Chapter 83

83. Chapter 83 Letter, Silver Armor Guard

“Master Ma, the situation in Happy Village has been handled, but what should be done with the girls we rescued?”

That night, at the market, in Ma Gu’s house, Xiaotian was reporting.

“What are their wishes?” Ma Gu asked.

“Except for a few who were trafficked, most of these girls were sold to the village by their parents or husbands. Therefore, most of them don’t want to return to their original homes and say they hope Master Ma can give them a chance to live.”

Ma Gu pondered for a moment, then said, “Then let’s keep a few to help at the market, and send the rest to the cloth shop. Didn’t Old Li say he was shorthanded a while ago? I’ll send him so many people, and he won’t bother me again, will he?”

“Yes.”

Xiaotian agreed.

The cloth shop was full of women, so these girls would be a good place to be.

“One more thing, Master Ma. Besides a lot of money and silver, we found these two things in Happy Village.”

Xiaotian pulled two books from his arms and presented them.

Ma Gu took a look, somewhat surprised. “Secret manuals?”

He flipped through them and discovered two Qi and Blood Realm martial arts.

One was called the Heart-Plucking Hand, the other the Poison Wolf Fist.

“The Black Wolf Gang’s Ninth Leader, known as the Heart-Plucking Wolf, presumably relies on these two martial arts,” Ma Gu said.

“Yes, these two manuals were found in the Heart-Plucking Wolf’s bedroom. They were kept in a prominent place, and the pages were fuzzy. I guess the Heart-Plucking Wolf studied these two martial arts frequently and diligently,” Xiao Tian explained.

“Diligence is useless. He was no match for Brother Lu. He didn’t even scratch his clothes,” Ma Gu said disdainfully.

Ma Gu had previously observed Lu Qing slaughter nearly the entire Happy Village without a single wound, save for a few bloodstains on his clothes.

It was obvious that the Heart-Plucking Wolf posed no threat to Lu Qing.

“That’s true. I asked the girls who were there, and they said that the Heart-Pickling Wolf was beaten to death by Young Master Lu in just one encounter. He was no match for him at all,” Xiaotian said.

“My little brother is truly remarkable. I thought he only had incredible training talent, but I didn’t expect his martial arts skills to be so impressive as well.” Magu sighed.

He was truly astonished by Lu Qing’s display of strength.

They were both Qi and Blood Realm warriors, and Heart-Pickling Wolf had broken through many years ago, having honed his skills in the Qi and Blood Realm for many years. Yet, he couldn’t pose the slightest threat to Lu Qing.

The disparity in strength was so great that he couldn’t imagine how Lu Qing had cultivated.

While martial arts advancement could be explained by training talent, fighting experience wasn’t something that could be accumulated solely through talent.

However, the evidence from the battle in the village showed that Lu Qing had crushed Heart-Pickling Wolf from start to finish.

How had he done it? He

couldn’t figure it out, truly couldn’t.

Ma Gu felt his brain was a bit underwhelming.

“I never imagined that Young Master Lu had such a murderous intent.”

Xiao Tian recalled the scene of heads rolling around in Happy Village, and now he felt very uncomfortable.

He had never imagined that Lu Qing, who was usually gentle and humble, could be so terrifying when he was murderous, and he loved to chop off people’s heads at the slightest provocation.

Therefore, he now felt an indescribable awe for Lu Qing.

Ma Gu also felt a little uncomfortable when he thought about the tragic scene in Happy Village that night.

As a powerful cultivator in the Muscle and Bone Realm, he had experienced many battles and had certainly killed people.

But even if he had fought for more than a decade, the amount of bloodshed he had caused was far less than the amount of bloodshed Lu Qing had caused in a single night. He

shook his head, shaking off the tragic scene from his mind.

“Alright, leave these two secret books with me for now. They are Brother Lu’s spoils of war. In two days, after we have counted the money we have seized from Happy Village, I will personally take them to him,” Ma Gu said.

“Master Ma, how should we deal with the Black Wolf Gang?” Xiaotian asked. “The Black Wolf Gang has cut off Happy Village’s financial resources, so they’ll definitely send someone to investigate.”

Xiaotian was a little worried. The Black Wolf Gang was a tough one to deal with, far more powerful than the Ma family.

If the two families clashed, they feared they wouldn’t be able to withstand the pressure.

“What do you mean by dealing with it? We don’t have to deal with it,” Ma Gu said. “The Wei family’s chief steward values Brother Lu so much, he certainly doesn’t want anything to happen to him. I’ll write a letter, and you leave tonight and deliver it to the Wei Mansion. We won’t have to worry about the rest.” Xiaotian’s

eyes lit up. Master Ma had already planned this.

That night, Xiaotian set out on horseback.

Just as the city gates opened at dawn, he entered the city and handed the letter to the Wei Mansion’s gatekeeper.

When the Wei family’s chief steward received the letter and opened it, a look of surprise crossed his face.

After a moment’s thought, he took the letter and went to an elegant courtyard. He respectfully addressed a middle-aged man with a long black beard, who was slowly practicing boxing in his training uniform .

“Master, there’s something I need your advice on.”

“Oh, what’s the matter? Even you can’t handle it?” the middle-aged man asked as he practiced boxing.

“It’s about that disciple of Doctor Chen.”

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man with the black beard slowly withdrew from his morning exercises.

“What is it?”

“Here’s a letter. It was just sent by Ma Gu of the Ma family,” the chief steward held out.

“Ma Gu? The scion of the Ma family who was nearly expelled from the family?” the middle-aged man with the black beard took the letter.

“Yes, it’s Ma Gu. Young Master Zi’an stayed with him while he was away a while ago. Thanks to his reminder, the young master was sent to Doctor Chen in time for treatment,” the chief steward explained.

The middle-aged man with a black beard nodded, opened the letter, and began to read.

His brow furrowed as he read.

“Is what’s written here true?”

After reading, the middle-aged man raised his head.

“I haven’t investigated yet, but Magu wouldn’t dare lie about such a thing,” the chief steward replied.

“Then the Black Wolf Gang’s actions are rather unbecoming; they’ve crossed the line,” the middle-aged man with a black beard frowned.

“Should I send someone to take down the Black Wolf Gang…” the chief steward asked tentatively.

With the power of the Wei family, wiping out a small Black Wolf Gang wouldn’t be difficult.

And he knew the master wouldn’t likely tolerate such a thing. The

middle-aged man with a black beard examined the letter in his hand, pondered for a moment, and said, “Warn the Black Wolf Gang and tell them to tone it down.”

“Master…” The chief steward was taken aback.

This decision didn’t seem like the master’s usual style.

The middle-aged man with a black beard didn’t immediately explain, but instead raised the letter in his hand.

“The young man mentioned in the letter is Doctor Chen’s disciple, right?”

“Yes, when the young master was first sent to Doctor Chen, it was this young master Lu who worked tirelessly all night to boil medicine and saved the young master’s life.”

“What a murderous young man!” the middle-aged man with a black beard praised. “He killed nearly a hundred villains in one night. There are not many people with such murderous intent in all of Cangzhou.”

The chief steward was silent.

He had not expected that Lu Qing had such a side to him.

When he was in the small courtyard halfway up the mountain, he saw Lu Qing every day, but he had never realized that he was such a decisive killer.

When he first saw the content of the letter, for a moment he even suspected that Magu had written the wrong name.

More importantly, Lu Qing’s progress in martial arts also surprised him.

He remembered that when he left the small courtyard halfway up the mountain, Lu Qing had just entered the Qi and Blood Realm.

It had only been a short time since he was able to kill a warrior like the Heart-Pickling Wolf who had been honing his skills in the Qi and Blood Realm for many years and had already achieved a small level of Qi and Blood.

“I remember a while ago, you suggested that Madam send some gifts to this young man, right?” asked the middle-aged man with black beard.

“Yes, when I was taking care of the young master at the old doctor Chen’s place, I often saw this young Master Lu and found that he was very talented and had a natural talent in martial arts practice. He could be called a rare young talent, so I suggested that Madam could establish a good relationship with him.” The chief steward explained.

“You have a good eye. This is indeed a rare talent.”

The middle-aged man with black beard remembered what he said in his heart and praised him again.

“However, even geniuses need pressure to grow more rapidly. Let’s keep the Black Wolf Gang for now, and use them as a whetstone for this young man.”

“I understand, old servant,”

the chief steward finally understood his master’s intention.

“Alright, go down and make the arrangements.”

The Wei family chief steward withdrew, first summoning the guards from the mansion and giving them instructions. He then wrote a letter and sent it back to Xiaotian, who was still waiting outside for news.

As Xiaotian rushed to the market with the reply letter, a team of guards on horseback filed out of the side gate of the Wei mansion and headed west of the city.

“Are they the Silver-Armored Guards from the Wei Mansion?”

“What happened that caused the Wei Mansion to deploy the Silver-Armored Guards?”

“The last time the Silver-Armored Guards were deployed was when the young master of the Wei family got into trouble a while ago. Could it be that he’s sneaked out again?”

“Nonsense! As far as I know, the young master’s injuries haven’t healed yet, so how could he have the energy to go out?”

“Then what’s going on this time?!”

As the prestige of the Wei Mansion in the city is preeminent, its movements are always closely watched by all the major forces in the city.

Upon seeing this small group of guards, spies from various factions immediately perked up.

The Silver-Armored Guards are a security organization unique to the Wei Mansion. It’s said that every Silver-Armored Guard is at least at the Muscle and Bone Realm.

Among other factions in the city, those with such strength are at least pillars of strength.

But within the Wei Mansion, they are limited to guard duty.

One can imagine the Wei Mansion’s position within the county government: truly supreme, no faction dared to provoke it.

Even the County Magistrate, wishing to meet the Wei Family Patriarch, had to submit a visiting card in advance, and that too depended on the Patriarch’s mood.

Seeing the Wei Mansion dispatch a small squadron of Silver-Armored Guards, how could the major factions not be shocked?

“Look, the Silver-Armored Guards are heading west!”

Upon seeing their destination, the major factions were startled.

The west side of the city has always been a hive of mixed fortunes, a mingling of all sorts of

people. The factions were also complex, encompassing a wide range of figures.

Why were the Silver-Armored Guards heading that way?

This scene particularly concerned several factions within the city’s own western region,

as they were unsure whether the Silver-Armored Guards were targeting them.

Thus, under the watchful eyes of the various factions within the city, the Silver-Armored Guards made their way west, finally stopping before a building.

“Chunyue Tower?”

Upon seeing the Silver-Armored Guards’ destination, everyone was stunned.

Everyone knew Chunyue Tower, the most famous brothel in the city.

But what were the Silver-Armored Guards doing at Chunyue Tower? Was some high-ranking figure playing games there and needed their assistance?

The next moment, everyone knew they were wrong.

The leading Silver-Armored Guard stopped in front of Chunyue Tower and, without even dismounting, shouted,

“Black Wolf, get out!”

Black Wolf?!

Everyone was stunned again at this shout.

They had never imagined the Silver-Armored Guards were coming to Wangyue Tower specifically to investigate its mastermind, Black Wolf, leader of the Black Wolf Gang.

Suddenly, everyone was watching with anticipation.

The other West City factions, in particular, were gloating.

They had no idea how Black Wolf had provoked the Wei Mansion, but as fellow West City factions, their relations had always been strained.

Now, seeing the Black Wolf Gang so foolishly provoke such a formidable force as the Wei Mansion, how could they not be pleased?

At that moment, inside Chunyue Tower, a burly man with a ferocious appearance, long arms and legs, a bare chest covered in black hair, and a prominent scar on his face, stood in astonishment.

“The Silver-Armored Guards are here for me?”

“Big Brother!” At this moment, several men burst into the room. “What’s going on? Why do the Wei Family’s Silver-Armored Guards want to see you?”

They were the other leaders of the Black Wolf Gang.

“I don’t know!” Black Wolf said, somewhat panicked.

He immediately recalled the gang’s recent events, but he couldn’t figure out how he had offended the Wei Family.

“Why did the Wei Family’s Silver-Armored Guards come so aggressively, specifically asking to see you?” the second-in-command asked.

“I want to know too! I’ve been with you guys lately, haven’t even left the west side of the city, how could I possibly provoke the Wei Family? Besides, how could I possibly dare to provoke them!”

Black Wolf was terrified and panicked, his usual authority completely gone.

The other leaders shared the same thought.

Don’t underestimate the Black Wolf Gang, which is very popular in the west of the city and is known as one of the three major gangs.

But in front of a behemoth like the Wei Mansion, it is nothing.

Even if the eldest brother had ten thousand guts, he would not dare to provoke the Wei Mansion.

“What should we do then? Should we go out?” asked a leader.

“Do we have any choice?” Black Wolf said with a wry smile.

The other leaders were silent.

Indeed, the Silver Armored Guards were at the door. Even if they wanted to escape, it was too late.

“Maybe things are not as bad as we thought. Although these Silver Armored Guards came with great force, they didn’t just rush in. I think there is still room for maneuver.” The second-in-command said.

“Second brother, you have a point.” The eyes of the other leaders lit up.

Given the strength of the Wei Mansion, if the Black Wolf Gang really wanted to offend it to death, they would not be so polite as to shout outside and would have rushed in to arrest people long ago.

“Okay, then I’ll go out!”

Black Wolf always trusted the second-in-command’s judgment and said with gritted teeth.

(End of this chapter)