The masked stranger took one last look at Lu Yu, then turned and disappeared into the night, as if his only purpose was to delay Lu Yu's steps.

As the masked stranger left, the disturbance within the City Lord's manor had already subsided, and the two mental marks representing the demonic Shura and Xue Ming had vanished from Lu Yu's range of perception.

Unwilling to let it go, Lu Yu entered the City Lord's manor after the battle ended.

The City Lord's manor was in shambles; all the buildings had been flattened by some brute force. Corpses were rarely seen, possibly because there weren't many people in the manor to begin with.

"Ah~~" Lu Yu heard a faint moan, suggesting there might still be survivors.

Following the sound, Lu Yu found a large pit, from the collapsed houses on its edge came the moaning.

Releasing his perception, it flowed like water through the gaps between the collapsed houses into the ruins, and a clear picture formed in Lu Yu's mind: a man in a white robe with golden edges lying in the ruins.

The man in the white robe appeared severely injured and couldn't even lift the beam pressing down on him.

Lu Yu was eager to understand what had happened here. He removed all the debris off the man, digging him out from the ruins.

The man in the white robe felt the weight on him disappear. He struggled to lift his head to look up, and when Lu Yu saw the man's exquisite face, he was momentarily stunned, finding the beauty of that face almost excessive.

This shouldn't be a man's face; it should be the face of a femme fatale.

Before he could get a clear look at Lu Yu's face, he heard Lu Yu's voice, "What happened here?"

...

In the morning, having changed into a new set of clothes, Chu Tianhe stepped out of his room, turned to see Lu Yu going out for a walk, and clasped his fists in thanks, "Thank you, Brother Lu, for saving my life."

Lu Yu waved his hand dismissively, saying casually, "Even if I hadn't saved you, you could have climbed out on your own; it wasn't exactly life-saving."

Chu Tianhe recalled the scene of himself crawling out of the ruins, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, thinking how embarrassing that had looked.

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to ask, Brother Chu, who are you? Why did you get involved in last night's battle at the City Lord's manor?" Lu Yu asked.

Chu Tianhe, upon hearing this, came back to his senses and said, "Me?" pointing at himself.

"I'm just a merchant, I happened to be in the City Lord's manor last night discussing cooperation with City Lord Gong."

A look of fear crossed his face, and he said with lingering dread, "City Lord Gong was taken by that group last night. I don't know what their purpose is, but without City Lord Gong's management, Black Sand City will soon have problems."

Lu Yu glanced at him, thinking: Black Sand City already has major problems!

As for Chu Tianhe's claim of being a merchant, Lu Yu harbored doubts in his heart. The luxurious clothes he wore last night were not something an ordinary merchant could afford—those were definitely exclusive to prestigious families.

Furthermore, Chu Tianhe's complete recovery from severe injuries overnight was clearly due to rare pills, which normal people wouldn't have access to.

Watching Chu Tianhe's back, Lu Yu left a mental mark on him silently, suspecting this person had hidden issues.

At the moment Lu Yu left the mental mark, a subtle change appeared in Chu Tianhe's eyes; he sensed Lu Yu's action.

Though he could remove the mental mark anytime if he wished, he chose not to.

After finishing breakfast, Chu Tianhe bid farewell to Lu Yu, saying he needed to return to the commerce association to handle affairs.

After Chu Tianhe left the inn, Lu Yu followed him, discovering he eventually entered a commerce association called "Hidden Dragon," which seemed to corroborate his claim of being a merchant.

After seeing Chu Tianhe enter the Hidden Dragon Commerce Association, Lu Yu turned away, heading in the direction of the City Lord's manor.

The City Lord's manor was still surrounded by the tall black walls. Despite the major commotion last night, few dared to approach it.

The City Lord of Black Sand City's lingering influence was still felt.

Lu Yu quietly entered the City Lord's manor, returning to the edge of the large pit where he had found Chu Tianhe. Yesterday, he was busy rescuing people and had not thoroughly investigated the manor's situation.

Looking at the already collapsed buildings around, Lu Yu guessed this was the location of the City Lord's manor's grand hall.

Standing at the edge of the large pit, he looked down. It seemed to be hollow beneath, so dark that nothing could be seen.

"Tap, tap, tap~~~" The sound of numerous footsteps approached, and Lu Yu swiftly took out his Shadow Cloak, put it on, and hid within the shadows, disappearing inside the City Lord's manor.

He observed a group of people who looked like caravan guards walking in, but these guards resembled soldiers much more, as each step they took was very orderly, maintaining formation.

"Caravan? Soldiers?" A question popped into Lu Yu's mind.

Just as Lu Yu was puzzled, Chu Tianhe appeared at the center of the caravan guards, leading Lu Yu to think: "This Chu Tianhe is definitely not an ordinary merchant."

Chu Tianhe walked to the edge of the large pit, gazing at it, unclear about what was inside.

The group from last night rushed in for whatever was below.

As for the City Lord Gong, who he claimed was abducted, he actually no longer existed; Black Sand City had long been under Chu Tianhe's control.

"Let's go down and take a look," Chu Tianhe said to the captain of the guards beside him.

The guard captain nodded, beckoned two others over, and the three of them jumped into the large pit, vanishing into the darkness.

After a while, without any news from his subordinates, Chu Tianhe frowned—had the three met with disaster, or was it simply that no message could be transmitted?

Looking around at the people present, Chu Tianhe said, "Leave a squad to guard the City Lord's manor, the rest follow me down, form the Four-Square Guard Formation."

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