Liu Hong and the others who were in charge of guarding the house came over and immediately spotted Jie Han's family in the crowd. However, he did not make a sound. Instead, he came up to Lü Tu and whispered, "Should I invite these people to a separate place?"

Lu Tu nodded: "Keep a close eye on them, don't overfeed them, I'll come back tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

He handed over all the spoils of war to Liu Yang to handle, and Liu Yang had now become Lü Tu's logistics minister, in charge of all the village's logistics work.

However, it must be said that since Liu Yang made a mistake and apologized with a bundle of thorns on his back, Lu Tu has seen his growth. At least it shows that he is able to clearly realize his mistakes.

Just as Lu Tu had told him before, making mistakes is not terrible. As long as you are determined to make amends and correct them, you are still a man. In this regard, Lu Tu has completely trusted Liu Yang.

It seems it's time to put Liu Yang and Ban Yingying's matter on the agenda.

After all, according to the customs of Wuchuan, a younger brother cannot get married before his older brother, so even though Liu Hu has found his sweetheart, he has not yet officially consummated the marriage.

Too tired for a day, Lü Tu went straight home. As always, Cui Guo was boiling water on the wood-fired stove, ready to serve Lü Tu when he returned.

In this vast northern region of Wuchuan, the number of men who receive such treatment can be counted on one hand.

"Husband, was the journey alright?"

Lu Tu handed the parchment scroll he had taken from Jie Han to Wang Miaoling, instructing her, "Miaoling, please hand-draw a copy for me, in case it gets lost."

"Yes, my lord, you go and wash up and rest first. I will go to the storeroom to copy a few documents."

Lu Tu took a hot shower. Although he hadn't killed anyone along the way, he was still exhausted. Moreover, the desert beyond the Great Wall was terrifyingly windy and sandy, several times worse than Wuchuan. One could imagine how much the Wuhuan people wanted to move south.

Nangong Huiyu came to Lu Tu's side with concern and wiped his body: "Husband, you've been gone for a whole day and night. My sister and I were so worried about you."

Even though Song Yuxi didn't say a word the whole time, her eyes said it all. Moreover, based on Lü Tu's understanding of her, Song Yuxi definitely cared about him more than anyone else, but she was just restraining herself.

Unbeknownst to him, Lü Tu realized that Song Yuxi was also growing up along with him. She had undergone a transformation, from a virgin to a wife, and her words and actions were extremely considerate, which made Lü Tu feel even more guilty.

He reached out and took Song Yuxi and Nangong Huiyu's hands: "I love you both."

For the people of Dayu, the word "love" is incredibly obscure and private. In this day and age, holding hands is considered a promise, let alone using such a cheesy word.

Even Lu Tu was usually ashamed to say those three words, but right now Lu Tu was so moved that he couldn't control his passion.

The two were so moved that they burst into tears, their eyes welling up with tears.

"My love, I love you too," they said in unison.

Wang Miaoling went to hand-draw the map, while Jiang Wanyu stayed in the warehouse as a cashier. At this moment, the three of them seemed to have returned to their happy times and passionately kissed each other.

As Lu Tu stepped out of the bathtub, ignoring the water still clinging to his body, he became entangled with the two men.

He didn't know how much time had passed before Lü Tu fell into a deep sleep. However, he had an extremely uncomfortable sleep and even had a nightmare, which was quite unusual for him.

In his dream, he dreamt that he had failed his mission and that not only Ye Qingyu and Prince Duan wanted to punish him, but Zhao Qingyao was also an accomplice. In his dream, Lü Tu watched in despair as his wives died one by one before his eyes.

I woke up instantly!

When Lü Tu rolled over and got up, he realized that his forehead was covered with fine sweat and his face was streaked with tears.

He looked down at the four women on the kang (a heated brick bed), who were still fast asleep, and then he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking outside, it was still dark, but Lü Tu was wide awake.

The thought of the scene in his dream filled Lü Tu with an unprecedented sense of oppression. He had to resolve everything and prevent his family from being put in danger.

He picked up his halberd and headed straight for Liu Hong's room. Sure enough, Liu Hong was still awake. Lü Tu knocked on the door: "Are you awake?"

The door opened, and Liu Hong, holding a scroll in his hands, welcomed Lü Tu in: "Sir, please come in. May I ask what brings you here so late at night?"

Lu Tu sat down in his chair and, instead of answering, asked, "No need to be so polite. We brothers have never had a serious conversation with each other before."

Liu Hong chuckled awkwardly, quickly put down the book in his hand, and stood aside with his hands behind his back.

Lu Tu pointed to the chair and said, "Sit down. We've been through thick and thin together for so long, why be so reserved?"

Liu Hong nodded: "Sir, is something on your mind?"

After Lü Tu recounted the bet he made with Prince Duan and the others, Liu Hong frowned and said, "This matter is indeed troublesome. No wonder you, sir, are so generous in accepting refugees everywhere and treating their illnesses. It seems that this is indeed the right thing to do."

"That's not all. Do you know why I crossed the Great Wall to go to the northern desert the other day?"

"Could this also be part of the mission?"

Lu Tu nodded: "That's right, I must incite hatred between Dayu and Wuhuan so that the Second Princess cannot be married off smoothly."

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong gasped, "Sir, this matter is of utmost importance. Isn't it a bit too risky?"

"There's no other way, this is my only way out. We can only look on the bright side right now. Isn't there an old saying that every misfortune may be a blessing in disguise?"

"Your insight is brilliant!"

"Speaking of which, you're still Yu Xi's retainer. From now on, just call me Big Brother like they do. I'll play the big brother for once."

Liu Hong stood up solemnly, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lü Tu, and said, "Thank you for your high regard, elder brother! In fact, with your character, elder brother, age is not a problem at all."

Suddenly, Liu Hong asked curiously, "Brother, does that mean the family you brought back today must be Wuhuan people, not Semu people?"

“That’s right. That man used to be a member of the Wuhuan cavalry and participated in raids to the south many times.”

Liu Hong frowned and said, "So, this guy probably knows the location of the Wuhuan royal court? Or perhaps he knows about the Wuhuan's military deployment?"

Lu Tu stood up: "I'm not quite sure either, so let's interrogate him now."

Liu Hong stopped Lü Tu: "Brother, let me handle this matter. Even if you take a step back, you might still have a chance to take him under your command in the future. It's best if you don't get involved in interrogation."

Lu Tu praised, "That makes sense. Then I'll have to trouble you. Remember, you can torture him, but don't kill him. Also, it's best if his family members are alive. If they are alive, they will have leverage against you and won't dare to leave."

"Yes, sir! Please wait for my good news, brother!"