Chapter 153 - Execution Ground

Chapter 153: Chapter 146 Execution Ground"Miss Sangxi, you’ve gone too far," said Andre, who had just seen to Lu Hong’s lodgings before going straight to the cultivation room where Sangxi was.

The acts Sangxi had committed were clearly deliberate provocations, and Andre did not understand why she would sever all possible retreats for Lu Hong and the Bassa family.

"Uncle Andre," Sangxi opened her eyes, emerging from meditation with a smile, "Two years ago, did you not propose to the Elders’ Council to consider me as a seed for a family alliance through marriage?"

Andre’s expression suddenly darkened. "That’s in the past. Why do you keep harping on it? Besides, do you think I intended to betroth you to that boy?"

"Who knows?" More than two years ago, Andre had wanted to use Sangxi in exchange for a powerful ally for the Bassa family. But each young talent or child of an influential family that Andre had in mind had been killed off by Sangxi’s designs.

Andre knew this was Sangxi’s way of resisting, and he didn’t mind her actions. After all, a man who couldn’t handle Sangxi wasn’t worth the investment.

Thus, Sangxi had become a touchstone for marriage alliances within the Bassa family. But this time, Sangxi was truly mistaken. Andre clearly had some intel about Lu Hong and wanted to win him over, yet Sangxi pushed Lu Hong into an adversarial position with the Bassa family with her attitude of preferring to err on the side of action than inaction.

"Do you realize how stupid you are?" Andre said coldly to Sangxi, "If this boy survives, he will become our family’s greatest enemy."

"So it seems Uncle Andre does value him highly. Looking at it this way, my actions don’t seem all that wrong, do they?"

Like a gust of wind, Andre rushed over to Sangxi, lifted her into the air, and said with a heavy voice, "Do you even know who he is? His name is Tukurru, partner to the current queen of the Xia He family in the Sacred Empire. If he manages to escape, it will be our nightmare!"

"As long as Uncle Andre makes the arrangements, I believe this man named Tukurru won’t have a chance to survive," Sangxi said, slightly surprised by his identity, but it was too late for regrets.

Andre dropped Sangxi, "Next time, I hope you won’t act on your own!"

Two days quickly passed, and Lu Hong had mostly recovered his strength with the help of abundant blood food.

Had it not been for the enemies surrounding him, Lu Hong would have already given in to the urge to seek revenge on Sangxi.

"Young brother, are you ready?" Andre pushed open the door and said to Lu Hong, "We’ll move out this afternoon to Golden City, and tomorrow at noon, the Gold family will publicly execute Xia Lu at Golden Square."

"Let’s go," Lu Hong stood up and, as soon as he stepped outside, two members of the Bassa family at the peak of Second Transition Level 4 flanked him on both sides.

"The elders, considering that you might not be familiar with this place, have arranged for two attendants for you."

"Thank you," Lu Hong replied indifferently, knowing well that these so-called attendants were actually there to keep an eye on him.

After making some preparations, Lu Hong followed Andre to the gathering spot for the rescue mission.

Sangxi’s graceful figure stood out among a crowd of rough men.

"Sangxi!" Lu Hong growled, the humiliation from that prison cell rushing back to him upon seeing her again.

"Young brother!" Andre patted Lu Hong’s shoulder heavily, a warning.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Hong said, "Sorry, I lost my composure."

"I sincerely hope you can forgive Sangxi’s unruliness. The Bassa family is willing to make amends for it."

Facing Andre’s offer of goodwill, Lu Hong smiled blandly, "There’s no need for compensation. Rest assured that I will not let this matter interfere with the rescue mission."

"That’s more than I could ask for," Andre sighed with relief and led Lu Hong into the rescue team.

For this rescue, the Bassa family had truly spared no expense. After all, if they succeeded, it would pave the way for the rise of the Bassa family, and they were willing to take the risk even if it meant being exposed!

The Bassa family’s base was not far from the Golden City; after half a day’s journey, the group arrived without incident.

Their identities and accommodations had been carefully arranged by Andre, who managed to deceive the city guards and gain entrance to the Golden City.

The Golden City was the largest in the Yu Hua plane and the main citadel of the Gold family. It was the cradle of the Gold family; the city walls were etched with reliefs commemorating every victory in the family’s history.

True to the city’s name, its buildings were all forged from gold iron, creating the impression of a sea of gold upon entering.

Under Andre’s arrangement, Lu Hong was given a top room to stay in—perhaps a gesture of goodwill towards him, with no one else arranged to stay with him.

Lu Hong closed the door of his room, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

While at this very moment, Sangxi actually took the initiative to push the door open and enter.

"What are you here for?" Lu Hong asked coldly.

"Me?" Sangxi laughed, "I’ve come to apologize to you."

It was clear that Sangxi had obtained some information about Lu Hong from Andre and suddenly felt a surge of regret.

"No need."

"I would like to express my most sincere apology for my unreasonable behavior," Sangxi walked up to Lu Hong, bowed in apology, and on raising her body, her stunning beauty almost made Lu Hong lose his composure.

Sangxi had removed her disguise, and her face, like finely carved jade, perfectly defined beguiling beauty.

Fortunately, Lu Hong was accustomed to encountering beautiful women and quickly recovered from his shock, "The apology has been made, now please leave. I need to prepare for tomorrow’s actions."

"Alright then, don’t exhaust yourself too much. Once this rescue mission is successful, I will surely host another banquet to make amends." With that, Sangxi left a soul-entrancing glance and slowly retreated.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Andre walked up to Sangxi.

Sangxi shook her head, and ultimately Andre sighed and nodded.

It seemed that the idea of discarding Lu Hong after use was firmly decided.

Within the room, Lu Hong was caressing the Blood Holy Sword in his hands, upon which all the hopes for escape relied tomorrow.

The next day at noon, the sun was blazing.

The Golden Square of the Golden City was already filled with onlookers, the majority of which were core members of the Gold and Silver White families.

The impact of the execution ordered for Xia Lu was enormous and reflected many issues.

Firstly, the Gold Family’s attitude toward the Silver White Family was not especially dominant, and there was a significant amount of compromise involved.

Secondly, the forces within the Gold Family who had planned to pledge allegiance to Xia Lu now had to reconsider their alliances; with her death, it presented an excellent opportunity to strengthen their own factions within the family.

Lastly, killing Xia Lu stabilized the relationship between the two major families on a larger scale.

"Traitorous girl, do you have anything else to say?" the Clan Leader of the Gold Family looked down indifferently at Xia Lu, who knelt at the center of the square.

Xia Lu shook her head; her complexion was deathly pale, and underneath the bulky prison clothes hid a body covered in wounds.

During the days of her incarceration, Xia Lu had endured unspeakable torture and was on the verge of breakdown.

"Since you have nothing to say, then prepare for the execution!" the Clan Leader of the Gold Family turned and walked away, showing not the slightest compassion for his daughter.

"Family Head Law truly knows how to take a stand. I express my utmost respect for you on behalf of my wrongfully deceased child," Hua En sarcastically remarked with a sneering smile towards the Clan Leader of the Gold Family, Fak You.

"Family Head Hua speaks nonsense. My daughter deserved to descend to hell with her damned mother. I merely allowed her a few more days out of pity, never expecting her to commit such heinous deeds, deliberately sowing discord between our families, harboring evil intentions—she deserves to die a thousand times!" Fak You railed against his daughter non-stop, making a seemingly cogent case.

Hua En, however, watched this corpulent man’s performance with cold eyes. The Clan Leader of the Gold Family was not well-known, but instead, pitifully so. Hua En knew that this corpulent man, regardless of his personal dislike for his daughter, would not personally lead her to the guillotine.

Within the Gold Family, the real power did not lie with the Clan Leader, but with the Elders’ Council, a massive entity with all-encompassing influence.

Since ascending to his position, Fak You, the Clan Leader, had always been a puppet of the Elders’ Council, devoid of any real power.

Observing the fat man still going on at length, Hua En suddenly felt a twinge of pity for him. Both Clan Leaders, his own position in the family was absolute, while the fat man before him couldn’t even protect his daughter and was forced to maintain an indifferent façade—Fak You truly had a difficult role to play.

"That’s enough, Brother Fak You. It’s just you and me here; nobody else can hear what you say."

Hua En’s implication suddenly silenced Fak You. He loathed the Elders’ Council sitting opposite him but lacked the courage to look at them, fearing that a single inappropriate glance might provoke their discontent.

Hua En patted the fat man’s shoulder and whispered, "You have lost a daughter, and I, a son. We are both victims in this unexpected turn of events. I think in the future, we will have many shared topics to discuss."

"I can only hope that you, Family Head Hua, won’t find me too distasteful," Fak You’s lips quivered slightly, as if he had made a difficult decision inside.