Chapter 172: Sect Master Token
“Alright.” Lu Wen nodded with difficulty.
“Since that’s the case, I propose revoking Lu Jian’s steward position and issuing a sect master order to arrest him and bring him to justice.” Lu Shang looked at Lu Wen with piercing eyes and asked in a deep voice, “I wonder if the Elder Council agrees?”
“Great Elder…” Several confidants quietly reminded Lu Wen not to forget his tactic of stalling.
Who would have thought Lu Wen would break from his usual pattern and nod again, saying: “Agreed.”
“Good, then this matter is settled,” Lu Shang nodded, looked towards Lu Xia and said: “Immediately revoke Lu Jian’s finance steward position and issue a sect master order to pursue and capture him with full force. If he resists, kill him without mercy.”
“Understood!” Lu Xia responded in a deep voice. Since the Elder Council agreed, the clan leader’s order was the Lu Clan’s will.
“Also,” Lu Shang looked at Lu Wen again and slowly said: “The Finance Department is the Lu Clan’s key area for money and grain; it cannot be left without someone presiding over it for even a day. Let’s discuss now—who should be the successor?”
“What’s there to discuss…” Lu Wen was seething with anger inside but couldn’t flare up, so he could only say sullenly: “Besides Lu Xin, is there anyone else?”
Lu Shang greatly enjoyed Lu Wen’s frustrated look and smiled faintly: “Indeed, he’s the only Earth Rank Grandmaster available right now, with no position in the clan. It has to be him.”
“Yes!” Unwilling to be led around by the nose by his old rival like this, Lu Wen changed the subject: “But the Elder Council only agrees to him temporarily taking charge of the Finance Department.”
“Why?” Lu Shang was stunned.
“Because his grudge with Lu Jian hasn’t been investigated clearly yet.” Lu Wen said coldly: “As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. For Lu Xin to drive a proper steward to desperation like a cornered dog, he’s probably no good either! What if it’s later found out he did something shady too? Wouldn’t the clan leader be slapping his own face?” He paused, then said almost grinding his teeth: “So, it’s better to leave some buffer!”
“…” Lu Shang hesitated slightly, knowing it was time to know when to quit. If he pushed Lu Wen too far, who knew what trouble might arise. After all, he had no evidence of Lu Wen’s crimes; he was just bluffing.
“Alright.” Lu Shang nodded and added a meaningless sentence: “But I believe Lu Xin has no issues.”
“Don’t speak too confidently. I once believed Lu Jian had no issues too?” Lu Wen shot back stiffly, then stood up and said: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
As soon as Lu Wen stood, the elders who were with him also rose one after another, ready to follow the Great Elder to leave.
“Wait.” Unexpectedly, at that moment, Lu Xian, who had been lost in thought, suddenly spoke up.
Lu Wen and the group of elders had no choice but to stop, and Lu Wen said sullenly: “What instructions does the Vice Sect Master have?”
“Although I said beforehand that I won’t interfere in clan affairs.” Lu Xian’s gaze was like lightning as he coldly swept over the crowd. His voice wasn’t loud, but every word was earth-shattering: “But I have only one disciple, Lu Yun. Whoever dares to target him again—this table will be their fate!”
With that, Lu Xian waved his hand, and a sharp forceful energy shot out. Suddenly, a table in front of several elders silently broke in half from the middle. The break was smooth as a mirror, just like it had been cleaved by a treasure sword that could cut iron like mud!
Everyone in the hall was instantly chilled to the bone. Although they all knew Lu Xian was a profound Grandmaster, he hadn’t acted for many years, so people had inevitably forgotten just how terrifying his strength was.
‘Never provoke that Lu Yun…’ The stewards and elders all had the same thought at once. ‘A Grandmaster isn’t human!’
“I haven’t taken my monthly allowance for years; that should be enough to compensate for this table.” Lu Xian glanced at Lu Xiu, then floated away.
.
It wasn’t until Lu Xian had walked far away that the Great Elder and the others came back to their senses. They took a deep look at the table broken in two, and Lu Wen said sullenly: “Let’s go.”
The dozen or so elders followed the Great Elder in a single file out of Sanwei Hall. After exiting, one confidant elder couldn’t help but ask quietly: “Great Elder, why not keep resisting Lu Shang?”
“That beast Lu Jian committed such an outrageous act; how could I shield him?” The Great Elder said coldly, then quickened his pace toward the Elder Council. The elders exchanged glances, unsure why the Great Elder, who usually only cared about favors, had suddenly become so principled.
Once back at the Elder Council, that elder followed Lu Wen into the room. With no one else present, he pressed again: “Great Elder, what exactly do you mean? We worked so hard to hold down Lu Shang—how can we let him turn the tables so easily?!”
“No worries…” Some things couldn’t even be revealed to confidants, so Lu Wen could only reply coldly: “Lu Shang is just propping up a Lu Xin? We’ll pull him down again!” With that, the Great Elder smiled coldly: “Once he gets to the Finance Department, he’ll learn what they say about a blessing in disguise turning into a disaster!”
“As long as the Great Elder has a plan, it’s good,” that elder sighed in relief: “Otherwise, if Lu Shang regains the upper hand, we’ll be too frustrated!”
“No worries, he won’t be clan leader for many more days—the end of the year is his deadline!” Seeing even his confidant panicking, Lu Wen had no choice but to reveal a hint.
“Oh?” That elder was pleasantly surprised and wanted to press further, but Lu Wen refused to say more, only telling him he’d know when the time came.
Though he didn’t know what medicine the Great Elder had up his sleeve, seeing his confidence clearly meant victory was in hand, so that elder relaxed.
.
Outside Sanwei Hall, the clan members saw the clan’s higher-ups leaving one after another and knew there was no more spectacle to see. But they were still baffled and asked each other: “Did you understand? What’s really going on?”
“No clue.” Everyone shook their heads. Just watching the higher-ups come and go—how could anyone figure it out?
The clan members dispersed disinterestedly. Several peers stopped Lu Ren who was about to leave and laughed: “Old Thirteenth got promoted; let’s celebrate with you.”
Lu Ren was in high spirits and laughed smugly: “No need for you to treat; I’ll foot the bill.”
“That’s great.” Several peers laughed: “It’s been years since we ate at your expense.”
“From now on, it’s always on me.” Lu Ren patted his chest and said gruffly: “To Yue Xian Lou—order whatever!”
The group was overjoyed to hear this. Yue Xian Lou was a high-end restaurant in North City; one meal there cost several times more silver than elsewhere, and they truly hadn’t gone many times.
So the group clustered around Lu Ren and excitedly headed to North City. Along the way, they ran into quite a few acquaintances, and Lu Ren invited them all. By the time they reached Yue Xian Lou, there were over a dozen more people.
North City was the smallest in scale among the capital’s four markets, yet it had the highest class. It catered to great noble households and princes; within North City, there was a street running east-west from end to end, lined entirely with distinctive high-end restaurants. Not to mention ordinary folk—even average scions of noble clans balked at the prices.
The restaurant Lu Ren and the others entered wasn’t the best on the whole street, but it was still lavishly decorated with layered woolen mats, curtains, and embroideries; carved beams and painted rafters crafted with exquisite skill. The young beautiful girls greeting guests led them smilingly to the largest private room and served fragrant tea and fruits before softly asking what the honored guests would like to eat.
“Bring out your signature dishes—we’ve got a wealth god here with plenty of money.” Before Lu Ren could speak, several heckling friends shouted gruffly.
“Bring them all.” Lu Ren wasn’t displeased at all and waved his big hand, sending the girl to relay the orders.
Seeing Lu Ren’s display of wealth, the clan members were full of envy. One tactless one couldn’t help but whisper: “Bro, now that you’re successful, that bit of money you owe me from back then—can you let a little slip through your fingers and pay back your little brother?”
“You good-for-nothing!” Seeing Lu Ren’s displeased face, someone cursed him and laughed: “Old Thirteenth is the wealth god now—what’s that little debt to us? You think he’d welch on your tab?!”
