Lu Yun walked straight to the Taishi Chair at the head of the main hall. After seating himself with ease, he casually leaned the Rosewood Walking Stick against the armrest.
"Sit."
Xu Fei did as he was told, sitting in a guest’s chair, but his eyes were involuntarily drawn to the wall behind Lu Yun.
On the wall behind the main seat hung a couplet, its calligraphy forceful and majestic.
With fists that open and close, the winds and clouds change;With a name on the list, the whole world will know.
The horizontal scroll above it read: Who in this world would not know you!
The calligraphy was as sharp as iron hooks and silver strokes, like dragons and serpents coiled in place. Although Xu Fei was no man of letters, even he could tell the writing was superb.
Lu Yun had personally brushed these words back when he was at the height of his fame and full of vigor.
However, what truly astonished Xu Fei was the four-word plaque hanging directly in the center, above the couplet.
The plaque was pitch-black like ink, its frame intricately carved from precious nanmu wood with a lifelike pattern of coiling dragons, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.
In the center of the plaque were four large words, inlaid with red gold. Their calligraphy was flamboyant, like dragons soaring and phoenixes dancing, and they seemed to radiate a contained light.
Power Resounds in All Directions!
A personal gift from the last Emperor of the Yin Dynasty, Emperor Yongxi, Yin Che, written in his own imperial hand!
At the same time, in the bottom right corner of the plaque, was a seal mark, as red as blood.
The mark of the Yin Dynasty’s Heirloom Seal of the Realm!
’The imperial brush of Yongxi... the Heirloom Seal of the Realm...’
Xu Fei forced himself to look away and refocus his attention on Lu Yun, who sat composed in the main seat.
Thirty years ago, Lu Yun had been in his prime. With his cultivation at the Peak of Anjin, he was an absolutely dominant presence in that year’s martial examinations.
It couldn’t be helped; that session of the Martial Scholar examinations was the worst the Yin Dynasty had ever held.
The Great Yin Dynasty’s martial examinations had a clear rule: candidates could not be older than thirty-two.
At that age, reaching the Dark Force level was a feat for only the rarest of geniuses. The vast majority of Martial Scholars were merely at the Peak of Mingjin, with only a few exceptional ones reaching Early-stage or Mid-stage Anjin.
As for Late-stage Anjin? There just happened to be none in that session.
But a monster like Lu Yun, who had reached the Peak of Anjin at the age of thirty, had caught a lucky break, leaving all his rivals in the dust.
In the end, with an absolute, indisputable advantage akin to sweeping through a thousand troops, he seized the top spot in that year’s martial examinations.
From Martial Scholar to Martial Champion Scholar!
It was also because he took first place that in the final, turbulent year of the Yin Dynasty, when the great house was on the verge of collapse, Lu Yun was granted the honor of an audience with the Emperor in his capacity as the "Final Martial Champion Scholar."
That Son of Heaven was the last Emperor of the Yin Dynasty, Emperor Yongxi, Yin Che.
This Emperor was only twenty-two when he ascended the throne, ten years younger than Lu Yun at the time.
When Emperor Yongxi, Yin Che, received this man who might be the dynasty’s last Martial Champion Scholar, he lamented that "the state of the nation is dire, and the fortunes of the martial path do not flourish."
Nevertheless, he greatly praised Lu Yun’s martial skill and bearing.
Perhaps to encourage this final "Martial Champion Scholar," or perhaps as a forward-thinking arrangement, Emperor Yongxi personally wrote the four words "Power Resounds in All Directions," had the Heirloom Seal of the Realm affixed, and had it made into a plaque to be bestowed upon Lu Yun.
Lu Yun lifted the teacup by his hand, using the lid to gently skim the foam from the surface. "Xu Fei, what rumors has your Yishun Hall heard recently? Do you all think this old man is no longer useful, and so... you’re planning to make a move on my Lu Family?"
Xu Fei’s rear, which had barely touched the chair, shot back up. The respectful smile on his face nearly faltered as he hastily waved his hands.
"Lord Lu! Where-where is this coming from? It’s a huge misunderstanding! I have always had nothing but respect for you, Lord Lu, and for the Lu Family. I’ve never had a single disrespectful thought, let alone any improper designs on the Lu Family!"
"Thinking back, when you, Lord Lu, were the undisputed authority at the Yun Port City Pier and your word was law, I was just a nobody at the bottom, struggling to get by."
"I could only look up to your great reputation, sir!"
"Heh heh heh."
Lu Yun set down his teacup, letting out a low, inscrutable chuckle.
Only then did he slowly raise his eyes to land on Xu Fei’s face, which was plastered with a stiff, poorly concealed smile.
’How could I not see through this act of Xu Fei’s? They’re just empty pleasantries.’
But Lu Yun also understood why Xu Fei would think this way. It was only natural.
As the Captain of one of the Three Great Salt Gangs of Yun Port, Xu Fei himself had reached the Peak of Anjin in his cultivation. He would be considered a formidable figure anywhere.
In terms of strength, while there might still be a gap compared to my own peak, it wasn’t a large one.
In a way, he was now on the same level as I was in my prime.
’What goes around, comes around.’
This world, especially in the Daxia New Country of today, was glamorous on the surface but chaotic underneath.
The decrees of the Northern Government were greatly diminished once they left Yanjing. Warlords carved up the territories, foreigners ran rampant in the concessions, and gangster syndicates were deeply entrenched.
This was a chaotic era that believed in the law of the jungle, where strength was respected above all and interests were paramount.
Here, the moment someone showed weakness or signs of decline, things like seniority or old friendships became worthless. In the eyes of some, even saving your own father’s face wouldn’t be worth a damn!
Therefore, the only fate awaiting the weak was to be mercilessly devoured by rising powers!
The Lu Family occupied the three most geographically strategic and profitable piers in Yun Port City.
Longyuan Bay, Hai Cui Bay, and Red Tree Bay.
Lu Yun had acquired these three piers back when the Yin Dynasty had just fallen, the Daxia New Country was newly established, and the transfer of power in the Yun Port City Government was in chaos.
Using his old identity as the "Former Dynasty’s Assistant General of the River Patrol" and some lingering official connections, he had "leased" them from the new government at an extremely low price.
The lease was for ninety-nine years!
These three piers were three hens that laid golden eggs. Docking fees, cargo transit fees, warehouse rental fees, pier logistics management fees...
These streams of income were enough to rake in a fortune every day, enough to make any faction’s heart race with envy.
How could Xu Fei’s Yishun Hall, and other covetous parties, not be tempted?
It was just that after Lu Yun sensed he was past his peak, he had started giving a piece of the pie to the higher-ups in Yun Port City each year.
"A misunderstanding? Is that so."
Lu Yun repeated coolly, tapping his fingers lightly on the rosewood armrest. "At my age, my eyesight is failing, and when I strike, I often can’t distinguish between a light touch and a heavy one."
"Yesterday... I believe I swatted a few noisy ’strays.’ Master Xu, have you heard anything about it?"
’Strays? Those were clearly five of Yishun Hall’s elite fighters!’
’Can’t distinguish between a light touch and a heavy one? You killed five men with a single palm strike and crippled the Third Hall Master, who was at Late-stage Anjin, with one punch. You call that fucking "not distinguishing between light and heavy"?’
A muscle in Xu Fei’s cheek twitched uncontrollably twice. The false reverence from before had completely vanished.
After taking a deep breath, he straightened his previously bowed body.
Xu Fei was already a burly, well-built man. Now that he stood up straight, he exuded a fierce and capable aura, a completely different person from the "junior" he had been moments ago.
He pulled at the corner of his mouth, revealing a cold smirk. "Heh heh heh... Now that you mention it, Lord Lu, there is some truth to that."
Xu Fei no longer hid his intentions, his words sharp. "A man, no matter how magnificent he once was, can never defeat the passage of time."
"Birth, old age, sickness, and death—it is the way of heaven. No one can escape it, and no one can stop it."
"When one is old... one should accept it. Wouldn’t it be better to find a quiet place to live out your years in peace, enjoying your grandchildren?"
"Leave all this fighting and worrying to the young folk. Lord Lu, tell me... do my words make sense?"
He paused, his gaze fixed on Lu Yun, his tone suddenly hardening in unconcealed provocation. "Of course, if you, sir, feel your bones itching and want to ’stretch them out a bit’..."
"I may not be much, but this body of mine is still tough enough. I’m ready to oblige you anytime, sir."
’Today, I, Xu Fei, will personally test just how tough the ’old bones’ of this last Martial Champion Scholar truly are!’

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