Chapter 123: Chapter 116: Suspecting Lu Yan_1
Li Xuan suddenly took action, but Li Cangqing was faster. He already appeared in front of Lu Yan, and also struck out with one palm.
With a thud, Li Xuan was forced back a dozen steps, sitting on the ground with a bloody corner of the mouth.
"You refuse to compensate but want to kill people to silence them, and tarnish my Li family’s reputation, do you believe I can cripple you?"
Li Cangqing’s eyes were cold and filled with murderous intent.
"I...I... will pay."
Li Xuan finally gritted his teeth and said.
He was caught red-handed by Li Cangqing today. Several big accusations came down at once. He could indeed use this excuse to cripple him, even if he did not, he could beat him half-dead and Li Wenxuan on his side surely couldn’t stand up for him.
Li Xuan fumbled around on himself and said, "I do not have that much silver on me."
"Have your man bring it back. This young master will wait here for you."
Li Cangqing said.
Li Xuan had no choice but to send one of his men back to get it.
The man returned very quickly within half an hour, he took out a wad of silver tickets and handed them to Li Xuan.
Li Xuan counted it, and sternly handed the silver tickets to Lu Yan, then turned and left, unwilling to stay a moment more.
"Lu Shanchuan appreciates Young Master Cangqing for his assistance. Without you, the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall might have had to close its doors today."
Lu Yan expressed his gratitude with a bow.
"Haha, don’t mention it. Wang Dao is my friend, and you are a friend of Wang Dao, so you’re also my friend. How could I ignore it when my friends have troubles?"
Li Cangqing laughed and waved his hand.
"Wang Dao..."
Lu Yan understood.
Wang Dao probably guessed his identity by now.
When it came to it, it was reasonable. The knife technique taught in the Martial Arts Hall was the Broken Sky Blade, it wasn’t difficult for Wang Dao to guess his identity once he saw it.
However, it didn’t matter if he guessed correctly.
When his cultivation level was low, he didn’t want to expose the Unity of Man and Martial Arts of the secondary martial school because it was too conspicuous.
In plain words, his past cultivation level was unable to live up to the reputation of the Unity of Man and Martial Arts of a secondary martial school.
However, now that he had reached the level of the Martial Marquis, he could bear the title.
Revealing some strength appropriately would instead benefit his development.
"Young Master Cangqing, come inside for a drink."
Saying this, Lu Yan took out a wad of silver tickets (about 3,000 liang) and handed them to Li Cangqing.
He initially pulled out only 300 liang and unjustly earned 4,700 liang, so he couldn’t possibly keep it all.
However, Li Cangqing pushed it back and said: "This is for the damages caused by Li Xuan, which he is repaying to you, so it’s rightfully yours. Why give it to me? Keep it."
He also added: "I have affairs to attend to today, no time for drinks. I will surely pay a visit on another day and will not return until having got drunk with Pavilion Master Lu."
After saying this, Li Cangqing led his people and left in Bohemian.
The students of the Martial Arts Hall saw how well Lu Yan and Li Cangqing were getting along like old friends which calmed their hearts down, focusing on their martial arts practice again.
...
Ten days later, early in the morning.
Zhou Zhengkong rushed over to the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall and found Lu Yan.
"Not good, Brother Lu. You arrived at Baicao City earlier than me so you must help me brainstorm some ideas."
Zhou Zhengkong was pacing back and forth in a panic.
"Brother Zhou, what seems to be the problem?"
Lu Yan asked.
"In recent days, Li Canglin and Li Cangqing have been visiting me multiple times, inviting me to join their faction. Initially, I didn’t want to join either side, but it seems impossible to remain neutral now. I must choose a side. Brother Lu, which side do you think is better?"
Zhou Zhengkong explained.
"So that’s the case."
Lu Yan also seemed deep in thought.
Almost two hundred members of the Zhou Clan came here, most of them highly skilled Martial Chefs. It would be hard to keep their arrival in Baicao City from the two big factions
This kind of power is bound to attract the two factions who won’t be contented until they can pull them into their own camps.
Originally, Lu Yan didn’t want the Zhou Clan to join any side.
If they join the Li family, will they be absorbed and truly become part of the Li Family in the long run? What then would be their relationship with him, Lu Yan?
However, apparently, it isn’t possible to remain neutral now.
What to do?
Lu Yan’s heart also felt a pang of loss.
After a while, Lu Yan laughed at himself: "Why am I worrying about this? In the end, it all comes down to my lack of strength. As long as I keep improving in the future, the Zhou Clan will eventually be mine. Even aiming for the Li Family isn’t impossible. If I don’t have enough strength myself, I will only invite trouble."
Once he figured it out, he felt more at peace.
"The common appraisal of Li Canglin is that he is extremely talented in martial arts, knows how to bide his time, but is inherently overcautious."
"As for Li Cangqing, he is also extremely talented in martial arts and is known for his generosity. He doesn’t fuss over minor details and likes to make friends with heroes of the martial world."
Lu Yan slowly said.
"So it’s better to choose Li Cangqing?"
Zhou Zhengkong asked.
Being born into the direct line of the feudal lords, he was all too familiar with the cruelty of their struggles. His line had originally been the main line of the Zhou Clan and had been continually suppressed by them, their Martial Marquis suffering consecutive deaths.
He knew very well that once he chose the wrong side, he would definitely face retaliation in the future.
"Not long ago, Li Cangqing even helped me."
Lu Yan said.
"So you are choosing Li Cangqing as well, Brother Lu. Alright, I understand. The Zhou Clan will strategically advance or retreat together with the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall."
Zhou Zhengkong made up his mind.
He discussed the details with Lu Yan for a while, then hurried away.
Three days later, at the Li Canglin residence.
Bang!
Li Canglin slammed his hand heavily on the table, his eyes radiating an icy chill.
The Zhou Clan, surprisingly, had chosen to side with Li Wenxin and Li Cangqing’s faction, fueling his fiery rage.
The Zhou Clan, after all, was not the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall.
It didn’t matter much when the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall had sided with Li Cangqing before, as it was just a trivial martial arts school and the Pavilion Master had only broken the limit five times.
He had no dearth of masters who had broken their limits five times.
But the Zhou Clan was different.
The Zhou Clan had Martial Marquis, and they were all Martial Chefs. The value of having so many Martial Chefs was extremely significant, even more valuable than several Martial Marquis.
Seeing Li Canglin losing his temper, the others lowered their heads, not daring to utter a word.
Gradually, when Li Canglin’s fury had subsided, Jia Xun stepped forward and said, "Young Master, you asked me to investigate Pavilion Master Lu Shanchuan of the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall last time. I sent someone to do some detailed checking, and we found something unusual."
"Unusual? What do you mean?"
Li Canglin asked coldly.
"During the period when the Zhou Clan in NanYi City was selling the Jade Bone Tiger, Lu Shanchuan happened to be absent from the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall. To be precise, he was not in Baicao City. After the sale of the Jade Bone Tiger ended, Lu Shanchuan returned to the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall."
Jia Xun said.
Li Canglin’s eyes squinted slightly and he speculated, "You mean, Lu Shanchuan could have also been in NanYi City during that period?"
Jia Xun nodded and said, "Moreover, shortly after Lu Shanchuan returned to Baicao City, he disappeared again for more than a month. Calculating the time, it was precisely the period when the mysterious man who killed young master Cangxin and stole the Jade Bone Tiger was looking for Lu Wenxuan."
Li Canglin’s gaze turned even colder, and a murderous intent emerged on his face. "What a coincidence that Lu Shanchuan happened to be missing during those two periods. Are you certain about this?"
"I secretly confirmed it through a few apprentices from the Sanjue Martial Arts Hall. They all said that during those two periods, their Pavilion Master was indeed not there, they hadn’t seen him around."
Jia Xun replied.
"So, Lu Shanchuan is very likely to be the mysterious person who killed Cangxin and stole the Jade Bone Tiger? But he is only a five-time Limit Breaker, how could he kill Li Wenlong and Li Wenyan? Perhaps, he has been concealing his true cultivation level from the start?"
Li Canglin speculated.
"I can’t say for sure, it’s just a guess. After all, it could also be a coincidence. As I have also investigated Lu Shanchuan’s family and his subordinates, like Li Quan, Wang Lin, and others, they all come from Changfeng City. Some of them are members of the Liu Family’s Red-clad Guard, others belong to different factions."
"So I infer that Lu Shanchuan is likely a person from Changfeng City who had fled to Baicao City due to the chaos in Changfeng City. Apart from the original Liu Family and Wu Family of Changfeng City, there had not been any powerful Martial Marquis."
Jia Xun reported truthfully, unwilling to guarantee anything, fearing responsibility if his guess turned out to be wrong.
He had not been able to investigate about Lu Yan’s parents, Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui.
After the incident with the Liu Family, Lu Yan had become more cautious.
Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui did not live in the Martial Arts Hall; instead, they had bought a separate residence.
Whenever Lu Yan went to see his parents, he chose a secluded place and visited in his original appearance. Apart from a few people like Li Quan and Wang Lin, no one knew that Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui were Lu Yan’s parents.
His caution was to avoid being threatened with his parents.
"Whether it is him or not, we’ll know if we test him."
Li Canglin said.
"Who should we send to test him?"
Jia Xun asked, lowering his head.
"If Lu Shanchuan is indeed that mysterious person, it means that he has the strength to kill Li Wenlong. Therefore, the person we send to test him can’t be weak. Otherwise, it’d be sending him to his death. I have a plan for this."
Li Canglin stated.
"Yes, sir."
Jia Xun bowed.
...
Sanjue Martial Arts Hall.
Li Quan hurriedly came in with a report.
"Someone has been investigating me through the apprentices of the martial arts hall?"
Lu Yan frowned.
"Yes, I’ve planted informants among the apprentices, and they found out that someone had been secretly questioning the apprentices of the martial arts hall. I have located those apprentices and they have explained everything that happened."
Li Quan reported.
"What were they investigating?"
"They were mainly investigating the Pavilion Master’s identity and whether the Pavilion Master was in the martial arts hall during the periods when the Gao Family in NanYi city was selling the Jade Bone Tiger. They told them the truth, that during those periods, the Pavilion Master was not present."
"Master, I suspect that Li Wenxuan or Li Canglin sent someone to investigate."
Li Quan speculated.
Lu Yan’s face turned solemn as he said, "During the time when the Gao Family was selling the Jade Bone Tiger, and when they sought Lu Wenxuan to prepare the Bone Protecting Soup, I was not present. It seems they’ve become suspicious of me."
"Next, they’ll probably send someone to probe."
"Master, how should we respond to this?"
Li Quan asked.
Lu Yan pondered but did not reply.
For a moment, he couldn’t think of a good strategy.
If the other party sends a powerful person to probe, should he reveal himself or not?
If he reveals himself, he certainly would have to leave Baicao City.
If he doesn’t reveal himself, what if the other party uses this opportunity to cripple him?
"Li Wenxuan, Li Canglin, I just want to cultivate in peace, but you relentlessly force my hand. Will I have to kill you to finally have some quiet?"
Lu Yan grinded his teeth in frustration.
At this moment, Wang Lin walked over with an invitation.
"Master, Senior Wang Dao sent someone to deliver an invitation. Please have a look."
Wang Lin handed the invitation to Lu Yan.
Lu Yan opened it to take a look, his eyes lighting up.
The content of the invitation was simple, Wang Dao had recently achieved success in challenging the Martial Marquis, his Qi-blood had entered his bones, and he had received the title of ’Martial Marquis’. He was planning to hold a banquet the next day to celebrate with guests.
"Perfect."
Lu Yan suddenly came up with a plan.
Sure enough, when one is dozing off, someone delivers a pillow.
