Starting with the frog, he has ruled for eternity.

Chapter 18 A Croak? Hidden Sun City, Lord Zhang

Hidden Sun City, side hall of the garrison headquarters.

The fragrance of incense wafts gently.

"Little Yezi, it's been so long since we've seen each other... What brings you here this time?"

Lord Zhang leaned back in his armchair, twirling two glossy walnuts in his hands, his eyelids drooping, his voice slow and leisurely.

He looked to be in his early thirties, with fair skin, a neatly trimmed short beard, and a crisp, starched indigo-blue casual suit. He looked more like a wealthy man than a military general guarding a region.

Only the occasional sliver of light peeking through the slit of his eyelids was as sharp as a knife.

That was the performance of a master of internal martial arts, his skill shining through.

Lu Ye, sitting on a hard wooden round stool at the lower end, sat with his back straight and his hands on his knees.

Upon hearing the long-forgotten, somewhat mocking old nickname "Little Leaf," his lips twitched slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

After all, that's his name. If people don't call him Little Leaf, they'll probably call him Master Lu.

Being downgraded by three generations for no reason, no one would be happy about that.

"General Zhang, it's been a long time..." Master Lu sighed softly and said frankly, "I'm here this time because something happened to Lu Jiacheng."

"Oh, what kind of feud or local banditry could make you come all this way to find me?" Lord Zhang became interested and straightened his posture. "You don't look injured."

"It wasn't a vendetta, nor was it a banditry."

If that's really the case, then things will be easier.

But the problem is...

The Zhao family was wiped out, according to what he learned from his personal visit to Hu Family Village…

This doesn't seem like something a human would do.

Thinking of this, Master Lu shook his head and sighed. He didn't dare say anything, but just pointed to the sky.

The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.

Lord Zhang raised his eyelids slightly.

He got it.

"Well... this is troublesome."

He stopped fiddling with the walnuts in his hand, leaned forward slightly, and instantly lost most of his air of languid wealth.

"How did you get involved?"

"I don't know, maybe they came looking for it themselves." Master Lu shook his head; he wasn't sure either.

Then, Lu took out a small package wrapped in layers of thick oil paper and coarse cloth from his pocket, untied it, and revealed a thumb-sized, dark red stone inside.

This stone is of the same type as the blood jade that Fang Yuan had seen and that Nan Nan wanted to take a look at.

Grandpa Lu didn't touch it with his hands; he simply spread the coarse cloth on the coffee table between the two of them and placed the small pebble on the table.

"The entire Zhao family, consisting of forty-seven members, plus guards, servants, and livestock, turned into dried corpses overnight, skin covering bones, like beggars on the roadside."

"No, it's much worse than being a beggar. It's like a layer of human skin covering white bones. The internal organs and flesh have all been hollowed out by some inexplicable method. Only these trivial red stones are scattered like stars on the human skin."

Grandpa Lu lowered his voice and pointed to the stone.

"Apart from that, none of the valuables at the scene were touched."

Lord Zhang stared at the dark red stone, but didn't pick it up; he just squinted at it.

After a long pause, he slowly said, "You touched it?"

"I touched a small one. It was ice-cold to the touch, like holding a block of ice. Holding it for a while made me uneasy, and I couldn't sleep well at night, always feeling like something was watching me from the shadows," Uncle Lu answered honestly. "This one is the biggest and most intact, and I haven't dared to touch it since."

"This is not easy to deal with..." Lord Zhang sighed, not saying anything more, but staring at Master Lu for a long time before suddenly extending an olive branch:

"Why don't you come back and do things for me?"

Master Lu was stunned and suddenly looked up at Lord Zhang. He hadn't expected the other party to bring this up so suddenly.

go back?

Return to Yinyang City, return to the army?

……

Lu Ye's Adam's apple bobbed, and he opened his mouth, but didn't make a sound immediately.

Lord Zhang didn't urge him; he just kept his eyelids half-closed and waited.

Finally, Master Lu sighed, his voice somewhat hoarse, "Thank you for your kind words, Lord Zhang. But..."

"Oh? Is it a matter of position? I can make you my deputy, just like before."

"No, no, no... it's not a matter of rank."

Master Lu shook his head, his hands slowly clenching into fists on his knees. "Lu Family City... can't do without me now. The Zhao family has just been wiped out, and people are in a state of panic. Hu Family Village is also on edge. If I were to leave now, the city would immediately descend into chaos. Those who depend on the Lu family for their livelihood, I'm afraid..."

"Isn't it going to be even harder to survive?" Lord Zhang finished for him, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Little Yezi, I understand your desire to protect those people. But have you considered this: if you can't even protect yourself, and might even lose your own life, how long can you protect them?"

Lu Ye remained silent.

What can we do if we can't protect them?

We can't just stand by and watch them die, can we?

Those are people! Lujiacheng is not small; there are tens of thousands of people in Lujiacheng!

Those were living, breathing people!

Not an animal!

Seeing that he didn't reply, Lord Zhang knew his temperament and didn't continue to invite him. He just sighed and shook his head.

"The situation is different now than it was back then."

"Back then, the enemy was visible and tangible; it was knife to knife, gun to gun. Now? You don't even know who your opponent is, where they are, or how they got here. What do you have to fight them with? Just your few dozen guards from the Lu family?"

At this point, Lord Zhang stood up, walked to Master Lu's side, and patted him on the shoulder:

"Come back. Take your family and return to Yinyang City. The city walls here are higher than those in your Lu Family City, and the garrison is larger. I also have some truly knowledgeable people under my command. At least here, I can protect your family. As for Lu Family City... let the Hu family, or other willing people in the city, handle it. When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up first; you don't need to be at the forefront."

"Can……"

Grandpa Lu looked up.

Wouldn't that just let them die in vain?

Master Lu pursed his lips, not daring to reply.

He couldn't get over that mental hurdle.

Lujiacheng is not just a place name, but also several industries.

That was the foundation his grandfather had built brick by brick, the result of his father's life's work, and the place where he had struggled for half his life—his home.

That's his city!

How could he just walk away from his city?

"General, please don't try to persuade me anymore." Master Lu shook his head helplessly. "You know what kind of person I am."

Lord Zhang remained silent for a moment before finally letting out a slow breath.

"...stubborn donkey."

He muttered a curse under his breath, it was unclear whether he was cursing Master Lu or something else. Then, he waved his hand, "Fine, everyone has their own ambitions. If you don't want to, I won't force you."

Mr. Lu felt relieved and was about to express his gratitude.

"However," Lord Zhang changed his tone, his voice becoming serious again, "you can stay in Lujiacheng for the time being, but your family members must be sent over immediately."

Lu Ye looked up.

"This isn't a discussion, it's an order. You have to fulfill your responsibilities, and I won't stop you."

"But there's no reason for your wife and children to risk their lives with you. How old is your daughter? Your son, Lu Yong, hasn't even mastered his kung fu yet, has he? Leaving them in a place where that monster could come knocking on your door at any moment, Lu Ye, is this your responsibility as a husband and father?"

Lu Ye was speechless.

But the words may be rough, but the principle is sound.

Lu Jiacheng, the place where he struggled his whole life, is just the place where his children were born.

They were not skilled enough to begin with, so even if they stayed in Lujiacheng, they wouldn't be of much use and would only be a hindrance.

"I have a quiet courtyard in the inner city. It's not big, but it's enough for your family to live in, and also enough for you to settle down with a few of your most capable men."

Lord Zhang continued, "Send your family here and settle them in. If you want to go back to the city to deal with them, or investigate their background, that's fine with you. At least you won't have any worries, and you can act more decisively. In case... I mean, in case, Lujia City really can't be defended, you'll still have a way out, and your whole family won't be wiped out."

"Then... I'll accept your kindness, General..."

Having said that, Master Lu could only smile wryly and clasp his hands in apology; he had no other reason to refuse.