Seeing the Desert Eagle in Lu Chen's hands, Chu Yuqin was momentarily dazed.
After all, this was the weapon that had allowed an ordinary person to instantly kill a ninth-rank martial artist.
Noticing her curiosity, Lu Chen casually removed the magazine and handed the gun to her.
Chu Yuqin took the weapon, running her fair fingers over its surface.
She was deeply intrigued—how could such a small object kill a ninth-rank warrior?
She then asked, "Chen'er, where did you get this weapon?"
As a martial artist, she had seen many weapons in her lifetime. The moment she touched the Desert Eagle, she could tell that the materials used to make it were extraordinary.
Not only that, but its level of precision and craftsmanship was beyond imagination.
Even the imperial family of the Great Xia Dynasty likely didn't have access to such materials, nor could they produce such an intricate weapon.
Although Lu Chen had survived thanks to this mysterious weapon, Chu Yuqin couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt.
She had always taken it upon herself to protect him, yet somehow, whoever had provided him with this weapon had managed to make contact with him.
And if they hadn't given him a weapon but had instead tried to kill him?
The consequences would have been unimaginable.
Lu Chen smiled and said, "Aunt Chu, if I told you I had someone craft the parts and then assembled it myself, would you believe me?"
Chu Yuqin scoffed lightly. "Do you take me for a fool?"
Lu Chen put on a mature expression and said, "Aunt Chu, I'm a man now. It's normal for a man to have some secrets of his own."
It was meant as a lighthearted joke.
But upon hearing it, Chu Yuqin fell silent.
Ever since Lu Chen lost his mother at the age of ten, she had been the one caring for him, treating him as if he were her own child.
Now, he was sixteen and married, yet she still instinctively saw him as a boy.
Noticing her silence, Lu Chen frowned slightly. "Aunt Chu, what are you thinking? Did I say something wrong?"
Chu Yuqin snapped out of her thoughts.
She handed the Desert Eagle back to Lu Chen and gave him a warm smile.
"No, Chen'er, you're right. You've grown up. You're a man now. I shouldn't keep treating you like a child."
"But I still want to remind you—whoever gave you these weapons must have a grander scheme in mind. You must be cautious."
"And whatever you do, never let outsiders learn about these weapons. Otherwise, even in Beijun, you'll be hunted by powerful figures from the martial world."
Lu Chen nodded. "Don't worry, Aunt Chu. I understand the risks."
Chu Yuqin sighed. "Alright, go check on Zixuan and the others."
With that, she turned and walked over to Li Feng's group.
At this moment, Li Feng and his men were still clearing away the bodies.
Seeing Chu Yuqin approach, Li Feng immediately asked, "Lady Chu, is His Highness alright?"
Chu Yuqin responded calmly, "He's fine."
Then, she added, "General Li, I hope you and your soldiers will act as if you saw nothing today."
Hearing this, Li Feng instantly understood what she meant.
She was clearly referring to the Northern Prince's shocking ability to kill ninth-rank warriors in an instant.
The world believed that the Northern Prince was a useless royal, ignorant of both martial arts and scholarly pursuits, spending his days indulging in pleasure.
When Mu Changtian had asked Li Feng to escort him to Beijun, Li Feng had been reluctant.
But after today, it was clear—everyone had been wrong.
The Northern Prince possessed weapons so terrifying that he could not possibly be a mere "waste of a prince."
That was a ninth-rank martial artist!
A rank second only to grandmasters!
And he died just from looking at the prince.
And then there was the eighth-rank warrior—Li Feng himself, an expert archer, doubted he could have killed him from such a distance.
Eighth-rank warriors had spiritual energy within them.
Even if an arrow pierced their body, they could tighten their muscles to clamp down on the arrowhead, reducing the damage.
But the Northern Prince…
Whatever weapon he had used, it had instantly blown the assassin's head apart from an incredible distance.
Moreover, Lu Chen had simply lain there, motionless.
An archer had to draw a bow—but Lu Chen had just been lying there, and the eighth-rank warrior's life had ended in an instant.
The power of his weapon was terrifying.
Yet despite wielding such a weapon, he wasn't fighting for the throne.
Instead, he willingly went to Beijun.
What did this mean?
Li Feng didn't dare think any further.
For a moment, he even feared that Lu Chen might silence them all.
Yes, he was leading the Northern Prince's escort.
But he was also a commander of the Tiger Guards, one of Great Xia's elite forces.
Lu Chen might not trust them.
Cold sweat ran down Li Feng's back.
After warning them, Chu Yuqin left without another word.
Watching her retreating figure, one of the soldiers beside Li Feng whispered nervously, "G-General… after we arrive in Beijun, do you think he'll kill us to keep his secret?"
The soldiers accompanying Li Feng were elite members of the Tiger Guards.
They weren't stupid.
They understood what it meant for someone to possess weapons capable of instantly killing ninth-rank warriors.
To them, the Northern Prince was obviously scheming something.
To prevent today's events from leaking, he might very well eliminate them all.
To reassure his men, Li Feng immediately said, "Stop talking nonsense."
"We belong to Duke Mu's faction, and Duke Mu is the prince's father-in-law. His Highness trusts us."
Hearing this, the soldiers began to relax.
That's right! Duke Mu was the prince's father-in-law!
His daughter was the prince's wife!
As Duke Mu's men, weren't they essentially part of the Northern Prince's faction?
Why would he kill his own people?
With this thought, the soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But Li Feng remained uneasy.
Yes, they were from Duke Mu's faction…
But they were also soldiers of Great Xia's Tiger Guards.
Once they delivered the Northern Prince to Beijun, they would have to return to the capital.
Would Lu Chen truly trust them?
That was uncertain.
For now, there was nothing they could do but wait until they reached Beijun to see what the prince's true intentions were.
Once the battlefield was cleared, the convoy resumed its journey toward Beijun.
Several hours later—
Inside a certain tavern…
Lu Shuyun sat by the window, waiting for news.
Something felt off.
By now, his men should have returned.
Yet there was still no word.
At that moment, a man in gray rushed into the room, panicked.
"Your Highness, terrible news!"
The man dropped to his knees as soon as he entered.
Lu Shuyun frowned and asked coldly, "What happened?"
The man quickly answered, "Blood Moon Tower has failed. Not a single one of their assassins survived—including the two ninth-rank experts."
"Their leader is furious, believing we set them up. They're demanding compensation."