I'm Here to Kill You

Lu Li rested in his guest room for a while, and then a servant politely invited Lu Li over. The servants looked at Lu Li with unusually complex expressions, as if they were looking at a dead man, mixed with admiration, curiosity, and fear. Although they didn't seem like it, who knew if this young master Lu, who was on good terms with the young master, was also a violent person? After all, birds of a feather flock together.

With this in mind, the servants carefully led Lu Li to a small garden and then fled as if running away. It was obvious to everyone that Zhou Chu was in a bad mood. He sat in the garden pavilion, drinking alone, cup after cup of wine in silence.

Upon seeing Lu Li's arrival, Zhou Chu quickly stood up and waved, saying, "Yingzhi! Come over and have a drink with me. I just can't swallow this anger!"

"Are you still worried about what others think?" Lu Li looked at Zhou Chu. People with his personality were quite common in modern times. The reason he was considered a menace in this era was twofold: first, his family background and personal martial prowess amplified the destructive potential of his personality; second, people in this era lived under constant danger, cautiously and dutifully trying to survive, while Zhou Chu seemed somewhat willful. His willfulness aroused Envy, and under the awe-inspiring gazes of the common people towards Zhou Chu, weren't they also filled with envy?

"That's just my temper, but they haven't done anything wrong, and I won't implicate them. But why are those people afraid of me? They even call me one of the three Three Harms of Yangxian, along with the South Mountain White-Browed Beast and the Flood Dragon Under Long Bridge." Zhou Chu poured out his grievances to Lu Li. Just now, he went to see his mother and was presented with a century-old problem: being pressured to get married.

The Zhou Clan was a prominent local clan, and Zhou Chu's father was the former governor of Poyang, holding the title of Marquis of Guannei. Zhou Chu was already twenty years old, an age when he should have been married long ago. However, given Zhou Chu's reputation, which family would be willing to send their daughter into a pit of fire? As for those small families who coveted the Zhou Clan's wealth, not only did Zhou Chu look down on them, but the Zhou Clan itself also looked down on them.

Already irritable, Zhou Chu became even more agitated when pressured to get married. He toasted Lu Li with a glass of wine and complained, "Yingzhi, tell me, how can I make myself less repulsive, at least not be seen as a menace like I am now?"

"Does Ziyin really want to change himself? Do you think there's anything wrong with who you are now?" After hearing Zhou Chu's complaints, Lu Li asked curiously, "What's wrong with your life now? Your Zhou Clan is a prominent local clan, and you don't have any financial difficulties. You don't have to worry about basic necessities. Your own martial arts skills and the protection of your servants ensure that you won't die mysteriously in a crisis like those commoners outside. So why do you want to change yourself?"

"Why? Yingzhi, didn't you see the way they looked at us like we were monsters?" Zhou Chu said, annoyed.

"So you have a need for fame, you want people's respect, not their awe and fear?" Lu Li asked, "You feel you're not good enough as you are now, and you want to change yourself to gain the people's love and respect?"

Seeing Lu Li's unusually serious expression, Zhou Chu nodded and said, "That's right, I want to be someone the people love, not someone they see as a scourge."

A slight disappointment flashed through Lu Li's mind, but he forced a smile, leaned back slightly, picked up the wine Zhou Chu had poured for him, took a sip, and said, "Since that's the case, I'll tell you the truth. I'm here to kill you."

Upon hearing Lu Li's words, the servant who came to deliver the wine suddenly collapsed to the ground, his legs giving way. The small charcoal stove and wine pot he was carrying spilled all over the floor. The servant lay sprawled on the ground, wanting to shout, but Zhou Chu slammed his hand on the table, silencing him.

"Speak plainly Yingzhi have something to say!" Zhou Chu's face was cold, but he did not, as the servants had expected, furiously slap Lu Li's head. Instead, he appeared quite restrained, picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and ordered the servants, "Go and prepare another pot of wine and a charcoal stove."

Watching the servants flee like the wind, Lu Li said with a smile, "Ziyin, you yourself know that you are considered one of the three evils, and many people want to get rid of you. It's not surprising that someone asked me to kill you. But just now, I changed my mind."

"If you change yourself, then you won't be a menace anymore, and I'll consider you gone." Lu Li smiled enigmatically. "Do you know why you're considered a menace? Because you're of no benefit to them!"

"Humans are very pragmatic creatures. When you are too dangerous but cannot bring them any benefit, they will naturally regard you as a menace, especially if you may threaten their lives and property. If there are one or two such cases, it will be even more pronounced."

"So, if you want to change your image in their eyes, you only need to do two things," Lu Li said with a smile, looking at Zhou Chu. "First, manage internal affairs; second, manage external affairs."

"In the Lord, you need to correct some of your bad habits, such as slamming your fist on the table to scare people, being impulsive and easily angered, and speaking more softly. You should read more books and cultivate your manners and etiquette."

"Lord, your past image has become deeply ingrained in people's minds. People instinctively associate you with the word 'harm,' so if you want to change that, you must do things that benefit them and let them know that you are good for them."

"The best way for you is to eliminate the other two scourges," Lu Li offered his solution. "These are real disasters that threaten the local residents. If you can eliminate them and make the people realize that you can provide them with safety rather than harm, they will accept you."

"So, what I should do now is eliminate the threat?" Zhou Chu asked, scratching his head. Fueled by the alcohol, he nodded and said, "Yingzhi, although you came to kill me and deceived me, you warned me before that there was something wrong with the water, and now you've offered me a plan. So, we're even!"

"I'll make preparations tomorrow and first get rid of that big worm in South Mountain, Yingzhi to come along?" Zhou Chu saw a servant carrying a charcoal stove and a wine pot in the distance, waved to him, warmed up the wine in the pavilion, and drank with Lu Li.

"Of course I'll go! Why wouldn't I? I also want to do my part for the local people," Lu Li replied with a smile, taking the warmed wine.

The two then looked at the flowers in the courtyard and discussed their future plans. They had a very pleasant conversation and drank quite a bit of wine. Each time the servants brought wine and charcoal, they looked at Lu Li with admiration.

As it grew darker, the two stopped there. Zhou Chu went to prepare the publicity plan for tomorrow, while Lu Li returned to the living room to rest.