing Qin Luoyuan exceeded eighty percent.

Lou Yun contemplated this for a moment, then held back. Since Qin Luoyuan had been visibly angered by his earlier taunt and insinuation, it confirmed a crucial point: within the ranks of the Gu Feng Nation royalty, the supposedly prestigious Breakthrough General likely wasn’t valued as much as his official rank suggested. Therefore, even if Lou Yun managed to take Qin Luoyuan hostage now and threatened the royalty to release his family, it probably wouldn’t yield the desired outcome!

Qin Luoyuan examined Qin Wufeng meticulously, verifying that he was merely temporarily knocked unconscious by a heavy blow. A wave of relief washed over him, though he couldn’t fathom why a powerful force surrounded his son’s magical weapon within the dantian.

Naturally assuming this was Lou Yun’s doing, Qin Luoyuan looked up and demanded, "Lou Yun, what have you done to him?"

Lou Yun replied icily, "Nothing much. I merely sealed his magical weapon. I’d advise you: don’t even think about trying to forcibly break the Seal Technique I placed. Any such attempt would be utterly counterproductive. Not only would you fail to unseal your son’s magical weapon, but it might well cause the magical weapon itself to shatter!"

Qin Luoyuan surged to his feet, his face turning frosty. "Release him! Immediately!" he commanded.

Lou Yun merely gave a cold snort, completely ignoring the demand.

"Lou Yun," Qin Luoyuan pressed threateningly, "do you truly wish for me to harm your family members?"

A flash of ruthlessness ignited in Lou Yun’s eyes as an overwhelming surge of killing intent erupted from his body. His voice, devoid of any warmth or inflection, addressed Qin Luoyuan, "Qin Luoyuan, I warn you! Do not threaten me with my family members ever again. If you dare to harm a single hair on any of their heads… I solemnly vow to exterminate the entire Qin Family. Every single one. Not a soul left alive!"

These chillingly violent words, spoken from Lou Yun’s lips, carried an unshakable conviction. For a moment, Qin Luoyuan was rendered speechless, utterly paralyzed. Immersed within the suffocating wave of killing intent emanating from Lou Yun, he felt a chilling sensation akin to physical asphyxiation!

The terrifying voice screaming within Qin Luoyuan’s own mind confirmed it: this young man meant every single word.

So they stood facing each other. Their eyes locked in a tense, unblinking stare. Neither broke the silence. Only after the pressure from Lou Yun’s killing intent diminished slightly did Qin Luoyuan manage to release a long, shaky breath, finally beginning to recover.

Hoping to mask his palpable inner fear and the evident loss of composure, Qin Luoyuan forced out a deliberate snort. "Lou Yun, if my son suffers even the slightest harm, I vow I will annihilate the Lou Family!" The threat was voiced, but it sounded strangely hollow.

Hearing this seemingly tough yet effectively toothless warning, a trace of disdain curled at the corner of Lou Yun’s mouth. "Then give it a try."

This dismissive retort instantly rendered Qin Luoyuan speechless. He could only glare intensely at Lou Yun for a long moment before deliberately turning his back and ignoring him altogether. He stooped down, gathered his son Qin Wufeng in his arms, carried him to the bed, and gently laid him down.

Although Lou Yun watched Qin Luoyuan’s actions, his mind raced with questions about the Gu Feng Nation royal court. Qin Luoyuan’s words earlier had forced him to confront an issue he hadn’t seriously contemplated before: just how formidable was the actual strength concealed by the Gu Feng Nation royal family? Why did they seem to hold Qin Luoyuan, a powerhouse whose status placed him "under one, above ten thousand" (the Emperor’s foremost subject), in such low esteem? Was there a hidden truth? Could the royal court be deliberately concealing its true might?

He knew finding answers to these questions was impossible at the moment. Yet, he felt no particular urgency. A chilling realization settled within him: the answers likely wouldn’t remain hidden for very long.

Once Qin Luoyuan had secured Qin Wufeng properly on the bed, he returned to stand before Lou Yun, his tone icy. "Well? Are you coming with me willingly, or not?"

The path before him was one entirely prepared by others—a meticulously laid trap he’d already plunged into. The next step, inevitably, was the closing of the net. Qin Luoyuan’s demand, therefore, came as no surprise. Though he vividly understood the potential consequences awaiting him at the palace, escape was impossible. He simply had no alternative.

So, Lou Yun nodded. "I’ll go with you."

Receiving Lou Yun’s agreement, Qin Luoyuan wasted no further breath. He stepped past Lou Yun, pushed the door open, and walked out without even sparing Lou Yun a backward glance. He was confident: Lou Yun would follow.

Lou Yun stayed just behind Qin Luoyuan as they exited the room. They encountered patrols of soldiers on their way through the residence, but one look at Qin Luoyuan was enough to stifle any questions. Thus, they proceeded unhindered out of the general’s residence and continued their journey towards the imposing silhouette of the palace.