Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 76

Even if they cooperate, the eyes of the Net are still watching...

If the Luo Wang organization orchestrated this, what was its purpose?

After finally getting Tian Meng's 'face', is this all for such a blatant attempt to provoke?

Or is it that other forces also want to get involved in the farming community...?

No, looking at the troubled Zhu family, Lu Wei thought about what Tian Guang had told him last year, and he concluded that this matter must have been done by this chivalrous leader!

As for the purpose, it was certainly not for the Zhu family; the purpose was still for the Luo Wang organization...

Zhu Jia poured out his grievances to Lu Wei, which undoubtedly included an attempt to win him over and gain his support.

That evening, he naturally stayed to attend the banquet, and besides the two of them, Liu Ji was also present.

According to Lü Qing, this young "rogue" was highly respected among the grassroots disciples, mainly because he got along with everyone and often lost money at the gambling table, but he could still laugh it off.

The Zhu family also cared for their ordinary disciples and often went to the fields to work with them, but they would never play with them.

The head steward admitted he couldn't do it himself. He used to teach his disciples swordsmanship, but now he'd much rather watch the Snow Maiden dance, or teach Xiao Yan'er to read and practice swordsmanship. For disciples who weren't valuable enough, it was quicker to simply win them over with money.

Liu Ji is now the chief steward, yet he still acts as carefree and jovial as when he was a lowly disciple. To put it bluntly, this shows a lack of ambition; to put it more bluntly, it shows a lack of attention to detail. Ultimately, how the world will judge him depends on what he achieves.

Lu Wei was certain that he would seize the position of leader of the chivalrous sect after Tian Guang's incident. People like Liu Ji were rare talents among farmers and could be put to good use. His value would only increase after the Zhu family grew old.

Unlike the banquet hosted by the Tian family, which was held in a grand hall, this dinner was held on the roof of the Gonggong Hall.

The three men, holding bowls of fish soup, gazed at the night sky, chatting about everyday life in the countryside, their conversation tinged with a touch of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) spirit...

Chapter 98 The Death of Zhou He

When the moon was high in the sky, Lü Qing was still waiting in the main hall of Gonggong Hall when he returned from Shennong Hall.

Having been away for almost a year, Lu Wei had many things to ask Lü Qing. If it were an earlier year, he would definitely have talked with her all night long, but with age and experience, the steward was much more composed.

Having personally overseen various miscellaneous affairs at headquarters, Lu Wei knew how mentally taxing it was to manage a whole organization.

Although Lü Qing is adept at handling the affairs of the hall, it's best to limit his late nights so that his beloved Uncle Qing can serve him for a few more years in the future.

After exchanging a few words with him, the steward returned to the lodging area alone. As soon as he arrived at his room, his expression immediately turned serious: inside, there was no light, and someone was inside!

One of them, with steady breathing, is a master.

Meanwhile, a careful search revealed another one hiding in a nearby alley. He was a little weaker, but was probably a master in the farmhouse, second only to the head of the gang!

“Lu Wei is back, why don’t you come in?”

The door to the hut opened on its own, and a familiar voice came from inside. Upon seeing the figure emerge from the darkness, Lu Wei's grip on the Jade Soul Sword didn't loosen, but a joyful smile spread across his face.

"Master? Weren't you in seclusion?"

"Yes, after ninety-six days of seclusion, I'm so glad you're back."

The figure inside was none other than Zhou He, the nominal head of the Gonggong Hall.

He turned around with his hands behind his back and walked back into the house. Lu Wei tilted his head and looked deeply into the darkness in the distance before following him inside.

"I have come here secretly today to let you see someone."

Zhou He coughed, his left hand clenched into a fist and he covered his mouth.

The skilled fighter who had been silently approaching from the alley since the two closed the door stood outside the window, and with a cough, climbed in through the window.

His unmasked face was clearly visible to the steward in the moonlight.

"It's you..." The well-traveled Lu Wei paused slightly, then smiled nonchalantly: "Things are getting interesting~"

...

The next day, the steward summoned Lü Qing with a normal expression and talked in detail about the situation of Gonggong Hall over the past year. Afterwards, the two went to Bailu Rock and saw that the wild suburbs had changed a lot. Now there were houses everywhere and disciples came and went in strict order.

After passing through a mountain cave, they found Lu Mu in a secret chamber hidden inside the mountain.

"Didn't I tell you not to bother me unless absolutely necessary?!"

Lu Mu was racking his brains over a rough cloth blueprint that was half the size of a room. According to the guards, Steward Mu hadn't come out for five days.

After impatiently opening the door, he was stunned for a moment when he saw the smiling head steward before exclaiming with delight, "Boss!"

Stepping into the research cave, Lu Wei glanced at the blueprints on the ground and asked with great interest, "Are you researching mechanical beasts?"

“It’s the mechanical ox from your blueprints, boss.” Amu nodded vigorously. “I built a prototype last month following the blueprints, but it was riddled with defects during testing and I’m looking for a solution.”

"If this product can be mass-produced, it will be a historic change for my disciples from the farming family!"

“It is indeed important.” Lu Wei saw Lu Mu’s eyes light up as he spoke, and gently placed his right hand on Lu Mu’s shoulder, transmitting a wisp of the Five Virtues Rejuvenating Internal Energy to him: “Judging from the current situation, it is unrealistic to advise you to rest more.”

"From now on, I will have my disciple bring you meat soup every day at 5 PM. You should take good care of yourself. Also..."

"There are ten pills in here that can increase your internal energy in the Rejuvenation Technique. Take one pill every month."

He took out a small jade bottle from his pocket and solemnly handed it to Amu. After the upheaval in the Xu family, Steward Lu had amassed considerable wealth, and this thousand taels of silver was worth investing in.

"Thank you, Boss!" Amu accepted the pill but didn't seem particularly happy. Most of his thoughts were still on the matter of modifying the mechanism.

Seeing this, Lu Wei didn't bother him any longer. He simply said that he would come over once a week for the next six months, and then left with Lü Qing.

Uncle Qing remained silent throughout, only smiling obsequiously behind the steward. He understood what he should do in different situations.

After leaving Bailuyan and circling around for a long time, Lü Qing had a lot to say about the next part of the journey.

Yan Gui Ridge was where the Yan brothers and Lü Chen trained their troops.

Further north of Yan Gui Ridge lies Qiu Fen Ridge, which is the territory of Chi You Tang, with the two borders limited by a narrow stream.

"Judging from the current results, the formation of the elite three-person team has been quite effective."

Based on his knowledge, Lü Qing explained: "The 150 people of Yan Guiling have very different styles. Yan Shen is usually very calm, so his team is also particularly steady. This is evident in their adherence to their positions and proper behavior when using the Twenty-Four Earthly Formation."

"Yan Bing was very strong. He could carry a big tree from the foot of the mountain to the top without stopping and make three round trips without feeling tired. Therefore, he was highly respected by his subordinates. His squad was just like him, very brave and suitable for hunting or patrolling and guarding."

"Lu Chen's chivalrous spirit was something he had since his youth. After spending a few years in a farming family, he became even more unrestrained. The biggest advantage of mobilizing his team is probably its high applicability."

Although Lu Wei intended for these three to learn military strategy, he could not explicitly tell them that he was going to train soldiers. Therefore, he only said that he wanted to cultivate the elite guard force of Gonggong Hall. As a result, Lü Qing used them as guards.

"Yes, these disciples have improved significantly in spirit and energy compared to ordinary disciples after a year of training. They have done a good job."

As they walked and looked around the Yan Guiling camp, the Yan brothers soon arrived, but Lü Chen was not in the camp because he was on patrol duty that day.

"General Manager!" The two brothers clasped their hands in greeting. Having spent a year at headquarters, not only had the disciples improved, but Yan Shen and Yan Bing, as commanders, had grown even more.

They are now practicing the internal martial arts of the farmers and are making rapid progress.

Because they had laid a good foundation in the General's Mansion when they were young, even after three years of hardship in the countryside, the two brothers were still stronger than the average disciple.

Moreover, it was precisely because of those three years of hardship that Yan Shen and Yan Bing, the two noble sons, not only learned the great principles of loyalty and righteousness, but also gained a deeper understanding of the lives of ordinary people.

Therefore, they can understand the thoughts and feelings of their subordinates and share joys and sorrows with them in daily life.

In this era, there are very few descendants of the powerful and wealthy who can still do this.

Having personally witnessed the two brothers' daily drills and experienced the double-layered Earth Swamp Twenty-Four Formation of his elite disciples, Lu Wei was very satisfied.

Half a month passed in this way. One morning, he was dressed in a martial arts outfit and practicing swordsmanship in the backyard when Lü Qing suddenly rushed in. It was the first time he had seen panic on Lü Qing's face, and he rudely shouted to stop Lu Wei:

"Steward, something terrible has happened! There's trouble in the main hall!"

Sheathing his sword, Lu Wei glanced around, turned and walked to the sidelines, calmly asking, "Uncle Qing, don't worry, what happened in the Hall Master's Hall?"

Looking at the few disciples scattered around, Lü Qing carefully covered her mouth and whispered in the steward's ear:

"Master Zhouhe has been assassinated!"

His calm expression turned to horror. Lu Wei's pupils trembled, but he recovered quickly: "Go and immediately inform the Zhu family hall master and Tian Hu hall master to come to Gonggong Hall. I'll go to the hall master's hall right now!"

After saying that, he didn't even have time to put on his coat before using his light-footed skills to quickly dash through the headquarters.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Lu Wei ignored the disciples kneeling on the ground, weeping, and went straight to the inner hall. He immediately saw Zhou He lying in a pool of blood, his eyes wide with disbelief, and he had lost all his spirit.

"Steward!"

Several of Zhou He's trusted disciples, who had been by his side for the past few years, knelt and took a few steps closer to Lu Wei, wanting to say something, but he stopped them with a gesture of his hand, his tone icy:

"You all get out first. No one is allowed to come in. I want to personally inspect the scene!"

...

An hour later, Zhu Jia and Tian Hu arrived together after learning the news. They were so shocked that they forgot about their past grudges.

Back at Daze Mountain, there were still only the two of them as the hall masters.

Nearly a hundred disciples had gathered outside the main hall of Gonggong Hall. This news was so significant that it was no one knew who had leaked it, but it had spread to everyone.

"Two hall masters, please follow me!"

Lü Qing used his authority to clear a path, and as soon as he led Zhu Jia and Tian Hu into the main hall, they saw Lu Wei, with a cold expression, interrogating the hall's guards.

"Last night, the master was so happy that he ordered someone to bring him a bowl of lotus seed porridge. But when I came in this morning,... sob sob."

The disciple being interrogated knelt down and burst into tears as he spoke.

Seeing the people entering through the door, Lu Wei waved his hand, instructing Yan Shen to take these disciples away and keep them under guard. Lu Qing, understanding the situation, followed them out, closing the door behind him and leaving only the three leaders inside.

"Brother Lu Wei, what exactly happened?!"

Zhu Jia's mask remained furious until all irrelevant people had left, at which point his voice became stern.

Tian Hu remained unusually silent, only staring at Lu Wei.

"See for yourselves..." Lu Wei shook his head and led the two hall masters into the crime scene. They paused noticeably, stopping a short distance away, upon seeing the human figure wrapped in a white sheet and the bloodstains.

Lu Wei stepped forward alone, squatted down, and lifted the upper half of the white cloth, solemnly revealing it to Zhu and Tian before covering it again: "The murderer is someone trusted by Hall Master Zhou..."

“A trusted person…” Zhu Jia and Tian Hu could see the disbelief in Zhou He’s expression before his death from the corpse’s face. They subconsciously glanced at Lu Wei, who was slowly getting up, but then immediately ruled out that possibility:

In terms of trust, Lu Xiaozi, as the head steward of Gonggong Hall, certainly meets this requirement.

But he had absolutely no reason to kill Zhou He. Not only was the Gonggong Hall currently in the hands of Lu Wei, and its top officials were all his confidants, but everyone also knew that he would become the head of the Gonggong Hall in two months. Therefore, Lu Wei had no motive to kill Zhou He!

"I remember, three years ago, there was someone in Gonggongtang who was also killed by someone he trusted..."

The three walked out of the crime scene and returned to the hall. Zhu Jia was the last to close the door. After turning around, he said seriously.

“Tian Zhong…” Tian Hu also remembered this matter.

"The murderer who killed Tian Zhong is the one that Brother Lu Wei is investigating, right?" Zhu Jia lowered his voice slightly when he mentioned Tian Zhong's surname.