Chapter 20

As the crowd in the hall dispersed, only Lady Wang and Li She were left, staring at each other. Lady Wang, a strong woman who had been in business for many years, spoke calmly, "Mr. Li, you can eat anything, but you can't speak recklessly. What do you mean by the Free and Easy Sect? I don't know what you're talking about." Lady Wang, a seasoned businesswoman, was not easily swayed by others.

Li She smiled and his figure blurred, leaving multiple afterimages in the hall. Lady Wang recognized this movement; it was the "Lingbo Weibu" step from her father, Wuyazi. After a moment of shock, Lady Wang stood up from her chair and blurted out, "Are you really my father's disciple? Where is Father now? Is he well?"

"Senior Sister, this is a long story. It's noon already, why don't you keep me for lunch? I rowed a boat for the whole morning to get to your Mandala Manor!" Li She said with a smile.

Lady Wang, looking at this young junior brother, felt no anger. Not only was he immensely wealthy, but he was also unusually young. 'Heaven and Earth' had emerged three years ago, seemingly out of nowhere, and its subsequent actions had shocked the business world. It started with chain operations, then integrated all the brothels and taverns in Bianliang. The release of 'Shenxian Zui' had made it grow like a snowball, turning it into a behemoth within three years. It had opened dozens of branches in Tubo, Western Xia, Dali, and Khitan, something unimaginable in this era.

Lady Wang had the servants prepare wine and dishes, and the room was left with only Li She and herself. Li She raised his wine glass and said, "Senior Sister, this glass is to you. We haven't seen each other in a long time!" He then drank the wine in one gulp.

Although Lady Wang was eager to know about her father, she had no choice but to follow and drink a glass.

Then, Li She displayed his exceptional ability to persuade, and they drank several more glasses. Lady Wang's beautiful face began to show a hint of redness.

Seeing that Lady Wang was about to lose her temper, Li She quickly stopped and began to spin his tale, recounting a story he had prepared in advance with his magnetic voice.

"Senior Sister, I have been an orphan since I was young. When I was chopping wood on Wuliang Mountain, I accidentally fell to the foot of the mountain. In a desperate situation, I entered a cave. Inside, there was a statue of a deity and several bookshelves. I survived by drinking dew in the cave for several days. Later, I obtained the 'Lingbo Weibu' technique from under the statue and recovered. So, I am your father's, or Master's, indirect disciple," Li She said.

Lady Wang, though a bit disappointed, found no flaws in his story. She had lived at the foot of Wuliang Mountain for a long time and knew the statue and the contents of the cave well. After hearing Li She's story, she found no discrepancies. It seemed that she had moved all the secret books from the cave to Mandala Manor but had overlooked the statue. This Li She must indeed be her father's indirect disciple.

After that, Li She used his talent for persuasion to talk about how he had made his first fortune in Bianliang and how he had grown his business, recounting a rags-to-riches story of a successful entrepreneur. Lady Wang nodded frequently.

"Junior Brother, how did you find me?" Lady Wang changed her address to "Junior Brother," indicating her acceptance.

Li She smiled and said, "Well, after obtaining the 'Lingbo Weibu' in the cave, I couldn't forget the statue. I drew a portrait from memory and worshipped it daily to repay the favor of learning martial arts. When I came to this 'Heaven and Earth Tavern' in Jiangnan to check the accounts, the manager, Sun Desheng, mentioned that he had seen Lady Wang of Mandala Manor, and her face was very similar to the portrait I worshipped. So, I took the chance to come and see."

Lady Wang nodded, remembering that she had indeed met Sun Desheng. She had not expected this. With her doubts dispelled, she began to chat with Li She. Over the years, she had only one relative, Yuyan. Murong Fu had only approached her for the family's wealth. As a mother, she would never show kindness to someone who had ulterior motives toward her daughter.

Now, a junior brother had suddenly appeared, young and accomplished, with immense wealth. He was not only talented and handsome but also well-known in the literary circles of Bianliang. The imperial title of 'First-Class Wine' had made 'Shenxian Zui' famous far and wide. His generous and righteous character had earned him the nickname 'Bianliang's Timely Rain' among the common people.

As they ate and talked, Li She said, "Junior Brother, after I became wealthy, I started to look for Master, but I never found any news of him. As for your information, I verified it before coming. This time, I came not only to recognize you as my senior sister but also because I couldn't bear to see Master's only bloodline be cut off."

Hearing this, Lady Wang frowned and asked, "Junior Brother, what exactly happened? Is someone plotting against the Wang family?"

"Senior Sister, as the saying goes, 'Prevent thieves during the day, but it's hard to prevent them at night.' The person plotting against you is right by your side, and their intentions are far from small!" Li She said earnestly.

"Who?" Lady Wang asked urgently.

"Hmph, it's your nephew, Murong Fu," Li She said angrily.

"Him? I know what Murong Fu is thinking. He's just after the Wang family's wealth. I've been on guard against him," Lady Wang said indifferently.

"If it were just for the wealth, it would be better. But the Murong family also takes lives! Why did your husband die so young, without any illness? It was all because of Murong Bo. I only confirmed this recently. You know the identity of the Murong family; they are descendants of the Great Yan royal family, plotting to restore their kingdom. They will stop at nothing. Recently, Murong Fu bribed Song officials in Bianliang to buy thousands of strong bows and armor, and then went to Western Xia to buy hundreds of warhorses. What else could this be but a plot to rebel? He spent hundreds of thousands of silver. If not for the fear that Murong Fu might harm you, I wouldn't have rushed here so urgently," Li She said righteously.

Lady Wang's eyes widened. Her fair hands clenched into fists. Li She's words were logical and well-supported. She had always had doubts about her husband's early death, but with Murong Bo dead, she had let it go. Now, hearing that Murong Fu was buying weapons, it was clear he was plotting a rebellion. How much wealth did the Murong family have? How long could their resources last? When they ran out of money, they might turn on her.

Lady Wang gritted her teeth and said, "Hmph, this ingrate. I'll spend hundreds of thousands of silver to hire some bandits to kill him. Murong Bo, you killed my husband, and I'll cut off the Murong family's lineage."

Li She quickly waved his hands, "Senior Sister, no, no! Last year, I hired experts to investigate Murong Bo's death. When I sneaked into his grave, I found it empty. This means Murong Bo is faking his death to avoid attention. He is a powerful martial artist. If we kill Murong Fu, Murong Bo will seek revenge, and that will be troublesome."

Lady Wang stood up abruptly and cursed, "What? Murong Bo is faking his death? Hmph! I knew it. How could such a powerful martial artist die so easily? What should we do?"

Li She comforted her, "Senior Sister, don't worry. Now that we know Murong Bo is still alive, and we are on guard, with my help, we have nothing to fear."

"Yes, yes! What should we do now, Junior Brother? If Murong Bo panics and kills me first, and then his son Murong Fu marries Yuyan with sweet talk, the Wang family's wealth will still fall into their hands!" Lady Wang said in a panic.

"Senior Sister, for Murong Fu to take over the Wang family's wealth, he needs a legitimate reason. His reputation in the martial world is for his future plans to restore the kingdom. So, he will continue to act like a righteous man. We just need to prevent him from marrying Yuyan," Li She said after some thought.

"Alas, that poor girl, always thinking about her cousin Murong Fu, unaware of being used. As a mother, it pains me to see this. But that stubborn girl is like me. What can I do?" Lady Wang sighed.

Li She smiled and said, "Senior Sister, Yuyan's affection for Murong Fu is just childhood fondness, not true love. It's best not to let the Murong family know my true identity. Just tell others that I am your distant nephew. You and Yuyan can stay with me for a while. Over time, she will forget about him."

Lady Wang pondered Li She's words. Her daughter was only thirteen. If she didn't see Murong Fu for a few years, she might indeed forget him. Then, she could find a good match for Yuyan. But was Li She up to something else?

As Lady Wang hesitated, Li She added, "By the way, Senior Sister, the wealthy merchant Ma Wufu in Dali seems to be on the Murong family's radar. My men said that the Murong family wanted to partner with Ma Wufu, but he refused."

Lady Wang's face turned cold, "Hmph, I know how much wealth the Murong family has. At most, they have a hundred thousand silver, all from their shady dealings. Now, with the expenses for weapons and horses, how long can they last? I'll tell others that you are my distant nephew and Yuyan's cousin. Tomorrow, I'll take Yuyan to visit you for a few days."

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