Chapter 122: Such Arrogance

Chu Yun and Chu Wencai, accompanied by four burly guards, departed from Chu Family Town for Nanhai Town. Shortly after, Chen Ping also left the town, carrying a bomb with him. Chu Yun had revealed the secret that his "thunder arts" were actually bombs, sharing this with Chen Ping because Chen Ping had raised him and cared for him deeply, making him one of his most trusted confidants.

Chen Ping followed the group on horseback, keeping a distance where he could just barely see their shadows, maintaining their pace. Chu Yun had made an agreement with him: if he did not emerge from Nanhai Town within two quarter-hours, Chen Ping was to detonate the bomb.

Chen Ping had asked, "Two quarter-hours, isn't that too short? It takes nearly half a quarter-hour just to ride from the town gate to the Viscount’s manor. A round trip alone would take a quarter-hour! Do you really expect to force Lin Yang to hand over Nanhai Town in such a short time?"

Chu Yun had replied with a smile, "Second Uncle, don't worry about the details. Just do as I say."

Chen Ping had hesitated for a moment, then understood and asked no further questions. Having taken a detour through Pingba Village, their journey had been about 160 miles, though the actual main road was only about 120 miles. They had set off in the morning, eaten on the road, and arrived in Nanhai Town by the afternoon.

Seeing Chu Yun and his party enter the town gate, Chen Ping dismounted. He took out some tobacco, rolled a cigarette, placed it in a pipe, struck a spark, and lit it. Holding the pipe and leading his horse, he began to walk slowly toward the town gate. Chen Ping was a heavy smoker, but he stared at the burning tobacco and forced himself not to take a single puff. This was not for pleasure; it was a timer. Without it, he would have no way to measure two quarter-hours. The time it took for three pipes of tobacco to burn down exactly equaled two quarter-hours.

Meanwhile, as Chu Yun passed through the gate, the sentries recognized them and immediately galloped toward the Viscount’s manor. "It’s bad! Chu Yun is here! It’s bad, Chu Yun is here..." His panicked cries echoed ahead.

Chu Yun and Chu Wencai exchanged a knowing smile. It was clear that, just as they had anticipated, Viscount Lin Yang was currently gripped by terror; otherwise, the guards would not have been so frantic at the sight of them. They spurred their horses and charged toward the manor.

"Charge straight in!"

Arriving at the closed gates, Chu Yun offered a cold smile and struck his horse’s hindquarters. The beast reared up, let out a roar, and surged forward. With a thunderous neigh, the horse slammed its hooves against the gates, forcing them open. Chu Yun rode straight into the courtyard. The four guards were stunned by his ferocity, but at Chu Wencai’s sharp command to protect the Earl, they snapped to attention and charged in after him, flanking Chu Yun.

They rode through the front courtyard and pulled up at the main hall without dismounting. The members of the Lin family, hearing the reports, were pale with fear. Many collapsed in terror and scrambled to hide, unable to fathom what Chu Yun might do to them.

Viscount Lin Yang and his eldest son, Lin Yan, despite their fear, bravely gathered all sixteen of their guards and confronted them in the hall.

"Chu Yun, you have some nerve, daring to charge into a Viscount’s manor on horseback! Don't think that just because you are an Earl, I fear you! This is my manor, and Nanhai Town is my domain!" Lin Yang barked from the hall.

As a seasoned veteran of many battles, he knew the importance of projecting strength. Chu Yun, remaining high in his saddle, looked down at him with a sneer. "So, Viscount Lin Yang, you aren't afraid of an Earl? No wonder you provided the Sorcerer Cult with grain, soldiers, horses, and weaponry to attack my town."

Chu Yun’s voice rose, "Lin Yang! I cured your chronic illness and saved your life, yet you repay kindness with such treachery, joining forces with the cult to kill me!"

Lin Yang was slightly taken aback by the composure of the six men facing his dozen-plus guards. He scoffed, "So what if I repaid kindness with treachery? What can you do about it?"

Lin Yan stood stunned; he had not expected his father to be so brazen. They knew that Chu Yun’s master was the "Thunder God," the one who had decimated the cult’s three-thousand-man army with thunder arts, leaving behind gruesome carnage. They had been terrified of retaliation, yet here was Lin Yang, still acting tough. Knowing they couldn't back down now, Lin Yan joined in, "That's right, Chu Yun! What can you do? Get down! Get off your horse! The Viscount’s hall is no place for you to be mounted."

The sixteen guards, though trembling inside, also shouted, "Get off your horses, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

Chu Wencai was shocked by Chu Yun’s aggression, which had pushed the situation to the brink of bloodshed. He signaled the four guards, who drew their bronze swords in preparation.

Chu Yun, however, remained calm and shook his head with a laugh. "Heh, what can I do to you? I thought I would have to waste my breath getting you to admit your collusion with the Sorcerer Cult, but you’ve saved me the trouble! Not only are you ungrateful, but you are also arrogant. I had intended to beg my master to spare your lives, but it seems that is no longer an option."

At the mention of Chu Yun’s master—the Thunder God, the one who could blast men into pulp with his arts—the faces of Lin Yang, Lin Yan, and their sixteen guards drained of all color.