Chapter 79: Covenantor (II)

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Chapter 79: Covenantor (II)

Over the next two days, Shang Ke thoroughly familiarized himself with the villa and made several rounds of the surrounding area. Using an electronic map for reference, he memorized all the nearby routes, buildings, shops, and other landmarks. Only after confirming that he had overlooked nothing did he stop exploring and return to the villa, where he began gathering information online, including material on the Yue Family.

The Yue Family was a prominent clan with more than three hundred years of history and was highly regarded by the royal family. Although they were not hereditary nobles, they enjoyed many of the same privileges and prestige. Their brands and commercial enterprises could be found throughout numerous cities in the Empire, and at one point they had even been the wealthiest family in the country. Over the past century, however, the family had steadily declined, and its political and economic influence was nowhere near what it had once been. Even so, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse; the Yue Family’s businesses remained considerable in both scale and influence.

Compared with the Lu Family, however, the Yue Family could not hope to compete in status. The Lu Family were hereditary nobles. Lu Xiufan’s elder brother, Prince Consort Lu Xiuqi, was the Queen’s husband, while Lu Xiufan himself held the rank of Prince and also served as Imperial Inspector, responsible for monitoring the conduct of powerful nobles and high-ranking officials.

Compared with his rank as Prince, his office as Imperial Inspector inspired far more fear. Forty percent of the Empire’s officials kept their distance from him, fifty percent of the powerful elite wanted him dead, and the remaining ten percent were recklessly unafraid of death and wanted to get into his bed.

Shang Ke searched for photographs of Lu Xiufan, but all he found were distant shots without a single clear close-up. He could at least tell that the man was tall and straight-backed with an extraordinary presence—the kind of person one would notice first even in the middle of a crowd.

Glancing at the time, Shang Ke saw that it was already midnight and decided to turn off the lights and go to sleep.

While drifting between sleep and wakefulness, Shang Ke suddenly heard faint noises outside his room. He opened his eyes and listened for a moment, then got out of bed, put on a coat, and stepped into the hallway.

“Master, I’ve already contacted Dr. Huo. He should arrive in about ten minutes.” In the living room, Butler Fei Lin was speaking respectfully to a tall man dressed in expensive clothing.

Two young men in uniform were seated on a nearby sofa. One was covered in blood, with his arm hastily wrapped in bandages. The other leaned back against the sofa, apparently unable to move his right leg.

Fei Lin was about to say something else when he caught sight of Shang Ke coming around the corner of the hallway. He immediately called out, “Shang Ze, perfect timing. Come meet Master.”

The man standing before Fei Lin turned around, his piercing gaze landing directly on Shang Ke.

As Shang Ke looked at that handsome face, an overwhelmingly familiar presence washed over him.

It’s him!

Shang Ke calmly met his gaze without allowing the slightest hint of emotion to show in his eyes.

“Master, this is Shang Ze.” Fei Lin stepped forward to introduce them. “Shang Ze, this is—”

“Shang Ze?” Lu Xiufan interrupted in a deep voice. After scrutinizing him for a moment, he asked, “Can you treat external injuries?”

“Yes,” Shang Ke answered simply.

“Good. Come treat them.” Lu Xiufan stepped aside and gestured toward the two men on the sofa.

Without wasting words, Shang Ke walked over and briefly assessed both men. He then crouched in front of the brown-haired man with the injured leg and palpated the bone. His long, fair fingers formed a striking contrast against the man’s dark, muscular leg.

The brown-haired man’s entire body tensed as he watched Shang Ke’s every movement, almost as though he were afraid the muscles in his leg might snap those slender fingers.

At that moment, Shang Ke suddenly turned his head and fixed the blond man beside them with a grave stare.

Sensing something was wrong, the brown-haired man instinctively followed Shang Ke’s gaze. The instant he turned his head, however, he heard a sharp crack and felt an explosion of pain in his leg.

“Ah!” Caught completely off guard, the brown-haired man cried out as cold sweat poured down his face. By the time he recovered from the shock, he realized his dislocated right leg had already been reset.

Lu Xiufan’s eyes flickered. He was clearly surprised by Shang Ke’s decisiveness and practiced bone-setting technique.

Shang Ke treated several smaller wounds on the brown-haired man, and once he confirmed there was nothing seriously wrong, he moved on to the blond man. The bandages around his arm were completely soaked in blood and needed to be replaced.

Seeing how calmly and methodically Shang Ke handled everything, Lu Xiufan turned to Fei Lin. “Butler Fei, have the cook prepare something for us to eat.”

“I already gave the order. It should be ready soon,” Fei Lin replied.

Lu Xiufan nodded and said nothing more, continuing to watch Shang Ke treat his subordinate’s wounds. Shang Ke’s head was slightly bowed, his hair falling over his forehead. His refined profile was pale and translucent like white jade, almost seeming to glow faintly. His movements were skillful enough to suggest professional training, yet despite being only eighteen or nineteen, he handled everything with remarkable composure and showed no hesitation in the face of blood.

Lu Xiufan had originally been somewhat opposed to Fei Lin hiring a Covenantor. Now, however, it seemed the decision had been worthwhile.

By the time Shang Ke finished treating both men, the cook had also finished preparing the food.

Fei Lin had the food brought to the coffee table and arranged for the maids to assist the two injured men with their meal.

“Thanks for the help.” The blond man gave Shang Ke a brilliant smile. “My name is Nan Te. You’re Shang Ze, right? Can I call you ‘Little Ze’?”

“Whatever,” Shang Ke replied indifferently.

“Little Ze, are you hungry? Want to eat with us?” Nan Te invited enthusiastically.

“No.” Shang Ke helped Fei Lin put away the medical kit, then stepped aside and stared expressionlessly at a pillar in the corner.

Shang Ke’s coldness left Nan Te slightly embarrassed, while the brown-haired man beside him gave Shang Ke several more curious looks.

At that moment, the doctor Fei Lin had called hurried inside. Lu Xiufan told Shang Ke to return to his room and rest, leaving the remaining treatment to the physician.

Without another word, Shang Ke turned and left cleanly, never once giving Lu Xiufan an extra glance.

After he left, the brown-haired man, Yin Chi, couldn’t help laughing. “Sir, is that your new little assistant? He certainly has personality.”

He had never seen anyone remain so calm in Lu Xiufan’s presence, much less someone who dared treat him with such complete indifference.

Lu Xiufan gave a noncommittal hum.

Seeing this, Yin Chi merely smiled and said no more. He had followed Lu Xiufan for many years and could occasionally joke with him, but he never dared go too far.

After finishing his meal, Lu Xiufan looked up at Fei Lin. “Butler Fei, have Shang Ze drive me to County Hall tomorrow.”

“Of course.” Fei Lin understood what that meant: Master’s first impression of Shang Ze had been favorable, and he intended to keep him close.

The next morning, Shang Ke got up early, ate breakfast in the kitchen, and then, following Fei Lin’s instructions, brought the car around to the entrance.

He opened the navigation system and checked the route several more times. Before long, Nan Te and Yin Chi emerged from the villa with Lu Xiufan between them.

Nan Te took the front passenger seat, while Lu Xiufan and Yin Chi sat in the back.

“County Hall,” Yin Chi told Shang Ke.

Without speaking, Shang Ke started the hovercar and switched it to autonomous mode. It wasn’t for convenience; traffic regulations required autonomous driving under normal conditions. The system used speed governors, intelligent obstacle detection and avoidance, and collision alerts, making it safer and more stable than manual control. A driver’s main role was to handle emergencies.

The car traveled smoothly along the route. No one spoke, leaving the interior unusually quiet.

Shang Ke glanced into the rearview mirror. Several cars had been following them for more than ten minutes. One could have been a coincidence, but three or four identical vehicles maintaining the same pursuit were difficult to dismiss.

“Sir, we’re being followed,” Nan Te said seriously from the front passenger seat.

He and Yin Chi simultaneously drew their weapons, preparing for the fight to come.

For a man hated by ninety percent of the Empire, attacks like this were practically routine. Things were better in the capital, where few people dared openly move against Lu Xiufan. But the moment he left it, he immediately became a target.

“Sir, Butler Fei instructed me to deliver you to County Hall before eight o’clock,” Shang Ke’s cool voice suddenly said from the driver’s seat.

“Hmm?” Lu Xiufan raised his eyes toward the front.

Nan Te and Yin Chi had no time to wonder what Shang Ke meant. One of them suddenly barked, “They’re coming,” and both raised their weapons, ready to fire.

Just as the pursuing vehicles were about to close in from behind, their own car suddenly shot forward like it had been fired from a cannon, instantly leaving the others far behind. Caught completely off guard, Nan Te and Yin Chi were slammed backward into their seats.

“What the hell?” Nan Te clutched the seat with one hand, feeling as though even the skin on his face was trembling.

Lu Xiufan remained steady as a mountain. He had personally watched Shang Ke switch from automatic driving to manual control, causing their speed to soar instantly.

The pursuing vehicles quickly reacted and accelerated after them.

Yin Chi observed them for a moment. “They’re remotely controlled driverless vehicles. We can’t let them get close. They may be carrying explosives.”

All three men looked toward Shang Ke in the driver’s seat. Everything now depended on his driving skill. Before they could ask a single question, the hovercar abruptly rolled onto its side and skimmed past a building by the narrowest possible margin, then executed a ninety-degree drift and smoothly regained its balance.

“Boom!” A deafening explosion sounded behind them as one of the pursuing cars crashed into the building and instantly disappeared in a cloud of smoke and debris.

Nan Te and Yin Chi turned deathly pale. Chills ran down their spines as they pressed rigidly into their seats, their hearts practically leaping into their throats.

High-rise buildings crowded the route ahead, yet the car only accelerated. Before the two men could scream, it performed another acrobatic roll and sharp turn, bounding between streets and buildings like a flea high on drugs. Wherever it passed, wind and dust erupted in its wake and jaws dropped all along the road.

There was no longer any need to ask. Anyone capable of driving a hovercar like a fighter jet had driving skills that were absolutely god-tier!

Within only a few minutes, the pursuing vehicles had been left so far behind they might as well have vanished beyond the horizon.

After traveling a little farther, the car began to slow and came to a perfectly steady stop in front of County Hall.

Shang Ke stepped out of the driver’s seat and walked around to open Lu Xiufan’s door.

Lu Xiufan did not get out immediately. He remained rigidly seated for a moment with a stern expression before slowly stepping from the car.

He checked the time.

Not early, not late.

Exactly eight o’clock.

Lu Xiufan raised his head and gave the completely unruffled Shang Ke a long, searching look, then headed toward County Hall. After a few steps, he stopped and glanced back, only to find Nan Te and Yin Chi standing in the garden and vomiting violently without the slightest concern for their dignity.

Holy shit! Never again! They were never riding in the God of Driving’s car again—this was literally life-threatening!

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