Lanke Chess Edge-Chapter 354: Master of the Lu Family

Lu Shan Jun’s movements seemed as though he were fleeing, but he was quite fast. To Luo Ling and Luo Feng, it appeared as though he disappeared into the night in just a few flashes.
Lu Chengfeng stood there, panting, his face covered in cold sweat, feeling as though he had been granted a pardon.
“Whoosh…whoosh…”
A gust of cold wind swept by, and everyone present instinctively shivered. Although they could not see the underworld messengers passing by, they were jolted back to their senses by this gust of cold energy.
Luo Ling withdrew his gaze from the distance, exchanged a glance with Luo Feng, and then the two looked at Lu Chengfeng together.
“Nephew Lu, what happened just now…”
Lu Chengfeng took a deep breath and, quite relieved, bowed with cupped hands in a gesture of respect towards Luo Ling and Luo Feng.
“It’s a long story. If the two masters wish to hear it, I will tell you in detail, but it is not appropriate to divulge it to outsiders.”
Ultimately, since Luo Ningshuang was also involved, Lu Chengfeng felt it was best to inform the two masters.
Luo Feng nodded to his elder brother, then turned to face the servants in the courtyard.
“No one is allowed to spread what happened tonight, understand?”
Many of the servants were still reeling from the shock of the earlier clash between top experts. Upon hearing Luo Feng’s words, they reflexively agreed.
Half an hour later, in Luoxia Villa, Luo Ling, Luo Feng, and Lu Chengfeng took their seats one after another and dismissed all the servants.
“Third brother, how is your hand?”
Luo Feng flexed his right hand and frowned.
“Although it looks like a severe injury, the bones were fractured, not broken; the tissue is intact, and I have not lost any sensation in my hand. With my Innate Realm True Qi, my body has an extremely strong recovery ability. With the help of some ointment, it will naturally heal in less than two months.”
Luo Ling nodded. He personally picked up the teapot, poured tea, and served a cup to Luo Feng and Lu Chengfeng.
“Nephew Lu, your father and I are old friends. Let’s talk about what happened today.”
“Thank you, Master Luo.”
Lu Chengfeng thanked him, then spoke slowly after he had taken some time to recall the events that had transpired.
“I’m sure the two masters noticed before that that man’s strength was not so much due to his exceptional martial arts skills, but rather because of his incredibly strong physique. If you add that to the scene of Lan Ningke being devoured, it’s not hard to deduce that he was not actually human.”
Lu Chengfeng didn’t keep them in suspense. He sighed before continuing.
“If there are no unexpected factors, then this man was in fact a monster, and the debt he mentioned is indeed real…”
“A monster!?”
Although Luo Ling and Luo Feng had some suspicions, they were still taken aback when they heard this information.
“That’s right, he is a tiger from Niu Kui Mountain that has transformed into human form…”
Lu Chengfeng recounted the events of that year as he remembered them. Luo Ling and Luo Feng were both shocked and incredulous, but they had no choice but to believe the facts.
“So, even Ningshuang is in danger?”
“It’s very likely.”
Luo Feng flexed his right hand and frowned.
“But if such a monster intends to harm Ningshuang, we cannot stop it!”
Lu Chengfeng could only try his best to reassure them.
“Judging from the tiger spirit’s actions, he is very principled. Although we had this agreement, he is by no means a cruel and bloodthirsty individual. Otherwise, he would not have let me go. Junior Sister Luo married early and stayed at home to take care of her husband and children. She would not do anything evil. I don’t think the tiger spirit would harm her.”
“Alas, I hope so.”
Now that things had come to this point, this was all Luo Ling could say. But Luo Feng thought of something even more crucial.
“So, the blind man I met once at the inn was Mr. Ji?”
When Ji Yuan was mentioned, Lu Chengfeng showed genuine respect.
“That’s right, that was Mr. Ji. It is because of Mr. Ji that I am willing to believe that the tiger spirit wouldn’t harm people indiscriminately. This agreement applies both to the nine of us as well as to the tiger spirit; that monster also needs to cultivate the righteous path.”
“Then is it possible to find Mr. Ji?”
Hearing Luo Feng’s words, Lu Chengfeng shook his head.
“I am not at liberty to disclose Mr. Ji’s residence. Moreover, he travels all over the world and is not home most of the time, so it is impossible to find him in a short time.”
Luo Ling was still a little worried.
“Even so, we still can’t be sure that Ningshuang is alright. Third brother, you continue to stay at the manor here. I will go back to Luoxia Villa immediately to check on Ningshuang. If things go wrong, we’ll move her to the capital for temporary refuge.”
“Alright, eldest brother, you be careful too!”
The three masters of Luoxia Villa were quite close. Of the three, Luo Ling and Luo Feng each had two sons, while the second master only had one daughter, Luo Ningshuang. Everyone treated Luo Ningshuang like their own, and was no exaggeration to say that she was the apple of Luoxia Villa’s eye.
After exchanging a few words, Luo Ling immediately got up and headed towards Desheng Prefecture.
…
On the other side, Lu Shanjun spent some time using some tricks to shake off the two nighttime patrol officers. After wandering around outside the city for a while, he returned and re-entered from the other side.
Lu Shanjun actually agreed with Lu Chengfeng’s words to a certain extent. The so-called principle of chivalry should only extend to acts that could be done within one’s ability. In fact, he had already understood this tenet when he first met Luo Ningshuang.
As long as those nine people didn’t commit any heinous or immoral acts and lived their own lives honestly, nothing would happen to them. At most, they would be intimidated and feel self-conscious for the rest of their lives.
After returning to the prefectural city, Lu Shan Jun concealed his presence and aura, then wandered through the streets and alleys to a slightly secluded inn. He easily reached the door of one of the rooms.
Inside was Fan Tong. Although he had attacked Jiang Meng and Lan Ningke with a blade that evening, the government of Duming Prefecture did not intervene.
They had only arrived at the scene primarily because the restaurant had ed the scuffle to the authorities. Fan Tong compensated the restaurant for its losses and reached a settlement. Since no one else ed the case, so long as it didn’t affect people’s livelihoods, the principle of “what happens in the martial world stays in the martial world” would naturally apply,
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and the government didn’t take any further action.
Therefore, Fan Tong now returned to the inn to rest.
After what had happened, Fan Tong couldn’t sleep at all. He didn’t know when the Fan family had become acquainted with such a powerful expert, and he couldn’t understand why this person hadn’t appeared when the Fan family was in trouble.
But no matter what, this was a good thing. The Fan family’s biggest enemies were Jiang Meng and Lan Ningke. As long as that expert could avenge the Fan family, the Fan family was willing to pay any price. Either way, they had nothing left to lose.
“I wonder if Lan Ningke is dead.”
Fan Tong murmured, drinking a cup of tea and muttering to himself.
“He’s dead.”
A detached voice came from outside the door, startling Fan Tong, before he suddenly grew overjoyed. He quickly got up and went to open the door, where he found Lu Shan Jun standing in the hall.
“Benefactor, have you already killed Lan Ningke?”
“Yes, and there’s no trace of his remains.”
Lu Shanjun spoke these words casually, yet he possessed a convincing charisma that made Fan Tong extremely happy.
“Excellent, hahaha, excellent! Heaven’s justice is clear, and retribution is swift. These people will all eventually reap what they sow. By the way, I still don’t know your esteemed name, benefactor, and what your relationship is with my Fan family?”
Fan Tong excitedly clenched his fist and then bowed respectfully to Lu Shan Jun in greeting.
Lu Shan Jun entered the room, took a teacup, poured himself a cup of tea, and looked back at Fan Tong.
“My name is Lu Shan Jun. I have no particularly close relationship with your Fan family, and I will not concern myself with the remaining grudges of your Fan family.”
Fan Tong’s smile froze, but he forced a smile and poured Lu Shan Jun another cup of tea.
“Benefactor, you have already avenged the Fan family by eliminating Lan Ningke and Jiang Meng, so we naturally cannot ask for anything more.”
“Haha, you are quite sensible.”
Lu Shan Jun smiled, thinking that this predestined connection would please his master greatly. He then sat down to continue speaking.
“In that case, I won’t be stingy. How about this: you can ask Lu Chengfeng for help in the future and ask him to take care of your Fan family. Just say it’s on my behalf; on behalf of Lu Shan Jun.”
“Lu Chengfeng?”
Fan Tong was slightly puzzled. They both shared the surname Lu, so was he someone who was close with Senior Lu Shan Jun?
Lu Shanjun, of course, was unaware of what Fan Tong was thinking, and spoke frankly.
“Lu Chengfeng is a member of the Lu family of Cloud Pavilion. The Jade Cloud Pavilion in this city that is also a Cloud Pavilion property. You can find him there. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, as long as they are reasonable, just go to him. His reputation will likely rise after your martial arts tournament.”
With these words, Lu Shan Jun finished his tea and left the inn room. Fan Tong immediately went to see him off, but when he got outside, he found that there was no one in the corridor.
“Such terrifying skill in qinggong, it’s simply unbelievable!”
Overwhelmed with excitement, Fan Tong sighed and returned to his room. With the help of the Lu family of Cloud Pavilion, the Fan family might truly be able to turn their fortunes around. Most crucially, the Lu family actually possessed such an extraordinary individual who was not only talented in martial arts but also appeared remarkably youthful.
Of course, his true age was definitely much older than he appeared; he must have mastered the art of preserving his youth. At least, Fan Tong didn’t believe that he was really only in his twenties.
Fan Tong had heard that Cloud Pavilion had long since declined, so he naturally imagined a possibility: that the Lu family of Cloud Pavilion had a master who had been secretly been cultivating their martial arts elsewhere, unaware of the great changes that had befallen Cloud Pavilion. Now that he had returned, Cloud Pavilion would naturally rise again.
That must have been why he had said that Lu Chengfeng’s reputation would rise after this martial arts tournament.
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The more he thought about it, the more he grew convinced, and the more excited he became. Fan Tong swept away the gloom in his heart that had lingered for so many years, felt that the future of the Fan family was bright. At least, he no longer had to live in fear.
…
On the city wall of the prefecture’s capital, Ji Yuan, dressed in white robes, lay reclining on the eaves of the roof, his left arm supporting his head, looking out of the city. Lu Shan Jun had just left moments ago.
At that moment, two blurry black shadows flashed, transforming into two underworld officials dressed in official robes and tall hats, standing on the city wall below. These were none other than the Left and Right Envoys of the Night Patrol of Duming Prefecture.
“Mr. Ji, the City God wishes to invite you to visit the underworld of Duming Prefecture. Would you be interested in going?”
Ji Yuan straightened up, slid down from the heights onto the city wall, and bowed to the two night patrol officers. The latter did not dare be negligent and hurriedly returned the bow.
“I will not bother you any longer. Please give my regards to the City God. Thank you both for your understanding regarding tonight’s events.”
Although he knew that the underworld was unlikely to catch Lu Shan Jun, Ji Yuan was here, and sorting out the situation was only a matter of saying a few words, so there was no need to let the misunderstanding escalate.
“Making and keeping promises is only proper. We are not unreasonable. Mr. Ji, you are too kind.”
Hearing the Night Wanderer’s righteous words, Ji Yuan simply smiled. This matter was dependent on both the situation and the person. If he hadn’t been there, the monster’s attack might have been far more severe.
Without saying anything more, Ji Yuan nodded and then stepped into the air, leaving Duming Prefecture’s capital behind.
Having met Luo Ningshuang, Lu Chengfeng, and Lan Ningke, Lu Shan Jun’s worldly perspective should have become much more comprehensive. As expected of Ji Yuan’s valued disciple, he didn’t need Ji Yuan to correct him at all. He had a good character and good judgment.
T/n: Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!
Technically just “the martial world is the martial world” but it gives me a kind of primal glee to think of the martial world as a more fighting-focused Las Vegas
T/n: LOL hey Fan Tong, you ever think about being a NovelFire writer? You could make bank on these plots XD