Chapter 25

"Master, Liu Jun has arrived."

Lu Weizhang jumped to his feet, "He still dares to come, what does he want to do?"

Lu Weizhang hated Liu Jun to the core. He had ruined his daughter's reputation and ruined her future. Now he had the nerve to show up, and at this time, was he planning to cause more trouble?

"Master, keep your voice down," Xu Shi advised, "I heard that Liu Jun is now a martial scholar and has befriended Chunjiang, the son of the Li family from the dam. Even the magistrate visited the Liu family yesterday."

"This bastard, even if he were a martial scholar, my family would not welcome him."

Outside the Lu family residence, Liu Jun stood at the gate. Today was the day the Lu family's daughter was to be married, but because it was a forced marriage, there were no lanterns or decorations, and no banquet. However, many people had gathered around, all knowing that the Zhou family would come to snatch the bride today.

Liu Jun looked up at the Lu family's gate and then walked to the entrance, "Go and inform Miss Lu that Liu Jun requests an audience."

Many people had gathered at the Lu family's gate, but Liu Jun paid them no attention.

The people around were surprised by Liu Jun's appearance and began to whisper among themselves. Many even felt that a good show was about to start. They had thought it was just the Zhou family coming to snatch the bride, but now the Liu family had also shown up.

The Lu family was also a prominent family. Although Miss Lu's father had no official title, his grandfather had been a jinshi (high-ranking scholar) and had served in Jiangxi, retiring as a prefect. The old man had passed away many years ago, but the Lu family's financial condition was very good, with a large mansion covering several acres, white walls, and green tiles.

Lu Weizhang had no official title. In his early years, he had studied and taken the imperial exams, but after failing, he stopped reading the classics and instead spent money to buy a supervisory student title and turned to business. Although he was not successful in his studies, he was very successful in business, owning thousands of acres of land and many shops in Macheng, Huangzhou, and Wuchang. His family's financial condition was very good, with the only regret being that he had no official title and no son.

With such a large estate, it was unclear who would inherit it in the future.

Liu Jun guessed that Zhou Cui's proposal to break the engagement and then come to propose and snatch the bride again was also because he had his eyes on the Lu family's vast wealth.

A servant from the Lu family came out and replied from a distance, "My master does not wish to see you, please leave."

"Can you at least inform Miss Lu that I have something to say to her?"

The servant simply closed the door.

Liu Jun looked at the tightly closed gate, feeling helpless.

Not far from the Lu family, on a large road, Zhou Wenjiang rode a large white horse, with a large red silk flower tied to the horse's forehead, and he himself wore a large red flower.

His face was full of joy.

Miss Lu's beauty was well-known. More than two years ago, he had accidentally met her and was deeply attracted. He had asked his father to propose to the Lu family, and they had agreed.

But who could have thought that things would turn out this way? Miss Lu had a secret relationship with the Liu family's young man and had almost eloped. Despite this, he could not forget her and was not repulsed by her; he was still willing to marry her.

More than two years had passed, and his feelings had not changed.

Finally, today he was going to get what he wanted, even if it meant using the method of a forced marriage. He believed that as long as he took Miss Lu back and lived with her, she would change her mind, and they would surely live a happy life together.

"Master, it's not good, it's not good," a servant from the Zhou family came running over.

"What's wrong?"

"Liu Er, Liu Er has gone to the Lu family, and he is now standing at the Lu family's gate," the servant said, out of breath.

Zhou Wenjiang's face changed when he heard this. The name "Liu Er" now made him furious. This bastard had ruined his fiancée's reputation and had even tried to elope with her. Now, on his wedding day, he dared to come and cause trouble.

"Damn it, I'll beat him to death," Zhou Wenjiang said through gritted teeth. Fortunately, he was well-prepared. He turned to a burly man beside him, "Brother Zhou, I'll leave it to you."

The burly man grinned, "Liu Er is here, it's going to be exciting. But, Master, we agreed to just snatch the bride, not to deal with Liu Er. You'll have to pay extra."

"I'll add ten taels," Zhou Wenjiang said.

The burly man shook his head, "No, no, Liu Er is not an ordinary person. A few years ago, he was the leader of the West Bay. Although he has been away for two years, he now has the title of a martial scholar, which is not something ordinary. One hundred taels, and I'll take care of him."

Zhou Wenjiang scowled, "Alright, one hundred taels. I trust the reputation and strength of the Tian Gang Bai Long."

The burly man was satisfied and laughed heartily, "Don't worry, with the Tian Gang Bai Long, nothing is unsolvable. Two years ago, this place might have been Liu Er's territory, but now it's ours."

The Tian Gang Bai Long, as the name suggests, was not a good organization. It was a fighting guild that had emerged in the late Ming dynasty. A fighting guild was a special industry that took money to do things for people, essentially a group of thugs. They relied on their strength, took money, and did whatever they were paid to do. They were similar to the guards of a security company but had no limits and operated in a gray area.

Due to the severe land consolidation in the late Ming dynasty and the prosperity of towns, a large number of rural people lost their land and flooded into towns. Many of them had no special skills and ended up in this line of work, making a living by fighting.

In the Jiangnan region, fighting guilds were very prosperous, with various names like the Earth Emperor Society and the Red Spear Society. In essence, they were just groups of thugs. They were hired to fight, act as bodyguards, and even set up scams, extort, and rob. In short, they engaged in all sorts of illegal activities.

The Tian Gang Bai Long was a fighting guild that had emerged in Macheng in the past two years. It was strong, with over a hundred members, most of whom were not from Macheng but had flowed in from surrounding areas. They had gained a reputation through their strength.

The Zhou family had hired the fighting guild to support their forced marriage.

The leader of the Tian Gang Bai Long, calling himself Zhou Qing, had once served in the military but later deserted due to unpaid wages. He wandered around and eventually settled in Macheng, where he gathered a group of strong, displaced people and started a fighting guild, almost monopolizing the business in Macheng.

Just like now, he had easily secured a deal worth a hundred taels of silver.

Although he had heard that Liu Er had once been the leader of the troublemakers in Macheng, he did not take it seriously. As for the title of martial scholar, he did not care either; he had just used it to negotiate a higher price with Zhou Wenjiang.

The group soon arrived at the Lu family's gate, where Liu Jun was still standing.

Zhou Wenjiang saw Liu Jun from a distance and his eyes flared with anger.

Liu Jun also saw Zhou Wenjiang. The Zhou Wenjiang who had once begged for mercy was now quite different, having transformed from a weak scholar to someone with a somewhat sinister aura.

He walked up and blocked his path.

"Go back."

Zhou Wenjiang clenched his teeth, "A good dog doesn't block the way, move aside."

"I won't say it a third time, go back."

Zhou Wenjiang turned to Zhou Qing, "Brother Zhou, it's your turn."

Zhou Qing chuckled and walked forward, sizing up Liu Jun, "I assume you are Liu Er."

"Who are you?" Liu Jun immediately sensed a dangerous aura from this man.

"I am Zhou Qing of the Tian Gang Bai Long."

Upon hearing this name, Liu Jun immediately knew that this man was from a fighting guild. Although fighting guilds were essentially thug organizations, they often relied on local gentry and colluded with government officials, allowing them to take root and flourish. In essence, they existed because there was a demand for their services.

Since the late Ming dynasty, the social structure of the Ming dynasty had undergone significant changes. Originally, the people were fixed in the countryside and on the land, with no strangers in the villages, and they were governed by clan laws. However, as land consolidation became more severe, many people lost their land and became tenant farmers or displaced people. The government's tax burden and the landlords' rents became increasingly heavy, making life harder for the people. The relationship between landlords and tenant farmers became increasingly tense, with frequent rent strikes and an increase in bandits and outlaws.

Landlords also became less secure and often had to rely on fighting guilds to maintain their status and interests. Because of this demand, fighting guilds, although thug organizations, became increasingly prosperous and widespread.

Fighting guilds, along with visiting guilds, litigators, and porters, were all part of the gray industry that emerged in the late Ming dynasty.

Knowing the identity and nature of the other party, Liu Jun realized that this matter would not be resolved peacefully.

"Do you intend to interfere?" Liu Jun asked.

"Money talks, and I have been paid. Master Zhou has paid, so I must do the job," Zhou Qing smiled, "I have heard of your reputation, Liu Er. You are a smart man. Why not leave and give me some face? In a few days, you can choose a place, and I will set up a banquet to apologize. What do you say?"

"What if I don't give you this face?" Liu Jun sneered. A small thug dared to act so arrogantly.

"If you do that, it won't be good. You know we are not as precious as you, just cheap lives. If you don't think carefully, are you willing to break a jade bowl against our broken pots?"

At this moment, a loud laugh came from the side, "Ha ha ha, when the tiger is away, the monkey dares to call himself king. Zhou, your courage has really grown. You even dare to threaten our Brother Jun. Did you even ask if we agree?"

A group of young men slowly approached, about a dozen of them.

"Who are you?"

The leader of the group laughed, "Spit, you have the nerve to call yourself the Tian Gang Bai Long. Since you want to make a living here, why didn't you find out who used to be in charge? Have you never heard of the Thirteen Protectors?"

"The Thirteen Protectors?" Zhou Qing's face turned pale.