Vol. 2 - Chapter 61 - Prisoner Ambush!

The constable said nothing.

He didn’t even look at the woman beside him.

His expression was cold, eyes constantly scanning the surroundings—alert to any potential threat.

Seeing she was being ignored, the woman bit her lip in frustration.

She lowered her head and softly comforted the child beside her:

"Xiao Jie, hang in there a little longer..."

At her words, the child burst into aggrieved tears.

"No!"

"I don’t want to!"

"It really hurts!"

"Mom! Isn’t Dad a great hero? Why are we the ones being taken away?"

"Waaahhh…"

The child cried uncontrollably.

These past days he had been locked inside a cage, unable to do anything. The food had been inedible.

He was the young son of the Haijing Gang’s boss—raised in luxury, pampered since birth.

He had never suffered like this before.

Now that the dam broke, he wailed with all his might.

His sobs echoed along the entire official road.

Riding at the rear of the convoy, Lu Nuo let out a sigh of irritation at the crying.

Before he could speak—

A booming voice erupted from the cage beside him.

"Men don’t cry!"

"Stop crying!"

"Don’t disgrace the Qiong family!"

It was Qiong Longshan, voice thundering from the cage.

The child trembled and bit his lip, his eyes full of fear.

Since he was little, the one person he feared the most—was his father.

The woman’s heart burned seeing her son trying not to cry, afraid even to let out a sob.

She looked at Qiong Longshan with bitterness and snapped,

"Xiao Jie has suffered so much—can’t he even cry?"

"He’s just a child!"

"Isn’t he your own flesh and blood?"

"Can’t you see his wrists are all torn up from the ropes?"

"Doesn’t that hurt you?"

Her voice rose with anger, eyes brimming with maternal pain.

Qiong Longshan’s face turned an ugly shade of black.

The child huddled in his mother’s arms, sniffling.

The woman tried to comfort him, but her own voice was beginning to crack with tears.

She finally broke down, sobbing:

"I told you from the beginning—not to grow the Haijing Gang so big."

"If we had just stayed in Fujian, become the biggest in the province, we wouldn’t have drawn this much envy and hatred."

"But you wouldn’t listen! Always so headstrong!"

"And look what’s happened now—"

"Our entire family in chains!"

"Where’s your heroism now? Why don’t you fight back?"

"You, a first-rank martial master, letting others humiliate your wife and son—"

Her voice turned shrill as she hugged the child tighter and wept uncontrollably.

These days in the prison cage had driven her to the brink.

To fall from being the lady of a powerful gang to a prisoner—

Such a reversal would break anyone.

"Qiong Longshan, you’re a coward!"

"You’re nothing!"

She sobbed and raged in the same breath.

Qiong Longshan’s face darkened further, as black as the bottom of a pot.

He clenched his fists, teeth grinding.

But he couldn’t do a thing.

He let out a long sigh, his expression hollow and defeated.

…

On horseback, Lu Nuo flicked the reins of his white steed.

The horse picked up speed and trotted to the front of the convoy.

Lu Nuo raised his fingers and subtly pointed at the woman and child.

Swish. Swish.

Two faint sounds.

Instantly, both the woman’s crying and the child’s sobbing fell silent.

Lu Nuo had released his internal energy, sealing their mute acupoints from afar.

He casually raised his pinky and dug at his ear, annoyed.

“Such a racket,” he muttered.

“If there’s one thing I can’t stand—it’s a woman’s endless whining.”

With that, he turned his horse back and rejoined the wagon holding Qiong Longshan.

Qiong Longshan’s expression eased slightly.

He threw Lu Nuo a grateful look.

After all, being chastised by your wife in front of strangers—especially as the boss of a top-tier gang—was a bit much to bear.

Lu Nuo smiled faintly.

“I get it. We’re all men here,” he said casually.

“It’s tough traveling with the wife around.”

He yawned lazily. “I’ve got a tigress at home too.”

“When she gets mad, she loses it just like yours—goes on a rampage and doesn’t care who’s watching.”

“Face, pride? They don’t care.”

“They just want to vent.”

Qiong Longshan nodded, a bitter smile on his face.

Lu Nuo gave another yawn, barely keeping his eyes open.

“I’ve heard of the Haijing Gang,” he said.

“Can’t say you strike me as the type to rob disaster relief silver.”

“The Six Gates Division will definitely investigate it thoroughly.”

“Though… don’t get your hopes up.”

He shifted in his saddle, trying to get comfortable again.

“From the signs at the scene, the culprits used coastal martial arts—second- and third-rank masters, all of them.”

“Frankly, besides the Haijing Gang, no one else has that kind of manpower down here.”

“Head Constable Lei even said he fought you—and your Raging Tide Palm left internal force lingering in his chest.”

“When we reach Bianliang, the Grandmaster in the palace will verify that.”

“If it turns out to be a misunderstanding, you’ll be cleared.”

“But…”

Lu Nuo gave a final yawn. “Lei’s testimony is enough. According to Six Gates regulations, guilty or not—you’re going to Bianliang.”

“Robbing disaster relief silver is a capital crime. We’d rather kill a hundred by mistake than let one go.”

“So behave on the road, yeah?”

Qiong Longshan stayed silent.

He knew—Haijing Gang hadn’t stolen the silver.

His conscience was clear.

And as for who had set them up—Qiong Longshan had a good idea.

The Demon Cult had returned.

And the first step in their resurgence was always proselytizing.

The Haijing Gang ruled the coast.

If the Demon Cult wanted to spread its faith, they couldn’t bypass Qiong Longshan’s men.

So naturally, they framed them.

Bury them in legal turmoil, force them into passivity.

That was the Demon Cult’s true goal.

A glint of resolve flashed in Qiong Longshan’s eyes.

Luckily, he’d already sent the silk letter to his master.

His master had a blood feud with the Demon Cult—there was no way he’d sit this out.

…

Lu Nuo shifted again, trying to nap.

But no position felt right.

Frustrated, he glanced at the sky. No use. He gave up.

“At this pace, we’ll reach the next city by dusk.”

“No rush.”

“Let’s take a break in the shade. Anyone need to relieve themselves?”

“Take turns, one at a time.”

He yawned again—perpetually groggy.

Despite being in his forties, Lu Nuo still looked younger than Murong Longyuan or Lei Zhengyang.

…

The wagons carrying the Qiong family rolled to a stop beneath the shade of a large tree.

The constables passed water skins to the prisoners—an unusual show of courtesy.

Normally, caged criminals didn’t get this kind of treatment.

Drink too much water, and you’ll need to pee.

When transporting prisoners, no one wanted to waste time with bathroom breaks.

But…

Because of Qiong Longshan’s status—a first-rank martial master and head of the largest coastal gang—Lu Nuo had told the constables to ease up.

Don’t be too harsh.

Under the guards’ watch, the Qiong family relieved themselves.

As they returned to their cages, Lu Nuo’s expression shifted.

The drowsiness vanished from his face, replaced with alert sharpness.

His eyes gleamed cold and clear.

Then he barked,

“Come out!”

“No need to skulk in the shadows anymore!”

His voice was low and firm.

In the distance, footsteps echoed from the woods.

And from the treeline—

A shadowy figure in black emerged.