nycdaug #317 - Underworld tricks
#317 - Underworld tricks
“When did you first realize you were being watched, Sister Wang?” Yan Jun asked.
This book is first published on the entire network by 𝕥 𝕨 𝕜 𝕒 𝕟 . 𝕔 𝕠 𝕞
Wang Wan calmed down slightly and said, “The earliest time should have been three months ago, when I went to the prefect to investigate the cause of my husband’s death. I felt like someone was following me, but at the time I wasn’t sure if it was because I was uneasy. Plus, nothing similar happened for a while after that, so I gradually put it out of my mind.”
“But almost two months later, one day Uncle Han told me that he had found a string of footprints near the garden that didn’t seem to belong to anyone in the house. I went to look at the footprints. They were a man’s, and there was only a left foot. I searched the entire garden, but I couldn’t find the right footprint.
“I was very scared at the time, but after my husband died, I became the head of the family. The whole family depended on me, and I couldn’t afford to panic. So, I asked Uncle Han to erase the footprints and told him not to tell anyone else.
“But I didn’t expect something else to happen that same night. A maid who was responsible for cleaning discovered that the books in the study had been touched, and one of them had fallen to the ground. After that, everyone in the house began to feel uneasy.”
“While I was comforting everyone, I also asked Uncle Han to find a new security guard, but before the new guard could be found, Bao’er came crying to me, saying that his slingshot had been broken. I thought it was the maid who had accidentally snapped it, but when I looked at the break in the slingshot, it was clearly cut by a sharp blade.
“In your previous letter, you said that your husband spent ten thousand taels of silver to hire the Tianma Escort Agency to transport a secret consignment for him,” Lu Jing paused, “The people who are deliberately harassing you in your house are likely here for that item.”
“But that thing is already lost,” Wang Wan frowned. “My husband took that thing to the Tianma Escort Agency, but three days later, his body was found in a dilapidated temple outside the city. He had nothing on him except his clothes, and that thing should naturally have fallen into the hands of the Tianma Escort Agency. Why would they come back to find us orphans and widows?”
“From the looks of it now, your husband should have also had a backup plan.” Lu Jing said, “The item he asked the Tianma Escort Agency to transport was likely not the real thing.”
Wang Wan was stunned. “Are you saying that my husband spent ten thousand taels of silver just to have the Tianma Escort Agency run an empty errand?”
Lu Jing nodded. “The Tianma Escort Agency’s secret consignment was just bait. Your husband should have had follow-up arrangements. This kind of tactic is not uncommon in the martial world. It’s just not clear whether he was killed because the other party saw through it and became angry. But what is certain is that they haven’t gotten that item yet, otherwise they wouldn’t have come back to harass you.
“They first sneaked into your house to search, and deliberately left footprints and messed up the bookshelves for you to see. This is also a very common Jianghu trick, the purpose of which is to stir up trouble and see how you will react when threatened, and whether you will try to transfer that item.
“As a result, from your reaction, they should have also seen that you are not aware of it, so they plan to completely scare you away and then slowly search.”
Yan Jun looked at Lu Jing with some surprise after listening. Lu Jing became famous very quickly. It was only two years from being known to becoming a first-class master. Yan Jun originally thought that Lu Jing should not have much Jianghu experience.
But when solving the seventh question of the Little Competition before, Lu Jing’s response seemed very experienced, and now this remark completely overturned her original view.
Yan Jun didn’t know that there were masters in the world who would teach their disciples this kind of thing.
Because she was born in the Yunshui Jingci Pavilion, and her master was also one of the best masters in the world, she naturally disdained using any Jianghu tricks. She basically accumulated similar things little by little when she was walking in the Jianghu.
Yan Jun thought that Lu Jing was also like this, and only thought that he had been in the Jianghu for a long time. As for why she hadn’t heard about him more than two years ago, it was probably because he had deliberately concealed his identity at that time.
Thinking of this, Yan Jun couldn’t help but admire Lu Jing’s state of mind. After all, as a young man, who wouldn’t yearn for fame and fortune? There were very few people who possessed peerless martial arts but could still endure loneliness.
Moreover, it is said that he had also worked as a porter for half a year before. With Lu Jing’s skills, it was naturally impossible for him to have taken a fancy to the few pennies earned by being a porter.
So, he probably used this to hone his state of mind. No wonder he can now be indifferent to honor and disgrace. Even after learning that he could not cultivate mystic power, he did not complain about the world, but instead continued to strive for self-improvement and won the top spot in this Little Competition in one fell swoop.
Although Yan Jun had also been praised many times by her master for her tenacity, she asked herself that she could not do as Lu Jing did without any care.
“Then, Great Hero Lu, what should I do? Should I keep this house?” Wang Wan asked.
“No, continue to sell it,” Lu Jing said, “See who the final buyer is. In addition, Miss Yan and I will help you investigate the Tianma Escort Agency.”
“I have no way to repay Great Hero Lu’s great kindness,” Wang Wan said, suddenly getting up from her seat, and then was about to kneel down, “There is still some money left by my late husband, and I will take out six thousand taels from it… to donate to the charity hall opened by Great Hero Lu.”
“Ah,” Lu Jing hurriedly went to help, not letting this young woman kneel down this time. He was a little excited when he heard six thousand taels of silver, but he didn’t expect that there was still half a sentence waiting for him.
Speaking of which, this matter is also to blame for Hall Master Huang of the Sanhu Hall. Thanks to Hall Master Huang’s vigorous publicity before, the white people in the city now think that Great Hero Lu does not love money.
So, Wang Wan also directly sent it to the charity hall when she talked about thanking her.
However, donating to the charity hall is donating to the charity hall. Lu Jing’s net worth has now exceeded 10,000, and his desire for silver is not as strong as before. It’s just a little strange why his windfall luck hasn’t taken effect.
Wang Wan was supported by Lu Jing’s arm, and her body trembled slightly, but she quickly said, “It’s getting late. I’ve already had the guest rooms prepared. You two have come all the way from the capital, and you must be tired. You should rest for the night first. With you here, the people in this house can finally sleep peacefully tonight.”