Fake Decency (High Energy This Chapter)

Ma Wu escorted the goods to Blue Poplar Village. The three moths bid each other a reluctant farewell, Aqin also had to leave.

Next, Ma Wu had to deliver the goods to Green Water City. Along the way, he had almost no one to protect him and had to rely entirely on his own cultivation and experience.

A second level of cultivation wasn't quite enough, but Ma Wu was experienced and he raised the banner of the Lu Family.

Blue Poplar Village is Lu Family territory, so there's nothing wrong with flying the flag. As long as there's this flag, ordinary mountain bandits and thieves won't dare to come near.

After arriving safely at Green Water City and delivering the goods, Ma Wu bought a newspaper.

The second page of the newspaper also featured news about Ma Wu, still saying that he was making great strides in Blue Poplar Village.

This message was nothing new, but Ma Wu noticed another message.

The Lu Family suffered the loss of Blue Poplar Village, and their incompetent descendants squandered their fortune.

Who wrote this?

Dare to directly slap the Lu Family in the face?

This newspaper is incredibly audacious.

Wait a minute.

Newspapers aren't necessarily the boldest.

Ma Wu looked at the two news articles together and saw some clues. Judging from the content of the news, it was not the newspaper that was provoking the Lu Family, but Ma Wu himself.

Ma Wu made a name for himself in Blue Poplar Village, seemingly seizing the Lu Family's business.

After putting away the newspaper, Ma Wu drank a cup of tea at Yu Fangzhai and stayed there for twenty minutes to sort out his thoughts.

If Seventh Brother and I continue to expand our business in Blue Poplar Village, it will be tantamount to forcing the Lu Family to turn against me.

If something happens to me in Blue Poplar Village, for example, if I die at Lu Xiaolan's hands, the Lu Family will be the prime suspects and will definitely have to take the blame.

The intention behind these two news items is so insidious!

No, we can't let them talk nonsense.

This shipment sold for over seven thousand silver dollars. Ma Wu took out two thousand silver dollars and asked the Yu Fangzhai to prepare four generous gifts. He also borrowed five thousand silver dollars from the manager, making a total of ten thousand silver dollars, which was immediately packed into boxes.

In the afternoon, Ma Wu brought four generous gifts and ten thousand silver dollars to the Lu Family.

Upon arriving at the mansion, Ma Wu was very humble, only saying that he had come to visit Steward Qiu.

Monkey Qiu invited Ma Wu into the small building. After inquiring about his purpose, he immediately went to the main house to inform the lady and asked the two young masters to come to the main house to greet the guests.

Ma Wu felt embarrassed. "Uncle Qiu, I came to visit you today, not to cause you any trouble."

Monkey Qiu laughed and said, "Jun Yang, what are you saying? You've come to visit the Lu Family, not to visit me, the steward."

Ma Wu naturally understood what Monkey Qiu meant; he came today to save face for the Lu Family.

Four generous gifts were presented: one to the First Madam Duan Shaoxia, one to the First Young Master Lu Yuanshan, one to the Second Son Lu Yuanhai, and one to the Head Steward Qiu Zhiheng. No one received the same amount of courtesy.

The ten thousand silver dollars was a token of appreciation from Blue Poplar Village to the Lu Family. It was a way of telling others that Blue Poplar Village was paying Bonus Money to the Lu Family, and that this was still within the Lu Family's territory.

Ma Wu's action gave the Lu Family a great deal of face.

Lu Yuanshan exclaimed in admiration, "Jun Yang, you really know how to make money! Blue Poplar Village has become a great place under your management. You've only been in charge for a short time, and you've already made so much!"

Lu Yuanhai laughed and said, "Fifth brother, don't try to save face. If you didn't earn that much money, don't try to take it all. I think you should just take half back."

Ma Wu sighed, "To be honest, this money was hard-earned. It was earned by my brothers through their own hard work. When I, Ma Junyang, was at my lowest point, you two left me this place, Blue Poplar Village, giving me a way to survive. I will never forget this kindness."

Duan Shaoxia laughed and said, "What are you talking about gratitude for? You're getting off topic. Jun Yang is such a lovable kid. He's staying for dinner tonight, and he absolutely can't leave."

Upon hearing this, Monkey Qiu gave Lu Yuanshan a wink.

Saving face can't stay at home; it has to be shown in public!

Lu Yuanshan quickly chimed in, "What's the point of eating at home? Tonight we're at the Bai Le Men, it's my treat. We'll eat and drink, and the girls will keep us company. We'll definitely make sure Jun Yang is well taken care of."

Lu Yuanhai chimed in, "Fifth brother, there's Song Festival at the Bai Le Men tonight. You're an expert, you should go and be a VIP."

Duan Shaoxia frowned and said, "Don't lead Jun Yang."

Lu Yuanshan widened his eyes and laughed, "Mom, you're saying we've corrupted him? We grew up together, who doesn't know who?"

He's way worse than us two brothers. He's going tonight; even the Song Queen can't get into other people's houses now.

Ma Wu waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Brothers, you mustn't speak ill of me in front of Auntie."

Everyone chatted and laughed, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Monkey Qiu looked at Ma Junyang and nodded repeatedly.

This child is sensible and will surely achieve great things in the future.

That evening, Ma Junyang was a VIP at the Bai Le Men Song Festival, and reporters also conducted an exclusive interview with him.

This isn't a reporter from the Ling family; it's a reporter from Lu Yuanshan. Don't be fooled by the fact that Lu Family's newspaper doesn't sell well; this is big news.

Ma Wu personally visited the Lu Family to deliver Bonus Money, which meant that many rumors about the Lu Family and Blue Poplar Village were dispelled.

He Jiaqing frowned as he lay in his hospital bed.

Ma Wu didn't avoid the Lu Family; instead, he took the initiative to show goodwill, which surprised He Jiaqing.

A man's voice came from beside me. "How should we handle this?"

"Spend money to go to all the newsstands and collect all the Lu Family's newspapers to suppress the news."

"I've finished with the evening paper, but I'm afraid there will be Morning News tomorrow."

"Collect them all. Whatever he prints, we'll collect. At least this matter can't spread throughout Green Water City."

Our newspaper will continue to publish news about Blue Poplar Village and Lu Maoxian, making the matter bigger so that Ma Wu will have wasted that ten thousand silver dollars.

Late at night, Ma Wu pushed the girl beside him away and walked out of the room.

This girl is tonight's queen of Song Queen; she's beautiful and sings wonderfully—truly a rare gem.

But Ma Wu wasn't interested.

There are some things that girls don't know how to do, and can't learn.

He went to the dance hall to listen to some music, and coincidentally, Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai were there as well.

Lu Yuanshan greeted, "Jun Yang, come and sit down. What's wrong? Did the Song Queen not please you?"

Ma Wu shook his head and laughed, "I'm a bit tired from the long journey, I really can't keep going."

Lu Yuanhai laughed, "Fifth brother, are you kidding me? You think you can't hold on?"

As the three were chatting and laughing, one of the men stepped forward and whispered a few words to Lu Yuanshan.

Lu Yuanshan glared at him. "Is that so?"

Zhi Gua nodded and said, "Absolutely true."

Lu Yuanhai asked from the side, "What happened?"

Lu Yuanshan looked at his younger brother, then at Ma Wu: "You might not believe it, but the Ling family's two newspaper offices and printing plant were burned down."

Ma Wu was shocked. "Who did this?"

The Ling family is considered the fifth largest Lineage in Pro State. Who would dare burn down their newspaper office?

Zhi Gua shook his head and said, "We still don't know who did it."

Lu Yuanshan said with a regretful expression, "Ling Miaowen and I have a pretty good relationship. With such a big incident, shouldn't I go and check on things?"

Lu Yuanhai nodded and said, "We should go and see. This is big news. Should we bring the reporters along?"

Lu Yuanshan slapped his thigh. "That's right, I had forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. Fifth brother, let's go together. You can also express your gratitude to the Ling family, since you'll be dealing with them quite a bit in the future."

Ma Wu waved his hand and said, "I won't go, I'm not prepared..."

Lu Yuanhai laughed and said, "No need for you to prepare, brother. I'll prepare it for you. It's just a gift, why bother with all this!"

Ma Wu felt a surge of emotions as he watched the two brothers' reactions.

The two brothers were very excited!

Why are you so excited?

When Ma Wu arrived at the newspaper office and saw the ruins, he understood.

This is the Lu Family's way of giving the Ling family a warning.

The Lu Family encountered trouble, but they did not collapse.

On the hospital bed, He Jiaqing clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "Barbarians! They actually attacked the newspaper office! It's these barbarians who have ruined Pro State!"

A man's voice came from beside me. "What should we do now?"

"Go back to Green Water City first and find out what happened at the newspaper."

"I need to go back. This land can't be defended anymore. The Three Heroes of Iron Sheep are dead. Rong Yeguang is very angry and wants to withdraw his men."

"So what if you're leaving? How much effort have we put into this newspaper? Can't you tell what's more important?"

"What will happen to that thing if we withdraw now?"

He Jiaqing breathed a sigh of relief, "Wait a minute, my brother won't give up this family business. We'll take it back in a while."

Li Banfeng stood silently in a daze beside the new land that Lu Xiaolan had created.

That's strange, why is there no one here?

Li Banfeng was still figuring out how to deal with Lu Xiaolan when she left?

What happened?

Ma Wu rushed back to Xindi and, upon arriving at Shili Land Block, searched everywhere for Li Banfeng.

Chuanzi said, "Seventh Master has gone back to his original Land Block. He said he needs to focus on his cultivation these next few days."

Ma Wu went to the Land Block and waited for half a day before Li Banfeng finally arrived. "Seventh Brother, something happened in Green Water City."

"What is it?" Li Banfeng wasn't very interested in the matter of Green Water City.

"The Ling family's newspaper office was burned down."

"A fire?" Li Banfeng had even less interest in such matters.

"It doesn't look like a fire. I went to the scene, and it must have been the Lu Family who did it. Two newspaper offices and a printing factory were all burned down."

Li Banfeng was stunned for a long time, his thoughts churning in his mind.

Ma Wu said, "I went to the Lu Family to deliver ten thousand silver dollars, hoping to clear up the misunderstanding. They invited me to stay overnight at the Bai Le Men, but that very night, something happened..."

While Ma Wu was recounting what had happened, Li Banfeng stopped Ma Wu and asked, "Where did you buy the record player?"

"What record player?"

"Where did you buy the record player for the Council Hall?"

Ma Wu blinked and said, "Wonderful Sound Phonograph Store. Only they have such a good record player."

Li Banfeng's expression was blank.

Ma Wu said, "Let's not talk about the record player yet, let's talk about the Ling family first, this matter is unusual..."

"This is unusual. We need to go back to the Council Hall to discuss this important matter. We can listen to the music while we talk. You go back to the Council Hall and wait for me. I'll be there in a bit."

Ma Wu couldn't understand Li Banfeng's idea, but Li Banfeng insisted that he go to the Council Hall, so Ma Wu went.

Li Banfeng returned to Portable Abode and said to the record player, "My dear Wife, I've found the mole."

"Congratulations, sir! What kind of person is he? Let's have some fun with him."

"That mole is not human."

"Husband, please don't say such hurtful things."

"I'm not just saying this out of anger, it really isn't human, my Wife, come closer to my ear."

The record player scoffed, "This Little Slave has no ears!"

Li Banfeng whispered a few words into the loudspeaker, and his Wife couldn't help but laugh.

"It's so itchy, my husband, this is interesting, really interesting."

"Please explain in detail, my Wife."

"If it were before, Little Slave would at most punish them, but now that Little Slave cultivation has recovered a lot, I can give them a good meal."

"How full are you?"

"I have a killer move Little Slave I haven't used in a long time. Although it consumes a lot of energy, Little Slave want to give it a try."

"Don't use it if it's too strenuous; Wife health is the most important thing."

"It's alright. For my husband, I'd risk my life, let alone my skills."

Ma Wu waited in the Council Hall for a long time before finally seeing Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng, with a record between his fingers, sat down opposite Ma Wu.

Ma Wu looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Don't you think there's something fishy about the Ling family's situation? I think it's related to Lu Xiaolan's matter!"

"What's strange? Lineage feuds, aren't those common in Pro State?"

He Jiaqing was listening to the live broadcast while lying in his hospital bed. When he heard Li Banfeng's voice, he smiled.

Ban Feng still can't see the environment of Pro State clearly; in this respect, he is far inferior to Ma Wu.

Ma Wu shook his head repeatedly and said, "Seventh Brother, there are many things involved here. The news in the Ling family's newspaper before was clearly aimed at us."

He Jiaqing nodded, "Ma Wu is indeed the smartest."

Li Banfeng remained unconcerned. "I don't want to hear about Green Water City. I'm tired of it. I've suffered a lot these days. Let's play some chess and listen to some music. I don't want to hear about your troubles."

"No, Seventh Brother..."

Li Banfeng ignored him, took the record, and put it on the record player.

The cheerful sound of violins filled the air, accompanied by trombones and trumpets, creating a playful dance tune.

This is a dance music style unique to Pro State, with a Western jazz flavor as well as a Pro State local flavor. The song is called "Pretending to be Serious".

"Hypocritical, hypocritical"

Why be hypocritical?

You want to see it, you must see it.

Take a close look!

To the cheerful rhythm, Li Banfeng, with one hand on his top hat and the other holding Feather Duster, actually started dancing.

Ma Wu was speechless. "Alright, Seventh Brother, let's just play chess. Why are you dancing?"

Li Banfeng laughed and said, "Come on, let's jump together!"

He Jiaqing smiled from his hospital bed; Ban Feng had gone mad again.

He's not actually crazy, but sometimes his behavior is just incomprehensible.

Why did he insist on listening to this piece of music?

Don't pretend to be so serious.

Don't scare people with that stern face!

His smile vanished abruptly, He Jiaqing realized something was wrong!

There's something in this song, a strange kind of power.

When the chorus began, the singing suddenly became louder, so loud that He Jiaqing's head throbbed with pain.

He tried to cut off contact, but failed several times.

"Stop! Stop it now!"

A man's voice came from beside her, his voice very weak. "I can't stop, I can't stop..."

"Break off the hook!"

"I can't break it off, I can't break it off..."

The man's voice disappeared, but the singing did not.

He Jiaqing covered his ears, and blood gushed from both ears, flowing down between his fingers.

In the Ling family mansion, Ling Miaowen lay on the ground, convulsing uncontrollably.

Two people stepped forward and helped Ling Miaowen up.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Ling Miaowen was unable to speak and kept vomiting blood.

"Quick!" the doctor shouted, "Call the doctor!"

By the time the doctor arrived, Ling Miaowen was already dead.

He died.

Ling Miaowen, the head of the Ling family and the controller of major newspapers in Pro State, a seventh-level cultivator, is dead.

"Pretentious, pretentious"

Your eyes have long since...

Slipping in and out

They kept sneaking peeks at it!

The song "Pretending to be Serious" was played repeatedly in the Council Hall, with the volume remaining unchanged and the melody still light and cheerful.

The more Li Banfeng listened, the more he felt it, and the more energetic he became as he jumped.

Ma Wu couldn't help himself and started dancing along with Li Banfeng: "Seventh Brother, let's dance, can we put the Feather Duster down?"

PS: Ban Feng Celebration's first battle be a victory for Feng!

"Pretending to be Serious" is a great song, especially the version starring actress Gong Li. Whenever I hear this song, Salad feel like dancing.