The Martial Lord of the Troubled World

Chapter 87: 郃

"Uncle Tong".

Fu Juemin shouted, slowing down his horse and strolling leisurely along the street.

Li Tong caught up, still walking normally, but his speed was always on par with Fu Juemin on horseback.

Fu Juemin noticed that Li Tong was wearing a different jacket and couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Tong, where is that Bai Tongxuan?"

"Young Master is looking for him?"

Li Tong said calmly, "It's estimated that most of them have already been swept into the canal."

Fu Juemin paused slightly, then chose not to press the matter further.

At this moment, Li Tong glanced at him and said, "Young Master, you fought quite well today."

"Did Uncle Tong see it?"

Fu Juemin wasn't too surprised. He fought the scarred strongman with great composure, partly because he was well-prepared in all aspects, and partly because Li Tong would always be there to cover for him, no matter the outcome.

Li Tong's presence in the shadows was exactly what he had expected.

"Yes."

Li Tong nodded, his gaze towards Fu Juemin seemingly carrying a profound, indescribable meaning.

Fu Juemin looked completely calm.

He knew very well that, just as he had discovered the hidden aspects of Li Tong's identity, Li Tong must have also noticed some of his unusual qualities.

In this world, everyone has their own secrets. The more outstanding a person is, the more secrets they have. He and Li Tong maintained a tacit understanding without saying a word.

Both of them are intelligent people, and they deliberately avoid pointing anything out. Their current relationship is just right.

"My suitcase! My suitcase!"

A mournful wail came from ahead, and Fu Juemin looked up.

A rice shop with a signboard was found with its door kicked open. A thug dressed as a local ruffian emerged from the shop, carrying large and small bags with a fierce look in his eyes. Behind him, a disheveled woman clung tightly to his trouser leg, and the sound of a child crying could be faintly heard.

Upon seeing this, Fu Juemin frowned, raised his revolver, aimed it forward, and fired a shot.

"boom!"

The bullet struck the robber's foot, and the man screamed in pain, clutching his bleeding right foot and rolling on the ground in agony.

The woman who was robbed hurriedly grabbed the scattered valuables on the ground, then rushed into the house, picked up a child, knelt down at a distance, kowtowed to Fu Juemin, and then left in a hurry.

By this time, the vanguard of the Fire Cloud Army had almost entered from the east city, and turmoil and chaos spread throughout the city.

Scenes of theft, robbery, and murder are commonplace on the streets.

Fu Juemin's eyes darkened slightly. It was no exaggeration to say that he had preemptively ignited this chaos, but he felt no regret or guilt.

In chaotic times, compassion is a luxury; it is already difficult to protect one's own little corner of the world.

Fu Juemin tugged on the reins, intending to speed up and reach the boarding point he had agreed upon with Fu Guosheng as soon as possible.

Just then, a muffled thud came from afar, and Fu Juemin felt a jolt in his heart and suddenly looked up.

On the eastern horizon, which was stained crimson by the firelight, a huge, blurry beast-like shadow seemed to flash by.

Almost simultaneously, a familiar, chilling aura rose from the direction of the dock, but it quickly subsided and disappeared.

'Fire General...Water Fairy'

Fu Juemin stared blankly.

At this moment, both the Black Scale Serpent Demon and the Compassionate Rat Demon within his body emitted intense unease and agitation, as if they were instinctively issuing a warning about a similar demon species whose strength far exceeded their own.

"what happened?"

Li Tong noticed something was off about his expression, narrowed his eyes, and asked softly.

Fu Juemin shook his head, quickly regained his composure, kicked his horse hard in the belly, and galloped towards the end of the long street in the opposite direction from which the two auras were coming from.

pier.

The shrine of the Goddess of Cold Clothes was kicked over by someone, and the offerings on the altar rolled all over the ground.

Led by Zhao Xinhua, dozens of rebels from the Fire Cloud Army clashed with bodyguards and guards brought by local gentry and wealthy households. Gunshots, cries, and curses mingled, and beggars and refugees took advantage of the chaos to fight for clothes and food, making the whole scene a mess.

On a riverbank near the river, seven or eight refugees dragged two well-dressed wealthy merchants over.

Normally, they wouldn't even glance at them out of the corner of their eye; these high and mighty figures were now being beaten by more than a dozen pairs of fists and feet, and after a few rounds, they were smashed into a pulp.

A strong and robust refugee squeezed out of the crowd, beaming as he put on the beautiful, thick coat he had just snatched, still stained with brains and blood.

Regardless of whether it fit or not, he put it on and happily admired himself. Just as he was about to call his companion over to take a look, at that moment—

"Splash—" The water splashed loudly on the nearby surface, and a foul stench, like decades of rotting silt accumulated at the bottom of the river, instantly spread across the riverbank with the river breeze.

In the misty steam, a dark figure suddenly darted out from the water, grabbed the disguised refugee, and then abruptly retreated back into the water.

Whirlpools surged on the turbulent water's surface, followed by streams of dark red blood gushing out from beneath the surface.

All of this happened so fast that no one could react in time, yet it was still clearly seen by many.

The chaos on the riverbank even paused briefly, until the water-soaked, foul-smelling black shadow emerged from the water once more, and a terrified, piercing scream finally shattered the silence of the entire riverbank.

"The water sprite is eating people!!"

In an instant, even greater chaos erupted as the crowd surged frantically toward the embankment.

Like a lost puppet, Xu Leyi was pushed and shoved by the crowd, and no one paid any attention to her. She stumbled and swayed in the crowd.

It wasn't until the words "water demon" reached her ears that she was instantly pulled back to reality from her daze.

She awoke with a start, her survival instinct driving her to search for shelter in all directions.

Then, he spotted Xu Xinyi being escorted through the crowd by a man in gray. On the shore not far away, there seemed to be others waiting to meet her.

"Xinyi!"

Xu Leyi lunged forward and grabbed Xu Xinyi's arm tightly.

The gray-clad man protecting Xu Xinyi turned around and looked at her coldly.

Xu Leyi recognized the person's face; she had seen him two or three times at the Fu family's residence... He was one of Fu Juemin's men!

She instantly understood.

"Fu Lingjun wants to take you away?! Is this what he told you before?"

Xu Leyi's emotions suddenly became agitated.

"Take me with you, Xinyi! Don't leave me behind, I'm your sister."

At this moment, Xu Leyi didn't care about anything else. If the Xu family was finished, she was finished too.

Once the Fire Cloud Army enters the city, everything she had hoped for and planned will become a pipe dream. Moreover, given the impending chaos, she cannot imagine what fate awaits her without the protection of her family.

Xu Leyi looked at her younger sister with hopeful eyes. At this moment, she was willing to give up all her dignity, just to survive.

Under her gaze, Xu Xinyi hesitated and turned to look at the gray-clad man beside her.

The man in gray remained calm. "Young Master said that Miss Xu, you can bring one more person at most."

Upon hearing this, hope ignited in Xu Leyi's eyes, and she looked at Xu Xinyi with delight, waiting for her to say something that would include her.

Unexpectedly, Xu Xinyi immediately turned her head to the side and softly called out, "Xiao Cui, Xiao Cui."

Soon after, a response came from the crowd.

A young girl dressed as a maid, with a hint of timidity in her eyes, ran up quickly and softly called out, "Miss."

Xu Leyi's smile froze as she felt her younger sister prying her fingers apart one by one.

"why?"

Xu Leyi asked in a daze.

"Sister, do you remember when we were little, I accidentally broke one of Dad's favorite antique vases?"

Xu Xinyi looked into her eyes and said calmly, "I was terrified then, and begged you to tell Father that you broke the vase. Because Father loves you the most, he definitely wouldn't want to be angry with you."

But you said no, that people should be responsible for their mistakes.

sister."

Xu Xinyi paused, then said softly, "Now... our entire Xu family is like that vase that you smashed with your own hands."

Xu Leyi was struck dumb and staggered back two steps.

Seeing Xu Xinyi looking at her earnestly, she continued, "Besides, given Lingjun's intelligence, if I choose to bring you along..."
Then he definitely won't take me with him.

After saying that, Xu Xinyi grabbed her maid who had grown up with her since childhood, left without looking back, and got into the rickshaw that was waiting on the shore, disappearing into the chaotic crowd.

Xu Leyi stood alone, the noise and chaos around her seemingly fading away at that moment.

Suddenly, she looked in the direction her sister had left, gave a bitter smile, and then stumbled against the flow of people towards the turbulent riverbank.
"Uu——"

On the reed-covered riverbank, Fu Juemin pulled on the horse's reins. Fu Guosheng, who had been pacing and waiting on the bank for a long time, was overjoyed to see him and Li Tong return.

"Ling Jun!"

(End of this chapter)