Caught between a rock and a hard place, Lu Yuanxin suddenly said to Lu Chunying, "Miss Chunying, I have a private matter to discuss with Uncle Tang."
Lu Yuanxin approached Lu Dongtang, who urgently cried out, "Yuanxin, your uncle cherished you the most! When you were young, I even held you in my arms..."
The words with which Lu Dongtang had humiliated Lu Yuanxin at Lu Maoxian’s residence still rang in his ears.
Lu Yuanxin remained silent, squatted beside Lu Dongtang, and put a pair of mottled earwigs into Lu Dongtang’s ears.
Earwigs, also known as ’Ear Clamp Bugs,’ are named for the forceps-like appendage at their tails. There is a popular belief that earwigs can burrow into a person’s ears, pierce the eardrum, enter the brain, and devour the brain marrow.
In reality, most earwigs eat only decaying wood and leaves, and some consume insects, generally not harming people.
Only this kind of mottled earwig, red and white in color, is the malignant kind specially bred by Insect Cultivators. When influenced by Insect Cultivation Techniques, these bugs become extremely aggressive. They are indeed capable of boring into the skull and wreaking havoc in the brain.
At first, Lu Dongtang only felt an unbearable itch in his ears. Once the itching subsided, he then felt a sharp pain, followed by the loss of hearing in one ear. In less than a minute, the earwigs had burrowed into his skull, and Lu Dongtang screamed in agony, his body convulsing.
A few minutes later, Lu Dongtang was motionless. Lu Yuanxin took a short knife, chopped off Lu Dongtang’s head, and stood before Lu Chunying. "Lu Dongtang, for conspiring against the Family Head, has now been executed according to familial law!"
Witnessing this scene, Duan Shaoxia vaguely saw in it the figures of Lu Dongliang and Lu Dongjun of yesteryears. In Lu Yuanxin, Duan Shaoxia saw a loyalty seldom found in Lu Dongjun. After thinking for a moment, Duan Shaoxia understood.
With this in mind, Duan Shaoxia nodded and said, "Chunying, I think this matter should be taken up with your great-uncle for an explanation."
Lu Chunying nodded and replied, "That’s what I think too."
The group escorted a bunch of assassins to Lu Maoxian’s residence. Before leaving, Ma Wu specifically went upstairs to ask Li Banfeng, "Old Qi, are you going?"
"Of course," said Li Banfeng. "I want to see what explanation Lu Maoxian can give."
A large group of people majestically arrived at the doors of the residence; this was not a matter to be kept secret, as the day called for a housecleaning.
On this point, the thoughts of Lu Chunying and Duan Shaoxia were essentially aligned; they both saw the opportunity to completely strip Lu Maoxian of any say in the family.
It wasn’t until they saw the residence in complete chaos that everyone realized Lu Maoxian truly had no more say. He would never be able to speak again.
Lu Maoxian was dead, and it was unclear whose hand dealt the blow.
Before Lu Chunying could recover from the shock, she abruptly heard Duan Shaoxia beginning to cry.
It was uncertain for whom or why she wept, but her crying was soul-wrenching, making others feel like shedding tears as well.
Lu Yuanxin had no desire to be seen as the good person; he shouted at the crowd, "No matter the state of the great-uncle today, the matter of plotting against the Family Head must be accounted for!"
The other children of Lu Maoxian dared not speak out, while the numerous concubines wept in fright.
Lu Yuanxin made a suggestion to Lu Chunying, "Eradicate Lu Maoxian’s branch completely, to prevent future troubles."
Duan Shaoxia, while crying, covertly assessed Lu Yuanxin.
Ma Wu stood behind the crowd and whispered to Li Qi, "Old Qi, what’s your take on this?"
Li Banfeng replied, "Don’t ask me; you’re a gentleman of standing, surely you’ve seen more of this sort of thing than I have."
After pondering for a moment, Ma Wu said, "Though Lu Yuanxin is ruthless, he’s done nothing wrong in this matter."
Lu Chunying was pondering her next move when suddenly a roaring sound came from afar.
CHUG! CHUG!
A steam car drove up.
This vehicle was rare in Greenwater City and even rarer in the entirety of Puluo State. Ma Wu recognized the person in the car from afar. "Old Qi, that’s Border Defense Envoy Liao Zihui." The Border Defense Envoy had arrived.
Li Banfeng glanced at the car. Six people were seated inside. Ma Wu lowered his voice and said, "The one with the hat is Liao Zihui. The rest are his bodyguards."
Liao Zihui wore a long robe, a hat, and round-framed sunglasses. He was about 1.7 meters tall, and his waistline seemed to match his height.
Having gotten off the car, Liao Zihui roughly asked about the situation and said to everyone, "Today’s matters, let’s call it quits."
Lu Yuanxin was not quite convinced, but he didn’t speak up.
Liao Zihui approached Lu Chunying, his face expressionless. "Tomorrow, the Defense Agency will hold a banquet. The invitation will be sent later. I hope Miss Chunying will grace it with her presence."
Lu Chunying didn’t say anything.
Xiao Yeci said from the side, "Nannan, you should quickly agree."
Lu Chunying nodded slightly.
Liao Zihui got on the car and left at once. His stay was less than half an hour.
Just like that, in a mere half an hour, a bloody battle had come to an end.
Zhang Xiuling escorted Duan Shaoxia back to the Lu Family Mansion, while Ma Wu led people to escort Lu Chunying back to the estate.
On the way, Zuo Wugang’s expression was serious. He said to Ma Wu, "Master Wu, I didn’t see Lu Dongchun just now."
Lu Yuanxin’s expression was also very serious. "Others can be spared, but this calamity must not be left unchecked."
Lu Chunying asked, "What kind of Taoist Sect does Lu Dongchun belong to? Her combat techniques are very strange."
Lu Yuanxin said, "She is a Garment Cultivator. This sect is extremely sinister. In the early stages of cultivation, they can train their clothes to be incredibly tough.
"In the later stages of cultivation, I reckon all that’s left of them is their clothes."
Lu Chunying was puzzled. "What do you mean, all that’s left is their clothes?"
Lu Yuanxin answered, "No flesh or blood, just clothes from head to toe."
Lu Dongchun was in Lu Maoxian’s mansion, prepared to fight to the death if needed.
Having learned that Lu Chunying had left with her people, Lu Dongchun picked up the iron and pressed it repeatedly against her body.
Layers of holes in the clothes smoldered as steam rose. The Clothes Moths were scorched to death.
Lu Dongchun took out a sewing needle, slowly picked the dead moths out, then threaded the needle and began to mend the wounds on her body, starting with her face.
In Xiaoyao Lodge, Li Banfeng asked Ma Wu, "Domestic issues look to banners, external affairs ask the Border Defense—why would the Border Defense Envoy intervene in the Lu Family’s internal matters?"
Ma Wu rubbed his eyes and said, "The Border Defense Envoy doesn’t usually intervene in major families’ internal affairs, but once he does, the major families wouldn’t dare to defy the Border Defense Envoy."
"So the big families of Puluo State are controlled by the Border Defense Envoy?" Li Banfeng asked.
Ma Wu continued, still rubbing his eyes, "There’s no choice. The Border Defense Envoy controls the transportation networks. If you confront him, business cannot proceed.
"Actually, today’s incident is a blessing in disguise. The Border Defense Envoy’s invitation to Lu Chunying is tantamount to recognizing her position as the Family Head.
"But I didn’t expect that Duan Shaoxia and the Hundred Flowers Gate still had connections. Whether Lu Chunying can maintain her position as the Family Head is still uncertain."
Throughout the conversation, Ma Wu kept rubbing his eyes, until blood seeped from his left eye.
Li Banfeng was shocked. "What got into your eye that you’re rubbing it so fiercely?"
Ma Wu smiled and said, "An Emotional Root sneaked in, but I’ve just rubbed it out.
"Old Qi, Duan Shaoxia is an Emotion Cultivator, and she’s quite advanced."
PS: Ma Wu had a deep understanding of Emotion Cultivation.