Lu Dongchun, the daughter of Lu Maoxian.
Monkey Qiu was in his early forties. Lu Dongchun was two years older than Monkey Qiu, but in terms of appearance, Lu Dongchun looked like a woman in her twenties—her skin was delicate, and her features were exquisite, making her a rare beauty.
She wore a dark Western-style long dress and held a foreign parasol, waiting quietly at the entrance of the Lu Residence without any clamor or complaints, even without a retinue by her side. A woman with such beautiful looks, yet still so well-mannered, it was unknown how she managed to provoke Duan Shaoxia, creating such disdain from Madam Lu.
"I won’t see her, tell her to leave!" Duan Shaoxia still refused to allow Lu Dongchun to enter.
Monkey Qiu said, "Madam, she has come to seek assistance in avenging Old Master Lu."
Duan Shaoxia gritted her teeth and said, "She has the gall to seek me out? It was already generous of me not to settle accounts with them!"
Monkey Qiu shook his head and said, "Madam, it’s the family rule."
Duan Shaoxia’s face turned exceedingly grim.
She understood the rules of a large family.
If Lu Maoxian had been injured by members of the Lu Family, it wasn’t necessary for the various branches of the family to care; he would be left to his own devices.
But if Lu Maoxian had been hurt by outsiders, as long as the injury was severe enough and it was known who was responsible, and he actively sought revenge, all branches of the Lu Family were expected to respond.
If any branch failed to respond, they could be ostracized by the family—especially the main branch, which should set an example at such times. Whether they actually put forth effort in the endeavor was a separate matter, but their presence was mandatory.
After a moment of reflection, Duan Shaoxia told Monkey Qiu, "Zhiheng, given Yuan Hai’s current condition, and Huai Yi not yet entering our household, I, as a mere woman, have no skill in warfare. This matter should be entrusted to you. You must be very careful; simply show up at Lu Maoxian’s side to make an appearance. If anything happens to you too, our family will struggle to get by."
Qiu Zhiheng nodded and said, "Miss Dongchun is still outside our gates; we should invite her in and speak to her directly."
"No way!" Duan Shaoxia waved her hands repeatedly. "You can entertain her in your small building. I don’t want to see her. Just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle!"
Qiu Zhiheng went out and personally ushered Lu Dongchun into the small building.
Lu Dongchun seldom stepped out from home. The servants in the small building were new and unfamiliar with her. Seeing that a guest had arrived, they hastily served tea.
Lu Dongchun lifted the teacup and took a sip, asking, "Zhiheng, does your sister-in-law not want to see me?"
Monkey Qiu nodded.
"It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t want to see me, but I still need an answer from her. Regarding my father’s situation, are you all going to take action or not?"
"We will!" Monkey Qiu’s response was very straightforward. "Once you’ve set the date and location, inform me, and I’ll personally make a visit."
"You will go?" Lu Dongchun blinked, her clear and sparkling eyes reflecting Monkey Qiu’s face. "Will you be representing our external family, or the main family?"
"Does that matter right now?"
"It matters. This was my father’s instruction. For this revenge against the Ling Family, it’s imperative to distinguish between internal and external family."
Old Master Lu’s requirement to segregate internal and external families meant the rules were different this time.
’Main family’ referred to the Lu Family’s members.
’External family’ referred to the various forces supported by the Lu Family.
The previous Mental Cultivator Si Wennian and Feng Cultivator Tan Fucheng both represented the external family.
But Monkey Qiu’s situation was somewhat special.
If he represented the main family, he had to bring a member of the main family with him. Even if they didn’t participate in the fight, just being there would make it legitimate.
If he represented the external family, it would save a lot of trouble, but this would imply that Lu Dongliang’s main branch had not sent anyone, failing to address the real issue.
Without hesitation, Monkey Qiu replied, "Main family."
"Good!" Lu Dongchun lifted the teacup and took another sip. "Then make sure we see someone from the main family when the time comes."
Monkey Qiu picked up his teacup, a polite gesture to see his guest out.
Lu Dongchun rose to take her leave.
No matter how her body moved, Lu Dongchun’s eyes remained still, her gaze locked on Monkey Qiu the entire time.
Monkey Qiu escorted Lu Dongchun to the door. When the servant came to clean up the tea, they found that Lu Dongchun’s teacup was still full.
While the servant was puzzled, Monkey Qiu reminded, "Next time if you see her coming, don’t serve tea."
「...」
Ma Wu was busy preparing for the premiere of "Blood Gun Detective IV." The theater was half-decorated when a group of reporters barged in.
Ma Wu planned to have Cao Zhida lead people to handle them, but he found out these were no ordinary reporters—they were quite capable.
They were here to stir up trouble.
A man and a woman, along with the reporters, entered the theater and walked straight toward Ma Wu.
This wasn’t something his subordinates could handle, so Ma Wu personally went to welcome them, with Zuo Wugang following closely behind.
Ling Miaoying took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and blew the smoke in Ma Wu’s face. "Boss Ma, your business is thriving, isn’t it?"
Ma Wu, not angered, also lit a cigarette. "Boss Ling, you flatter me. My small-time business is nothing compared to you."
"Don’t be modest. I admire you, truly," Ling Miaoying said. "I’m here to discuss a collaboration. I have several new movies in the works, and if you think highly of me, come by my set, take a look at the scripts, give some advice. Let’s shoot some proper movies and make money together."
The implication of Ling Miaoying’s words was obvious—he wanted to take over Ma Wu’s business.
In the past, Ma Wu had the Lu Family’s support, but now the main branch of the Lu Family had collapsed, and Lu Maoxian was severely injured.
Even if Lu Maoxian were not injured, it’s unlikely he would be in a position to support Ma Wu.
Ma Wu was now without a backer, and it was the perfect opportunity to devour Ma Wu.
If they could also deal with Li Qi in the process and obtain that item, perhaps they would no longer need to consider He Jiaqing’s feelings in the future.
Ma Wu chuckled softly. "Boss Ling, you jest. My modest operations couldn’t possibly catch your eye?"
Ling Miaoying stared at Ma Wu. "I just want to know whether you agree or not."
Ma Wu shook his head lightly. "I think it’s best if we each go our own way."
Ling Miaoying rotated the cigarette between his fingers. "So that’s a no."
Zuo Wugang sensed something was off and quickly positioned himself to protect Ma Wu.
Ling Miaoying smiled indifferently and said, "It’s just a business talk; there’s no need for such an uproar. If Young Master Wu isn’t willing, we can just leave."
That was what he said, but Ling Miaoying had no intention of leaving.
He didn’t want to kill Ma Wu, but he had to teach him a lesson. While Ma Wu was not paying attention, Tu Yinghong was ready to take action and kill Zuo Wugang.
Her right hand reached into her red skirt, about to draw a Weapon, when Ling Miaoying suddenly extended his hand and stopped Tu Yinghong.
It took Tu Yinghong quite a while to realize that another person was standing beside them.
That person was dressed in a black Western suit, wearing a top hat with the brim pulled down low, almost completely obscuring his face.
"Boss Ling, mind if I borrow a smoke?" Li Banfeng, at some point, had taken Ling Miaoying’s Iron Tobacco Box, took out a cigarette, lit it in his mouth, and then returned the Iron Tobacco Box to Ling Miaoying.
Beads of sweat formed on Ling Miaoying’s forehead.
With so much happening in the Lu Family, Li Banfeng had anticipated such a move from Ling Miaoying and had taken precautions in advance.
"I just heard you talk about business, Boss Ling," Li Banfeng said. "Do you have some good opportunity to make a fortune? Tell me about it. If there’s money to be made, let’s earn it together."
Ling Miaoying fell silent for a moment, then smiled at Li Banfeng. "Seventh Master, your business is always packed. Whereas I can hardly hope for sixty percent attendance. I still need your guidance on the way to wealth."
Li Banfeng was humble. "Guidance is an overstatement. We could find a place to have a good chat."
Ling Miaoying glanced at the theater’s decor. "Both of you seem quite busy today. Let’s talk another day."
He left the theater with a group of reporters. Zuo Wugang wiped his sweat, saying, "That group of people just now, not a single one was easy to deal with!"
He was right; those so-called reporters were all tough characters under Ling Miaoying’s command.
Ma Wu clenched his teeth. "The Lu Family has fallen, and I didn’t expect Ling Miaoying to be so rampant. His character is really not like his brother’s."
"Backers are ultimately unreliable," Li Banfeng said calmly. With Sixth Layer Traveling Cultivation combined with Fifth Layer Home Cultivation, he knew he could rely on himself now.
Li Banfeng left the premiere preparations to Ma Wu and returned to his Portable Residence.
This trip had been very rewarding.
Ling Miaoying was a Seventh Layer Peeping Cultivation. Even though Li Banfeng had the ability to be overlooked and uncommon speed, escaping Ling Miaoying’s eyes was ultimately not an easy task.
Being able to steal the Iron Tobacco Box from Ling Miaoying was entirely thanks to the Gloves. Of course, if the Gloves made a move, it wasn’t going to stop at just an Iron Tobacco Box; he also stole Ling Miaoying’s pistol.
Li Banfeng had seen this pistol before. At that time, encountering Ling Miaoying at the platform, he was almost crippled by that gun.
Li Banfeng gained a new appreciation for the capacity of the Gloves.
His wife also knew about firearms. Poking the pistol with a gramophone needle, she observed it for a moment and said, "This gun is a Spiritual Object. As long as the bullet fires, it will absolutely hit the enemy. If it hits a vital point, Cultivators below the Third Layer will undoubtedly die, and those above the Third Layer will be injured. The lower the cultivation level, the more severe the injury."
The Gloves spat out a wallet next, which was also Ling Miaoying’s.
Li Banfeng opened the wallet and saw it was filled with dozens of Huan Country Banknotes.
"Not bad at all, today you’ve really done a great service!" Li Banfeng praised the Gloves and took all the banknotes out of the wallet, stuffing them into the Gloves as a reward.
The Gloves accepted the banknotes and sincerely said, "Thank you, boss!"
Li Banfeng continued to study the pistol.
The Gloves went into the Third Room to rest.
「...」
Ling Miaoying returned to the Shadow Play Company, still shaken.
Tu Yinghong sat next to Ling Miaoying and asked, "Who was that man with the top hat just now?"
"Li Qi, a very tough person to deal with."
Tu Yinghong said, "Earlier you mentioned dealing with Ma Wu. How come a Li Qi suddenly popped up?"
"Ma Wu only takes care of business. The real person in charge is him."
"That person has very quick moves."
"He is a Traveling Cultivator. I’ve fought with him before, and his moves are even faster than before," Ling Miaoying said.
Ling Miaoying pondered whether or not to inform He Jiaqing of the situation. He reached for the button on his chest, suddenly feeling something missing in his clothes.
"Where’s my gun? Where’s my gun!" Ling Miaoying exclaimed, terribly alarmed. This Spiritual Object was very valuable and very important to him.
Seeing Ling Miaoying lose something, Tu Yinghong subconsciously touched her skirt.
"Oh no! My Iron Ruler is gone!"
Ling Miaoying’s eyes widened. "Without the Iron Ruler, won’t we be unable to move the building?"
Tu Yinghong gritted her teeth. "It must have been stolen by that Li Qi. We must get our items back no matter what!"
「...」
In the Portable Residence, inside the Third Room.
The Gloves, seeing there were no other Magical Treasures in the room, silently spat out a pair of Iron Rulers.
"HEHEHE!" the Gloves chuckled softly.
He placed the Iron Rulers on the ground, just about to study them carefully.
The Iron Rulers, upon contact with the ground, suddenly melted, swiftly seeping in, and vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The Gloves cried out in alarm, "My treasure..."
Li Banfeng pushed open the door and asked angrily, "What’s all the racket about? What treasure?"
The Gloves pondered for a long moment, so heartbroken they almost wept, and responded with a trembling voice, "My treasured boss, I was just sleeping and dreaming about you."