Chapter 23 - 22: Intelligence Summary

Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Intelligence Summary

Early the next morning, the aroma of porridge and dishes filled the dining hall. During breakfast, Lu Jing’an carefully synchronized his Cultivation progress with Chen Xuan. Hearing that Lu Jing’an had already broken through to the Qi Blood Second Transformation, Chen Xuan’s face showed little surprise. In his heart, he had long believed that Lu Jing’an possessed extremely high Martial Arts talent. With exceptional talent and abundant resources, such a breakthrough was simply a matter of course in his eyes. This was exactly the impression Lu Jing’an had intentionally guided Chen Xuan to form from the very beginning.

After updating him on his Cultivation, Lu Jing’an casually mentioned the matter of finding a new sparring partner. Hearing this, Chen Xuan gently set down his spoon and spoke frankly.

"Situ Yiyun and Chen Heqing are already the best Martial Arts experts in this city. Their foundation and experience are top-notch. If we want to find a sparring partner even better than those two, it will take quite a few more days."

Lu Jing’an understood this reasoning. This matter truly could not be rushed.

After breakfast, Lu Jing’an resumed his solo training rhythm. In the courtyard, his posture was as steady as a boulder, hammering away at the wooden dummy time and time again to temper his foundation. Then, the wind from his fists surged. Even without an opponent to answer his strikes, every move was filled with abundant Power. His qi and blood flowed endlessly through his body alongside his fist forms. Although he temporarily lacked a sparring partner, he did not slack off on his hard work for a single moment.

Upon finishing his practice and packing up his energy, he tidied up a bit before heading out just like the previous days, leading several Nursing Home servants. Out on the long streets, whenever he heard people whispering to each other with even the slightest complaint or disrespect toward the Lu family, he showed no mercy. He would march straight over with his men to argue, which often escalated into physical fights at the slightest disagreement. Over the course of a few days, he vividly played the role of an incompetent, raging playboy who only knew how to vent his frustrations everywhere after his family was humiliated. His actions sparked endless gossip in every street and alley.

Naturally, the news reached Li Jinglin’s ears. Learning that Lu Jing’an had only behaved for one night before reverting to his old habits, a smile instead curled at the corners of his mouth. He felt even more reassured in his heart. The more the Lu family lost its composure and made fools of themselves in front of outsiders, the more he felt that everything was under control. The fiercer the Lu family acted out now, the bigger the face they would lose on the actual wedding day. By then, the sharp contrast would make the Li family’s prestige appear even more absolute.

Days slipped quietly away like fine sand through an hourglass.

It had been a full twenty days since Li Jinglin and his Fellows entered Yin Mountain County. Only eight days remained until the wedding. At that time, the eldest young master of the Li family would personally lead a procession to escort the bride. To show off the Li family’s illustrious extravagance, Li Jinglin’s men had been scattering large amounts of silver coins these past few days, making lavish arrangements everywhere.

Every household on both sides of the county’s main road was required to hang large red lanterns. As long as they hung them up, each household was immediately rewarded with ten silver coins. The surface of the main road also had to be completely repaved and leveled. This task naturally fell on the county magistrate’s shoulders, serving as a generous gift given in advance to make things convenient for the Li family’s eventual takeover.

Besides all this, the most crucial matter was the security arrangements for the day of the wedding procession. To address this, Li Jinglin had personally visited the Public Security Bureau for a closed-door meeting with Lu Huaiqian. Outsiders had no way of knowing what the two discussed, but after Li Jinglin left, the usually mild-tempered Lu Huaiqian actually smashed a cup. However, the fierce and swift retaliation from the Lu family that everyone expected did not immediately materialize. The only response was Lu Jing’an taking his men out to beat people up a bit more frequently that night. Other than that, the Lu family made no further moves. In the eyes of outsiders, the interpretation was quite unanimous: the Lu family had completely cowered.

Thinking about it, it was understandable. The Lu family’s foundation was shallow, having only recently risen to prominence. How could they possibly contend with a century-old prominent clan like the Xiaoshan Li family? The scale of Yin Mountain County was also far inferior to the wealthy Xiao County. Under such a massive disparity in strength, temporarily avoiding their sharp edge and swallowing this insult seemed to be the wisest choice.

The outside world’s various speculations and gazes completely failed to affect the atmosphere deep within the Lu family residence. At this moment, the doors and windows of Lu Huaiqian’s study were tightly shut. The lamplight cast several silhouettes onto the window paper. The three brothers—Lu Huaiqian, Lu Huaichuan, and Lu Huaisan—along with Lu Jing’an, were gathered here.

The first to break the silence was Lu Huaichuan. His voice was not loud, but it was organized and clear, every word landing steadily.

"Most of the properties the Lin family left behind in Yin Mountain County, including the grain shops, the dock warehouses, and the two Cha Mountains outside the city, have all been secretly acquired in batches by my people at around fifty percent of the market price. The paperwork is fully processed and it hasn’t drawn much attention. The Lin family’s liquid assets have also been gradually converted into the Lu family’s registered silver notes through several different banks. Early yesterday morning, Old Master Lin’s two most trusted elderly butlers left the city with the silver notes, heading separately toward the Provincial City.

"All of the Lin family’s liquidated properties, converted into silver coins, total 1,300,000. I have already personally contacted the people in the Provincial City. Any cashing involving this batch of silver notes must wait until they receive exact confirmation from our side before proceeding."

Lu Huaichuan left out no detail, clearly outlining the process and results of handling the Lin family’s properties over this period. After he finished speaking, Lu Huaiqian’s gaze slowly shifted to Lu Huaisan, who was sitting on the other side. Lu Huaisan’s face was stern and resolute. Understanding the cue, he nodded and spoke up.

"First Brother, according to our previous arrangements, I’ve already had my most reliable old brothers take their men to secure the western and northern directions in advance. We’ve locked down all mountain paths and waterways that allow for rapid passage. At several unavoidable and treacherous choke points, such as Eagle Ravine and Soul-Severing Slope, we’ve planted explosives and camouflaged them. Furthermore, we arranged two teams of unfamiliar faces to disguise themselves as traveling merchants and mountain folk. They left the city the day before yesterday, heading in the direction of Xiao County. Their mission is crystal clear: delay and obstruct the Li family’s wedding procession at any cost. They can definitely stall them until our business here is concluded."

After speaking, Lu Huaisan looked over at Lu Jing’an. Meeting his third uncle’s gaze, Lu Jing’an smiled faintly and took the initiative to speak.

"Third Uncle, I’m sure you have also investigated the personnel the Li family brought this time. Why don’t you share what you’ve found first? We can cross-reference our information; perhaps it will make our understanding more comprehensive."

Hearing this, a barely noticeable trace of embarrassment flashed across Lu Huaisan’s face. He hastily waved his hands in denial.

"Me? When did I ever specifically go check on those Li family experts? I’ve been so busy these days that my feet haven’t touched the ground. I barely had time to arrange the manpower for the blockades. I never went out of my way to contact anyone from the Li family..."

Lu Huaisan’s denial was a bit rushed, and to a discerning eye, his acting was truly rather clumsy. Ultimately, it was Lu Huaiqian who spoke up, telling Lu Huaisan to go ahead and share first.

Lu Huaisan did not speak immediately. Instead, he turned to Lu Jing’an with an unusually serious expression, even carrying a hint of apology.

"Jing’an, Third Uncle absolutely doesn’t distrust you. It’s just that this matter concerns the safety of the hundreds of lives in our Lu family, and even the future of our Mrs. Lu clan. Third Uncle is a rough man; I only know that being a little more careful means being a little more secure. That’s why I secretly had people look into it as well."

Lu Jing’an’s expression was calm as he met Lu Huaisan’s gaze.

"Third Uncle, I understand. The stakes are immense, and any slight oversight could lead to a catastrophic mistake. No matter how cautious we are, it’s warranted. Your private investigation was indeed a very secure move."

Relief and approval showed in Lu Huaisan’s eyes as he nodded heavily.

"Good boy, knowing you think this way puts Third Uncle at ease."

He cleared his throat and spoke seriously. "The Cultivators the Li family put out in the open are only two. One is that Ting Xiu, and the other is Lawrence, who stays at the guild hall overnight."

Shifting the conversation, Lu Huaisan continued, "Besides those two, there are three more Cultivators hidden in the wedding procession. Among them are two Martial Cultivators and a Smoke Cultivator.

"Out of these five people, that Voider Lawrence has the most imposing aura. His Cultivation should be the highest. Next are the two Martial Cultivators hidden in the procession. As for the Smoke Cultivator and the Ting Xiu, they feel about on par with each other."

After speaking, he cast another slightly apologetic glance at Lu Jing’an, as if feeling that he had investigated too thoroughly and left no room for his nephew to add anything.

Lu Huaiqian waited for him to finish. He lightly tapped his fingers twice on the smooth rosewood armrest of his chair before fully turning his gaze to Lu Jing’an and speaking slowly.

"Jing’an, now, tell us what you have found."

Lu Jing’an’s sitting posture remained unchanged as he spoke calmly.

"Third Uncle has investigated very carefully, and the general situation is indeed as you said. However, there are some discrepancies regarding the exact numbers and details. Besides the Ting Xiu and Lawrence out in the open, the hidden Cultivators in the Li family’s wedding procession are not three, but five."

"Five?!" Lu Huaisan raised his eyebrows, unable to hide his surprise.

Lu Jing’an nodded affirmatively and continued.

"The Smoke Cultivator you mentioned, Third Uncle, should be that gaunt, gray-clad elder who almost never lets his Tobacco Pouch leave his mouth. The other two Martial Cultivators are actually twin brothers. Not only do they look extremely similar, but their Cultivation is also quite close. Both are at the level of the Qi Blood Third Transformation.

"Apart from these three, there is another person in the procession using the identity of an Illusionist as cover. The Li family publicly claimed they hired him to perform and entertain at the wedding banquet. This person has clever techniques, is skilled in sleight of hand, and hides his aura quite well. Third Uncle’s people might have overlooked him, mistaking him for an ordinary Jianghu street performer."

Pausing for a moment, Lu Jing’an went on. "As for the fifth person, he has never officially met up with the Li family’s wedding procession. He has always operated alone, and his movements are extremely covert. But I can confirm that after Li Jinglin arrived in this county, he went out alone at least three times to meet him in secret. This person is also a Martial Cultivator, and his strength is no lesser than Lawrence’s."

Speaking up to this point, Lu Jing’an shifted the conversation. "This person shouldn’t be in the city right now. He has already left, and his target is clear: it’s the Lin family’s silver notes worth 1,300,000 silver coins."