Duan Shaohong came storming up to Duan Shaoxia clutching a newspaper. Slamming it down on the table, she demanded, "What is the meaning of this? Why did you leak the news?"
Duan Shaoxia glanced at the paper. The front-page headline read: *The Lu Family in Trouble; Zhang Bochu Cuckolds Himself in Search of Wealth and Glory*.
Duan Shaohong pointed at the paper and shouted, "Do you have any idea how awful this sounds? How is my family supposed to hold our heads high after this?"
Having read the paper, Duan Shaoxia tried to soothe her. "Why let this bother you? Besides, word was bound to get out sooner or later. The banquet is only a few days away—were you expecting to keep it a secret?"
Duan Shaohong shoved her away. "Once it's done, I don't care what people say! But it isn't done yet..."
Just then, Monkey Qiu entered the hall. Duan Shaohong glared venomously at him. "Steward Qiu, you wouldn't happen to be the one who leaked this, would you?"
Qiu Zhiheng was taken aback. "Leaked what?"
Duan Shaohong threw the newspaper at Monkey Qiu. "See for yourself!"
"*Night Fragrance*?" Qiu Zhiheng looked astonished. "I've never even heard of this paper."
"Never heard of it? It's selling like mad all over Lüshui City! Just look at how they portray our family!"
Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. "I know nothing about this."
"You know nothing? Who else could it be if not you?"
Monkey Qiu suddenly fell silent.
Duan Shaohong shuddered, lowered her head, and said nothing more.
In recent days, the thought of her son soon becoming the head of the Lu family had made her forget her place.
In Lüshui City, even members of the Lu family had to speak to Monkey Qiu with respect.
Duan Shaoxia smoothed things over. "Let's pay no mind to this for now. Little Qiu, we must hasten the banquet preparations. The day is almost here."
Monkey Qiu gave a word of agreement and left the mansion.
He made no preparations for the banquet, because it was an impossible feat from the start.
***
Lu Maoxian finished lunch in his manor and perused the news in the paper.
"Every stray dog thinks it can reach into the Lu family." Lu Maoxian called over a guard. "Take some men and teach Zhang Bochu a lesson. Don't beat him to death, but humiliate him thoroughly."
The guard asked, "Master, for Zhang Bochu to pull something like this, he threw away all shame long ago. What good will humiliating him do? Why not just do away with him?"
Lu Maoxian glared at him. "Fool! Am I humiliating Zhang Bochu? I'm humiliating Monkey Qiu! He still claims he's holding a banquet—let's see who he has the nerve to send invitations to!"
The guard had barely left when the steward arrived. "Master, that motion picture you mentioned, *Bloodblade Detective*, is releasing its fourth installment."
Lu Maoxian nodded. "Have the Ghost Hand Sect make their move. Tell them the more they grab, the more they get paid—no upper limit."
***
At Yuezhou Third Hospital, He Haisheng left the ward and headed downstairs to smoke.
When he went down, he would smoke at least a full pack. He Haisheng was a Smoke Cultivator; this was the basis of his cultivation.
Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, He Jiaqing pinched the button on his chest.
Today was the premiere of *Bloodblade Detective 4*. He had intended to ask about the movie, but Ling Miaoying brought up the Lu family first. "Jiaqing, things with the Lu family are spiraling further out of control."
He Jiaqing had already heard about Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai. That was already huge; He Jiaqing couldn't imagine what could be bigger.
Ling Miaoying continued, "Duan Shaoxia brought her nephew Zhang Huaiyi home. She wants him to change his surname, be formally recognized as family, and hold a banquet."
"Zhang Huaiyi? As far as I know, the man is indeed Lu Dongliang's seed, but he has no legitimate standing. The Lu family would never accept him. Whose idea was this? Monkey Qiu's? He hasn't gone senile to that degree, has he?"
Ling Miaoying said, "I reckon it's Duan Shaoxia's doing—turning to any doctor in a panic. Jiaqing, do we meddle in this?"
He Jiaqing gave a light laugh. "Why bother? Let dog eat dog. I'd like to see who comes out on top. How are things on the movie side?"
Ling Miaoying had hoped to use the Lu family matter to skirt around the movie, but failed to bypass it.
"Jiaqing... our film reels were stolen."
He Jiaqing's expression darkened. "How many?"
"Six copies."
On premiere day, six copies stolen meant six theaters had failed to screen *Bloodblade Detective*.
He Jiaqing fell silent for a moment before asking in a relatively calm voice, "Who stole them?"
If Ling Miaoying answered that he didn't know, there would be trouble.
Fortunately, he had uncovered some leads. "It seems to be the work of the Ghost Hand Sect."
"Ghost Hand Sect? What do they want with film reels?"
"They were definitely put up to it by someone."
"Who gave the order?"
Ling Miaoying hesitated for a long while before saying, "I'm still looking into it."
He Jiaqing lapsed into silence again. Sweat dripped continuously down Ling Miaoying's face.
After a while, He Jiaqing finally spoke. "I will write a letter for you. Deliver it personally to Xie Juncong, the Sect Leader of the Ghost Hand Sect, and have him tell you who is behind it."
Ling Miaoying wiped his sweat. "The Ghost Hand Sect works for coin; I'm afraid they won't give up their employer easily. Xie Juncong's cultivation isn't weak either. If I try to force him..."
"No need to force him. Once he reads the letter, he will tell you."
***
That night, someone delivered the letter into Ling Miaoying's hands. Daring not delay, Ling Miaoying took it straight to an old courtyard mansion east of the Houtang City God Temple. He knocked three times and waited for a response from within.
The gatekeeper called out, "Who is it?"
Ling Miaoying answered truthfully, "Third Brother of the Ling family, here to pay respects to Chief Xie."
At the mention of someone from the Ling family, the entire residence grew tense. Ling Miaoying heard it clearly from outside the gate. "Rest assured, everyone, I am not here to cause trouble. I only wish to deliver a letter to the Chief."
The gatekeeper hurried to inform Xie Juncong. The old man had just gone to bed, but upon hearing that Ling Miaoying was here to deliver a letter, he took two magic artifacts onto his person and instructed his disciples to show Ling Miaoying in.
Meeting face-to-face, Xie Juncong cupped his hands in greeting. "Boss Ling, what brings you here?"
He assumed Ling Miaoying had come to hold him accountable for the stolen film.
He was not afraid of being confronted—Xie Juncong had weathered plenty of such situations. To catch a thief, one needed the goods; without evidence, he would never confess. And if Ling Miaoying chose violence, Xie Juncong was confident he could hold his own.
Yet he had not expected Ling Miaoying was truly just there to deliver a letter.
Xie Juncong took the letter and unfolded it. Sweat broke out uncontrollably across his forehead.
With his experience and cultivation, very few things in this world could make him break into a cold sweat.
Ling Miaoying was curious what was written in the letter. Then he saw Xie Juncong invite him to sit, bowing respectfully before him. "Boss Ling, we took on the wrong job and offended you. The film reels we stole have already been burned according to the client's instructions. Having disrupted your business, we are willing to offer financial compensation. Please, name your price."
He admitted it?
Xie Juncong had actually stepped forward and confessed to it of his own accord?
Just what kind of leverage had He Jiaqing used?
Even Ling Miaoying couldn't make heads or tails of it now.
"The film is water under the bridge. The reason I came was to ask: who was the client behind this job?"
Xie Juncong's expression turned grim. He did not want to speak; doing so went against the rules of the Ghost Hand Sect.
Yet after hesitating for a long while, he spoke nonetheless. "It was the old master of the Lu family, Lu Maoxian."
***
"Lu Maoxian?" When He Jiaqing received the news, he was thoroughly irritated. "Why is that old ghost looking for trouble with us?"
Ling Miaoying said, "We've always been on decent terms with Old Master Lu, but his recent actions are puzzling. Some time ago, he hired a few scribblers to publish newspaper articles implying certain motion pictures were morally corrupt. When I went to inquire, Lu Maoxian claimed he was talking about others, that it had nothing to do with us. Then a while later, a number of theaters pulled our movies. When I looked into it, it turned out Lu Maoxian was stirring up trouble behind the scenes again."
He Jiaqing frowned. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
Ling Miaoying replied, "Jiaqing, you haven't contacted me all this time, and you told me not to reach out on my own. I had no chance to tell you."
"Lu Maoxian has always wanted to be head of the Lu family, and we've helped him plenty in the past. Why cause trouble for us?" He Jiaqing couldn't quite fathom it either.
Ling Miaoying did not answer; he couldn't figure it out either.
After pondering for a moment, He Jiaqing chuckled. "That old bastard is doing business at our expense."
Ling Miaoying asked, "What do you mean?"
He Jiaqing said, "The Lu brothers being plotted against definitely involves Lu Maoxian. But on his own, pulling it off would have been nearly impossible. He must have found a backer who lent him a hand. But a backer doesn't help for free—they surely demanded payment, and that payment is coming out of our hides."
Ling Miaoying asked, "Who is this backer of his?"
He Jiaqing replied placidly, "A big shot. My encounter with Lü Huazi was very likely connected to this backer. Lu Maoxian's old bones need a thorough pounding. He already cost me a hand, and now he's causing trouble for us again. This time, we must hit him where it hurts—right across the face. Then, seeing how he reacts, we can dig out who is backing him."
***
With two days left until the first of the seventh lunar month, Lu Maoxian booked Zuixian Tower and invited members from various branches of the Lu family.
After three rounds of wine, Lu Maoxian arranged an entertainment to enliven the mood.
He had men tie a rope around Zhang Huaiyi's father, Zhang Bochu, and lead him in a circle before everyone like an animal.
Once everyone had taken a good look, two guards forced Zhang Bochu onto his knees at Lu Maoxian's feet.
Lu Maoxian looked down at Zhang Bochu with a benevolent expression, smiling as he asked, "You wanted to reach into the Lu family?"
Zhang Bochu wailed, "No, I wouldn't dare!"
His speech was slurred; his teeth had all been knocked out.
Lu Maoxian asked again, "Your son wants to be the head of my Lu family?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..." Zhang Bochu was crying senseless.
Lu Maoxian patted Zhang Bochu's cheek, saying with a beaming smile, "Take your wife and son and get the hell out of Lüshui City before today is over, or I'll make sure your whole family makes the journey to the afterlife together."
The moment the words fell, cheers erupted throughout Zuixian Tower.
"Old Master is truly domineering!"
"Our Lu family's prestige is all upheld by the Old Master!"
"You with the surname Zhang, get your family and get lost! As long as our Old Master is around, don't even dream of touching a single hair on the Lu family!"
Zhang Bochu was tossed out the doors of Zuixian Tower and scrambled home on hands and knees.
Lu Maoxian and his guests continued drinking and feasting. After the banquet, he invited several famous opera singers of Lüshui City to take the stage in turns.
After three performances, Lu Maoxian was unsatisfied. He summoned the troupe leader and told him to switch to something livelier.
While the troupe leader and his crew were busy preparing the change of performance, an invisible wall trapped everyone backstage.
The troupe leader panicked, having no idea what was happening. He thought they had offended Old Master Lu by taking too long to switch acts.
Moments later, several men wearing white shirts and grey waistcoats unfurled a projection screen across the stage. A motion picture suddenly began playing upon it.
Lu Maoxian was startled and ordered a guard to ask the troupe leader what this was all about.
Unaware of what was going on, the Lu family members assumed this was an arrangement by the Old Master.
The film got straight to the point. The opening scene featured a pretty young woman.
The girl was exceedingly generous with her charms, boldly putting her bountiful assets on display across the screen.
The Lu family watched with relish, marveling as they watched. "Our Old Master really knows how to stay fashionable! This even rivals *Bloodgun Detective*! How did he know we love this sort of thing?"
After a while, Lu Maoxian made his appearance on the screen.
The Lu family members praised him. "Our Old Master is truly extraordinary—he even stars in movies in person!"
A little later, Lu Maoxian patted the girl's assets and charged into action.
The Lu family was stunned for a brief moment before resuming their praise. "Is he doing this for real? Our Old Master has impressive stamina! At his age, to still possess such vigor!"
A short while later, Lu Maoxian wiped his sweat and concluded his campaign.
The Lu family members pondered for a moment and continued their praise. "Our Old Master is indeed domineering! At such an advanced age, even if it's on the shorter side, it's still domineering!"
Someone nearby asked, "Do you mean the time was short?"
"Not just the time... whatever, the point is he's domineering!"
Lu Maoxian ground his teeth in fury, but did not dare make a move.
Ling Miaoying stood behind him and said in a hushed voice, "Old Master Lu, how do you like today's show?"
Lu Maoxian replied, "You want to kill me? If we really risk our lives fighting here, you might not stand a chance."
There were so many Lu family members present, and Lu Maoxian was a cultivator of the seventh layer. Even though Ling Miaoying had seized the initiative, he truly might not be able to kill Lu Maoxian.
Ling Miaoying chuckled. "Old Master, risking your life over a trivial matter like this hardly seems worth it. It's just a motion picture, isn't it? Why get so worked up? If you aren't satisfied with this act, I've got plenty of other good material. Tomorrow, I could edit a feature film for you and deliver it straight to the theaters. We'll call it *Hale and Hearty Lu Maoxian*. What do you think?"
Chapter 288