The two entered the room. Lu Wangchuan saw a plump, exquisite little milk baby lying on the bed. At two or three years old, he looked fair and tender, and the gloss reflected from his fingernails demonstrated that he was extremely healthy.
The little baby bore a striking resemblance to him between the eyebrows. They always said a boy looked like his maternal uncle, and it seemed that was entirely true.
"Is this Luo Er?"
Lu Xiaoqin had mentioned the child's name in her letters before, and Lu Wangchuan was very clear on it.
Lu Xiaoqin nodded, the look in her eyes as she gazed at the child also revealing a trace of maternal radiance.
Lu Wangchuan pulled a wad of silver notes from his embrace—a full one hundred thousand taels—and placed them directly by the child's pillow. Lu Xiaoqin was greatly startled and hurriedly stopped him.
"Wangchuan, what are you doing?"
"It's my first time seeing my nephew, I can't possibly come empty-handed."
His older sister had helped him far too much in the early days. Lu Wangchuan could not be called wealthy just yet, but one hundred thousand taels of silver notes was still something he could easily afford.
"But you don't need to give this much. You need to buy resources for your cultivation now."
"I'm giving it to my nephew, I'm willing."
Lu Wangchuan dotingly stroked the child's tiny hand, and Lu Xiaoqin said no more, quietly watching this hard-earned moment of familial warmth.
"Over the years, has your husband treated you well?"
Lu Xiaoqin nodded, a happy smile blooming on her face.
"He has never given me anything to complain about. Meeting him is the greatest fortune of my life."
Hearing his sister's heartfelt words, Lu Wangchuan's heart settled quite a bit. He was a martial artist, and as time went on, he would grow stronger and stronger; it was impossible for him to hunker down in this tiny Da Qian.
With someone to love his sister deeply all her days, he no longer needed to harbor too many worries about the mortal world.
A moment later, Chen Luo slowly opened his eyes, looking with a blank expression at this stranger before him who bore a slight resemblance to himself.
Lu Xiaoqin immediately guided him:
"Luo Er, this is your uncle. Hurry and call him uncle."
Yet Chen Luo shyly snuggled into his mother's embrace, and Lu Wangchuan smiled:
"It's our first time meeting, the child is a bit unfamiliar. He'll be fine later."
At that moment, his brother-in-law, Chen Haoming, also returned from outside. Approaching thirty years of age, he was strong and robust, walking with the vigorous momentum of a tiger.
Living in troubled times, people inevitably practiced martial arts to protect themselves, but his brother-in-law's strength was not high—merely at the Source Opening Realm. If sects had not intervened, he would have been a rare, formidable expert in this city, but alas, once sects entered the world, this level of cultivation was not even worth looking at.
Lu Wangchuan rose to greet him.
"Brother-in-law."
Chen Haoming strode forward, embracing him like a true older brother, then patted his shoulder with a look of gratification.
"Wangchuan, you've finally come. These past few years, you and your sister have kept us worrying terribly."
"Sorry to have worried you, brother-in-law. The mountains know no years; once one begins cultivating, time passes very quickly."
"Understood. A man's ambitions lie across the four seas; since you've entered the path of martial arts, you should naturally prioritize martial cultivation. Wife, take out those two jars of fine wine I've treasured for years. Today, Wangchuan and I are going to have a proper drink."
The hospitality and intimacy of his brother-in-law's family quickly made Lu Wangchuan feel integrated.
During the meal, Lu Wangchuan also asked whether his brother-in-law had encountered any obstacles in his business. He now knew some people in the Divine Water Sect and could help out.
Chen Haoming claimed with his mouth that all was well, but Lu Wangchuan could still vaguely sense something unusual.
He was now at the late Transforming Sea Realm, and the strengthening of his five senses and six consciousnesses was terrifying. A single look from Chen Haoming when he spoke, as well as his heart rate frequency, could not escape Lu Wangchuan's perception.
However, since the other man was unwilling to speak, he could not press the matter. He would just ask Xiao Wu later, and if there really was trouble, he would simply solve it along the way.
After three rounds of drinks, the family was chatting when suddenly a servant came to Chen Haoming's side, lowering his head to whisper a few words. Chen Haoming's expression shifted slightly before returning to normal, and he smiled at Lu Wangchuan:
"Wangchuan, I have some matters to attend to on my end. You chat with your sister, and I'll be back a bit later."
"Stay safe."
After Chen Haoming walked away, Lu Wangchuan turned to question his sister:
"Has the family business been running into some trouble lately?"
Lu Xiaoqin sighed.
"The Chen Family has operated in Chen Zhou City for a hundred years, and our connections were originally very solid. Alas, once the troubled times broke out, Da Qian fell, and the entire Chu Zhou became the world of the Divine Water Sect.
As the saying goes, new emperors bring new ministers. Those lineages with some connections to the Divine Water Sect rose on the momentum, and the pond of Chen Zhou City is only so big. Naturally, your brother-in-law was targeted by others."
"Didn't brother-in-law cultivate new network connections?"
"He did, but the results were minimal. For some reason, the people of the Divine Water Sect don't care much for your brother-in-law."
"Is that so?"
Lu Xiaoqin forced a smile and said:
"You don't need to dwell on these things. At worst the business will be a bit smaller, but after all it's still much better than a lot of people, living is not a problem."
Lu Wangchuan nodded, yet inwardly he did not agree at all.
Some things were not as simple as they seemed. If his brother-in-law's family background had been ordinary before, the impact now wouldn't be large, but the problem was that he used to be the wealthiest man in Chen Zhou City, drawing far too much envy. Human nature was ugly; either they wouldn't target the Chen Family, but since they were targeting them, they would inevitably make sure the Chen Family suffered a doom with no burial site!
After chatting casually for a little while, Lu Wangchuan made the excuse of going for a stroll on the street, then had Xiao Wu drive the carriage to bring him to the Divine Water Sect's garrisoned martial hall in Chen Zhou City.
"Wait here, I'm going in for a moment."
"Yes."
Xiao Wu respectfully pulled the carriage to the side, and the guard disciples at the entrance of the martial hall immediately blocked Lu Wangchuan.
"Halt, Divine Water Sect martial hall. No entering at will without an invitation."
Lu Wangchuan did not speak further, merely sweeping his gaze across them. The two of them instantly trembled in heart and soul, qi and blood churning, their hearts beating wildly as if their three souls and seven po had been scared right out of them.
Lu Wangchuan walked straight into the martial hall. The disciples inside couldn't help showing a trace of strangeness upon seeing him, and just as they prepared to step forward and question him, Lu Wangchuan had already released his aura.
Boom--!
In a split second, countless people only felt their chests take a heavy blow, as if a massive mountain had pressed down upon their crowns. It was so heavy they could not breathe, and their bodies could not even move easily.
This aura shocked the experts within, and soon one Condensing Truth Realm expert and four Dantian experts came flying out.
Upon seeing Lu Wangchuan, not daring to provoke him casually, they immediately cupped their fists in salute.
"Exalted one wears the attire of our Divine Water Sect. Could you be a disciple of our sect?"
"Peak Lord Lu of Still Water Peak, Lu Wangchuan."
A single bland sentence was uttered, and the bodies of the few instantly trembled.
Lu Wangchuan had defeated Yun Mengxiao in the Sect Main Hall and severed one of Li Tianxiang's arms, making his name resound far and wide. By now, there was no one in the entire Divine Water Sect who didn't know this name.
"So it's Peak Lord Lu, please come in."
Once Lu Wangchuan entered the premises, all the disciples finally breathed a sigh of relief, and someone immediately couldn't help whispering in inquiry:
"Who is Lu Wangchuan? How come it feels like he's something fierce?"
His companions immediately cast looks of disdain.
"You don't even know Lu Wangchuan?"
Thanks to book friends Chuo Liuxing, Mo, and Sword Immortal 3 Million for their tips. Extremely grateful.
The author currently has mild depression, so I hope for gentle criticism. If it's poorly written you simply don't have to read it, and I express my gratitude to the friends who like to read it.
In addition, it's currently the new book recommendation period, and the website won't let me release chapters faster—it's not that I don't want to go faster, I have chapters banked.
Before you continue