Chapter 483: Beast
Chapter 483: Beast
Lu Ming began with the story of the Lu family's elderly ancestor.
Although he was a disciple of the Lu family, he was rather marginal and not very old, with limited experience. He had neither inquired nor known about these secrets, and now he found it a bit difficult to speak of them.
"It may be disrespectful to say this, but... the ancestor was extravagant and indulgent, and he was also... lustful."
Mo Hua was already aware of this.
Many of the brothels on Jinhua Street were established by "Lu Baopi" for his pleasure and debauchery.
However, there were some things that even Mo Hua didn't know...
Lu Ming lowered his voice, "It is said that... the ancestor didn't even spare the women of the family..."
Mo Hua was stunned. "A woman from the Lu family?"
Lu Ming nodded embarrassedly.
"And then?" Mo Hua prompted.
Lu Ming found it difficult to continue, hesitating for a long time before whispering, "It is said that among the female disciples of the Lu family, those with exceptional beauty, whether from the main branch or a side branch, whether unmarried or married, would all be... defiled by the ancestor..."
Mo Hua's eyelids twitched as he listened.
Could someone really do such a thing?
He shouldn't be called "Lu Baopi"; he should be called "Lu Beast" instead...
"Of course, these are just rumors... they may not be true," Lu Ming added, lacking confidence. He still tried to salvage his ancestor's reputation, "The ancestor was harsh and strict. Others may bear grudges against him, spreading malicious rumors and making up vile stories."
However, Mo Hua felt that there was a high probability that these rumors were true.
There's no smoke without fire.
A fly doesn't bite a seamless egg.
The Lu family's ancestor was evidently that rotten egg being bitten by flies.
"And then?" Mo Hua asked again.
He wanted to know what connection there was between the Lu family's ancestor and Lu Chengyun that made him go against everyone's wishes and support Lu Chengyun, a son-in-law, to become the head of the family.
Lu Ming replied, "This matter has to start with Miss Zhu."
"Miss Zhu?"
"Lu Zhu is the ancestor's direct great-granddaughter," Lu Ming explained. "The ancestor dotes on this great-granddaughter immensely."
Lu Ming continued in a low voice, "It is said that Miss Zhu is actually not the ancestor's great-granddaughter but his biological daughter..."
Mo Hua's face scrunched up, his expression one of "unbearable to look at."
This was truly beastly...
Lu Ming also felt ashamed and tried to justify, "Of course, this is also just a rumor..."
"And then?" Mo Hua asked. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked, "This Miss Zhu, she isn't Lu Chengyun's partner, is she?"
Lu Ming nodded, "Yes."
"Not only that," Lu Ming whispered in shock, "the head of the family... is actually a son-in-law."
Their grand Lu family, entrenched in Nanyue City with such immense influence, and yet their family head was a son-in-law.
Lu Ming still found it hard to believe even now.
If he hadn't entered the Corpse Mine, mingling with unsavory characters and learning about unsavory matters, he wouldn't have known about this.
Mo Hua nodded slightly, his expression unchanged as if he had already expected this.
Lu Ming was surprised, "Little Master, you knew about this already?"
Mo Hua maintained a calm expression, neither confirming nor denying, and simply said, "Continue."
Lu Ming looked at Mo Hua and felt that he was becoming more and more "incomprehensible."
To be aware of such secrets...
Lu Ming paused before continuing with his "hearsay," "It is said that... Miss Zhu once encountered the head of the family outside Nanyue City and fell in love at first sight."
"The two of them traveled together, enjoying each other's company. Thereafter, Miss Zhu used all sorts of schemes to get the head of the family to marry into their family and become her husband..."
Mo Hua shook his head.
This story was cliched and melodramatic.
He had heard similar plots countless times from storytellers in Tongxian City.
This was a common tactic used by playboys to deceive women.
Cads and bounders would also use this method to seduce virtuous women.
However, this method was extremely effective, often succeeding in entrapping their targets.
Lu Chengyun, with his gentle and elegant demeanor, turned out to be a "pretty boy" who relied on attaching himself to women to climb up the social ladder.
He must have put in a lot of effort to seduce Miss Lu.
The timing, location, words spoken, and even his gestures were probably all carefully planned and rehearsed...
Mo Hua's impression of Lu Chengyun plummeted.
Lu Ming continued, "Miss Zhu revealed her intentions to the ancestor."
"The ancestor disagreed. He felt that the head of the family was handsome but had crooked intentions and was not a suitable son-in-law."
"Miss Zhu was spoiled by the ancestor and was willful. If she wanted something, she had to get it. So, she persistently pestered the ancestor to agree to let the head of the family marry into their family."
"She tried all sorts of desperate measures, including going on a hunger strike, taking poison, and even severing her meridians..."
"The ancestor was helpless and finally gave in to Miss Zhu's demands."
"After the head of the family married in, he took on the Lu family name, and the ancestor even gave him a new name—Lu Chengyun."
Lu Chengyun...
Mo Hua stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Was the Lu family's ancestor mocking him?
This name seemed to have a good connotation, implying ascending on the clouds and soaring to immortality, which was the aspiration of cultivators.
However, when applied to Lu Chengyun, it took on a different nuance.
Lu Chengyun was a son-in-law, and using the word "Chengyun" (riding the clouds)
suggested that he had ridden on the Lu family's coattails to gain power.
Deep down, the Lu family's ancestor probably still looked down on Lu Chengyun, and by giving him this name, he was reminding him that he should never forget that he became powerful by marrying into the Lu family...
One was scheming, and the other was ambiguous.
These two were truly cut from the same cloth.
Mo Hua asked, "How many people in the Lu family know about this?"
Lu Ming shook his head, "Not many. Before I entered the Corpse Mine, I had been in the Lu family for so long, and I never heard any rumors about this..."
Mo Hua mused, "It seems they tried to cover it up..."
"Yes," Lu Ming nodded, "It was Miss Zhu..."
"Miss Zhu didn't allow anyone to mention that the head of the family was a son-in-law."
"All those who knew were silenced and forbidden from talking about it. Even her personal maids and attendants were replaced with a new batch."
"It was claimed that the head of the family was from a side branch of the Lu family, that his parents had passed away early, but because he had exceptional talent, the ancestor allowed him to marry Miss Zhu."
Mo Hua asked in confusion, "Is it permissible for those of the same family name to marry?"
Lu Ming nodded, "As long as they are from different branches of the family and are more than three generations apart, the blood relation is considered distant enough that they can marry after checking the family tree."
Mo Hua slowly nodded and asked, "If Lu Chengyun is a son-in-law, how did he become the head of the family?"
Lu Ming replied, "Miss Zhu was wholeheartedly devoted to the family head. With her support, the family head quickly gained some real power and began to manage some of the mines..."
"At first, there wasn't much to it, but after a while, the profits from the mines under the family head were almost one-fifth higher than those of the other Lu family mines..."
One-fifth more...
Mo Hua's eyes turned cold.
Why would there be such a significant difference for no reason? Mo Hua thought of the zombies in the mine.
Previously, he had only suspected, but now he was almost certain.
Lu Chengyun's refinement of corpses was indeed for mining purposes!
Ever since he was put in charge of the mines, Lu Chengyun must have secretly refined corpses and utilized zombies for mining...
Others used live humans for mining.
Lu Chengyun mined with live humans during the day and then with "dead" humans at night, naturally yielding higher profits.
He gradually gained a foothold in the family through this method.
For the Lu family, interests were the most important.
Since Lu Chengyun could double the mining profits using zombies, even the Lu family's ancestor would probably view him with newfound respect.
As for the methods Lu Chengyun employed...
Given the Lu family ancestor's personality, even if he knew, he might not have cared.
"So, Lu Chengyun became the family head because of the high mining profits?"
Lu Ming nodded, "Most likely."
"Most likely?"
Mo Hua's eyes flickered as he noticed Lu Ming's hesitation, and he prompted, "Is there something else you want to say?"
Lu Ming hesitated, furrowing his brows as he slowly said, "I also heard a rumor..."
Mo Hua nodded, signaling for him to continue.
Lu Ming said, "It is said that the ancestor... indulged in excessive pleasures, damaging his body and ruining his foundation. Then, he was severely injured by a rival's scheme and ultimately passed away."
"Before his death, he wanted to decide on the next family head."
"Initially, the family suggested someone else, but the ancestor disagreed."
Lu Ming felt it was disrespectful to directly address the family head by his name, but seeing that Mo Hua didn't seem to hold Lu Chengyun in high regard either, he took a breath and said, "It... wasn't Lu Chengyun, but... Elder An of the clan."
"Elder An had reached the early stages of foundation establishment, and at only 150 years old, he was young, strong, experienced, and well-respected. Everyone believed that Elder An would become the next family head."
"But something unexpected happened, and the ancestor suddenly changed his mind before his death."
"He stubbornly insisted on making Lu Chengyun the family head, and no one could change his mind."
Mo Hua frowned.
Had Lu Ming made some sort of deal with the Lu family's ancestor? What kind of deal could be made on one's deathbed? Given Lu Baopi's selfish and greedy nature, such a deal would likely only concern his personal interests and not the Lu family's.
Mo Hua's eyes turned icy.
He thought of the strange entity, half-human, half-corpse, concealed under the yellow cloth on the golden altar, receiving the spiritual essence of the jade candle incense burner.
A chill crept into Mo Hua's heart.
"What about Elder An?" Mo Hua asked.
"He disappeared..."
"Did he die, or did he just disappear?"
Lu Ming shook his head, "I only heard that he disappeared. It is said that after Lu Chengyun became the family head, Elder An was marginalized and, feeling discontent, left on a trip and never returned."
"Some also suspect that the family head killed Elder An."
"But there was no evidence, so it was eventually dropped."
Mo Hua nodded.
Then Elder An was most likely dead.
Lu Chengyun appeared gentle but held grudges and would surely eliminate any threats to his position.
He might have even used Elder An's corpse for his refinement.
One of the iron coffins in the Ten Thousand Corpse Array probably contained Elder An's remains.
After that, there wasn't much else.
This was all that Lu Ming had found out.
The rest were trivial matters.
Mo Hua took out a blanket and handed it to Lu Ming, "I will keep my promise and save your life."
"But you won't be able to escape for a while. Even if you run, you won't get far, so just stay put for now."
"There's an array on this blanket that can conceal your presence."
"In case something happens in this Corpse Mine, find a corner, cover yourself with the blanket, and stay put."
"After the storm passes, you can find an opportunity to slip away."
"Whether you can survive or not depends on your own luck."
"This is all I can do for you."
Lu Ming held the blanket, feeling anxious, and asked, "Wh...what kind of trouble?"
"Don't ask, or you'll be digging your own grave."
Lu Ming shuddered in fear and worriedly asked, "Will this blanket really work?"
"The array on it is drawn by me, so of course, it will work." Mo Hua said confidently.
Looking at Mo Hua's small face, Lu Ming inexplicably felt a sense of reassurance.
Mo Hua instructed him further, "Don't try to refine corpses. If you kill someone and refine their corpse, becoming obsessed with it, I won't be able to save you, and I might even have to kill you someday..."
Lu Ming nodded repeatedly.
After leaving Lu Ming, Mo Hua returned to the Ten Thousand Corpse Altar.
It was late at night, and the altar was empty.
Mo Hua once again controlled the large tiger to open the hall's door and used the small zombie to open the mural door, arriving in front of the golden altar.
The altar shone with a dazzling golden light and was extravagantly ornate.
Mo Hua hadn't paid much attention to it before.
Now, he realized that all of this was very much in line with the Lu family ancestor's taste.
Could the entity being worshipped on this altar be... the Lu family's ancestor?
And the face on the mural, thin and vicious, half-human, half-zombie, could it also be him, "Lu Baopi"? It was fortunate that he hadn't lifted the yellow cloth.
Otherwise, he might have been in real danger.
But if he didn't lift the cloth, how could he verify his suspicions?
Mo Hua was in a dilemma.
Just then, the mural at the entrance began to stir.
Mo Hua's heart tightened, "Someone's here?"
Who would come to the altar at this time?
Zhang Quan or Lu Chengyun?
Mo Hua controlled the small zombie to lie down in the coffin and then hid himself, suppressing his aura to the extreme and quietly hiding behind the altar.
Soon, the mural rippled, forming an entrance, and a cultivator dressed in fine clothes and with a gentle face walked in.
It was Lu Chengyun.
(End of Chapter)
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