Chapter 53 - 51: Mr. Lu, When Will You Be Number One in Yun Port City
Three hours later, Wen San was gasping for breath, sweat pouring down like rain. His thin clothes were soaked through, clinging to his lean, sturdy back.
Even so, he felt as if he had boundless energy, his only thought to get this great personage from the Celestial Family home safely and quickly.
After another ten minutes or so, the magnificent, towering gate of the Lu Family Residence came into view, and a great weight was finally lifted from Wen San’s mind.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his pace, and brought the rickshaw to a steady stop before the grand bluestone steps of the Lu Family estate.
The moment the rickshaw stopped, Wen San scrambled to the side, bowed slightly, and said respectfully, "Lord Lu, we’ve arrived. Please... be careful getting out."
Lu Yun disembarked with composure and, once steady on his feet, gave Wen San a meaningful look.
In truth, he had recognized Wen San as well.
Twenty years was enough time to change many things, to turn a high-spirited young rickshaw puller into the weathered, gray-haired man who stood before him now.
Lu Yun suddenly spoke, his voice serene. "Oh? You recognize me?"
Hearing Lord Lu address him, Wen San was so thrilled he nearly became incoherent. He hurriedly bowed even lower. "Lord Lu, great men are often forgetful. You probably don’t remember a humble person like me."
"Twenty years ago, in the old district... I... I had the honor of pulling your rickshaw once! I was young and foolish back then..."
"It’s a shame. I was dirt poor back then, couldn’t even scrape together a disciple’s offering. Besides... I probably don’t have the aptitude for martial arts anyway."
"Otherwise... if things had been different, I would have worked up the courage to ask you to take me as your student, to learn the fist from you!"
For Wen San, that chance encounter twenty years ago was more than just a single fare.
He remembered the sun was shining brightly that day. As he pulled the rickshaw for the Martial Scholar, he had summoned his courage and asked, half-joking and half-serious.
"Mr. Lu, when’re you gonna be number one in Yun Port City?"
The question, delivered with a local accent and full of street-smart bravado, coupled with the undisguised adoration and longing in the young man’s eyes, had naturally left a deep impression on Lu Yun.
It was precisely because of that impression that Lu Yun had "picked" him out of the crowd of rickshaw pullers at a glance.
Lu Yun’s heart was stirred as he looked at Wen San, who was now slightly stooped under the heavy weight of life.
Twenty years had changed so much.
Some people soared to great heights, others sank into the dregs of the city, and still others, like Wen San, just struggled to push onward through the mire of life.
"So it was you."
Lu Yun nodded, the faintest of smiles touching his lips. "I haven’t forgotten. Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. You’ve aged as well. Have you started a family?"
Wen San began to tremble with excitement upon hearing that Lord Lu not only remembered him but was also asking about his family.
"I have! I have two children."
At the mention of his children, the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth out as he broke into a simple, honest grin. "I never had the good fortune or the talent to learn Martial Arts from you, and I’ve always regretted it."
"Now that times are a little better, I’ve sent both my kids to a martial arts hall! The old, established Wind-Splitting Falcon Xingyi Fist Martial Arts Hall in the East City District. The tuition isn’t cheap, but I grit my teeth and pay for them to go!"
"These are turbulent times. Learning some fighting skills, even if they can’t become a Grandmaster like you, Lord Lu, will at least build up their bodies. If anything happens in the future, they’ll have some means to protect themselves and won’t be at such a disadvantage."
"I’m not much of a father, but I just hope they can have a better life than I did."
Lu Yun listened quietly, a flicker of appreciation in his eyes.
’Born in a chaotic age, lives are as cheap as weeds. So many people just drift along with the tide, living in a daze, or even resorting to desperate measures.’
’For someone like Wen San to be able to pull a rickshaw day in and day out, year after year, relying on his own strength to support his family, build a home, and live so tenaciously at the very bottom of society...’
’...that in itself requires tremendous willpower.’
’A man of great perseverance.’
Lu Yun sighed to himself. He too had experienced difficult times, but he had relied on his stunning, unparalleled talent in Martial Arts to carve a bloody path to where he stood today.
’If I had been an ordinary man like Wen San, with no talent to speak of, I would have likely died in some forgotten corner of this chaotic world long ago, with the weeds on my grave grown tall.’
The next moment, Lu Yun took a heavy little cloth pouch from his coat, untied the drawstring, and revealed ten gleaming, enticingly lustrous gold Oceans.
Without another word, he held it out. "Your fare. Take it."
Wen San’s eyes went wide at the sight of the ten shimmering Oceans in cash, and his Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably.
One Ocean was equivalent to a thousand Daxia Yuan. At current market rates, that was enough for a common family of three to live on for a month—it was nearly several months’ worth of his income!
The immense temptation made Wen San’s heart pound wildly, but his deep-seated reverence for Lu Yun forced an insincere refusal from his lips. "Lord Lu! I... I can’t possibly take this! It’s too much! It’s really far too much!"
"Having the chance to give you a ride is a blessing I’ve earned over lifetimes. How could I possibly take so much money from you! I can’t, I absolutely cannot!"
How could Lu Yun not see through his act, watching him stare longingly at the money while desperately trying to restrain himself?
"Just take it."
He pressed the small cloth pouch directly into Wen San’s subconsciously outstretched hand.
Lu Yun said no more, simply turning and walking through the main gate of the Lu Family Residence.
Inside the gates of the Lu Family Residence, Lu Jingteng, worried that his father had not yet returned so late at night, had been waiting for some time with a few trusted servants and Hospital Guards holding lanterns.
The moment he saw Lu Yun enter, Lu Jingteng breathed a sigh of relief. A smile spread across his face as he hurried forward to greet him.
"Father! You’re finally back!" Lu Jingteng came forward and studied his father carefully. Seeing his complexion was normal and his spirits were high, he turned and ordered the servants,
"Hurry! The Old Master has returned! Go to the kitchen and bring the supper we kept warm to the dining hall! And prepare hot water!"
"Yes, Master!" the servants replied in unison, moving with a disciplined haste.
Like stars revolving around the moon, Lu Jingteng and the servants clustered around Lu Yun, escorting him toward the family’s main hall.
The vermilion gates slowly swung shut behind them.
With trembling hands, Wen San tucked the pouch securely into an inner pocket against his chest. He then took two steps back, faced the Lu Family’s main gate, and knelt respectfully, kowtowing three times with heavy thuds.
"Thank you for your immense kindness, Lord Lu. I, Wen San... will never forget it as long as I live..."
The early morning train station was a cacophony of human voices, the roar of steam, and general clamor.
A train arriving from Yanjing City, like a great steel beast, slid into the station, slowly exhaling white steam.
The doors to the first-class carriages were the first to open. Most of the passengers who disembarked were well-dressed, their expressions either arrogant or hurried.
Inside one of the first-class compartments, however, the atmosphere was rather strange.
A man of about fifty sat ramrod straight inside. He wore a well-tailored, high-quality gray tunic suit, his head was shaved bald and gleaming, and he sported a meticulously groomed goatee.
His face was gaunt, with slightly high cheekbones, and his eyes were sharp yet serene. He toyed with a string of dark prayer beads, his movements slow and deliberate.
Across from the bald man sat two others who looked rather wretched—pitiful, even.
A pale-faced, middle-aged man of about forty sat by the window. His left leg was in a thick cast from thigh to ankle, wrapped in bandages, and he supported himself with an exquisitely crafted crutch.
It was none other than Feng Yuan, the supervising commissioner from the Antiquities Division headquarters, who had returned in defeat from Yun Port City only to be ambushed by the Lu Family on his way back.
Next to him sat his subordinate, Gan Wen Yao, whose condition was even more visually apparent.
His once-decent face was a mess of black and blue, swollen almost beyond recognition. Garish white bandages were wrapped around his forehead, and he looked completely dejected.
For Feng Yuan and Gan Wen Yao, the recent journey back to Yanjing had been a complete nightmare.
Not only had their mission in Yun Port City ended in a humiliating failure, but they had also been ambushed with precision by unidentified gunmen on their way to the train station!
Of course, the two of them didn’t have to think twice before identifying the culprits. Who else could it be but the Lu Family?
"Advisor Sun! Elder Sun! You must get justice for us! You must avenge us!"
Feng Yuan pointed agitatedly at his own casted leg, then at Gan Wen Yao’s face, which was swollen like a pig’s head.
"It was all the Lu Family in Yun Port City! That old bastard, Lu Yun! We were carrying out our duties according to the law in Yun Port, but they not only violently resisted enforcement but also injured several of our team members."
"We were forced to withdraw, but they still wouldn’t let it go! The maniacs sent men to ambush us on the road!"
"Just look! Look at what they’ve done to us! My leg... the doctor says it’ll take over half a year to heal!"
"Young Gan’s face is ruined! How can we at the Antiquities Division possibly swallow this insult?"
Gan Wen Yao, clutching his swollen, aching cheeks, mumbled in agreement, his eyes filled with resentment. "Advisor Sun, the Lu Family is too arrogant! They have no respect for the Antiquities Division, no respect for the Yanjing headquarters at all!"
"This is a blatant provocation! Such insolence cannot be allowed to continue!"