Chapter 129: Rooting Out the Weeds

"Pick someone up?" Hearing these words from Lu Yu, the vast majority of people were completely bewildered, like monks confused by a riddle.

Pick someone up? Pick up whom? They couldn't understand the situation at all.

Only Liu Tianhong and a few others looked at each other, their expressions full of astonishment.

Could it be that Lu Yu had come here specifically to take them back?

"Kid, you aren't from our fort?" Fan Ze seemed to have sensed something, and his face instantly turned extremely ugly.

The few people behind him also became alert immediately, their muscles tensed, and their eyes revealing wariness.

"No." Lu Yu shook his head lightly. Taking advantage of this brief gap, he quickly scanned the surrounding environment.

He saw several hundred people gathered before him, but after observing carefully, he discovered that the defensive strength was exceptionally weak.

Only a sparse few held weapons, while the rest were mostly the elderly, weak, women, and children who couldn't even truss a chicken; of course, there were also some young, able-bodied men.

But almost everyone was gaunt and thin, so bony that it seemed a light breeze could blow them over.

Everyone's gaze was dull and lifeless, like walking corpses without souls; the scene was both terrifying and enough to stir pity.

Lu Yu's brows were tightly knitted; it seemed what the people in the Zhai said was true, and the lives of ordinary commoners in Li Family Fort were indeed miserable.

But right now, the top priority was to figure out exactly what had happened and where Li Meng and the others were.

Otherwise, if he rashly took Liu Shu and the others away, once Li Meng and his group pursued them, he would inevitably fall into a passive, difficult situation.

"Not from here?" Fan Ze exchanged a look with the people beside him, and simultaneously, a surge of anger rose from the bottom of their hearts.

"If you aren't from our Li Family Fort, what are you doing here? Get lost!"

"Damn it, made me worry for nothing."

"If you don't get lost, don't blame us for being impolite!" The few cursed loudly, their words full of anger and threats.

They had just thought that of the people Li Laosan took out, only this one had returned, and the others had likely met with misfortune.

Now it seemed that was not the case; perhaps before long, Third Brother and the others would return safely.

"Speaking of which, why is everyone in your Zhai standing here? Are you waiting for someone? Also, where did Li Meng and the others go?" Lu Yu threw out a series of questions in one breath.

Fan Ze and the others widened their eyes as if they had heard something unbelievable, and for a moment, they were stunned. It took a good while before they came back to their senses.

"Stinking brat, can you not understand human speech? Whether they are standing here or not, what does it have to do with you? I advise you to stop meddling in other people's business!" Fan Ze said viciously, his eyes full of hostility.

"That's right, kid, no matter who you are, leave here now, immediately!"

"Get out, did you hear me!" The person behind him holding a bow and arrow had already placed an arrow steadily on the string, looking serious, as if facing a great enemy.

This young man before them gave them an unfathomable feeling.

If one said he was weak, the bow on his back was shockingly large, and he held a long spear in his hand; but if one said he was strong, at his age, how much ability could he have?

Lu Yu frowned slightly; it seemed it wouldn't be easy to get these people to cooperate.

However, he had been here for quite a while, yet no one had rushed over; in all likelihood, Li Meng and the others were indeed not here. Could it be that they went out to look for Li Laosan's group?

"Kid, are you leaving or not? I'll count to three; if you still haven't left after I finish, we will really take action." The urging voice sounded again, the tone carrying an unquestionable threat.

On the Watchtower, someone also pulled a bowstring to a full moon, the arrow pointing directly at Lu Yu.

"Leave?" The corners of Lu Yu's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile. "I haven't picked up the people yet, how can I leave?"

It looked like Li Meng and the others were truly not here.

"Kid, I see you won't drink the toast..." Before Fan Ze could finish his sentence, an urgent shout suddenly came from behind him.

"Xiao Yu!" Everyone's gaze brushed toward the person who spoke.

"Xiao Yu, you should leave quickly." Liu Tianhong finally couldn't hold back and said anxiously, "It was Guohao who sent you, right? Didn't we say when we met last time that we were getting by just fine here, and he didn't need to worry?"

"That's right, Xiao Yu, go back."

"We appreciate your kindness." The others also spoke one after another, their tones mixed with both being moved and a trace of bitterness.

They were the only ones who had come from Lu Family Stockade to Li Family Fort; if Lu Yu was here to pick people up, who else could it be but them?

Even taking a step back, even if he wasn't here to pick them up, they absolutely could not watch Lu Yu put himself in danger.

"Kid, you're from Lu Family Stockade!" Fan Ze shouted in surprise.

"What, he's from Lu Family Stockade?" The few people holding weapons were so surprised upon hearing this that their jaws almost dropped.

Lu Yu felt somewhat helpless; he hadn't intended to reveal his identity to Liu Tianhong and the others so early, fearing unexpected situations.

As it turned out, Liu Tianhong and the others had recognized him first, though it was out of good intentions.

Fortunately, Li Meng and the others were not here right now, so it wasn't a major problem.

"Liu Shu," Lu Yu looked at Liu Tianhong, "That's right, my dad and the others sent me. Don't worry, I'll take you all away from here safely in a moment."

"Xiao Yu..." Liu Tianhong and the others' eyes turned red instantly upon hearing this. Their hearts were both moved and somewhat ashamed.

"Xiao Yu, you go," Liu Tianhong took a deep breath and said slowly, "Go back and tell Guohao that we have let him down."

Leave? Of course he wanted to leave. However, he had been observing secretly for a long time and found that Lu Yu seemed to have come alone.

Not to mention whether Lu Yu could get all of them out unscathed, even if they really left, once Li Meng returned and found out about this, Lu Family Stockade would likely face a catastrophe!

"Leave? Where are you going!" A ferocious look suddenly appeared on Fan Ze's face as he stared viciously at Lu Yu. "Stinking brat, so after all this, you're from Lu Family Stockade?"

The people behind him sneered along with him; they had thought this kid before them was some formidable character, but it turned out he was from Lu Family Stockade. They should have said so earlier; they had been so nervous just now.

"So, you refuse to let them go?" Lu Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, a chill flashing through his gaze. He hadn't wanted to kill easily, but if the other party insisted on seeking death, then don't blame him for being impolite.

"Let them go? This is Li Family Fort; it's easy to get in but hard to get out, don't you know that?"

"That's right, kid, you can't even save yourself now, and you still want to take others away? I'm telling you, stop dreaming!"

"Kid, obediently put your weapon on the ground, and we might consider sparing your life."

The few spoke one after another, their words full of contempt for Lu Yu.

After all, everyone knew the strength of Lu Family Stockade; the most capable ones were just Liu Tianhong and his group.

"No need." As soon as Lu Yu finished speaking, killing intent suddenly erupted in his eyes.

He saw the long spear in his hand shake violently, and like a black lightning bolt, he instantly thrust out several times in succession.

Fan Ze and the few people behind him hadn't even had time to react to what was happening when they felt a massive force strike them, sending them flying backward.

Looking at their chests, a bloody hole had already appeared, and fresh blood sprayed out like a gushing spring.

"Shoot! Shoot!" The two people on the Watchtower, seeing this scene, hurriedly pulled back their bowstrings with all their might.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!" Two sharp, piercing sounds rang out as two arrows shot toward Lu Yu like meteors.

Lu Yu's expression remained unchanged, his long spear dancing rapidly in his hands; with only two crisp "clang" sounds, he easily blocked the incoming arrows.

Afterward, he suddenly leaped up, and in the shocked gazes of the crowd, he jumped directly onto the five or six-meter-high Watchtower like a nimble leopard.

Immediately following, the long spear in his hand thrust out fiercely, piercing through both men on the tower in one go.

"Thud! Thud!" With two muffled sounds, the two corpses fell heavily from the Watchtower to the ground.

The entire process was completed in one breath, taking less than two seconds.

The surroundings went silent instantly, so quiet that one could hear a needle drop on the ground.

Everyone was so shocked by this sudden turn of events that they were speechless, standing frozen in place as if hit by an Immobilization Spell.

What was going on? Fan Ze and his men, who had been arrogant and overbearing just a moment ago, were killed in the blink of an eye?

Liu Tianhong and the others were even more so, or rather, the shock in their hearts far exceeded that of the others!

Because they knew Lu Yu; in their impression, Lu Yu was just an ordinary young man, his personality even a bit timid and fearful, and his abilities quite average.

But this scene just now? They hadn't even seen clearly how Lu Yu thrust his spear, yet those people like Fan Ze flew out like kites with broken strings, losing their breath on the spot.

And then? He actually blocked the flying arrows with ease and leaped onto the five or six-meter-high Watchtower in one jump!

Could it be that Lu Yu had already become a Martial Artist? No, looking at this skill, could he be a Martial Artist of the Refining Flesh Realm?

Lu Yu stood on the Watchtower and gazed into the distance; the vast Wasteland was empty.

He did not hesitate in the slightest and leaped down directly from the Watchtower.

In an instant, the crowd present seemed driven by some invisible force, all kneeling down in unison, frantically kowtowing while emitting miserable pleas for mercy.

"Spare our lives, spare our lives."

"Don't kill us, we beg you." Those who were originally still standing also hurriedly knelt down upon seeing this.

In the blink of an eye, in the entire area, only Lu Yu and Liu Tianhong and the others remained standing.

Lu Yu looked at this scene, sighed helplessly, and said, "What are you all doing? Get up, everyone. Those people wanted to make a move on me, I just struck first to gain the advantage; it has nothing to do with you."

The crowd was stunned, feeling somewhat at a loss.

"Everyone get up, Xiao Yu has no ill intentions," Liu Tianhong said hurriedly.

"That's right, everyone heard what Fan Ze and his men said just now; if Xiao Yu hadn't made a move, he would have been the one killed."

"Everyone get up," Liu Tianyao and the others also persuaded from the side.

Only then did the crowd stand up half-believingly, but their eyes were still filled with terror, not daring to look Lu Yu in the eye at all.

Lu Yu shook his head slightly; these people had been oppressed by Li Meng and his men for a long time and were like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow, so it was normal for them to have such a reaction.

However, now was not the time to consider these things.

"Liu Shu, what is the situation exactly? Where did Li Meng and his men go?"

Liu Tianhong looked at Lu Yu with complex eyes and said slowly, "Li Laosan took people out to hunt yesterday and didn't return by nightfall, so Li Meng forced all of us to come out and wait here.

Early this morning, before the sky was fully bright, he took Li Qiang and a few others out, and they haven't returned yet."

"So that's how it is." Lu Yu nodded. Come to think of it, he had stumbled into the Li Family Fort quite smoothly by accident.

He scanned the people before him who were sallow and pale, a trace of apology rising in his heart; after all, these people had been implicated because of him.

"Everyone go back and rest, don't wait here foolishly."

However, the crowd looked at one another, yet not a single person dared to move.

"Xiao Yu, they are all afraid that if Li Meng returns and finds them gone, there will be trouble," Liu Tianhong sighed helplessly, his brows also tightly knitted into a "chuan" shape.

Fan Ze and his men being killed was naturally a great satisfaction to the people. But among those few, the strongest was only at the Body Tempering First Layer, merely insignificant small characters in the Li Family Fort.

The truly difficult ones to deal with were Li Meng and Li Qiang; one was in the late stage of Refining Flesh, the other in the middle stage of Refining Flesh.

Lu Yu's strength was indeed very high, much higher than theirs.

But after all, he was only one person; could he deal with these two?

Moreover, Lu Yu had killed people, which meant there was no room for maneuver left between the two Zhai.

Unless they killed everyone here, in which case, even if Li Meng returned, he wouldn't know who did it.

But they clearly couldn't do that, nor did they have the heart to commit such an act.

"Liu Shu," Lu Yu looked at Liu Tianhong, a confident smile appearing on his face, "I know what you are worried about, but since I have come, I didn't intend to leave so easily."

"Xiao Yu, what do you mean by that?" Liu Tianyao widened his eyes and asked with a look of confusion.

"Hmm, I am going to wait here for Li Meng and the others to return," Lu Yu said with a firm and decisive tone.

Killing requires seeing blood; cutting weeds requires removing the roots.

Even if the other side didn't know that he was the one who killed Li Laosan, the corpses on the ground and the fact that he was going to take Liu Shu and the others away would all invite the other side's crazy retaliation.

Knowing this and still pretending to leave as if nothing happened was definitely not his, Lu Yu's, style of doing things.

Knowing this full well, yet pretending nothing was amiss as he left—this was absolutely not Lu Yu's style of doing things.