39: Seed burying

Looking around, Lu Xuan spoke his next words unhurriedly.

"I want to bring the entire West Mountain Village under the jurisdiction of my Lu family. From now on, your fates shall be tied to ours, sharing in both our joys and sorrows."

Lu Xuan paused, giving everyone time to digest this news.

He knew there would bound to be opposition; after all, no one wanted another master over their head.

"Patriarch Lu, what do you mean by 'Lu family jurisdiction'?"

A young man was the first to lose his patience and asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Lu Xuan was very blunt about this. He didn't care how many people he could win over this time; as long as he planted a seed in their hearts, it would naturally sprout when the time was right.

"We are doing perfectly fine, so why should we become people of your Lu family? We are under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court; why would we need the Lu family to govern us?"

A few people with shorter tempers asked directly. If they hadn't been wary of Lu Xuan's strength, they would have likely started cursing already.

Lu Xuan didn't mind. He had known this would be the outcome when he proposed it.

"By becoming part of my Lu family, your treatment will be the same as the previous servants and attendants. However, the fields must be handed over to the Lu family for unified management."

The treatment Lu Xuan spoke of naturally referred to the monthly allowance and opportunities for martial arts training and education.

"Then how much will the Lu family pay to buy these fields?"

Another person in the crowd asked.

"The Lu family will not pay a single cent."

"What! Not a single cent? Isn't that just a free takeover!"

"I thought there would at least be some compensation for us!"

"This... this is going too far..."

The crowd began to grow noisy, and even Lu Xuan's accumulated prestige couldn't quiet them down.

"Everyone, I will not force you in today's matter. Those who are willing may stay, and those who aren't may leave."

After saying this, Lu Xuan sat directly on his chair and began to drink tea.

Today, he was merely announcing the matter. His Lu family now had over fifty servants and courtyard guards in total.

Among them, nearly twenty were Martial Artists.

With these twenty people plus his strength as a Innate Grandmaster, protecting themselves in the future situation would not be a problem.

If it weren't for his desire to develop West Mountain Village into a clan estate for peaceful growth in the future...

...and his fear that the Barbarians would destroy this place when they came down from the mountains, he wouldn't bother with such a thankless task.

As his voice fell, several people in West Mountain Village who owned more land immediately left together.

Once one person left, others followed, and people continued to depart.

Watching this, Lu Dafu was anxious on the side, but Lu Xuan remained as steady as Mount Tai.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, no one else left.

Only about thirty people remained, representing thirty households.

"Does no one else wish to leave?"

Lu Xuan looked at these thirty-odd people.

He hadn't expected his prestige to be so high that thirty people would be willing to trust him after just a few words.

"Patriarch Lu, we are all willing to believe in the Patriarch."

One of the older-looking middle-aged men was chosen by them to speak on their behalf.

"Since you are all willing to trust me, I, Lu Xuan, will certainly not mistreat you."

"Da Fu, take them to tally their family assets and population. From now on, they are the commoners under the jurisdiction of my Lu family and will be protected by us."

"Yes, Patriarch."

"Everyone, follow me."

...Afternoon.

"Patriarch, everything has been tallied. This is the register for this group of people."

Lu Xuan took the manual.

"There are actually over a hundred and eighty people."

These households averaged more than six people each, which made Lu Xuan very happy and surprised.

He had originally thought the first batch would be poor families looking for a change, but the quality was unexpectedly good.

Their combined land holdings even totaled nearly six hundred mu.

"Da Fu, you did well this time."

Lu Dafu scratched his head and smiled.

"By the way, this is the register of West Mountain Village that Zhao Xiao Lei and I compiled together."

After saying that, he handed a thick book to Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan flipped through it.

The entire West Mountain Village had nearly eight hundred households, totaling five thousand four hundred and eighty-two people.

As the largest village in the vicinity, West Mountain Village could even be called a small town, though it was mostly scattered at the foot of Thousand Peaks Mountain rather than concentrated.

This scale was mainly due to West Mountain Village's favorable geographical location. The Green Wave River not only nurtured fertile land but also brought abundant fishing resources. Combined with being backed by Thousand Peaks Mountain, their lives were already among the better ones for villages in the Yue Kingdom.

Furthermore, among these five thousand-plus people, about three thousand were young and able-bodied, with the remaining two thousand-plus being women and children.

"Da Fu, with today's events, we have planted a root in the hearts of the villagers. We only need to wait for the barbarian invasion; that will be the time to win them over completely."

A flash of reluctance passed through Lu Dafu's eyes.

Although he wasn't very smart, he still understood the underlying meaning in Lu Xuan's words.

"I shall follow the Patriarch's orders in everything."

This was his strength: he would never question Lu Xuan and would work hard to do his part.

"From the thirty households that came today, select one person from each to join the courtyard guard team."

"The name 'courtyard guard' doesn't sound very good. From now on, call them Martial Guards."

"With these thirty people plus the previous nearly twenty, there will be fifty in total."

"Do not be stingy with resources. First, get everyone's physique trained up; train them as hard as you can."

"If there are any promising talents, you can decide for yourself to teach them martial arts Cultivation Techniques."

"Yes, Patriarch."

"You may go. Have the Hunting Team get ready. These two will follow me into the mountains to deal with that hidden threat first."

...Two days later, Lu Xuan had intended to take a few members of the Hunting Team into the mountains to hunt, but he didn't expect an uninvited guest.

"Are you Lu Xuan?"

The one who arrived was a Bailiff. With his nose in the air and hand on his saber, he looked at Lu Xuan with eyes full of disdain, without any hint of respect in the slightest.

"I am!"

The Bailiff was not polite either, sitting directly in the seat of honor, which made the veins on Lu Dafu's forehead bulge.

Insulting the master was the same as insulting him.

"Lord Zhao has sent me to inform you that you have been selected for the Mountain Patrol Guard. Report to the County Yamen in three days."

"My lord, what is this Mountain Patrol Guard?"

As he spoke, Lu Xuan discreetly handed over five taels of silver.

To his surprise, the Bailiff actually threw the silver away.

"Lu Xuan, what is the meaning of this? Bribing an official?"

"Considering it's your first offense, I won't pursue it. Hmph."

"Three days from now at the County Yamen. If you don't show up, you'll be knowingly breaking the law!"

He was well aware of Lu Xuan's background—just a Innate Martial Artist. He himself was also a Innate Martial Artist, not to mention he had two First-rate Martial Artists following him, so naturally, he had no fear.

"You..."

"Da Fu, since this lord is so impartial and selfless, show him out. I will naturally arrive in three days."

Lu Xuan watched the backs of the three as they left, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

This person was clearly here to cause trouble for him.

As for that Lord Zhao, if he guessed correctly, it must be the former Chief Clerk Zhao.

He hadn't expected that after five years, the man still hadn't thought of letting him go.

One could tell what the Mountain Patrol Guard was just from its name. Recruiting new people at this critical juncture likely had something to do with the news Wang Yuanhua had told him earlier.

Since the Zhao family wanted to play, then Lu Xuan would play along with them.

Although he wanted to develop low-key, he wasn't going to actually become a dog.

"Patriarch, I'll go kill them and then turn myself in!"

"Of those three, one is a Xiantian and two are First-rate. How are you going to kill them?"

Lu Xuan turned and went into his study.

Half an hour later, he opened his eyes. Lu Xuan was not the type of person who believed that 'a gentleman's revenge is never too late even after ten years.'

"If I don't kill you, my Dao Heart truly won't be at peace!"

He left West Mountain Village through the back mountain. Under the effect of 'Wind Intent,' his speed while soaring was incredibly fast.