Chapter Twenty-Six: Overcoming All Odds to End the War, Unveiling a New Era of Splendor

Returning home, my younger brother Yun Sheng and I immediately began setting up defensive measures. I rummaged through the boxes and pulled out all the treasures we had gathered before—mystic incense, traps, tripwires—laying them all out in a heap.

“Sis, what are you planning? We’re not going to war,” Yun Sheng said, staring bewildered at the assortment of items in my hands.

“Oh, my dear brother, this is called being prepared, you know? In case that old fox from the merchant guild tries to play dirty again, we’ll have a way to defend ourselves!” I said as I set the tripwires at the door and hid the mystic incense in the beams above.

Just as I expected, that very evening, the merchant guild arrived with a large and menacing group, storming into the village with such force that anyone would mistake them for bandits.

“Lu Wan’er! He Yunsheng! Get out here!” the guild leader shouted from the village entrance, his voice hoarse and grating, making my ears ache.

The villagers trembled in fear, all retreating into their homes, too scared to come out.

Seeing their terror, a wave of guilt washed over me. This merchant guild was truly ruthless!

“Yunsheng, come on! Let’s go meet them!” I grabbed my brother’s hand and strode out of the house with purpose.

“Well, well, if it isn’t our big shot Lu and young master He. What’s this? Not counting your money at home today?” the guild leader sneered mockingly.

“Cut the nonsense. What do you want?” I stared coldly at him.

“What do we want? Hmph! You spoiled our guild’s plans. Today will be the day you pay!” With a command, his men swarmed forward, encircling us tightly.

Back to back, Yunsheng and I stood ready.

Though our martial skills were decent, their overwhelming numbers meant a direct fight would be disastrous.

“Sis, what do we do?” Yunsheng asked nervously.

I scanned the surroundings, my gaze settling on the old locust tree at the village’s entrance. An idea suddenly sparked in my mind.

“Yunsheng, cover me!” I whispered.

“What are you going to do?” he asked, puzzled.

No time to explain, I pushed past him and dashed toward the old locust tree.

The merchant guild immediately gave chase.

Reaching the tree, I reached out to a nondescript bulge on its trunk...

Wait... this feels like...

I found a hidden mechanism!

Pressing hard, a thunderous rumble shook the ground.

A thrill ran through me. So that’s it!

Beneath this village lay an ancient defensive formation!

“Yunsheng, come here quickly!” I called out to my brother, who was still struggling with the guild’s henchmen.

Though skilled, he was already wounded, fighting four against two.

Hearing my call, he deftly dodged attacks and arrived by my side.

I pointed to the patterns on the ground and briefly explained how to activate the formation.

It required two people working together—each of us placing our inner energy into the formation’s core points simultaneously.

“Ready?” I took a deep breath and looked at Yunsheng.

“Sis, I’m ready!” His eyes were resolute, without a hint of hesitation.

Together, we pressed our hands onto the formation’s core. A tremendous force surged from beneath the earth, and brilliant light enveloped the entire village.

Caught off guard, the merchant guild’s men froze in shock.

“Ah!” The formation unleashed countless golden beams from the ground like sharp swords, striking at the attackers.

They screamed and fled, clutching their heads, their fighting spirit shattered.

At that moment, the guild leader, seeing the dire situation, grabbed a nearby villager and snarled viciously, “Stay back! Anyone who comes near, I’ll kill!”

My heart leapt, ready to intervene—but then the captured villager executed a perfect shoulder throw, swiftly knocking the guild leader to the ground.

“Ouch! My old back!” the leader groaned, helpless.

I stared in surprise, then realization dawned—the villager was a hidden powerhouse all along!

“Everyone, charge! Drive these scoundrels out!” I shouted.

Emboldened, the villagers armed themselves with hoes and wooden poles and joined the fray.

The guild’s forces, already disoriented by the formation, were overwhelmed by the villagers’ assault and fled the village in utter chaos.

With the crisis averted, the emperor personally issued a decree praising Yunsheng and me for our bravery, appointing us as guardians of the region and rewarding us with vast lands and countless treasures.

Yunsheng and I lived a happy and fulfilling life.

Yet peace was short-lived. One day, I received a mysterious package.

Slowly opening it, I found only a note inside, which read: “Long time no see, Miss Lu. Your good days are over...”

I sneered coldly and crumpled the note into a ball...