Chapter 116: This Is His Private Affair

The golden rays of the late afternoon sun cast long, sweeping shadows across the sprawling grounds of Lu Feng’s grand estate. The high stone walls that encircled the property stood quiet and solemn, keeping the bustling noise of Crimson Vale at bay.

With the hired workforce performing their duties under clear guidelines, the overall security of the estate fell squarely on the shoulders of Song Heng and Bai Bao. Both men took their responsibilities with absolute seriousness, determined to prove their worth to their young master.

Before Lu Feng had even departed for his morning trip to the commercial district, the two guards had already established a strict security rotation pattern to make sure the entire estate was under watch.

Song Heng, armed with his broad blade strapped to his back, stood vigilant on the raised wooden walkway above the main gates. His sharp eyes scanned the quiet avenue outside, monitoring every passing wagon, servant, and noble carriage that drifted through the upper district. He maintained a motionless, imposing posture, acting as the primary line of defense against any visible threats.

Meanwhile, Bai Bao took on the task of sweeping the sprawling interior grounds. He moved methodically from one courtyard to the next, checking the lock on every storehouse, inspecting the high perimeter walls for signs of intrusion, and ensuring that the newly hired servants were sticking strictly to their designated work areas.

Building by building, pavilion by pavilion, Bai Bao conducted his sweep with practiced discipline.

The estate was massive, consisting of multiple interconnecting courtyards, guest quarters, and secondary halls. Eventually, his path brought him toward the deeper, more secluded section of the western courtyard—an isolated area featuring a stone-walled courtyard that Lu Feng had designated as his personal, private training ground.

As Bai Bao approached the heavy, dark-wood doors leading into the training pavilion, he brought his steps to a complete halt.

His ears twitched. Through the thick wooden doors and the quiet rustle of garden bamboo, a series of faint, muffled human sounds reached his sharp hearing—a combination of strained grunts, shallow breathing, and the distinct, metallic rattling of heavy iron chains.

Bai Bao’s hand instinctively dropped to the hilt of his sabre. His body grew rigid, his aura sharpening as his mind raced. *An intruder? Did someone break into Young Master Lu’s private grounds while he was away?*

Moving with extreme caution, Bai Bao suppressed his footfalls completely, stepping lightly on his toes as he crept toward the entrance. He pushed the heavy wooden door open by mere inches, slipping into the dim, cool interior of the training hall without making a sound.

The air inside smelled like a mixture of dust, cold stone, dried blood, and dried sweat. Bai Bao pressed his back against a stone pillar, peeking around the corner into the spacious central room.

What he saw left him completely paralyzed.

Seated bound against two massive support pillars near the center of the hall were two men. They were dressed in dark, night-maneuver gear—the kind typically worn by professional scouts and secret operatives. Their bodies bore light, faint bruises across their heads, arms and torsos, but their injuries had already been roughly treated, leaving them in no immediate mortal danger.

However, their limbs were bound tightly with thick, reinforced iron chains that dug deep into their wrists and ankles, completely sealing off any possibility of escape or spiritual energy circulation. If they still had any left.

The moment the light from the opened door flickered across the room, the two bound men snapped their heads up. Upon seeing Bai Bao standing near the pillar in guard attire, their eyes lit up with desperate, chaotic hope.

"Hey! You!" one of the captives hissed through a hoarse, cracked voice, straining against his chains. "Please! Untie us! Release these chains!"

"Help us!" the second man pleaded in a hurried, trembling whisper. "We’re not here to harm anyone! We were just... we were just caught by mistake! Please, let us go before that monster returns!"

Bai Bao didn’t utter a single word. He didn’t even draw his blade.

His face went completely pale, his mind reeling as he took in the scene. These were not ordinary thieves—their discipline, dark gear, and cold gazes, despite their current pathetic state, screamed underground operatives. And more importantly, they were bound inside Lu Feng’s private training hall with professional techniques.

Without taking a step forward, Bai Bao slowly backed away, stepping backward out the door and carefully closing it shut.

Heart thumping against his ribs, Bai Bao turned and sprinted silently across the courtyard, making a straight line for the front gates. He practically scrambled up the stone stairs leading to the gate tower where Song Heng was standing watch.

"Song Heng!" Bai Bao breathed out in a low, panicked rush, grabbing his fellow guard by the shoulder. "Come with me! Right now!"

Song Heng frowned, turning to look at him with a stern expression. "What is wrong with you, Bai Bao? I am on gate duty. What could possibly be so urgent?"

"Just come!" Bai Bao insisted in a hushed whisper, his eyes wide. "You need to see this with your own eyes!"

Recognizing the genuine shock in Bai Bao’s voice, Song Heng signaled to a nearby junior guard to step up onto the walkway before following Bai Bao back across the estate grounds.

The two men moved quickly and quietly, arriving back at the secluded western training hall. Bai Bao pushed the heavy doors open and motioned for Song Heng to look inside.

Song Heng stepped into the dim room, his hand on his weapon, expecting a fight. But as his eyes adjusted to the lighting and landed on the two tied-up captives who immediately renewed their desperate, muffled begging, Song Heng froze entirely.

The tall, stern guard stood motionless in the middle of the room, completely speechless. He looked at the heavy iron chains, noted the precise knots, and observed the fearful expressions on the two operatives’ faces.

"Song Heng..." Bai Bao whispered nervously, leaning in close. "What do we do?! Should we report this to the local security authorities immediately? Who are these people?! How did they end up locked in the Young Master’s training room?!"

Song Heng stared at the captives for a long moment, his mind working quickly as he pieced together the situation. A cool, calculating expression slowly returned to his hardened face. He raised a hand, stopping Bai Bao from speaking further.

"Report it? To whom?" Song Heng asked in a low, solemn voice. "Look at those chains, Bai Bao. Those look like they’re from the estate itself. Look at the injuries—inflicted with precise strikes. Do you truly believe two covert intruders managed to sneak in, beat themselves up, bind themselves with our estate’s chains, and lock themselves inside our master’s private room?"

Bai Bao blinked, the realization hitting him like a splash of ice water. "You... you mean..."

"Young Master Lu most likely put them here himself," Song Heng said firmly, shaking his head. "He caught them, subdued them, and locked them up here before he left this morning. This is his private affair."

"Then shouldn’t we ask the servants or..."

"No," Song Heng interrupted, placing a heavy hand on Bai Bao’s shoulder. "We do not stir up panic among the workers, nor do we run around making assumptions. We wait for the Young Master to return. He will explain what he wants done with them when he gets back. Until then, we keep our mouth shut and return to our posts."

Bai Bao swallowed hard, looking back at the two pleading men one last time before offering a firm nod. "Alright. We wait for the master."

Stepping back out into the bright afternoon courtyard, the two guards closed the doors securely and returned to their respective positions. They resumed their security rotation as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, keeping their expressions completely neutral in front of the estate servants.

Roughly half an hour later, the sound of wooden wheels and clopping hooves echoed down the quiet avenue outside the main gates.

A standard four-wheeled passenger carriage pulled up to the grand entrance of the estate. The wooden door swung open, and Lu Feng stepped down onto the cobblestones, adjusting his fine robes in the afternoon breeze. He reached into his belt pouch, pulled out a bright silver coin, and handed it to the elderly driver.

Before the driver could even offer his polite thanks, the gates of the estate swung open with a sharp creak.

Bai Bao came rushing out from the threshold, his face tense and his breath slightly uneven as he hurried straight toward Lu Feng.

Lu Feng paused, his hand still holding his coin pouch as he looked at the agitated guard with a calm, curious brow. "Bai Bao? What is the rush? Has something occurred while I was away?"

Bai Bao stopped right in front of him, glancing nervously at the carriage driver who was still packing away his silver coin, before looking back at Lu Feng with a low, dead-serious tone.

"Young Master Lu..." Bai Bao said, his voice dropping to a guarded whisper. "We need to discuss something inside. Right now."