Chapter 8. Are you hiding something from auntie?

It was a long while before Chu Yuqin finally snapped back to reality. A glimmer of murderous intent flickered in her eyes. Now that the ninth-rank martial artist who had tried to assassinate Lu Chen was dead, she would never let the one before her escape. Although she had no idea what Lu Chen was holding, it had empowered an ordinary person to kill a ninth-rank martial artist. This proved its extraordinary power. If word got out, it would surely cause an uproar across the entire world.

At this moment, Bai Hong was still reeling from Liu Tong's sudden collapse. He had just come to his senses and was about to flee the scene. However, in the split second that Bai Hong was distracted, it seemed as if rain was falling from the sky, with the illusory images of raindrops and flower petals drifting slowly down. In the next moment, several white lights emerged around Bai Hong's body. Only then did he realize what was happening, and his complexion changed drastically. "Oh no!"

Just then, Chu Yuqin murmured softly, "Nine Swords, Flower Rain Descends!" In the blink of an eye, the illusory raindrops and flower petals became extremely frenzied, violently assaulting Bai Hong's body. In a battle between ninth-rank martial artists, victory or defeat often hinged on a single moment. When a martial artist was distracted, it was easy for the opponent to seize the opportunity. And Chu Yuqin had grasped the moment when Bai Hong was distracted and immediately unleashed her most powerful sword technique.

Watching Bai Hong slowly crumple to the ground in front of Chu Yuqin, Lu Chen was momentarily stunned. Chu Yuqin had drawn her sword so swiftly that he hadn't been able to see it clearly at all. By the time he regained his composure, he had only caught a glimpse of several white sword glows flashing past the ninth-rank martial artist's body before he fell. Was this the power of a ninth-rank martial artist? Truly formidable! Although Lu Chen had just dispatched a ninth-rank martial artist himself, he had used a firearm. Deep down, he was still eager to improve his martial arts skills as quickly as possible. Firearms were, after all, external tools. If, like in the previous situation, he took advantage of someone's inattention to use a firearm, killing a ninth-rank martial artist would be as easy as slaughtering a chicken. But if the opponent was on guard, it might not be so simple for him to take down a ninth-rank martial artist. Especially after seeing the speed at which Chu Yuqin had drawn her sword, Lu Chen's sense of smugness at having killed a ninth-rank martial artist vanished in an instant.

The members of the Blood Moon Pavilion, seeing their two elders lying on the ground, knew that the mission had failed and began to flee in all directions. "Retreat! Hurry and retreat!" The eighth-rank martial artist who had been entangled with Li Feng saw that the two ninth-ranks were dead. Knowing that if he continued, he might also meet his end there, he turned around without hesitation and fled into the woods.

Seeing the members of the Blood Moon Pavilion attempting to escape, Chu Yuqin coldly ordered the guards and the royal guards, "Kill them. Don't let a single one escape!" Immediately, the situation took a turn. Li Feng led his soldiers and the royal guards to surround and eliminate the remaining assassins from the Blood Moon Pavilion. Although these assassins were of the third or fourth rank, they were merely there to make up the numbers. Their main task had been to hold back the guards and the royal guards until Lu Chen was assassinated by their elders. Now that their mission had failed, escape was their only option.

Meanwhile, Lu Chen saw the eighth-rank martial artist from the Blood Moon Pavilion trying to flee and stepped out of the carriage, taking out the Barrett. He hadn't used this gun before and wanted to test it out. Originally, Chu Yuqin had intended to pursue the eighth-rank martial artist, but when she saw the black stick-like object in Lu Chen's hand, she paused. She saw Lu Chen quickly lie down on the ground and aim the black stick at the fleeing eighth-rank martial artist of the Blood Moon Pavilion.

Boom... With a dull and deafening sound, the head of the fleeing eighth-rank martial artist exploded instantly. Chu Yuqin was once again rooted to the spot. From such a long distance, an eighth-rank martial artist had vanished in an instant. She had watched Lu Chen grow up, but she had never known that he possessed such a terrifying weapon. Eighth-rank and ninth-rank martial artists were nothing in Lu Chen's eyes.

Looking at the black metal barrel, even Chu Yuqin, a ninth-rank martial artist, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Eighth-rank and ninth-rank martial artists could put up a fight against a grandmaster. In fact, a powerful ninth-rank martial artist could even hold their own against a grandmaster-level martial artist. Yet the once highly sought-after eighth-rank and ninth-rank martial artists had been slaughtered like chickens by Lu Chen, an ordinary person. Chu Yuqin knew very well that Lu Chen had never practiced martial arts. He had grown up under her protection, and she hadn't wanted him to endure the hardships of martial arts training. An ordinary person, armed with an unknown weapon, could instantly kill eighth-rank and ninth-rank martial artists. What did this mean? It meant that if Lu Chen's weapon were to be widely spread, the entire martial arts world would be overthrown. From then on, the status of martial artists would plummet.

After a long while, Chu Yuqin regained her composure. Now was not the time to dwell on these thoughts. The top priority was to quickly eliminate the assassins from the Blood Moon Pavilion. Immediately, Chu Yuqin pushed off with the tip of her toe and dashed towards the assassins of the Blood Moon Pavilion. Without the ninth-rank martial artists to hold back Chu Yuqin, those third-rank martial artists were no different from ants in her eyes. Wherever she passed, the bodies of the assassins from the Blood Moon Pavilion littered the ground. Soon, all the assassins from the Blood Moon Pavilion were wiped out.

Of course, Lu Chen's side had also paid a heavy price. Only about a hundred of the guards Li Feng had brought remained, and only fifty or sixty of the royal guards had survived. Looking at the bodies strewn all over the ground, Lu Chen's heart remained unmoved. He knew very well that the path to kingship was paved with blood. Today's battle was just the beginning.

Just as Lu Chen was lost in thought while looking at the bodies, a graceful figure appeared behind him. "Chen'er, be honest. Are you hiding something from me?" Chu Yuqin's tone carried a hint of resentment. She had watched Lu Chen grow up, and she had even been in charge of all the work in the palace. Yet she had no idea when Lu Chen had acquired such a terrifying weapon. That weapon definitely wasn't his. There was no need to even think about it. She now only wanted to know who had provided Lu Chen with such a dreadful weapon and what their purpose was. There was no such thing as a free lunch. The person who had provided Lu Chen with such a powerful weapon must have had some conditions. Chu Yuqin was deeply worried that Lu Chen might be caught up in a greater conspiracy. All she wanted now was for Lu Chen to live a peaceful life after going to the North County.

Hearing Chu Yuqin's voice, Lu Chen was taken aback. He had only wanted to test the power of the firearm and hadn't given a single thought to how he would explain it later. Those were eighth-rank and ninth-rank martial artists, and they had disappeared in an instant. If word got out... At this moment, Lu Chen turned to look at Chu Yuqin and replied with an innocent and bright smile, "Aunt Chu, what could I possibly be hiding from you?"

Seeing Lu Chen feigning ignorance and trying to brush it off, Chu Yuqin sighed and pressed on, "Tell me. Who gave you those two weapons you had just now?" Lu Chen pretended to be stupid and said, "Weapons? What weapons?" Chu Yuqin gave Lu Chen a disdainful look and said, "Do you think I'm blind?" Lu Chen then took out the black Desert Eagle from his bosom and removed the magazine.