Chapter 154 - 114: Lu Huaisan, Death Sentence

Chapter 154: Chapter 114: Lu Huaisan, Death Sentence

The sky outside the window was oppressively dark. Leaden clouds hung low, looking as if they might come crashing down at any moment.

The winter wind from the river blew through the courtyard, rattling the bare branches and carrying a damp, cold, fishy stench.

Perhaps Bai Lang was too confident in his own strength.

Or maybe, coming from the Provincial City, he looked down on the rural demons of Yin Mountain County.

Or perhaps, in Bai Lang’s own eyes, the men of the Wolf Camp were nothing more than consumables.

So, without any investigation or probing attacks...

Bai Lang set off with his men and ships.

Under such circumstances, the outcome was predictable.

He and his men had left in the morning, the sound of the steam whistles carrying far across the river.

By the time they returned at noon, only one of the two Ironclad Ships remained.

The bow of the returning ship was caved in, its steel plates twisted.

It looked as if it had been struck by some immense force.

There were two distinct gashes on its side, and river water was still seeping in. The pumps in the bilge were buzzing loudly.

They had lost nearly two-thirds of their men.

Among the thirty-some men who returned, almost every one was wounded.

Some had their arms in slings, with blood seeping through the bandages.

Others had claw marks on their faces, the flesh torn open.

Two more were carried off the ship, unconscious and with faint breath.

The bloodstains that hadn’t been cleaned from the deck, under the bleak winter sun,

had dried to a dark, dull brown.

The air was thick with the smell of blood, gunpowder, and the faint, rank stench of a demon.

Bai Lang himself was also injured.

A gash had been torn in his left forearm. Although it was no longer bleeding,

the torn flesh was still visible through the rip in his uniform sleeve.

It was a sorry sight, but the expedition wasn’t a complete failure.

The Snake Demon in the water had been severely wounded.

According to the survivors, Bai Lang had used his full strength to slice the Snake Demon’s bucket-thick body in two.

Its lower half, tail and a portion of its torso, had sunk directly to the bottom of the murky river.

The upper half, gushing Demon Blood, had escaped into the deep water.

With such a grievous injury, even if the Snake Demon didn’t die,

it would take at least a year or two to recover.

Most likely, it had already fled downriver.

Demons were not unintelligent. Knowing there was something here that could threaten its life, it naturally wouldn’t linger.

Though it was a pyrrhic victory, the battle had nonetheless established the fearsome reputation of Bai Lang and his men.

The merchants who had come demanding an explanation that morning reappeared en masse at the Water Patrol Bureau’s entrance that afternoon after hearing of the battle’s outcome.

This time, they carried in their hands and had servants follow behind with actual consolation gifts.

Whole sides of pork, baskets of eggs, and neatly wrapped medicinal herbs.

There were also trays covered with red cloth, which naturally held Silver Coins.

Bai Lang accepted it all without question.

He even set up a simple tea reception in the bureau, having a few of the more lightly injured Wolf Camp soldiers stand guard on either side, blades in hand.

He himself sat in the seat of honor, leisurely sipping hot tea.

"The Snake Demon is dealt with. The river will be safe again soon."

Bai Lang set down his teacup. His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached every person’s ears clearly.

"However, the Water Patrol Bureau requires resources to protect the peace of this region.

From now on, if you all wish to continue receiving the Bureau’s protection,

the monthly escort fees, based on ship tonnage and cargo value, will be paid according to the old rules."

The people below all nodded in agreement, their faces plastered with smiles.

Bai Lang’s tone shifted, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Also, there’s one more thing. My Wolf Camp is new here. To establish a foothold, we must distinguish friend from foe."

Bai Lang paused, his voice turning a few degrees colder.

"From this day forward, anyone who cooperates with my Water Patrol Bureau must completely sever all commercial ties with the Lu Family.

Do not use the Lu Family’s shipping for your goods, do not conduct financial transactions with the Lu Family, and do not associate with the Lu Family.

If anyone violates this..."

Bai Lang didn’t finish, but everyone understood the unspoken threat.

Some faces paled slightly; others lowered their heads in silence.

Bai Lang took in everyone’s reaction, then softened his tone, saying:

"Of course, if someone is willing to go a step further...

their future escort fees may be reduced by thirty to fifty percent, depending on the situation."

What "a step further" meant, Bai Lang didn’t say explicitly.

But everyone present was a seasoned veteran of the business world; who wouldn’t understand?

Kick them while they’re down.

The Lu Family was now being targeted by the Bai Family. With their business on both land and water suppressed, they were at their weakest.

If one were to stab the Lu Family in the back at this moment—for example, by reporting some old misdeeds,

or by snapping up the properties the Lu Family was desperate to sell at low prices, or by poaching their key Shopkeepers and assistants—that would be "going a step further."

The hall fell silent.

The only sounds were the soft crackling of charcoal in the brass basin and the whistling wind outside the window.

No one agreed immediately.

First, the Public Security Bureau was still in the Lu Family’s hands. Lu Huaiqian had been its chief for over a decade, and his roots ran deep.

Second, in front of such a large crowd, no one dared to be the first to stick their neck out.

After all, the world was unpredictable. What if the Lu Family made a comeback?

Bai Lang didn’t press them. He lifted his teacup and took another sip, the steam obscuring half his face.

"You may all go back and think it over. However, once the river is clear and the trade routes reopen, the first to act will be the first to profit."

Bai Lang waved his hand, and soldiers stepped forward to politely escort the merchants, each lost in their own thoughts, out the door.

Watching their backs disappear beyond the courtyard gate, a faint, cold smirk touched Bai Lang’s lips.

Wealth stirs the heart, and power emboldens.

An eternal truth.

...

「Lu Family’s Old Mansion, Warm Pavilion.」

Lu Jing’an leaned back in a rattan chair padded with a thick velvet cushion.

The charcoal in the brazier burned brightly, the red glow illuminating half his face, making the light and shadows shift uncertainly.