Yan Liqiang walked up to Lu Peien and politely asked, "Sixth Master, what business do you have in Pingxi City?"
"Haihh, it's a long story!" Lu Peien shook his head and smiled wryly before he cheered up again. "It's been two long months! Liqiang, you seem to be in better spirits and you look good. From the looks of it, you have made some progress again in your training. The day you become a Martial Warrior is probably just around the corner!"
"Hahaha, I don't have any burdens unlike important people such as Sixth Master who is always busy!"
"You are really good at flattery!" Lu Peien laughed too, feeling comfortable every time he spoke with Yan Liqiang. He couldn't help but forget his age and treat him like an adult. Qian Su already told him that this precocious nephew of his was too mature for his age. It seemed like he wasn't wrong about it at all.
"I still have a lot to learn from Sixth Master!"
"Ah, let's leave it at that. I need to pay a visit to the martial arts academy first. I've got some business with the academy's headmaster. Go busy yourself with your own things first Liqiang, then we'll have lunch together at Lingbo Pavilion here in Pingxi City…"
"I have nothing much to do now. Just let me know if you need any help, Sixth Master. I will definitely do it as long as it is within my capabilities!"
'The last time' a tragedy befell his clan, the Lu Clan did everything they could for him and Yan Dechang until the very end. Yan Liqiang still remembered that it was Old Master Lu who sent the Sixth Master to Pingxi City to face a great deal of pressure. He had to personally make use of his connections in the city to claim Yan Liqiang's corpse and he helped settle the funeral. Although the Lu Clan was an influential clan in Huanglong County, they had indeed done as much as they could for him.
As the saying goes, 'misfortune tests the sincerity of friends'. It was certainly remarkable for the Lu Clan to be able to do that for them. To Yan Liqiang, regardless of the future between him and Lu Beixin or the possibility of them being together, the Lu Clan was definitely worth making friends with.
Seeing how ardent and thoughtful Yan Liqiang was, Lu Peien stole a few serious glances at him again. When he realized that Yan Liqiang was calm and didn't seem to be insincere, he couldn't help but be moved. He secretly murmured to himself that it seemed like the Old Master still had pretty impressive eyes for people. When Yan Liqiang, who had come to Pingxi City for two months after winning the first place among the top three in Qinghe County, saw him again, not only was he not conceited or arrogant — he was more respectful and courteous than ever. And what was that? That was the moral of a person. A person like this would certainly achieve meteor success in their life when an opportunity presented itself.
"Although this matter is indeed a vexing one, there's no need for Liqiang's help for now. We shall talk more during lunch…"
"Alright. Please attend to your matters first, Sixth Master. We shall talk more over lunch..."
After speaking with Yan Liqiang, Lu Peien immediately headed towards the main entrance of the martial arts academy. The guards who stood by the entrance stopped him. Lu Peien then fished out a gilded name card and handed it over to them. The two guards took a good look at the name card before they courteously stepped aside to let Lu Peien in. One of them even guided him to the mountain.
Yan Liqiang initially planned to return to the Nine Dragons Bridge, but since he had bumped into Lu Peien here, he decided to stay and wait for Lu Peien to come back instead of going elsewhere.
Judging from Lu Peien's countenance, the Lu Clan had probably run into some kind of trouble or difficulty that wasn't easy to resolve, and thus he showed up in Pingxi City. However, no matter how hard he racked his brains, Yan Liqiang simply couldn't come up with any problems that the Lu Clan could have possibly run into that required Lu Peien to come running to the martial arts academy.
"Big Brother, if I may ask, what is your name?" Seeing that Lu Peien had gone inside, Yan Liqiang started a conversation with his coachman. From the attire the coachman was wearing, he was probably from the Lu Clan too.
"Oh, you are too polite! I am Lu Dayou. If Young Master Yan thinks highly of the humble me, you can just call me by my name!" The coachman was overwhelmed and shocked after Yan Liqiang treated him with respect.
"Haha, Brother Lu, you know about me?"
"Of course I do. The method which Young Master Yan passed down to rescue those who drown in water at the Lu Residence is simply amazing. A few months later, that method saved the lives of a few children in just Huanglong County alone. Since that method was propagated by our manor, we are also basking in the reflected glory and are being praised by the others. Now, there's no one in the Lu Residence who hasn't heard of Young Master Yan's name. Everyone talks about how merciful you are and that you will definitely be rewarded for your good will. When Young Master Yan won first place among top three in the Martial Arts County Trial of Qinghe County, everyone in the Lu Residence knew as well and we were happy for Young Master Yan…!" The coachman smiled earnestly while he praised Yan Liqiang.
"How has the Lu Clan been lately?"
"Not bad!"
"Is Old Master Lu still healthy?"
"Yes, he is. The Old Master can play with huge stone weights of more than a hundred jin every day for up to two hours…"
"Glad to hear that. Did Sixth Master come to the prefectural city's martial arts academy because he ran into some kind of trouble?"
"Well… It's not my place to tell!" Lu Dayou hesitated for a moment before he shook his head with a troubled expression on his face. "Please forgive me, Young Master Yan. If I am to tell you now, the Sixth Master will reprimand me for not knowing my place. If Young Master Yan wishes to know, you will just have to personally ask the Sixth Master later..."
"Understood, I will ask Sixth Master personally later. Sorry for making things difficult for Brother Lu!"
"Don't worry about it…"
"Oh right, how long has Brother Lu been a coachman…?"
"Almost two decades!"
"What's the difference between driving a carriage and riding a horse? Is there some sort of trick to it?"
...
As the saying goes, 'When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers.' [1] Since Yan Liqiang had nothing to do anyway, he used the time to talk about the tips and tricks of driving a carriage with Lu Dayou, how to take care of horses and rhinodrake steeds, the qualities of various fodders, and how to take care of sick horses… At first, Lu Dayou thought that Yan Liqiang didn't know how to take care of horses. After talking to him, he realized that Yan Liqiang was actually very knowledgeable. He even had better experiences than him in certain aspects and Lu Dayou was actually able to gain a lot of knowledge from him here. He also reciprocated by sharing various pieces of information and experience he had gained from driving carriages to Yan Liqiang over these years.
Nearly two hours passed since they started talking.
By the time Lu Peien came out from the martial arts academy, both of them still seemed to have much to talk about. The coachman, Lu Dayou, admired Yan Liqiang so much that he wanted to bow down to him in admiration and he so badly wanted to proclaim Yan Liqiang as his close friend. After driving a carriage for so many years, his chat with Yan Liqiang today was most pleasurable. But of course, he was oblivious to the fact that socializing and building up networks through communication was a special skill that Yan Liqiang had earnestly studied during his career in his past life. In addition to this skill and the various 'past' experiences and gained knowledge, what Yan Liqiang gathered from the dedicated coachman of the Military Governor was enough for Yan Liqiang to chat with him for an entire day without any issues.
"Sixth Master!"
"Sixth Master!"
"What were you guys talking about? You two seemed like you were having a lot of fun!"
"I've learned quite a lot about taking care of horses from Young Master Yan. I am really impressed by him…" Lu Dayou managed to reply first.
"Oh? Liqiang, you know how to take care of horses too?"
"I have them back home, so I know a little. Actually, I was asking Brother Lu about how to drive a carriage just now. He was just being too humble..." Yan Liqiang said humbly.
Lu Peien smiled and gave Yan Liqiang a deep, meaningful stare. Perhaps most would scorn at people like Yan Liqiang who mingled with people of a lower social class. However, to a worldly man like Lu Peien, he would value Yan Liqiang instead and secretly admire him. "Liqiang, you didn't leave?"
"No, I didn't. I waited here for Sixth Master to bring me to a good meal!"
Why would someone like Yan Liqiang be bothered about a good meal so much that he waited for him here instead of leaving? He was probably sincere about finding out what help he could offer. Of course, Lu Peien understood just how valuable his intention was. He let out a hearty laugh. "HAHAHA. Good. It's about time for lunch anyway so let's go now. We'll go there on the horse carriage. Feel free to order whatever you wish to eat today, Liqiang!"
"Hehe, I hope I won't put too many expenses on Sixth Master!"
Both of them got on the horse carriage. Lu Dayou immediately drove the carriage towards Lingbo Pavilion without even waiting for Lu Peien's order.
Lu Peien didn't really talk about anything too important to Yan Liqiang in the horse carriage. He only inquired about Yan Liqiang's his studies in the martial arts academy out of concern, which Yan Liqiang responded appropriately to.
The traveling speed of the horse carriage was indeed quicker than walking. It was obvious that this wasn't the first time the coachman, Lu Dayou, had visited Pingxi City. He was very familiar with the routes in the city. In just a flash, the horse carriage had arrived at Lingbo Pavillion.
Lingbo Pavillion was the most famous restaurant in Pingxi City. It was located in the Plum Gardens at the Lake of Longevity.
Yan Liqiang would more or less have a strange feeling in his heart every time he was at the Plum Gardens, even though he didn't show it on his face. That was because the last time he was here, he was here to kill Wang Haofei.
They reserved a private room on the third floor of Lingbo Pavillion all to themselves. After the dishes were served, both of them had two cups of wine in the room. When Yan Liqiang once again brought up the question of why Lu Peien was here in Pingxi City, Lu Peien drained the contents of his cup in one gulp and then placed his wine cup down on the table. With a frown, he spoke to Yan Liqiang gloomily. "The Lu Clan is in big trouble this time…"
"What kind of trouble? Please tell me in detail, Sixth Master!"
Lu Peien pointed to the Lake of Longevity beyond the window. "Liqiang, did you know that King Cobra murdered someone in one of the isles in the Lake of Longevity last month, on the night of the seventh day of the ninth lunar month?"
"Yes, I do!" Yan Liqiang thought carefully for a moment. "I didn't think King Cobra would still be in Pingxi City. I heard that the person whom he killed was one of my senior martial brothers in the martial arts academy, with the surname Wang. I think the city was in an uproar for quite a long while back then…"
"The victim's name was Wang Haofei. Liqiang, do you know who he is?"
"Well… I heard he was the son of a wealthy clan…" Yan Liqiang had an endearing, silly look on his face.
"That's right. Wang Haofei was indeed the son of a wealthy clan. He was the young lord of the Wang Clan in Huanglong County. The son of Wang Puge, the head of the Wang Clan, who was very dear to the Old Master of the Wang Clan. He was the future hope of the Wang Clan. In Huanglong County, the Lu Clan and the Wang Clan never really got along well with each other, nor have they been on good terms. Now that Wang Haofei is dead, the Wang Clan is planning to blame it on the Lu Clan. They thought it was the Lu Clan who contacted King Cobra to assassinate him…"
Yan Liqiang's jaw dropped in shock. He didn't expect that after all the twists and turns, this matter would shift to the Lu Clan…
Yan Liqiang walked up to Lu Peien and politely asked, "Sixth Master, what business do you have in Pingxi City?"
"Haihh, it's a long story!" Lu Peien shook his head and smiled wryly before he cheered up again. "It's been two long months! Liqiang, you seem to be in better spirits and you look good. From the looks of it, you have made some progress again in your training. The day you become a Martial Warrior is probably just around the corner!"
"Hahaha, I don't have any burdens unlike important people such as Sixth Master who is always busy!"
"You are really good at flattery!" Lu Peien laughed too, feeling comfortable every time he spoke with Yan Liqiang. He couldn't help but forget his age and treat him like an adult. Qian Su already told him that this precocious nephew of his was too mature for his age. It seemed like he wasn't wrong about it at all.
"I still have a lot to learn from Sixth Master!"
"Ah, let's leave it at that. I need to pay a visit to the martial arts academy first. I've got some business with the academy's headmaster. Go busy yourself with your own things first Liqiang, then we'll have lunch together at Lingbo Pavilion here in Pingxi City…"
"I have nothing much to do now. Just let me know if you need any help, Sixth Master. I will definitely do it as long as it is within my capabilities!"
'The last time' a tragedy befell his clan, the Lu Clan did everything they could for him and Yan Dechang until the very end. Yan Liqiang still remembered that it was Old Master Lu who sent the Sixth Master to Pingxi City to face a great deal of pressure. He had to personally make use of his connections in the city to claim Yan Liqiang's corpse and he helped settle the funeral. Although the Lu Clan was an influential clan in Huanglong County, they had indeed done as much as they could for him.
As the saying goes, 'misfortune tests the sincerity of friends'. It was certainly remarkable for the Lu Clan to be able to do that for them. To Yan Liqiang, regardless of the future between him and Lu Beixin or the possibility of them being together, the Lu Clan was definitely worth making friends with.
Seeing how ardent and thoughtful Yan Liqiang was, Lu Peien stole a few serious glances at him again. When he realized that Yan Liqiang was calm and didn't seem to be insincere, he couldn't help but be moved. He secretly murmured to himself that it seemed like the Old Master still had pretty impressive eyes for people. When Yan Liqiang, who had come to Pingxi City for two months after winning the first place among the top three in Qinghe County, saw him again, not only was he not conceited or arrogant — he was more respectful and courteous than ever. And what was that? That was the moral of a person. A person like this would certainly achieve meteor success in their life when an opportunity presented itself.
"Although this matter is indeed a vexing one, there's no need for Liqiang's help for now. We shall talk more during lunch…"
"Alright. Please attend to your matters first, Sixth Master. We shall talk more over lunch..."
After speaking with Yan Liqiang, Lu Peien immediately headed towards the main entrance of the martial arts academy. The guards who stood by the entrance stopped him. Lu Peien then fished out a gilded name card and handed it over to them. The two guards took a good look at the name card before they courteously stepped aside to let Lu Peien in. One of them even guided him to the mountain.
Yan Liqiang initially planned to return to the Nine Dragons Bridge, but since he had bumped into Lu Peien here, he decided to stay and wait for Lu Peien to come back instead of going elsewhere.
Judging from Lu Peien's countenance, the Lu Clan had probably run into some kind of trouble or difficulty that wasn't easy to resolve, and thus he showed up in Pingxi City. However, no matter how hard he racked his brains, Yan Liqiang simply couldn't come up with any problems that the Lu Clan could have possibly run into that required Lu Peien to come running to the martial arts academy.
"Big Brother, if I may ask, what is your name?" Seeing that Lu Peien had gone inside, Yan Liqiang started a conversation with his coachman. From the attire the coachman was wearing, he was probably from the Lu Clan too.
"Oh, you are too polite! I am Lu Dayou. If Young Master Yan thinks highly of the humble me, you can just call me by my name!" The coachman was overwhelmed and shocked after Yan Liqiang treated him with respect.
"Haha, Brother Lu, you know about me?"
"Of course I do. The method which Young Master Yan passed down to rescue those who drown in water at the Lu Residence is simply amazing. A few months later, that method saved the lives of a few children in just Huanglong County alone. Since that method was propagated by our manor, we are also basking in the reflected glory and are being praised by the others. Now, there's no one in the Lu Residence who hasn't heard of Young Master Yan's name. Everyone talks about how merciful you are and that you will definitely be rewarded for your good will. When Young Master Yan won first place among top three in the Martial Arts County Trial of Qinghe County, everyone in the Lu Residence knew as well and we were happy for Young Master Yan…!" The coachman smiled earnestly while he praised Yan Liqiang.
"How has the Lu Clan been lately?"
"Not bad!"
"Is Old Master Lu still healthy?"
"Yes, he is. The Old Master can play with huge stone weights of more than a hundred jin every day for up to two hours…"
"Glad to hear that. Did Sixth Master come to the prefectural city's martial arts academy because he ran into some kind of trouble?"
"Well… It's not my place to tell!" Lu Dayou hesitated for a moment before he shook his head with a troubled expression on his face. "Please forgive me, Young Master Yan. If I am to tell you now, the Sixth Master will reprimand me for not knowing my place. If Young Master Yan wishes to know, you will just have to personally ask the Sixth Master later..."
"Understood, I will ask Sixth Master personally later. Sorry for making things difficult for Brother Lu!"
"Don't worry about it…"
"Oh right, how long has Brother Lu been a coachman…?"
"Almost two decades!"
"What's the difference between driving a carriage and riding a horse? Is there some sort of trick to it?"
...
As the saying goes, 'When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers.' [1] Since Yan Liqiang had nothing to do anyway, he used the time to talk about the tips and tricks of driving a carriage with Lu Dayou, how to take care of horses and rhinodrake steeds, the qualities of various fodders, and how to take care of sick horses… At first, Lu Dayou thought that Yan Liqiang didn't know how to take care of horses. After talking to him, he realized that Yan Liqiang was actually very knowledgeable. He even had better experiences than him in certain aspects and Lu Dayou was actually able to gain a lot of knowledge from him here. He also reciprocated by sharing various pieces of information and experience he had gained from driving carriages to Yan Liqiang over these years.
Nearly two hours passed since they started talking.
By the time Lu Peien came out from the martial arts academy, both of them still seemed to have much to talk about. The coachman, Lu Dayou, admired Yan Liqiang so much that he wanted to bow down to him in admiration and he so badly wanted to proclaim Yan Liqiang as his close friend. After driving a carriage for so many years, his chat with Yan Liqiang today was most pleasurable. But of course, he was oblivious to the fact that socializing and building up networks through communication was a special skill that Yan Liqiang had earnestly studied during his career in his past life. In addition to this skill and the various 'past' experiences and gained knowledge, what Yan Liqiang gathered from the dedicated coachman of the Military Governor was enough for Yan Liqiang to chat with him for an entire day without any issues.
"Sixth Master!"
"Sixth Master!"
"What were you guys talking about? You two seemed like you were having a lot of fun!"
"I've learned quite a lot about taking care of horses from Young Master Yan. I am really impressed by him…" Lu Dayou managed to reply first.
"Oh? Liqiang, you know how to take care of horses too?"
"I have them back home, so I know a little. Actually, I was asking Brother Lu about how to drive a carriage just now. He was just being too humble..." Yan Liqiang said humbly.
Lu Peien smiled and gave Yan Liqiang a deep, meaningful stare. Perhaps most would scorn at people like Yan Liqiang who mingled with people of a lower social class. However, to a worldly man like Lu Peien, he would value Yan Liqiang instead and secretly admire him. "Liqiang, you didn't leave?"
"No, I didn't. I waited here for Sixth Master to bring me to a good meal!"
Why would someone like Yan Liqiang be bothered about a good meal so much that he waited for him here instead of leaving? He was probably sincere about finding out what help he could offer. Of course, Lu Peien understood just how valuable his intention was. He let out a hearty laugh. "HAHAHA. Good. It's about time for lunch anyway so let's go now. We'll go there on the horse carriage. Feel free to order whatever you wish to eat today, Liqiang!"
"Hehe, I hope I won't put too many expenses on Sixth Master!"
Both of them got on the horse carriage. Lu Dayou immediately drove the carriage towards Lingbo Pavilion without even waiting for Lu Peien's order.
Lu Peien didn't really talk about anything too important to Yan Liqiang in the horse carriage. He only inquired about Yan Liqiang's his studies in the martial arts academy out of concern, which Yan Liqiang responded appropriately to.
The traveling speed of the horse carriage was indeed quicker than walking. It was obvious that this wasn't the first time the coachman, Lu Dayou, had visited Pingxi City. He was very familiar with the routes in the city. In just a flash, the horse carriage had arrived at Lingbo Pavillion.
Lingbo Pavillion was the most famous restaurant in Pingxi City. It was located in the Plum Gardens at the Lake of Longevity.
Yan Liqiang would more or less have a strange feeling in his heart every time he was at the Plum Gardens, even though he didn't show it on his face. That was because the last time he was here, he was here to kill Wang Haofei.
They reserved a private room on the third floor of Lingbo Pavillion all to themselves. After the dishes were served, both of them had two cups of wine in the room. When Yan Liqiang once again brought up the question of why Lu Peien was here in Pingxi City, Lu Peien drained the contents of his cup in one gulp and then placed his wine cup down on the table. With a frown, he spoke to Yan Liqiang gloomily. "The Lu Clan is in big trouble this time…"
"What kind of trouble? Please tell me in detail, Sixth Master!"
Lu Peien pointed to the Lake of Longevity beyond the window. "Liqiang, did you know that King Cobra murdered someone in one of the isles in the Lake of Longevity last month, on the night of the seventh day of the ninth lunar month?"
"Yes, I do!" Yan Liqiang thought carefully for a moment. "I didn't think King Cobra would still be in Pingxi City. I heard that the person whom he killed was one of my senior martial brothers in the martial arts academy, with the surname Wang. I think the city was in an uproar for quite a long while back then…"
"The victim's name was Wang Haofei. Liqiang, do you know who he is?"
"Well… I heard he was the son of a wealthy clan…" Yan Liqiang had an endearing, silly look on his face.
"That's right. Wang Haofei was indeed the son of a wealthy clan. He was the young lord of the Wang Clan in Huanglong County. The son of Wang Puge, the head of the Wang Clan, who was very dear to the Old Master of the Wang Clan. He was the future hope of the Wang Clan. In Huanglong County, the Lu Clan and the Wang Clan never really got along well with each other, nor have they been on good terms. Now that Wang Haofei is dead, the Wang Clan is planning to blame it on the Lu Clan. They thought it was the Lu Clan who contacted King Cobra to assassinate him…"
Yan Liqiang's jaw dropped in shock. He didn't expect that after all the twists and turns, this matter would shift to the Lu Clan…
