Chapter 106: 107. We Are Not Enemies

After the banquet, Luoning pushed Weijinsi back to the latter's study, which could be considered doing a bit of superficial work.

As far as Luoning was concerned, he had no sense of familial affection for anyone in the entire Wushan Castle.

However, just as he had said, the blood of the Wushan Family flowed through his veins; this was something he could neither change nor deny. His bond with the Wushan Family would not be severed, and this relationship needed to be maintained.

In the study, the conversation between Luoning and Weijinsi did not last long; neither seemed to have much to talk about.

Luoning took the opportunity to mention his requests: wanting to recruit some craftsmen in Wushan City, and wanting to move the families of the previous batch of Guards to Shanlin Town at the end of the year.

Whether it was because Luoning conquering the savage tribes had fulfilled one of Weijinsi's wishes, or because he had promised to lead the army on behalf of the Wushan Family, Weijinsi was very courteous and agreed to all these requests.

After the brief exchange, Luoning left Weijinsi's study.

Outside the study, Buleidun leaned against the wall, the Magic Crystal Lamp in the corridor casting Along shadow of him on the floor.

As a thirteen-year-old boy, Buleidun was over 1.6 meters tall and did not look like a child.

"Is the conversation with Father over, Brother?"

Luoning nodded, "What, were you waiting for me?"

"Yes!"

Buleidun said with a smile, "I have a lot I want to talk to you about."

The two brothers had interacted in the past, but they could not be called intimate; it was mainly because their lifestyles were quite different.

His predecessor liked to be carefree and enjoy himself everywhere;

Buleidun, on the other hand, devoted most of his energy to training and study, which was why he had activated his Battle Qi Seed at the age of thirteen and become a Professional Knight.

If this were on Earth, his predecessor would be a "lying flat," pleasure-seeking, good-for-nothing rich kid, while Buleidun would be a motivated, struggling potential stock.

The current situation was that the rich kid had collapsed, and the potential stock had taken his place.

The two found a random room, and the Servants immediately brought over candles to light it up.

Luoning waited quietly; he wanted to see what his younger brother, who was currently handing him a glass of fruit juice, actually wanted to say.

"Actually, I am very grateful that you were able to give up the inheritance rights."

Buleidun handed a glass of fruit juice to Luoning and took a sip of the juice from the glass in his other hand.

"Because I have always felt that our Wushan Family needs a strong heir. Please forgive my bluntness, Father cannot do it, and neither can you, Brother."

Luoning did not know what the other party was going to say next; was the other party about to pull a "villain gloating" act in front of him?

"You know, it wasn't that I wanted to give up the inheritance rights; it was Grandfather who felt you were more suitable."

Luoning raised his glass and took a sip, smiling, "Actually, this is fine. You awakened your Battle Qi Seed at thirteen; as long as you train properly, you might be able to follow in Grandfather's footsteps by the age of thirty and become a Meteor-level Knight."

"Someone like you is indeed more suited to lead the Wushan Family and continue the glory of the past!"

Buleidun was stunned; he had not expected Luoning to be so affirming of him, which blocked the words he had originally prepared to say.

However, he was not angry; on the contrary, there was light in his eyes, "Is that so? Do you really think so, Brother?"

Luoning's tone was unquestionable, "Of course, I have always thought so!"

"Thank you!"

The smile on Buleidun's face grew brighter, "I was always worried before that if Grandfather gave the inheritance rights to me, you would hate me, but I am very glad that you don't."

Luoning certainly did not.

If he had lived in this world for over a decade and then been stripped of his inheritance rights, he might have resented Buleidun.

But he had been stripped of them the very day he transmigrated, so the inheritance rights felt like something completely unrelated to him, and he didn't feel it deeply.

Just as the saying goes, how can one talk about loss if one has never loved?

By comparison, if something one had possessed was taken away—for instance, if someone were to take away Luoning's title as Baron of Shanlin Town now—he would certainly not be reconciled to it.

"There are many people outside saying that after I obtain the inheritance rights, I will suppress you, persecute you, and even kill you."

Buleidun's tone was disdainful, his gaze earnest as he stared into Luoning's eyes.

"We both belong to Wushan; we have the same silver hair and black eyes; we are brothers! How could I possibly move against you? They underestimate me too much!"

For a moment, Luoning couldn't figure out what this little guy actually wanted to say.

He could only echo, "People have mouths, we can't control what they say."

"You're right!"

Buleidun laughed, "Besides talking about this matter, I have one more thing I need your help with today."

Luoning raised an eyebrow, "Go ahead."

Buleidun pondered for a moment and said, "I heard that your Shanlin Town has a very small population; even adding the people from those three savage tribes, it's probably only two or three thousand. Such a small number of people isn't even enough to develop Shanlin Town, so how about you let me have the land of those savage tribes?"

"What, you still have the mood to manage those mountains?"

Luoning frowned slightly; these people didn't know the value of sericulture and ceramics, so why were they all coming to ask for this land?

To fence it off for themselves?

"Daily training and cultivation take up most of my time; where would I have the time to deal with this?"

Buleidun shook his head, "You know, Sain Territory has a lot of marshland and lacks good land for growing crops. If I could take over the land of those savage tribes to use, development would be faster, and it would provide me with greater support in the future."

"So I plan to let Baron Leisen manage those places."

Well, in the end, Sain Territory was dragged into it; it seemed their relationship was indeed good, enough to let Buleidun act as a lobbyist.

"But the management rights for the land have to be decided by Grandfather, right?"

Luoning looked Buleidun up and down, implying: does what you say count?

Buleidun patted his chest and guaranteed, "Don't worry, Grandfather doesn't care about such small matters; he will only leave it to Father to decide. When the time comes, I'll just have a word with Father."

Indeed, many of the administrative affairs of Wushan Territory were left to Weijinsi to handle, and Lulansi rarely asked about them.

Luoning thought for a moment, but shook his head, "Buleidun, I'm afraid you're too late for this. I have already asked Grandfather for the management rights to those three pieces of land, and he has agreed to let me manage them."

Buleidun was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected Luoning to act so quickly.

"It doesn't matter. As long as you go and have a word with Grandfather, transferring the management rights to Sain Territory won't be a problem. When the time comes, I'll make the call and have Baron Leisen pay you a reward of at least five hundred gold coins!"

Luoning wore a faint smile on his face and shook his head.

He had just complimented Buleidun because saying nice things cost nothing, but now that they were discussing concrete interests, he could not simply follow the other's wishes.

"Sorry, I am not prepared to cede this right. Besides, who can guarantee that my management of those places would be worse than that of Baron Leisen of Sain Territory?"

Buleidun frowned slightly, "But you only have so few people; where would you find the manpower to manage such a large area? Or do you feel that five hundred gold coins are not enough? If so, I can help you negotiate further."

Luoning saw hesitation and a flash of bewilderment in the other's expression; perhaps the other had not expected Luoning to refuse and thus had no contingency plan prepared?

He prepared to probe carefully to see if Buleidun was targeting him.

"Buleidun, you just said that we are brothers."

Luoning looked him straight in the eye, "Then why are you willing to help an outsider persuade me to give up something that should belong to me?"

"I..."

Buleidun suddenly felt that the Luoning before him was very unfamiliar, completely different from before; the aura emanating from him made him feel somewhat at a loss.

"Baron Leisen entrusted his son, who is my classmate Morawi, to have me talk to you."

He explained, "Moreover, I also feel that what he said makes sense. After all, Sain Territory has sufficient manpower and can quickly develop those places, bringing more tax revenue to our Wushan Family."

Luoning's gaze softened considerably.

Buleidun was, after all, only a thirteen-year-old boy; although he usually appeared confident and composed, that confidence came from his cultivation talent, and he was nothing special in other aspects.

This was like a top student who had mastered math, physics, and chemistry, yet failed miserably in physical fitness.

In terms of negotiation and acting as a lobbyist, Buleidun was clearly not very capable, and his personality did not seem strong enough.

"Rest assured, I will find a way to solve the manpower shortage problem you mentioned."

Luoning said, "I guarantee that I will manage it better than him!"

"Fine, alright..."

Buleidun spread his hands, "I told you I wasn't suited to be a lobbyist; negotiating with people is much more tiring than cultivation."

Luoning laughed, "I can see that."

The atmosphere in the small room eased.

Buleidun said helplessly, "Mother told me that many nobles harbor ulterior motives toward Wushan Castle and asked me to win over more nobles to stand on our side. That Baron Leisen of Sain Territory recently became a Bronze Knight, so we can draw closer to him."

Luoning's heart stirred, and he noted this down.

In his memory, Baron Leisen was only an Advanced Knight; he had not expected him to break through recently.

"Daianni is right about that."

Luoning nodded in agreement, "But no matter how much you win over Leisen, he is ultimately an outsider, while I am your brother. Although we have different mothers, just as you said earlier, we both belong to Wushan."

"Yes, you are right, brother!"

As if the conversation had opened up, Buleidun simply shifted into a casual state and pulled over a chair to sit down.

"Now that Father is failing and Grandfather's health is getting worse and worse, in the near future, there will only be you and me in the Wushan Family."

Buleidun said sincerely, "I hope you can continue the courage you showed when conquering the savage tribes and become a powerful lord; let us together recast the former glory of our family!"

(End of this chapter)