49: Hidden Dragon in the Abyss

Lu Xuan walked into the middle of the crowd.

"Disperse, everyone. Go back to what you were doing."

Hearing Lu Xuan's words, everyone except the Martial Guards dispersed, though they all hid in the distance to watch.

"I am Lu Xuan, and I have some say here in West Mountain Village. Might I ask who you gentlemen are?"

Although the visitors came with ill intent, Lu Xuan still treated them with courtesy.

"We are the Pingze County Soldiers, here to recruit. Since you're the leader here, then this man's attack on government soldiers must have been at your instigation."

The leading Martial Artist immediately tried to pin a charge on Lu Xuan as soon as he stepped forward.

Even with Lu Xuan's good temper, after this happened repeatedly, he knew someone was behind it.

He no longer hid his strength and directly revealed his Grandmaster cultivation, snatching Lu Dafu from the soldiers' hands.

"Is this the tone you use when speaking to a Grandmaster?"

A large hand manifested from True Qi pressed down, and the leading soldier was forced directly to the ground.

"A Grandmaster! This man is actually a Grandmaster!"

The soldier's pupils contracted in shock, and his heart trembled violently.

Damn the Zhao Family, didn't they say he was only at the Innate Realm?

Although there is only one Realm of difference between Innate and Grandmaster, they are worlds apart. If a Grandmaster joins the imperial court, they would immediately become a Seventh-Rank Military Officer.

One must know that even a County Magistrate is only Sixth-Rank; it could be said to be a meteoric rise.

But for a Grandmaster, they would be an honored guest anywhere, let alone in a small place like Pingze.

Although the number of Grandmasters has increased in recent years, they are still not someone a minor character like him could afford to provoke. Even if Lu Xuan had no official position, he was a power unto himself.

"Sir, have mercy!"

Even if Lu Xuan killed him today, he would at most be punished with three cups of wine.

"Speak! Who sent you?"

"No one, sir. We were just ordered to come and conscript soldiers."

Crack~

A crisp sound rang out as the man's leg bone snapped under Lu Xuan's intense pressure.

"I'll give you one last chance!"

Lu Xuan's voice was cold, like winter ice, making one shiver.

"Sir, it's Zhao Shouren, Lord Zhao."

"He told me to conscript double the number of soldiers from West Mountain Village."

The man ultimately couldn't withstand the close-range pressure of a Grandmaster.

Offending the Zhao Family would at most lead to a rocky career, but if he offended Lu Xuan, he could feel that he would die.

The Zhao Family! The Zhao Family again!

This Zhao Family has already found their path to death!

Lu Xuan's last shred of patience with the Zhao Family was completely exhausted.

Since you want to play, then I'll play along for a bit.

"Get out!"

Lu Xuan gave a cold snort.

These soldiers left as if they had received a grand pardon, scrambling away on all fours.

After they left, Lu Xuan said to Lu Dafu.

"I'm going to the county town. Strengthen the village's defenses, arrange more patrols, and sleep without undressing tonight. Stay alert."

"Yes, Family Head."

Lu Xuan didn't ride a horse. He surged his True Qi and took a shortcut toward the County Yamen... "Elder Brother Wang!"

Lu Xuan found Wang Yuanhua in a teahouse.

"Younger Brother Lu, what brings you here to find me today?"

Lu Xuan didn't waste words and told Wang Yuanhua about today's events.

"This is too much!"

"This Zhao Shouren is simply a mad dog. My grievances with him have actually involved you."

Then he realized.

"Younger Brother Lu, did you just say you're a Grandmaster? You've kept me in the dark so cruelly."

There was a hint of resentment in Wang Yuanhua's eyes; he was clearly somewhat dissatisfied with Lu Xuan's concealment.

"Haha, Elder Brother Wang, even my family doesn't know."

Wang Yuanhua didn't dwell on the matter.

"Since you are already a Grandmaster, things are much easier to handle. How about this? I'll directly appoint you as a Centurion, with a hundred-man squad under you."

"When the County Magistrate asks, these hundred men can just be the villagers of West Mountain Village."

"You're a Grandmaster, so the County Magistrate won't make things difficult for you. However, you'll likely have to bear the cost of the equipment and duties for these hundred men."

"These are minor matters. I'm already in West Mountain Village, so defending against the Barbarians there is only natural."

"It's good that you understand the trade-offs. Besides, you were registered as an external member of the Mountain Patrol Guard last time, so Zhao Shouren won't have anything to say."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Elder Brother Wang."

...The next day, as expected, the County Magistrate summoned Wang Yuanhua because of this matter.

Fortunately, he had coordinated with Lu Xuan in advance, so everything was within the rules, and there were no difficulties.

On the contrary, Lu Ying was very happy because there was now another Grandmaster under his jurisdiction.

The stronger the forces under him, the more weight he would carry with the Prince.

At the entrance of the County Yamen.

"Lord Lu, what impressive methods. You became a Centurion overnight."

Zhao Shouren looked at Lu Xuan, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Lord Zhao overpraises me. My methods are not as brilliant as yours."

"The future is long; we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other."

Zhao Shouren left after dropping those words.

In the carriage, Zhao Shouren rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He hadn't expected Lu Xuan to actually become a Grandmaster. Had he known, he wouldn't have acted so rashly.

His Zhao Family had been coveting the business of Azure Cloud Workshop and Wang Family Restaurant for months; those were businesses that raked in gold daily.

He didn't dare move against the Wang family openly, but he thought a small Lu family could be easily handled.

After waiting for over a month, he finally got this conscription matter to target Lu Xuan. He had intended to first uproot Lu Xuan's foundation in West Mountain Village before dealing with him.

Unexpectedly, Lu Xuan had broken through. Now, the two families had become mortal enemies with no room for reconciliation.

"It's just a Grandmaster. As long as the family Elder breaks through the Grandmaster Realm to become a Innate Grandmaster, everything will be resolved."

The Zhao Family was lucky; two years ago, they received a three-hundred-year-old medicinal herb. Combined with the family's original foundation and emptying their coffers, the cultivation of the Grandmaster in their family advanced by leaps and bounds. In just over five years, he broke through from the Middle Stage of Grandmaster to the Peak, with hopes of becoming a Great Grandmaster.

Now, the upper echelons of the Zhao Family were all holding their breath, waiting for that Grandmaster to break through.

This was also the main reason Zhao Shouren was in a hurry to act against Lu Xuan, because the Zhao Family was desperately short of money.

Watching Zhao Shouren leave, Wang Yuanhua frowned slightly.

"This man likely won't let things rest."

"Soldiers will be blocked by generals, and water by earth."

Lu Xuan said so, but while the killing intent left his brow, it rose in his heart.

He thought the matter would just die down like this.

But within a few days, the entire Pingze County knew there was a young Grandmaster who had achieved that status before the age of thirty.

In every street and alley, teahouse and tavern, everyone was discussing Lu Xuan, this newly promoted Grandmaster.

Some said he had hope of becoming a Great Grandmaster before forty.

Some said the Lu family had a limitless future.

Even the matters of Azure Cloud Workshop were brought to light.

Lu Xuan was currently in Azure Cloud Workshop.

"Someone is trying to kill Father with praise."

Lu Jingyan sat to the side, watching Lu Xuan write, and spoke up.

"If they think they can crush my Lu family just by over-praising me, they've underestimated me."

"No need to pay it any mind."

He had already received news that in a few days, it would be the day to purge the Barbarians from Thousand Peaks Mountain.

Once that happened, the commoners would naturally shift their attention.

However, the offensive originally scheduled for the spring thaw had been moved to the depths of winter; who knew what accidents might occur.

One must know that in his past life, even an army as strong as that of The artist with the little mustache was defeated by the winter cold.

But for Lu Xuan, the outcome wouldn't affect him for the time being, and this battle wasn't something that could be finished in a single short winter.

Interesting days would only become more frequent from now on.

Lu Xuan put down his brush and walked to the window to watch the falling snow. His eyes were deep, like a pool of clear green water.

Lu Jingyan walked to the table and saw four characters written on the high-quality Xuan Paper.

'Hidden Dragon in the Abyss'