NABC Page 43
Page 43
He vividly showed his gratitude to the old people of Luqiu Pavilion.
After all, even sending only a few disciples to summon the Xu father and son wouldn't be considered impolite.
Chapter 60 Steward Lu's Busy Life
Lu Wei's relationship with the Xu family is deeply entangled and cannot be explained in just a few words.
About two and a half years ago, in winter, Lu Wei arrived in Jicheng with his four younger brothers. On the very first day, several guards from the Yanchun Lord's mansion robbed him of the furs he had worked so hard to hunt.
The next day, the group was received by Xu Qiu, who was then the head of Luqiu Pavilion. He immediately recognized the five Lu men as deserters, but admired Lu Wei's maturity and insight beyond his years. So he made a small investment in him: the management rights of a tavern.
At that time, without Xu Qiu's "small favor," the Lu family members would probably have either gone out of the city to hunt and live a life of hardship again, or sold their labor as servants of powerful people, just like when they were orphans in the State of Zhao.
This is not hard to accept. Lu Wei's parents starved to death when he was three or four years old, and he was raised by his older brothers.
Since his second brother left the city when he was six years old and never returned, Lu Wei lived alone until he was twelve.
If it weren't for the timely delivery of a Rejuvenation Technique from the daily treasure chest, the helpless Lu Wei might have died before even reaching maturity.
Therefore, it can be said that it was because of Xu Qiu's appreciation that he felt physical warmth for the first time in this life.
Later, power struggles erupted within the Gonggong Hall, and Xu Qiu went to the State of Qi. His son, Xu Sheng, took the opportunity of joining a merchant caravan in Chu to allow Lu Wei to truly grow up in a farming family.
Regardless of their motives, the father and son did indeed give Lu Wei two opportunities to change his fate, and Lu Wei seized both, which enabled him to become the head steward of Gonggong Hall today.
The Xu family had done Lu Wei a favor.
Lu Wei also did not disappoint the Xu family:
He generously imparted the two purple-level martial arts techniques, the Frost Palm and the Butterfly Sword Technique, to Xu Sheng without reservation.
When the caravan heading to Chu encountered bandits in Yan territory, Shan Yu Mu Ye was the first to rush forward and fight the enemy, and Lu Wei completely wiped out the bandits.
Later, when they encountered the trap set by the Net, after Xu Sheng lost his hand, among the three commanders, only Lu Wei cared about Xu Sheng's life or death. Zhou Wen and Wu Chen each had their own thoughts.
Next, ensuring the caravan's safe arrival in Shouchun, completing the agreed-upon transaction with the Xiang family, returning to Yan to temporarily manage Luqiu Pavilion, and helping the Xu family reclaim a portion of their property from the Yanchun Jun Mansion were all tasks undertaken by Lu Wei.
Even his act of sending Lu Ni to kill Tian Zhong was, in a sense, a way of avenging the Xu family.
In terms of gratitude, he repaid Xu's kindness more than enough.
Therefore, when he met the Xu family again, there was no hostility between them.
Xu Qiu instructed a servant to bring tea, and he and Lu Wei sat to the side, watching Xu Sheng excitedly engage in a fierce battle.
"It's true that Steward Lu was able to defeat Tian Zhong and gain the appreciation of Master Zhou. Good fortune always comes to those who are lucky."
Xu Qiu overcame her discomfort and slight embarrassment at Lu Wei's rapid ascent and spoke with a smile.
"Whether Heaven helps me or not is unimportant..." Lu Wei stared at the power of Xu Sheng's left-hand sword on the field, as fierce as thunder, then raised an eyebrow and smiled playfully:
"After Brother Xu suffered misfortune, it is truly a blessing from heaven that he was able to acquire such exquisite left-hand swordsmanship."
"Sigh, this matter is indeed not easy." Xu Qiu picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then said nothing more.
Lu Wei, being sensible, didn't press the matter further, but he already had a guess in his heart:
It is common knowledge that among the two Tian family hall masters of the peasant family, Tian Meng's Absolute Sharp Sword Technique is solemn and fierce, while Tian Hu's Tiger Soul Sword Technique is domineering and extraordinary.
Along with this common knowledge comes an unusual piece of news: Tian Meng, the master of Lieshan Hall, is an extremely rare left- or right-handed swordsman!
His skill with the sword in his left and right hands was equally matched, but because his talent couldn't support Tian Meng using both hands to wield the sword at the same time, this information didn't receive much attention.
However, Lu Wei, who was exceptionally sensitive to information about his opponents, naturally remembered this point: because of its completely opposite luck patterns to conventional sword techniques, the sword moves of the left-handed sword technique would be somewhat difficult for ordinary people to handle and would require time to adjust.
Even the slightest change in a battle can determine the line between life and death; this applies to both hands even more.
Xu Qiu and Xu Sheng spent more than half a year in Gonggong Hall in a state of utter dejection, yet immediately after being expelled from the peasant family, Xu Qiu acquired a mature left-handed swordsmanship, which inevitably raises suspicions...
Lu Wei quietly observed and noted the characteristics of Xu Sheng's left-handed sword technique. He stayed at the Xu family's house for about half an incense stick's time before taking his leave.
He did not mention the current relationship between the Xu family and Luqiu Pavilion during his trip, but the cooperation between the two sides will naturally resume in the future.
Some things don't need to be said aloud; a simple, tacit understanding over a cup of tea is enough to convey each other's sincerity.
After leaving the Xu family, Lu Wei went to Lu Mu's workshop and briefly learned about his work.
The workshop has not yet sold any products, but it still has ample funds for development and research.
This is because all the tasks Lu Wei originally assigned to Lu Mu were for the benefit of the farmers and Gonggongtang: all products, including farm tools, paper, and various furniture, were supplied to Luqiuge and Dazeshan.
Both Luqiu Pavilion and Daze Mountain quoted prices for these goods that met Lu Wei's requirements... after all, he personally set the prices...
Therefore, the trade between the two sides was essentially just Lu Wei's personal transfer of money from one hand to the other.
Due to their limited circulation, these items did not cause a great sensation, but they did indeed continuously strengthen the power of Gonggongtang.
After the inspection, he gave orders for Lu Mu to spend more time on weapon making, and before leaving, he casually tossed him a set of crossbow blueprints.
It was already dark when they returned to Luqiu Pavilion, but Lu Wei still couldn't rest.
He instructed Lu Shan to send a visiting card to the steward of Yan Chun Jun's residence, hoping that the two sides could arrange another time to meet. Then Lu Wei went to the accounting office.
Even if you trust your fourth brother the most, you still have to show that you take financial matters very seriously and check them from time to time.
This is also for the good of Shan Yu Mu Ye; otherwise, if a few people make mistakes due to laxity, it would be embarrassing for them.
Dinner was delivered by Lu Yu. The dishes were exquisite, but Lu Wei only ate a few bites before continuing his work of auditing the accounts.
After initially confirming that Lu Shan's work was not a problem, it was already late at night.
After leaving the accounting office, Lu Wei suddenly remembered that he hadn't practiced his sword today. He decisively went downstairs and pulled Lu Ni up to spar a few moves with him, which was also a way to loosen up his muscles and bones from sitting for too long.
Thus, the head steward of Gonggong Hall finally came to the end of a busy day...
But when the new sun rises, his exhaustion will continue; Lu Ye's branch training camp is also a major event.
To get to the branch base in Shuzhen, he not only had to travel more than 20 miles, but upon arrival, he also had to display his exquisite martial arts skills in front of all his disciples, give a motivational speech, and distribute money to the orphans.
Since the orphans recruited by the branch spend most of their time being taught by Lu Ye, it may be easy for them to regard Lu Ye as an object of loyalty when they grow up.
This is not possible!
Whether it's Luqiu Pavilion or Gonggong Hall, the only light in the hearts of the disciples can only be themselves!
After adding several books on 'loyalty' to the branch's daily teaching materials and leaving a stone with the large characters 'Lu Wei' engraved on it in the square where the disciples practiced daily, the head steward left the branch with a slight sense of relief.
However, Lu Wei did not immediately return to Jicheng. Instead, he went to a small mountain more than 50 miles away and found Gao Jianli, who was contemplating the universe in the mountains.
After receiving the Hao Zhongqin, Gao Jianli was deeply moved while watching Lu Wei farming and played a piece of his own composition. From then on, he was unstoppable.
He was eager to finish that simple piece, so he took the initiative to say goodbye to Lu Wei and began to travel around in search of inspiration.
Therefore, he even stopped going to taverns and inns in various places as a musician, as was his habit.
Before leaving, Gao Jianli said: "I will never play any other music again until I finish my own music."
For more than half a year, he has kept this vow.
Lu Wei came to him not to offer any advice, nor did he have any inspiration to help Gao Jianli.
After all, Steward Lu doesn't understand music.
He came here simply because he had returned to the State of Yan and wanted to see a friend to solidify their relationship.
Carrying a flask of old wine, Lu Wei drank with Gao Jianli, looking at his much thinner face. He glanced around at the empty space and a sudden thought struck him:
Why don't you go and find Kuang Xiu?
Gao Jianli opened his eyes, his gaze suddenly brightening from the alcohol!
Chapter 61 Call Me Head Steward
Kuang Xiu, a native of the State of Zhao, was a renowned qin player with unparalleled skill. He was the sole inheritor of the melody "High Mountains and Flowing Water".
In this world's music scene, he is the only top star.
Gao Jianli had admired Kuang Xiu since childhood, but the two had never met.
When Lu Wei suggested that he could visit Kuang Xiu to seek guidance and improve the music, Gao Jianli immediately decided to do so.
However, achieving their goal will not be easy, because Kuang Xiu is now being hunted down, just like Gao Jianli.
The two men were in slightly different situations: Gao Jianli was hunted down by a powerful figure who paid for a net to hunt him down, while Kuang Xiu was convicted and arrested by the Qin state authorities.
For Kuang Xiu to provoke the Qin state, a behemoth, into personally intervening, his crime must have been serious: he assisted a Qin general in defecting... that Qin general's name was Fan Yuqi...
The reason Gao Jianli did not visit Kuang Xiu before was because he was being hunted down and his life was in danger, and he did not want to implicate others.
Now that both musicians are in danger, there is no need to be afraid.
As you hear the news, you can die in the evening.
This saying of Confucius encapsulates the lifelong pursuit of countless stubborn individuals.
Gao Jianli's journey was fraught with danger.
Kuang Xiu was on the run in Qin territory, and given his notoriety and the crimes he had committed, he had no chance of leaving Qin. Therefore, Gao Jianli had no choice but to enter Qin on his own initiative.
Qin Realm is arguably the region where the power of the Luo Wang is strongest.
Moreover, given the meticulousness and strictness of Qin laws, the Qin territory was simply not a place where ordinary wandering knights could roam freely.
The Farmer's Clan has tens of thousands of disciples, all distributed across the six kingdoms of Shandong. The Farmer's Clan's high-ranking members can always find some clues about the intelligence of these kingdoms.
Only in the Qin region, if something unusual happens there, it will probably be more than half a year before news of it reaches those who are interested...
Lu Wei invested a lot in Gao Jianli, with the aim of influencing the Mohist school after Gao Jianli gained a high position and influence, so that this prominent school would side with him at a crucial moment in the future.
However, ever since Gao Jianli obtained the Hao Zhongqin and his strength continued to grow, this great musician seems to have gone further and further away from music, and has become less and less involved in the world of martial arts.
This can't go on like this!
Gao Jianli, who is single-mindedly devoted to music, is not without value, but Lu Wei wants to maximize his value!
While at Daze Mountain, Lu Wei received news that Jing Ke, a wandering knight who had already gained considerable fame, was determined to venture into the world of Qin and had entered Qin from Han.
If Gao Jianli had also entered Qin at this time, the two of them would most likely have gotten to know each other beforehand, given that Kuang Xiu was being besieged and captured by Qin.
In addition, there's Prince Dan; judging by the time, he should be planning to escape back to the Yan Kingdom.
After Gao Jianli entered Qin, even though his strength exceeded the bounty offered by Luo Wang, there was still a considerable possibility that he would die there. In that case, the Hao Zhongqin that Lu Wei had spent a hundred gold coins to buy would be wasted.
However, if he manages to return alive from Qin, given his nature, he will most likely become sworn enemies with Qin. In that case, Gao Jianli's world will be entangled with this great era, and he will no longer be able to indulge in the beauty of nature.