Chapter 288: Old but Vigorous Lu Maoxian

Duan Shaohong, holding a newspaper, angrily approached Duan Shaoxia. She slammed the paper on the table and demanded, "What is the meaning of this? Why did you leak the news?"

Duan Shaoxia glanced at the newspaper. The headline read, "The Lu Family's Misfortune: Zhang Bochu Wears the Cuckold's Cap for Wealth."

Duan Shaohong pointed at the newspaper and exclaimed, "How awful does that sound? How are we supposed to show our faces in public after this?"

Having read the newspaper, Duan Shaoxia tried to reassure Duan Shaohong, "Why do you care about this? Besides, the news was bound to get out eventually. The banquet is in a few days; are you still afraid of people knowing?"

Duan Shaohong pushed Duan Shaoxia away. "If the matter was settled, I wouldn't care what people say. But it's not settled yet..."

Just then, Houzi Qiu entered the hall. Duan Shaohong snapped, "Steward Qiu, you didn't spread this news, did you?"

Qiu Zhiheng paused, "What news?"

Duan Shaohong threw the newspaper to Houzi Qiu, "See for yourself!"

"'Night Fragrance'?" Qiu Zhiheng looked surprised. "I've never even heard of this newspaper."

"You haven't heard of it? This newspaper is selling like crazy in Greenwater City! Look what it says about our family!"

Qiu Zhiheng shook his head, "I had no knowledge of this."

"You didn't know? Who else could it be besides you?"

Houzi Qiu suddenly fell silent.

Duan Shaohong shivered, lowered her head, and said nothing more.

In recent days, the thought of her son soon becoming the Lu family head had made her forget her place.

In Greenwater City, even members of the Lu family had to speak politely to Houzi Qiu.

Duan Shaoxia smoothed things over. "Don't worry about this for now. Xiao Qiu, we need to speed up the preparations for the banquet. The day is almost here."

Houzi Qiu acknowledged her words and left the mansion.

He didn't manage the banquet preparations because it simply couldn't be held.

After lunch at the mansion, Lu Maoxian read the news in the newspaper.

"Any stray cat or dog dares to reach for the Lu family," Lu Maoxian called for a subordinate. "Take some men and teach Zhang Bochu a lesson. Don't kill him, but make sure to thoroughly humiliate him."

The subordinate said, "Master, Zhang Bochu has already lost all shame by doing something like this. What's the point of humiliating him? We might as well just get rid of him."

Lu Maoxian looked at the subordinate. "Fool! Am I humiliating Zhang Bochu? I'm humiliating Houzi Qiu! He said he was going to hold a banquet; I'd like to see who he'll have the nerve to invite!"

No sooner had the subordinate left than the butler arrived. "Master, the film you mentioned, 'Bloodblade Detective,' is about to release its fourth installment."

Lu Maoxian nodded, "Have the Ghost Hand Gate take action. Tell them the more they take, the more they get, with no upper limit."

At Yuezhou Three Hospitals, He Haisheng left the ward to smoke downstairs.

When he went, he'd smoke at least a pack. He Haisheng was a 'smoke cultivator,' a fundamental part of his practice.

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, He Jiaqing fiddled with a button on his chest.

It was the premiere of 'Bloodblade Detective 4' today, and he wanted to ask about the movie. However, Ling Miaoying spoke first about the Lu family. "Jiaqing, the Lu family's situation is escalating."

He Jiaqing had already heard about Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai's situation. That was big enough; he couldn't imagine anything bigger.

Ling Miaoying continued, "Duan Shaoxia brought her nephew, Zhang Huaiyi, home, saying she wanted Zhang Huaiyi to change his surname, acknowledge his relatives, and hold a banquet."

"Zhang Huaiyi? As far as I know, this person is indeed Lu Dongliang's son, but his legitimacy is questionable. The Lu family couldn't possibly acknowledge this. Whose idea is this? Houzi Qiu? He's not that foolish, is he?"

Ling Miaoying said, "I suspect it's Duan Shaoxia's idea; she's probably desperate. Jiaqing, should we get involved in this?"

He Jiaqing smiled, "Why should we get involved? Let them fight among themselves. I'd like to see who wins. How are things with the movie?"

Ling Miaoying had hoped to use the Lu family matter to avoid discussing the movie, but it didn't work.

"Jiaqing, our film reels were stolen."

He Jiaqing's face darkened, "How many were stolen?"

"Six copies."

On the day of the premiere, six film reels were stolen, meaning six cinemas were unable to screen 'Bloodblade Detective.'

He Jiaqing was silent for a moment, then asked in a relatively mild tone, "Who stole them?"

If Ling Miaoying had said she didn't know, things would have been complicated.

Fortunately, she had found some clues. "It was likely done by the Ghost Hand Gate."

"The Ghost Hand Gate? Why would they steal film reels?"

"They must have been instructed by someone."

"Who instructed them?"

Ling Miaoying pondered for a long time. "I'm still investigating."

He Jiaqing fell silent again, and beads of sweat dripped from Ling Miaoying.

After a while, He Jiaqing finally spoke. "I'll write a letter for you. Deliver it personally to Xie Juncong, the leader of the Ghost Hand Gate, and have him tell you who was behind it."

Ling Miaoying wiped her sweat. "The Ghost Hand Gate works for money; they probably won't easily reveal their client. Xie Juncong's cultivation isn't low; if I force him..."

"No need to force him. He'll tell you naturally once he reads the letter."

That evening, someone delivered the letter to Ling Miaoying. Without delay, she took the letter directly to an old manor east of Houtang City God Temple, knocked three times, and waited for a response from within.

The doorman asked, "Who is it?"

Ling Miaoying truthfully replied, "It's Ling San from the Ling family, here to visit Head Xie."

As soon as they heard someone from the Ling family had arrived, everyone in the manor grew tense. Ling Miaoying heard clearly from outside, "Everyone, please don't worry. I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to deliver a letter to the Head."

The doorman quickly informed Xie Juncong. The old man had just gone to bed but, upon hearing that Ling Miaoying had come to deliver a letter, he took two magical artifacts and put them on before instructing his disciples to invite Ling Miaoying in.

When they met, Xie Juncong bowed respectfully. "Boss Ling, how may I help you?"

He thought Ling Miaoying was there to accuse him regarding the film reels.

He wasn't afraid of accusations; Xie Juncong had dealt with such matters many times. Without direct evidence of the theft, he certainly wouldn't admit anything. If Ling Miaoying played rough, Xie Juncong was ready for it.

But he didn't expect Ling Miaoying was actually there to deliver a letter.

Xie Juncong took the letter, opened it, and beads of sweat uncontrollably broke out on his forehead.

Given his knowledge and cultivation, it was rare for anything to make him sweat.

Ling Miaoying was curious about what the letter contained, but she saw Xie Juncong first invite her to sit, then respectfully bowed to her. "Boss Ling, we accepted the wrong business and offended you.

"The film reels we stole from you have already been burned as per the client's instructions. We apologize for the delay and are willing to offer financial compensation. Please name your price."

He admitted it?

Xie Juncong actually took responsibility on his own?

What methods did He Jiaqing use, after all?

Even Ling Miaoying couldn't understand it now.

"Let's consider the film reel matter closed. My purpose in coming here this time is to ask who the client for this job was."

Xie Juncong's expression was grim. He didn't want to speak; it went against the Ghost Hand Gate's rules.

However, after a long hesitation, he still said, "It was the old master of the Lu family, Lu Maoxian."

"Lu Maoxian?" He Jiaqing was furious upon hearing the news. "Why is that old ghost causing us trouble?"

Ling Miaoying said, "Our relationship with Old Master Lu has always been good, but a few recent incidents are hard to understand.

"A while ago, he hired several writers to publish articles in newspapers, implicitly accusing some films of being corrupt. When I inquired, Lu Maoxian said he was referring to others, not us.

"Then, after some time, many cinemas stopped showing our films. When I investigated, it turned out Lu Maoxian was behind it again."

He Jiaqing frowned, "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

Ling Miaoying said, "Jiaqing, you haven't contacted me at all these days, and you didn't let me contact you proactively, so I didn't have a chance to tell you."

"Lu Maoxian has always wanted to be the Lu family head, and we've helped him quite a bit before. Why would he cause us trouble?" He Jiaqing was also puzzled.

Ling Miaoying didn't answer; she also couldn't understand.

After a moment of thought, He Jiaqing smiled, "That old man is making a business out of our troubles."

Ling Miaoying asked, "What do you mean?"

He Jiaqing explained, "The two Lu brothers were certainly schemed against, and it must be related to Lu Maoxian. However, Lu Maoxian alone couldn't have pulled this off.

"He must have found a powerful patron who helped him. But this patron wouldn't help him for free; they surely demanded compensation, and that compensation is coming from us."

Ling Miaoying asked, "Who is this patron of his?"

He Jiaqing said calmly, "The patron is a significant figure. My encounter with Green Flower might very well be connected to this patron of his.

"That old bone Lu Maoxian needs a good beating. He caused me to lose a hand before, and now he's causing us trouble again.

"This time, we need to hurt him badly, and publicly humiliate him. Then, by observing how he reacts, we can uncover his patron."

With only two days left until the first day of the seventh month, Lu Maoxian booked the Drunken Immortal Restaurant and invited many people from various branches of the Lu family.

After several rounds of drinks, Lu Maoxian arranged entertainment.

He had someone lead Zhang Huaiyi's father, Zhang Bochu, on a rope before everyone, making him walk a circle.

After everyone had seen him, two subordinates made Zhang Bochu kneel at Lu Maoxian's feet.

Lu Maoxian looked kindly at Zhang Bochu and asked with a smile, "Do you intend to reach for the Lu family?"

Zhang Bochu cried, "No, I wouldn't dare."

His speech was slurred; his teeth had been knocked out.

Lu Maoxian then asked, "Your son wants to be the Lu family head?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..." Zhang Bochu was sobbing uncontrollably.

Lu Maoxian patted Zhang Bochu's face and said with a grin, "Take your wife and son and get out of Greenwater City by today. Otherwise, I'll make sure your whole family meets their end together."

As his words fell, the Drunken Immortal Restaurant erupted in cheers.

"The Old Master is truly imposing!"

"Our Lu family's prestige is entirely upheld by the Old Master!"

"You, Zhang, take your family and get out! As long as our Old Master is still here, you won't touch a single penny of our Lu family!"

Zhang Bochu was thrown out of the Drunken Immortal Restaurant, and he stumbled and crawled his way back home.

Lu Maoxian continued to eat and drink. After the banquet, he also invited several famous performers from Greenwater City to sing in turns.

After three performances, Lu Maoxian was dissatisfied. He called the theater troupe leader and told him to switch to some livelier acts.

As the troupe leader and his subordinates were arranging the change of acts, an invisible wall trapped everyone backstage.

The troupe leader panicked, unsure what was happening. He thought they had been too slow in changing the acts and had offended Old Master Lu.

A moment later, several men in white shirts and gray vests unfurled a screen on the stage, and a film suddenly began playing on it.

Lu Maoxian was taken aback and told a subordinate to ask the theater owner what was going on.

The Lu family members didn't know what was happening and assumed it was the Old Master's arrangement.

The film went straight to the point. It opened with a beautiful young woman.

The young woman was very "conscientious"; she generously displayed her "conscience" on the screen.

The Lu family members watched with great interest, marveling as they did. "Our Old Master is quite fashionable; this is even better than 'Bloodblade Detective'! How did he know we'd love this?"

A moment later, Lu Maoxian himself appeared on the screen.

The Lu family members exclaimed, "Our Old Master is extraordinary; he's even making his own movie!"

A little later, Lu Maoxian was seen "patting" the young woman's "conscience" and engaging in the act.

The Lu family was shocked for a moment, then continued to exclaim, "Is this for real? Our Old Master has good stamina! At his age, he still has such ability!"

A little later, Lu Maoxian wiped away sweat, ending his "conquest."

The Lu family members thought for a moment, then continued to praise, "Our Old Master is indeed imposing! Even at his age, and even if it's brief, it's still imposing!"

Someone nearby asked, "Are you talking about the duration?"

"Not just the duration... well, anyway, it's just imposing!"

Lu Maoxian gritted his teeth but dared not move.

Ling Miaoying stood behind him and said in a low voice, "Old Master Lu, how do you like today's performance?"

Lu Maoxian replied, "Do you want to kill me? If we were to fight to the death here, you might not get the chance."

With so many Lu family members present, and Lu Maoxian himself having a cultivation of seven layers, Ling Miaoying might have the initial advantage, but she wouldn't necessarily be able to kill Lu Maoxian.

Ling Miaoying smiled, "Old Master, it's not worth fighting to the death over such a small matter.

"It's just a film, isn't it? Why get so angry?

"If you're not satisfied with the performance, I have plenty of other good things.

"How about tomorrow I edit a film for you and send it to cinemas? It'll be called 'Lu Maoxian: Old Yet Vigorous.' How does that sound?"