Murder Motive

Kui Shan listened to Lu Jing'an's words.

The muscles in his face visibly stiffened for a moment.

But Wen Ling behind him let out a soft laugh.

Her voice was crisp, carrying a young girl's coquettish charm, yet every word stabbed straight into Kui Shan's heart. "Boss, I told you your acting was no good."

"I told you to have Sister Lin come with me, but you just wouldn't listen."

The other party was a professional Opera Cultivator.

Just look at you.

Young Master Lu saw through you at once, didn't he?"

Having been exposed to his face, Kui Shan grew somewhat embarrassed and angry.

He abruptly waved a hand to cut Wen Ling off and said gruffly:

"What are you making such a racket for? How is my acting no good?!"

After saying that, he took a deep breath.

He forced himself to calm down, his sharp eyes fixed tightly upon Lu Jing'an.

They carried scrutiny and a trace of barely perceptible probing.

"Kid, your eyes are pretty sharp.

Tell me, then. How did you see that I was putting on an act?"

Lu Jing'an opened his mouth, as though he wanted to say something.

But he swallowed the words when they reached his lips and changed his tone.

"Senior's acting was actually already exceptionally refined."

Lu Jing'an's tone was sincere.

"It was only that there was one crucial flaw.

If Senior wishes to know the details,

why not come to my home tomorrow?

I will certainly clear up Senior's doubts in detail."

Hearing this, Kui Shan raised his brows high. "Trying to provoke me into coming to find you?"

He gave a cold snort, carrying the wariness of an old hand in the martial world.

"Kid, what are you plotting?"

Lu Jing'an hurriedly waved his hands, his expression open and calm. "This junior has absolutely no other intentions.

It was only that I realized the murderer's target was plainly me.

If I continue lingering outside, not only will I be in danger,

but these brothers following me may also be implicated."

Kui Shan stared at Lu Jing'an for several seconds.

Seeing that his gaze was clear and did not seem false,

he slowly nodded, his tone softening somewhat.

"Fine, I'll trust you this once.

Tomorrow, I'll pay a visit to your residence."

Chen Xuan immediately stepped forward and escorted Lu Jing'an away without leaving his side.

After they had walked some distance,

the two climbed into a black Studebaker sedan.

Kui Shan watched as the four-wheeled foreign automobile slowly started up.

He smacked his lips and muttered under his breath in a complicated tone, "Damn, he's rich..."

"Boss, stop being jealous already. Are we still investigating this place or not?"

Wen Ling impatiently urged him from behind.

Only then did Kui Shan withdraw his gaze and turn toward the Lamp Master's corpse.

His expression immediately darkened, and his voice returned to its usual cold hardness.

"Investigate! Investigate it thoroughly!

Even if this man merely paid to affiliate himself with our Peacekeeping Bureau,

he was still one of the Peacekeeping Bureau!

Anyone who dared touch one of ours had to pay the price!"

At his words, Wen Ling's expression turned solemn.

She gently closed her eyes, then opened them.

A layer of strange pale-golden light had already risen in her eyes.

This was one of a Literary Cultivator's abilities—Insight into the Minute.

She bent down, her fingertips nearly touching the bloodstains on the ground, and began examining them with utmost focus.

After a careful inspection,

Wen Ling reached the same conclusion as Lu Jing'an.

The wound had been inflicted by a knife held in the left hand.

But this man's dominant hand was his right.

Inside the sedan, Lu Jing'an and Chen Xuan sat side by side in the back seat.

The clamor outside the windows was shut out, leaving the interior somewhat stifling.

Between Lu Jing'an's long fingers,

a finely carved solid-gold lighter flipped up and down.

At that moment, Lu Jing'an's gaze was not on the lighter but cast out the window.

The streets of Yinshan County bustled with activity.

Shop signs of every kind—wooden plaques and cloth banners—were crowded together.

Rickshaw pullers shouted as they passed through the streets.

Peddlers carrying shoulder poles cried out to sell their wares.

Now and then, dozens of haulers could also be seen

struggling to drag along Western machines as heavy as monstrous beasts.

Forcing the sedan to slow down again and again.

This vibrant yet somewhat chaotic scene

was reflected in Lu Jing'an's deep eyes, stirring not the slightest ripple.

The slow speed of the car happened to give Lu Jing'an ample time to think.

His mind swiftly reviewed everything that had happened recently.

The identity of the person determined to take his life remained unknown for the time being.

But one thing was certain.

The other party was no longer capable of succeeding.

Or rather,

forcing an attack would require paying an unbearable price.

That showed that the guards around him made the other party wary.

That was good. At least his safety had basic protection in the short term.

But he could not simply sit and wait for death. He had to take the initiative and find this person.

Lu Jing'an already had a lead regarding the killer's identity.

The other party had deliberately used the left hand to conceal the right.

That meant the killer's right hand must possess some feature that could easily expose their identity.

Chen Xuan would recognize that feature.

The people of the Peacekeeping Bureau should be able to recognize it as well.

Following this clue, the search range could be narrowed greatly.

The only thing Lu Jing'an could not understand was the motive.

Though the original owner had been a wastrel, he had not been a truly vile man.

His father, Lu Huaiqian, amid these troubled times,

could also be considered a good official capable of maintaining peace in one area.

The Lu Family certainly had rivals.

But who would tear all pretense apart in such an extreme way

while the Lu Family stood at the height of its power?

There had to be greater interests driving this from behind the scenes.

Besides finding the murderer,

Lu Jing'an also realized that he had to improve his ability to protect himself.

In this world of all manner of wondrous cultivators, strength was the foundation of all things.

That was also the chief reason he had invited Kui Shan to visit tomorrow.

"Young Master, we're home."

Chen Xuan's voice interrupted Lu Jing'an's thoughts.

Lu Jing'an looked up, and the imposing gatehouse of Lu Mansion came into view.

This residence, converted from the estate of a high official of the former dynasty,

had retained its ancient charm while adding modern facilities such as electric lights, telephones, and flushing toilets.

It made Lu Jing'an, a transmigrator, feel exceedingly comfortable.

After getting out of the car, Chen Xuan still followed close behind.

They passed through the main gate and around a spirit wall carved with a tiger descending the mountain, revealing the full view of the front courtyard.

The carved wooden doors of the main hall in the courtyard stood open.

His father, Lu Huaiqian, dressed in a dark navy long gown, sat upright in the seat of honor, his expression calm.

Two men sat respectively at the lower seats to either side.

On the left was his second uncle, Lu Huaichuan.

He wore a well-tailored dark suit.

Behind gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze was shrewd and steady, while the chain of a gold pocket watch gleamed from his pocket.

On the right was his third uncle, Lu Huaishan.

He too wore a suit.

But the fabric stretched taut over his burly frame.

His entire body exuded the bold, unrestrained air of a man from the rough wilds.

Thirty years ago, the three brothers had fled to Yinshan County as refugees.

Over the course of thirty years, they had successfully become Yinshan County's foremost family.

That had not been achieved merely through courage and brute force, but also through clever methods.

His second uncle now ran a money-house business; half of Yinshan's silver and currency was connected to him.

His third uncle ran the docks and canal transport; fifty percent of Yinshan's freight was controlled by his Canal Gang.

Second Uncle had two daughters, both already grown and married.

The eldest cousin had married the son of Yinshan County's largest rice merchant.

The second cousin had married the son of a bank president in the provincial capital.

Third Uncle had one son and one daughter, both still underage and living in the compound with Lu Jing'an.

The Lu Family was now unquestionably a towering tree with deep roots and luxuriant branches.

That made Lu Jing'an's task of guessing the motive for murder even more difficult.

"Father, Second Uncle, Third Uncle." Lu Jing'an stepped into the main hall and respectfully saluted the three elders.

"Jing'an, have you fully recovered? Is there anywhere you still feel unwell?"

Third Uncle Lu Huaishan spoke first, his voice booming like a great bell, his concern overflowing.

Lu Jing'an bowed slightly in reply. "Thank you for your concern, Third Uncle. I have completely recovered.

And I must also thank Third Uncle for the century-old ginseng you sent."

Lu Huaishan waved a large hand, utterly unconcerned. "Why be polite with your Third Uncle? In a few days, I'll get you something even better to build up your body!"

Only after Third Uncle had finished asking did Lu Huaiqian, seated in the place of honor, speak in a deep voice. His tone was steady, yet carried unmistakable gravity. "Did you see the man?"

Lu Jing'an nodded.

"I did."

"But by the time we arrived, he was already dead."

The instant those words fell, the atmosphere in the hall abruptly tightened.

Lu Jing'an then recounted the entire course of events exactly as they had happened.

Smack!

The moment Lu Jing'an finished speaking,

his hot-tempered Third Uncle, Lu Huaishan, fiercely slammed a hand onto the tea table.

The fine Green Jade Chrysanthemum Petal Pattern Lidded Bowl shattered at once, tea splashing everywhere!

"Damn it! This is going too far! Do they really think our Lu Family is made of clay?!"

Lu Huaishan sprang to his feet.

"Big Brother! Leave this matter to me!"

"I'll arrange for people to go right now and blast the ancestral homes of the Li Family and the Liu Family flat!

"Let's see if they still dare to stick their claws out!"

The Li Family and the Liu Family?

Lu Jing'an's heart stirred as he caught the crucial piece of information.

It felt as though he was about to learn the motive of whoever wanted him dead.

"Third Uncle, what Li Family and Liu Family?" Lu Jing'an asked.

Just as Lu Huaishan was about to speak, Lu Huaichuan took over.

"Jing'an, this has nothing to do with you. We can handle it."

Clearly, his Second Uncle Lu Huaichuan had no intention of dragging Lu Jing'an into this matter.

Lu Jing'an lifted his head and looked at his father.

In this family, his father had the final say.

Lu Huaiqian pondered for a moment.

Then he gave Lu Jing'an a rough account of what had happened.

Only then did Lu Jing'an finally understand why someone had tried to kill him.

The so-called Li Family and Liu Family

were the prominent families of the two counties neighboring Yinshan County.

Like the Lu Family, those two families controlled the Security Stations of their respective counties.

The difference was

that both families possessed foundations more than a century deep.

They had chosen to make a move against Lu Jing'an

because word had recently come down from above.

The three counties were to be merged into a single city.

Then, a Public Security Bureau would be established.

The position of Bureau Chief would most likely be chosen from among the Security Station chiefs of the three counties.

This was far more than simply gaining another title.

It also involved power and the distribution of enormous benefits.

Amid the fierce competition,

Lu Jing'an had naturally become one of the targets.

Lu Huaiqian's rivals

clearly intended to use Lu Jing'an's assassination—or even his death—

to create the impression that Lu Huaiqian could not even protect his own son.

They wanted those above to lose all faith in Lu Huaiqian.

Now, the motive for murder had also fallen into place.

Once they knew the motive, they had a clear direction for their counterattack.

Only after Lu Huaiqian had given his son time to digest the information did he ask solemnly,

"Jing'an, they came for you this time.

"You decide what to do about this.

"Whether to retaliate, and how to retaliate—your father will support you."

Lu Huaishan immediately thumped his chest, his anger still unspent.

"Right! Just give the word, Xiao An, and your Third Uncle will lead people over there and level them!"

Lu Huaichuan slowly nodded as well, his gaze calm yet sharp. "Your Second Uncle's money and connections are yours to use whenever you need them."

The gazes of the three elders fell upon Lu Jing'an in unison.

They waited for his decision.

At the center of the main hall stood Lu Jing'an, dressed in an exquisite suit, tall and straight.

He met the gazes of his father and two uncles.

There was little expression on his handsome face, but his eyes were especially deep and bright.

He took a deep breath and spoke clearly and steadily.

"We retaliate."

Before his Third Uncle could cheer, he shifted the subject. His tone was composed and cool, carrying a calmness far beyond his years.

"But we can't retaliate across the board."