Lu Fan looked at the Thunder Bureau members with some confusion. With his current improved strength, would they still dare to continue pursuing him?
But then Judge Lan, with a solemn expression, suddenly knelt on one knee, bowed respectfully to Lu Fan, and said:
"Judge Lan Xing is willing to lead his subordinates to follow the Star Lord."
Immediately afterwards, Judge Duan and the group of awakened individuals behind him also knelt down in unison, shouting in unison:
"I am willing to follow the Star Lord."
The sudden action taken by Judge Lan caused those around him to gasp in surprise.
Their gazes instantly focused on Lu Fan and the Thunder Bureau members, their eyes filled with shock and astonishment.
Those who lived in Zhongzhou often knelt down to beg for mercy from the Thunder Bureau, but this was the first time they had ever seen the Thunder Bureau kneel down to someone else.
Lu Fan was also stunned by this sudden scene. He never expected that Judge Lan would lead the Thunder Bureau to kneel down and express their allegiance to him, especially since they were the same people who had been hunting him down not long ago.
His gaze swept over Judge Lan and the others, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Recalling Judge Lan's previous neutral stance, Lu Fan stepped forward, helped Judge Lan up with both hands, and said:
"I am just an ordinary person with little experience. How could I possibly deserve your following?"
Judge Lan raised his head, his eyes filled with determination, and explained earnestly:
"Lord Lu Fan has already gained the Dragon Vein's approval; this is the will of Heaven. Moreover, if we do not follow you, I fear that when we return to Ning City, the Ye family will certainly not let us go."
Judge Lan turned slightly to the side, pointed to the crowd behind him, and said helplessly, "They have lowly backgrounds and are all alone. They were forced to obey the orders of the Ye family before. I hope the Star Lord will forgive them."
"We swear on our lives that we will serve the Star Lord to the death, and we hope that the Star Lord will take us in."
As he spoke, Judge Lan became emotional and was about to kneel down again.
Seeing this, Lu Fan quickly raised his hand to stop him, his face serious:
“It’s not that I’m unwilling to take you in, but this matter is of great importance and I need to consider it carefully.”
At this moment, Lu Fan was completely unaware of the enormous influence and appeal of his Star Lord status. He was just unsure whether the Thunder Bureau would cause him trouble after he took in these people.
Seeing Lu Fan hesitate, Judge Duan immediately chimed in:
“Lord Lu Fan, Lan Xing is right.”
“We have been under the control of the Ye family in Ningcheng and have been forced to obey orders. If we fail in this mission, we will probably die. If we can follow you, it will be a new way to survive.”
Seeing this, Li Yu smiled slightly and thought to himself: These people are quite shrewd. Seeing that the situation was not going well, they immediately found a new ally, and a newly promoted Star Lord at that.
Lu Fan fell silent upon hearing this. His gaze swept over the crowd, and he noticed that the law enforcement captain and his group who had led the trouble earlier were not among them.
After seeing the rise of the Dragon Vein and its choice of Lu Fan, they must have already run away.
Looking at the remaining people, they had also been quite ruthless towards him during the previous encirclement and suppression. Just the mental attack from Judge Lan alone almost put him in a desperate situation and made him completely captured.
Lu Fan was about to refuse outright, but at that moment, Li Yu suddenly interjected and asked:
"You can form a formation?"
Upon hearing this, Judge Lan felt a surge of hope and quickly replied, "Yes, we can! Not to mention ordinary formations, we can even handle the military formations!"
"Can you teach others?" Li Yu asked again.
At this moment, Judge Lan and Judge Duan exchanged a glance and instantly understood what Li Yu meant.
Sharing the formation with outsiders would be suicide if discovered, but returning to Ningcheng would also mean certain death.
However, if the formation is taught to the Star Lord, they might be able to find an excuse, or at the very least, gain protection through the Star Lord's status.
Judge Lan pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and replied:
"Yes, I can teach you."
Upon hearing the affirmative reply, Li Yu nodded slightly to Lu Fan.
Lu Fan understood immediately. These people seemed to have some use for Li Yu. If he refused, they might really be killed by the Ye family.
However, since Li Yu needs them, Judge Lan and his group will definitely stay behind.
Next, he will need to confront the Ye family of Ningcheng, and these people know the Ye family of Ningcheng very well, so they might be able to help him.
Thinking of this, Lu Fan no longer refused:
"Alright, I agree. But let me make this clear from the start: since you've chosen to follow me, you must be absolutely loyal."
Lu Fan shouted solemnly, "If you harbor any disloyal thoughts—"
"May he be struck by lightning!" the crowd shouted in unison.
After the oath, Judge Lan and the other awakened ones all showed joy on their faces, and they all knelt down again in unison:
"Thank you for taking us in, Star Lord. We will serve you with our lives."
The Lord of Liyang City witnessed all of this, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He truly never expected that even the judges of the Thunder Bureau would be forced to betray their posts and join the Star Lord's ranks.
Li Yang rubbed his temples, realizing that the internal problems within the Central Plains government were more serious than he had imagined.
But Li Yang quickly regained his gentle smile, as if he hadn't noticed the Thunder Bureau uniform on Judge Lan, and instead turned to flatter Lu Fan:
"Haha, Lord Lu Fan is truly popular. With the help of these people, you will surely achieve great things in the future."
Then, as if remembering something, Li Yang suddenly tapped his toes and leaped into the air like an arrow.
He gathered his strength, and his voice, like a booming bell, echoed throughout the swamp:
"This ceremony has now come to an end!"
This announcement immediately caused an uproar in the entire venue.
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