Turmoil in the Lu Lineage

Si Ming asked, "These things, while somewhat strange, are still the Lu Lineage's private matters and don't seem to have any connection to the disappearance of Hongdou's parents."

"According to that kind-hearted person who wished to remain anonymous, the young clan leader has been behaving strangely lately. His personality has become much more gloomy, he rarely speaks to anyone, and he always hides in his room under the pretext of being wary of Crimson Eye Society's assassination attempt. He is unwilling to meet with anyone, and his tone of voice has also undergone subtle changes."

"Replaced?"

"Some members of the Lu Lineage also suspected this, so they secretly took his fingerprints for comparison and found that it was indeed him. They also tried to test his martial arts skills under some pretext, and the person used Lu Lineage arts. In short, there were no flaws on his appearance, and in the end, they could only conclude that his personality changed because of the assassination attempt."

Si Jingyu half-covered her mouth with a goose feather fan and smiled mysteriously, "Doesn't it feel strangely familiar?"

"Is the person impersonating Hongdou the same person impersonating the young patriarch of the Lu Lineage?"

"It may not be the same person, or even the same individual, but there is definitely a connection. Considering the timing, the fraudulent claiming of the belongings and the replacement of the young patriarch of the Lu Lineage happened almost simultaneously, and both occurred in the same city. To say that there is no connection between the two would be too much of a coincidence."

Si Ming used his imagination to connect the clues, saying, "Hongdou's parents are archaeologists and adventurers, so could we assume that they were kidnapped because they unearthed some High Antiquity treasure, and activating this treasure requires a lot of materials, or perhaps the treasure itself is a ritual diagram? So these kidnappers set their sights on the Lu Lineage, usurping their resources through their channels."

Si Jingyu clapped her hands and said, "As expected of School of Fiction, the reasoning is logical and reasonable. I give it 95 points."

Si Ming chuckled and then said, "But I have a question: why did they target the Lu Lineage? The Lu Lineage has Spirit Transformation expert in charge. Even if these kidnappers are strong enough to not fear Spirit Transformation expert, there's no need to pick on such a tough opponent. Couldn't they have targeted another Aristocratic Clan?"

"I don't know. Maybe the Lu Lineage has something they need, or maybe they have a grudge against the Lu Lineage. Anyway, it doesn't matter. What's certain is that they'll make their move on the day of the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling Tea-Tasting Prize Competition finals."

Si Jingyu took out a stack of documents and casually drew a curve. "Based on the Lu Lineage's arrangements for acquiring materials, it's not hard to see that they want to complete all preparations before the finals."

"Wouldn't it be easier to expose ourselves on the day of the finals with so many Celestial Person around?" Si Ming stroked his chin, pondering. "Gathering the clansmen and choosing the day of the finals are both ways to attract more people. Based on the tropes I've learned from reading novels over the years, villains usually do this for a blood sacrifice."

Upon hearing this, Si Jingyu's eyes lit up. "That's right, there's also the possibility of blood sacrifice! I've never understood why they would do such a thing, but now you've enlightened me. All the clues are connected now."

Even the wisest cannot deduce conclusions they do not know. For ordinary people, blood sacrifice is too far removed from their lives and would never even be an option in their minds. Si Jingyu's experience revolves around the Si Clan's small world, and she doesn't have time to read leisure novels. No matter how smart she is, she cannot fabricate a knowledge point out of thin air.

Si Ming, "Now I have another reason to kill these people. The tea tasting competition finals are just around the corner, and we must stop them as soon as possible."

Si Jingyu shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it's difficult. All we have now is speculation, no evidence whatsoever. If we say it, no one will believe us. And the Lu Lineage isn't made of clay. Unless we fight them to the death, I can't persuade my clansmen to attack Tea-Tasting Manor. I suppose that's why they chose to the Tea-Tasting Manor there, using the Lu Lineage as their protector. In this way, anyone who wants to take action against them will have to think twice. If it turns out to be just a misunderstanding, they will inevitably face retaliation from the Lu Lineage."

Si Ming knew that the biggest problem was that since the other party had managed to bring a Lineage with a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster under their control without anyone noticing, their strength must be beyond imagination. With just the few people present, it would be difficult to escape unscathed.

"If only I had noticed it sooner, I would have had time to send a telegram for help."

Of course, if a kid can't beat someone, he'll go to his parents. With so many powerful figures behind him, Si Ming doesn't mind asking them for help at all. He even lets these powerful figures be the core of the team, while he just cheers them on from the sidelines.

To deal with Outer Dao, there's no need to follow any rules of the martial world. Gathering a large group of Spirit Transformation experts and having each unleash their ultimate move to bombard the enemy is the right thing to do. Unfortunately, the finals are only two days away, and it's too late to find reinforcements now.

Si Jingyu said, "For now, we can only hold back and wait until the final day. Then we'll find an opportunity to expose the enemy's conspiracy on the spot, making it impossible for them to hide. To do this, we can coordinate with some experts beforehand to launch an attack on the spot and use everyone's strength to disrupt the ceremony."

This is a mature and prudent statement. Although it may seem somewhat "unambitious," it is the safest approach when there is no absolute certainty of proving the conjecture. Even if the conjecture turns out to be wrong and no evil organization is found hiding in the Lu Lineage, it will not have any impact.

However, Si Ming expressed a different opinion.

"This kind of plot is common in various works. The protagonist always drags out the final battle to the last day, saving the world at the last minute and staging a great reversal. But reality is different from fantasy. It does not follow the law that good always triumphs over evil. We can't gamble our luck here. If we are one step too late and fail to stop the blood sacrifice, resulting in a complete loss, we can't afford to pay for so many lives."

"So, what you want to do is..."

"We'll set off tonight, giving the enemy no time to prepare! Since they're using the Lu Lineage as their biggest shield, we can't play along. We'll change our clothes and conduct a night reconnaissance. If we find anything amiss, we'll immediately shout it out loud, making it known to everyone. A fake is still a fake; they'll definitely find flaws in the forgery. They're more afraid of things getting out of hand than we are."

"What if we get found out? What if it turns out they have nothing to do with the Lu Lineage?"

"Then shout 'Allahu Akbar' and unleash a bombing art performance. With such a huge wealth gap in the Nation of Beauty, it's normal for terrorist attacks to happen. As long as we don't get caught on the spot, we can make up whatever excuses we want afterward."

Si Jingyu closed her eyes and thought for a while, then said, "This method is acceptable; consider it a way to confirm its authenticity. However, we still need to plan the specific actions."

Don't leave me!

Si Huaruo suddenly burst in, saying, "I'm involved in this too, don't think you can get rid of me."

Si Jingyu said, "What are you doing here? Were you eavesdropping after you went out?"

Si Huaruo blushed and immediately retorted, "I wasn't eavesdropping! I was just worried about you guys, afraid you might do something foolish, so I came back to check. I didn't expect to overhear such a thrilling plan. Didn't you just say you weren't going to rescue anyone? How come you changed your mind so quickly?"

"It's like saying something is unreasonable, but then coming back to saying it's reasonable—it's just a simple rhetorical device."

Si Ming made a joke, then turned to Hongdou and asked, "What about you? Want to come along?"

Hongdou was silent for a moment, then nodded firmly. "If Mother were still alive, I would also like to ask her a question."

Chapter 328 Turmoil in the Lu Lineage

Inside the Lu Lineage's Tea-Tasting Manor house, several low-ranking Crimson Eye Society, disguised as servants, were enjoying their dinner.

"What exactly is the leader thinking? I've received intelligence that the Mohist Knight Guard have already begun their operation, eliminating a third of our branch in just two days. If we don't take countermeasures soon, our Crimson Eye Society be nothing but a thing of the past."

"How can we retaliate? We can't fight city hall. In the past, the Mohist Knight Guard didn't take us seriously, and the Crimson Eye Society spread across various countries in the Sea Continent, making it inconvenient for the Mohist Knight Guard to interfere in the affairs of other countries. That's why our Crimson Eye Society survived to this day. Now the Mohist Knight Guard is determined to eliminate us at all costs. To be honest, apart from hiding for four or five years like a cunning rabbit to avoid the limelight, I really can't think of a way to save my life."

"Hush, as far as I know, the leader seems to have obtained an ancient treasure. As long as the ritual is completed, he can gain the power to fight against the Mohist Knight Guard. Haven't you noticed that Blood-Handed Butcher and Yama Blood Child's cultivation levels have increased dramatically recently? They must have benefited from the treasure."

"But the two masters' tempers have also become quite eccentric. Blood-Handed Butcher used to enjoy indulging in literary pursuits, which was fine—just the hobbies of ordinary scholars. But lately, he's been copying poems everywhere, and then insisting that he wrote them himself. For example, 'Lonely in my boudoir, a thousand strands of sorrow linger in my tender heart. Spring is gone, a few drops of rain hasten the flowers'—even a blind man would know it was written by a woman. He insists that he dreamt he was a woman and wrote it on a whim. We assassins are shameless, but not to this extent!"

"That's right, that's right Yama Blood Child used to hate it when people talked about his height, so he usually spoke in a very old-fashioned way. But lately, he's been acting like he's young, speaking in a childish voice, really acting like a seven or eight-year-old child. He did a two-digit multiplication problem and came to ask me if I was good at it. You tell me, he's over forty years old, what's so great about being able to do multiplication? Does he really think everyone doesn't know his true abilities?"

"You talk as if you can do two-digit multiplication. What is 27 multiplied by 85?"

"... Sorry, Lord Blood Child is indeed quite powerful."

The Lu Lineage's large mansion, located near the back mountain, was originally intended for the Lu Lineage's Spirit Transformation ancestor to reside in, but now it has been usurped.

The leader of the Crimson Eye Society, Crimson Shadow King, said to Netherworld Blood Slave, "You've seen the situation with Blood-Handed Butcher and Yama Blood Child. As long as you take this pill, your cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds in a short period of time."

The usually flamboyant Netherworld Blood Slave stood obediently, staring at the small, emerald-green pill in the Crimson Shadow King's hand, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He said, "Master, I prefer to rely on my own efforts, improving my cultivation step by step, rather than relying on external forces."