Chapter 58: A Promise from Seventy Years Ago

Just at the critical moment when Xu Yunzhou's finger was about to click the Mall redemption button, and Song Jiaru's whole body muscles were tense, her breathing almost stalled—

"Screech—!!!"

Outside the villa's courtyard gate, a burst of urgent and harsh braking sounds was heard!

That sound was like several high-performance vehicles braking abruptly at the same time!

Immediately following were noisy yet powerful footsteps, majestic and brief shouts of reprimand, as well as the chaotic sounds of Xu Kun's subordinates panicking, attempting to block but being forcibly suppressed!

Xu Kun frowned, extremely displeased:

"What's going on outside? Who the fuck dares to come make trouble at my place?"

A lackey scrambled in, half-rolling and half-crawling, stuttering to report:

"B-Brother Kun! It's... it's Elder Lu who came! Brought people and barged straight in!"

"Elder Lu? Which Lu..."

Xu Kun didn't react at first, then as if thinking of something, his face abruptly changed,

"Elder... Elder Lu Yuan? Why... why did he come?!"

Lu Yuan! The true power-holding big shot of the Southwest Military Region, an existence that even the biggest backer behind Xu Kun needed to look up to cautiously!

A figure standing at the very top of his cognitive pyramid, whom he could only revere from afar!

Xu Kun instantly frowned. All the unbridled arrogance from just now vanished into thin air, and fine cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

He hurriedly put on an expression of utmost flattery and panic, and trotted out to meet him.

He saw an old man with a tall and straight posture, emitting authority without being angry, striding in surrounded by several attendants wearing military uniforms.

It was exactly Lu Yuan.

His gaze was like lightning. Catching sight of Xu Kun coming up bowing and scraping at a glance, without a second word, he raised his hand and delivered an extremely loud slap!

"Bastard thing!"

Lu Yuan's voice was like a great bell, containing undisguised anger and contempt,

"Lawless! In broad daylight, actually daring to use this kind of underhanded trick to bully a little girl! I think you don't want that head on your neck anymore!"

(TL: "Broad daylight" translates langlang qiankun, meaning a clear and bright world, often referring to a society ruled by law. Not actual daylight.)

Xu Kun was slapped so hard he staggered. Half of his face instantly swelled up, clear five-finger marks emerging.

Yet he didn't even dare to cover his face and cry in pain, only lowering his head even more humbly, bowing repeatedly:

"Elder Lu, quell your anger! This lowly one was momentarily possessed by ghosts..."

Lu Yuan didn't even cast another glance at him.

Turning his gaze to Song Jiaru, who was still in shock, the anger on his face instantly retracted, replaced by a very amiable and kind attitude:

"Miss Song, you've been frightened. I, Lu, came late, please forgive me."

Song Jiaru was completely dazed, her brain a blank, looking blankly at this old man with astonishing momentum yet exceptionally polite to her.

Military uniform?

Seeing the clothing of the attendants nearby, her heart relaxed slightly, but she was still incomparably confused:

"You, you are..."

Lu Yuan didn't answer directly, just smiled gently, but his gaze bypassed her, looking toward the direction of the villa's main door.

There, an old woman was slowly walking over.

Looking at her age, she was about ninety, yet completely lacked the hunched posture of ordinary old people.

Her head of silver hair was combed meticulously, her face thin and clear.

The most shocking thing was that what she held in her hand as a walking stick was not an ordinary cane, but a large Guan Dao that looked quite heavy!

(TL: Guan Dao is a traditional Chinese pole weapon resembling a glaive or halberd.)

The handle of the blade struck the ground, emitting a steady "thud thud" sound.

Lu Yuan hurriedly stepped forward quickly, his tone carrying concern and a trace of undetectable nervousness:

"Second Aunt, I can handle the matter here. It's so late, and the road isn't easy to walk, why did you have to come over."

Hearing this, the old woman snorted coldly. Her voice wasn't loud, yet carried a texture like clashing metal and iron:

"I don't come? If I don't come, how can I see clearly with my own eyes! Back then, how many of our comrades and compatriots advanced wave upon wave, fighting bloody battles, sacrificing countless good sons, just to exchange it for the bright world of this new Great Xia, hoping that future generations could live upright and honorable!"

"How many years of peaceful days have passed? Yet someone actually dares to publicly commit this deed of plundering a weak woman! Simply lawless!"

Seeing this old woman leaning on a Guan Dao, Xu Kun's brain instantly buzzed with a "weng."

How... how did even this living ancestor come personally?

Who exactly did I offend, could it be this Song Jiaru?

The look he gave Song Jiaru was full of absurdity.

Lu Yuan hurriedly explained in a low voice, carrying appeasement:

"Second Aunt, the current period of rapid economic development is special, it's inevitable there are some dark corners the sunlight can't reach, mud and sand washing down together."

"Rest assured, the general trend dictates that within a few years, these demons and monsters will surely be purged..."

The old woman was noncommittal, too lazy to look at Xu Kun and the others who were paralyzed with fear.

She directly handed that large Guan Dao, symbolizing countless eventful years, to Lu Yuan beside her, and then walked to Song Jiaru, who was still in shock.

She extended a hand covered with the marks of years and gently held Song Jiaru's cold, trembling little hand.

"Child,"

Her voice slowed down, carrying the unique kindness of an elder,

"It's fine now. With me here, I absolutely won't let anyone bully you."

She paused, only then did her gaze sweep over the limp Xu Kun and his group of subordinates who were as quiet as cicadas in cold weather,

"As for these people, heh... they naturally have their place to go."

Although Song Jiaru was still full of doubts, the peaceful aura on the old woman finally relaxed her nerves that were strung to the extreme.

A sourness of surviving a disaster surged to the tip of her nose, and she said in a low voice:

"Thank you... Grandma."

At the same time, she called out eagerly in her heart:

"Big Brother, Big Brother! Who is this Grandma? She... she's so amazing! Even leaning on a Guan Dao!"

Through the screen, Xu Yunzhou looked at this legendary old person and quickly recognized her.

He knew this person, named Wu Xiuyun, the third female general among the founding fathers of Great Xia!

Back when fighting the Japanese pirates, she started by organizing a Women's Detachment, fought bloody battles all the way, participated in multiple key major campaigns, and established illustrious military exploits.

She is a living legend!

But why would she appear here? And intervene in this matter so coincidentally?

"Believe her, she is Elder Wu, Wu Xiuyun... In your Modern History final exam last semester, that essay question about the development of armed forces behind enemy lines, didn't it have a test point regarding her and her 'Yun Character Detachment'?"

Song Jiaru gasped in her mind, her eyes widening roundly:

"My god! It's really her! A person from the textbooks! Why would she come save me?"

After the massive shock, an indescribable being moved and sense of security enveloped her, and she said movedly:

"Big Brother, this... is all this your arrangement?"

Outside the screen, Xu Yunzhou rubbed his nose awkwardly, muttering in his heart:

"Does this have anything to do with me?"

Wu Xiuyun didn't perceive Song Jiaru's subtle psychological activities, only lovingly patting the back of her hand:

"Let's go, child. there's a foul atmosphere here, not a place to stay long. Grandma will take you home, guaranteeing it's safe and secure."

Song Jiaru nodded forcefully, closely following beside the old person:

"Okay, thank you Grandma!"

Under the personal escort of Wu Xiuyun and Lu Yuan, Song Jiaru got into a Hongqi sedan.

About half an hour later, the car arrived safely at the residential compound where her home was located.

At home, Nanny Aunt Yang and Song Jiaru's mother Zhang Ying had already been waiting for a long time, restless and uneasy.

In order to celebrate her daughter winning the championship in the "Good Voice" competition, Zhang Ying deliberately pushed away evening social engagements and prepared a table of good dishes.

But waiting left and right, not only did her daughter not return, her phone was left unanswered, and later simply out of the service area.

Zhang Ying's heart sank bit by bit, various bad thoughts flashing through her mind.

"Is Jiaru back?"

Hearing the doorbell ring, Zhang Ying almost rushed to the door, her hanging heart finally falling back to its original place.

The door opened.

Outside the door, besides her daughter's slightly exhausted but completely intact figure, there actually stood an old man dressed in a military uniform, and a silver-haired old woman with an extraordinary temperament.

Zhang Ying was stunned, not reacting for a moment.

"Mom!"

Seeing her mother, the strength Song Jiaru had been forcibly maintaining instantly collapsed. Carrying grievance and lingering fear, she threw herself into Zhang Ying's arms:

"I'm back... This is Grandpa Lu, this is Grandma Wu, they are the ones who brought me back."

Zhang Ying was even more confused. While gently patting her daughter's back to comfort her, she looked at the two old people whose vastly different temperaments made them impossible to ignore.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan raised his hand with a solemn expression and gave her a standard military salute, the movement clean and neat.

Wu Xiuyun's gaze, however, always lingered complexly on Song Jiaru, her eyes seeming to hold thousands of words.

Her lips moved a few times, and ultimately she couldn't help but take a step forward, her voice carrying an indescribable agitation:

"Jiaru, pass a message to Mister for me. Just say... the task he entrusted to me over seventy years ago, student Wu Xiuyun has never dared to forget."

[Note: The setting of this world is a semi-fictional parallel world, with similarities and differences in geography and history. The biggest branching point is that there is no Qing Dynasty, because Chongzhen's daughter Princess Changping rose up, fought the Great Shun, destroyed the Jianzhou Jurchens, and extended the life of the Ming Dynasty for over two hundred years. Therefore, please understand the discrepancies between some details in the text and reality, and do not match the various characters to real people. Any similarities are purely coincidental.]