As the blade swung toward him, Lu Zhou knew his life was about to end. But just as the knife was about to reach him, it suddenly stopped. A flash of light streaked through the sky, and a thunderbolt struck the black-clad man right on the head!

With a loud “boom!”, the black-clad man fell to the ground, his eyes wide open in shock.

At the same time, the other black-clad men surrounding Lu Xingyao all collapsed in unison.

Everyone was stunned, especially Lu Zhou, who stood there in a daze… What just happened?

The remaining black-clad men hadn’t fully grasped what was going on, but they gripped their swords and charged at the Lu family once more!

The next moment, several more thunderclaps roared through the sky, accompanied by lightning, striking down more of the attackers. One by one, they fell lifeless to the ground.

With so many of their comrades struck down by lightning, the battle came to an abrupt halt.

No one dared to move closer to the Lu family.

The remaining black-clad men were terrified. What kind of supernatural phenomenon was this? Why were the lightning bolts only striking them and not the Lu family?

The Lu family members themselves were equally puzzled, exchanging bewildered looks with each other.

“!!!” Gu Xingzhao was also stunned. She looked down at her hand, which was now crackling with energy, forming a small, buzzing ball of electricity.

Had she just unlocked some kind of superpower?

Who would believe it—after living for over twenty years, she had suddenly gained the ability to summon lightning!

Lu Qing wept with joy. He had finally witnessed the power of their ancestor. Moments ago, he thought he was about to join his ancestors in the afterlife.

Gu Xingzhao quickly adopted a more authoritative demeanor and cleared her throat. “Fear not. As long as I am here, no one will harm the Lu family.”

Her words brought comfort to both Lu Qing and Lu Xingyan.

Lu Qing tightly held his granddaughter, soothing her as she trembled in fear. “Don’t be afraid, Tang’er. Our ancestor has come to protect us!”

Lu Xingyao wiped the blood from his mouth. Despite his disheveled appearance, he was brimming with confidence. “Heaven has eyes! Divine retribution has descended! Today, these scoundrels will meet their end!”

Lu Qing froze: “…” If it weren’t for the inappropriate timing, he would have knocked his grandson out cold!

The lightning strikes were terrifying enough, but calling them “divine punishment” would scare anyone to death.

The leader of the black-clad men gritted his teeth. “What are you all standing around for? Do you want to die? Attack!”

If they didn’t complete their mission today, none of them would survive the return to the capital!

The remaining men gritted their teeth and charged again. But this time, Gu Xingzhao raised her hand and aimed at them. Another loud thunderclap echoed through the sky, and more lightning bolts struck down, killing two more of the attackers.

She closed one eye in discomfort, silently praying: Forgive me, I am only doing this to save lives. I do not mean to kill.

Then, with another flick of her hand, a bolt of lightning targeted the leader of the group. He managed to dodge just in time, but his arm was still struck, leaving him pale and shaken.

If the previous strikes had seemed like a coincidence, it was now clear to even the most foolish onlooker that the lightning was intentionally targeting those who meant harm to the Lu family.

The leader’s subordinates, now terrified, whispered, “Boss, maybe we should retreat. There’s something strange about the Lu family…”

The leader, his arm burning with pain and drenched in cold sweat, hesitated. Realizing he could no longer press forward, he ordered the remaining three men to retreat.

Lu Qing wept tears of relief, muttering praises to the heavens and their ancestors.

It wasn’t just the Lu family who were in shock—every other prisoner and guard had the image of those divine lightning strikes seared into their minds.

The prisoners who had attempted to escape were recaptured by the guards. Du Hangwu, his arm injured but still clutching his sword tightly, watched the Lu family with a dark, unreadable expression.

The atmosphere was heavy with the scent of blood and the groans of the wounded. The attack had taken many lives, leaving everyone on edge.

Meanwhile, the rumor that “Heaven sent lightning to protect the Lu family” began to spread among the prisoners and guards. Many stared at the Lu family with strange expressions, especially those who had previously mocked or belittled them, now fearing that the Lu family might bring down divine retribution upon them.The prisoners who had fled and missed the spectacle were skeptical. One guard scoffed, “A couple of lightning bolts during a storm isn’t unusual. What’s so special about it? How does that have anything to do with the Lu family?”

“I say the Lu family was just lucky. Have you ever heard of a prisoner escaping the imperial prison alive?”

As he spoke, the guard glanced at Lu Qing, who, despite being in his seventies, was still very much alive.

“Seriously, I saw it with my own eyes! It was spooky! The lightning only struck near the Lu family!” A younger guard, eager to convince his skeptical comrades, pointed to Du Hangwu. “If you don’t believe me, ask the boss! He saw it too!”All eyes turned to Du Hangwu, who was having his arm bandaged.Du Hangwu had never believed in superstition, but what he had witnessed was undeniable. Could it be that the Lu family really had some secret connection to the divine?

But then he laughed at the absurdity of the thought. “If the Lu family truly had divine protection, would they have ended up in this situation?”

Meanwhile, the Lu family members were busy bandaging each other’s wounds, unsure if they had truly witnessed a divine intervention or if they were all just losing their minds.

The female members of the Lu family, who had been shielded during the fight, couldn’t see what had happened outside. But when they noticed many people staring at them, and even asking if the Lu family had divine protection, they were bewildered. Song Shi asked her husband, “Husband, could it be that your father’s delusions are contagious?”

Why else would so many people be talking about their family?

Lu Zhou himself was struggling to make sense of it. He had always been a skeptic, but the lightning had struck right in front of him. If not for those bolts, his body would likely be lying dead in the wilderness by now.

Yet, he still couldn’t bring himself to fully believe in the existence of divine beings.

Meanwhile, other members of the Lu family began to connect the dots. Over the past few days, they had been receiving food, meat, and even hot water without explanation. Now, they were starting to believe that perhaps they really were under divine protection.

One family member, while being bandaged, quietly asked Lu Yang, “Second Master, be honest with us. Does the Lu family really have divine protection?”

Lu Yang, who had initially thought his father was delusional, was deeply shaken by the lightning strikes. There was no way a mortal could summon lightning to strike people down—this had to be the work of a divine being!

He had to believe in the divine!

Though he now believed in divine intervention, he was careful not to reveal too much. He pointed to his injured shoulder and played dumb, “If I knew, would I have gotten hurt?”

The family member pressed on, “But what about all the food and supplies we’ve been getting…?”

“Shh!” Although Lu Yang was known for being carefree, he understood the gravity of their situation. As prisoners, the less people knew about their divine protector, the better. Especially the outside world—if word got out, those treacherous officials in the capital wouldn’t let the Lu family off easily.

“Whether there’s a divine being or not, just pretend there isn’t. Eat when it’s time to eat, drink when it’s time to drink, and don’t go looking for trouble.”

The Lu family members exchanged knowing looks and nodded in agreement. It seemed there really was a divine being watching over them!

“Don’t worry, Second Master! We understand!”

Meanwhile, by the carriage, Shunyu was shivering from the cold, tightly holding onto Cai he’s freezing hand. As she felt Cai he’s breathing grow weaker, she began to sob, “Lord Lu, please save her, save her!”

“You gave me medicine before; surely you can save her too…”