As Gu Xingzhao scrolled through the comment claiming she survived high school on steamed buns and pickled vegetables, she felt a bit uneasy. She clicked on the account and realized it was from a guy who had sat at the back of the class during her freshman year of high school. She didn’t remember having any real connection with him, especially since they had been in different classes after the first year.

Surprisingly, the guy still remembered her and was even defending her online.

Netizen 3: “I’m from the same town as her. She was raised by her grandfather because her dad was an abusive alcoholic. Her mom ran off, and her dad eventually shacked up with a rich woman, leaving her completely abandoned. Everyone in town knew about it, and many people cruelly called her a ‘wild child without parents.”

Netizen 4: “I majored in the same subject as her in college. She was constantly doing part-time jobs but still managed to keep her grades up. She always seemed to have endless energy. Honestly, I admired her a lot.”

Netizen 5: “How can her family even dare? They abandon their own daughter, raise someone else’s kid, and then come back to try and take advantage of her later? Disgusting!”
Netizen 6: “If I were her, I wouldn’t have survived all that.”

Netizen 7: “I support the her.”

Netizen 8: “She’s even willing to help minors who were scammed! I’m crying, seriously.”

Netizen 9: “Come on, do you really believe her? What kind of father wouldn’t support his own child? Ridiculous.”

Netizen 10: “I bet this is just her brother trying to pull a money-making scam. The whole family’s rotten.”

Netizen 11: “The people slandering the blogger are probably paid trolls. No way someone’s genuinely that cruel.”
Netizen 12: “Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if these were just alt accounts of the scammers.”

After reading through most of the comments, Gu Xingzhao was relieved to see that the majority of people were being rational and supportive. Maybe the world wasn’t so cold after all. As for Gu Chengzhang’s family, they better not show up again. It had been too long since she’d taught someone a lesson.

That same day, the exiled group finally found a spot to rest after a long day of travel. Ever since the previous night, when their ancestor had appeared and granted a midnight feast to a few lucky members, everyone in the Lu family was suddenly eager to take the night watch. They were all desperate to get a taste of that divine treatment.
Lu Zhou, who was supposed to be on watch duty tonight, was completely confused.

“Wait… they’re fighting to take over my shift?”

Lu Qing was equally puzzled. “What’s gotten into everyone?”

Just a few days ago, everyone had been scrambling to get into their tents and sleep. Now, all of a sudden, they were all eager to stay up for the night watch.

Lu Xingyao laughed. “I guess everyone wants to contribute to the family in their own way.”

Honestly, he would’ve preferred sleep. But if the ancestor showed up, that was a different story.

Still, the ancestor had already appeared last night, so they probably wouldn’t come again so soon.

Mrs Song explained with a smile, “It seems they’re all hoping the ancestor will appear again tonight, just like yesterday when they gave Yao’er and the others food and drink.”

Lu Qing finally understood. He had gone to bed early last night and missed all the excitement. He glanced at his eldest grandson, who was trying to play it cool. He wondered what it was about his grandson that made their ancestor favor him so much. It was almost embarrassing how much special attention Lu Xingyao seemed to get.

The Lu family’s lively chatter didn’t go unnoticed by the officials nearby. Some of the guards assumed the Lu family had received some divine favor again and started feeling a bit resentful. It had been a while since the Lu family had offered them any bribes or gifts. Did they think they could slack off just because they had a divine backer?

As night fell, the forest became cloaked in darkness. The air was damp from the recent snowmelt, and occasional growls from distant beasts echoed through the trees. The prisoners huddled together, leaning against bare trunks, their faces etched with exhaustion. Small children curled up in their parents’ arms, their eyes fixed on the flickering fire, as if searching for a trace of warmth.

The Lu family members on watch kept an eye on their surroundings, occasionally whispering among themselves. Deep down, they were all
secretly hoping the ancestor would make another appearance tonight.

Suddenly, the sound of stealthy footsteps broke through the quiet night, followed by the whizzing of arrows cutting through the air.

“Assassins!” Du Hangwu, one of the watchmen, reacted quickly, slicing an arrow in mid-flight with his sword.

A hundred assassins emerged from the shadows, moving like ghosts as they descended upon the camp. The nearby officials grabbed their weapons to defend themselves.

More guards stumbled out of their tents, and soon, the forest was filled with the sound of clashing swords and metal. Prisoners screamed and scattered in every direction, while the assassins made a beeline for the Lu family.

The Lu family quickly armed themselves with whatever hidden weapons they could find, forming a protective circle around the women, children, and elderly as they faced the oncoming blades.

The metallic scent of blood filled the air as the sounds of battle intensified. Lu Xingyao and the other young men fought valiantly, trying to protect their family as they slowly retreated.

Lu Qing, being helped by his family members, glanced at the scene unfolding before him. The assassins were clearly targeting the Lu family, and with so many of them, it was obvious they had been sent by someone powerful. It hadn’t even been half a month since the last assassination attempt. It seemed the people back in the capital were getting impatient.

“Father! You and mother, take grandfather and the others and hide in the forest. We’ll hold them off!” Lu Xingyao shouted to his father, Lu Zhou.

There were over a hundred attackers this time-several times more than their last ambush. The guards didn’t stand a chance, and the prisoners, already weakened, were hardly able to fight back. This was a massacre in the making.

Though the Lu family was strong, they didn’t have the right weapons, and many had already been wounded. They were being pushed back.
Lu Xingyan had already pulled out the explosives he’d been carrying, but the situation was too chaotic. With everyone tangled up in close combat, using the bombs would likely hurt his own people. He gripped the explosive tightly, waiting for the right moment.

Lu Zhou made a hard decision. He grabbed Mrs Song and the younger family members, leading the elderly into the forest. If anyone was going to survive, they needed to get away now.

Mrs Song’s face was pale as she watched her sons fight. Her eyes were red with unshed tears, but she didn’t dare cry out, fearful of drawing more attention from the assassins.

The attackers were relentless, pressing harder as the fight wore on. Lu Xingyao and the others were already badly injured, slashed multiple times, but they continued fighting.

He sneered, tightening his grip on the sword he’d taken from one of the assassins. It looked like they were all going to die here tonight.

His fellow family members were equally grim, silently regretting that they wouldn’t get to taste any more of the food sent by their divine ancestor.

At that moment, Lu Xingyan found an opening and hurled the explosive. A deafening explosion rocked the forest, sending a wave of assassins flying.

The sudden blast, followed by a cloud of smoke and fire, momentarily stunned everyone. The assassins that were caught in the blast lay in crumpled heaps, their bodies mangled beyond recognition.

The explosion had shocked everyone- both the assassins and the defenders.

For a moment, some even wondered if the divine ancestor had arrived again.

Lu Xingyao and his men seized the opportunity, charging forward in an attempt to break free from the encirclement.

Then, a series of thunderous booms echoed across the sky. Lightning streaked through the dark clouds, followed by rolling thunder that rumbled through the forest like the roar of an angry god.

Sensing something, Lu Xingyan quickly extinguished the fuse for the second explosive.

The assassins, already rattled by the explosion, were now terrified. The fear of death loomed over them as they saw the lightning and heard the deafening thunder, leaving them shaken and unsure of what to do next.

In the blink of an eye, the assassins battling Lu Xingyao and his group collapsed, their bodies twitching uncontrollably as the lightning’s electric charge coursed through them.

The Lu family barely had time to react before the rest of the prisoners burst into tears, falling to their knees in awe.

“The Lu family’s divine ancestor has returned! The divine ancestor is here!”