Chapter 28

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The reaction of this wandering cultivator was somewhat unexpected to Wang Shouzhe, and his face immediately turned grim: "It seems the trouble you caused in Yingxiu was not small."

"I have sinned, my lord, I was greedy," the wandering cultivator wept bitterly in repentance. "We were a group of traveling merchants traveling together. When we passed through Yingxiu, we saw a wealthy merchant's family getting married. We were originally going to ask for a cup of wine and then leave, but unexpectedly, we found that the dowry was very rich. There were over a hundred pieces of gold, and two valuable hundred-year-old ginseng roots. We were tempted by evil thoughts and sneaked into the wealthy merchant's house to steal at night..."

As the confession continued, Wang Shouzhe's face grew darker. These wandering cultivators were truly audacious. After being caught stealing, they even dared to kill to cover their tracks and plunder the wealth.

Fortunately, the wandering cultivators had a falling out due to their greed, and this one ultimately came out on top. However, his luck was very bad. While treating his wounds in a sparsely populated forest, he was discovered by Wang Shouzhe and his group.

"My lord, if you swear to spare my life," the wandering cultivator begged pitifully, "I will reveal the location where I hid the stolen goods and offer everything to you."

This wandering cultivator seemed to understand the style of the Xuanwu family. If Wang Shouzhe made a vow in front of his subordinates, he would not go back on his word.

Otherwise, what would the subordinates think of a family head who could casually break his vows? Would they still trust the family head in the future?

Wang Zhong and the other subordinates also looked at Wang Shouzhe, their eyes filled with hope. The stolen goods were valuable, and if they could get them, it would help alleviate the Wang family's financial difficulties.

Wang Shouzhe thought for a moment, then mounted his horse: "Take him with us and hand him over to the Lu family in Yingxiu for disposal."

"Yes, my lord." Wang Zhong, after a brief pause, loyally carried out his mission, gagging the wandering cultivator and throwing him onto the horse, regardless of his struggles and cries.

"Go!"

The coachman, Wang Lao Shi, cracked the whip, and the carriage pulled by two horses slowly moved along the rugged, muddy road.

After a short while, Wang Zhong rode up to Wang Shouzhe and asked in a low voice: "My lord, are we really going to give up on the stolen goods? If you're worried about getting your hands dirty, I can handle it. Just give me some time, and I'll make him reveal the hiding place."

"Our time is precious, and we can't afford to play treasure-hunting games with a mere wandering cultivator," Wang Shouzhe said calmly. "Wang Zhong, as a member of the Xuanwu family, you must think long-term. There's no such thing as a wall that doesn't leak. If we offend the Lu family over this, the losses we will suffer will be ten, even a hundred times greater than the value of the stolen goods! Most importantly, if we take the stolen goods and let the criminals go, how can we face our ancestors who founded the family, like Zouxuan, and those who have protected the family for decades, like Longyan?"

This was a matter of family faith, and the greatest faith of most families was their founding ancestors.

Wang Zhong's body trembled, and he said shamefully, "I understand, my lord. I was blinded by the lure of profit."

"Human nature is greedy, but controlling greed is crucial," Wang Shouzhe said calmly. "Like those wandering cultivators, they couldn't control their greed and committed crimes together, and then they couldn't control their greed and turned on each other. Such a lack of self-discipline and self-control, even if they escape this time, can they escape the next time, or the time after that?"

"My lord, if those wandering cultivators escape once and never commit another crime, wouldn't they be safe?" Wang Yong, riding up, asked.

"Such people might exist, but they would be very few," Wang Shouzhe smiled. "Think about it, if they couldn't resist the first temptation, how could they resist the second, after they've already tasted the sweetness? That greed will eventually destroy them. I'm not that I don't want the stolen goods; I simply dare not take them because I fear I can't control my own greed and gradually lead the family to ruin."

The subordinates fell into deep thought, their eyes filled with admiration for Wang Shouzhe.

Wang Zhong sighed, "My lord, I have a feeling that our Ping'an Wang family will rise under your leadership."

"Hehe, your flattery is crude, but I appreciate it," Wang Shouzhe said.

"My lord, I'm not flattering you; I truly believe it."

"Yes, yes, my lord, we all believe it," the other subordinates chimed in.

At the same time.

Inside the carriage, Wang Luojing, who had already woken up and witnessed everything, had a gleam in her eyes and was deep in thought. Being with her fourth brother always made her feel safe and secure.

For no other reason, just for her fourth brother, Luojing, you must work hard to share the burden on his shoulders.

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Not long after.

Wang Shouzhe and his group emerged from the forest and walked onto a wide road.

The first thing that caught their eyes was the vast and boundless Yingxiu Lake, with the towering Longji Mountain reflected in the water, turning the lake a deep green. The lake breeze, mixed with moisture, blew in their faces, bringing a coolness in the early summer.

On the wide lake surface, large fish occasionally leaped, creating large splashes. Various waterfowl swam in the dense reed beds.

Without a doubt, Yingxiu Lake was not only picturesque but also rich in natural resources. Compared to the turbulent and majestic Anjiang River, Yingxiu Lake was more beautiful and graceful.

At this moment, a group of horsemen galloped from the distance and stopped in front of Wang Shouzhe and his group.

"Whoa!"

The leader was a well-dressed man in his early thirties, with a strong bow on his back and a precious sword at his waist, exuding a formidable aura. Upon seeing Wang Shouzhe, he was initially surprised, then laughed heartily, "Shouzhe, it's been only a short while since we last met, and you've become even more heroic. It seems that becoming the family head has changed your demeanor."

"Uncle, how could you trouble yourself to come and meet me?" Wang Shouzhe hurriedly bowed.

This man was Wang Shouzhe's maternal uncle, Lu Mengxue's younger brother, Lu Zhengjie, a pillar of the young generation of the Lu family in Yingxiu. At just over thirty, he had already reached the eighth level of the Qi Cultivation stage, with the potential to break through to the Lingtai stage.

He had recently attended Wang Dingyue's funeral in Ping'an Town, so it hadn't been long since they last parted.

"It's not just to meet you," Lu Zhengjie's smile faded. "A group of bandits disguised as traveling merchants recently killed a family of seven in a wealthy merchant's house. We followed the clues and found that they fled towards Shanyang. We are currently investigating this matter. I've heard about your arrival in Yingxiu from my subordinates. You should go see your elder uncle on your own; I don't have time to accompany you back."

"That's a coincidence," Wang Shouzhe smiled. "I just came from Shanyang and caught a criminal on the way. From the initial interrogation, it seems to be the same group of criminals you mentioned."

"What?" Lu Zhengjie was slightly surprised.

Subsequently, Wang Shouzhe handed the criminal over to Lu Zhengjie and recounted the entire story: "I'll hand the criminal over to you, but he has hidden the stolen goods, and I don't want to get involved. You can handle the interrogation yourself."

"That makes things easier. Lu Yi, take charge of the matter. Try to recover the stolen goods and give an account to the survivors of the wealthy merchant's family," Lu Zhengjie instructed, pleasantly surprised.

The Xuanwu family had various privileges but also the responsibility to protect the common people under their jurisdiction.

"Yes, Second Master," a man with a somewhat sinister and fierce expression stepped forward, grinning cruelly, "These bandits have a lot of nerve to commit crimes on our Lu family's territory. If they fall into my hands, I'll make sure they beg for death but can't get it."

Such harsh words made Wang Shouzhe look at him more closely.

"Lu Yi is quite skilled in interrogation," Lu Zhengjie smiled. "You can send a capable subordinate to learn from him."

Wang Shouzhe remained noncommittal.

If it were purely about interrogation, Wang Shouzhe's "knowledge" was quite extensive, with a lot of accumulated knowledge from modern detective dramas, spy dramas, and the like, which often featured scientific methods.

Without dwelling on the matter, since the task of capturing the fugitives was completed, Lu Zhengjie personally led Wang Shouzhe back to the main residence of the Lu family in Yingxiu.

Compared to the Gong Sun family's main residence, which was built on a hillside and seemed impregnable, the Lu family's main residence was built on a peninsula in Yingxiu Lake, surrounded by water on three sides and easily defensible.

By blood ties, Wang Shouzhe was closely connected to the Lu family, and he naturally received a high-level reception here.

Before they even entered, a girl in a red dress rushed out and threw herself into Wang Shouzhe's arms: "Cousin Shouzhe, Xiao Xiao missed you so much."

Lu Xiao Xiao!

The current family head, Lu Zhengxiong, had a late daughter, who was the most beloved.

Before Wang Shouzhe could even speak, Wang Luojing, who was hiding behind him, suddenly grabbed his hand: "Fourth brother, Jing'er is not feeling well."

Not feeling well?

Wang Shouzhe was taken aback and quickly pulled her hand, concerned, "What's wrong, Luojing? Did you catch a cold while sleeping in the carriage?"

Before he could finish his sentence, he noticed the two girls' eyes locking onto each other, their hostility unmasked, and sparks flying.

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