Having such a heavy accusation like “rebellion” thrown at them would scare anyone, but the Lu family, already sentenced to exile, had nothing left to fear from such labels.

Every one of them stepped forward to shield Lu Qing, blocking the officials from taking the old man away.

They all knew that the people in the capital who had tortured Lu Qing were not to be trusted. If not for the ancestor’s protection, the old man might have already passed away, with no chance of standing here now.

Lu Qing signaled for his family to remain calm. The road to exile was long, and it wouldn’t be wise to clash with the escorting officials. He turned to Du Hangwu and asked, “May I ask, Lord Du, what business you have with me?”

Du Hangwu, clearly impatient, was the type of man who despised trouble. However, the forces behind the people in question were not something he could afford to offend.

“Someone claiming to be an old acquaintance of yours wishes to see you. Come with me.”

Lu Qing frowned. He couldn’t recall any old acquaintances in Laiyuan Town. Judging by Du Hangwu’s demeanor, he didn’t seem to be lying. Du Hangwu was clearly annoyed yet had no choice but to comply, which suggested the person in question was quite powerful.

“Father, we don’t know who this person is. It might be too dangerous to go…” Lu Zhou said in a low voice.

Lu Yang and Lu Xingyan also disapproved of Lu Qinggoing with Du Hangwu. If anything went wrong, they knew Du Hangwu wouldn’t lift a finger to help.

But after considering it for a moment, Lu Qing decided to go and see for himself. He patted his son’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll go take a look. Xingyao, you’ll come with me. The rest of you stay here. If anything happens… Third Brother will be in charge. Don’t lose your heads.”

His gaze swept over his eldest and second sons, finally resting on his youngest. Compared to the temperaments of his older sons, he felt that his youngest was the most level-headed. If he wasn’t around, his youngest could handle things.

Although Du Hangwu was displeased that Lu Xingyao was coming along, he didn’t object.

As Lu Qing and Lu Xingyao were led away, the entire Lu family was filled with worry, especially Madam Song, who feared for her son’s safety.

On the way, Lu Qing tried several times to call out to Gu Xingzhao, but there was no response, which unsettled him greatly.

He didn’t often call on the ancestor, but the ancestor had never ignored him like this before. Could something have happened?

…

Back home, Gu Xingzhao received a system notification:
[Host, one hour ago, monitored individual Lu Qing attempted to contact you.]

Gu Xingzhao: “What?”

“Why wasn’t I notified?”

[Due to a special magnetic field, the system’s connection with you was interrupted, and we were unable to contact you.]

Gu Xingzhao blinked in surprise. A special magnetic field?

One hour ago… That would have been while she was at the antique shop. Could there have been something in the shop that interfered with the system’s signal?

She pulled up Lu Qing’s status panel and saw that everything seemed normal, which reassured her slightly. She then immediately teleported to the past.

Inside the house, Madam Song was pacing anxiously, making everyone else even more uneasy.

“Husband, do you think Xingyao will be in danger going with Father?”

Lu Zhou was also worried. This was Laiyuan, after all, and their father had spent most of his life in the capital. How could he have an old acquaintance here? Could this be a trap set by someone with ill intentions?

Lu Yang, who wasn’t the most decisive, panicked upon hearing this. “Should we rush out and rescue Father and Xingyao?”

The Liu family, having received the Lu family’s help, offered to join in the effort to rescue Elder Lu.

Hearing this, Madam Xu pinched her husband’s waist sharply. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

If they rushed out, who knew what would happen to Father and Xingyao? But they were certain that those who started a riot would be cut down by the officials outside. They had seen enough of those brutal enforcers along the way.

“So what do we do? Just sit here and do nothing?”

“Maybe we can try sending something out as a bribe…”

“But we have nothing left to give. What can we send?”

Everyone was at a loss.

Just then, Lu Xingyan spoke up. “Brothers and sisters-in-law, don’t let your worry lead you to act rashly.”

“Then, Third Brother, what do you suggest? Father said we should listen to you.”

All eyes turned to Lu Xingyan.

Gu Xingzhao arrived just in time to hear him speak.

“Although Du Hangwu is unlikely to help, he doesn’t seem to be the type to deliberately harm innocent people. And if he’s personally taking Father away, the person behind this must be powerful.”

“This area is close to Prince Su’s domain. It might be related to him.”

“Father once did Prince Su a great favor. If this is related to Prince Su, I don’t think there’s any danger.”

Lu Xingyan analyzed the situation calmly. “Father must have an idea of what’s going on. Besides, we have the ancestor’s protection.”

As he spoke, he unconsciously tightened his grip on the item in his hand—a peace amulet, which was the New Year’s gift that Gu Xingzhao had given him the night before. The red envelope and note were kept close to his body, and holding onto the ancestor’s gift made him feel a bit more at ease.

Lu Zhou looked at his brother with suspicion, studying him for a long time. He hadn’t expected that his usually frail, sickly brother would have such keen insights and even know about Father’s past with Prince Su.

Hearing Lu Xingyan’s analysis, the others began to relax a little. They had forgotten that the ancestor was still watching over them. The ancestor would surely protect Father and Xingyao.

“Let’s hope they’re safe.”

Gu Xingzhao frowned, piecing together the conversation. It seemed that Lu Qingsong and Lu Xingyao had been taken away by Du Hangwu.

Checking the system panel, she saw that both of them were in good health, which meant they were likely safe. But why had Du Hangwu taken them? And what was the connection to Prince Su?

Gu Xingzhao walked through the walls of the house and into the open. “System, can you locate Lu Qing and Lu Xingyao?”

The system quickly provided navigation, indicating that they were about 600 meters away. It wasn’t too far, but walking there felt a bit… awkward.

Just as she was feeling conflicted, the system’s voice chimed in:
[Host, the teleportation function has been updated. You can now teleport directly to the location of a monitored individual.]

Gu Xingzhao narrowed her eyes. “Does it cost anything?”

[During the seven-day trial period, there is no charge. Please feel free to use the feature.]

Feeling reassured, Gu Xingzhao said, “Alright, teleport me to where Lu Qing is.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a bright light flashed, and in the next moment, she found herself in a different place, apparently indoors.

Gu Xingzhao tried to maintain her composure, but inside, she was thrilled. This was how a deity should operate—no deity should have to walk to find people!

She glanced around and saw Lu Qing standing outside, with Lu Xingyao by his side, both of them looking grave. “Is there really no other way?”

“My lord has been suffering from severe pain in his right side for two months now, often accompanied by high fever, vomiting, and an inability to eat,” the doctor explained. “I’ve tried every remedy I know, but the pain just won’t subside, and…”

Lu Qing frowned. “And what?”

The doctor hesitated, then said, “And my lord’s palm shows what is known in folklore as the coffin line. In my experience, those who have this line… well, it’s a fatal condition, one that no medicine can cure.”