Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

Chapter 400 - 275 Losing is Not an Option_2

Lu Maoxian pondered for a moment before taking out a handkerchief from his bosom.

The handkerchief was golden-yellow, embroidered with coiling dragons and cloud patterns.

"This is bestowed by the Saint," Lu Maoxian handed the handkerchief over to He Haiqin.

He Haiqin looked at the handkerchief and nodded slightly. He wasn’t surprised by this outcome.

"The second matter," he asked, "you said that you encountered my son Jia Qing at the cinema. Was that true or false?"

"It is absolutely true."

Was Lu Maoxian certain that the person he saw in the cinema was He Jiaqing? He was not sure. But it was the Saint who had said it. The Saint claimed that He Jiaqing had impersonated Zhou Changhong. What the Saint said was definitely right, and if there was a mistake, it wasn’t Lu Maoxian’s fault. If He Haiqin were to question why he let the information leak out, Lu Maoxian would directly state that it was the Saint’s command; after all, He Haiqin already knew the Saint’s identity.

He Haiqin didn’t ask any further about He Jiaqing. He said, "By seniority, I should call you uncle, Uncle Lu. If you become the head of the Lu Family in the future, you must not forget tonight’s incident."

Lu Maoxian nodded. "I absolutely won’t forget your kindness."

"Words alone are not reliable. Shouldn’t we make a written agreement?" He Haiqin had prepared the Contract Book in advance.

The Contract Books detailed many matters, some of which Lu Maoxian could decide upon, and others which he could not.

"The matters that I can’t decide upon, I really can’t do anything about..."

"The Contract Book is clear. We can wait, wait until the day when you can decide," replied He Haiqin.

Lu Maoxian hesitated for a moment before signing the Contract Book. He didn’t dare not sign.

He Haiqin took the Contract Book, smiled, and said, "Uncle Lu, you should aspire to become the Family Head sooner rather than later. Of Lu Dongliang’s two sons, one is dead, and the other has become an idiot. But Monkey Qiu is not someone to be taken lightly. I myself am not a cruel person, and if that idiot recovers one day, then the Family Head position might no longer be yours."

This was a warning to Lu Maoxian. Lu Yuanhai’s condition wasn’t irreversible. Monkey Qiu might find a way. If Lu Maoxian refused to comply, He Haiqin could also cure Lu Yuanhai.

After speaking, He Haiqin turned and walked away.

Lu Maoxian stood in place, his clothes completely soaked through. It was truly a matter of life and death! Master’s intentions are unfathomable. He told me not to mind He Haiqin, and now I see why. Can I still go to Black Stone Slope now? No, I can’t. With Lu Yuanshan dead and Lu Yuanhai turned into an idiot, the Lu Family is bound to be in great chaos. Now is a good opportunity to vie for the position of Family Head.

Lu Maoxian raced back to his residence, immediately gathering his subordinates to prepare to face Monkey Qiu first. He will definitely come. If he doesn’t, I’ll go looking for him. If I can take this chance to kill him, the Lu Family will be mine, and no one will be able to stop me!

Amidst his anxiety and excitement, a young man dressed in white quietly entered the yard.

In the entire residence, nobody but Lu Maoxian noticed the young man in white’s appearance.

"Junior Brother, why have you come?"

The young man in white smiled. "If I hadn’t come, would you still be alive? Why did you want to go to Black Stone Slope?"

So, it was this Junior Brother who had been pulling the strings.

Lu Maoxian quickly explained, "I went to Black Stone Slope to eliminate that group filming movies for Master..."

The young man in white frowned. "So you’re saying the disturbance at Black Stone Slope has something to do with you?"

"The disturbance..." Realizing the situation was not in his favor, Lu Maoxian changed his tone. "I went to Black Stone Slope to see if the disturbance was caused by the movies."

The young man in white sighed deeply. "Senior Brother, at this point, you’re still resorting to these useless excuses. Even if you can deceive me, do you really think you can deceive Master?"

Lu Maoxian’s heart leaped into his throat. He had no idea what he had done wrong. "It was Master who told me to suppress the trend of the film..."

"Master asked you to suppress the rebellious trend in films, not to target that vulgar movie," said the youth in white.

The vulgar movie he referred to was "Blood Gun Detective."

"That movie, it corrupts public morals..."

The youth in white shook his head. "Senior Brother, I really don’t know what to say to you."

Lu Maoxian had no idea how to explain himself. "Junior Brother, please enlighten me. Which film was Master actually referring to?"

The youth in white said, "It has a name somewhat similar to the one you’ve been focused on."

Similar in name? "Blood Blade Detective"? The movie produced by the Ling Family? Does that film contain rebellious discourse?

Truthfully, Lu Maoxian hadn’t watched it seriously. He told everyone that "Blood Blade Detective" was a good movie, profound in meaning, and that too few people understood it. But this was just a conversational tactic, a way to break the ice; he had little interest in the movie itself. He had watched "Blood Gun Detective" seriously, as that movie was quite special. He never expected that the one that disgusted the Saint was "Blood Blade Detective."

Lu Maoxian came to a sudden realization. "Junior Brother, I misunderstood Master’s intentions. Is there still a chance to make things right?"

"There is," the youth in white nodded. "Since the names are similar, Master might not be able to distinguish them clearly either. If I’m a bit vague in my report, we might be able to gloss over the matter. However, if Master decides to investigate thoroughly, it won’t look good for me, and I might even be implicated."

At his age, Lu Maoxian naturally understood the implication. He took out a check and stuffed it into the hands of the youth in white. "Thank you for your trouble, Junior Brother."

Taking the check without a change in expression, the youth in white said, "Senior Brother, Master has taken care of the He Family’s matters for you and smoothed the way for the Lu Family’s affairs. In the future, stay out of Black Stone Slope’s affairs. Push all blame for any mistakes onto Tang Peigong and Wu Decheng. That’s all I have to say."

Lu Maoxian bowed again, respectfully seeing the youth in white out of the residence.

In the Lu Family Mansion, Qiu Zhiheng was in his small building, reading a magazine freshly delivered from Black Stone Slope.

Coachman Tan Fucheng rushed in, panicked. "Head Qiu, something terrible has happened! The two young masters have had an accident."

Qiu Zhiheng hurried to the main house, only to hear Madam Duan Shaoxia wailing, "My son, what’s happened to you!"

Lu Yuanhai lay on the ground, his mouth and eyes twisted, his face slack.

"Fucheng, what happened?" Qiu Zhiheng asked.

"Head Qiu, the two young masters went to see the old master and were ambushed," replied Tan Fucheng.

"Why did they go to see the old master?" Duan Shaoxia cried.

Tan Fucheng didn’t know how to respond. Qiu Zhiheng signaled him to keep quiet for now.

Soon after the doctor arrived, Qiu Zhiheng had Lu Yuanhai taken upstairs for treatment. He ordered the staff and assorted visitors to be confined to their rooms and not to leave. Then, he took Duan Shaoxia and Tan Fucheng to the study to discuss matters in private.

Tan Fucheng recounted the events. "The two young masters met with He Haiqin, intending to settle things with the old master once and for all. Unexpectedly, they were attacked, leaving the second young master in this state..."

"What about Yuanshan?" asked Duan Shaoxia.

Tan Fucheng looked at Duan Shaoxia and shook his head slightly.

Duan Shaoxia’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

After reviving Duan Shaoxia, she grabbed Qiu Zhiheng by the collar and demanded, "Xiao Qiu, why didn’t you stop them? Why?"

Qiu Zhiheng remained silent.

"Madam, this isn’t Head Qiu’s fault," Tan Fucheng said. "He knew nothing about this."

Duan Shaoxia, gripping Qiu Zhiheng, pleaded, "Give me back my sons! Give me back my sons!"

PS: Lu Yuanshan was a very scheming man who could have gone much further, but there are some gambles you just can’t afford to lose. Just as there are gambles He Haiqin is not willing to take, so he chose limited cooperation.