Time slowly ticked by as Lu Qing continued to lie in wait atop the tree.
On the other side, Mago was growing increasingly anxious.
"What's the status? Have you found any trace of Brother Lu?"
"Nothing yet. Dasha and I have scoured the area multiple times, but there's no sign of Lu Qing," Xiao Tian replied.
"How could that be? Did we arrive too late, and Brother Lu has already been captured?" Mago said with rising concern.
"I doubt it," Xiao Tian hesitated, "We've been here for a while, and there's no sign of commotion in Happy Fort. If Brother Lu had gone in, it shouldn't be this quiet."
"I think Brother Lu is hiding somewhere, waiting for the right moment to act."
Mago thought about it and agreed.
Lu Qing was a warrior in the Qi and Blood Realm. If he had entered, there’s no way Happy Fort could have dealt with him without any disturbance.
"Then we’ll wait as well. We can't let anything happen to Brother Lu," Mago said, trying to quell his anxiety.
Xiao Tian and Dasha exchanged glances.
If this had been the usual Master Ma, he wouldn’t have overlooked such details.
It was clear how much Master Ma valued Lu Qing, even losing his usual composure.
Unaware that Mago had brought reinforcements waiting to support him on the other side of the mountain, Lu Qing remained hidden in the tree, biding his time until nightfall.
Finally, dusk arrived, and the sky gradually darkened. Lights began to illuminate Happy Fort, turning it into a glowing spectacle.
Having rested his eyes throughout the afternoon, Lu Qing opened them, ready for action.
"Stay alert. Guests will be arriving soon!"
The two guards below straightened up, no longer lounging around.
Lu Qing realized then that Happy Fort was a nighttime operation.
No wonder he had seen no one entering all this time.
With the lights now on, Lu Qing soon saw people arriving.
Villagers in simple clothes walked over, while landlords dressed in silks and satins were carried in sedan chairs.
He even saw an old man in patched clothes with a lecherous expression.
It was perplexing where these people got the money to spend in this den of iniquity.
Just as Lu Qing was about to make his move during the guests' arrival, a sudden commotion broke out, approaching the fort's gate.
Lu Qing saw a man in his forties struggling with a young girl.
The girl’s cries were heart-wrenching as she clung to the man’s hand, begging.
"Father, please, don’t gamble this money away. I embroidered for days to earn it for mother’s medicine!"
"Rubbish! Your money is mine. I need it, so I’ll use it!" the man shouted. "Your mother’s illness isn’t serious. She can tough it out. Once I win, I’ll have all the money we need, and you can buy all the medicine and doctors you want!"
"Father, no, mother coughed up blood yesterday. If she doesn’t see a doctor soon, she’ll die!"
The girl clung desperately to her father, tears streaming down her face.
"She’s fine! She’ll be alright after a few days of rest!" the man snapped. "Let go, or I’ll kick you!"
"Father, please, mother will die without the medicine!"
The girl sobbed, refusing to let go of his arm.
"Then let her die!" The man kicked his daughter away. "Less of a burden for me!"
The girl, stunned by her father's cruelty, saw him about to enter the fort and rushed to grab his leg.
"Father, please don’t gamble. Give me the money back..."
The man raised his hand to strike her as she held him back.
Onlookers, mostly guests of Happy Fort, watched with amusement instead of pity.
The guards at the gate mocked, "Zhao Laosan, can’t even handle your own daughter? If you can’t, leave her to us. We’ll train her properly!"
Zhao Laosan’s eyes lit up at the guard’s suggestion.
"Master Chen, you mean it? Will you take her?"
The guard, taken aback, hadn’t expected Zhao Laosan to take him seriously.
He glanced at the girl, noticing she had some beauty.
"Think carefully. Once she’s in the fort, redeeming her will be tough," the guard warned.
"No problem. She’s a burden anyway. Name your price," Zhao Laosan said eagerly, thinking of his gambling funds.
"I’ll have to call someone to appraise her," the guard said.
"Thank you, Master Chen!" Zhao Laosan bowed.
"Father!" The girl, in disbelief, watched as the guard went to fetch someone. She panicked and tried to run.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Zhao Laosan grabbed her, dragging her back.
"You wouldn't go home before, now you won't leave. You’ll stay here and make money for me!"
"Father, no! I’m your daughter, you can’t sell me!"
The girl cried in terror.
"I’m doing this for you. You'll live well here, better than embroidering at home. You wanted money for your mother, earn it here."
Zhao Laosan dragged her to the gate.
Just then, the guard returned with someone from inside.
The deal was made as the girl watched in despair.
Zhao Laosan received silver while the girl was dragged inside, crying.
Ignoring his daughter's pleas, Zhao Laosan admired his newfound wealth, thinking of his gambling funds.
"Zhao Laosan, you’re ruthless. Aren’t you afraid your wife will kill you when you get home?" someone mocked.
"She wouldn't dare!" Zhao Laosan glared. "And who are you to talk? Didn’t you sell your widowed sister-in-law?"
This shut the man up.
"Zhao Laosan, is your daughter unmarried?" asked a portly man.
"Yes, she’s sixteen," Zhao Laosan replied.
"Good, I’ll have some fun with her tonight," the man said, patting Zhao Laosan’s shoulder. "Don’t worry, I’ll treat her well!"
"Then you must call Zhao Laosan father-in-law," someone joked.
"Shut up! He’s not worth it," the portly man retorted.
The gate filled with laughter, but Zhao Laosan’s face darkened.
Up in the tree, Lu Qing stood up, his face hidden in shadows, but the cold aura emanating from him made Xiao Li bristle.
Watching the scene below, Lu Qing held back his rage.
He quietly descended the tree, using the darkness to find a weak spot in the fort’s defenses and slipped inside.
Xiao Li perched steadily on his shoulder.
Inside, Lu Qing assessed the fort’s layout. It was large, with many buildings, the most prominent being a tall wooden tower in the center.
Using the shadows, Lu Qing moved quickly through the fort, with Xiao Li alerting him to nearby people.
He moved undetected, nearing the main tower when he heard shouting.
Turning a corner, he saw a garishly dressed woman and two men escorting the girl he had seen earlier.
The girl, bound and led by a rope, moved slowly, eliciting curses from her captors.
Seeing her despair, Lu Qing hesitated but then quietly followed.
They shoved the girl into a stone building in a corner of the fort.
Lu Qing, ensuring no one was watching, approached the building.
Inside, he heard a sharp, harsh voice, "Lock her up. Starve her for three days, she’ll behave. And you other girls, disobey, and you’ll be fed to the wolves!"
Peeking in, Lu Qing saw the scene clearly, his eyes narrowing.
The suppressed killing intent within him surged uncontrollably.