Chapter 66 - 65: Traitor

Chapter 66: Chapter 65: Traitor

In less than two hours.

Lu Huaiqian sent someone to deliver detailed files on the Li Family, the Liu Family, and the two neighboring counties.

Evidently, Lu Huaiqian had long since conducted a thorough investigation of his two rivals.

Lu Huaiqian believed that the Li and Liu Families must have also thoroughly investigated the Lu Family.

The two families likely already had their hands on detailed information about the Lu Family.

Anyone who could survive in these chaotic times and still leave behind such a vast family enterprise...

...was no fool.

The clash between the two sides...

...was mostly a game with open hands.

The only things that could decide the victor...

...were speed, and perhaps one or two hidden trump cards the opponent knew nothing about.

Once the files arrived, Lu Jing’an settled his mind and began to study them carefully, word by word.

This was the first time he had ever so systematically organized the details of his own family, the Liu Family, and the Li Family,

as well as the geography and power dynamics of the three counties—Yin Mountain, Xiao Mountain, and Lou Mountain—

into a clear picture in his mind.

The three counties were arranged in a triangular formation.

Yin Mountain County was closest to the Provincial City, and also the smallest in territory.

Its proximity to the Provincial City was precisely why Yin Mountain had never produced a Noble Family with a hundred-year legacy.

The great lords of the Provincial City had no desire for a sleeping tiger at their bedside.

Xiao Mountain and Lou Mountain, being slightly farther away,

had instead given rise to families like the Liu and the Li, with roots that ran a century deep.

They were in a league of their own within their respective territories. However, because their counties were so vast, the lesser powers were deeply entrenched and intertwined, making the situation far more complex than in Yin Mountain.

...

Lu Jing’an spent five hours reading through all the documents from beginning to end, not missing a single word.

The moment Lu Jing’an raised his hand,

the maid Orchid, who had been waiting quietly by his side,

had already placed a cup of tea, warmed to the perfect temperature,

gently into his hand.

Lu Jing’an took a sip from the rim of the cup.

The tea was slightly hot, its bitter-then-sweet aftertaste soothing his mind.

He used this warmth to fuel his rapid deductions.

’I could try to win over the lesser powers on both sides.’

’As long as the Li and Liu Families show even the slightest sign of decline,’

’the hungry powers lurking beneath them won’t need the Lu Family to make a move.’

’They’ll rush in and tear those two families to pieces.’

’So the challenge for me now is how to make them show weakness without clashing with them on their own turf.’

Gazing down at the golden liquid rippling in his cup, a word surfaced in his mind.

’The river channel!’

The real key to breaking the stalemate was the river.

Thinking of this, Lu Jing’an’s understanding of the Li Family’s open conspiracy grew deeper and clearer.

’The Li Family has placed the means to break this impasse right into my hands.’

’The only reason they’d dare to do this is because they’ve judged that the Lu Family is absolutely incapable of taking control of the entire Canglan River.’

’The Li Family has personally handed the Lu Family the very knife that could be used to kill them.’

’If the Lu Family wants to win, to break the stalemate, our only choice is to pour all our resources into the Canglan River.’

’If we succeed, the Lu Family can choke off the main lifelines of the Li and Liu Families.’

’If we fail, the Lu Family will be dragged down to its own doom.’

’This really is an open conspiracy of the highest order.’

Setting down his teacup, Lu Jing’an began to ponder what exactly lay within the Canglan River.

What made the Li Family so certain that the Lu Family couldn’t possibly handle the entire Canglan River?

"Has my Third Uncle arrived?" Lu Jing’an asked Orchid, who was still attending to him.

Orchid replied immediately, "Third Master has not yet arrived."

Lu Jing’an glanced at the wall clock.

It was already three in the afternoon.

His Third Uncle still hadn’t delivered the items.

This made Lu Jing’an feel a faint sense that something was wrong.

"Young Master, won’t you have some lunch first?" Orchid coaxed gently.

Lu Jing’an gave a slight nod. "Alright."

Soon, a sumptuous lunch was laid out in the small parlor.

Lu Jing’an ate slowly. By the time the dishes were cleared away,

the sky outside had already grown dim. It was the hour for lighting lamps.

Still, there was no sign of Lu Huaisan.

He sat and waited stiffly for nearly two more hours, until seven in the evening.

Finally, he heard a flurry of urgent footsteps from outside as someone burst in, bringing with them a chill and the smell of smoke.

It was Lu Huaisan.

His face was covered in soot, and the corners of his robe and cuffs were singed and water-stained.

His hair was also disheveled; he had clearly just emerged from a fire.

"Jing’an,"

Lu Huaisan’s voice was hoarse with frustration.

"The storehouse with the old archives—I don’t know how, but a fire broke out!

"I led my men to risk our lives salvaging what we could, but we only managed to save these dozen or so bags."

As he spoke, he handed over a stack of cowhide document bags, blackened by smoke and with their edges curled from the heat.

Lu Jing’an took them. They were still warm and damp to the touch.

He didn’t ask about the documents first. Instead, he looked up at Lu Huaisan carefully. "Third Uncle, are you hurt?"

Lu Huaisan waved his hand and brushed the ash from his clothes. "I’m fine, I’m tough as nails."

"Quick, see if these are still usable."

Lu Jing’an untied the string of one document bag and pulled out the papers inside.

Fortunately, the documents inside were only slightly singed at the edges; the writing and diagrams were largely intact.

It was an overview map of the Canglan River.

Not an official government map, but a hand-drawn one.

The brushstrokes varied in thickness, a clear sign it had been added to over many years.

It was the result of countless additions and corrections by different boatmen over time.

Alongside it were numerous drafts annotating currents, hidden reefs, shoals, old docks, and even strange rumors about certain stretches of the river.

This was immeasurably more precious than the vague, official maps in the Provincial City archives.

"Third Uncle, this material is extremely useful," Lu Jing’an affirmed.

Hearing this, Lu Huaisan’s shoulders relaxed slightly, and he let out a long breath.

Then he pounded his fist into his palm in frustration.

"What a pity! Most of it was burned to ash!

"It’s my fault. I never treated these old papers like treasure and was careless with their security..." ℴ

Lu Jing’an shook his head, his gaze calm. "Third Uncle, I’m afraid this fire was no accident."

Lu Huaisan froze, his brow furrowing instantly. "Deliberate? Which son of a bitch would dare commit arson on Lu Family territory?!"

"The Li Family, the Liu Family... both are possible."

Lu Jing’an briefly and concisely explained the key points of the situation to Lu Huaisan.

After listening, a vein twitched on Lu Huaisan’s forehead.

He slammed his palm on the hardwood table, making the teacups rattle.

"Those gutter rats!

"Just let me find that mole. I’ll make him regret ever being born!"

With that, he turned to leave, as if to start the investigation immediately.

"Third Uncle, wait."

Lu Jing’an called out to stop him.

"Finding the mole isn’t the most urgent task right now.

Leave that matter to me.

"Once the Water Patrol Bureau is established, we can use their heads to christen it."

Lu Huaisan had unconditional faith in his nephew’s abilities.

After all, his nephew had a sharp mind.

"Right now, the most important thing is for you to help me, Third Uncle.

"Please gather all of the Lu Family’s old hands—the experienced boatmen and stewards who have sailed the Canglan River.

"Have them record everything they can remember.

"I must get a complete understanding of the Canglan River as quickly as possible."

Lu Huaisan thought for a moment, then said,

"Done! I’ll go find them right now.

"You stay here. It’s better to ask them directly than to just read dead words on a page."

Lu Jing’an nodded. "That’s a good idea."

After seeing Lu Huaisan off, the parlor returned to silence.

Outside, the night was black as ink, with only the dim yellow halo of a lantern under the eaves.

It cast a swaying shadow on the flagstones below.

Lu Jing’an walked to the window and gazed into the deep night, a chill hardening in his eyes.

’This fire is the opening gong.’

Burning the archives was their opponent’s show of force, a signal that the confrontation had officially begun.

Now, it was time to see how he would retaliate.

Lu Jing’an turned and called out in a low voice:

"Orchid, pass the word. No one is to enter and disturb me until Third Master returns."

"Yes, Young Master."

Returning to the inner room, Lu Jing’an sat cross-legged on the couch and closed his eyes.

With a flicker of intent, a ripple of spiritual light spread through the sea of his consciousness.

’Cause and Effect Following Sound!’

As his Spiritual Power grew stronger, the range of this entry had expanded to be dozens of times greater than its initial scope.

Sitting quietly at home, its tendrils could now extend far enough to cover more than half of Yin Mountain County Town.

Of course, this was also because Yin Mountain County was not very large to begin with.

Lu Jing’an silently chanted the keywords in his mind: ’Lu Jing’an... arson...’

A chaotic tide of fragmented sounds rushed toward him.

Relying on his powerful will, Lu Jing’an quickly sorted, filtered, and sifted through them.

In just a moment, he firmly grasped a faint but clear thread.

It was the mental fluctuation of someone on a telephone call.

The content was a report confirming the success of the arson.

Following the thread of cause and effect, a blurry image formed in Lu Jing’an’s mind.

It was a middle-aged man with an extremely ordinary face, the kind you would struggle to find again after seeing him in a crowd.

He was speaking softly into a mouthpiece, his tone respectful but tinged with the relief of having completed his mission.

’This man’s voice... is somewhat familiar.’

Lu Jing’an’s memory raced back.

’In the last few days, I’ve spoken with this person...’

The image suddenly sharpened.

Lin Hong!

The steward under Lu Lutong, from when he had gone to Old Crow Forest to help transport the bodies!