By the time the courtyard finally became quiet again. There were no soldiers left anymore, only corpses. Nearly a hundred soldiers were killed at an instant. Not wounded. Not defeated.
Truly dead.
The most terrifying part was how quickly it happened.
When people later heard the story, it sounded deceptively simple.
"A hundred soldiers died."
Spoken casually like that, it almost sounded ordinary for legends and wars.
But Jin Mulan knew better. Because she had witnessed it directly. A hundred trained soldiers were not a hundred helpless civilians. They were armed men. Cultivators. Veterans. Killers.
Some possessed enough martial strength to slaughter entire groups of ordinary warriors by themselves. And yet Luo He erased them within moments.
The gap between ordinary talent and true monstrous ability became horrifyingly obvious that day. What unsettled Jin Mulan most was not even the deaths themselves.
It was the efficiency. There had been no wasted movement. No hesitation. No emotional instability. Luo He had not looked enraged while killing them.
He looked focused. Like a man solving a problem. That realization haunted her far longer than the bloodshed. Because afterward she understood something very clearly.
If Luo He ever truly decided someone needed to die very few people alive could stop him. Since then, both she and Fei had grown vastly stronger.
Their cultivation had advanced tremendously under Luo He's guidance. Their speed, reflexes, endurance, and combat instincts had surpassed what either once believed possible.
Fei especially had improved rather monstrously. A true genius of an era. In direct combat, he was already capable of anayalating hundreds of elite warriors most kingdoms would proudly place among royal guards.
And yet neither of them believed they could replicate what Luo He had done that day. Not even close. Not in seconds.
Not against that many trained opponents. Not with such overwhelming dominance.
That was the true reason Jin Mulan still remembered that moment so vividly.
Because that was the first time she truly understood the scale of the man standing beside her. And strangely
rather than fear him completely. Part of her had felt safe ever after.
Because every bit of that terrifying violence had been directed outward.
Toward the people threatening her and their child.
Never toward her or anyone he cares about. Never toward his family. That distinction mattered more to her than she would ever admit aloud.
Yet in that instant where she felt his killing aura, every instinct in her body had screamed at her to flee. Not fight. Not resist. Run. It was the kind of fear prey felt when standing before a predator too far from it to comprehend.
And that realization unsettled her afterward. Because Jin Mulan herself was already considered frightening by most people.
Yet Luo He could still crush her mentally with just his aura when it wasn't even aimed at her. Even after nearly two years of brutal cultivation under his guidance.
Even after all the power she had gained. Even after surpassing warriors most kingdoms would consider elite. She still understood clearly, if Luo He truly wished to kill her.
She would not survive long enough to even know it. Ironically, that only made her mother's teachings feel wiser in hindsight. Strength inside a marriage was dangerous when mixed with pride, anger, or carelessness.
That was why the Jin family women were taught restraint first. Not because they lacked power but precisely because they possessed too much of it.
Meanwhile Jin Quan both enjoyed and suffered through his own marriage simultaneously. Which made it even harder to complain.
Especially because every time he attempted to protest Jin Su would simply smile sweetly at him and ask whether he wanted her to stop completely.
And somehow that option always sounded worse. Thankfully, Luo He quickly changed the subject by uncovering the dark cloud shuttle resting near the corner wall.
The moment the white cloth covering it fell away everyone froze. The flying lamina gleamed beneath the morning light like a weapon forged from darkness itself.
The polished blackwood reflected faint obsidian tones while golden engravings spiraled across its surface like flowing rivers of light.
Crimson copper plating lined the underside, giving the entire construct the appearance of an imperial artifact rather than simple transportation.
Fei stared openly. "What is that?" He asked in disbelief. "My new shuttle," Luo He said casually. Then before anyone could ask further the golden engravings illuminated in the sun light.
Luo He's energy reached it. Then the black lamina slowly rose into the air completely unsupported. Every servant gasped.
Even Jin Quan's eyes widened slightly.
Bing looked genuinely speechless. Fei nearly dropped the tea cup entirely.
"You never mentioned us about this," someone muttered quietly. "I enjoy maintaining mystery," Luo He replied proudly to all his family members in the room.
An hour later the household gathered fully within the courtyard while servants hurried around preparing luggage, travel supplies, and the horse.
The morning sunlight reflected beautifully across the polished blackwood of the dark cloud shuttle while the engraved golden patterns shimmered faintly like flowing veins of molten metal beneath its surface.
Even standing still the thing looked unnatural. Dangerous. Beautiful. The servants whispered among themselves while keeping distance from it instinctively.
Some believed it was an ancient relic.
Others thought it a divine treasure.
Only Luo He himself treated it casually.
Jin Mulan stepped closer carefully while carrying Little Lin in her arms.
For perhaps the first time since meeting Luo He she actually looked nervous.
"Are you absolutely certain this is safe with our daughter?" Jin Mulan asked hesitantly.
Luo He answered instantly. "If something goes wrong, I will absolutely save the child even if it means losing you." Jin Mulan stared at him for some time. Luo He genuinely considered it for several seconds.
"That does not reassure me." She said.
"It reassures the important our child." He said. Jin Mulan looked horrified. Fei burst into laughter nearby while Bing covered her mouth to hide hers.
Even Su Kim looked amused. Luo He only smirked proudly before pulling both mother and child onto the floating shuttle beside him.
The black lamina dipped slightly beneath the added weight before stabilizing once more beneath his mental force. Jin Mulan instinctively tightened her hold around Little Lin.
Luo He noticed immediately. Then his expression softened slightly. "You won't fall," he said calmly. "As long as I'm alive, neither of you will touch the ground."
That reassurance finally eased part of her tension.
Meanwhile below them, Fei looked toward the enormous chest of gold being strapped onto the horses. "How much money are we taking exactly?" he asked cautiously.
"Ten thousand gold," replied Jin Mulan casually. Fei nearly choked. "For travel?!" He asked in disbelief. "You can never have too much emergency funds," she answered confidently.
"It's for gaming" Luo He added carelessly. Jin Quan rubbed his forehead tiredly. " He says things that should sound insane." Muttered Jin Quan quietly. "Yet somehow I fear he genuinely means them." He said aloud.
"He absolutely means them," Jin Su replied immediately. Then without another warning the golden engravings flared brightly. Wind exploded outward.
Servants cried out while robes and banners whipped violently across the courtyard.
And before anyone below could fully process what they were seeing. The dark cloud shuttle shot into the heavens like a black imperial blade wrapped in molten gold. Leaving the entire Jin household staring speechlessly toward the sky long after they disappeared beyond the clouds.