Lu Fu opened his mouth, wanting to ask, ’Sir, what’s wrong?’ but he swallowed the words before they could escape.
Of course, he didn’t know what Lu Yun was thinking. For years, Lu Yun had bided his time, never expanding his forces, simply because he was wary of the old saying: the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
Back then, he was only at the Peak of Anjin. There were countless people stronger than him, and daring to aggressively expand his influence would have been courting death.
But times had changed.
His current strength at the Peak of Huajin finally gave Lu Yun the confidence to defy anyone’s covetous gaze.
Now was the time to expand the Lu Family’s power.
The largest pier in Yun Port City was bathed in the last rays of the setting sun.
It was a vital artery for north-south travel in the Daxia New Country, processing countless passengers and cargo every day.
At this moment, a massive ocean liner was moored quietly at the pier.
Aside from the smokestack occasionally puffing out a cloud of white steam, it showed no signs of raising its anchor.
This vessel was the preferred mode of travel for the wealthy families of Yun Port City and the surrounding provincial capitals.
The ship had four decks, with first-class, second-class, and standard cabins. It was fully equipped with a dining hall, a ballroom, and a cargo hold.
It was rumored that the true owners of this ocean liner route were the City Manager of Yun Port City and several Military Governors.
The ship, scheduled to depart at 5:00 PM, remained motionless at the pier, even as the sun was about to sink below the horizon.
The deck and the area around the gangway were packed with agitated passengers.
"Hey! What’s the big idea?"
A pot-bellied, middle-aged merchant in a silk gown, his face flushed red, was fanning himself furiously with his fedora.
Rivulets of sweat streamed down his temples, soaking the collar of his fine silk gown.
"The sun’s almost down! I’m in a rush to get to Nanfu City, the capital of Nanling Province, for an important business deal! Who’s going to take responsibility if I’m late? Huh? Who’s going to be responsible?"
"That’s right!"
A woman with permed hair and bright red lipstick chimed in with a shrill voice, her finger practically poking the security captain in the nose.
"They inexplicably moved me from a first-class cabin to second-class, and I tolerated it! But now the ship isn’t even leaving? What kind of backwards operation are you running here?"
"Are you just picking on us because we’re law-abiding citizens?"
"Yeah! We want an explanation!"
"Refunds! We want compensation!"
"If we’re not leaving, then give us our money back! I wouldn’t be caught dead on this rust bucket anyway!"
The clamor grew louder with each passing moment. Surrounded by the crowd, the security captain broke out in a cold sweat.
He could only plaster on an apologetic smile, holding his hands out to placate the crowd. "Everyone! Everyone, please calm down! Listen to me!" he said, practically groveling. "I’m terribly sorry, but we’re waiting for a very distinguished guest who has not yet arrived..."
"A distinguished guest?"
The merchant in the silk gown scoffed as if he’d heard the funniest joke in the world, his voice growing even louder.
"I’ve been alive for nearly fifty years and traveled all over, but I’ve never heard of a ’distinguished guest’ so important that an entire ship has to wait for him!"
"All these people waiting for one man? Who the hell does he think he is?"
He slapped his fedora back on his head, planted his hands on his hips, and spittle flew as he shouted in the captain’s face. "You tell him to come over here and talk to me!"
"Do you have any idea who I am? One of the directors of the Martial Arts Demonstration is my own brother-in-law! Believe me when I say that with a single word, I can make sure you never work in Yun Port City again!"
A young man in a crisp gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses nearby also spoke up, his face cold.
"I’m warning you, I’m a special aide for the City Affairs Bureau. I have urgent official business in Nanfu City in Nanling Province. If I’m delayed, can you afford the consequences?"
"You need to understand that I represent the Yun Port City City Affairs Bureau. You should be well aware of what a grave offense it is to interfere with my duties."
Not to be outdone, a plump woman in a Western dress, her neck adorned with three or four gold chains, squeezed her way to the front.
Clutching a sandalwood fan and fanning herself with a great SWISH, SWISH, she shrieked in a voice sharp enough to pierce eardrums, "I have foreign backing! I’m here representing Mr. Da Ban of the Great United States on a business matter!"
"If I’m late, can this rickety ship of yours afford to pay the damages? You couldn’t afford it even if you sold the whole vessel!"
Facing this overwhelming onslaught, the security captain was cornered, red-faced and tongue-tied, as beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. DRIP. DRIP.
Just as he was about to be overwhelmed, a young crewman squeezed through the crowd and whispered urgently in his ear, "Captain! He’s here! He’s here!"
"Advisor Lu’s car just pulled up to the pier. He’s heading this way now! He’ll be on board any second!"
The security captain’s eyes lit up. He straightened his back, took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and announced loudly to the crowd, "Everyone! We will be departing shortly! My sincerest apologies for the delay!"
Without waiting to hear the crowd’s ensuing explosion of "What?" "That’s it?" and "Why?", he turned and dashed away.
On the pier, Lu Yun leaned on a dark purple wooden cane, ascending the gangway to the liner at a calm, unhurried pace.
The security captain, Pan Shiyue, trotted over to greet him. As he drew near, his face broke into an eager, almost fawning smile.
"Advisor Lu! A pleasure to see you, Advisor Lu!"
"My name is Pan Shiyue, the security captain of this vessel. This way, please, sir."
"We’ve prepared a first-class suite for you—the very best one. It’s quiet and has a window view. I guarantee you will be satisfied, sir."
Lu Yun gave a slight nod. "Much obliged."
On deck, the passengers who had just been raising a clamor were now silent.
They simply watched the figure pass by, their eyes fixed on the security captain who walked before him, bowing and scraping, fawningly leading the way.
After all, anyone who could afford a ticket on this luxurious ocean liner was either rich or well-connected, and none of them were fools.
The man’s aura, his presence, and the captain’s fawning, lackey-like behavior—it was a no-brainer. This was not someone they could afford to provoke.
Only after the figure disappeared through the entrance to the first-class cabins did hushed whispers begin to ripple across the deck.
A middle-aged man in a fedora leaned toward his companion and whispered, "Hey, who is that? I’ve met most of Yun Port City’s high society, but I’ve never seen him before."
His companion shook his head, looking just as clueless, until someone nearby let out a soft, "Huh? Isn’t that... Advisor Lu?"
"Advisor Lu? Which Advisor Lu?"
"The advisor for the Martial Arts Demonstration!"
The man’s voice dropped even lower, tinged with unconcealed surprise. "He’s going to Nanling Province, too? To Nanfu City?"
"The advisor for the Martial Arts Demonstration?"
The first middle-aged man gasped, his eyes bulging, and his voice cracked. "Doesn’t that mean he’s a Grandmaster of Huajin?"
"That’s right. I thought you said you were part of high society? How could you have never seen Advisor Lu?"
Hearing the sarcastic jab, the man in the fedora opened his mouth, but all that came out was a dry cough.
’High society? High society means jack shit in front of a man like that!’

Comments

Loading...