Chapter 2: Seeking a Way Out

After Lulansi made his promise, a new round of debate began in the hall of Wushan Fortress.

It was mainly up to Weijinsi and the three Knights of Nigen to finalize the compensation plan, and naturally, there was no shortage of haggling in the process.

From this moment on, no one wasted another word on Luoning, as if he had nothing to do with this matter at all.

"I really am just a tool."

Luoning muttered to himself; he had listened to a few sentences of the debate in the hall at first, but later his attention was stolen away by the soreness in his legs.

His predecessor was surrounded by wine and women every day, so his physical condition was too poor and he was incredibly weak.

If he could, he really wanted to stand up and leave this hall.

But now was not the time.

Although he had safely weathered the crisis, he did not know what kind of fate awaited him later.

Generally speaking, nobles who were deprived of their inheritance rights were either sent to other small cities to manage family businesses, or kept in the castle like pets; of course, there were also those who were more miserable, having their surnames stripped and being driven out of the family, or even dying unnatural deaths.

What fate awaited him?

"As long as it's not being thrown into a dungeon or placed under house arrest, it will be fine."

The argument lasted for more than an hour before the three Knights of Nigen left the fortress, satisfied with the results.

If there were no accidents, officials from both sides would supplement the specific details and draft a contract.

At this moment, Luoning, who was kneeling on the ground with numb legs, perked up.

The outsiders were gone, and now it was his turn.

Wushan Fortress was quiet for Along while, and then Weijinsi angrily grabbed a crystal cup from his side and threw it in front of Luoning, where it shattered into pieces with a *snap*.

"It is because of you that the family has paid such a great price!"

Luoning really wanted to say that his son had already paid the price with his life, but he dared not say that out loud.

The old Marquis on the high seat glanced at this son he could not stand and questioned him coldly: "And how much better are you than Luoning? *Cough, cough*..."

"You dared to disperse your attack in a battlefield command without even knowing the enemy's strength, and you even agreed to the request of Slande, who was in charge of logistics, to lead the troops in a charge. Is your head filled with horse manure?"

"*Cough, cough, cough, cough! *"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and the old Marquis began to cough violently.

Weijinsi had a somewhat irritable temper, but facing his father's criticism, he could only shrink his head back dejectedly and sit in his chair without making a sound.

"Sigh!"

After calming down, Lulansi let out a heavy sigh; his good-for-nothing son still did not seem to realize the deeper meaning behind Selina's suicide, as his political sense was truly too dull.

If his eldest son Geleimusi were here, he would not have these worries.

Lulansi turned his gaze toward Luoning, who was still kneeling; perhaps out of boredom, he asked casually: "Luoning, my grandson, how do you view this matter?"

He sighed again in his heart; the personality of this eldest grandson of his was exactly the same as Weijinsi's when he was young.

No, even worse; at least Weijinsi had mastered Battle Qi, while Luoning was just a Mortal.

Hearing the Marquis ask him, Luoning raised his head.

Although he could not figure out why Lulansi would ask him such a question, he knew that the quality of his answer might affect his future treatment.

"A conspiracy, this is a conspiracy!"

His predecessor's brain was not very sharp, so he tried his best not to be too specific.

"Although I don't remember what happened that night, Selina and I already had mutual affection. Even if something really happened, she wouldn't have committed suicide. There must be a conspiracy behind this!"

A flash of surprise crossed Lulansi's eyes; could his grandson actually have such insight?

And at a time like this, shouldn't he, having lost his inheritance rights, be kneeling on the ground crying, trapped in endless regret and sorrow?

"Get up, my grandson. Tell me, what kind of conspiracy could it be?"

Luoning breathed a sigh of relief, endured the discomfort, grimaced, and slowly stood up; the physical punishment was finally over.

He thought for a moment and organized his words.

"Grandfather, I think someone must have assassinated Selina and then framed me, thereby sowing discord between us and the Haide Family, making the Wushan Territory more uneasy and unstable, and ultimately achieving the goal of splitting the Wushan Territory!"

In fact, he would have preferred to say that this was a conspiracy by the Haide Family, but that level of understanding was deeper and did not seem like something his predecessor could have thought of, so he told a shallower one.

Yet, it was this shallower guess that made Lulansi nod, "Being able to have this level of understanding shows that your brain is a bit sharper than your father Weijinsi's."

Weijinsi was at a loss for words; had the old man gone senile? This stupid son was smarter than him?

And as for attempting to sow discord between the Haide and Wushan families, in his view, this was clearly Luoning spouting nonsense.

"What you said makes some sense."

Lulansi smiled and motioned for Luoning to sit to the side.

In fact, in his heart, he had already begun to doubt whether this Selina was truly of the Haide Family's bloodline.

However, there was no need for him to voice his own guesses.

"It is fine to let Buleidun inherit; this little fellow has already nurtured a Battle Qi Seed at only thirteen years old, and his future achievements will certainly be higher than yours. Plus, with the support of the Haide Family, our family can still sit firmly in the Wushan Territory."

Luoning's expression shifted, and he roughly understood in his heart.

Perhaps from the very beginning, this old Marquis knew what the Haide Family's demands were.

The old Marquis did not think highly of Weijinsi, nor did he think highly of his predecessor, so after discerning the Haide Family's intentions, he went with the flow and stripped Luoning of his inheritance rights.

Rather than letting the Wushan Territory fall apart after his death, it was better to let the Haide Family support them wholeheartedly; at least the master of the Wushan Territory would still be surnamed Wushan.

Therefore, from beginning to end, Lulansi had not shown any anger toward Luoning, not even the slightest hint of blame.

This put Luoning's mind at ease; perhaps he could use the fact that he was deprived of his inheritance rights to ask for some benefits?

"Losing your inheritance rights might be a good thing for you."

Lulansi continued: "Although you have no inheritance rights, you are still a child of my Wushan Family, and there is no problem with you retiring in this castle."

Retiring?

Luoning was still young, and having finally transmigrated, he was not willing to spend his days in this castle where he could see the end of his life at a single glance.

Moreover, being at the center of this vortex, he might lose his life if he wasn't careful, so it would be better for him to leave sooner.

"Grandfather, I don't want to spend my retirement in the castle!"

The moment Luoning said this, he was met with a furious scolding from Weijinsi, "What, you think the family hasn't provided enough for you? Do you believe I'll kick you out of the family right now?"

Lulansi, however, asked with a chuckle, "Oh? Then what do you want to do?"

This sentence immediately stifled the anger Weijinsi was about to vent, leaving him feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Yet it was precisely because this old man had not shown any anger or reproach from beginning to end that Luoning felt there was an opportunity to gain some benefits.

Of course, asking for it point-blank was not very good; he needed to put on a performance with his words.

Luoning's expression turned dejected, appearing heartbroken and full of regret.

"Grandfather, and Father, because of the foolish mistake I made, the family has paid such a heavy price. From yesterday until now, I have been filled with guilt and self-reproach!"

As he spoke, Luoning rubbed his eyes hard, the irritation causing two tears to seep from the corners of his eyes.

"I don't want to be a good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat and drink at the family's expense. I want to make up for my mistakes; I want to manage properties for the family. Even if it is as a Baron of a small town in a remote area, I am willing to go and earn profits for the family!"

Even without a title, Luoning was still a noble.

But with a title, he could activate his golden finger.

This was his true objective.

"You actually want me to grant you a Baron title?"

Weijinsi was so angry his beard was almost bristling, "If I let you manage a small town, do you even have the ability?"

"Hahaha, cough, cough, cough..."

Lulansi began to cough as he laughed; he was too tired today, and his old illness left him extremely exhausted.

"It is rare for you to have this mindset, and your idea is not bad. Moreover, the fact that you could perceive the conspiracy behind Selina's death shows that your brain is not as stupid as I imagined."

Having said this, the old Marquis paused, "I can give you a chance."

He looked at his son, "Weijinsi, you should choose a small town in a remote area for Luoning. Let him try his hand at it; even if he manages it poorly, it is of no great consequence."

Most importantly, this would allow Luoning to stay far away from Wushan City, which was good for everyone.

Luoning smiled; he was also very happy to be far away from the center of this vortex.

"Thank you, Grandfather. I will definitely manage it well and not live up to the family's gift!"

Weijinsi's expression, however, was not very pleasant, "Father, you are too doting on him. This guy is merely greedy for pleasure. After this war, those who performed meritorious service haven't even been rewarded yet, yet you are giving Luoning a fief first. This is inappropriate!"

Lulansi did not continue to say anything more on this topic, but instead leaned on his cane and slowly stood up, preparing to leave.

"My body is getting worse and worse; I estimate that death is only two or three years away. As the Count of Wushan City and the future successor of the Wushan Territory, can you not think about things more objectively?"

Weijinsi closed his mouth; he did not know why his father had suddenly lost his temper with him.

However, looking at his increasingly emaciated father, he also felt very bitter inside.

A Meteor-level peak Knight could live to at least 110 years old if nothing went wrong, but because of a severe injury thirty years ago, Lulansi's physical condition was extremely poor, and now at 75, he was nearing his limit.

"Alright, Father!"

Weijinsi sighed, thought for a moment, and said, "Then let Luoning serve as the Baron of Shanlin Town and manage Shanlin Town for us. That way, those who performed meritorious service won't have too many objections."

Shanlin Town?

Luoning's ears perked up; his predecessor's mind did not contain any information about Shanlin Town, so he figured it must be a remote place.

But what did Weijinsi's last sentence mean? Why wouldn't those who performed meritorious service have too many objections?

Lulansi's footsteps paused, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he did not say it.

"As you wish."

The old Marquis said this and continued to leave the hall.

And at this moment, Luoning smiled, because in his line of sight, that line of text had changed:

【Title obtained, system is activating...】

"Grandfather, let me help you!"

Luoning smiled and ran over; he was so grateful to this old man.

"Hehe, you are indeed a bit more thoughtful than before."

At the same time, Lulansi sighed in his heart, "If you had changed a little earlier, perhaps I wouldn't have stripped you of your inheritance rights."

But everything was too late.

(End of chapter)