Chapter 35: Dark Arts and Spirit Mediums, Lu Wu Remains Unconquerable

The next day.

At the first light of dawn, Lu Jinhe awoke. Though still feeling drowsy, his mind was burdened with matters that made further sleep impossible. With the assistance of his elderly wife, he washed up slightly and stepped outside.

The Wutong Estate was veiled in a lingering morning mist. Some of the servants were already busy organizing supplies, reloading goods onto horse-drawn carts to be transported back to the Lu estate. Six guards stood watch at the courtyard gate, while in the distance, others patrolled with blades drawn.

Wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air, mingling with the mist until they were indistinguishable. It was likely the estate villagers preparing breakfast, though whether those sent by the Lu family were assisting them, he could not say. Lu Jinhe had always preferred to focus on the big picture, leaving such trivial details to others.

He made his way toward the courtyard where Lu Wu resided, intending to rouse his son—at this hour, the boy would never wake on his own.

*Thud, thud, thud, thud—*

The sound of a thousand horses galloping erupted behind him. In a flash, they closed the distance, only for the thunderous noise to vanish abruptly, replaced by a blast of hot breath against Lu Jinhe’s back.

Lu Jinhe spun around in haste, looking up to find a massive black horse standing before him. The creature was exceptionally tall, its head reaching over two meters high. Its coat was jet-black and glossy, and its white teeth were bared in what appeared to be—a smile?

Lu Jinhe stepped back, confirming that the horse was indeed grinning.

"Snort—" The Black Spirit let out a huff, stepped forward, and gently nudged Lu Jinhe with its head.

Startled, Lu Jinhe instinctively shielded his chest with his hands. While horses were generally intelligent animals, one without a bridle or bit was not entirely safe—horses could bite, and it was quite painful.

The herd behind him stirred, but the Black Spirit turned its head and emitted a low hiss. The horses immediately fell silent, not daring to move an inch.

The courtyard gate opened. Before a head could even peek out, a voice rang out: "Why did you bring these horses here? Why haven't you taken them to the stables? If you wake the young master, watch out—the eldest sister will thrash you."

Lu Jinhe was stunned—he hadn't brought the herd here either.

"Snort—" The Black Spirit huffed again, but the sound was far lower than before. Even Lu Jinhe could tell the black horse was displeased. Like a scolded child, the horse sulkily turned and headed toward the west side of the estate, its hooves moving in total silence—a sharp contrast to the thunderous arrival moments ago. The forty or fifty horses behind it followed suit.

"Eh—Master? Why are you here?" Yulan finally noticed Lu Jinhe and asked in surprise.

"Wu is returning to the Lu estate with me today. Is he awake?" Lu Jinhe steadied himself and asked.

"The young master is still sleeping," the tall maid answered, giving an answer that did not surprise Lu Jinhe in the slightest.

"Go wake him. Today is different; we need to depart early," Lu Jinhe commanded.

"Understood." Yulan pulled her head back, opened the gate to usher Lu Jinhe in, and invited him to wait in the side room while she went to wake the young master. This had been requested by the young master the night before—to prepare for his early start today, the five maids had even skipped walking the Black Spirit, letting the horse walk itself.

Lu Jinhe sat in a chair, gazing into the courtyard, deep in thought. The yard held no exotic flowers, rare plants, or rock gardens; it was simply a flat, well-kept martial arts training ground where two maids were practicing with blades. After Yulan, who had just opened the gate for him, ran over and spoke to them, the two maids returned their long blades to the rack and began their chores.

He had tossed and turned all night, thinking of many things, including how to treat these five maids in the future. Treating them merely as servants would certainly not do. If the Lu family were to rise to the rank of nobility and hold their own fief, they would need the corresponding capabilities—to hold a position of power without the virtue to support it inevitably leads to disaster.

In most cases, "virtue" could be interpreted as "influence." If one lacked influence, they needed martial strength—wealth that one could not protect was not wealth at all; it was a root of misfortune. The Lu family’s influence was sufficient for wealthy merchants, but not for nobility. Their connections were those of traders, a different stratum from that of the nobility.

Therefore, they could only compensate with martial power. These five maids possessed terrifying combat prowess; the Lu family must never alienate them. Furthermore, there was his own son, Wu—it was quite possible that only Wu could command these five girls. Until he fully understood the nature of their relationship, he must not interfere rashly.

***

That night, Lu Jinhe was far from the only person in Songjing who failed to sleep. With the successive deaths of the King of Wu and two heirs, Songjing stood on the precipice of chaos—and in some districts, it had already begun.

How to stabilize the security of Songjing and how to ensure the new King of Wu ascended the throne to calm the populace were matters that had to be resolved overnight. As long as the throne remained vacant, uncertainty would persist.

Ke Tu was only nineteen. Despite his youth, the rapid succession of great shocks and triumphs over the past two days had pushed him to his limits, especially since he hadn't closed his eyes since the day before yesterday. First, his father, Prince Yuan, was assassinated, then he had to prepare to flee, and then the tide turned, placing him on the path to the throne. He had been forced to enter the palace overnight to take charge—even if he disregarded the situation and wanted to sleep, there was no opportunity.

One proposal after another was debated. After finally waiting for the ministers to hash out the details of the coronation and finalize the list of families to be raided, they finally reached the stage of rewarding those who had contributed.

Ke Tu felt a sense of relief. This was the final step; once it was over, he could rest for a moment until the coronation ceremony began.

The rewards for the other ministers were mostly straightforward, commensurate with their level of service and following established precedents. They would fluctuate within a reasonable range, nothing too outrageous.

That was until they discussed the "Golden-Crowned Knight," Lu Wu.

Lu Wu’s background was no longer a secret. Although his martial prowess was shocking and his appearance as abrupt as if he had sprung from a stone, these were minor details that no one cared to investigate at such a time. The real trouble lay in how to reward him.

"Lu Wu possessed the merit of turning the tide; he should receive the highest reward. I suggest granting him the rank of Qing, so as not to chill his patriotic heart. As for his official post, I believe he could be appointed as the Deputy Commander of the Jinwu Guards, responsible for the safety of the royal city," said General Luo Gan.

Among the nations of the world, besides the nobility of King, Marquis, and Earl who could establish states and claim kingship, other nobles were divided into the three ranks of Qing, Daifu, and Shi. As for the Three Ducal Ministers, Nine Ministers, Twenty-Seven Daifu, and Eighty-One Yuan-Shi in the royal court, these were official titles, not hereditary ranks.

A Qing was already the highest rank among common nobility.

"The rank of Qing is of such great importance, how can it be bestowed so lightly?" Grand Tutor Jiang Qi stood up to object.

"Lu Wu possesses the merit of upholding the throne and turning the tide; how can he not deserve such a reward?" Luo Gan retorted angrily.

"If assassination is to be considered a merit, how is the state of Wu to be passed down in the future? If the originator of such methods is rewarded today, will there be any who do not follow suit?" Grand Tutor Jiang Qi countered.