novelhk #230 - Personal matters
#230 - Personal matters
“Young Master Lu.”
“Hmm?” Lu Jing stopped and turned back to look at Yan Yun upon hearing this.
He originally thought Yan Yun intended to confirm the truth about his inability to cultivate secret powers or inquire about the mysteriously vanished Otherworld, as most people who had spoken to him recently asked about these two things.
However, Lu Jing didn't expect Yan Yun to ask a completely unrelated question.
“Young Master Lu, are you from Wu River City?”
Yan Yun asked while putting away the brush and inkstone in front of her.
“Oh, strictly speaking, I'm not a native of Wu River City, but I have lived there for almost three years,” Lu Jing replied truthfully.
This wasn't a secret; it could be found on the Heavenly Pivot Ranking.
“I heard that Young Master Lu's reputation for chivalry is quite prominent in Wu River City. From merchants and officials to peddlers and laborers, everyone knows your great name. When you left for the capital, the common people who came to see you off filled the docks.”
“Uh, it seems like there was such a thing.”
“Then, as a local hero, you must also know Old Master Zhao of the Tianma Escort Agency. What is your impression of Old Master Zhao?”
Yan Yun had finished tidying up everything on the table and finally got to the point, looking into Lu Jing's eyes as she asked.
Lu Jing pondered for a moment, "Golden Saber, Iron Courage Old Master Zhao is the number one martial artist in Wu River. Although he has retired, the Tianma Escort Agency he founded is still the largest martial arts force in Wu River City—no, more accurately, it has influence throughout the entire southern martial arts world.
So Zhao Banshan led people to attack the seventy-two strongholds, almost completely slaughtering the bandits on Evil Tiger Ridge, leaving only a group of women and children in the stronghold.
Some people advised him to eliminate the root of the problem and kill the bandits' families as well.
However, Zhao Banshan not only didn't kill these women and children but even sent them money, fearing they wouldn't survive the winter without their men.
His clear distinction between gratitude and grudges, and his emphasis on loyalty, earned him many friends in both the legitimate and underworld communities. In the past two years, I was busy practicing my skills, and my interactions with Old Master Zhao weren't too deep, often only meeting by chance in the city and chatting a few words.
“But from several interactions, my impression of him is the same as the rumors in the martial arts world: a chivalrous hero who likes to help the needy, support the younger generation, and is quite generous.
“Before I advanced to the first-rate realm, he had expressed his intention to invite me to join the Tianma Escort Agency several times. After I politely declined, he didn't deliberately suppress me or send people to secretly make trouble for me. Instead, he helped our master and disciple with some things.
“Personally, I have a very good impression of him. I wonder why Lady Yan suddenly wants to inquire about Old Master Zhao's affairs?”
Lu Jing was a little strange. Although Zhao Banshan and the Tianma Escort Agency were strong, with the status of the Yunshui Pure Compassion Pavilion in the martial arts world, it shouldn't be difficult to investigate.
Although he and Yan Yun entered the academy together and were considered classmates, this was the first time they had met, and there wasn't much friendship between them.
Yan Yun didn't ask her sect but came to ask him, which made Lu Jing a little surprised.
Upon hearing this, Yan Yun hesitated for a moment and then said, “I have a distant cousin, not too close and not too distant. In fact, I haven't been in contact with her for a long time. However, about a week ago, I received a letter she sent to the Hengji Coffin Shop.
“The letter said that two months ago, her husband took a dark escort job through the Tianma Escort Agency. She didn't know what was being escorted, only that her husband spent ten thousand taels of silver to get the Tianma Escort Agency to take the job.”
Lu Jing couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard this. For a large escort agency like Tianma, goods worth ten thousand taels of silver were not uncommon, but it was probably the first time they had encountered someone paying ten thousand taels just for the shipping fee.
This was a very astonishing sum.
Yan Yun continued, “Her husband only had one request: that the accompanying escorts must not open the package behind the carriage at any time, no matter what happened.
“The Tianma Escort Agency was a little hesitant about this job at first, but later, Old Master Zhao, who had already retired, personally visited her husband at night. The two had a long talk for half an hour, after which Old Master Zhao decided to take the job.
“The next evening, her husband personally delivered the package to the Tianma Escort Agency, and… neither the person nor the goods ever came back.”
“Three days later, her husband's body was found in a dilapidated temple outside the city. She went to confront the Tianma Escort Agency, but everyone in the Tianma Escort Agency denied taking her husband's job.
“After that, she sued the government, but the Tianma Escort Agency was powerful in Wu River City, and Old Master Zhao's prestige was too high, so the government could do nothing about it.
“The governor only came forward, had a meal with Old Master Zhao, privately inquired about the matter, and stopped investigating after receiving Old Master Zhao's denial.”
Yan Yun's expression looked a little helpless, “I know it's a bit abrupt to ask you this, Young Master Lu, but it's really difficult for me to get much help from my sect.
“First, this is my own private matter. I don't want to alarm the Yunshui Pure Compassion Pavilion, because it may cause tension between the Tianma Escort Agency and the Yunshui Pure Compassion Pavilion.
“Second, I don't know what my cousin's husband entrusted the Tianma Escort Agency to escort. If this thing is revealed, will it bring trouble to her…
“The dead cannot be brought back to life. No matter what the investigation results are, her husband can't come back to life, but she and her two children still have to continue living, so I prefer to investigate this matter privately.
“However, I also know that the Tianma Escort Agency is powerful in Wu River City, and I'm not a local of Wu River, so I'm not familiar with the place. I'm afraid the things I can find are very limited.”
Lu Jing suddenly understood, “You want to use my reputation in Wu River City to help you investigate this matter?”
“That's right.” Yan Yun didn't hide it and frankly admitted this, “Of course, I won't let you work for nothing. I heard that you, Miss Xia, and Young Master Yang were punished by Warden Huang to fetch bamboo and cut bamboo in Bamboo Trail because of the Otherworld incident, and I happen to know some secrets about the bamboo in Bamboo Trail.
“Besides that, if Young Master Lu has any other requests, you can also mention them to me,” Yan Yun said, “As long as I can do it, I will try my best to help.”