Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 56

"Although I am not as distinguished as the two heads of the Tian family, young man, please don't refuse this cup of wine!"

"Master Tianmi's kindness is truly appreciated, how could I dare disobey?"

Lu Wei smelled the rich fragrance emanating from Tian Mi, who was separated by a bronze table. His Rejuvenation Technique automatically activated, blocking the scent from entering.

Unlike the delicate fragrance in Lu Ni's room, this scent now contained the ultimate allure of Tian Mi's cultivation technique, "Seeing Flowers Through the Mist," making him nauseous.

Without showing any sign of discomfort, Lu Wei stared directly into the woman's eyes, and like the previous two glasses, he drank the third glass of wine without hesitation.

"Hehehe~" Tian Mi laughed so hard her body trembled. She finished her drink, refilled Lu Wei's glass, and then swayed back to her seat.

Seeing how well the other party cooperated, Master Santian was very satisfied. Tian Meng held his chopsticks and gestured to everyone: "Conditions in the mountains are harsh, and there is no good wine or food. The banquet is a bit simple, so please forgive us."

...

"Master Zhu, that kid went to Lieshan Hall by invitation. How come you still have so much free time to look at the stars here!"

When Situ Wanli arrived at Shennong Hall, he saw the Zhu family sitting on the roof, smiling and gazing at the moon. His tone inevitably carried a hint of impatience.

"Hehe, Brother Situ, come and sit down!" Zhu Jia looked down at Situ Wanli, relaxed and at ease, and patted the seat next to him.

Once he reached the rooftop, he stroked the beard of his 'smiling face' mask and said smugly, "These stars in the sky aren't just for show; the sun, moon, and stars all move according to their own laws."

"Our ancestor Shennong summarized the farming seasons based on this, which is a great favor to all people in the world."

"Shennong, the ancestor of agriculture, is indeed great, but what about the current situation of farmers..."

Situ Wanli was about to complain when Zhu Jia interrupted him, "Are you worried that Lu Wei will join the Tian family?"

"Aren't you worried?" Situ Wanli glanced at the short man beside him, but he didn't say the words, "Tian Zhong's matter is still vivid in my mind."

"Me?" Pointing to his own 'smiling face' with his index finger, Zhu Jia shook his head and said, "I'm not worried at all~"

"Oh?" Situ Wanli stepped aside and cupped his hands in greeting: "I would like to hear the details!"

“The commotion that kid made at Gonggong Hall showed no intention of becoming someone else’s subordinate.” Zhu Jia stood up, though he was still about the same height as Zhu Jia who was sitting. “His trip to Lieshan Hall wasn’t for Tian Meng’s benefit.”

"It's not that it's something they're doing, it's something they're showing us!"

"Hmm..." Situ Wanli lowered his head in thought, and after understanding the logic following the Zhu family's line of thought, his expression remained unchanged: "After all, this is just speculation..."

"What if he really joins forces with the Tian family? We must be wary of this!"

"That means the Tian family has the favor of the ancestor Shennong, and we can only keep our heads down and live our lives in silence."

Zhu Jia jumped off the roof: "However, according to my estimation, after the succession ceremony of Kuiwei Hall tomorrow, if you and I jointly invite Lu Wei to the appointment, I think he will be willing to come."

"Since he wants this face, we'll give it to him. He's just a young man; we two old folks can be a little more accommodating to the younger generation."

...

The camera returns to Lieshan Hall.

After several rounds of drinks and nearly finished eating, the business had not yet been discussed. Steward Lu's face was flushed, and he looked as if he was about to pass out drunk at any moment.

But his heart was ice-cold.

The person in the main seat is not the real Tian Meng!

Then, the drunken gaze swept over Tian Hu and Tian Mi. Lu Wei wondered if the two had noticed this, or if they were no longer themselves...

Lu Wei had no close contact with Tian Meng, but he had seen Tian Meng harvest wheat for an afternoon at the autumn harvest fair a few years ago.

In addition, among the Xu family father and son in Jicheng, Xu Sheng also learned Tian Meng's left-handed swordsmanship, which Lu Wei had observed for a long time.

People can fake it, but swordsmanship cannot!

From the swordsmanship displayed by Xu Sheng, Lu Wei had long discovered that Tian Meng was a swordsman with naturally balanced hands, which was why he could use swords with both hands, but was limited by his talent and could not use two swords at the same time.

That is, Tian Meng himself probably does not have a dominant hand. When doing anything, he usually uses whichever hand is closer to him.

Recalling his careful observation of Tian Meng on the afternoon of the wheat harvest, he could be absolutely certain of this!

But now, the 'Tian Meng' in the main seat, although his left and right hands are also equally balanced, is ultimately different from being born with it. Compared to the real Tian Meng, this person always seems a little out of place...

This 'Tian Meng' is a fake!

"Young Master Lu, what are your thoughts on the current situation in rural areas?"

Seeing that the other person was drunk, Tian Meng finally brought up the important matter.

"Farmer... hiccup...farmer is naturally..." Lu Wei chuckled drunkenly, then hiccuped again. Just as he was about to finish his sentence, a disciple rushed in with an urgent report:

"Boss, a disciple from the Gonggong Hall has come to the outside. Hall Master Yan Zhouhe has important business to discuss with Steward Lu and hopes he can return immediately!"

"Zhou... hiccup, that old geezer Zhou He is looking for me?"

Upon hearing the report, the drunken Lu Wei stood up, pointed to his face with his index finger, and staggered to the reporting disciple in an extremely rude manner. He forcefully waved his right hand and said, "I'm not going!"

"Oh dear, quickly, support Steward Lu."

Following the messenger's arrival, Lü Qing, along with the Yan brothers, also stormed into the banquet. Seeing Lu Wei acting drunk and disorderly, Lü Qing hurriedly had the Yan brothers step forward to support him.

He himself clasped his hands in a salute to the three hall masters, Tian Meng, Tian Hu, and Tian Mi:

"Manager Lu has had too much to drink; this is extremely rude of him."

"Our Hall Master Zhou is looking for the Steward to return. We hope the three Hall Masters will not take offense!"

Tian Hu and Tian Mi remained silent, only looking at Tian Meng. Tian Meng, sitting in the main seat, observed the scene and deduced that the young man was making excuses, but given his current situation... after assessing the situation, he decided not to get involved.

"Since Master Zhouhe has something to attend to, it is not convenient for us to stop him. We will leave Brother Lu to you."

"Thank you, three hall masters!"

Staggering back to Gonggong Hall, Lu Wei's breath reeked of alcohol as soon as he entered his room, and his blurred vision instantly cleared.

"You've come at just the right time this time."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at Lü Qing, Yan Shen, and Yan Bing in front of him: "Any movement from Shennong Hall or Siyue Hall tonight?"

“Lu Chen personally led a team to keep an eye on things and discovered that shortly after the Lord set off for Lieshan Hall, the Hall Master Situ of Siyue Hall went to visit Shennong Hall.”

The disciples of the Farmer Clan are closely connected, with tens of thousands of members sharing intricate relationships such as relatives, fellow villagers, and people from the same town. While this allows the Farmer Clan to maintain a firm stance when dealing with outsiders, it also makes it easier for the various branches to gather information internally.

When Lu Wei left, Lü Qing and Lü Chen tried to fix this problem, but after some investigation, they found that unless Gonggongtang completely broke away from the peasant family, it would be impossible to resolve the mess!

Fortunately, this internal transparency exists in all halls, which is fair.

"It's good that there's been any action!" Lu Wei nodded, recalling his discovery at the banquet earlier that day, and then instructed, "Send some disciples to investigate the recent whereabouts of the three hall masters of the Tian family, focusing on Tian Hu and Tian Mi!"

Since Tian Meng is definitely a fake, it's estimated that he probably won't take any more risks for a long time. In comparison, Lu Wei believes that it's more likely that he can find something from Tian Hu and Tian Mi.

"Yes!"

That night, every hall was filled with subtle, playful antics...

The following day at noon, at the succession ceremony of Kuiwei Hall, Lu Weishan arrived late, citing his drunkenness the previous night. After apologizing, he sat down in the Gonggong Hall area.

The entire succession ceremony was unremarkable; even the chivalrous leader Tian Guang was absent, only sending someone to deliver the Seven Star Pearl Grass, which belonged to the level of a hall master.

Lu Wei didn't pay much attention to the ceremony itself; he focused most of his attention on the Tian brothers.

The culprit behind the substitution of Tian Meng for the prince must be someone from the Luo Wang organization.

The best way to handle this matter is to report it to Tian Guang.

If he could easily detect the abnormality of the fake Tian Meng, then Tian Guang, having served as the leader of the chivalrous sect for so many years, would naturally be able to detect it as well.

However, he is currently far away in the Yan Kingdom and cannot contact Tian Meng.

Even if he didn't report Tian Meng's abnormality, he wouldn't be able to escape it at the next Autumn Harvest Conference.

The way Luo Wang is acting is really hasty, unless they are confident that they can also eliminate Tian Guang!

But that's not something I should worry about; that old fox is not easy to deal with.

After the succession ceremony of Kuiwei Hall, the farmers will be busy with New Year preparations. This is the first time Lu Wei has celebrated the New Year in Dazeshan since he joined the family.

The meaning of the Lunar New Year is especially special for farmers. As a symbol of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, it is a time to forget the misfortunes of the past year and look forward to a good harvest in the new year.

In this era where people depend on the heavens for their livelihood, even the highest-ranking monarchs must maintain a sense of awe towards the elusive 'Heaven'.

"Brother Lu is personally planning the New Year's arrangements; Brother Zhou has truly chosen a good successor!"

Just as Lu Wei was directing his disciples to decorate the Gonggong Hall, the Zhu family and Situ Wanli arrived together.

"I have failed to properly welcome Master Zhu and Master Situ, and I am truly sorry."

Looking at the two guests, one tall and one short, Lu Wei knew their purpose. He instructed Lü Qing to take over his command, and he himself led the two to the main hall with a smile.

"Now that the two hall masters have arrived, I will go and invite our leader Zhou He out."

"No!" Zhu Jia's brightly colored smiling mask said, "Brother Zhou is in a state of quiet cultivation; it wouldn't be good if we disturbed him."

“Brother Lu, let’s be frank. Brother Situ and I have come to Gonggong Hall to see you.”

"Hall Masters, are you here to discuss an alliance?" Lu Wei stopped in his tracks. Since the other party was speaking so frankly, it would be disrespectful to Shennong Hall and Siyue Hall to pretend to be confused. Therefore, he changed his strategy and treated them with the same frankness.

"That's right, Brother Lu has spoken his mind, which is a good thing for our three halls!"

With a wave of his hand, Zhu Jia closed all the doors and windows of the Gonggong Hall, leaving only the candlelight inside to provide dim lighting.

If we exclude Zhou He, who is half-buried in the tomb, the one with the strongest internal energy among the six halls is this short hall master in front of us.

As for the second, it was not Tian Meng, but the always rugged Tian Hu!

However, internal strength is one thing, but its performance in actual combat is another.

"Sigh, brother, it's not that I'm not frank, but it's best not to let the disciples outside know about what we're going to discuss next."

Zhu Jia instantly changed into a blue, sorrowful mask, and Lu Wei couldn't even see his movements clearly, even though he had been watching closely: this ability to change one person's appearance with a thousand faces was truly peculiar.

"The three halls of the Tian family and the three halls of other families will inevitably lead to open and covert struggles within the Farmer's Clan. We are all distressed, let alone the ordinary disciples."

Situ Wanli began to speak, performing a charade.

“There’s no need for this, brothers,” Lu Wei said, changing his form of address as he took a small teapot from the table and poured three cups of tea. “As long as the leader of the sect is here, the Six Halls will not be in chaos.”

Zhu Jia and Situ Wanli calmly accepted the teacup that had been thrown to them. Zhu Jia took a small sip, and the sorrow on his face returned to joy: "Indeed, Elder Tian Guang is the strongest glue that holds the farmers together..."

“But…” His mask turned sorrowful again: “Our leader will only stop us six halls from fighting each other directly. In secret battles that don’t involve life or death, he never takes sides.”

"Tian Hu and Tian Mi obey Tian Meng's orders without question. With these three working together, we're going to have a tough time in Daze Mountain!"

Situ Wanli then spoke up again at the opportune moment: "The forces of Lieshan, Chiyou, and Kuiwei are almost all within the State of Qi. Each of our three halls still has half of its forces distributed in the States of Chu, Wei, Han, and Yan. It will take a lot of time to send reinforcements to our headquarters."

What do you think, Brother Lu?