The group carried Lu Sheng to his bedchamber and invited the Lu Manor physician over to examine him.
After the doctor entered the room, he came out after a while.
"It's not a big deal. I'm just physically exhausted, and my lower abdomen was hit hard. Eldest Young Master has a strong physique, so it's fine as long as his internal organs aren't injured. "
Lu Quanan heaved a sigh of relief.
This time, Lu Sheng had personally taken action, which was a little too rash.
As the Eldest Young Master of the Lu Family, what would he do in the future if something happened to him?
"Quan An, this is also a helpless situation."
First Uncle sighed.
"I intend to personally report this matter to the imperial court, bypassing the prefectural magistrate. That Song Duanchi, as a city magistrate, had previously said that he would report to the imperial court, but until now … As the Deputy Commander, I've requested Commander Yang Duanrui to report to the imperial court several times, but he always refused. "
"Could there be some inside story behind this?" Lu Quanan asked in a low voice.
"I'm not sure … There's also Qingqing. There's still no news of the missing people." First Uncle shook his head.
The two of them stood guard outside the door. They felt that they had to do something, but they didn't know what they could do.
This kind of thing was beyond their imagination.
Although he had heard of such things from other places, he didn't know what to do when it really happened to his own family.
"Why don't we …" Lu Quanan pondered for a moment. "Let's put up a bounty and recruit people who can solve these supernatural incidents."
"With enough money, there will definitely be brave men. This might work. In any case, these things are already in an uproar, and it can't be covered up. "
First Uncle nodded.
After a careful discussion, the two of them decided on this matter.
Not long after, the servants of the Lu Manor took out stacks of red paper and pasted them outside the Lu Manor's main gate and on the public notice wall nearby.
The red paper was quickly pasted on a few important places with a lot of people.
It attracted the attention of many passers-by.
…
A few days later.
At the city gate.
People were coming and going, and the traffic was flowing rapidly on the main road.
A caravan carrying grey goods slowly stopped at the city gate. The leader of the caravan began to order people to unload the goods and wait for them to move.
This caravan was only passing by Nine Links City, and the unloading of their goods was only a portion.
As the leader called out, two people, one tall and one short, jumped out of one of the carriages.
Both of them were wearing Daoist robes. The taller one was a middle-aged man with a square face and a ruddy complexion. He carried a sword on his back and wore white cloth shoes with black soles.
The woman was also dressed in a Daoist robe, but she had a pretty appearance. Although there was a faint trace of exhaustion, one could still see that she had received a good education. In this era, such a situation could only occur if one was born into a wealthy family.
"Big Brother Yan, this is Nine Links City."
The woman's voice was crisp and clear, like a little girl who had just started speaking.
"Mm, it should be the Nine Links City that person was talking about. Rongrong, it must have been hard on you to rush all the way here. "
The Daoist nodded and looked around.
Soon, he noticed a red notice posted at the city gate.
The announcement attracted a crowd of onlookers. Even the two soldiers guarding the city went over to chat with some people.
Everyone's faces were filled with surprise and envy.
"Traveling with Brother Yan Kai, I didn't feel any hardship. That notice over there seems to be a bounty notice. Let's go take a look first. Perhaps someone has already encountered trouble and posted a post asking for help."
Rong 'rong had traveled extensively with Yan Kai, so she had quite a bit of experience with such matters.
In the previous few incidents, they had found the families of the victims immediately through the notice.
Yan Kai nodded.
"Come, let's go take a look."
The two entered the city gate and quickly squeezed their way towards the notice.
"… So it's the Lu Manor … the city hasn't been peaceful lately. Even the Lu Family is in trouble. "
"Someone escaped from the Lu Family. I saw him. He seemed to be the previous Lu Family guard captain. Everyone in the Manor is in a state of panic."
"I haven't seen Sister Yu go out shopping for a few days. Could something have really happened?"
The people around him were chatting intermittently.
Yan Kai listened attentively as he looked up at the notice posted on the wall.
"Five hundred gold bounty for the recruitment of extraordinary people.
Recently, there have been many strange incidents in the city, with people disappearing from time to time.
Previously, there was the Xu Family tragedy and the Wang Family well case. Now, there is the sound of a woman crying in the middle of the night in our Lu Manor.
For the peace of the family, a reward of five hundred taels of gold, or about five thousand taels of silver, is hereby offered. Find the missing person. "
The notice was written simply, and its meaning was clear and concise.
There was another notice at the bottom, which described the whole story of the crying in the middle of the night in the Lu Manor.
From beginning to end, he wrote down all the missing persons cases that happened in the Lu Manor.
Yan Kai read it carefully, his brows slightly furrowed.
"That's it. Let's go to the Lu Family. "
Rong 'rong finished reading the notice as well.
"Coincidentally, we're looking for this ghost as well. We can earn some traveling expenses too."
"We don't do this for money," Yan Kai said solemnly.
"Yes, yes, yes." Rong 'rong stuck out her tongue and quickly shut her mouth. She knew that Big Brother Yan Kai couldn't stand being forced to repay favors.
Without another word, Yan Kai stepped forward and tore down the notice.
The eyes of the servant guarding the Lu Manor brightened, and he immediately perked up.
"This way, please!"
Yan Kai nodded.
Together with Rong 'rong, he followed the servant to the Lu Manor.
The surrounding crowd that had been watching the commotion immediately burst into an uproar. Many busybodies followed along.
They wanted to see if they had really gone to the Lu Family.
The man and woman dressed in Taoist robes looked like they had some skills.
Yan Kai didn't care if there were people following behind him. His expression didn't change as he walked, as if he didn't see anything. It was obvious that he was used to being watched.
Rong 'rong took the initiative to strike up a conversation with the servant, asking him about the Lu Manor.
Before long, the two of them boarded a horse carriage. The carriage turned left and right, and after a while, it stopped.
Once the two of them alighted, they were led into a huge mansion. Inside, there were fake mountains and flowing water, a small bridge and a garden. Birds chirped and the fragrance of flowers bloomed. It was beautifully decorated.
Yan Kai's eyes didn't waver as he led Rong 'rong forward. Soon, they arrived at a guest hall.
"Welcome, welcome."
A middle-aged man with a worried and pale face sat in the guest hall.
The man was stout, wearing a silver-edged moon-white robe embroidered with copper coins. The long beard on his chin was combed neatly, clean and tidy.
It was Lu Quanan, who had just come from Lu Sheng's place.
"Are the two of you the ones who tore down the city gate notice?" Lu Quanan sized up the two people before him.
Both of them were Taoists. The man's face was rosy and glowing, his forehead full, his eyes solemn and his back straight. If he were to change into a Confucian robe, he would have the air of a famous scholar.
The woman's face was pretty, with a hint of innocence. Her eyes darted around furtively, as if she was a young mistress who had snuck out to disguise herself.
"That's right. This humble Taoist Yan Kai. His complexion began to blossom. My Taoist name is Huanyangzi. "
Yan Kai introduced himself.
"This is this humble Taoist's Junior Sister, Duan Rong. The two of us are here for the missing people posted on the Lu Manor notice."
"Please take a seat, please take a seat."
Lu Quanan gestured with his hand.
Yan Kai and Duan Rong sat down. A maidservant quickly served tea and refreshments.
"I've already written down the specifics on the notice board. If Taoist Huanyangzi wishes to accept this bounty, he'll have to meet my son, Lu Sheng. Our Lu Family's bounty this time will be vetted by him, "Lu Quanan said softly. "Of course, if Taoist Huanyangzi is truly capable, no matter if he succeeds or not, there will be a hundred taels of silver for you afterward."
Yan Kai and Duan Rong Rong both agreed.
Lu Quanan then inquired about their background, where they were from, and how old they were. Where did they stay?
Yan Kai answered them one by one.
After a short break, a few more people came to the reception hall to announce the results.
Among the few who came later, two were monks from Red Lotus Temple, and one was a Taoist like Yan Kai.
The last person was a Wanderer, with a pair of short sabers hanging from his waist. He had a handsome face, and upon closer inspection, was actually a woman dressed as a man.
After waiting for a while more, Lu Quanan guessed that most of the people had arrived. He invited them to rise and walked towards Lu Sheng's side courtyard.
The Lu Family had many side courtyards and occupied a large area. Some of them even extended close to the city walls, taking up a third of the most prosperous area in Nine Links City. It was clear how wealthy they were.
Of the five big families in the city, the Lu Family was the wealthiest.
The group followed Lu Quanan towards Yellow Crane Courtyard.
Along the way, they could see guards and retainers armed with sabers and swords everywhere in the courtyard.
These guards and retainers all had thick waists and round shoulders, strong bodies, and stood upright. One look was enough to tell that they had gone through military training.
Yan Kai's expression turned grave as he looked at them.
"This Lu Family is rather impressive …"
Duan Rong Rong was puzzled.
"They're rich and powerful, about the same as those families we met before. What's so impressive about them?"
Yan Kai shook his head.
"It's not that. The Lu Family should have a military background. Otherwise, the retainers and guards here wouldn't have such an imposing manner. The military rules were strict. Only those who regularly received military training would be able to maintain this kind of vigor. This isn't the air of those retired veterans. "
"Military background! To think that a family like this would put up a notice asking for help. Looks like they've gotten themselves into big trouble. "
Duan Rong Rong was speechless.
The group walked a hundred steps and soon entered Yellow Crane Courtyard.
Yellow Crane Courtyard was right next to the drill ground. They could faintly hear the sounds of the guards' training.
The Lu Family's eldest young master, Lu Sheng, was sitting on a deck chair. His body was half-reclined, his face pale. His body was wrapped in a thick blanket, and the distinct smell of medicine lingered in the air. He didn't seem to be in good spirits.
Yan Kai scrutinized this Lu Sheng. At a glance, he could see that the latter's spirit, Qi, and spirit were weak, like a patient who had yet to recover from an injury.
"Greetings, heroes."
Lu Sheng coughed twice and cupped his fists at the group.
"As you can see, I'm not in good health. My injuries have yet to recover, so I won't be getting up to greet you."
"Young Master Sheng is too polite."
The monk from Red Lotus Temple, whose Dharma name was Master True Depths, stepped forward and spoke.
"The Lu Family has always been one of the most devout devotees of our Red Lotus Temple. With this incident, the abbot ordered us to make a special trip here to see if there's anything we can do to help."
"Many thanks, Master. Please thank Abbot Red Lotus on my behalf as well."
Lu Sheng responded with a smile.
The other Taoist inquired about the case.
Lu Sheng answered them one by one.
Yan Kai and the other listened carefully at the side, also sizing up this Lu Sheng.
"He's been attacked by Yin Qi. And he's injured not too long ago."
After careful observation, Yan Kai noticed the abnormality in this Young Master Lu's body.
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