“Well, look at that, you brought a helper,” the leader of the group said with a smirk. “What, you brought a scholar to reason with us?”
Laughter erupted from the opposite side.
“Release my mother now, or I won’t go easy on you!” Hu Zhou shouted angrily.
With his current strength, dealing with a few local thugs was child’s play. He had brought Lu Zheng mainly to guard against unexpected situations, like the thugs splitting into groups or holding a knife to his mother’s throat.
After spending time with Lu Zheng, his thinking had become much sharper. Since his mother’s safety was at stake, he didn’t dare take risks.
The situation was clear. The thugs knew Hu Zhou was formidable and had prepared accordingly, setting up a three-zhang chasm to prevent him from attacking directly.
However, they had no idea of Hu Zhou’s true power. For someone with his level of cultivation, a three-zhang chasm was no obstacle.
The only reason he hadn’t acted yet was that, although his mother lay on the ground, several of the thugs were holding knives, one of which was poised at her throat, taunting him with a grin.
If he crossed the chasm and they slashed her, he couldn’t bear the consequences.
“Hand over the money!” the leader shouted. “Or we’ll kill your mother.”
Then, with a sleazy grin, he added, “Or maybe we’ll have some fun with her first before killing her. Your mother’s still got some charm, hasn’t she—argh!”
Mid-sentence, Hu Zhou leapt across the chasm in a single step, his blood qi surging, demonic energy soaring. His fist connected with the leader’s chest.
*Bang!*
Blood splattered as the man’s body shattered into pieces.
Screams erupted, and the remaining thugs were petrified.
The thug holding the knife trembled, his blade slashing downward, but it struck nothing but air.
Lu Zheng had already used an illusion technique to disrupt the thugs’ senses, effortlessly rescuing Hu Zhou’s mother to safety.
“Young Master Lu!”
“It’s alright, Sister,” Lu Zheng said with a smile.
“Martial… martial artist?”
“A supernatural being? You’re a supernatural being?”
The street thugs, used to bullying and extorting, could never have imagined they’d provoked a martial artist.
“Spare us!”
“Spare us! Hero, have mercy!”
“Brother Hu, we were wrong, please forgive us, we’ll never do it again!”
“We’ll turn ourselves in! We’ll turn ourselves in!”
The remaining thugs dropped to their knees, kowtowing frantically, some even wetting themselves in fear.
They had come with malicious intent, planning to humiliate Hu Zhou to vent their anger before making their move.
They never expected their leader to be obliterated after a few taunting words.
Seeing Hu Zhou now, they knew if they hesitated to kneel, their lives would be forfeit.
Hu Zhou’s chest heaved, his rage-fueled punch having torn the leader apart, blood splattering everywhere. His eyes, still red, glared at the remaining thugs.
A ferocious, violent aura enveloped him, distorting the air around him. To the onlookers, his figure and face seemed almost blurred.
The thugs were terrified, sobbing and pleading, kowtowing incessantly.
Hu Zhou took deep breaths, unsure whether to kill them.
Lu Zheng glanced around but said nothing, leaving the decision to Hu Zhou.
“Zhou’er!” Hu Zhou’s mother called out.
“Mother!” Hu Zhou snapped back to reality, flashing to her side. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine!” Hu Zhou’s mother stood, her face still bruised, wincing slightly as she moved.
“Mother!” Hu Zhou’s gaze hardened.
“Zhou’er!” Before she could say more, a figure suddenly appeared.
A tall man in a dark yellow robe, hair loose over his shoulders, with a square face and short beard, looked to be in his forties. Though weathered, his stern demeanor was unmistakable.
Lu Zheng’s eyes narrowed, his true qi surging as he gripped his red jade sword.
This man had appeared without warning, and even now, Lu Zheng couldn’t sense his aura. He was a master!
But the man didn’t look at Lu Zheng. Instead, he stared intently at Hu Zhou and his mother, taking a deep breath, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Lu Zheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he swallowed hard. Could it be…
“Yuzhi—”
Hu Zhou’s mother trembled, her body stiffening, lips quivering. She slowly turned and met the man’s gaze.
“Yijun?”
Hu Zhou noticed the man, turning sharply to meet his eyes. Feeling his mother’s rigid grip tightening on his hand…
“You are… you are…”
“I’m your father!” the man declared, his body radiating dense demonic energy, like blood cascading, his presence overwhelming and ferocious.
Crucially, his demonic energy was identical to Hu Zhou’s. No one could doubt their blood relation.
Suppressing his aura, Hu Yijun glanced at the remaining thugs and said to Hu Zhou, “My son, cover your mother’s eyes.”
“What?” Hu Zhou was stunned, questions swirling in his mind. But intimidated by Hu Yijun’s authority, he instinctively covered his mother’s eyes.
The next moment, Hu Yijun’s body shook, and the thugs spat blood, collapsing dead.
“You!” Hu Zhou jumped, startled, then looked at Lu Zheng.
Killing someone in a fit of rage had left him uneasy, not just for fear of scaring his mother but also worrying that Lu Zheng would blame him for losing control.
After all, killing in the Jing Dynasty was different from slaying ghosts in the Netherworld. Even Lu Zheng wouldn’t kill carelessly in broad daylight.
“Master?” Hu Zhou cautiously looked at Lu Zheng, worried he might clash with Hu Yijun.
“Master?” Hu Yijun turned to Lu Zheng, his gaze appraising.
Lu Zheng shook his head. Of course, he wouldn’t fight Hu Yijun.
Sighing, he said to Hu Zhou, “Check what they prepared.”
Hu Zhou paused, then looked around. He noticed a grappling hook and several iron shovels piled near a large rock on a nearby clearing.
“This is…” Hu Zhou’s mind raced, and he understood, shock and anger surging. “They planned to kill me?”
Lu Zheng nodded. “Kill and bury the body, most likely.”
Hu Zhou’s mother pulled his hand from her eyes but avoided looking at the bodies, instead gazing at Hu Yijun.
Hu Yijun slowly approached, crouched, and took her hand. They looked at each other in silence, a quiet warmth passing between them.
