Chapter 208: Persuasion
Lu Yun’s heart sank, knowing it was time for the Steward of Observation to question him about the events.
“Reporting to Uncle,” meeting Lu Kan’s scrutinizing gaze, Lu Yun replied softly, “When I secretly investigated Cuihe Garden, I followed the blueprint obtained from the Merchant Family and found the secret room where Xie Min stored the gold. Besides taking a piece of gold as evidence, I also poured an entire bottle of ‘Shadow Chaser’ onto the remaining gold ingots.”
“Shadow Chaser?” Lu Kan paused, then realized, “That is something exclusive to the White Ape Society!” As the head of a clan’s intelligence, he was naturally knowledgeable and knew that ‘Shadow Chaser’ was concocted by the assassin organization, White Ape Society, from several rare herbs found in the deep mountains and old forests outside the passes. It appeared as a colorless liquid with a faint scent. Hounds were extremely sensitive to this scent, and could track it even if it had been applied to a target days ago.
“Our clan doesn’t even have this item, where did you obtain it?” Lu Kan pressed.
“Young Lady Shang gave it to me,” Lu Yun answered. “They were very apologetic for inadvertently aiding evil, so they generously offered their assistance.”
“Hmph!” Lu Kan was somewhat annoyed, saying, “Fifty thousand taels of silver for such a small bottle, I don’t see their generosity.”
“So when I discovered Pei Yukou’s troop was a feint,” Lu Yun ignored Lu Kan’s grumbling and continued, “I immediately took the hounds and tracked the scent. I finally caught up to them before they reached the dock.” Every word Lu Yun spoke was true, but he intentionally omitted several crucial pieces of information.
In the end, the Lu Clan was the Lu Clan, and he was himself; they were ultimately two different paths, and Lu Yun would not reveal what he could conceal.
“I see, you are indeed very meticulous,” Lu Kan praised, then changed the subject, “But aren’t you too daring? I see such a long convoy, with guards and drivers, at least two hundred people! And you dared to stop them alone?”
“I didn’t think that much at the time, I only had one thought in my mind: I absolutely cannot let them transport the gold onto the ship!” Lu Yun sighed with feigned post-fear. “Just like the guards my Father assigned to me, we blocked their path without regard. At the same time, we quickly sent up a signal. Those people were sharp enough to recognize it; upon seeing the silvery-white firework, they panicked and shouted, ‘Bad! We’ve been discovered by the Lu Clan!’ ‘Hurry onto the ship, or we won’t be able to escape in time!’”
Lu Yun then employed the tactic of ‘Steal Beams and Replace Pillars,’ inverting the order of events. This made the entire incident unrecognizable, and he wasn’t afraid of any contradictions. “They were guilty and fearful, how could they have the courage to stop us? I unleashed the Nameless Swordplay taught to me by my Master, and with those few guards, we charged to the carriages and damaged the wheels of the first two, blocking the convoy’s path. Seeing they couldn’t board the ship and knew there was no escape with the gold, they scattered.”
“That simple?” Hearing Lu Yun’s account, Lu Kan couldn’t find fault with it, but he had a feeling the boy was hiding something. “I see the last two carriages were also damaged.”
“That was done after they fled, as a precaution,” Lu Yun replied softly. “My ability to survive and protect this gold was all thanks to our clan’s prestige. If I hadn’t announced myself immediately, stating I was Lu Yun, son of a Lu Clan steward and one of the candidates for the Grand Competition, those people surely wouldn’t have fled but would have swarmed me and cut me to shreds.”
“Hmm,” Hearing this, Lu Kan felt it was much more reasonable, and said with a smile, “You don’t need to be so humble. With the Nameless Swordplay taught to you by the Vice Sect Master, as long as you don’t encounter a Grandmaster, you can still preserve your life under heavy encirclement.” Among the stewards, Lu Kan had the closest relationship with Lu Xian, and coupled with his occupational hazard of being a busybody, he naturally knew that Lu Xian had comprehended the Way in the Bamboo Forest for ten years. Although he hadn’t broken through to Xiantian, he had comprehended an extremely exquisite Swordplay and Movement Technique.
Lu Xian had once demonstrated that technique to Lu Kan and proudly told him that this Swordplay was already close to the Dao. Even when facing ten or a hundred people, he could remain calm as if facing only one, fighting against many.
Lu Kan was greatly impressed at the time and asked Lu Xian if the Swordplay had a name. Lu Xian, however, didn’t want to bother thinking about it and replied, “Nameless.” His intention was that the Swordplay had no name, but Lu Kan misunderstood and thought the name of the Swordplay was ‘Nameless,’ exclaiming, “What a Nameless Swordplay! It perfectly embodies the idea of great accomplishment appearing incomplete, and great sound appearing inaudible. A good name, a good name!”
Lu Xian couldn’t help but roll his eyes, but he was too lazy to explain, so this nameless Swordplay was thus named ‘Nameless Swordplay’ by Lu Kan.
Lu Kan, having the advantage of proximity, managed to learn this technique through persistent nagging. He naturally knew the power of the Nameless Swordplay. He just couldn’t imagine that Lu Yun had learned this profoundly deep and obscure Swordplay in such a short time…
Back then, Lu Kan, with his Grandmaster cultivation that had opened the Ren and Du Meridians for over ten years, still took a full year to be able to use this Swordplay fluently. And looking at Lu Yun, it was truly a case of comparison leading to despair!
.
“Truly a genius valued by the Vice Sect Master, indeed different from us common folk.” With this thought, Lu Kan, half-jokingly but with serious demeanor, appraised Lu Yun.
“Uncle, you flatter me again.” Lu Yun couldn’t help but feel a bit shy. In terms of profoundness and difficulty, nothing in the world could compare to the Imperial Extreme Profound Cave Skill. Having cultivated the Imperial Extreme Profound Cave Skill, he possessed the marvelous effect of all methods converging into one; no matter how profound or close to the Dao a cultivation method was, he could understand it with almost no obstacles.
“Alright, enough of that,” Lu Kan said, his emotions having subsided, and returned to the main topic. “It’s normal that Xie Min’s people wouldn’t dare to attack you, but escaping so easily isn’t like that woman Xie Min at all.”
“Do you know her well, Uncle?” Lu Yun asked softly.
“How could I?” Lu Kan’s old face suddenly flushed. “Why would I bother getting to know her? It’s all hearsay!”
“Uncle, why is your face red?” Lu Yun looked at Lu Kan with a puzzled expression.
“Cough, cough!” Lu Kan was so angry he was puffing his beard and glaring. “Stop talking nonsense and be serious!”
“Yes.” Lu Yun then said softly, “I told her, do you think this gold is more important, or is your reputation and status more important? She seemed to suddenly realize, and fled with her subordinates before you all arrived.” Lu Yun then said solicitously, “Little nephew couldn’t stop them, please forgive me, Uncle.”
“Enough, stop pretending!” Lu Yun’s playful interruption made Lu Kan lose the mood to question further. He cursed with a laugh, “What did you use to stop them?” He then lowered his voice, “It’s good they left. If we had caught them red-handed, it would truly have been trouble!”
“So, I didn’t do anything wrong?” Lu Yun appeared greatly relieved.
“Mmm,” Lu Kan nodded and sighed, “It’s enough to get the money back. If we try to deal with Xie Min further, things will blow up. At that point, it will escalate to the level of noble clans. It’s possible the Xie Clan and Pei Clan, for their own reputation, will fiercely oppose our clan. For example, if they claim this gold belongs to them and Xie Min was merely safeguarding it for them, it would be difficult for us to resolve.” He chuckled strangely, “But Xie Min’s reputation would surely be ruined. She’s probably considering this very point, which is why she left so readily.”
“Uncle, your wisdom is profound. Your nephew’s mind is enlightened,” Lu Yun quickly flattered, knowing this was how he would pass.
As the two finished speaking, Lu Xin also approached with a strange expression and said to them, “The inventory is complete.”
“How much money is there in total? Is anything missing?” Lu Kan asked urgently, as this was the most important matter, more so than those trivial details.
“Not only is nothing missing, but there’s actually more,” Lu Xin said softly, “A total of three hundred and ten thousand taels of gold, plus various jewelry, amounts to approximately three million seven hundred thousand *guan*…”
“Oh?” Lu Kan was stunned at first, then chuckled heartily, “That must be Xie Min’s dowry!”
