Half the night sky in the west of town lit up, and muffled booms thundered across half of Changle County.
The carriage wheels rumbled over the level road.
Inside the carriage, Lu Yulin lowered the curtain and withdrew his gaze, shaking his head slightly as a complicated look flashed through his eyes.
"Quite a commotion..."
Lu Sui frowned. Was this his bargain-bin father's handiwork?
"We're here, sir."
The driver's deep voice came from outside.
Lu Yulin said:
"Stop here for a while. I have a few things to say to Zhan'ao."
He looked at Lu Sui, who was still in the dark, and fingered his eighteen-bead prayer bracelet as he said:
"Before you enter the martial trade, your father will give you one last lesson in business. There'll always be a time when it comes in useful."
Lu Sui put on an earnest expression, leaned forward, and listened attentively.
Whenever he faced Lu Yulin, he felt some degree of pressure.
For one thing, his bargain-bin father was profoundly calculating and rarely showed his joy or anger. His true thoughts were impossible to read, which sent a chill through one's heart.
The other reason was simple: this young master had no silver in his pockets. Every sum he drew from the accounts office required Lu Yulin's approval.
Without financial independence, how could there be personal independence!
All I can do is dutifully play the good son!
Lu Yulin spoke unhurriedly:
"In the Land Beyond the Pass, there's no such thing as a government office. The various trades take the lead in setting the rules.
"When someone dies or disaster strikes, the people of the Five Great Trades sit together, work out a plan, and pass down instructions to have matters properly handled.
"Zhan'ao, do you understand what that means?"
Lu Sui pondered briefly, reasoned along the lines of blades, guns, and cannons, and arrived at an answer:
"Father, are you saying our Lu Family can blot out the sky with one hand in Changle County, and even if we kill a few people, no one would dare pursue it?"
Approval appeared on Lu Yulin's face. Sure enough, his son had become enlightened after recovering from his illness!
He chuckled.
"We're not quite so lawless and unrestrained. Only when all trades flourish is there room for the Five Great Trades to exist. The rules that ought to be observed must still be observed."
I get you. Don't break the rules, and the road ahead can grow wider.
Lu Sui's thoughts turned as he silently considered:
The Five Great Trades set the rules. Who those rules benefit goes without saying.
Lu Yulin continued:
"Changle County has as many martial halls as an ox has hairs. That's one major trade. Shops spring up like bamboo shoots after rain. That's another.
"The Lu Family's banner has stood firm for decades. The bigger the business, the higher the proprietor stands. One moment's carelessness, and those beneath him can easily collude to strip him of power.
"That's why your grandfather left an 'ancestral instruction': any descendant surnamed Lu who enters the trading firm must spend three years running goods and open three shops. Only after honing their abilities through hands-on work are they qualified to become the 'proprietor.'"
"Zhan'ao, everyone says the path of the martial trade reaches heaven, but it's narrow and steep too. One fall, and you'll be smashed to pieces. The merchant's road is wider. There's nowhere under heaven where silver can't be spent, and that's especially true beyond the pass."
Ordinarily, Lu Yulin would never have gone on about such things.
But now that Lu Sui had "become enlightened," he could make something of himself whether he entered the martial trade or commerce.
He hoped tonight's scheme would teach his son to be more discerning.
"Mm-hmm..."
Like someone listening to a superior's speech, Lu Sui nodded now and then, before putting on an expression of dawning realization.
Hard-hearted and ruthless as Lu Yulin was, he had spent so long in authority that he had picked up that "dad vibe." His habit of lecturing was hard to change.
So long as Lu Sui conveyed, "Your words have cleared up everything for me," he could satisfy him.
He was digesting his bargain-bin father's earnest teachings when his ears twitched. He had actually caught a trace of a familiar voice from afar.
Luo Dongsheng! He's nearby!
Immediately afterward, another voice that was not unfamiliar rang out.
"Young Master Luo, as the saying goes, a petty man is no gentleman, and a man without ruthlessness is no true man. You could even cast aside your own father. This little woman is truly impressed..."
In a residence one street away.
Luo Dongsheng said coldly:
"My father had his courage shattered by Lu Yulin. He couldn't see that this was the best opportunity.
"The Lu Family is beset by troubles both within and without. If Lu Yulin suddenly dies, the Dacheng Trading Firm will be on the brink of collapse.
"With Yihe Workshop's strength, calming everyone and taking over as acting proprietor would be no difficult matter!"
Luo Dongsheng stressed his words, fixing a deep look on the beautiful woman opposite him:
"So long as! Lu Yulin is gone!"
"Our Yihe Workshop supports several hundred men from the former West Mountain Firewood Gang. Every martial master under us is tough and capable. With the other chief managers joining forces, stripping that Young Master Lu of power would be child's play."
The beautiful woman covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Five cartloads of goods were replaced with gunpowder. That's enough to blow the whole courtyard sky-high.
"Unless Lu Yulin has cultivated Fetus Embracing and has protective Gang Qi covering his body, he's certain to die!
"Besides, my junior brother has already headed over. Even if he's lucky enough to have a breath left, he won't escape his treasured saber."
Hearing this, Luo Dongsheng's panic eased somewhat.
Once fear departed, lust arose.
He stared at the beautiful woman across the table. She was in the bloom of youth, with a peach-blossom face and eyes naturally touched with allure.
Merely looking at her left his mouth dry and set his whole body aflame.
"Yuniang, you said before that if I told you the route those five cartloads would take and helped you get rid of Lu Yulin... you'd let me have you once."
The beautiful woman held a tangerine, slowly peeling it.
Her dark-purple brocade qipao tightly wrapped her shapely figure, revealing only a stretch of snow-white skin at the slit.
"Your own father was just blown to death, and you're already thinking of sleeping with a woman. Young Master Luo, you truly have a ruthless heart."
The beautiful woman swung her lower leg back and forth. Her translucent toes, painted with crimson polish, teased Luo Dongsheng's desire like fingers plucking strings.
"The old man's estate would have come to me sooner or later. It's just a matter of when."
Luo Dongsheng's mind was filled with erotic scenes of tumbling clouds and overturning rain.
He did not know what spell had come over him either. Whenever he saw the beautiful woman, he could not resist wanting to lick her feet.
He ached to cradle those legs in his arms, caressing them inch by inch and slowly fondling them.
"Naturally, I'll do what I promised you. In a little while, once my junior brother has taken his revenge and consoled the Yu Family's ancestors..."
The beautiful woman's eyes shifted as she looked at Luo Dongsheng. A fat, pink worm was reflected in those lovely eyes.
"Once my junior brother and I have had our fill of pleasure, you can sit there and enjoy the view, Young Master Luo. All right? I'll let you have a taste of lingzhi grass~"
Luo Dongsheng was overjoyed, as though receiving such a reward was already bliss enough.
They're that kinky?
Inside the carriage, Lu Sui caught every word of their filthy talk through [Sound Listening]:
Luo Youxian was blown to death? Is Luo Dongsheng's filial devotion really this much of a joke? Could that woman have used some trick to bewitch him? Right, the Transferred Affection Gu!
Lu Sui linked all the information together. Clearly, the mole the adulterous pair had planted was Luo Dongsheng.
The theft of Yihe Workshop's five cartloads of goods had also been their work, with help from within.
As far as they're concerned, my bargain-bin father should have gone to the west of town...
Lu Sui looked at Lu Yulin, who was preparing to teach him by word and example and give him an extra lesson, and his heart instantly chilled.
He could not help recalling what Luo Youxian had said.
-Three generations of the Lu Family all became tigers, but Yulin alone was raised into a vicious biao!
My bargain-bin father truly deserves the name "Saber-Wielding Ghost." He lays schemes without a trace and kills without a blade!
Lu Sui's thoughts raced. The more he considered it, the more alarmed he became.
With Luo Dongsheng being the mole, Luo Youxian could not be allowed to remain.
What father in this world could disregard the killing of his son and continue serving his boss with unwavering loyalty?
But Luo Youxian was a veteran of the Dacheng Trading Firm and Yihe Workshop's chief manager, with considerable prestige and seniority. He could not simply be disposed of.
So my bargain-bin father let Luo Dongsheng act, using the son to kill the father!
Lu Sui had enough information at hand to quickly guess most of the process and what would follow.
That way, my bargain-bin father can take the opportunity to deal with Luo Dongsheng, cleanse his own house, and let his old associate rest in peace. The other chief managers will even have to praise the proprietor's great righteousness!
"Zhan'ao."
Lu Sui raised his head and met Lu Yulin's concerned eyes, then said from the heart:
"Father, your words tonight have taught your son a great deal."
Lu Yulin was taken aback. He saw admiration in Lu Sui's eyes that could not be feigned.
How strange. I've only begun my business lesson. I haven't even reached the main point.
Still, having his son look at him this way truly pleased Lu Yulin, so he kept it brief:
"The secret to making a deal in the Land Beyond the Pass comes down to this: take trust as your foundation, and prize harmony.
"But doing business well comes down to something else. Zhan'ao, you must remember it.
"'The righteous cannot manage wealth; when you act, be ruthless.'"
Having finished speaking, Lu Yulin lifted the curtain over the carriage door:
"Master Chai, leave only that woman alive. Kill all the rest."