Chapter 13: Grand Hall Master of Yishun Hall Xu Fei, Peak of Anjin
He had pulled an all-nighter and gorged himself on a massive amount of supplements. Before his breakthrough to Huajin, with his sixty-year-old body and decaying qi and blood, he would have likely died from the exertion.
But now, Lu Yun felt completely invigorated. His qi and blood were flourishing, and he was brimming with more energy than many men in their prime.
"A joyous occasion certainly lifts the spirits."
Lu Yun smiled. He rose slowly and stretched, his joints letting out a series of vigorous POPS.
’Time for breakfast.’
The Lu Family’s dining room was on the ground floor of their Western-style villa, a setup Lu Yun had never opposed.
He was not one of those stubborn old traditionalists who viewed everything from the Western World as a monstrous threat.
In Lu Yun’s eyes, practicality and comfort were paramount. Western sofas, glass windows, and even the arrangement of the dining table and chairs were undeniably convenient and bright. Why not make use of them?
He walked out of his courtyard, leaning on his walking stick, and made his way toward the main villa.
Inside the dining room, upon seeing Lu Yun enter, his eldest daughter-in-law, Shen Luoying, hurriedly urged the children in a low voice, "Ming Li, the rest of you, what are you gawking at? Say hello to your grandfather!"
The Lu Family’s grandchildren were all gathered in the room.
As the matriarch of the eldest son’s family, Shen Luoying had two children: the eldest grandson, Lu Mingli, and a granddaughter, Lu Xiaoying.
His second son, Lu Jingjun, was a year younger than his elder brother Lu Jingteng. Now twenty-eight, he had married Li Zhiyu.
Even Lu Yun had been quite surprised by the match at the time. That his boy had managed to meet and marry the daughter of a one-star Military Intelligence general in the capital, Yanjing City, showed he had some ability and good fortune.
Lu Jingjun now stayed in Yanjing City, working under his father-in-law. Fortunately, he had trained with Lu Yun in his youth, tempering his body and reaching the Dark Force realm, thus avoiding any dishonor to the Lu Family’s martial heritage.
Li Zhiyu had blessed the Lu Family with one son and three daughters. Lu Yun treated all his grandchildren equally; the thought of valuing boys over girls would never have occurred to him.
As for his youngest son, Lu Jingyao, he was a real handful.
Now twenty-five, he had insisted on "opening his eyes to the world" at age twenty and had promptly run off to study in France, an ocean away.
Unable to dissuade him and deeply worried, Lu Yun had dispatched several of his early, loyal disciples to escort and protect him.
That was five years ago, and Lu Yun had hardly seen a shadow of him since. Fortunately, letters still arrived every so often to report his well-being. Otherwise, Lu Yun might have actually gone to France to drag him back himself.
In his most recent reply, Lu Yun had laid down an ultimatum: If you don’t come back for the New Year this year, I’m personally coming to France to "visit" you!
"Hahaha, my dear grandchildren!"
A rare, gentle smile spread across Lu Yun’s face as he watched his chattering, lively grandchildren.
He set aside the Rosewood Walking Stick he was holding, bent down, and opened his arms wide.
He effortlessly scooped up the two little ones closest to him, one in each arm.
The dining table was laden with a dazzling array of dishes, a fusion of Chinese and Western cuisine.
On one side were modern Western dishes: perfectly seared steak, vibrant borscht, delicate foie gras, glistening caviar, and sweet and sour shrimp in tomato sauce.
On the other was a traditional Chinese breakfast: congee with side dishes, soy milk with fried dough sticks, crystal shrimp dumplings, and crab roe soup dumplings.
The Lu Family was immensely wealthy, so to cater to different palates, they had specially hired several master chefs skilled in both Western and Chinese cuisine.
Young people are always drawn to new things, and a few of the older grandchildren were already extending their forks curiously toward the steak and foie gras.
Lu Yun merely smiled without interfering. Served by Luo Ying, he ladled a bowl of warm, nourishing congee for himself and began to eat it slowly.
"Settle down, all of you. Don’t be so mischievous, and let your grandfather eat in peace," Shen Luoying gently chided the children.
Just then, Lu Fu entered the dining room silently, came to Lu Yun’s side, and bent down to whisper a few words in his ear.
The hand Lu Yun used to hold his bowl paused for a moment, then resumed its normal motion.
He finished the congee in his bowl in a few quick sips, put down his utensils, and wiped the corner of his mouth with a cloth napkin. Only then did he turn to his grandchildren, who were all looking at him with wide eyes, and smile gently.
"My dears, you eat up. Grandfather has some business to attend to."
He rose and nodded to Shen Luoying and Li Zhiyu. "Luo Ying, Zhiyu, I’ll leave them in your care."
「The Main Hall of the Old Residence.」
A middle-aged man, around forty, stood in the center of the hall with his hands clasped behind his back. He was dressed in a well-tailored, dark-gray long robe with a finely crafted, thin woolen vest over it.
He had an exceptionally brawny physique, but his face was remarkably plain.
The middle-aged man tilted his head back slightly, gazing at a plaque hanging high in the hall. It bore four words, personally calligraphed by Lu Yun.
Still waters run deep.
This man was none other than Xu Fei, the Captain of Yishun Hall—one of the three great Cao Bang in Yun Port City.
Hearing the soft TAP, TAP of a wooden staff on the bluestone floor, Xu Fei slowly turned around.
Lu Yun appeared at the entrance to the hall, silhouetted against the morning light. His figure was as tall and straight as a pine, causing Xu Fei’s pupils to shrink involuntarily.
He narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Lu Yun, scrutinizing every subtle movement of this last Martial Scholar of the fallen dynasty.
Yesterday, Yishun Hall had lost five skilled men. In addition, his third sworn brother, Wu Zhongyi, a dignified master at the Late-stage Anjin realm, had one of his hands crippled, all five fingers shattered.
He was still lying unconscious in the hospital. The most critical point was that, according to all the eyewitnesses and Zhang Hong, the Gang Leader of the Poisonous Snake Gang, Wu Zhongyi had been utterly powerless to fight back against Lu Yun, a sixty-year-old man!
’A Late-stage Anjin master, with no power to even resist?’
’Even for him, Xu Fei, a master at the Peak of Anjin, crippling Wu Zhongyi so cleanly would be no easy feat. It would be impossible to prevent his opponent from mounting any effective resistance at all.’
’Seeing is believing.’
’His sworn brother Wu Zhongyi had yet to awaken, and the words of the Poisonous Snake Gang and the others couldn’t be fully trusted.’
Xu Fei’s primary purpose for coming in person today was to gauge for himself just how much real skill this reclusive Lord Lu, the last Martial Scholar of the former dynasty, still possessed.
’If the rumors were true, if Lu Yun had really reached the realm of a Grandmaster of Huajin... then he, Xu Fei, would immediately bow his head, admit defeat, offer a sincere apology, and cut his losses. He would not become an enemy of the Lu Family.’
’But if it was all just a bluff, or if Lu Yun had simply gotten lucky with some special technique... hmph. Then they would settle all scores, new and old. Yishun Hall was not to be trifled with!’
The next moment, an impeccable, warm smile instantly spread across Xu Fei’s face.
He clasped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute, bowing deeply to Lu Yun as he entered the hall.
"Lord Lu! It has been many years. Seeing you today, you still possess such a transcendent air, the very bearing of an immortal sage. Your presence is even more magnificent than in years past!"
"It truly leaves us of the younger generation in the dust, ashamed of our own inferiority!"