Wan Jian returns to his clan!

Chapter 82 Peace
"Brother Tong, do you recognize me?"

Lu Wubing asked in surprise.

"How could I not recognize him? The news of Senior Ouyang's new personal disciple has already spread far and wide. I've also heard about the fact that your Huichuntang family is being targeted, Brother Lu."

Upon arriving in a new place, it's inevitable that many troubles will arise...

However, with Brother Yue stepping in, everyone in the city, from top to bottom, had to give him some face.

His influence is far more effective than Jin Yutang's. You see, Jin Yutang at least considers reason and has his own set of rules, while Brother Yue only values ​​loyalty.

"I see. I wonder if Senior Brother Yue will be loyal to your family, Shuofang Pavilion."

Lu Wubing replied with a smile.

Ignoring Tong Yusheng's increasingly unpleasant expression, he said a few words to Yue Lingfeng and Yuan Fei, then took his leave.

Tong Yusheng's words weren't entirely wrong, but the fatherly tone he gave off was a bit uncomfortable.

It's true that you want to curry favor with Yue Lingfeng and have ulterior motives; that's his own business.

However, it would be wrong to step on oneself and then praise Yue Lingfeng.

……

"Your junior brother doesn't seem easy to deal with. But he's young, so it's understandable. Let's have a drink."

Tong Yusheng watched Lu Wubing's retreating figure with amusement, sighed, drank a cup of wine, and then suddenly slapped his thigh, "Look, Brother Yue, I've completely forgotten why I invited you for drinks this time. That Cuihu hairpin won't be found anytime soon, but I've found an even better one."

He took out a translucent green jade hairpin from his bosom, and a shimmering green light appeared before his eyes.

As the sunlight streamed in through the window, the jade hairpin reflected a pool of autumn water, turning the entire table green.

"This hairpin is called the Jade Hairpin, and there is a poem to accompany it, which says, 'Jade hairpin is skillfully made, and spring breeze brushes against silk robes.' Compared with the Emerald Lake Hairpin, its quality is no less, and its craftsmanship is even better."

Tong Yusheng carefully held the jade hairpin in both hands and handed it to Yue Lingfeng, catering to his tastes.

He had already found out that Yue Lingfeng's trip down the mountain to capture the thief at the invitation of Shuofang Pavilion was actually motivated by his interest in the Cuihu hairpin.

As for what he's doing with the hairpin, is there any need to guess?
If he hadn't spread the word beforehand that the jade hairpin had been stolen by a thief, he would have taken it out long ago.

Finding a substitute to give as a favor requires both quality and exquisite craftsmanship, which shows great effort.

Of course, no matter how valuable the gift was, it was nothing more than material possessions to Tong Yusheng.

Compared to the goal I wanted to achieve, it was insignificant.

"Yusheng is so thoughtful."

Upon seeing the hairpin, Yue Lingfeng couldn't take his eyes off it. He took it and examined it closely, overjoyed.

It seemed he was thinking of how much his junior sister loved it.

As the group was enjoying themselves and exchanging toasts, a servant in blue robes hurried into the restaurant and secretly waved to Tong Yusheng.

"excuse me."

Tong Yusheng's eyes narrowed slightly. She put down her wine glass, apologized, and went to greet him.

"Young Master... Gong Wuying is dead."

"what!"

……

Lu Wubing didn't have to wait long.

Two hours later, he witnessed what happened.

Standing atop the western hill outside the city, the view is clear.

While enjoying the mountain scenery, they also kept an eye on the activities within the city.

Soon, the faint sound of explosive energy bursting within the city could be heard.

From the direction of [Shuofang Pavilion], a raging fire rose into the sky, billowing thick smoke.

Looking into the distance, one could even see crowds of people running around like ants on Qiuyang Street, and some kind-hearted people carrying buckets of water to put out the fire.

Several figures, their faces obscured, leaped and tumbled like stars, chasing and engaging in fierce combat.

Some people collapsed while running, presumably from being shot by arrows; others were surrounded and killed on the spot.

A dark mass of figures, sometimes gathering and sometimes separating, their swords flashing like snow, reflecting the sunlight.

"Wow, that's quite a commotion."

Lu Wubing gestured and said coldly, "Keep an eye on these roads. If you see anything unusual, don't make a sound. Report back immediately. Uncle Gui, Master Tang, this incident is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly."

"Young master, rest assured. Although our Huichun Hall may not have many experts, we have plenty of manpower. If we can't even handle this small matter, this old servant will have no face to see you."

The butler said with a smile.

As they spoke, dozens of figures disappeared into the wilderness outside the city.

This time, Lu Wubing has brought out all of Mingyang City's assets. Even a broken ship has three thousand nails; although Mingyang City's Huichun Hall isn't very powerful, it has a considerable number of people.

After the clinic was disbanded by the old man, some of the elderly people who depended on his family's pharmacy for a living were very reluctant to leave, as their lives became uncertain.

After the burglary that night, Lu Wubing felt that the security at home was weak, there were too few people he could command, and it was not convenient to do anything.

Therefore, he had Uncle Gui summon back all the trusted old buddies, intending to select the strongest and most capable to teach martial arts, and to provide them with food and money.

They have some influence, to some extent.

Although things are not good now, once they have mastered the Golden Thread Robe, and then taught the Surging Wave Palm and some other good martial arts techniques that have been collected, the Lu family will eventually become powerful.

Of course, it's not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Lu Wubing, however, was very patient.

He even instructed his guards to search far and wide for orphans with good physiques, to cultivate their loyalty, teach them martial arts, and prepare them for the future.

"This experience of being coveted and almost having my entire family wiped out taught me that we need to plan ahead for some things, and not wait until a crisis is imminent before we regret our own weakness."

It is better to rely on yourself than to rely on others.

One's own military strength is important, but so is one's influence.

On this point, Lu Wubing's thoughts were completely different from his father's.

"Young Master, we've found out that at the beginning of Shen Shi (3-5 PM), Shuofang Pavilion was attacked by the Taiping Army. Its owner, Tong Changyou, was killed on the spot and his head was cut off. More than thirty strong men in the pavilion were all killed... However, we did not see Tong Yusheng, nor did we find any trace of Gu Dongting from the Donghai Sword Sect."

"It can't be that bad."

When Lu Wubing heard that there was no news about Gu Dongting, that cunning old fox, his heart skipped a beat.

Old Bangzi was quick to react and must have left beforehand.

Are they really that quick to sense a crisis?

"You just mentioned the Taiping Rebellion?"

Lu Wubing suppressed his disappointment and then remembered what Uncle Gui had said: Wasn't it Jin Yutang who launched the attack? How did it turn into the Taiping Army?

"Yes, young master, you may not know this, but in Mingyang, there is actually a rebel group that claims to be 'killing corrupt officials and punishing the wicked,' and that all their actions are in the name of justice and to bring peace to the world."

The villagers benefited greatly from it and concealed its existence.

The government launched numerous campaigns, but couldn't even catch a glimpse of it, and instead suffered heavy losses.

Fortunately, this rebel group was not too large, and they rarely engaged in robbery or looting... In fact, they even secretly helped some rural people, so they had a good reputation among the people and were jokingly called the "Taiping Army".

Lu Wubing had seen these small groups of bandits and outlaws before, and Chaoyang Village was actually one of them.

It exists in every state and county.

Most of them have a bad reputation and have committed all sorts of evil deeds.

He had a good reputation, but this was the first time he had ever heard of it.

"What kind of experts did the Taiping Army have that were able to kill Tong Changyou of Shuofang Pavilion?"

Lu Wubing remembered that the round-faced fat man had already reached the upper third rank in cultivation, and his palm strikes could reach more than three zhang, making him a first-class master in the martial arts world.

Such a master was actually killed by a group of rebels.

Moreover, this happened in broad daylight, within the city walls.

Just outrageous.

All I can say is that Uncle Shen of Jin Yutang's methods are somewhat unpredictable.

This matter is definitely related to him.

Lu Wubing knew perfectly well what was going on.

"The leader of the Taiping Army was named Fang Taiping. He wore a ghost mask, making it impossible to tell his age, but his swordsmanship was extremely skilled. He beheaded Tong Changyou with just three sword strikes. Moreover, the rebels claimed that their actions were solely to eliminate Northern Zhou spies."

Strangely, the city constables acted as if they hadn't seen anything, and the rebels simply killed and left. They quickly looted the place, without lingering or disturbing the people.

"Where is Tong Yusheng? She hasn't shown up either?"

"Yes, this person has disappeared without a trace, and we haven't seen a single disciple of the East Sea Sword Sect."

"Understood. Probe another thirty li in both the north and south directions."

Lu Wubing was still quite certain whether or not he was a spy for the Northern Zhou.

He wasn't actually too surprised by Tong Changyou's death.

The strange thing is, where did Gu Dongting go?

Of the disciples he brought, only a few of his close disciples died. Where are the rest of them hiding?
……

(End of this chapter)