Chapter 88 The Villain is Punished

Chapter 89 The Villain is Punished

Lu Xiangsheng didn't get a response for a long time before he realized that Lu Li's gaze had already drifted away.

After exchanging greetings, he took two steps toward the dock, watching the rows of busy laborers.

In the dead of winter, wearing only a cotton-padded robe and loose shorts, each person carried seven or eight bags of grain, working hard and enthusiastically.

I heard that after Lu Li went to Bailu Academy, he had a complete awakening, and his cultivation level increased rapidly.

Now it seems true. Lu Xiangsheng felt a strange sense of unease and dared not say anything excessive again.

Has the price of grain in Yuzhang risen in the past few days?

Lu Li thought of the refugees he had met on the way to Wucheng and asked a question.

"Today, the Yichun Grain Store has set a uniform price of 42 copper coins per liter of japonica rice."

Lu Xiangsheng replied subconsciously, only realizing after speaking that he had been too reserved with this cousin, feeling a sense of pressure as if he were facing the old man.

They were afraid of doing something wrong and being blamed.

"It's gotten taller again—"

Lu Li frowned. There hadn't been a single drop of rain for months, and a poor harvest next year was a foregone conclusion.

The situation was even worse in the Great Zhou Dynasty, with many areas experiencing complete crop failure.

Once they have the time and resources, they will inevitably head south to relieve internal pressure.

Those tributary states are also unstable; unable to obtain sufficient disaster relief grain, they are causing trouble again.

After the spring season, shipping routes reopened, and the maritime threat that had existed since the founding of the Great Chu Dynasty returned, threatening several coastal counties with pirates.

For a time, there was a real sense that the situation was riddled with loopholes and on the verge of collapse.

The Great Chu Dynasty has been established for less than a hundred years, yet it already presents the end-of-the-world scene of the Northern Wei Dynasty that I have transmigrated to.

Once war breaks out, it's unknown whether hundreds of thousands or even millions of civilians will die before it can stop.

Unfortunately, he couldn't conjure up enough food to feed millions, nor could he resolve the internal and external troubles.

He himself is a beneficiary of the weakening of the central power.

Last year, the imperial court issued a document to clear up the land illegally occupied by various sects. The land surveyed at Bailu Academy was found to be 500,000 mu.

In the end, the officials of Yuzhang Prefecture stopped them and said, "They levied taxes on officials and the people to fill the imperial treasury and reduced the wealth of prefectures and counties to supply the capital. Their intentions are despicable."

After review by the relevant authorities, it was determined that the actual amount of land to be returned to the imperial court was thirty mu.

You read that right, it's exactly thirty acres!

This kind of situation occurs in every prefecture and county of the Great Chu, but of course, those powerful sects that are about to actually carve out their own territories certainly wouldn't even dare to be included.

They are all sects on par with Bailu Academy.

The campaign was carried out with great fanfare, dispatching thousands of officials and lasting for six months, but in the end, less than a thousand acres of land were recovered.

If we were to go back to the heyday of the Great Chu Dynasty a thousand years ago, Lu Li's act of killing a court officer would have resulted in the higher-ups of Bailu Academy breaking his limbs and sending him to the government office to confess his crimes.

Either they achieve the ultimate goal of refining their spirit, or all those involved are imprisoned and executed in the autumn.

Learning from the lessons of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Great Chu Dynasty maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards military chaos during its early and middle periods.

"Young Master Li, there's no need to worry too much. Once spring arrives, the grain from Guiyang and Jiangxia will be transported over, and the prices will naturally stabilize."

Lu San spoke up at the opportune moment.

As one of the few non-family members who had achieved Foundation Establishment in the Blue Sand Ship Gang, the rise of any young master in the main family had little impact on him, since he was always included in their ranks.

He doesn't get close to any of the young masters' families. In the end, it's still the eldest son's family who calls the shots. What's the point of fighting over it?

However, this young master who was learning martial arts at Bailu Academy gave people a different feeling from others, so Lu San was willing to say a few more words.

"Li Di, the matter of grain prices should be the concern of the old master and Lord Xie. We will do our own thing and the five branches of the family will not be shortchanged even if the price rises to a hundred copper coins."

Lu Xiangsheng was indignant that his prestige had been taken away. Just a few years ago, he was a cousin who was ridiculed by everyone in the family, but now he was trembling with pride.

What good are the disciples of Bailu Academy? By the time they leave the academy, all the good spots in the boatmen's quarters will have already been taken.

Back then, the five branches of the family almost wiped out their able-bodied men in one battle. Afterwards, they complained that the reinforcements were not timely enough and cried several times in front of the old master, which caused the other branches of the family to dislike them.

The fact that Lu Li only used a single character in his name, instead of using the generational characters commonly used in the Lu family, also reflects this point.

"A hundred coins for a liter of rice, that will kill people, kill a lot of people—Fifth Brother, don't say such thoughtless things outside in the future."

Lu Li's eyes were sharp, and he spoke calmly.

Lu Xiangsheng felt a chill run down his spine when he was swept by that gaze, and his body involuntarily shrank a bit.

Coming to his senses, just as he was about to utter a few harsh words to get back at the other side, he saw a dark shadow dart up from a boat on the river. With a swift movement, two laborers who were carrying goods fell to the ground.

Five holes appeared in his throat, his trachea was torn, and blood spurted out like a fountain.

"All hands on alert! Bandits have infiltrated the ship!"

Lu Xiangsheng's eyes were bloodshot. This boat did not belong to the Lu family, but all the laborers working at this dock were crew members of the shipyard.

Since someone died, he, as the dock manager, is primarily responsible.

The compensation and benefits were a minor issue; the real disaster was being ordered by the government to stop operating the docks and cooperate with the search.

Every day of shutdown results in astronomical losses.

The dock guards reacted quickly, sending out twenty or thirty men, each carrying a sharp blade, to form a defensive formation.

The shadowy figure was clearly a martial arts expert, a middle-aged man with sunken eyes and messy, unkempt hair. He glanced at the figure with cold, emotionless eyes and then leaped onto a ship further away.

Only a few soft bows fired a few arrows, which were then casually knocked into the water by the man's hand.

"Manager Lu?"

Lu Xiangsheng could see the difference in strength. The bandit was clearly a Foundation Establishment expert, and his attacks were all killing moves. If it really came down to a head-on fight, even if all the dock guards died, they might not be able to stop him.

Moreover, he leaped several meters, his feet firmly planted on the deck, without wobbling.

Even with enough manpower, we still can't catch up.

They could only turn to Lu San, who also had Foundation Establishment cultivation, hoping that this manager, known for his bravery in the ship gang, could stop the man.

"This man is stronger than me. He must have been carrying a lawsuit and was hiding in the ship's hold, drifting downstream—when he was spotted by the unloading workers and suddenly killed them."

Lu San squinted, his fists clenched, and shook his head firmly.

"He only wants to escape and won't stay to cause widespread destruction. My duty is to ensure that these three cargo ships and their cargo return safely to Pengcheng."

"Lu San, you!"

Lu Xiangsheng was in a panic. If he didn't kill the thugs on the spot, he would have to bear the pressure from the government all by himself.

Now, forget about the year-end bonus, he might not even be able to keep his managerial position.

"Young Master Li?"

Lu San caught a glimpse of a white light out of the corner of his eye, but it was Lu Li who had lightly touched the ground and jumped onto the nearest boat.

Using the deck as a jumping platform, they quickly approached.

"Come back quickly! This man is extremely bloodthirsty, and his claw techniques are highly skilled; he's not easy to deal with!"

Lu San chased after him for a few steps, shouting loudly.

Although this young master Li also has Foundation Establishment cultivation and looks quite imposing, he is still too inexperienced compared to those seasoned veterans who have been fighting for decades.

The academy's disciples are skilled, but without real combat experience, they might not even have seen blood a few times, which would greatly diminish their combat effectiveness.

However, Lu Li moved extremely fast. The villain stopped when he heard the noise, his mouth twitching and his expression turning ferocious.

His palms were dark, his fingernails gleaming coldly. With a grab, several gusts of wind shot out, revealing his murderous intent.

"Foundation building complete!"

Lu San was startled and stopped abruptly.

The middle-aged villain had only intended to kill and escape, and hadn't used his true abilities, so he thought the villain was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment martial artist.

As they got closer, the fierce claw-like wind swept in, even tearing the air apart; only a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator could achieve such a feat with immense internal energy.

He moved like a hawk hunting its prey, his attacks cunning and ruthless, capable of killing with a single blow.

Going further, one can achieve a convergence of internal and external forces, progressing towards the refinement of the spirit, with each move accompanied by wind and rain.

"It's over. Young Master Li is too arrogant. The family finally produced a genius, and now he's going to be ruined here. The old master will be heartbroken if he finds out—"

In Lu San's view, Lu Li's steps were steady, and his hand holding the sword was even more steady.

A flash of sword light, cold and clear as frost, caused a thin layer of ice crystals to form on the river surface.

The middle-aged villain had a red dot between his eyebrows, his eyes were blank, and the ferocity on his face had not yet faded. He staggered and fell onto the deck, lifeless.

Several claw-like shadows brushed past him, striking Lu Li's back and leaving deep marks.

One of the masts was even cut off.

"Dead! Young Master Li killed a villain at the peak of Foundation Establishment with a single sword strike?"

Lu San's emotions fluctuated wildly; he was speechless, thinking he was dreaming.

A person who has reached the Foundation Establishment stage can be considered a master in any city in Yuzhang County. Even in the county seat, there are only a little over ten Refinement God level experts.

Bailu Academy and the Luo family of Yuzhang accounted for the majority of these.

He was killed with a single sword strike. What exactly did Young Master Li train at Bailu Academy all these years?

Such martial arts skills, yet they remain unknown in the family; they've kept it hidden far too well.

With this skill, the eldest son's lineage will truly be able to secure the position of clan leader in the future.

However, it's also possible that they simply don't care about the infighting among the main family's various branches, or whether it's a major or minor branch, a direct descendant or a collateral branch. Who cares if a Refining Spirit expert has any influence?

Once one achieves the Refinement of Spirit, the roles will be reversed, and the Lu family will benefit from his success.

"Manager Lu, this man should be a wanted criminal. I have seen the warrant for his arrest. I will have someone send the body to the yamen later."

Lu Li kicked the middle-aged thug, who lay on his back with yellow hair and an oval face. He also had a missing arm, which matched the characteristics of the criminal who had committed multiple massacres.

He lost an arm while escaping capture a few days ago, which greatly affected his strength. No wonder he's so easily defeated.

The frost descends with a chilling, merciless force, punishing evil without warning; I couldn't even react in time.

"To stand alongside me, to tarnish my reputation—you're lucky to die. You've taken over thirty lives, and today you've added two more laborers to your list."

Lu Li glared fiercely at the corpse, then left the distraught Lu San behind and returned to the dock.

"Brother Li, your swordsmanship is truly superb."

Lu Xiangsheng, accompanied by his guards, came forward, momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say.

He saw Lu Li dash out like an arrow, his figure intersecting with the middle-aged villain, and then one of them fell down while the other stood up.

Lu Li's actions greatly helped him; the villain was killed on the spot, which was a meritorious deed, and the government could not find fault with it.

But this cousin, whom he used to look down on, has grown up so rapidly that Lu Xiangsheng felt a mix of emotions, a feeling he couldn't quite describe.

"Give those two dead laborers a generous compensation."

Lu Li patted Lu Xiangsheng on the shoulder and returned to his small compartment.

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