The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Lin Chenming's face darkened as he said, "Zhu Wu, your uncle is being bullied here. Is it appropriate for you to just stand there and not move?" He had already sensed that Zhu Wu was quite wary of Liu Jueshan. Could it be that Liu Jueshan's martial arts were even superior to his own?

Zhu Wu said, "Uncle, some things must be a misunderstanding! Since Jue Shan is your father-in-law's son, he is naturally your nephew. Family matters can be discussed, there is no need to get so angry!"

Lin Chenming glanced at Liu Mudan, and both of their hearts sank to the bottom at the same time!

Zhu Wu has clearly reached an agreement with Liu Jueshan!

Zhu Wu supported Liu Jueshan in inheriting the position of head of the Liu family, and Liu Jueshan tacitly allowed Zhu Wu to take away the ransom money of these people. The two got what they wanted and everyone was happy. Only these elders became stepping stones for the two of them!

Looking at the corpses of Zhang Shicheng and Liu Muxuan, the two of them remained silent.
When Liu Mudan's men came in and handed the silver notes to Zhu Wu, Liu Mudan asked, "May I leave now?"

Zhu Wu said, "That's enough!"

Liu Mudan had Zhang Shicheng's body put in the car and left without looking back!

Everyone knows that her enemy is no longer just Zhu Wu, but also Liu Jueshan!

When Zhu Wu received all the silver notes, he smiled and said, "Actually, I can't stay in the Liu family any longer. Feng Jiuxiao has emptied your house, and he will definitely notify the Song Dynasty court to come looking for me. I won't get any benefit from staying here." He waved the tens of millions of taels of silver in his hand and said, "With this, I can still make a comeback. I'm leaving!"

Lin Chenming asked anxiously, "Young Master Zhu! You're leaving already?"

Zhu Wu laughed and said, "Uncle, I can't stay! Don't worry, I'll definitely do what I promised you!" He turned to look at Liu Jueshan, "Your family just wants their things back. They have no interest in the Liu family's things. They hope you can return their things to them!"

Liu Jueshan said, "No one can take away what belongs to the Liu family, and I will never refuse to return what doesn't belong to the Liu family! I know that the land deeds here are in the hands of the Lin family, but that's okay. In front of everyone, I solemnly declare that as long as the Lin family can provide complete evidence, I will return all of the Lin family's property!"

Zhu Wu gave Lin Chenming a wink, and Lin Chenming immediately said, "Thank you, Patriarch Liu! From now on, my Lin family will follow Patriarch Liu's lead!"

Everyone was shocked!

These people reached an agreement on a deal in just a few words; they're all incredibly shrewd and capable. You have to admire them!
Lin Chenming got the house and shop he wanted;

Liu Jueshan received support from the Lin family, one of the two major families.
Zhu Wu then obtained a huge fortune;

The two brothers, Liu Muxue and Liu Muyu, are the most unhappy right now!

But when they saw Liu Muxuan's corpse, they could only keep their dissatisfaction to themselves!
Liu Wenyu asked, "Father, did you see clearly what Liu Jueshan did just now?"

Liu Muxue shook her head, "I didn't see it clearly!"

Liu Yuyu said, "Father, judging from Xuanbo's injuries, Liu Jueshan's martial arts are definitely above the peak of the ninth realm! Moreover, the martial arts he used are definitely not orthodox Xuanmen martial arts!"

Liu Muxue said, "That's right! Your Xuanbo's physical body was almost torn apart by the qi, it's obvious that it's evil martial arts!"

Liu Wenyu's expression changed: "Could it be... that he is also a member of the Demonic Sect?"

Liu Yuyu whispered, "Brother Changfeng is the adopted son of the Demonic Sect leader. His family has been secretly working for the Demonic Sect. This Liu Jueshan always acts in secrecy, so he's probably also working for the Demonic Sect!"

Liu Muxue frowned and said, "Now that the Demonic Sect has been destroyed and its disciples have scattered in all directions, why is Liu Jueshan so determined to seize the position of clan leader? Could it be that he is preparing for the Demonic Sect to regroup?"

Liu Wenyu and Liu Yuyu nodded simultaneously, "It's not impossible!"

Liu Muxue said, "If that's really the case, we can't afford to offend the power behind him. We might as well submit to him. As long as our family can continue to live a life of luxury, why should we care about this empty reputation? You are the master, right?"

Liu Wenyu said, "Yes! And Zhu Wu just said that the Bai family's money has been emptied by that Feng Jiuxiao. Father, you're probably going to have a hard time managing this household. Why not just hand over the mess to Liu Jueshan and we can just relax under his big tree? That would be pretty good!"

Liu Muyu, who had been eavesdropping all along, said to her children, "We'll support Liu Jueshan too!"

Liu Yanchi and Liu Shuyao looked at each other, but then they understood what Liu Muyu meant!
Zhu Wu swaggered away!
They didn't forget to take the sword slave with them when they left!

He knew that if the sword slave stayed, he would surely die! Fortunately, the sword slave had a photographic memory and could calculate faster than the accountant, so having him by his side would definitely be useful!

Liu Jueshan was now standing in the "center of an invisible stage." This position was actually in front of the mourning hall, but at this moment it had become the center of the stage!

He looked at everyone and slowly said, "Everyone, from today onwards, I am the new head of the Liu family. Liu Quan will continue to serve as the chief steward, responsible for managing all of the Liu family's businesses! The previous rules will remain unchanged. Now, the funeral will officially begin."

Inside the mourning hall, white banners hung low, and sandalwood incense mingled with paper ash in the candlelight. Liu Jueshan knelt before five black lacquered coffins, his knuckles clenched so tightly under the mourning cloth that they turned blue. It was unclear whether he was truly heartbroken or putting on an act for others.

The master of ceremonies struck the bronze chime, the lingering sound causing the white lanterns on the beam to sway slightly.

"The souls of Lady Liu, Mu Bai Gong, and his four children, Po Lang, Yun Fan, Cang Hai, and Ru Yan, have returned to their ancestral home—" The master of ceremonies' drawn-out voice was punctuated by the sobs of the women in the clan.

The young nephews and nieces who had received many favors from the Liu family stared at the still-wet paint marks on the coffin, the dark red resembling the crimson lipstick on their cousin Ruyan's lips.

After the third drumbeat, the steward staggered out of the line carrying the family genealogy. As the words "removed from the list" were uttered, Liu Jueshan suddenly heard the sound of teeth chattering behind him—it was Liu Yutang trembling, his sleeves still stained with dice dust from the gambling den.

"Offering straw spirits!" The paper horse curled up into ashes in the brazier. Yu Tang remembered the year his cousin Liu Polang taught him to ride a real horse, when the spring grass had just covered the horse's hooves. At this moment, amidst the perfunctory weeping of the clansmen, only his tears fell onto the blue bricks, leaving dark circular stains.

The two Taoist priests who rushed over were invited up before they could even have a sip of hot tea. The two priests, a man and a woman, were most likely a married couple.

The male Taoist priest began reciting the "Supreme Mysterious Treasure Sutra for Saving from Suffering".

"...At that time, the Heavenly Venerable Who Saves from Suffering pervaded the ten directions, constantly using his divine power to save all sentient beings."

They are freed from delusion, yet sentient beings are unaware of it, like blind people seeing the sun and moon.

I am originally without beginning or end, and my reach is boundless.

Auspicious clouds open the gate of life, and auspicious smoke fills the gate of death.

The initial salvation of the departed souls was attributed to the power of the scriptures…

Taoism believes that after death, the soul returns to the underworld and suffers the torment of karmic retribution and reincarnation. This scripture can help the soul escape from hell and be reborn in the Eastern Paradise.

After the male Taoist priest finished reciting, the female Taoist priest recited the "Blood Lake Scripture" for Liu Ruyan.

"...In the Blood Lake, all the souls suffer."

The foul stench permeated the air day and night.

I now preach the Dharma to cleanse sins.

Bathed in jade liquid, transcending the human and heavenly realms…

Two unfamiliar faces were whispering to each other in the crowd.

"It seems we're too late; Zhu Wu is nowhere to be found."

Do you think he heard something?

"Perhaps the people Magistrate Chen sent were exposed, which alerted him!"

"What should we do? Go back and report that Zhu Wu has escaped again?"

"It can only be this way."

"What if the higher-ups ask where Zhu Wu went? What should we say?"

"Well... let's go and investigate now. If we really have no clue, let's just tell the truth. Anyway, we rushed here overnight without a moment's rest. When we got here, the funeral had just started. As for why Zhu Wu is missing, we shouldn't speculate!"

"Okay, it's settled then, let's go!"

The two people entered and left without disturbing anyone, as if they had never been there at all.

When the funeral ended, all the guests said goodbye to Liu Jueshan one by one!

Cultivating a good relationship with the new family head is the top priority for every member of the Liu family! Whether you admit it or not, Liu Jueshan will sit in the position Liu Mubai once held. If you don't support him, someone else will! If you're too late to show your loyalty, you'll be worth less than grass!
Liu Jueshan no longer keeps people at arm's length!
The initial arrogance was meant to intimidate people, but now that he has the support of the masses, he needs to maintain his position through family ties. Only by using both soft and hard tactics can he secure his position for the long term!
After everyone else had left, Liu Jueshan left behind Liu Quan and Liu Yutang!

He cut to the chase: "Liu Quan, did you run into Feng Jiuxiao last night?"

Liu Quan answered without hesitation: "Yes!"

Seeing that Liu Quan answered readily, Liu Jueshan revealed a satisfied expression, "Hmm, do you know that if you hesitate even for a moment, you'll already be dead!"

Sweat beaded on Liu Quan's forehead as he said in a trembling voice, "Thank you, Patriarch, for sparing my life!"

"He emptied the family's coffers?"

"It should be! I didn't see it with my own eyes!" "How old is Feng Jiuxiao?"

Liu Quan thought to himself: So you haven't met Feng Jiuxiao either. I thought you knew him.
"He was half a head taller than me, and looked quite spirited. At first glance, he looked like a scholar. He had a long knife hanging at his waist and always wore a white robe."

"You're half a head taller than me, so you're about the same height. You look quite energetic, which means you're better looking than me!"

"Not as good-looking as you!"

"I don't like people flattering me, so don't be hypocritical! I'm asking you, did you take him to all the shops last night?"

"Yes! But the core salt and iron industry of the Liu family was not visited!"

"You didn't tell him?"

“He asked, and I told him, but he didn’t go.”

"Why didn't he go?" Liu Jueshan asked, his face full of doubt! He didn't go to the place he should have gone to most; this was definitely not normal!

“He said it would be useless to go there, firstly because the place is too far away and there is not enough time, and secondly because he said he would not need those industries.”

"Did he really say that?"

"Yes!"

"Then why did he set his sights on the Liu family's rice shop, porcelain shop, silk shop, and even the Heaven on Earth? Do these places earn less money than salt and iron?"

He said it wasn't about the amount of money, but whether it affected people's lives! He said that by controlling these shops, he could control prices so that ordinary people could afford to eat, wear clothes, and see a doctor!

"What?" Liu Jueshan stood up abruptly. "He really said that?"

"Yes!"

"Others are desperately trying to make money off the people, but he's desperately trying to give back to them. This Feng Jiuxiao is truly remarkable!"

Liu Quan thought to himself: Huh? Why do they all call him Feng Jiuxiao? Isn't his surname Long?
"Patriarch, um... Feng Jiuxiao told me his surname is Long. Could it be that he has another name in the martial arts world?"

"Surnamed Long? Impossible! He only has one name in the martial arts world, Feng Jiuxiao! He says his surname is Long, but that's just a cover!"

"Oh!" Liu Quan thought to himself: The original plan was for the Song court to send people to arrest Zhu Wu, but Zhu Wu escaped on his own, and Liu Jueshan suddenly appeared halfway. What should we do?
Liu Jueshan looked at Liu Quan and asked, "Did they sign a blood pact with you?"

Liu Quan replied, "Yes!"

"You don't need to worry. You can keep in touch with them, and you can pretend to manage the Liu family's businesses for them. That way you'll be safe."

"Thank you for your understanding, Patriarch! But are the profits from those businesses really going to be left to Long... to Feng Jiuxiao?"

"Heh, there's no such thing as getting all the benefits for him. Within three months, all these shops will be shut down! Then we'll reopen them with a new look!"

Liu Yutang asked, "Brother Shan, why did you go bankrupt when everything was going well?"

Liu Jueshan said, "If we don't go bankrupt, wouldn't that mean that Feng Jiuxiao will forever take advantage of my Liu family?"

Liu Yutang said, "Why don't we just take it back? That property originally belonged to the Liu family! Just like he forced those managers to sign the transfer agreements, we'll force them to sign them back. What can he do to us?"

Liu Jueshan said, "Yutang, you're still young! You've probably never even heard of Feng Jiuxiao! Let me tell you, he can take you away, but you can't take him away!"

"Is he that domineering?"

"Yes!"

"Brother Shan, is he even better than you?"

"Of course! Although you are disappointed, it is the truth. I am not one to boast. Even if I go all out, I cannot withstand one move from Feng Jiuxiao!"

"Is he that good?"

"Do you know why Zhu Wu went to the casino last night?"

"Does that mean we should just avoid him?"

"That's right! Otherwise, would Zhu Wu have allowed him to empty the Liu family's treasury?"

"It seems Zhu Wu has suffered at Feng Jiuxiao's hands before!"

"There's a lot you don't know! I only found out Zhu Wu's true identity a few months ago! He's really good at hiding it!"

"Who is he?"

Have you ever heard of the "Eight-Character Dragon Head"?

"One of the Four Young Masters of the Martial World, the Overlord of Lingnan, the Eight-Character Dragon Head, Zhu Wu Gongzi?"

"That's him! He's the one!"

Liu Yutang was shocked. "I heard that he later became the emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty, and then the Southern Han Dynasty was destroyed by the Song Dynasty. His whereabouts became unknown. I never expected that he would come here!"

A sinister look appeared on Liu Jueshan's face. "If he doesn't run away, he says he'll definitely cooperate with me!"

"Cooperate with you? What can the two of you possibly cooperate on?"

“You wouldn’t understand even if I explained! Liu Quan, I can’t break your blood pact right now, so I can understand your loyalty to Feng Jiuxiao. I admire your abilities, so I still want to give you important responsibilities.”

Upon hearing Liu Jueshan's heartfelt words, Liu Quan was momentarily at a loss for words.

Liu Jueshan said, "Breaking down these Liu family shops doesn't mean they'll actually go bankrupt. It's just so you have an explanation. Even if Feng Jiuxiao knows those shops went bankrupt, he'll only think it's because the managers were bad at management or some other reason. He won't blame you. Once those shops close down and reopen under a different name, Feng Jiuxiao won't investigate further. He's traveling all over the country, and who knows when he'll come back here. He might have already forgotten about you, so you don't need to worry!"

Liu Quan knelt down with a thud, "Thank you!"

He truly hadn't expected that Liu Jueshan would be so considerate of him! Even if he had ulterior motives, the fact that Liu Jueshan hadn't killed him for betraying the Liu family was already an act of leniency! What more could he possibly hope for?
"Master, whatever you say, I'll do!"

"Good! For any businesses that Feng Jiuxiao knows about, find a way to relocate them and start anew! For any businesses that he doesn't know about, relocate them if possible, and strengthen the defenses of those that can't be relocated!"

"why is that?"

"Now that Feng Jiuxiao knows about these places, he will definitely inform the Song court. Before long, the Song court will send people to investigate in secret. Once the time is right, they will seize them!"

Liu Quan said, "I see."

"Go and act according to the plan. Make outsiders feel that these shops have no choice but to go bankrupt, then you've succeeded. As for what methods to use, feel free to use them."

“Great! I can orchestrate a few feuds or raids by roaming bandits, which will make the shops go bankrupt even faster.”

"You're in charge. Have all the shop owners come to me later!"

"Yes!"

The sun gradually rose into the sky, and the temperature warmed up slightly, but a chill still lingered. Autumn in the north is much colder than in the south.

Chili looked at the fallen leaves on both sides of the road and felt a little emotional. "I heard that it snows early in the north. I wonder when I will see snow again."

Yuan Zishan said, "What, you want to build a snowman again?"

Pang Shiwu, who was driving the carriage, said, "Snow is great! We can build snowmen and have snowball fights!"

Chili scolded, "Shut up! Did I tell you to speak? If you speak again, you won't get to eat tonight!"

Pang Shiwu had no choice but to shut up!
I'm still angry! Then I'll wait a little longer!

Chang Zijin and Erni in the second car exchanged a smile!
Erni chuckled softly, "Lajiao has such a fiery temper, I could hear her yelling so clearly!"

Chang Zijin laughed and said, "Fifteen thought the chili smell had worn off by now, so she tried to strike up a conversation again, but she got ridiculed again, haha!"

Suddenly, the sound of hooves came from behind, and several fast horses galloped up from behind and quickly overtook the carriage!
Suddenly, the fast horses stopped in front of them, and someone shouted, "Stop right there!"

Erni was taken aback. "Is someone robbing us?" (End of Chapter)