Chapter 276: Can

This long sword was Lu Yuanshan's most powerful magic treasure; if it pierced its target, Lu Maoxian would die without doubt.

The blade was aimed at the gap in the carriage canopy, yet Lu Yuanshan hesitated to strike.

He Haiqin growled impatiently: "This brat still hasn't learned. If you're soft on him now, don't blame him later for being ruthless."

Lu Yuanshan delayed not because he was soft on Lu Maoxian—he feared the slander he'd earn.

The driver Tan Fucheng noticed the tension and said to Lu Yuanshan: "I'll go check on Second Young Master's condition."

He Haiqin remarked: "Should I also keep my distance?"

Lu Yuanshan nodded: "Please, Uncle He, keep watch for me—I'm worried the old man brought reinforcements."

"Little Shan, you called me here just to deal with his backup, right?"

Whether they come hidden or open, let them come—I'll show you what I'm made of today.

Even if he brings a thousand troops, I'll clean them all up for you—now are you satisfied?"

"Thank you, Uncle He."

Tan Fucheng went to the alley entrance; He Haiqin also moved away, facing the wall, turning his back to Lu Yuanshan as he lit a cigarette.

Lu Yuanshan drove the sword downward.

Plop!

Blood splattered across Lu Yuanshan's face.

It was salty, sticky, and foul—he looked down.

This wasn't Lu Maoxian's blood—it was his own.

He had stabbed himself in the abdomen.

Lu Yuanshan's face turned deathly pale; his body trembled violently.

This was it—he was finished!

In this instant, his life was over!

Why had he stabbed himself?

He looked at the gap in the canopy and saw Lu Maoxian still struggling beneath the carriage.

Had he used a technique?

Impossible.

This carriage was of extremely high quality.

With Lu Maoxian's cultivation base, he couldn't extend a technique beyond the carriage's exterior.

Lu Yuanshan strained every ounce of strength to pull the sword free—but it was already too late.

He tried to shout, mouth open, but no sound came out.

He looked toward Tan Fucheng and Lu Yuanhai at the alley entrance—both stood with their backs to him.

He Haiqin stood at the far end of the alley, seemingly closer to him.

But he too faced away, smoking against the wall.

None of them had seen Lu Yuanshan.

Lu Yuanshan was dying—struck by this sword, he could not survive.

He wanted to stab again and kill Lu Maoxian—but he couldn't even lift the sword now.

He remembered Monkey Qiu's words: "Some things aren't worth betting on, because you can't afford to lose."

Now he understood—some things truly were too costly to lose.

In the blink of an eye, he had lost everything.

He dragged his heavy body toward Lu Yuanhai.

He wanted to warn his younger brother.

Was it still possible?

After only two steps, Lu Yuanshan's torso collapsed into a pile of shredded flesh, leaving only his head and limbs falling to the ground.

Clatter-clatter~

The sword hit the ground; the driver and Lu Yuanhai spun around, seeing Lu Yuanshan's scattered remains.

Lu Yuanhai gasped: "Brother…"

He rushed toward Lu Yuanshan without hesitation—but as he drew near, Lu Yuanshan's head and limbs exploded into fragments.

Covered in blood and flecks of bone and flesh, Lu Yuanhai stood frozen for two or three seconds, then picked up the sword.

Blade pointing downward, Lu Yuanhai raised the sword into the air.

All he needed to do was adjust the angle slightly—and he could drive it into his own abdomen.

He too was being controlled!

Seeing the situation turn dire, the driver Tan Fucheng yanked a handful of white sugar from his sleeve and flung it into the air: "Here, have some candy!"

The throw struck true—two coughs echoed through the air; the sugar had clearly entered someone's mouth.

The driver shouted again: "You've eaten my candy—please loosen your grip!"

The unseen force weakened; Lu Yuanhai's hands regained movement, and he hurled the sword to the ground.

Tan Fucheng grabbed Lu Yuanhai and bolted away.

Someone seemed to chase them for a stretch, but eventually let them go.

Tan Fucheng exhaled slightly, glancing at Lu Yuanhai beside him.

Lu Yuanhai's lips were twisted, his eyes rolled upward—he was in some unknown condition.

The whole event had unfolded in less time than it took to smoke a cigarette.

He Haiqin still stood by the wall, smoking; when he finished, he crushed the cigarette underfoot and walked toward the rickshaw.

Lu Maoxian was still struggling inside; from the darkness came a voice: "This carriage is too heavy—I can't lift it."

He Haiqin pulled a paper packet from his pocket—inside were slices of braised beef.

He ate a few pieces, then gripped one of the rickshaw's wheels and flipped the vehicle over.

Lu Maoxian scrambled out from beneath the canopy, staring at He Haiqin in shock.

He Haiqin was the one who freed him?

How was that possible?

Lu Maoxian knew someone was secretly protecting him—it was a promise from the Saint.

But he never imagined it would be He Haiqin.

He Haiqin was precisely the person he had feared most.

He Haiqin set down the rickshaw, chewing beef as he asked: "Why are you staring at me? Hungry for beef? Want a bite?"

Lu Maoxian asked: "Uncle He, are you trying to save me—or kill me?"

"Saving you or killing you—I'm fine with either," He Haiqin chuckled. "But talking to those brats is exhausting. Talking to you, old man, is straightforward."

Lu Maoxian understood—he bowed respectfully: "Uncle He, give me any order you wish."

He Haiqin asked: "First question—who is the Saint on Sacred Peak, and what is his status?"

The fact he asked this proved He Haiqin had indeed contacted the Saint—but his knowledge of the Saint was extremely limited; their relationship remained purely cooperative.

Lu Maoxian paused, then pulled a silk handkerchief from his robe.

The handkerchief was golden, embroidered with coiled dragon and cloud patterns.

"This was given to me by the Saint," Lu Maoxian said, handing it to He Haiqin.

He Haiqin examined it, then nodded slightly.

He was not surprised by the result.

"Second question: you claimed you saw my son Jiaqing at the cinema—was that true?"

"It was absolutely true."

Did Lu Maoxian truly believe he had seen He Jiaqing at the cinema?

He wasn't certain.

But the Saint had said so.

The Saint's word was infallible—if there was error, it was not Lu Maoxian's fault.

If He Haiqin demanded to know why he had revealed the matter, Lu Maoxian would simply say it was the Saint's command—after all, He Haiqin already knew the Saint's identity.

He Haiqin did not press further on He Jiaqing: "By family hierarchy, I should call you Uncle. Uncle Lu, if you ever become head of the Lu family, don't forget tonight."

Lu Maoxian nodded: "I will never forget your kindness."

"Words mean nothing—we should put it in writing," He Haiqin said, producing a contract.

The contract detailed many matters—some Lu Maoxian could decide, others he could not.

"For things I can't decide… I can't promise…"

"The contract is clear—we can wait until you're able to decide."

After hesitation, Lu Maoxian signed the contract.

He dared not refuse.

He Haiqin took the contract and smiled: "Uncle Lu, if you want to become head of the family, do it soon—Lu Dongliang's two sons, one dead, the other a fool."

"But Monkey Qiu isn't easy to handle, and I'm not heartless—if one day he cures the fool, the headship may slip from your grasp again."

This was a warning to Lu Maoxian.

Lu Yuanhai's condition was not irreversible.

Monkey Qiu might find a way.

If Lu Maoxian refuses to obey, He Haiqin can still cure Lu Yuanhai.

With that, He Haiqin turned and left.

Lu Maoxian stood where he was, his clothes thoroughly soaked.

Life and death hung by a thread—truly, life and death hung by a thread!

My Master's intentions are profound and inscrutable; he told me not to care about He Haiqin, and now I understand why.

Can we still go to Black Stone Slope?

No, we cannot go.

Lu Yuanshan is dead; Lu Yuanhai has become a fool. The Lu family will surely descend into chaos—this is the perfect moment to seize the position of family head.

Lu Maoxian sprinted all the way back to his mansion and immediately gathered his subordinates, preparing first to confront Monkey Qiu.

He will come.

If he doesn't come, I'll go find him. If I can kill him while the opportunity is ripe, the Lu family will be mine—no one can stop me!

Amidst his anxiety and excitement, a white-robed youth slipped silently into the courtyard.

Throughout the entire mansion, only Lu Maoxian noticed the white-robed youth's arrival.

"Younger brother, what are you doing here?"

The white-robed youth smiled. "If I hadn't come, would you still be alive? Why did you go to Black Stone Slope?"

The one who had orchestrated this from behind the scenes was none other than this younger brother.

Lu Maoxian quickly explained: "I went to Black Stone Slope to eliminate that group of shadow-play performers for my Master…"

The white-robed youth frowned. "So the disturbance at Black Stone Slope is connected to you?"

"Disturbance…" Lu Maoxian sensed something was wrong and changed his tone. "I went to Black Stone Slope to see whether the disturbance stemmed from the shadow plays."

The white-robed youth sighed deeply. "Elder brother, at this point, are you still clinging to useless rhetoric? Even if you can fool me, can you fool our Master?"

Lu Maoxian's heart rose to his throat; he didn't know what he had done wrong: "Our Master told me to suppress the shadow-play trend…"

"Our Master told you to suppress the traitorous shadow plays—why were you fixated on that lowbrow shadow play?"

"Lowbrow shadow play" referred to "Blood Spear Detective."

"That shadow play corrupts public morals…"

The white-robed youth shook his head. "Elder brother, I truly don't know what to say to you."

Lu Maoxian didn't know how to explain either: "Younger brother, please guide me—exactly which shadow play did our Master mean?"

The white-robed youth: "It has a name similar to the one you targeted."

Similar name?

"Blood Blade Detective"?

The shadow play produced by the Ling family?

Does that shadow play contain traitorous ideas?

To be honest, Lu Maoxian hadn't paid much attention to it.

He told everyone that "Blood Blade Detective" was an excellent film—deeply crafted, understood by too few.

But in truth, that was just a tactic—a way to start conversations. He had no real interest in the film itself.

"Blood Spear Detective," however, he had watched carefully—it was too unusual.

Yet it turned out the Sage despised "Blood Blade Detective."

Lu Maoxian suddenly understood: "Younger brother, I misunderstood our Master's intent. Is there still a way to make amends?"

"Yes," the white-robed youth nodded. "Since the names are similar, perhaps even our Master can't tell them apart. I'll be vague in my report—it might be enough to brush it off."

"But if our Master investigates closely, I won't be able to cover for you, and I might even get implicated."

At his age, Lu Maoxian understood the unspoken meaning perfectly.

He fetched a check and slipped it into the white-robed youth's hand. "Thank you, younger brother."

The white-robed youth made no expression, tucked the check away, and said: "Elder brother, our Master has resolved the He family matter for you, and smoothed the path for you in the Lu family.

From now on, stay out of Black Stone Slope affairs. Blame everything you did wrong on Tang Pei and Wu Decheng.

I've said all I needed to say."

Lu Maoxian bowed again and saw the white-robed youth out of the mansion.

…

In the main Lu mansion, Qiu Zhiheng was reading a magazine in his small pavilion—the very magazine just delivered from Black Stone Slope.

The driver Tan Fu burst in, frantic: "Chief Qiu, something's happened—the two young masters are in trouble!"

Qiu Zhiheng rushed to the main house, where Lady Duan Shaoxia was wailing: "My son! What happened to you!"

Lu Yuanhai lay on the ground, his mouth and eyes crooked, his face slack.

"Tan Fu, what happened?"

Tan Fu said: "Chief Qiu, the two young masters went to see the old patriarch—and were ambushed."

Duan Shaoxia cried: "Why did they go to see the old patriarch?"

Tan Fu didn't know how to answer. Qiu Zhiheng signaled him to stay silent.

Soon after, when the physician arrived, Qiu Zhiheng ordered Lu Yuanhai taken upstairs for treatment, confined all bystanders to guest rooms, and took Duan Shaoxia and Tan Fu into the study alone.

Tan Fu recounted: "The two young masters arranged a meeting with He Haiqin, intending to settle matters with the old patriarch—but they were ambushed. The second young master is like this now…"

Duan Shaoxia asked: "Where's Yuanshan?"

Tan Fu looked at her and gave a slight shake of his head.

Duan Shaoxia's eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

After reviving her, she grabbed Qiu Zhiheng's collar: "Xiao Qiu, why didn't you stop them? Why?"

Qiu Zhiheng remained silent.

Tan Fu said: "Lady, this isn't Chief Qiu's fault—he knew nothing."

Duan Shaoxia clung to Qiu Zhiheng: "Give me back my son! Give me back my son!"

PS: Lu Yuanshan was a cunning man who could have gone further—but some things cannot be gambled on, because the cost of losing is too high.

Just as He Haiqin dared not gamble on certain matters, he chose limited cooperation.

(End of Chapter)