The Martial Lord of the Troubled World

Chapter 59 Night of Shock
Fu Juemin was slightly taken aback, not expecting to run into Su Hui here.

"Miss Su."

Fu Juemin paused, ultimately unable to bring himself to call her "Grandma Su," and asked, "Are you here for the banquet too?"

Su Hui nodded, "We're a bit late. We hadn't even gone inside when we saw Young Master Fu standing here."

Su Hui's voice was gentle and clear, sounding particularly crisp in the night.

"It was too stuffy inside, so I came out for some fresh air."

"I suppose there's not much fun inside, so I'll go in later."

Su Hui smiled faintly and walked forward naturally, side by side with Fu Juemin.

Fu Juemin found it difficult to refuse.

He glanced back and realized that Su Hui hadn't come alone; a middle-aged woman who looked to be in her forties was following behind her.

She was plain-looking and dressed as a maid from the previous dynasty. She seemed to never touch the ground and walked without making a sound.

When she looked at Fu Juemin, Fu Juemin felt as if his eyes had been pricked by a needle.

Wu family!

He felt a slight chill, but quickly felt relieved.

Given Su Hui's status and the previous incident, it would seem abnormal if she didn't have a few decent bodyguards by her side.

'As expected of the daughter of the Su family from the previous dynasty, she can casually summon a martial arts master guard who has at least broken through the Blood Barrier.'

Fu Juemin couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He didn't know exactly what kind of strength this middle-aged woman possessed, but the fact that she could give him such a feeling with just a glance meant that her strength was probably quite high.

No wonder Su Hui dared to come up and walk with the two men so late at night; she was confident in herself.

"Did you open and look at the box that was delivered to your home last time, Young Master Fu?"

Thinking about it, Su Hui suddenly spoke.

Fu Juemin nodded hurriedly and replied, "I've read it, and I like it very much. Thank you for your trouble, Miss Su."

He didn't know whether Su Hui was referring to the peep show or the Medicine Buddha Sutra.

Su Hui smiled slightly and said softly, "In my younger days, I was also obsessed with these novelties from the West."

My family used to send me loads of stuff every now and then to cheer me up, but now I've lost interest.

If Young Master Fu likes it, I'll pick a few more items and send them over.

"Need not.."

Fu Juemin shook his head, "I don't have much time to play around anymore."

The two fell silent for a moment, simply walking slowly side by side.

The welcoming lanterns hanging outside the Hu residence shone on the two of them, casting their shadows on the bluestone street.

One long and one short, yet they look surprisingly harmonious.

"To be honest, I've known Young Master Fu for a long time."

Su Hui spoke softly, bringing up the topic again.

"Oh?"

Fu Juemin glanced at her with slight surprise, "Have I met Miss Su somewhere before?"

"Just before the Lunar New Year, the Mingfeng Troupe came to Luanhe to set up a stage and performed for seven days."

In one of the performances, some annoying fellow moved a tall stool and placed it right in front of the stage, blocking many people from seeing the play.

Su Hui smiled, "Young Master Fu personally led people to kick him out."

"Is that so?"

Fu Juemin's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "I had completely forgotten about it."

It's rare to find that the previous owner had done such a gratifying thing, and even more unexpectedly, he had unintentionally left a good impression on Su Hui.

But just as he was about to offer a few words of modesty, he heard Su Hui calmly continue:

"After you chased the man away, you sat in his seat, and throughout the entire play, they kept throwing money onto the stage."

"Uh"

Fu Juemin's smile froze instantly. He was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to say for a moment. After a long while, he chuckled awkwardly and said, "I was young and ignorant back then. I hope Miss Su won't take offense."

Su Hui shook her head, "But I do feel a sense of familiarity."

Seeing the puzzled look on Fu Juemin's face, she explained softly, "There's a younger brother at home who's been a close friend since childhood. He's not much older than Young Master Fu, and he always does these kinds of silly things that are both infuriating and hilarious..."

So he's treating me like a younger brother.

Fu Juemin was unsure whether to feel fortunate or disappointed.

At this moment, Su Hui stopped and looked at Fu Juemin, "Before leaving Luan in a few days, I would like to invite Young Master Fu to another gathering."

"Miss Su, you can just call me Fu Juemin or Fu Lingjun." Fu Juemin asked with some surprise, "Miss Su is leaving Luanhe soon?"

"Ah."

Su Hui nodded, perhaps the "younger brother" mentioned earlier had stirred up some memories for her, and her features became even more gentle.

"The maple leaves on Ziyun Mountain outside Shenghai should be turning red by now. I go to see them every year; if it's any later, I'm afraid I'll miss them."

"Then I'll give Miss Su a send-off party."

Fu Juemin said politely.

Su Hui smiled, about to say something.

Just then, a loud, strange noise suddenly came from the end of the empty street.

The two stopped talking and suddenly looked in the direction from which the sound came.

The middle-aged maid, who had been keeping about five steps away from Su Hui, floated up silently like a ghost, and Cao Tian also took a few steps forward.

Fu Juemin frowned and stared at the location from which the sound came.

He thought he'd just heard what sounded like a gunshot!

The streets fell silent instantly. Today was the day of the grand banquet at the Hu family mansion, and almost all the excitement had been concentrated in that mansion.

The streets were deserted, with only the soft rustling of paper lanterns hanging by the roadside in the night breeze.

"Pat-pat, pat-pat—"

In the thick darkness of the night, a series of chaotic footsteps broke the silence, accompanied by rapid breathing.

Before long, a figure stumbled into everyone's view.

-

She was a woman who looked disheveled and extremely terrified.

She walked barefoot on the street, her whole being, from her movements to her expression, exuding a kind of insane madness.

When the woman saw the group, her unfocused eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had found a lifeline, and she staggered towards them.

"I am Wu Wanshu, and my father is Wu Yongqian, the county magistrate of Qingyuan County. I am Wu Wanshu, and my father is Wu Yongqian, the county magistrate of Qingyuan County."

The woman kept muttering to herself as she ran.

The middle-aged maid shielded Su Hui behind her, and with a glance from Fu Juemin, Cao Tian immediately stepped forward and stopped the woman.

"I am Wu Wanshu! My father is Wu Yongqian, the county magistrate of Qingyuan County!!"

The woman suddenly grabbed Cao Tian's arm and screamed.

Then, as if completely broken down, she burst into tears, crying, "Save me! Please! Save me!"
I am Wu Wanshu. My father is Wu Yongqian, the county magistrate of Qingyuan County.

Fu Juemin was startled upon hearing the woman's words.

Looking closely at the woman in front of her, her hair was a messy, matted mess, as if it hadn't been washed in ages. Her ten fingers were filled with blood and grime, and she was covered in dirt and reeked of foul odors.

But the woman's dirty clothes, almost unrecognizable in their original color, were clearly an expensive cheongsam. Her hair showed obvious signs of perming and dyeing, and her nails were painted. Beneath her filthy body, the few relatively clean patches of skin appeared exceptionally fair and delicate.
She does look like a rich heiress.

"Qingyuan County is right next to the Luan River. The county magistrate of Qingyuan County, I think, is surnamed Wu."

Cao Tian spoke.

Fu Juemin subconsciously exchanged a glance with Su Hui beside him, and both saw surprise and doubt in each other's eyes.

"How did the daughter of the county magistrate of Qingyuan County end up in our Luanhe River region, and fall into such a state? Could she have been captured by bandits?"

Fu Juemin frowned and gestured for Cao Tian to ask for clarification.

But at this moment, the woman who had been stopped by Cao Tian suddenly went berserk again.

"He's coming! He's coming!"

Get out of here! Get out of here right now!

The woman cursed angrily, desperately trying to push Cao Tian away from her path, and glancing back with a look of extreme fear every now and then, as if something terrifying was about to catch up with her.

Just as the woman was pushing and shoving—

"boom!"

Another piercing gunshot ripped through the night!

Cao Tian quickly retreated, and Fu Juemin and the others followed suit.

Then, they witnessed—

The woman, who had just been going crazy, suddenly froze.

The dense gunfire sounded like firecrackers behind her. Bullets slicing through the air, and in an instant, many tiny holes, the size of grains of rice, appeared on the woman's body. She stood there, riddled with bullets.

Thick, dark red blood slowly seeped into the cobblestone street, while two beams of bright orange light pierced the darkness like sharp blades, shooting straight toward the group from afar.
(End of this chapter)