Chapter 288: The Vigorous Elder, Lu Maoxian
Duan Shaohong stormed up to Duan Shaoxia with a newspaper in hand and slammed it onto the table. "What's the meaning of this? Why did you spread the news?"
Duan Shaoxia glanced at the newspaper. The headline read: Lu Family Falls Into Misfortune, Zhang Bochu Puts on a Green Hat for Wealth and Status.[1]
Duan Shaohong pointed at the newspaper and shouted, "Listen to how awful that sounds! How are our families supposed to hold our heads high after this?"
After reading the article, Duan Shaoxia tried to calm her down. "Why bother paying attention to this? Besides, the news was bound to come out sooner or later. The banquet is only a few days away. Are you still afraid people will find out?"
Duan Shaohong shoved Duan Shaoxia aside. "Once the matter is settled, I don't care what people say. But it hasn't been settled yet..."
At this moment, Monkey Qiu walked into the hall.
Duan Shaohong immediately turned on him and said fiercely, "Steward Qiu, you weren't the one who spread this news, were you?"
Monkey Qiu froze for a moment. "What news?"
Duan Shaohong threw the newspaper at him. "See for yourself!"
"Night-Blooming Jasmine?" Qiu Zhiheng uttered in surprise. "I've never even heard of this newspaper."
"You've never heard of it? This paper is selling like mad in Greenwater City. Look at how they described our families!"
Monkey Qiu shook his head. "I know nothing about this."
"You know nothing? Then who else could it be besides you?"
Monkey Qiu suddenly fell silent.
Seeing that, Duan Shaohong shivered in fear and lowered her head, not daring to say a word more.
She had spent the last few days thinking about how her son was going to become the next head of the Lu Family. She had been so obsessed with the idea that she had forgotten her place. In Greenwater City, even members of the Lu Family had to speak politely to Monkey Qiu.
Duan Shaoxia hurriedly smoothed things over. "Let's not worry about this for now. Little Qiu, you still need to speed up the preparations for the banquet. The date is fast approaching."
Monkey Qiu gave her a curt acknowledgement that he had heard her, then he left the estate.
However, he made no preparations for the banquet... because it was never going to happen.
***
Lu Maoxian had just finished having lunch at home, and he was reading a newspaper.
"It appears that even random cats and dogs dare to stick their hands into the Lu Family now," Lu Maoxian remarked as he summoned one of his support hooks. "Take some men with you and teach Zhang Bochu a lesson. Don't beat him to death, but make sure to humiliate him well."
The support hook replied, "Master, the fact that Zhang Bochu could do this means he has already thrown away his dignity. What's the point in humiliating him? We might as well just kill him."
Lu Maoxian looked at him and said, "You fool! Do you think I'm humiliating Zhang Bochu? I'm humiliating Monkey Qiu! He wants to hold a banquet? Let's see if he can be so shameless as to still send out invites after."
The support hook had only just left when the steward came over. "Master, the movie you mentioned, The Legendary Bloodblade Detective, is about to release its fourth installment."
Lu Maoxian nodded. "Tell the Ghosthand Sect to make their move. Let them know the more they accomplish, the more they'll be rewarded. There's no limit."
***
The Third Hospital, Yuezhou.
He Haisheng left the ward and went downstairs for a smoke.
Once he started, he would smoke at least a whole pack. He Haisheng was a Smoking Cultivator, so smoking a lot was the main part of his cultivation.
Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, He Jiaqing pinched the button on his chest.
Today was the premiere of The Legendary Bloodblade Detective 4. He originally wanted to ask about the movie, but Ling Miaoying brought up the Lu Family first.
—Jiaqing, the Lu Family situation is getting more and more out of hand.
He Jiaqing had already heard about what happened to Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai. That matter was already plenty serious, and he couldn't imagine what could be even worse than that.
—Duan Shaoxia brought her nephew Zhang Huaiyi into her home. She says she wants him to change his surname and acknowledge him as part of the Lu Family. She even wants to hold a banquet to commemorate it.
"Zhang Huaiyi? As far as I know, he really is Lu Dongliang's illegitimate son. But his status... isn't right. There's no way the Lu Family would acknowledge him as their own. Whose idea was this? Monkey Qiu's? He can't have become that muddle-headed, right?"
—I think it's Duan Shaoxia's idea. She's probably panicking and grasping at straws. Jiaqing, are we going to interfere?
He Jiaqing laughed. "Why should we interfere? Let them tear each other apart. I'd like to see which side comes out on top. How are things on the movie side?"
Ling Miaoying had tried to use the Lu Family matter to steer the conversation away from the movie, but he failed.
—Jiaqing, our film reels were stolen.
He Jiaqing's expression darkened. "How many were taken?"
—Six copies.
On the day of the premiere, six film reels were stolen. That meant six theaters were unable to screen The Legendary Bloodblade Detective 4.
He Jiaqing fell silent for a moment before asking relatively calmly, "Who stole them?"
If Ling Miaoying answered that he didn't know, the situation would become troublesome. Fortunately, he had uncovered some clues.
—It was most likely the Ghosthand Sect.
"The Ghosthand Sect? Why would they steal film reels?"
—Someone definitely hired them.
"Who hired them?"
Ling Miaoying pondered for a long while.
—I'm still investigating.
He Jiaqing fell silent again. On the other end of the line, sweat dripped down Ling Miaoying's face profusely.
After a while, He Jiaqing finally spoke. "I'll write a letter for you. Deliver it personally to Xie Juncong, the Ghosthand Sect's leader, and have him tell you who's behind this."
Ling Miaoying wiped away his sweat.
—The Ghosthand Sect works for money. They probably won't reveal their client so easily. Moreover, Xie Juncong's cultivation level is not low. If I try to force him—
"There's no need to force him. Once he reads the letter, he'll tell you without any pressure from you."
***
That same night, someone delivered the letter into Ling Miaoying's hands. Not daring to delay the task, he immediately took it to an old residence east of the City God Temple in Houtang City. He knocked on the door three times and waited for a response from inside.
The gatekeeper called out, "Who is it?"
Ling Miaoying answered truthfully, "The Ling Family's third son has come to pay respects to Chief Xie."
The moment they heard someone from the Ling Family had arrived, everyone in the residence became very anxious.
Ling Miaoying could hear everything clearly from outside the gate, so he said, "Everyone, relax. I'm not here to cause trouble. I only came to deliver a letter to the chief."
The gatekeeper hurriedly relayed the message to Xie Juncong. The old man had just gone to bed, but upon hearing that Ling Miaoying had come to deliver a letter, he immediately placed two enchanted artifacts in his clothes and ordered his disciples to invite him inside.
When the two met, Xie Juncong cupped his fists in greeting. "Boss Ling, what advice do you have for me?"
He assumed Ling Miaoying had come to accuse him of stealing the film reels.
Xie Juncong wasn't afraid of accusations. He had dealt with this sort of thing many times before. Catching a thief required evidence, and without proof, he would never admit anything. Even if Ling Miaoying intended to use force, Xie Juncong could handle it.
To his surprise, Ling Miaoying truly had only come to deliver a letter.
Xie Juncong accepted the letter and unfolded it. The moment he read it, sweat beaded profusely across his forehead.
With his vast experience and high cultivation level, very few things in this world could make him break out in sweat.
Ling Miaoying was extremely curious about what exactly had been written in the letter.
However, Xie Juncong did not tell him what was written. Instead, he invited Ling Miaoying to sit down, then he gave him a deep, respectful bow. "Boss Ling, we accepted the wrong job and offended you. As for the film reels we stole from you, we already burned them as per our client's instructions. We've interfered with your business and caused delays, so we're willing to compensate you financially. Name your price."
Ling Miaoying was surprised. He admitted it? Xie Juncong actually confessed on his own volition? What method did Jiaqing use?
He couldn't figure it out.
"Let's consider the matter of the film reels settled, then. This time, I came to ask you, who was the client that requested this job?"
Xie Juncong's expression turned ugly. He did not want to answer because revealing a client's identity went against the Ghosthand Sect's rules.
Nevertheless, after hesitating for a long while, he answered, "It was the Lu Family's Grand Old Master, Lu Maoxian."
***
Upon receiving the news from Ling Miaoying, He Jiaqing was furious. "Lu Maoxian? Why is that old bastard causing trouble for us?"
—Our relationship with Old Master Lu has always been good, but some of the things he's done recently are hard to understand. A while ago, he hired a few writers to publish articles in the newspapers, hinting that certain movies carried improper intentions. I went to ask him about it, but Lu Maoxian claimed he was talking about someone else and that it had nothing to do with us. Then, sometime later, quite a few theaters stopped screening our films. I investigated again, and it turned out Lu Maoxian was stirring things up behind the scenes again."
He Jiaqing frowned. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
—Jiaqing, you haven't contacted me these past few days, and you also told me not to reach out to you on my own. I never had the chance to tell you.
He Jiaqing could not make sense of it. "Lu Maoxian has always wanted to become the Lu Family's head. We've helped him quite a bit in the past too, so why is he targeting us now?"
Ling Miaoying did not respond because she could not figure it out either.
After thinking for a while, He Jiaqing laughed. "That old bastard is doing business off our heads now."
—What do you mean by that?
He Jiaqing said, "The Lu Family brothers were definitely set up, and Lu Maoxian was certainly involved. But there's no way he could've pulled this off alone. He must have found a backer who gave him a hand. But nobody helps for free. That backer definitely demanded payment, and that payment is coming out from us."
—Who is his backer?
He Jiaqing replied calmly, "This backer is an important figure. It's very likely he had something to do with my encounter with the Green Beggar. Lu Maoxian, that old set of bones—he needs a proper beating. He already caused me to lose a hand before, and now he's causing trouble for us again. This time, we need to make it hurt, and we need to slap him right in the face. We'll wait and see how he responds, then we'll be able to trace his backer."
***
There were still two days left until the first of the seventh month. Lu Maoxian rented out the Drunken Immortal Tower and invited many members from the various branches of the Lu Family.
After several rounds of drinks, Lu Maoxian arranged a little show to liven up the banquet. He ordered his men to drag Zhang Bochu, Zhang Huaiyi's father, before the crowd with a rope around him and parade him around the hall once.
Once everyone had gotten a good look, two support hooks forced Zhang Bochu to kneel by Lu Maoxian's feet.
Lu Maoxian looked at Zhang Bochu with a benevolent expression and asked with a smile, "You wanted to stick your hands into the Lu Family?"
Zhang Bochu cried out, "No, I wouldn't dare."
His speech was unclear because all his teeth had been knocked out.
Lu Maoxian asked another question. "Your son wants to become the head of the Lu Family?"
Zhang Bochu cried himself senseless. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."
Lu Maoxian patted Zhang Bochu on the face and said with a smile, "Take your wife and son and get out of Greenwater City before the day is over. Otherwise, I'll send your whole family off together."
The moment he finished speaking, the entire Drunken Immortal Tower erupted into applause and cheers.
"Grand Old Master is mighty!"
"The Lu Family's reputation is still being upheld, all thanks to Grand Old Master!"
"Zhang, get your whole family out of here already! As long as our Grand Old Master is still alive, don't even think about touching a single yuan or fen belonging to the Lu Family!"
Zhang Bochu was thrown out of the Drunken Immortal Tower and crawled all the way back home in a miserable state.
Meanwhile, Lu Maoxian continued feasting and drinking. After the banquet, he even invited several famous opera singers from Greenwater City to take turns performing.
After three performances, Lu Maoxian was still unsatisfied. He summoned the troupe master and told him to switch to some livelier acts.
The troupe master was busy arranging the next performance with his people when an invisible wall suddenly trapped everyone backstage.
The troupe master panicked. He could not understand what had happened. He even thought they had offended Grand Old Master Lu by taking too long to change the performance.
A short while later, several men dressed in white shirts and gray vests unfurled a large screen on the stage. A movie was projected on it.
Lu Maoxian froze for a moment and ordered a support hook to question the theater owner about what was going on.
The Lu Family members had no idea what was happening and assumed this had all been arranged by Grand Old Master Lu himself.
The movie got straight to the point. The opening scene featured a beautiful young woman.
The young woman was very generous with her "conscience," displaying it boldly on the screen.
The members of the Lu Family watched with great interest and praised Lu Maoxian. "Our Grand Old Master really knows how to keep up with the times. This is practically on the level of The Legendary Bloodspear Detective. How did he know we like this sort of thing?"
A short while later, Lu Maoxian himself appeared on the screen.
The members of the Lu Family exclaimed in admiration, "Our Grand Old Master really is something else. He even acted in the movie."
A little later, Lu Maoxian smacked the young woman's "conscience" and mounted her.
The Lu Family members were stunned for a moment before continuing to give their praise. "He's actually doing it? It seems our Grand Old Master still has plenty of vigor! To think that he still has the ability to do this even at his age!"
A little while later, Lu Maoxian wiped away his sweat, bringing the conquest to an end.
The members of the Lu Family pondered for a moment before praising him again.
"Our Grand Old Master really is domineering. It was a bit short, but it's still impressive at his age."
Someone asked, "You mean the duration was short?"
"Not just the duration... Well, anyway, it was impressive!"
Lu Maoxian ground his teeth in fury, but he didn't dare move recklessly.
Standing behind him, Ling Miaoying lowered her voice and asked, "Grand Old Master Lu, how did you enjoy today's program?"
Lu Maoxian replied, "You want to kill me? If we truly fight to the death here, you may not get the chance to kill me."
There were many members of the Lu Family present, and Lu Maoxian was a level-seven cultivator. Ling Miaoying had seized the advantage of having the first move, but she might not actually be able to kill Lu Maoxian.
Ling Miaoying smiled. "Grand Old Master, it really isn't worth it to risk your life over something this trivial. It's only a short film. Why get so angry over it? If you're dissatisfied with today's show, I still have plenty of good material left. Tomorrow, I can even edit together a full movie and send it to the theaters. We'll call it The Vigorous Elder, Lu Maoxian. What do you think?"
1. In Chinese culture, when a man wears a green hat, it means his wife/girlfriend cheated on him. So this is saying that in exchange for wealth and status, Zhang Bochu is letting Zhang Huaiyi be officially acknowledged as Lu Dongliang’s son, openly letting everyone know that his wife had cheated on him. ☜
