Chapter 173 - 118: You Dug Your Own Grave

Chapter 173: Chapter 118: You Dug Your Own Grave

Two more collapsed right where they stood and had to be dragged out.

When the nine names had been called, nine ashen-faced men stood in the courtyard.

Lu Jing’an descended the steps, his boots making dull thuds on the damp green bricks.

Lu Jing’an paced a few steps in front of the nine men, his calm gaze sweeping over their trembling faces.

"You know full well why you nine have been singled out."

Lu Jing’an stopped, his voice still devoid of inflection.

"Wanting to climb the ladder is not wrong.

But using underhanded tactics, framing your colleagues, and fabricating rumors—that is where you went wrong."

"Bureau Chief! Bureau Chief, have mercy!"

A tall, thin man who was being held down suddenly started to wail.

"It was Bai Lang! He forced me! He said if I didn’t do it, he’d have me pack my bags and get lost!

My old mother is sick at home, I can’t lose this job!"

Lu Jing’an looked at him, his eyes devoid of warmth.

"Bai Lang forced you. Did you ever try coming to me?"

Lu Jing’an retorted.

Answering his own question, Lu Jing’an’s voice grew heavy.

"Not only did you do it, you did it with exceptional enthusiasm."

The tall, thin man’s wails abruptly ceased, all the color draining from his face.

Lu Jing’an’s gaze returned to the remaining men. "For the rest of you, if you wish to stay, you may. Your salary and benefits will remain unchanged."

"If you wish to leave, I will not stand in your way."

These men were just here to make a living.

So, naturally, they all chose to stay.

However, they saw that the men who had left that day were now doing the same work for double the pay.

Some of their former subordinates had even turned around and become their superiors.

It was impossible to say they didn’t feel a sting of jealousy.

But these were the consequences of their own choices.

They could only blame themselves for being both short-sighted and cowardly.

He turned. "Director Liu."

"Here!"

"Transfer these nine to the Public Security Bureau in accordance with the law. Re-examine every case file they ever handled."

Having given his orders, Lu Jing’an turned to face the others in the courtyard.

"The rest of you, back to your posts.

Starting today, we resume daily river patrol drills.

In five days, I want to see this Water Patrol Bureau looking like a proper Water Patrol Bureau."

"Sir!"

The men roared their assent, the sound echoing through the empty rear courtyard.

It startled a few jackdaws from the eaves, which flew with a FLUTTER of wings into the lead-gray sky.

Lu Jing’an watched the black dots recede into the distance and let out a gentle puff of white breath.

...

「Five days slipped by in the blink of an eye.」

The fog on the Canglan River seemed to have grown even thicker.

Some people still risked transporting their goods.

But without exception, they were all attacked by the Snake Demon.

As the news reached the docks, another layer of panic set in.

The merchants from the three counties were getting truly desperate.

The raw silk in their warehouses was growing damp, the tea leaves were taking on strange odors, and the medicinal herbs were turning moldy.

Silver coins flowed out like water, but the goods piled up, unable to be converted into cash.

Creditors started knocking, and they could barely make payroll for their workers.

The once-bustling teahouses and taverns were now filled with sighing shopkeepers.

A cup of cold tea sat before each of them, but no one had the heart to drink.

"Lu Lutong... When in the world is Lu Lutong going to reopen?!"

Boss Sun tore at his thinning hair, his eyes bloodshot from sleepless nights.

"The permit from the province should be here any day now," Boss Zhou said, his voice hoarse.

"I asked a favor of Director Li from the Civil Affairs Department. He said the Hu Family has softened their stance a bit."

"What damn good is ’softening their stance’!" Shopkeeper Wang from the grain company slammed his fist on the table.

"I need ships! I need to get my goods out!"

Just as the clamor reached its peak, a fellow ran in from outside, panting for breath. "B-Boss! The permit... The permit is here! Lu Lutong... The ban is lifted!"

The entire hall fell silent for a moment.

Then, with a RUMBLE, everyone shot to their feet, sending chairs clattering to the floor.

"Really?!"

"It’s absolutely true! The notice has already been posted! It has the great seal of the Provincial Government!"

"Let’s go! To the Lu Family!"

The crowd surged out of the teahouse, not even bothering to call for rickshaws. They just hiked up the hems of their long gowns and ran toward the west side of the city.

The post-snow slush splattered their robes and trousers with mud, but no one cared.

But when the ecstatic crowd found Lu Huaisan,

He calmly informed them that the Snake Demon in the Canglan River was too powerful.

Lu Lutong did not dare send out its ships; they would have to wait until the Snake Demon was eliminated.

Only then would Lu Lutong dare to resume shipping, and he promised their goods would be the first to be transported.

His words shattered the composure of the patriarchs and shopkeepers.

If the threat of the Snake Demon were gone, they would dare to ship the goods themselves.

They wouldn’t need Lu Lutong at all.

The whole reason they couldn’t run their ships was precisely because of the Snake Demon.

Wasn’t their whole hope that Lu Lutong, with the backing of the Water Patrol Bureau, would be the one to do it?

Otherwise, why would they have gone to such great lengths to help Lu Lutong get its ban lifted?

Hearing the disrespectful muttering from the crowd, Lu Huaisan’s expression darkened.

"Shopkeeper Sun, what is the meaning of this?"

"Back then, my Lu Lutong was shut down precisely because of your false accusations.

Now, you have merely corrected your own mistake."

"And just because you’ve corrected your mistake, you expect me to be eternally grateful?

You expect me to lead my men into mortal danger for you? Does that make any sense?"

Lu Huaisan’s words left the shopkeepers completely speechless.

They finally understood.

They were now suffering the consequences of their own actions.

However, Lu Huaisan’s refusal to send out the ships wasn’t just because of the Snake Demon.

It was also because, just moments before, the Lu Family had received an invitation from the Hu Family.

The Hu Family had invited the Lu Family to help assassinate Commander Bai on the night of the Little New Year.