Chapter 143 - 109: Lu Jing’an Is Dismissed

Chapter 143: Chapter 109: Lu Jing’an Is Dismissed

"Right now... they’d love nothing more than to see us fight the Lu Family even more fiercely."

Hearing this, the adjutant didn’t dare say more. He bowed and excused himself.

...

The moon was high above the treetops by the time the Ironclad Ship returned to the docks.

Lu Jing’an hadn’t left.

With the ban in place, trouble could erupt at any moment.

Lu Jing’an had his car parked in the shadows just outside the docks, and he leaned against the door.

He watched the ship’s light in the middle of the river, a solitary lantern slowly drifting closer through the night.

As Kui Shan and his group disembarked, they spotted the familiar black sedan and the tall, silent figure standing beside it.

"Young Master Lu?" Wen Ling walked over quickly, a look of surprise on her face. "You’ve been waiting here this whole time?"

Lu Jing’an straightened up and nodded. "Commander Bai’s complete navigation ban has been issued. Without his personal order, no one is allowed to sail.

I waited here to prevent any unnecessary complications."

Wen Ling’s expression changed slightly. "The Bai Family... They move so fast."

"It would be strange if they didn’t," Lu Jing’an said calmly, turning to pull open the car door. "This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s head back to the Anping Bureau first."

"Alright."

The two cars drove away from the docks, one after the other, rolling over the bluestone pavement.

The sound was muffled, melting into the damp night air.

In the car, Wen Ling couldn’t resist glancing over at Lu Jing’an. "Will the Bai Family give you trouble because of our river patrol today?"

Lu Jing’an chuckled at her words. The smile was faint, flashing for a moment in the dim yellow light that swept past the car window before vanishing.

"Sister Wen Ling, if I hadn’t let you patrol the river, do you think the Bai Family would have just let me go?"

Lu Jing’an paused, his voice softening slightly. "You don’t need to worry about these things. I have my own plans."

Seeing his calm expression, Wen Ling didn’t press the matter.

Faced with a behemoth like the Bai Family, the Anping Bureau truly lacked any effective means of restraint.

Besides, it was highly unlikely that the Anping Bureau would make an exception for Lu Jing’an.

The car stopped in front of the Anping Bureau’s simple, old-fashioned courtyard gate.

Everyone went inside and closed the door.

Only then did Kui Shan take a rolled-up, yellowed hydrographic chart of the Canglan River from his coat and spread it on the table.

"The location of the Spirit Nest is more or less confirmed. It’s on the Canglan River." Kui Shan’s rough finger drew a circle on a spot on the chart. "Here."

Lu Jing’an leaned over to look, his brow furrowed slightly. "So it’s here..."

"You know this place?" Kui Shan looked up.

"I do." Lu Jing’an straightened up, his gaze still fixed on the mark. "The lair of that Piggy Dragon that was causing chaos in the Canglan River before was right here.

There are caves at the bottom of the river. Extremely deep."

Kui Shan wasn’t surprised. "That explains it. The location of a Spirit Nest holds a natural attraction for demonic beings."

But Lu Jing’an countered, "Senior, didn’t you say before that Spirit Veins suppress demonic beings? How can they also attract them?"

"The two are not contradictory." Kui Shan shook his head and explained patiently.

"A Spirit Vein can indeed suppress evil and filth, but the Earth Qi and Spiritual Qi it nurtures are also perfect tonics for demonic beings.

It’s like a moth to a flame. Even knowing it means death, they can’t resist the allure of that little bit of light.

What’s more, the Spirit Vein is now hidden and faint, its suppressive power greatly reduced, so the demonic beings have naturally grown more rampant."

Lu Jing’an was silent for a moment before nodding.

"How does the Anping Bureau plan to guard this place?" Lu Jing’an continued to ask.

"There’s no need to deliberately station heavy guards there." Kui Shan pointed to the winding waterway on the chart.

"The Spirit Nest is deeply embedded in the rock veins at the bottom of the river. It cannot be easily destroyed by human hands.

Unless the river changes its course or an earthquake cracks the entire riverbed, it’s difficult for external forces to breach it."

"That’s the best news I’ve heard all day." Lu Jing’an let out a soft sigh of relief.

Kui Shan glanced at him, hesitating for a moment, but finally spoke. "Thank you for your help today, Young Master Lu.

However, the Anping Bureau’s duties are limited. We truly cannot interfere in the dispute between the Lu and Bai families. Please forgive us."

Hearing this, Lu Jing’an actually laughed, a genuine warmth in his smile. "For you to say that, Senior, is already more than I could ask."

With that, he didn’t stay any longer. He cupped his hands in a farewell gesture. "Since the Spirit Nest is safe, I’ll be heading back."

Kui Shan and the others saw him to the courtyard gate.

Watching the black sedan disappear into the night down the long street, Wen Ling suddenly spoke softly, "Boss, say... if the Lu Family really falls and Young Master Lu loses his official status, could he join us at the Anping Bureau?"

Her words were clearly a probing question.

At once, several gazes from the side secretly fell upon Kui Shan’s face.

Even Lin Qingya, who was usually the most introverted and never even looked people in the eye, was now looking up at him timidly.

Only then did Kui Shan realize that, at some point, Lu Jing’an had won over so many hearts in the Anping Bureau.

Kui Shan was silent for a moment. Gazing at the taillights disappearing around the street corner, he said slowly:

"If that day truly comes... I will recommend him for the Bureau."

Wen Ling’s eyes lit up. "Thank you, Boss!"

But Kui Shan immediately raised a hand and added, "I only said I’d recommend him. Whether he can get in or not will still depend on his own abilities."

But by then, no one was listening carefully anymore.

The group dispersed, and the wind lantern under the eaves swayed gently, casting shifting patches of light on the bluestone slabs.

...

「Lu Mansion.」

It was late. The lanterns in front of the residence gate swayed slightly in the wind.

The old housekeeper, Uncle Zhang, was rubbing his hands, pacing back and forth under the portico and occasionally peering toward the end of the long street.

He didn’t quicken his pace and descend the steps until the familiar sedan came into view.

The moment the car came to a steady stop, Lu Jing’an pushed the door open and got out.

"Uncle Zhang, is Father waiting for me?"

"Yes, Young Master." Housekeeper Zhang hurried forward and lowered his voice. "The Master has given orders. As soon as you returned, you were to go to the study immediately."

Lu Jing’an nodded, not breaking his stride. "Let’s go."

The two of them crossed several courtyards, the electric lights hanging in the corridors stretching and shrinking their shadows.

The study door was ajar, a dim yellow light seeping from within.

Pushing the door open and stepping inside, Lu Jing’an saw his father, Lu Huaiqian, standing at the window with his back to the door.

He rarely smoked, but now, a cigarette was pinched between his fingers.

Smoke curled up, obscuring half his figure.

On the desk lay a telegram, face down.

Its edges were curled up slightly, like a dried leaf.

"Father," Lu Jing’an called out softly.

Hearing his voice, Lu Huaiqian turned and stubbed out the cigarette in a porcelain jar on the windowsill.

Lu Huaiqian’s face was weary, with faint, dark shadows under his eyes.

"Jing’an, you’re back." His voice, too, was laced with exhaustion.

"Did the Bai Family make another move?" Lu Jing’an’s gaze fell on the telegram.

Lu Huaiqian didn’t answer. He just reached out, flipped the telegram over, and pushed it to the edge of the desk.

Lu Jing’an stepped forward, picked it up, and quickly scanned the few lines of cold text.

Lu Jing’an’s expression remained neutral. After reading, he gently placed the telegram back where it was.

"The Bai Family is resorting to outright robbery now." Lu Jing’an’s voice was calm, betraying no anger or joy.

"We invested so much manpower, material, and financial resources into the Water Patrol Bureau just to get it barely off the ground.

Now, with a single order, they want to revoke my position and reap what they didn’t sow. They can’t even be bothered to put on a proper show."

Lu Huaiqian let out a long sigh, walked behind the desk and sat down. Pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, he delivered even worse news:

"As for the Hu Family... I’m afraid we can’t count on them."

"After I received the telegram, I contacted Secretary Hu."

"But the person who answered wasn’t Secretary Hu, it was one of his subordinates."

"He told me that the Hu Family is so pressured by the Bai Family that they can’t even fend for themselves."

"The Provincial Government is also in complete chaos right now."

"The Bai Family’s offensive is fierce. He said they probably won’t be able to hold out."

Hearing this, Lu Jing’an gave a cold laugh. "Can’t hold out? Or do they just want us to take the brunt of it first?

Wait until our Lu Family is mostly spent, after we’ve blunted the Bai Family’s edge, and then they’ll make their move?"

’He had some idea of just how powerful the Hu Family really was.

He believed that the Hu Family wasn’t as strong as the Bai Family.

But he refused to believe the gap was so large they couldn’t even fight back.

If that were really the case, the Bai Family would have devoured the Hu Family long ago, leaving not even bone fragments behind.

This current excuse was nothing more than a ploy to watch the Lu Family fight the Bai Family to the death.

The more blood they could make the Bai Family shed, the better.

Every drop would make things that much easier for the Hu Family when it was their turn to face the Bai Family.’