Lu Rao took out a set of clean clothes she had secretly taken from her space and helped Lu Fengtang change.
Only then did she realize—his body was covered in wounds.
Old injuries, new injuries, layered over one another across his entire body.
Her hatred for Gu Yucheng and the others surged so intensely it felt like her teeth were grinding.
“It’s alright… Dad can still hold on.”
Lu Fengtang smiled gently when he saw her pale face, trying to comfort her.
In Lu Rao’s memory, her father had always been like this—unstoppable, as if nothing in the world could break him.
That was why she had grown up strong too, like him, surviving in the cannibalistic Lu family.
“Dad.” Lu Rao couldn’t hold back anymore and buried herself in his arms, her voice breaking.
“Thank you… for still being alive.”
She was no longer an orphan.
Lu Fengtang’s eyes also grew moist.
He didn’t need to think to know how dangerous her life had been all these years alone in the Lu family.
But he had always believed in his daughter.
At that moment—
Both father and daughter suddenly perked up.
Lu Rao: “Someone’s coming from that direction.”
Lu Fengtang closed his eyes and listened carefully.
“It’s Gu Yucheng’s footsteps… eight people in total.”
After ten years of listening to that man’s footsteps, he could recognize them even in his sleep.
He let out a cold laugh.
“They’re here to collect my corpse.”
They had already briefly discussed Gu Yucheng, Lu Xiong, and the clan elders, as well as the future catastrophe of the Lu family.
They agreed—Lu Fengtang would not show himself.
He would continue “missing” as part of the plan.
Otherwise, even if he returned to the Lu family, he would still be purged.
Seeing his current weak state, Lu Rao whispered, “Dad, leave it to me.”
Lu Fengtang looked at his daughter and nodded with a faint smile.
“Alright. Dad believes you.”
His Rao Rao had truly grown up.
He gave her a few careful instructions, then allowed himself to fall back into unconsciousness.
Inside the secret chamber.
The moment Gu Yucheng entered and saw the empty stone bed, his soul nearly left his body.
“Where is he?! Who moved the body?!”
He abruptly turned around.
Only after confirming there were no strangers did he slightly relax.
But at that moment, another subordinate rushed in in panic.
“Second Master! The guards outside… they’re all gone!”
“What do you mean gone?!” Gu Yucheng immediately rushed out.
And when he saw the entire tunnel—except for the two men he brought—all the guards had vanished, his face turned completely pale.
“Something’s wrong… leave immediately—”
Before he could finish, a deep rumbling sound echoed through the surroundings.
His expression changed drastically as he sprinted toward the exit.
But the iron gate dropped faster than he could move.
BOOM!
It slammed shut in front of him.
Far away.
Lu Rao released the mechanism expressionlessly, glanced at the sealed iron gate, then turned into another passage.
【This mechanism can trap them for at least two hours!】
The system chirped excitedly.
“Enough time.” Lu Rao nodded.
This passage was originally designed by her grandfather. He had deliberately made the traps non-lethal, fearing young Lu Rao might accidentally trigger them while playing.
So the mechanisms only trapped intruders—they didn’t kill.
Gu Yucheng had worked in the Lu family for decades and knew some of the layout. Two hours was enough for him to escape.
“Too bad there’s no poison,” Lu Rao thought coldly. “Otherwise I’d make sure none of them leave alive tonight.”
The system immediately joined her in cursing them mentally.
Soon, they arrived at the tunnel where Lu Fengtang had been placed.
Lu Rao checked the condition of the men stored in her space.
【Half an hour has passed. No abnormalities.】
The system reported.
Lu Rao thought for a moment, then released one of them.
The man immediately appeared, still in the same condition as before entering.
Only then did she feel relieved.
She bent down and touched Lu Fengtang’s hand, then with a thought, placed him into the space’s wooden house.
She also brought in an antique bed from the secret room so he could lie comfortably.
Then she and the system quickly moved toward the passage connecting to Chaoyang Residence.
Soon, they reached the junction of the two courtyards.
【Host… is the treasure really hidden here?】
“Yes.”
Lu Rao nodded.
Her father had told her before falling unconscious.
Just as she had guessed.
She climbed into a corner of the tunnel and used a monocular telescope to observe through a ventilation opening.
The view outside matched exactly—the junction between the Lu residence and Chaoyang Residence.
And three meters away stood the old pear tree.
A branch extended outward above her head, casting twisted shadows under the moonlight like dark claws on the white wall.
Lu Rao looked at the tree.
Her father’s words echoed in her memory.
“The roots of a big tree are very deep… maybe as big as a house.”
“Really as big as our home?”
“Yes. Remember, the roots are very, very large.”
Lu Rao adjusted the telescope, confirming the position of the roots.
“Big tree… deep roots.”
“Roots are underground.”
She marked the location and leapt down.
But—
【Host, there’s no path ahead.】
The system sighed helplessly.
Lu Rao wasn’t discouraged.
If there was no path ahead, she would dig underground.
She knew this place better than anyone.
Finally, she stopped in front of a tile carved with a tiger.
With a thought, the tiger talisman appeared in her hand.
The tiger on the talisman was lying down.
But the tiger on the tile was crouched, ready to strike.
Different—but not entirely.
【The corner carvings match!】
The system exclaimed.
Lu Rao nodded.
Only someone who had played here since childhood would notice such details.
Her father and grandfather had truly been meticulous.
No wonder Gu Yucheng had searched for ten years and found nothing.
This treasure was never meant for outsiders to find.
It was left only for her.
She crouched down and gently traced the tiger tile.
Until her finger stopped at a slightly strange texture.