After Lu Chen and Chu Yuqin arrived at the martial arts training ground, Li Feng quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands respectfully, and greeted them, "I greet the prince and Madam Chu."
Lu Chen gave a faint nod and went straight to the point. "Let's talk business. I've received reliable intelligence—Blood Moon Tower has dispatched assassins to eliminate me. Not only did they send five ninth-grade experts, but even the deputy master of Blood Moon Tower is coming in person."
The moment those words landed, Li Feng's expression darkened. His brows knit together as he asked in a grim tone, "Your Majesty, are you certain that the deputy master himself will come?"
He had heard of the man before—an elusive figure, rumored to be at the terrifying level of a half-step grandmaster. If that was true, the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.
"If the intel is accurate," Lu Chen replied, his tone unwavering, "then he should already be on the move."
Chu Yuqin's brows furrowed slightly. "The Blood Moon Tower truly dares to act with impunity—again and again, they attempt to assassinate you."
Lu Chen's eyes gleamed coldly. "If they didn't have a backer, they wouldn't have the nerve to be this audacious."
Li Feng looked to Lu Chen and asked carefully, "My lord, what do you intend to do?"
He knew Lu Chen possessed a mysterious weapon—something that had once killed a ninth-grade master in a single strike. With such power in hand, the King of the North shouldn't fear mere assassins. Still, since Lu Chen had come to him directly, it meant he had something planned.
Lu Chen didn't answer right away. Instead, he asked, "General Li, have you fully secured command over Beijun's army?"
Li Feng straightened up. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Under my command, the entire Beijun army is firmly under the Northern Prince's control."
"Good," Lu Chen nodded. "Since the Blood Moon Tower is sending guests, let's make sure to give them a proper welcome."
Then, as if recalling something, he added, "By the way, General Li, summon the soldiers who escorted me to Beijun. I have something else I wish to speak with them about."
Hearing this, Li Feng hesitated and asked cautiously, "Prince, under what pretext should I call them?"
The escort unit numbered over a hundred—each one at least a third or fourth rank cultivator. While that wasn't a large number by itself, in a region as barren as Beijun, such a force was considerable. Bringing them all into the Northern Prince's Mansion would undoubtedly raise suspicion. Yancheng had many eyes watching the palace, especially with how relaxed Lu Chen had seemed since his arrival. To suddenly gather so many warriors now—people would start speculating whether something was about to unfold.
Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said, "Just tell them that their families have arrived in Beijun. I'll host a banquet to thank them for their protection—and this will be a chance for them to reunite with their loved ones."
Li Feng's eyes lit up with understanding. "I see. Clever move. I'll arrange it immediately."
With that, he turned and departed.
After Li Feng left, Chu Yuqin looked at Lu Chen, concern flashing in her eyes. "Chen'er, the deputy master of the Blood Moon Tower is said to have already reached the half-step grandmaster realm. I can delay him, but I fear I won't be able to hold off the other five ninth-grade experts."
She paused, her gaze deepening. "Your weapon may be powerful, but if they strike together, I worry you won't have time to react."
She wasn't exaggerating. During the last assassination attempt, the Blood Moon Tower had dispatched a large number of third and fourth rank warriors as well. Though not the main threat, they had succeeded in diverting attention and nearly made it impossible to protect Lu Chen.
This time, they would surely employ the same tactic—overwhelming numbers to isolate their target.
Chu Yuqin had learned a harsh lesson from that encounter. Even if she could restrain a half-step grandmaster, she couldn't stop everyone. If Lu Chen hadn't used that mysterious weapon back then… she didn't dare imagine the outcome.
Lu Chen saw the worry in her eyes and softly said, "Aunt Chu, once General Li returns, I'll show you something."
Her curiosity was piqued. She had a guess—it had to be some kind of weapon. But what kind of weapon could make Lu Chen so confident?
---
As the day progressed, the Northern Prince's Mansion gradually became busy.
Word quickly spread that Lu Chen would host a banquet to honor the soldiers who had escorted him to Beijun. Upon hearing this, Mu Zixuan volunteered to take charge of the event's preparations.
By noon, the palace was bustling. Carriages and horses came and went, drawing the attention of the public. Some passersby even speculated that the Northern Prince might be taking in another concubine.
Meanwhile, not far from the palace, Chen Yu—Misty Rain Pavilion's overseer in Yancheng—watched the lively scene with narrowed eyes. Sensing that something wasn't right, she slightly disguised herself and approached the palace gates to investigate.
"Sir," she asked a young man watching the activity with excitement, "do you know what's happening in the Northern Palace today?"
The man responded eagerly, "I heard the King of the North is holding a banquet for the soldiers and their families. Those soldiers escorted him all the way to Beijun. They say that if it weren't for them, he would've died on the road."
Upon hearing that, Chen Yu exhaled slowly. So that was it.
She had been worried the Northern Prince had caught wind of the Blood Moon Tower's plans. That would have complicated things.
With her mind at ease, she returned to Baihua Tower and reported everything to Wang Qingci.
After listening, Wang Qingci frowned slightly. "If the Northern Prince was preparing something big, this wouldn't be the right timing—his enemies haven't arrived yet."
She mulled it over for a while longer. "Could it be… that he truly just wants to express gratitude?"
Something still didn't sit right. But since she now served the Northern Prince, she didn't need to probe further. After all, she was due to spend the night at the palace. If she wanted answers, she could simply ask him then on the bed obviously during the rest time.
---
At noon, the banquet began.
Lu Chen gave a short but heartfelt speech, thanking the soldiers for their loyalty and bravery, then waved his hand and let them feast freely. Laughter and cheer echoed through the halls as the soldiers indulged in food and wine.
Midway through the feast, Li Feng leaned close to Lu Chen and whispered, "Your Majesty, everyone's here."
Lu Chen nodded. "After they finish eating, have them meet me in the backyard."
He said nothing more and continued to drink with the men, showing no sign that anything unusual was planned.
When lunch concluded, the soldiers—still a little tipsy—stumbled into the backyard. Though they were told they were being rewarded, none were foolish enough to believe that was all. The sudden summon meant something important was coming.
As they gathered, Lu Chen scanned the crowd. The loyalty of these men was already verified—most of them had ratings above eighty. They were his own people.
Chu Yuqin stepped forward and asked, "Chen'er, is this the thing you said you wanted to show us?"
Lu Chen smiled. "Yes. You'll see."
With a wave of his hand, servants brought in several cattle and sheep—already slaughtered and now wrapped in high-grade armor.
Then, Lu Chen pulled out an object.
It was a grenade, about the size of a grown man's fist. Cold and metallic, it gave off a dangerous aura just by being held.
"Everyone, step back fifty paces," Lu Chen instructed calmly.
No one hesitated. The soldiers moved back instantly.
Once they were clear, Lu Chen pulled the safety pin—and threw the grenade.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the ground.
Even the drunken soldiers were stunned sober. Their ears rang from the shockwave, and some dropped to one knee on instinct. Thick white smoke billowed in the air, and the scent of scorched metal filled their noses.
When the smoke cleared, they could see it—armor shredded into pieces, pierced with countless holes. The cattle and sheep beneath were all but obliterated or in pieces.
The soldiers stared, frozen.
Thunder from the heavens? Summoned by their prince?
Was their lord… an immortal?
Some were still dazed, mouths agape, as if their brains hadn't processed what they'd just seen. Even Chu Yuqin and Li Feng, who had some understanding of Lu Chen's secret weapon, were deeply shaken by the display.
"This—this isn't martial strength," Li Feng muttered. "This is a divine weapon…"
Lu Chen turned around and said calmly, "Alright. Come and take a closer look."
He led the way toward the blast zone. The soldiers exchanged looks, then quickly followed.
Whatever doubts they had, they were gone now.
Their prince wasn't just powerful.
He was terrifying beyond comprehension.
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