After listening to Chen Ying's explanation …
Lu Sheng's frown deepened. This incident reminded him of the massacre of Big Brother Xu Daoran's family in Nine Links City. Up until now, the culprit had yet to be found.
He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he slowly opened them again.
"I'll take over this matter. But I can't guarantee that I can solve it. If I can't, I'll return to this position within a year. "
A hint of helplessness surfaced in Chen Ying's eyes. This matter with Wu San … even the two Deputy Sect Masters didn't dare to act because they weren't confident. But this kid actually dared to take over?
"That's settled then," Sect Master Hong Mingzi laughed heartily. "Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. Brother Lu, although you've taken over the position, if this matter doesn't work out, give it up as soon as possible. We don't want to lose a second Wu San. "
Lu Sheng nodded.
After a round of discussion, the assets that Lu Sheng would take over were decided.
A team of roughly three hundred men armed with sabers, several shops in Mountain-Edge City, a dozen farms outside the city, and several oil refineries. Most of them were blacksmiths and craftsmen's workshops, each with more than ten, specializing in forging weapons and tools for the sect disciples.
Although Wu San's assets weren't many, they were extremely important to the sect. This was also the key reason why even Deputy Sect Master Gongsun Zhanglan wanted to interfere.
Of course, for the time being, Lu Sheng couldn't make use of these assets. He could only mobilize a portion of his men to resolve the matter of the iron mine. Only after this matter was resolved would he be considered a true External Affairs Emissary.
After the meeting was adjourned, Internal Affairs Emissary Elder Wang took the initiative to seek out Lu Sheng. Pulling him into his car, they rushed back to Mountain-Edge City.
In the car, Elder Wang began to formally introduce his family's Heart-Shattering Palm to Lu Sheng.
"The matter of the iron mine is very troublesome. Brother Lu, you must act according to the circumstances and not be rash. Also, regarding the Heart-Shattering Palm, this old man would like to ask, did you learn it from a man named Zhang Xun in Nine Links City? "
Lu Sheng nodded, "Indeed, Constable Zhang Xun taught me."
"That's right. Zhang Xun used to be one of my disciples, but I didn't pay much attention to him because of his poor aptitude. I didn't expect him to have reached the Strength Proficiency level … "Elder Wang lamented. "In my life, I haven't taken many disciples. Unfortunately, not a single one of the disciples I had high hopes for turned out to be successful. I didn't think much of them at all. Yet, they still managed to accomplish something."
"Old Brother Wang, this is called an unintentional willow growing shade," Lu Sheng said with a smile.
"Maybe." Elder Wang shook his head. "Brother Lu, I'm here to ask if you're interested in learning the authentic Heart-Shattering Palm of my Wang Clan?"
"Elder Wang, what do you mean?" Lu Sheng's eyebrows twitched. He knew that the orthodox Heart-Shattering Palm was a martial art passed down in his family. If he wanted to learn it, there would be many requirements and it wouldn't be easy.
"My eldest brother has a daughter. She's beautiful and has a delicate figure …" As soon as Elder Wang spoke, Lu Sheng's expression turned a little strange.
"Elder Wang, hold it, hold it," Lu Sheng waved his hands repeatedly. "I'm still young. I don't want to think about such an important matter in life. It won't be too late to think about it when I'm accomplished in martial arts."
Elder Wang was a little disappointed. Looking at Lu Sheng's expression, he knew that he wasn't lying. He didn't try to persuade him further. After all, Wu San's matter had yet to be resolved. It was a huge problem in the Black Calamity. If he wasn't careful, Little Brother Lu might not even live to tell the tale. He felt that it was a pity. If Brother Lu hadn't taken up the matter, his eldest brother might have been able to turn things around. But now that he had …
After that, the two of them chatted about martial arts. Elder Wang gained a lot of inspiration from Lu Sheng and was even more impressed with him.
Lu Sheng also learned a lot about the current state of the Pugilistic World from Elder Wang. For example, sects and factions, how to deal with situations, what to avoid and what to avoid, etc.
On the way back home in Mountain-Edge City, Lu Sheng rested for a while before going to bed at night.
Early the next morning, one of Wu San's generals, a man named Duan Meng 'an, came to him with his men.
The moment Lu Sheng opened the door, he saw two rows of men standing at the entrance. They were all muscular, tanned men with thick waists and round arms.
Before the sun was up, the two rows of men bowed to Lu Sheng in unison.
"Greetings, Big Brother!"
Their voices were so loud that the beams in the room vibrated.
Lu Sheng stood at the entrance, looking at the group of men in gray waiting for him in high spirits. Calling him Big Brother made him feel as if he had suddenly become a mafia boss.
"In the future, call me … hmm … what did you guys call Wu San before?"
The man in the lead had a crew cut and a fierce-looking face. He replied, "In reply to Big Brother, we call him Boss Wu."
Lu Sheng's face twitched. He imagined the next group of people calling him Boss Lu. That image was too beautiful …
"In the future, you can call me Young Master or Lord."
The man in the lead, Duan Meng 'an, scratched his head. "Then I'll just call you Young Master. Lord is an official."
"That's fine," Lu Sheng nodded. "Let's go downstairs. Along the way, tell me what forces I can mobilize. "
The group quickly went downstairs. Some on horseback, some on foot, while Lu Sheng and Duan Meng 'an boarded the carriage.
"Young Master, the forces you can mobilize now consist of four Strength Proficiency experts, including myself, and thirty-two ordinary experts. The rest are just ordinary sect members. After Boss Wu's death, our branch has already suffered heavy losses. Many of our properties have been divided to other Internal Affairs Emissaries. Only the iron mine and some related properties are still here. We're weak now. Please forgive us, Young Master. "
"What do we mobilize people on? A password? A token? Or something else? "Lu Sheng asked.
"This is also your token, which is equivalent to a seal. Our branch is the sixth Black Soil Branch. All the brothers in this branch must obey Young Master's command as long as they see your token," Duan Meng 'an explained. He handed over a bronze token.
Lu Sheng took it and examined it. The craftsmanship was exquisite. It was in the shape of a fish, with patterns of rice ears and pine trees on it.
As Duan Meng 'an explained, the carriage slowly left Mountain-Edge City. Under the escort of two rows of men, the Crimson Whale Sect banner was hoisted high as the carriage made its way towards the iron mine.
The sky gradually brightened. The clouds were thick and heavy, making the day extremely gloomy.
More than an hour after leaving the city, the carriage rolled over a blackish-yellow dirt road. Occasionally, abandoned stone pits would appear on the roadside.
The stone pits looked like they had been blasted by artillery shells, one after another in the east and one in the west. The larger ones were more than ten meters wide, while the smaller ones were several meters wide.
Lu Sheng squinted at the scenery outside the carriage window, his expression grim.
"Why are there so many pits here?" He sniffled. There was a faint rancid smell in the wind. It seemed to be the stench of some meat that had gone bad.
Duan Meng 'an also saw the pits outside and replied.
"Replying Young Master, this used to be a quarry for building stone houses in Mountain-Edge City. I don't know why, but it was abandoned, leaving behind so many pits of various sizes."
Lu Sheng nodded.
"How far are we from the mine?"
"About half the way."
"There's no rush. Let me know when we're there, "Lu Sheng said casually.
"Yes," Duan Meng 'an approached the carriage window solemnly, paying attention to the road outside.
The carriage passed through the area of the stone pits and soon entered a grassy hill filled with white flowers.
Compared to the stone pits, the grassy hill here was much more vibrant and full of life.
The carriage continued forward, crossing the hills. It was almost noon when they finally arrived at the area where Crimson Whale Sect's mine was located.
Crimson Whale Sect had built a cluster of small wooden houses here. The overseers, miners, and sect members who came to open the mine had formed a small village here. The name was Iron Mine Village.
The carriage's destination was this village.
The wheels turned one after the other. Lu Sheng sat by the carriage window and meditated for a while. Suddenly, he was woken up by Duan Meng 'an.
"Young Master, we're almost at Iron Mine Village."
Lu Sheng opened his eyes and turned to look out the window.
The carriage was passing by a manor surrounded by high walls. The manor's grayish-white walls were mottled with age. There didn't seem to be anyone around. It was cold and quiet.
The carriage had to go around this manor and continue on its way in another direction.
As they made the turn, Lu Sheng scrutinized the manor beside him. Behind the high walls was a deathly stillness, as if no one lived there.
"This is Song Manor," Duan Meng 'an's face paled when he mentioned the name of the manor. He was a fierce-looking, muscular, and tall man. To think that he would reveal such a look of fear. This strong contrast left a deep impression in Lu Sheng's mind.
"Song Manor? The one that got into trouble?" he asked.
"Yes, Young Master. Boss Wu was investigating this Manor. After he went in, he couldn't find the person. Then he went to the forest outside … "Duan Meng 'an lowered his head, not daring to look at the manor outside the window. "The brothers who came this time are all newcomers and don't know much about this. Only I know that this manor is the one that got into trouble. So please don't tell anyone, Young Master. "
Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes, looking carefully at the manor passing by slowly outside the window.
Soon, the carriage passed by the manor's main gate.
The red lacquer gate, which should have been tightly shut, seemed to have been left ajar, leaving a small gap.
Lu Sheng looked through the gap and could see a portion of the interior of the manor.
The dilapidated courtyard, the withered garden, the ground covered in fallen leaves, and the bare branches of the trees.
There was no one in the manor. It was cold and desolate.
"No one lives in this Song Manor anymore, right?" Lu Sheng asked softly.
"There used to be. The eldest of the couple, a scholar, lived here. So did his sister. After the incident, I don't know anymore, "Duan Meng 'an replied softly.
"It doesn't look like anyone's here," Lu Sheng peered through the gap. As the carriage moved, he gradually saw the interior of the manor from different angles.
Withered, dilapidated trees.
Windows covered in white dust.
White lanterns swaying in the wind.
House pillars covered in scratches.
And … a scholar standing on the stone bridge. A scholar in gray with disheveled hair staring straight at the passing carriage.
Lu Sheng's eyes widened. With his eyesight, he could clearly see that the scholar's face was expressionless. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was deathly pale. If not for the fact that his eyes were wide open, he would have been mistaken for a dead man.
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