Chapter 461: Lu Baopi
Chapter 461: Lu Baopi
"The ancestor of the Lu family had the nickname 'Lu Baopi...' "
"Lu Baopi?" Mo Hua was taken aback.
Qing Lan nodded. "It's said that he was greedy and selfish, exploiting the mine cultivators mercilessly, peeling off their skin like it was nothing."
Qing Lan sighed. "This is what my parents told me before they... before they passed away."
"Back then, I was still young and naive, listening to it as if it were just a story, never understanding the bitterness behind it all."
"It's said that several hundred years ago, the Lu family was just an ordinary clan, occupying a few mines. They had a modest amount of influence and held a place in Nanyue City, but there were several other families with greater power than them, so the Lu family wasn't particularly remarkable."
"That all changed when the ancestor of the Lu family rose to power."
"He colluded with several other families who owned mines. Together, they created spiritual contracts, uniting to suppress the wages of mine cultivators."
"Originally, the daily wage was a five-division spirit stone..."
"The Lu family established rules and found all sorts of excuses to deduct payments. The spirit stones that the mine cultivators eventually received became fewer and fewer. Gradually, their wages were reduced to three-division, then one-division, and finally, they were only given a single spirit stone per day..."
"Life became even more difficult for the mine cultivators..."
"But the Lu family accumulated more and more spirit stones."
"With their newfound wealth, they indulged in pleasures."
"As Nanyue City was desolate and lacking in entertainment, Lu Baopi, the ancestor of the Lu family, decided to build his own entertainment district..."
"And thus, Jin Hua Street was born."
"Lu Baopi, the ancestor of the Lu family, indulged in drinking, gambling, and visiting brothels. As a result, Jin Hua Street came to house gambling houses and pleasure establishments."
"In this way, they squandered the spirit stones earned through the blood and sweat of the mine cultivators."
Qing Lan's tears welled up as she recalled the struggles of her parents, who had toiled tirelessly only to starve to death.
Mo Hua's brows furrowed deeply as he listened.
Qing Lan took a moment to compose herself, her eyes still red as she continued, "It was easy to set up Jin Hua Street for dining, drinking, and gambling..."
"But to open a brothel, they needed girls."
"The families would never allow their daughters to do such a thing. They wouldn't sell themselves to a brothel, at least not openly."
"So the Lu family set their sights on the mine cultivators."
"They mistreated the mine cultivators, neglecting to dispel the foul air and provide them with proper spirit tools for mining. They wanted the mine cultivators to get injured or even die."
"Injuries required treatment, and deaths required burial, all of which cost spirit stones."
"Without spirit stones, the mine cultivators had no choice but to borrow."
"The Lu family lent them money at exorbitant interest rates, causing the mine cultivators to fall into deep debt."
"When the mine cultivators were unable to repay their debts, they had no choice but to sell their children to the Lu family to settle the debt."
"The boys became servants and attendants."
"As for the girls, they were thrown into the brothels. After being dressed up, they would... receive guests..."
Qing Lan found it difficult to continue, and tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.
Mo Hua's heart ached as he listened.
He had never imagined that the prosperity of Jin Hua Street was built upon the suffering of the mine cultivators.
Behind the smiles of the brothel girls were tears of blood.
The more the mine cultivators suffered, the more decadent Jin Hua Street became.
Mo Hua asked, "Do the other families do the same?"
Qing Lan nodded and then shook her head. "In the beginning, the Lu family worked together with several other families..."
"But those families weren't as ruthless as the Lu family, and their methods weren't as extreme. Eventually, they were either swallowed up by the Lu family or had to sell their mines and leave Nanyue City..."
"Gradually, the Lu family became the dominant force in Nanyue City..."
Mo Hua frowned. "Didn't the Lu family violate the Dao laws with their actions? Why hasn't the Dao Court intervened?"
Qing Lan nodded. "They tried, but it was futile."
"The previous Chief Judge was fiercely opposed to evil, but he couldn't stand against the Lu family."
"The Lu family bribed their way and had him transferred elsewhere."
"The subsequent Chief Judge initially put on a show of resistance, but after frequenting the Lu family's brothels and accepting several boxes of spirit stones, he became complicit with them."
Mo Hua understood.
The current Chief Judge, Qian, was most likely the one who had colluded with the Lu family.
Mo Hua suddenly thought of something and asked, "Is the ancestor of the Lu family already dead?"
Qing Lan nodded, a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "Yes, he's dead!"
"It's said that he did too many evil deeds and indulged in too many pleasures, causing evil thoughts to take root. Something went wrong during his cultivation, and he died at over two hundred years old."
"On the day of his death, the mine cultivators took the money they had for food and spent it all on firecrackers. They set them off for an entire day..."
"The Lu family couldn't stop them."
"That old monster deserved to die, and his death was quite the spectacle," Mo Hua thought to himself.
However, living to over two hundred years old before dying was still a fortunate end for him.
Mo Hua pondered for a moment before asking, "After the ancestor of the Lu family died, did Lu Chengyun become the new family head?"
Qing Lan nodded. "Yes."
"Is Lu Chengyun a good or bad person?" Mo Hua asked.
"If a mine cultivator dies, he will make the Lu family compensate them with spirit stones."
"In many ways, he's not as excessive as the ancestor of the Lu family."
"Although the mine cultivators' lives are bitter, they're used to it by now, so not many people curse him."
"Unlike the ancestor of the Lu family..."
Mo Hua nodded slightly. This matched his impression of Lu Chengyun.
Lu Chengyun was cultured and refined, but he was also shrewd and cunning. He always acted in the best interests of the Lu family, and while he wouldn't go too far, he also wouldn't sacrifice the family's interests to treat the mine cultivators well.
Mo Hua asked, "Qing Lan jie-jie, have you met any of the elders of the Lu family when you were at Hundred Flowers House?"
Qing Lan nodded, "I've seen a few of them."
"Do you think any of them are particularly suspicious?"
Qing Lan furrowed her brows, "What kind of suspicious?"
"Well..." Mo Hua thought for a moment, "Someone who knows arrays, but doesn't seem like they belong to the Lu family, or someone who acts sneaky and does bad things in a different way from others..."
Qing Lan pondered for a while, then shook her head, "I don't know about that. I've only seen them from a distance and never really interacted with them."
Then she added, "But speaking of suspicious, the elder from Nanyue Zong who brought you here last time was actually quite suspicious..."
Mo Hua was taken aback, "Nanyue Zong? Elder Su?"
"Yes, his surname is Su," Qing Lan nodded.
Intrigued, Mo Hua asked, "What's suspicious about him?"
Qing Lan said, "He clearly acted like a regular customer, but he tried too hard to pretend he wasn't familiar with the place. Isn't that suspicious?"
Mo Hua's eyes widened, and he asked in a low voice, "Is Elder Su a regular customer at Hundred Flowers House?"
"Yes, he used to come here often, almost like he owned the place..." Qing Lan replied.
Mo Hua's expression turned astonished.
He had guessed that Elder Su was familiar with the place, but he never expected that Elder Su was this familiar...
Truly, one should never judge a book by its cover.
Qing Lan glanced at Mo Hua, looking conflicted. After hesitating for a moment, she finally lowered her voice and said, "I'm going to tell you something, but you must promise not to tell anyone else..."
Mo Hua was curious and nodded eagerly.
Qing Lan leaned closer to Mo Hua and whispered, "That Elder Su used to be very close to Shui Xian jie-jie from the house. He even considered redeeming her from the brothel."
"Later, I heard that Shui Xian jie-jie... even got pregnant with Elder Su's child..."
Mo Hua's eyes widened in surprise.
He never expected that Elder Su would have such a "scandal".
"What happened to the child?" he asked.
Qing Lan shook her head, "I don't know."
"What about Shui Xian?"
Qing Lan sighed, "She's dead."
Mo Hua frowned.
Qing Lan looked regretful and a little sad, "Shui Xian jie-jie was a really good person. She was beautiful, skillful, and gentle to everyone..."
"But then, somehow, she died."
"Elder Su seemed heartbroken for a while, and he tried to investigate something, but eventually, it all came to nothing..."
"Most likely, he couldn't find out anything."
Qing Lan lowered her head, "People like us have lowly lives. When we die, no one cares. The Dao Court won't bother, the Lu family doesn't care, and the madam only regrets losing a body that could earn spirit stones..."
"Whether we live or die, they don't care, and no one in this world will care..."
Qing Lan's voice grew softer, and her expression became more and more desolate.
Mo Hua also felt a lump in his throat.
Qing Lan kept her head down, and after a long while, she noticed Mo Hua's expression looking glum as well. She paused, wiped away her tears, and smiled, "Sorry, young master. I shouldn't have said those things."
Then she added gratefully, "If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have escaped that miserable life..."
"I might still be at Hundred Flowers House, putting on a fake smile and serving customers, and one day, I might have just faded away without anyone noticing..."
"Now, I don't have to worry about what others think, and I can support myself. That's already better than anything else."
Qing Lan's gaze was sincere, and her tone was earnest.
Although her eyes were red, her gaze was firm.
Mo Hua felt a little better.
After leaving the inn, Mo Hua walked down the street.
To the south was the mine mountain.
To the north was the magnificent Lu family residence, and beyond that, the dazzling Jin Hua Street, which would be lit up like a festival every night.
The mine cultivators toiled for their lives, and their children became servants and prostitutes, providing entertainment and earning spirit stones for the Lu family.
They also became the Lu family's bargaining chips to bribe the Dao Court and curry favor with other powers.
A cold light flickered in Mo Hua's eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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