Chapter 196: Peak Qing's First Battle

"Fifth Master, our warehouse has been broken into. The shelves are overturned, and goods are scattered everywhere."

"The cash box has also been forced open, and all the cash is gone."

Ma Wu rubbed his forehead. Waking up to so much news felt like his home had been ransacked. On second thought, it was indeed similar to being raided. Thieves had entered his and Li Banfeng's ten-mile territory, turning several key locations upside down.

Ma Wu's subordinates wouldn't do such a thing. The hunters who regularly did business there wouldn't dare. So who did it? No need to ask, it had to be Lu Xiaolan. She sent people into the territory last night, and Ma Wu had been completely unaware. If she had decided to kill last night, would Ma Wu have been prepared?

Sitting on the bed, Ma Wu stared blankly, cold sweat trickling down his face. He had slept with A Qin last night, which was relatively safe. From now on, besides Yanzi and A Qin, he shouldn't easily stay overnight at anyone else's place.

Li Banfeng returned to the ten-mile territory and entered his wooden house, finding it in disarray. "Who did this? They nearly ripped up the floorboards..."

*Boom!* Li Banfeng almost fell through the floor. Indeed, several floorboards had been lifted and then put back exactly as they were. What was this supposed to be? Tearing down his house?

Li Banfeng found a letter by his desk. He opened it and saw only three lines.First line: What's owed must be repaid.Second line: A life owed must be repaid.Third line: Lu Xiaolan.

Well, Lu Xiaolan was quite polite, even signing her letters. But you come all this way, not bringing gifts, and instead demanding things from me? Is that appropriate? When you say I owe you something, do you mean the Red Lotus? If you want me to return it, is it to you or He Jiaqing? It didn't matter, though; no matter who it was for, Li Banfeng had no intention of returning it. And what did "a life owed" mean? Did he owe her a life? That made no sense. She was the one who tried to harm him initially; if anyone owed a life, she owed him.

As he was thinking, Ma Wu entered the room: "Someone came into our territory last night. I suspect it's..." Seeing the scene in Li Banfeng's room, Ma Wu knew he didn't need to explain further.

"It's Lu Xiaolan," Li Banfeng said, shaking the letter in his hand. "She even wrote me a letter saying I owe her a life."

Ma Wu gritted his teeth: "What else does that damned person want? Seventh Brother, burn the letter quickly. You can't keep anything from a Peeker; there might be hooks on it."

Li Banfeng burned the letter, returned to his Portable Dwelling, and began cleaning the dust from his wife's chassis. Recently, his wife had been a bit resistant to oiling, but she still accepted routine maintenance like dusting.

His wife hummed twice, "Oh, husband, you use duster and brushes for cleaning. What are you using on your little servant's backside?"

Li Banfeng righteously replied, "A brush!"

His wife retorted angrily, "Aren't you bullying your little servant? We don't have a brush this size in our house! And you're using so much force. Did something upset you?"

Li Banfeng nodded, "There's a mole among my subordinates."

His wife empathized, "You can guard against outsiders day and night, but a thief in the family is hard to prevent. Moles are the most hateful. Husband, do you have any clues?"

"It's precisely because there are no clues that I feel so agitated. Wife, have you encountered moles before?"

"Yes, I have. While they are hateful, they can also be quite interesting."

"Interesting?" Li Banfeng didn't understand.

"If you find the mole and kill them, there's nothing interesting about it. If you find them and don't kill them, that's very interesting."

"Not killing them is interesting?"

"Yes, very interesting. You can keep them around and play with them slowly!"

Li Banfeng couldn't grasp it: "What if I can't find the mole?"

"If you can't find them, it's a bit less interesting, but you can still 'have a word' with them."

Li Banfeng was somewhat dissatisfied: "Wife, stop speaking in riddles. Your husband doesn't understand. My opponent this time is a Peeker. She might attach hooks to the mole. If I don't find this mole, my every move will be visible to the enemy."

"A Peeker? That's even more interesting! It depends on where the hook is attached!"

Li Banfeng leaned forward and hugged the phonograph: "Wife, what exactly do you mean? Please elaborate."

"Hus-hus-husband, please take out the brush first. The pla-pla-place isn't right..."

They inventoried the warehouse, repaired the cash box, and thoroughly inspected every corner of the territory. Any suspicious or unfamiliar objects were immediately destroyed to prevent Peekers from leaving hooks.

After a day of turmoil, Ma Wu returned to the council hall, sat in a chair, and quietly drank. Chuanzi brought another newspaper, and Ma Wu saw news about himself again, still on the second page.

Ma Wu gave a bitter smile: "Goods can't get out, and our territory has been infiltrated again. I suppose once we're bankrupt, we'll make the front page."

At the Lu family mansion, Monkey Qiu was reading a newspaper in his small building, accompanied by Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai. Previously, Lu family meetings were held in the main residence, but Monkey Qiu had been staying in the small building most of the time lately.

Lu Yuanshan remarked, "There's a lot of news about Ma Wu lately. I hear his business in Lanyang Village is getting bigger and bigger!"

Monkey Qiu nodded and asked, "What does Lu Maoxian say?"

Lu Yuanshan was taken aback: "Why suddenly ask about Great-Uncle?"

Monkey Qiu put down the newspaper and said, "Aren't these news articles written for him to see?"

Lu Yuanshan was puzzled.

Lu Yuanhai nodded repeatedly. He was responsible for gathering information on Lu Maoxian: "Great-Uncle complained to relatives this morning, saying that we two brothers gave the Lanyang Village business to the Ma family, and the Lu family's ancestral legacy will be ruined by us."

Monkey Qiu sneered, "The old man is getting anxious. He used to curse me, but now he dares to curse you brothers directly. He's forgotten his place. No matter how high his seniority, he's not the true line of the Lu family."

Lu Yuanshan smacked his lips: "But letting him keep cursing like this isn't a solution. How about this: tomorrow, I'll go discuss with Ma Wu and ask him to pay a higher share of the profits."

Monkey Qiu lit a cigarette: "It's useless how much profit he pays. Even if he paid ninety-five percent, the old man would still say it's too little. Even if we reclaim Lanyang Village and drive Ma Wu out, the old man will still scold you for squandering the family fortune. He'll ask why we didn't reclaim the Paramount nightclub, or why we didn't reclaim all the businesses Lu Dongjun sold off."

Lu Yuanhai nodded: "It's exactly as Uncle Qiu said. Great-Uncle has mentioned all these things to relatives, bringing them up repeatedly whenever there's nothing else to say. In his eyes, we're not fit to manage this family."

Lu Yuanshan sighed, "It seems no matter what we do, we can't silence Great-Uncle."

Monkey Qiu took a deep drag from his cigarette: "The old man's mouth isn't actually on him. How can we silence it? There's one thing he definitely won't mention: he won't tell us to reclaim the business in Haichiling."

Lu Yuanhai thought about the recent situation, and it was indeed as Monkey Qiu said: "Great-Uncle never mentions Haichiling!"

Monkey Qiu took another puff: "That's because the Ling family seized the business in Haichiling."

Lu Yuanshan suddenly understood: "Great-Uncle has dealings with the Ling family. Great-Uncle's mouth is controlled by the Ling family!"

Monkey Qiu stubbed out his cigarette and asked Lu Yuanshan, "Yuanshan, how is the newspaper office you were asked to manage doing?"

Lu Yuanshan seemed troubled: "Uncle Qiu, this isn't that easy to handle. The newspapers I published were suspended for too long. Picking them up now isn't something that can be done overnight. Moreover, the Ling family is growing. Forget further afield, just in Lushui City, their newspaper sells for fifty cents a copy and they never struggle to sell. My thirty-cent papers aren't bought, and if I lower the price further, we won't make a profit. We really can't compete with them."

Monkey Qiu smiled: "So you think you can't compete?"

Lu Yuanshan sighed helplessly: "Newspapers that have been suspended have a poor reputation. Long-term subscribers will feel we lack credibility, and that's the biggest taboo in the newspaper industry."

Monkey Qiu raised his teacup and took a sip: "What if the Ling family's newspaper also ceased publication?"

"How could their newspaper stop publishing? They're always..." Lu Yuanshan paused for a moment, then understood Monkey Qiu's meaning. He tidied his clothes and stood up to leave. Monkey Qiu called out to Lu Yuanshan: "Don't do it yourself. Don't ruin your reputation over something so trivial. Dirty work should be handled by specialized people. Zhang Xiuling from Hundred Flowers Gate has always wanted to establish a connection with the Lu family; why not give her an opportunity?"

In the council hall, a phonograph played a graceful dance tune. Ma Wu was playing chess with Li Banfeng; Ma Wu was distracted, but Li Banfeng was extremely focused, thinking carefully about every move. Towards the end of the game, Li Banfeng delivered a checkmate, and Ma Wu surrendered. "Seventh Brother, I want to discuss something with you. Next time we ship goods, I plan to personally escort them."

Li Banfeng frowned: "If you personally escort them, will Lu Xiaolan not try to steal them?"

"She'll definitely still try. So I plan to put myself on the line to draw her out. I'll bring Yanzi, A Qin, Xianxian, and Qiaocui. I don't believe we can't kill her!"

"What about Zuo Wugang?"

"Not bringing him. I still don't trust him."

Li Banfeng held a chess piece, examining the board carefully: "In the New Territory, these people are still useful. But what if we leave the New Territory? I don't know about A Qin, but Madam Suo'e cannot leave the New Territory."

"A Qin also can't leave the New Territory; she has a contract with Qiu Luoye," Ma Wu also realized this. "Lu Xiaolan is also wanted by the Lu family, so I reckon she wouldn't dare to leave the New Territory either. If she dares to make a move outside the New Territory, I'll accept my fate. I'll just admit I'm not as crazy as her!"

Li Banfeng placed the piece back on the board and nodded: "That's also a way. I'll go with you."

Ma Wu paused, then shook his head: "You can't go. We can't let Lu Xiaolan know you're here."

Li Banfeng shook his head and chuckled: "Fifth Brother, you're so confused from being busy. She already sent me a letter; she definitely knows I'm here."

Ma Wu rubbed his forehead. He was indeed confused: "If you go, who will guard our territory?" The territory had two masters; one always had to be left to protect it.

Li Banfeng put the chess pieces back into the box, lit a cigarette, and looked at Ma Wu: "This territory was fought for by us brothers together. If something happens to you, what good is the territory? As long as we brothers work together, we can definitely kill Lu Xiaolan. Whether inside or outside the New Territory, who have we ever been afraid of?"

Ma Wu clenched his fist and nodded: "Alright!"

As they spoke, Li Banfeng kept arranging the pieces on the board: "Brother, another game?"

"Still playing?"

"What else is there to do when idle? Just to pass the time."

After a few moves, Li Banfeng kept moving his knights but never brought out his chariots. Ma Wu chuckled: "Your last few moves aren't very good."

Li Banfeng shrugged his eyebrows: "Just keep playing and see who wins in the end."

Ma Wu was startled and stared at the chessboard for a moment longer.

He Jiaqing was listening to a live broadcast in the hospital. As he listened, he smiled: "He's still so crazy. I've only provoked him twice, and he's already ready to fight to the death."

Another voice came from his earpiece: "I'll have Iron Goat Mountain send a few capable fighters. This time, we'll deal with Ma Wu directly."

"Even if the Iron Goat Mountain people are strong, can they beat Madam Suo'e? Ma Wu has three Suo'e Madams at his disposal."

"Then we'll fight outside the New Territory. Not one of them will be able to escape."

"Outside the New Territory, how big of a commotion do we need to make? Are you afraid others won't know what good stuff we're looking for?"

"Then what do you suggest?"

"He and Ma Wu are fully prepared to fight you to the death. Why bother with a head-on confrontation? Their territory is already empty; at most, only Zuo Wugang is left, and he's an indecisive person. Wouldn't he be easy to deal with? We can sweep through their territory, burn all their houses and goods, kill a few hunters, and tell them not to do business here anymore. Wouldn't they lose all their assets? This task is best suited for the bandits from Iron Goat Mountain; it's what they're good at."

"Are you saying you still want Lu Xiaolan to go?"

"How many days has Lu Xiaolan been on the mountain? She's not up to it. Tell their leader, Big Piaozi, to send the Three Iron Goat Heroes. They're the most experienced at this kind of thing. After it's done, have Lu Xiaolan ask my friend for the item. Could he possibly refuse then?"

"I understand."