Lu Xingyao’s question hit the mark, and at that moment, Lu Qing finally realized the meaning behind his eldest son’s earlier words. Yes, why would the ancestors knock out the second son?

The people in the room exchanged glances, and eventually, Mrs Xu spoke up, explaining the day’s events in detail.

“Father, when you didn’t return after so long, my husband became worried and decided to lead a group to break in and rescue you. Just as they were about to break down the door, the ancestor appeared, and my husband fainted on the spot.”

She didn’t elaborate on how he fainted, but everyone understood.

Lu Xingyao silently marveled—today, the ancestor truly had a busy day, striking quite a few people with lightning.

Lu Zhou, being the eldest, feared his father would blame his younger brother, so he took responsibility. “Father, this was my rash decision. If there is anyone to blame, it should be me.”

Lu Xingyan chimed in, “Father, you instructed me to be responsible in your absence, so I should be the one to take the blame.”

Knowing the old man’s temper, everyone anticipated that he would blow up given the day’s events. Mrs Song, Lu Zhou’s wife, quickly added a few good words, “Father, my husband and his brothers were just worried about you and Xingyao, so they acted impulsively. Thankfully, no harm was done, and you’ve returned safely.”

“Yes, it’s fortunate nothing happened.”

Everyone in the room was trying to calm Lu Qing down, fearing he would lose his temper. Meanwhile, the second son, Lu Yang, was happily holding his daughter, whispering to her, “Your daddy was struck by the ancestor today. What a great honor… others could only dream of such luck.”

Lu Youtang, his daughter, blinked her innocent eyes and clapped her little hands, laughing, “Daddy is amazing!”

Lu Qing’s face turned from white to red, then black. His second son had more brawn than brains, always rushing into things without thinking. His eldest son had no backbone, easily swayed by others, while his youngest was physically weak and lacked authority. Just thinking about how Lu Yang must have riled everyone up made him realize how much trouble he’d caused for the ancestor.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Grabbing the broken half of his cane, he limped towards his son, ready to strike. The rest of the family rushed to stop him.

“You fool! Struck by lightning, and you’re still proud of it? How could you not reflect on your actions?”

Lu Yang, quick to react, held his daughter and ducked behind his sickly younger brother. After all, the old man would never hit the weakest in the family.

Lu Xingyan, used to this, remained silent: “…”

Lu Zhou hurried to stop his father, trying to console him, “Father, don’t be angry. Second Brother was just anxious. The ancestor has already punished him. I’m sure he’s learned his lesson…”

“Learned his lesson? Does he look like he’s reflected on anything?” Lu Qing was livid.

Everyone turned to look at Lu Yang, who, with a beaming face, seemed almost proud. He stood tall and confident, declaring, “Father, I must disagree. The ancestor personally knocked me out and even put a note on my head. Such good fortune—I’m the only one in the family who has experienced this.”

The rest of the family exchanged glances, not saying a word. They were all slightly envious, though not as blatantly as the second son.

Lu Qing, furious, threw the broken cane, missing his target and hitting the wall behind him. “Struck by lightning, and you think it’s some great honor for the family!”

Mrs Xu sighed in exasperation. “Father, my husband has always been this way. There’s no need to get so upset… please, don’t harm your health.”

Lu Qing, his anger barely contained, snapped, “Get Youtang away from him! Don’t let him corrupt my granddaughter!”

Mrs Xu muttered under her breath, “Her temperament takes after her father already. It’s a bit late to worry about that.”

The family gathered protectively around Lu Yang, afraid the old man might hurt someone in his rage. After all, in his youth, this very same man had once pulled an official’s beard and yanked his hair in a royal hall argument.

Liu Xiangbai, watching the noisy scene, felt a pang of envy. If only his father hadn’t met with misfortune… his family might still be together like this.

But now, as he stood here, he couldn’t help but wonder how his wife and daughter were faring without him.

…

While the Lu family was in turmoil, back in the modern world, Gu Xingzhao was in her second-floor living room, admiring the pile of goods she had looted from the Yu family. Her hands on her hips, she felt rather satisfied, even though the pile of loot had cost her over 20,000 in taxes.

She examined each item. The porcelain ornaments were chipped and cracked, requiring repairs, but her current points were too few to afford it. Trading them with the system would be a loss, so she decided to hold on to them for now.

She smiled as she looked at the two knives she had swiped. Aside from some weathering, they were almost pristine and could fetch a good price. The two jade paperweights also seemed valuable.

Finally, Gu Xingzhao carefully lifted a small ink dropper made of purple clay. In perfect condition, it was undoubtedly worth a lot. But she didn’t plan to sell it—she intended to gift it to Uncle Lu, who loved brewing tea in his purple clay teapot.

If not for her deep dive into tea culture last year, she might never have recognized that this ink dropper was made from top-quality “Tianqing clay.” It would have been a missed opportunity.

She marveled at the extravagance of the ancients—using purple clay for ink droppers.

Later that night, lying in bed and scrolling through her phone, Gu Xingzhao thought about how Du Hangwu had seen her earlier. She began to formulate a plan.

In the exile caravan, many convicts were trying to curry favor with the guards to make their journey easier, hoping to avoid beatings and get better food.

Gu Xingzhao had long wondered how to establish a good relationship between the Lu family and the guards. After all, with the old, young, and sick in the family, it wasn’t easy for them. Although she could watch over them occasionally, she couldn’t always be there at the right time. Having the guards look out for them would only benefit the Lu family.

She had observed that all the guards followed Du Hangwu’s lead. If she could win him over, the Lu family’s situation would be much better.

With this in mind, she placed an order on an online shopping site, purchasing ten tents for next-day delivery. If the exile caravan camped in the wilderness, they could use them. Plus, it was snowing in the ancient world.

She also planned to deliver down jackets from her warehouse to the Lu family. The nights were freezing, and their current warm clothing wouldn’t be enough.

She figured she’d give Du Hangwu a set as well. If he was smart, he’d know to turn a blind eye to the Lu family’s affairs.

Having made up her mind, Gu Xingzhao headed to her first-floor warehouse, dragged out a large box of down jackets, and counted them. She then transported everything back to the ancient world.

The moment she arrived, a biting wind greeted her, making her zip up her coat against the chill.

Ahead, the exiled caravan had left Laiyuan Town under the cover of night, struggling to move forward against the cold wind.

The convicts were grumbling incessantly.

The guards, freezing and barely able to take care of themselves, had no energy to whip anyone. They clung tightly to their coarse cotton clothes, muttering complaints to each other.

“I don’t know what the boss is thinking, making us march in this freezing weather.”

“It’s enough to freeze us to death!”

“And those Lu family members—old, weak, sick, yet they’re somehow walking faster than the rest of us?”

“Could they really have some divine protection?”