Killing Monks

Guangyuan's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Because that young master of the Lu family is my half-brother."

"ha!"

Daoist Mingyue was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"Junior brother's words are truly interesting." He wiped away the tears of laughter. "It has been a long time since I have met such a wonderful person as junior brother."

As the laughter subsided, his expression turned serious: "Junior Brother, if you are interested in the Lu family's affairs, I have a word of advice for you."

"Don't ask too many questions, and don't get involved. Not everyone is like me."

Guangyuan suddenly asked, "What if I... pay more?"

"How much more?" Daoist Mingyue's eyes lit up.

Guangyuan took out two silver ingots from his pocket and placed them on the stone table. The silver ingots gleamed with a cold white light under the oil lamp—this was the money he had earned by selling the swords and knives he had captured, and now he had very little left.

"So many," he said.

Mingyue looked at the two silver ingots and pondered for a moment: "Junior Brother, do you want to buy information about the Lu family?"

"Senior brother is joking," Guangyuan shook his head. "This is just for the cost of food and lodging these past few days."

"As for the Lu family's affairs... those were just casual conversations during dinner, how could they be considered intelligence?"

Daoist Mingyue gave Guangyuan a deep look, then suddenly smiled.

"Junior brother is truly a remarkable person!" He rolled up his sleeve, and two silver ingots silently disappeared into his sleeve.

Chu Kuangjun, watching from the side, was somewhat puzzled and couldn't help but speak up:

"Master, you are a martial artist at the Earth Realm, yet you value money so much?"

The three smaller realms of the land are: the Path of Exploration, the Hall of Ascent, and the Moon Reflection.

Chu Kuangjun himself was at the Insightful Realm, yet he could faintly sense the abyss-like pressure emanating from Daoist Mingyue.

This person is at least a master of the "Ascending the Hall" realm.

With such cultivation, establishing a sect is a piece of cake, so why bother with a mere two ingots of silver?

Master Mingyue could be a "Martial Artist of the Hall of Fame". Such a martial artist would be capable of establishing his own sect, so why would he care about two ingots of silver?

Daoist Mingyue turned to look at Chu Kuangjun, his expression strange, and said, "What are you saying? Where in this world doesn't one spend money?"

"When I was young, I was just like you, regarding money as dirt and believing that mastering martial arts and comprehending the great principles were the only proper things. But later..."

"When I actually needed to earn money, or rather, 'make money,' I realized that money is hard to come by."

"I despise those who resort to robbery and plunder, engaging in risk-free business."

"I despise those who are obsequious and act as bodyguards or protectors."

"The opportunity to earn money honestly and openly, without having to put on a smile or do anything against one's conscience... is so rare, so difficult, so incredibly difficult."

He said "too difficult" three times in a row, which shows how much he felt.

"Especially when you're sick," Guangyuan suddenly interjected, "money is really important."

Master Mingyue nodded: "That's true. However, we martial artists have vigorous blood and energy, so we rarely get sick."

He steered the conversation back to the main topic: "The Lu family did indeed find their son who had been missing for many years some time ago."

"So these days, the Lu family appears relaxed on the outside but is actually on high alert on the inside. They seem no different from usual, but in reality, they have spies all over the city. They will know about the slightest disturbance."

He paused, looked at Guangyuan, and spoke sincerely:

"Whatever you do, junior brother, you must be extremely careful."

He offered a final, well-intentioned reminder.

If you accept money from someone, you must remind them.

If someone is courting death, he can't stop them.

Having said that, he picked up the bowl, chopsticks, and wine pot, and stood up to walk out of the courtyard. His gray-blue Taoist robe swayed gently in the night breeze, and his figure quickly disappeared outside the door.

The courtyard returned to silence.

"It looks like this is a bit troublesome," Chu Kuangjun sighed, his voice unusually tinged with helplessness.

Guangyuan nodded. He had thought that once he arrived in Luoqing County, he would be able to find a way to see Lu Fei, but who knew he couldn't even find his way to the Lu family's house.

If they are not careful, they could be detained without anyone noticing, let alone save others.

The Lu family has managed this land like an impregnable fortress, making it virtually impossible for outsiders to infiltrate.

"If you were born into a family like this," Guangyuan suddenly asked, "what would you do?"

Chu Kuangjun was silent for a moment, then said, "Then I'll go crazy sooner or later."

"Although I have no father or mother, I was raised by my master. He taught me martial arts, but he never restricted me too much, and he would never pass on any evil techniques or swords to me."

"So the more domineering and arrogant the Lu family is outside," Guangyuan said slowly, "it just shows that they are more repressed and miserable inside."

The ancestral hall houses an ominous black knife, a symbol of the tragic family feuds passed down through generations, and the curse of fathers and sons killing each other hangs like a guillotine overhead.

Who could live comfortably in such a family?

"No place in the world is monolithic," a sharp glint flashed in Guangyuan's eyes, "and this is our opportunity."

As Guangyuan said, being a member of the Lu family is prestigious, but it's also tough.

Lu Chengming is that kind of person.

He was sitting in a small tavern on West Street in Luoqing County, with a pot of wine and two plates of cold dishes in front of him.

The wine was good, the food was good, but he kept chugging it down.

It was clear that he wasn't happy.

To outsiders, the Lu family was incredibly powerful; they could shake the entire Luoqing County with a stomp of their feet.

But only Lu Chengming himself knew that the Lu family was also very vulnerable.

Because as long as the essence of a family is people, the family will cease to exist once the people are gone.

Originally, Lu Fei, the son of the family head Lu Chengyu, had been missing for many years, and everyone thought that the child had died outside long ago.

Unexpectedly, the person was found and brought back a few days ago.

This is not a good thing for the Lu family.

Because the Lu family's rules never included the phrase "filial piety and parental love".

When a son grows up, either the father kills the son, or the son kills the father.

In the previous generation, Lu Chengyu personally killed his father before taking the position of family head.

What about this generation?

Did Lu Chengyu kill Lu Fei, or did Lu Fei kill Lu Chengyu?

Lu Chengming didn't know.

All he knew was that the Lu family was about to suffer bloodshed again.

He tilted his head back and gulped down the remaining wine in his glass. It was clearly good wine, but it made him frown.

Just as I was about to fall again, I caught a glimpse of someone walking by on the street outside the door.

A monk.

Wearing faded old monk's robes, he walked steadily and calmly, possessing a temperament that Lu Chengming had never seen before in Luoqing County.

Monks and Taoists are rarely seen here because the Lu family does not believe in such things.

"If gods and Buddhas truly exist, why is my Lu family in such a state?"

He thought of what Lu Chengyu had said.

He looked at the monk, drunkenly.

He suddenly raised his voice, with the unquestionable domineering tone typical of the Lu family:

"Hey monk, come here."

The tone contained no request, only a command.

In Luoqing County, the Lu family did not need to make a request.

The monk, truly blessed with good fortune, approached Lu Chengming and asked, "What advice do you have for me, layman?"

"What scriptures do monks chant?" Lu Chengming asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The Rebirth Mantra"

"That's bad luck, it's for the dead."

"Layman, you are mistaken. The Rebirth Mantra is not for the dead, but for the living."

"Oh?"

"Because the dead cannot hear the scriptures."