Chapter 8, Master Lu San

Lu Bing nodded and said: "I originally intended to greet Brother Xia before taking my leave, but Brother Xia has not returned for a long time. I was also afraid that staying here too long would lead to trouble, so I could only leave a letter. I did not expect to meet you both today. I will take my leave now, and I will always remember the kindness you have shown me, Lu.

Lu Bing also nodded with a smile and asked, "How are my parents? How is my younger brother?"

Those who are close to vermilion become red, and those who are close to ink become black. Spending a long time with Meng Lin, Xia Dade, and others, Lu Bing has also picked up some of the ways of the jianghu. His martial arts have not been neglected, and his literary talent is also commendable. Lu Bing is surprised to find such a great talent as Meng Lin in the countryside, but Meng Lin mysteriously smiles and says: "The small recluse hides in the wild, while the great recluse hides in the city"

Meng Lin and Xia Dade applauded simultaneously, exclaiming how wonderful it was, a perfect blend of elegance and popular appeal, with an impressive demeanor

"Transplanting flowers and grafting trees." Lu Bing interjected, and Xia Dade slapped his forehead and said: "Exactly, it is transplanting flowers and grafting trees"

Once, when this Taoist was playing tricks, I managed to scare him. Lu Bing candidly admitted that, to be honest, he felt somewhat moved now. Xia Dade, having known him for only a short time, was already helping him gather information and running back and forth. Considering that Xia Dade even helped him kill someone, how could Lu Bing not be touched by this

However, under the influence of the court's foolish rhetoric, Lu Bing despised and loathed this court, realizing that ancient times were even more filthy and chaotic than modern times. Thus, Lu Bing stood up, waved his hand, and said: "We must crush this evil old society"

Certainly, it cannot be overlooked that Zhu Houzhao regarded the lives of the common people as mere trifles, showing no concern for his own safety or the honor and disgrace of the nation. He repeatedly escaped from the palace and later even assumed the name of Governor of Military Affairs, the Mighty General, and Chief Commander Zhu Shou, engaging in battles against the Tartars, resulting in a farcical situation

Meng Lin explained: www.hetushucom.com "First, divert the disaster westward, causing a feud between the Jiang family and Wang Laoda, leading them to mutually destroy each other. Regardless of who loses, we will have eliminated a threat to the people."

Gradually, centered around Dongqiao Town, within a radius of one hundred miles, everyone came to know that a great hero had arrived, seemingly named Lu Chong, which is also the alias of Lu Bing. However, people preferred to call him by his nickname, "Lu San Dao."

Oh dear," Xia Dade exclaimed in surprise, "there's one more thing I forgot to tell you. A girl named Xiao Rui asked me to tell you that she is waiting for you.

"Not at all, not at all, Lu Xiandi does not need to leave at all," Meng Lin said, closing the iron fan. "Whether you call it a sleight of hand or framing, in any case, what I am employing is a strategy that achieves two goals with one action"

In an instant, Lu Bing's face turned red, prompting Meng Lin and Xia Dade to burst into laughter. Meng Lin said, "It is only human nature; there is no need for Brother Lu to feel shy."

Meng Lin shook his head: "Wang Laoda is crude and reckless. The news of the officials and soldiers arriving will surely lead to a siege of the mountain to eliminate the bandits. Wang Laoda has long had a rift with the Jiang family over the distribution of spoils, and at this moment, he is on edge, believing that the Jiang family has summoned the authorities to exterminate him. As for harboring criminals, that refers to you; it is merely an excuse. He will definitely think this way."

"Will Wang Laoda not defend himself?" Lu Bing asked

"Brother Xia, who is this Wang Laoda?" Lu Bing asked. Xia Dade explained nonchalantly: "There are some bandits occupying a hill a few dozen miles west of Anlu, specializing in robbery. The government has not eradicated them and it is said they have colluded with the authorities. These people are not very principled; they do not know how to rob the rich to help the poor, only knowing how to bully the common folk. A while ago, they had a dispute with the Jiang family over the division of spoils. Just as I was pulling your matter into their affairs, you can't run away anyway, so it would be better to create a false impression that others mistakenly believe Wang Laoda has taken you in. There is a saying that goes well, called 'move something to connect with something else.' Ah, how does that saying go?"

Lu Bing's eyes brimmed with tears, and he nearly cried out loud. He forced himself to hold back the tears and then said: "Since that is the case, I will respectfully follow the arrangements of Brother Xia and Mr. Meng and stay in Dongqiao Town. However, I must trouble both of you, my brothers."

Thus, Lu Bing settled down in Dongqiao Town, spending his days practicing martial arts with Xia Dade and engaging in literary pursuits with Meng Lin, leading a rather joyful life. Gradually, Lu Bing relaxed and accompanied Xia Dade on several excursions into the martial world. Lu Bing was inherently kind-hearted and had a penchant for upholding justice; whenever he encountered a troublesome thief, as long as he executed the first move of the Thirteen Deadly Blades, "Three Lives, All Things," the opponent would immediately be struck down. Those who did not fall on the spot would surrender without resistance.

Mr. Meng clasped his fists and said: "I am Meng Lin, courtesy name Yuting, and I have the honor of meeting you, Brother Lu."

Under the influence of his surroundings, Lu Bing began to develop a sense of aversion towards the court he belonged to. The inner court eunuchs, known as the Eight Tigers, were notorious for their misdeeds, driving away the prominent ministers. Emperor Zhu Houzhao was reckless and tyrannical, establishing the Leopard Room to extort wealth and gather beautiful women from across the realm. Furthermore, the appointment of treacherous officials like Jiang Bin and Qian Ning was alarming. Fortunately, the infighting among these treacherous officials has led to the demise of many; otherwise, this world would truly have become a realm ruled by treacherous officials.

As he spoke, Xia Dade was about to go off-topic again, but this time it was different; he quickly realized it and cleared his throat, saying: "At a glance, I saw that this was not a solution, so I thought about killing the Jiang family. However, upon further reflection, I realized that this would only exacerbate the problem and would not resolve it at all. Therefore, I killed that foul-mouthed villain, dipping his blood to write on the wall, 'The leader of the Nine Turns Village kills!' You wouldn't believe it, brother, but the other day I saw that Young Master Jiang; not only was his leg crippled, but his face was also distorted, probably out of fright. It was truly a miserable sight, and I felt utterly relieved!" So I killed that foul-mouthed villain, dipping his blood to write on the wall, 'The leader of the Nine Turns Village kills!' You wouldn't believe it, brother, but the other day I saw that Young Master Jiang; not only was his leg crippled, but his face was also distorted, probably out of fright. It was truly a miserable sight, and I felt utterly relieved!

Lu Bing hesitated, and Xia Dade slapped his forehead, saying, "Damn it, I almost forgot one thing." As he spoke, he took out a handwritten letter from his bosom. Lu Bing's eyes brightened upon seeing it; it was indeed in his father Lu Song's handwriting. The letter advised him to take good care of himself, not to neglect his martial arts, and not to be lazy in his studies, among other things.

Lu Bing quickly returned the greeting: "I have met Mr. Meng, and I thank Mr. Yuting for his timely assistance."

Listening to what they said, Lu Bing recalled a television drama he had once watched, which was about Zhu Houzhao. It was quite similar to what they were discussing, leading him to believe that Zhu Houzhao must have been a foolish ruler. At least at this moment, that was Lu Bing's thought. However, what piqued his curiosity was when Mr. Meng mentioned that Zhu Houzhao had no children to this day. Who would inherit the throne in the future? Originally, Lu Bing wanted to make a prediction about it. Yet, after racking his brain for a long time, he could not come up with a reasonable explanation. Since he could not remember, he had no choice but to give up.

Lu Bing stood up, bowed deeply, and said: "Thank you, Brother Xia, for your efforts on my behalf. I did not expect that Brother Xia is not only extraordinarily brave but also possesses exceptional wisdom, knowing how to frame and deceive. Ahem, I mean, to use a switcheroo.

What does this mean? Lu Bing was greatly puzzled.

Lu Bing repeatedly expressed his gratitude with cupped hands and a fist salute, while Xia Dade grew anxious: "Can you two speak in a way that I can understand?" The three of them then burst into hearty laughter. After the laughter subsided, Meng Lin remarked: "Look at the letters and ink on Lu Xian-di's table, the package is all ready. Are you about to leave?"

"Well said, well said," Xia Dade exclaimed with great excitement. In his lifetime, Xia Dade had only been defeated by two individuals in the realm of martial arts, one being Lu Bing and the other Meng Lin. How could he not be thrilled? He then added, "The two of us can often practice our skills together in the future"

That is, my brother, whom I, Xia Dade, have chosen, cannot be wrong. Brother Lu, rest assured, I will visit the old man whenever I have the chance; they are all doing quite well. Do not look at me like that, Mr. Meng; I will be careful and will definitely wait until the commotion passes. When we met Uncle Lu this time, he was still somewhat skeptical of me until I recounted many details and mentioned the technique you used that day, after which he wrote us a letter. His Highness, Prince Xing, is also doing well; he asked me to tell you that everything at home is taken care of by him, so you can be at ease. " Xia Dade said. When we met Uncle Lu this time, he was still somewhat skeptical of me until I recounted many details and mentioned the technique you used that day, after which he wrote us a letter. His Highness, Prince Xing, is also doing well; he asked me to tell you that everything at home is taken care of by him, so you can be at ease. " Xia Dade said.

The back-and-forth between the two sides will inevitably lead to conflict. Once the blood is up, even if Wang Laoda tries to explain, it will be of no use. His character and the sordid history between the two families have brought about this outcome. Thus, this tactic is referred to as borrowing a knife to kill after moving the flowers and connecting the wood. As for who gets killed, I cannot speculate. Furthermore, when two tigers fight, one will surely be injured, which is beneficial for us, as neither of them are good people. Meng Lin said: "Moreover, the Jiu Zhuan stronghold is to the west, while we are to the east. In this way, with our paths diverging, the authorities will pay even less attention to the movements in Dongqiao Town. Although it is not too close to Anlu, it is also not too far, making it more convenient for you to send letters home. Therefore, Lu Xian Di, you should stay in Dongqiao Town. Once the situation calms down, you might even be able to sneak back home for a visit."

Xia Dade nodded in approval and said, "It seems that Brother Lu is quite a versatile person, capable of even scaring others, haha. I continued, this evil scheme, once revealed by you, shocked the Jiang family. After all, involving a prince cannot rely solely on the words of a Taoist as evidence. Thus, the Jiang family ran rampant in the city, coercing others to point fingers at you, fabricating a pile of testimonies, some true and some false, which gave them the audacity to demand people from the Xing Wang Mansion. They discovered you were not there, so they captured your father, claiming that debts of the son must be repaid by the father. They did not dare to say that it was the Xing Wang who had chosen to cripple someone, so they shifted all the blame onto you. Don't underestimate the Xing Wang; despite his youth, his presence is formidable. He immediately decided to file a petition to the court, which forced the Jiang family to release Uncle Lu. Uncle Lu came and went in a hurry, suffering little hardship, but they closely monitored every move of the Xing Wang Mansion, with both open and secret guards surrounding it. It is truly lawless, and I am furious about it.

Meng Lin was not being polite; he sat down and said: "I heard from Brother Xia that Brother Lu is a hero, so I wanted to make his acquaintance. However, I am merely a poor scholar and have no gifts to present. I can only share this strategy with Brother Xia, considering it a token of my regard for Brother Lu. I hope Brother Lu will not take offense at this."

Lu Bing said nothing further, merely clasping his fists in gratitude towards the two, which brought him a sense of peace. Lu Bing reflected to himself that there are still many good people in the world; it is truly commendable how, despite a chance encounter, they acted in such a manner. This is indeed the conduct of heroes and noble individuals.

Xia Dade chuckled foolishly and said, "You really can't thank me for this; it was Mr. Meng who taught me. Mr. Meng, please come in."

A man dressed as a teacher entered from outside, wearing a square cap and a blue robe, holding a folding fan in his hand despite the cold winter. To an outsider, he would certainly be regarded as a scholar. However, Lu Bing, with his keen eyes, noticed that the folding fan in the hands of this so-called Mr. Meng was no ordinary fan; it was made of iron bones, clearly a weapon. Furthermore, observing Mr. Meng's light and agile steps, it was evident that he was a skilled practitioner.

Meng Lin's eyes sparkled as he said, "To call the vassal king a brother is indeed a display of great spirit; it seems that Brother Xia has not misjudged the person."