Chapter 144: Paying a Visit, Calling Upon, and Probing

Although he did not care about what the so-called Sha'e investigation team might be able to uncover, Lu Yuan, who was in quiet meditation, unexpectedly received a visiting card less than two days later.

It was early morning, and Lu Yuan sat upright in the main seat of the guest hall, holding a gold-stamped card in his hand with an amused look in his eyes:

"Your new consul wants to visit me? Why?"

Before him, a Han translator dressed in a suit stood respectfully and said:

"Hall Master Lu is a Grandmaster of his generation and a legend of the current age. Guangwu Hall has been open for two months now, and Mr. Sergei has been too busy since taking office as consul to get away. Now that he has some free time, he naturally wishes to pay you a visit. I wonder if you have time tomorrow morning?"

Lu Yuan said indifferently: "Of course. Tell him to come in the afternoon."

The translator breathed a sigh of relief and said quite happily:

"Very well, I shall return now to inform Consul Sergei."

Having said this, he respectfully took his leave and hurried away.

After this translator left.

Chen Zhantang could not help but enter from outside the hall, full of suspicion as he asked:

"Hall Master, there is no such thing as a free lunch; if these 'hairy ones' are showing courtesy, they are either up to no good or plotting something. What are they doing, coming to visit all of a sudden?"

Because the Sha'e Concession had a strict news blackout, Chen Zhantang and the others still did not know of the death of Aojinniezi.

Lu Yuan, as the culprit, knew the general reason and said dismissively:

"It is fine. If they want to come, let them come. Everything should proceed as usual."

Takov's previous actions were at the behest of Aojinniezi and would inevitably leave traces. Now that the Sha'e Country had sent an investigation team, they would certainly discover this matter, so it was not strange for them to come and probe him.

A mere consul was indeed not worth paying too much attention to. Chen Zhantang acknowledged the order and immediately withdrew, while Lu Yuan returned to his private courtyard to continue his meditation.

By the second morning.

Consul Sergei and his party arrived as scheduled.

This group arrived in two cars and parked outside the main gate of Guangwu Hall, after which Sergei and Valianjing stepped out of them respectively.

However, at this moment, Valianjing was dressed in an ordinary suit and stood among the crowd, his aura restrained; from start to finish, he looked just like an ordinary person, not attracting the slightest attention.

Led by Sergei, and accompanied by translators and attendants, the group of seven walked into the hall's courtyard, immediately drawing the attention of many disciples on the training ground.

Although they had been notified in advance, the disciples looked at Sergei and the others with eyes full of vigilance and hostility, and there was whispering:

"What are these 'hairy ones' with bellies full of bad intentions doing here? Could it be they are here to challenge the Hall Master again?"

"Heh, I don't think so. That Aojinniezi was already a Cross Star General with the highest honors, and he still wasn't the Hall Master's match. What use would it be for others to come?"

"That's true. I assume they don't have the face to come and humiliate themselves again."

The disciples of Guangwu Hall had, after all, been screened by the Dream Grafting Technique; they lacked neither spirit nor backbone, and they felt basic disgust upon seeing the Sha'e People.

Amidst these murmurs, Sergei, who could understand the Han language just like the translator, had his face twitch slightly. At the same time, Chen Zhantang, Peng Yidao, and Lin Sheng had come out to greet them in advance, saying in a neither warm nor cold tone:

"Is this Consul Sergei? Our Hall Master is waiting for you in the guest hall. Follow us."

Usually, wherever Sergei went in the Jin Dynasty, he was treated with respect by a crowd of Jin officials and always possessed a sense of great superiority; such a reception could already be considered slighting.

He frowned, clearly unaccustomed to this, but he dared not act rashly on the territory of a figure like Lu Yuan, so he had to swallow his pride and follow them inside.

They passed through the empty hall and arrived at the guest hall.

Lu Yuan was already drinking tea in the main seat, waiting. Seeing the group enter, he merely looked over:

"The new consul of Sha'e Country? Please, sit."

At the same time, his gaze swept over Valianjing behind the crowd as if inadvertently, lingering for only an instant before he withdrew his eyes and went back to drinking his tea.

If it were any other Jin person, Sergei would surely have been furious at such arrogant treatment. However, facing Lu Yuan, who had defeated Aojinniezi in an almost crushing manner, he could not muster his usual sense of superiority at all and had to sit down, saying with a forced smile:

"Hello, Hall Master Lu. My name is Sergei, the new consul of the Sha'e Consulate. I have come to visit today to congratulate you on the establishment of Guangwu Hall."

Sergei's Han was even more fluent than Takov's, but Lu Yuan scanned him and his entire entourage with a look that was neither a smile nor a frown:

"I recall that my relationship with your Sha'e Consulate does not seem to be that good? What exactly is the purpose of your visit?"

Sergei put on a show and said:

"We may have had some small conflicts between us, but that is all in the past. We Sha'e People have always respected the strong. For a figure like Hall Master Lu, whose individual power is at the world's peak, we naturally give our full respect."

"Oh?"

Lu Yuan chuckled: "Then should I feel honored?"

"That is not necessary."

Sergei laughed it off, then suddenly changed the subject:

"By the way, Hall Master Lu, you must have heard that a major incident occurred at our Sha'e Consulate some time ago, right?"

Finally getting to the point, Lu Yuan nodded lightly: "Indeed. I heard rumors that someone attacked your consulate?"

Sergei's gaze turned cold as he said:

"That is correct. But what Hall Master Lu might not know is that it was not just the consulate that was attacked; a very important big shot from our Military Intelligence Department also died in this attack!"

"Oh?"

Lu Yuan's eyes moved, and he feigned surprise:

"I had not heard of that. Which big shot of yours died?"

Sergei stared fixedly at Lu Yuan and said slowly:

"It is none other than General Aojinniezi, who once crossed hands with you, Hall Master Lu!"

"Him?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Zhantang and the others standing by were all startled, while Lu Yuan displayed just the right amount of shock:

"That General Aojinniezi of yours was a powerhouse equivalent to our Seventh Realm True Martial Grandmaster. Who could have killed him?"

Sergei did not see anything in Lu Yuan's expression or reaction, so he simply shook his head and said:

"It is unclear. Currently, it appears that an outside powerhouse and a traitor from within the consulate worked together, launching a sudden attack to assassinate General Aojinniezi. As for who exactly it was, we are still investigating."

Lu Yuan immediately frowned and let out a cold laugh:

"So, you came to visit me specifically because you suspect I killed your general?"

Sergei coughed lightly and said:

"Master Lu, please do not misunderstand. I am not suspecting you; it is just that there are some circumstances I wish to understand from you. After all, such a major situation has occurred, and as Consul, I must investigate thoroughly."

Lu Yuan, however, set down his teacup with an indifferent gaze: "Your people are dead, yet you come here to hold me accountable without a shred of evidence. What kind of place do you think this is? See them out!"

His words were utterly blunt. Chen Zhantang, Peng Yidao, and Lin Sheng immediately stepped forward upon hearing this, looking coldly at Sergei and the others:

"The Master has given the order; please leave, everyone."

"You are not welcome here, please go!"

This clear intent to drive them away could be understood even by the other Sha'e People who did not know the Han language. Having never been treated this way, they were instantly furious. Sergei also let his face turn cold and said sinisterly:

"Your Excellency seems a bit too arrogant. You should know that a Cross Star General dying in Jinjin is a major event that shakes the diplomacy of two countries and could potentially trigger a war. I advise Your Excellency to cooperate with us; otherwise, if a conflict truly erupts and ignites the flames of war, your imperial court, and even millions of ordinary people, will have to pay a heavy price."

"What a joke. What does the life or death of your damn general have to do with me?"

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes as he looked at him:

"Get out, stop bothering me, or I will skin you all and throw you onto the street, making you the focus of tomorrow's news."

"You!"

Sergei's face turned livid, but in front of such a formidable figure who had even defeated Aojinniezi, he dared not say anything harsh. He could only flick his sleeve in resentment and say in the Sha'e language:

"Let's go!"

They came quickly and left just as fast. In the blink of an eye, the group had left the hall and departed by car.

"How unreasonable!"

Chen Zhantang said angrily:

"I was wondering why these 'hairy ones' would come to visit the Master; it turns out they came to fish for information!"

Lin Sheng, however, was somewhat surprised and gloating:

"I remember that Aojinniezi held an extraordinary status; he was a rare powerhouse of the Sha'e Country and a Cross Star General. He actually died? It serves him right. I wonder who could have made the 'hairy ones' suffer such a big loss?"

Although Aojinniezi was defeated by Lu Yuan's hand, everyone present that day had witnessed his formidable strength, which was absolutely no less than a standard True Martial Grandmaster.

That such a person died in their own Concession, and the other Sha'e People seemingly did not know who the culprit was, was undoubtedly a bizarre matter.

As they spoke, the three disciples looked over cautiously, seemingly curious about whether this matter had any connection to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan smiled and said:

"What are you looking at? To charge into a Concession and kill a Cross Star General—if I had done it, how could I not have been discovered?"

The three disciples nodded repeatedly, while Peng Yidao frowned, looking slightly worried:

"The 'hairy ones' have suffered such a big loss; won't they use this as an excuse to start a war again?"

Chen Zhantang, however, was unconcerned and spoke eloquently:

"When these foreign devils want to start a war, they can use even a lost dog as an excuse. Sha'e has always coveted the three provinces of Liaodong, and this area happens to be a place the Sunlight Country also drools over.

Although the Sunlight Country's national strength is a notch lower, its power and ambition cannot be underestimated. Furthermore, there is the check of the Shenluo Alliance. With these two parties holding each other back, the 'hairy ones' will not start a war before they are prepared."

"That's good then."

Peng Yidao let out a sigh of relief, then asked curiously:

"Come to think of it, there are not many people in the world capable of killing that Aojinniezi. What exactly happened in that Consulate that these people don't even know who the culprit is? In my opinion, the death of Aojinniezi is suspicious through and through; it might even be the work of the Shenluo and Sha'e parties themselves!"

Seeing the three disciples' discussion, Lu Yuan smiled without a word.

Sergei's visit this time could only be called a normal suspicion and probe; he was not surprised.

Nightmare Prayer, False Form—the methods he used were unknown to anyone in the world; he was not worried about the risk of exposure at all.

Even if one took a step back, with his current strength and means, what if he were exposed?

Meanwhile.

In the bumpy car.

Sergei, sitting in the passenger seat, turned his head and asked gravely:

"How is it, Lord Valianjing, is there any problem with that Lu Yuan?"

Valianjing, who had been like an invisible person since entering Guangwu Hall, said in a low voice:

"I cannot see any problem. Under my sensing and probing, this person's life energy is extremely thick. From every aspect, he does not look like a powerhouse who practices the path of the soul. But I never expected that this person's age would actually be so young; it is simply incredible."

As a Sky Title Great Sacrifice, his soul-sensing ability was beyond that of an ordinary person. The reason he had Sergei specifically find an excuse to visit Guangwu Hall was to use his extraordinary sensing ability to confirm whether Lu Yuan possessed high-level soul cultivation.

However, after a careful observation, he did not discover any clues.

Including Lu Yuan's three disciples who were present, their reactions upon learning the truth had no flaws.

Sergei also nodded:

"Indeed. Even if there is some method to maintain one's appearance, this person's age should not exceed thirty. In the history of our great Sha'e Empire, there has never been an existence who could cultivate to the Seventh Stage at such an age. Fortunately, it is now the era of guns and artillery; if it were the cold weapon era, this person would definitely be a top-tier threat to our country."

Valianjing sighed with emotion:

"Even so, this country and this nation are not as inferior as we imagined. Nowadays, every country is researching how to break through the Seventh-tier cultivation limit, but the results are few.

Yet, the Jin Dynasty not only has that Empress Xici, but now another genius monster has appeared. In the future, there might be a possibility of relying on oneself to break through the Seventh-tier limit. It is truly enviable."

"Lord Valianjing, let us discuss the investigation first."

Sergei asked helplessly:

"In your opinion, can this person's suspicion be ruled out?"

Valianjing said slowly:

"The mastermind and those present that day must be a powerhouse at the peak of soul cultivation. This Lu Yuan indeed does not fit; he can be ruled out for now. The focus of the next investigation should shift to the two countries of Shenluo and Sunlight."

Sergei nodded heavily:

"I understand. Those short people from the Sunlight Country are resentful of us because we forced them to spit out the Liaodong Peninsula they had just swallowed. It is possible that they secretly dispatched powerhouses to carry out the revenge.

As for Shenluo, this group of shameless rogue bandits loves to stir up trouble everywhere to reap the benefits. If they played some schemes to deliberately frame us, it is not impossible."

"It is good that you know; the people I have brought will cooperate with you fully, so go and investigate as soon as possible."

Investigating the inside story of the current situation was by no means an easy task, and Valianjing sighed softly and said:

"His Majesty the Tsar has set a three-month deadline; if it is not cleared up within three months, not only will your time as Consul come to an end, but I will also lose face before His Majesty, do you understand?"

Sergei immediately gritted his teeth and promised:

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)