Douluo: This Legend of the Dragon King is not quite right

Chapter 268: Will it be a smooth landing or plunge into complete chaos?

Lu Jun remained silent, the slight smile on his face vanished, and he simply looked back at her calmly, his eyes unfathomable, like an ancient, still pool, without the slightest ripple.

They neither admitted nor denied it.

"Pretending to be stupid won't help." Leng Yulai shook her head slightly, took a step forward, and shortened the distance between the two. A faint fragrance lingered around Lu Jun's nose.

“I’ve made up my mind. Whether you admit it or not, I, Leng Yulai, will remember this life-saving grace.”

She looked at Lu Jun, who remained silent, a hint of helplessness and a deeper unease flashing in her eyes:
"I didn't tell anyone about your affairs. Even if I had some suspicions, I chose to remain silent."

"I thought this secret could at least be kept until you had enough power to protect yourself..."

Her voice carried a hint of suppressed anger and confusion.

"I never expected that Tang Sect and Shrek Academy would dare to announce this in public so recklessly!"

"It seems that they must have some kind of key evidence that we don't know about, or there is a bigger force behind it."

A tremendous sense of crisis and concern for Lu Jun's situation instantly gripped Leng Yulai.

She suddenly took another step forward, raised her hands, and grabbed Lu Jun's shoulders tightly.

The force was so great that Lu Jun could feel the slight tremor in her fingertips.

She leaned closer to him, so close they could almost feel each other's breath.

Leng Yulai's breathtakingly beautiful eyes were now filled with urgency and anxiety:
"Lu Jun, listen to me, you are in very, very danger right now! Do you know that?"

"The emergency Supreme Council meeting currently being held at the Spirit Tower headquarters is ostensibly to discuss countermeasures, but in reality... it's aimed at your Tribunal."

"With various forces eyeing it covetously, the Spirit Pagoda is by no means a monolithic entity. Once you step inside, you'll face a nine-out-of-ten chance of death!"

She took a deep breath, as if she had made a tremendous decision, and stared intently into Lu Jun's eyes, saying each word carefully:

"You saved my life, now it's my turn."

"Lu Jun, listen to me, don't go back to headquarters. Right now, use all the power you have to escape."

"Leave Mingdu, leave everyone's sight, and go somewhere where no one knows you and no one can find you!"

"Only in this way... will you have a chance of survival."

However, to Leng Yulai's surprise, Lu Jun did not show any fear or agreement. Instead, the corners of his mouth slowly curled up again, revealing a hearty smile, as if he had heard an unimportant joke.

"Leave? Why should I leave?"

Leng Yulai froze, her fingers gripping his shoulder tightening instinctively.
"Why? Don't you understand..."

Lu Jun interrupted her, his smile unchanged, his eyes unusually calm and indifferent: "If you leave, wouldn't that make you even more suspicious? Wouldn't that confirm their accusations? Wouldn't that make me look guilty?"

"Suspicion? You mean..."

Leng Yulai was completely stunned, her mind unable to process what was happening for a moment.

What does he mean?
Does staying and facing trial in front of everyone actually clear one's name?

This logic... she simply couldn't understand it!

This is practically walking into a trap!

It's suicide!
Lu Jun had no intention of explaining.

He gently moved his shoulder, signaling Leng Yulai to release his grip, his tone returning to its previous calmness, even carrying a hint of urging:
"Let's go, Aunt. Aren't you going to take me back to headquarters? Don't keep the Tower Master and the elders waiting."

He turned slightly to the side, his gaze passing over Leng Yulai and landing on the towering Spirit Pagoda headquarters, which now resembled a gaping abyss. His voice floated down:
"It's just a formality." "Just a formality..."

Leng Yulai murmured these four words repeatedly, feeling a huge sense of powerlessness and absurdity welling up in her heart.

Looking at Lu Jun's nonchalant demeanor, as if he had just gone to sign in and would be back, an indescribable bitterness and indignation overwhelmed her last shred of composure.

"Lu Jun—"

Leng Yulai let out a soft cry, suddenly opened her arms, and pulled Lu Jun into her embrace before he could react.

Leng Yulai's voice came through muffledly, with an indescribable tremor:

"I don't know what your plans are... and I don't know where your confidence comes from..."

"But, Mr. Lu, listen to me carefully..."

She raised her head, cupped Lu Jun's cheeks in her hands, and forced him to look into her beautiful eyes, which were brimming with tears yet burning with passion:
"If, and I mean if, the worst happens... if those people really decide to break off all pretense and attack you at all costs..."

Her voice was resolute, carrying a tragic grandeur akin to mutual destruction.

"I will protect you with my life, tear a path for you to escape safely. This is what I, Leng Yulai, owe you!"

The night wind blew by, stirring up a few strands of Leng Yulai's hair at her temples and brushing against Lu Jun's cheek.

The unwavering commitment in her eyes finally stirred a barely perceptible ripple in Lu Jun's unfathomably calm eyes.

Lu Jun felt the soft, supple body in his arms, and looked into her eyes at the unwavering vow to protect her, a vow that would cost him his life. He remained silent for a moment.

Finally, Lu Jundao said:
"Thank you. Just hearing that is enough."

He lowered his head slightly and took a deep breath, as if to etch the temperature and breath of that moment into his memory.

This gesture carried an almost intimate meaning, causing Leng Yulai's body to stiffen instantly, her heart skipped several beats, and two blushes involuntarily rose to her cheeks.

"This means that back in Maple Leaf City, I was willing to risk exposing my identity to save you..."

His gaze pierced through Leng Yulai's eyes, as if he could see that bloody and chaotic night, and her figure on the verge of despair.

"It's worth it."

After saying that, he gently pushed Leng Yulai away from his embrace, straightened his wrinkled clothes, and his smile remained, but he no longer looked at her, instead gazing once more at the silent giant tower.

"Let's go back to headquarters."

Leng Yulai stared blankly at his tall and composed back, the words "It was worth it" echoing repeatedly in her heart, bringing waves of excitement and a deeper sense of bewilderment.

She felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, a mixture of sourness and bitterness.

Yet, because of his strange calmness and that smile, a faint glimmer of hope arose within her, a hope that even she herself dared not believe.
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her turbulent emotions, and quickly followed him, walking side by side.

This time, however, her mood was even heavier than when she arrived, as if it were filled with lead.

Against the backdrop of the magnificent yet fleeting fireworks that rose and bloomed in the night sky of Mingdu, the two figures walked step by step toward the headquarters of the Spirit Pagoda, which symbolized the eye of the storm.

The dazzling light and shadow flickered on them, lengthening and shortening their shadows, as if foreshadowing an unpredictable fate ahead.

Was it all a false alarm, and did they land safely without any incident?
Or was this brief facade of peace completely shattered, plunging the Douluo Continent into an unprecedented vortex of chaos and turmoil?
No one knows.

Only the enormous shadow of the Spirit Pagoda, like a lurking beast, silently awaited their arrival.

(End of this chapter)