In Lu Yan's memory, this man, pampered too much by his parents, had developed idle habits. He loved to eat, was lazy, and lived off his family at their expense.
This man had neither Wu Chaofeng's ability to fight nor the courage to rob others of their food. So, while they were refugees on the go, he forced his parents to find food for him.
Whenever they found anything edible, he would take it all for himself, leaving nothing for his parents.
In the end, his parents starved to death during the journey, but he expressed no remorse. He defensively stated to outsiders that their deaths were voluntary and had nothing to do with him.
Even Wu Chaofeng deemed such a man unworthy of his company. As a result, Lu Chuan's repeated attempts to seek his favour were rejected.
"Brother Yan, spare my life, I was just hungry, and wanted to steal some food, I swear I will never do it again," Lu Chuan pleaded, crying and sniffling.
"Steal food, with a knife?"
Lu Yan, cold as ice, picked up the kitchen knife from the ground. It was freshly sharpened, extremely sharp.
Bringing this sharpened knife indicated that he was fully prepared to kill any witnesses if caught.
However, he never thought that Lu Yan's strength was terrifying enough to effortlessly break his hands and feet.
"Honey, are you okay?"
Lu Qingshan had woken up and was helping Wang Cui to stand up.
Wang Cui's face was pale, still a little terrified.
"I am fine, dear. Thankfully, Yan stepped in on time," Wang Cui comforted Lu Qingshan.
"Yan, what do you plan to do with him?"
Lu Qingshan asked.
Lu Yan pondered for a moment, "Report to the Liu Family, execute in public as a warning to others."
Lu Yan could, probably, kill Lu Chun himself, but he had another consideration.
Apparently, as their living conditions improved, more and more villagers were becoming jealous.
Without Lu Chun, there would most likely be others.
Killing directly, would not serve a deterrent effect.
Only a public execution could intimidate and deter others.
However, he was not a part of the feudal Liu family, and hence did not have the authority for a public execution, which is why he decided to report to the Liu Family.
...
The next day, the villagers filled up the village entrance.
Lu Chun, bound hand and foot, was kneeling at the entrance.
Lu Yan, with his arms folded across his chest, stood waiting silently.
He was waiting for the red-clad guards. Once he reported Lu Chuan's crime to the village head, it became a case of attempted murder and theft.
He was not sure that the red-clad guards would necessarily show up since the incident could have been considered a trivial matter from their perspective.
If the red-clad guards did not come, he planned to completely incapacitate Lu Chuan and leave him to his fate.
It was during the scorching sun time when two red figures leisurely appeared.
The two men who turned up were Zhang Jun, an older man with a scruffy beard, and Chen Ji, who was a bit younger.
"So many problems in such a remote place."
Zhang Jun grumbled in annoyance.
If he hadn't been in good spirits today, he would have ignored the summons.
Chen Ji, always smiling, remained silent.
"I am Lu Yan, and I salute you both."
Lu Yan stepped forward and respectfully saluted them, then offered them the prepared pieces of silver, "You both have come a long way, this is a little token of gratitude. Please have a drink on me."
Receiving the silver smoothly, Zhang Jun estimated it to be about two taels. His annoyance dissipated as a smile spread across his face, "So you are the one who reported the case?"
"It was me."
Lu Yan nodded.
Zhang Jun and Chen Ji looked curiously at Lu Yan.
After a second limit-breaking, Lu Yan had grown taller, standing somewhere around 1.85 meters. This stature was notably prominent among the famished villagers.
"Sir, sirs, I…I have been falsely accused."
At this moment, Lu Chuan began to cry out.
"Oh?"
Zhang Jun and Chen Ji turned their gaze to Lu Chuan and upon seeing his broken hands and feet, their expressions changed.
Zhang Jun immediately went up to inspect Lu Chuan's limbs and turned to Lu Yan, "Did you do this?"
"You've noticed."
A thought crossed Lu Yan's mind.
Lu Chuan's broken limbs were clear evidence of a single, powerful strike, bone fragments shattered beyond repair—an impossible feat for an ordinary person. Only a limit-breaking warrior possessed such strength.
If Lu Yan was a limit-breaking warrior, then the deaths of Wu Chaofeng and the others months ago would undoubtedly point to him.
But Lu Yan was not troubled.
When he decided to make the report, he was prepared to be identified.
He did not believe that Zhang Jun and Chen Ji would hold him accountable for the deaths of a few hoodlums who died months ago.
He had clearly seen in this world, power was everything.
"Yes, Sir," Lu Yan replied, saluting respectfully.
A vague look flashed in Zhang Jun's eyes. "You said he intended to break in, murder, and steal?"
"Yes!"
"Where's the murder weapon?"
Lu Qingshan immediately presented the kitchen knife that Lu Chuan had carried the night before.
"Sir, it's a misunderstanding, there's no such thing. They're slandering me."
Lu Chuan shouted out.
"Slandering? If so, we'll take everyone back to the Red-clad Guards for interrogation. Whoever lies, I'll make sure they'd rather die."
Zhang Jun's expression was ferocious, and his murderous intent was cold as a knife.
The color drained from Lu Chuan's face.
Clang!
The flash of a blade cut through the air, Lu Chuan's head flew high, and blood sprayed over a meter high.
"Dare to argue in front of the Red-clad Guards, seeking death."
Zhang Jun's voice was cold as he sheathed his sword.
The villagers' faces around were pale, filled with fear.
Some who had originally also planned to seize the opportunity to steal from Lu Yan's house now secretly felt relieved.
Lu Yan knew that the purpose of making an example of one to warn others had been achieved. After this, no one should dare to steal from his home again.
"Alright, the matter has been resolved, everyone disperse. Remember to drag the corpse away and bury it."
Zhang Jun waved his hand, letting the villagers scatter, then spoke to Lu Yan, "Young brother, may I have a word with you?"
"Yes!"
Lu Yan walked aside with Zhang Jun and Chen Ji.
"Young brother, what's your name?" Zhang Jun asked.
"Lu Yan."
"Lu Yan, are you a Limit Breaking Warrior?"
Zhang Jun asked again.
"Sir, yes, I have been practicing boxing for three years and luckily broke through the first Sealed Door only a month ago,"
said Lu Yan.
Reaching the limit break in three years is just average among martial artists, not too bad or too good.
Of course, the disciples of the Feudal Lords are another story.
It's hard for Limit Breaking Warriors to discern each other's true cultivation level without a real fight, so Lu Yan naturally wouldn't reveal all his secrets.
"Broke the limit a month ago?"
Zhang Jun revealed a meaningful smile.
He could confirm that the few men from Wu Chaofeng who were killed a few months ago, must've been killed by Lu Yan.
But what's it to him?
"Lu Yan, do you want to join the Red-clad Guards?"
Zhang Jun asked again.
"Join Red-clad Guards?" Lu Yan was stunned.
To be honest, he was tempted.
The Red-clad Guards, belonging to the Liu Family, maintain public security and apprehend criminals, similar to the ancient police force. They have a status unmatched by ordinary people.
"Sir..."
"Heh, stop calling me sir, just call me Brother Jun,"
Zhang Jun said heartily.
"Brother Jun, may I know what are the requirements to join the Red-clad Guards?" Lu Yan asked.
"The requirements are simple, you just need to have a clean background, not be a spy sent by the Wu Family, and have a cultivation level of at least one limit-breaking."
"Not to hide anything from you, I do get a good reward for recommending a promising candidate to the Red-clad Guards,"
said Zhang Jun.
His straightforward explanation actually endeared Zhang Jun a little to Lu Yan.
"Right now, you must be subsisting on ordinary meat for your cultivation, right? After breaking the limit, the effectiveness of ordinary meat gradually decreases. But after joining the Red-clad Guards, you get a share of Martial Food. New recruits get one portion every five days. As your rank increases, so does the quantity."
"Moreover, each new recruit can receive a set of third-rate martial arts for free."
Seeing Lu Yan still hesitating, Zhang Jun continued to persuade him.
With Martial Food and martial arts...
To be honest, Lu Yan was a bit tempted, but after a while, he said, "Thank you for the generous offer, Brother Jun, but I have parents at home. If I join Red-clad Guards and stay in the city, I won't rest easy with my parents outside. Once I've saved enough money to buy a house in the city, I'll join the Red-clad Guards. At that time, I hope Brother Jun can put in a good word for me."
"You are indeed filial. Since it's like this, I won't force you. When you want to buy a house in the future, just come to me. I'll take you and ensure nobody dares to rip you off, and get you a fair price."
Zhang Jun laughed heartily, not the least bit annoyed that Lu Yan didn't agree right away.
"By the way, I must remind you, brother, things have been unstable recently. There have been brigands coming from Qingfeng County. Quite a few villages have already been raided by these brigands, resulting in countless casualties."
Then, Zhang Jun delivered a piece of advice.
"Brigands from Qingfeng County."
Lu Yan's face changed.
Qingfeng County, that was where Lu Qingshan's old home had been, had been hit by a natural disaster. Bandits and brigands were running rampant, to think some have already arrived at Changfeng City.
"Thank you for the warning, Brother Jun. I'll be cautious," thanked Lu Yan.
"I'm off." Zhang Jun waved his hand, and left with Chen Ji.