Chapter Eighty-Two: Every Tower Must Begin Below Ground

The forged hand, black and gleaming as if tempered from a thousand refinings, was gripped steady in iron tongs and lowered into the water. It hissed fiercely, a plume of white steam bursting up at once, blurring Lu Liao’s eyes.

When it had cooled, Hu Yun flexed the iron fingers a few times and pressed a hidden mechanism. With a sharp metallic snap, a blade of cold light sprang out. Satisfied, he looked it over, retracted the blade, and casually tossed it to Zhou Liuzi, who stood behind Lu Liao.

Zhou Liuzi fitted the prosthetic onto the stump of his wrist and secured it with leather straps. After moving it around nimbly for a moment, he could not help showing a rare smile.

“Uncle Hu, Liuzi’s wrist is broken. Do those iron fingers have some special use?” Lu Liao, who had crouched by the furnace for a long time, asked in puzzlement.

“In those iron fingers, one press of the mechanism can fire three lethal steel needles. What do you think they’re for?” Hu Yun snapped.

“Heh heh. Uncle Hu, your craftsmanship is truly first-rate. How could your nephew possibly think of such things?” Lu Liao hurried to flatter him.

“I spent a whole year making this thing. You think its secrets are something you can figure out?” Hu Yun waved him off impatiently.

“With Uncle Hu personally taking charge, how can this be called a mere prosthetic hand? It’s practically a treasure.” Lu Liao kept buttering him up.

But Hu Yun ignored him and held out his broad hand without a hint of politeness.

“This should be worth quite a lot, right?” Lu Liao asked cautiously.

“You tell me.” Hu Yun folded his arms and stared at him coldly.

“Uncle Hu, you and my master are sworn brothers. Friendship is priceless, priceless indeed!” Lu Liao rubbed his hands against his thighs, looking at him pitifully.

“Get lost! Spare me that nonsense.” Hu Yun cursed without restraint.

“Could you let me owe it for now? You know your nephew is truly strapped for cash. I’ll send it over in a few days,” Lu Liao said sheepishly.

“Fine. But if you dare go asking the Widow Xi Lin or that one at the temple for money, I’ll break your dog legs,” Hu Yun said with a cold smile.

“The way you put it, would your nephew ever scheme against Aunt Xi Lin’s retirement money? As for Aunt Shouying at the temple, I wouldn’t even dare open my mouth.” That, in truth, had been exactly his plan, but now Lu Liao could only deny it frantically.

“Xi Lin is softhearted. She treats you even better than her own son. How many times have you eaten and drunk for free at her place? Do you really think I don’t know? As for the one at the temple, though she’s strict with you, the moment she met your little woman she gave her two boxes of priceless jewels and ornaments. I know that perfectly well. You little bastard, don’t think you can get benefits out of me for nothing.”

Hu Yun sprayed spittle as he spoke, his finger nearly stabbing Lu Liao in the nose.

“I really can’t produce the money right away. What do you want me to do?” Lu Liao said bitterly, at a complete loss.

“It isn’t without a solution. Go bring Hu Xiaoyun, that unfilial thing, before me and make him kneel and admit his mistake. Then I’ll give you this treasure for free. Hmph. The young master of the Azure Cloud Society, secretly in control of thirty-seven wards of Chang’an, no longer has his old man, who makes his living at the forge, in his eyes.”

With two snorts, Hu Yun finally revealed his purpose.

Senior Brother Xiaoyun is full of ambition. How could he possibly listen to anything I say? Lu Liao blinked.

“Keep acting. Go on, keep acting for me.” Hu Yun glared at him. “That unfilial son Hu Xiaoyun, the Flower Beggar Gang’s Guo Yan, and Brother Jiao Kun of the Hard-Luck Gang all admire you, Lu Liao, to no end. When they see you, it’s all ‘Big Brother Lu’ this and ‘Big Brother Lu’ that, obeying you to the letter. Even the old hands at the Great Wind Escort Agency, the Carriage and Horse Guild, and the Matchmakers’ Hall address you respectfully as Lord Lu this and Lord Lu that. Should I call you Lord Lu too?”

Hu Yun’s eyes were wide with fury as he glared at Lu Liao.

A cold sweat broke out on Lu Liao’s forehead. He said hesitantly, “Uncle Hu, please don’t joke. They only respect me a little because of Aunt Shouying’s reputation. How could I possibly have that much ability on my own?”

“The temple one does have standing, yes. But she doesn’t have your tricks. And why do you keep spreading stories about the Han-era swordsman Guo Jie in front of those young fellows like Xiaoyun? I even had someone look into it. Guo Jie’s end was no good. I have only one son, and I’m counting on him to carry on the family line. I don’t want him having his head chopped off for no reason one day.”

Hu Yun’s anger was plain in every word.

“This, that. Nephew will definitely counsel Senior Brother Xiaoyun properly,” Lu Liao said, lowering his head.

“Sigh. Old Qiao the Fourth from Longevity Ward, Ma Yongxing from Eternal Peace Ward—both are famous old-timers among the knight-errants. Simply because they would not submit to the Azure Cloud Society, their bodies were fished out of the Yongji Canal. Killed with a single strike, a single strike! And not even a trace of the murderer could be found. I don’t want Xiaoyun to end up the same way someday.”

Hu Yun let out a long sigh, his face full of worry.

“This wasn’t done by nephew. I can swear it to heaven,” Lu Liao said, lifting his head with conviction.

“I’ve seen your master, Master Taibai’s swordsmanship, and I’ve even secretly watched the sparring match you and Xiaoyun had in private. Your master’s sword is graceful and fluid, otherworldly as an immortal. Yours is concise and efficient, decisive in killing and cutting, yet carrying a trace of devilish aura.

Liao Liao, you were gone for more than half a year. I don’t know what happened to you, but when you came back, it was as if you had become another person. Forget it. I don’t know what you’re thinking, or what you want to do. I’m old. I can’t be bothered to worry about all that anymore. Get out!”

Hu Yun suddenly seemed to lose all interest, and with a wave of his hand, he chased Lu Liao and Zhou Liuzi out.

In the azure sky came a few muffled rumbles of thunder. A mass of dark cloud drifted over, and the heavens above Chang’an abruptly turned leaden. Lu Liao looked up, smiled bitterly.

What do I want to do? Naturally, I want to be an official. The biggest one there is. But whether one becomes an official or not, power in the open and power in the shadows are both indispensable. Though I have no visible power at the moment, I must lay a solid foundation in the underworld, mustn’t I?

After returning from the estate, Lu Liao was busy nonstop, visiting one underground power after another that had ties to him. In Gaocheng County, after his mediation, the green-clad and yellow-clad factions under Kuha’er were merged into one. He even sweet-talked Tang Xiaoqi for a long while until she sold off an entire chest of jewelry and ornaments, then persuaded Jin Huazi and Jiao Kun to join him in buying several large ships and start a shipping business. Lu Liao’s goal was simple: to let the newly founded Canal Gang completely control the river traffic of the Jing and Wei waters.

The Great Wind Escort Agency was to be reorganized into a joint operation, striving to monopolize all escort business in Chang’an. On the side of the carriage-and-horse guild and the matchmakers’ hall, he had also come up with many new schemes in secret. As for the Azure Cloud Society, under Lu Liao’s instigation, Hu Xiaoyun was full of confidence, preparing to secretly seize control of all one hundred and eight wards of Chang’an.

Those two veteran knight-errants who, as Hu Yun said, had dominated the Longevity and Eternal Peace wards were indeed not killed by Lu Liao’s own hand. Under his guidance, even the Young Ning sect could easily carry out such a one-strike kill.

The next target would be the expansion of the Flower Beggar Gang. Lu Liao’s gaze turned icy, and he smiled almost imperceptibly.

A thunderclap like the collapse of heaven and earth rolled down from the brooding sky, and the entire city of Chang’an seemed to tremble. A deluge of rain poured from the heavens.

Lu Liao spread his arms wide and joyfully let the rain wash over him, then laughed at last with relish. When one rises in fury, the lords tremble; when one settles down, the empire falls silent. To hell with Meng Zi, to hell with the Confucians. This humble one is not accepted by the scholars, nor favored by the emperor. If the path to office is blocked for the moment, then I shall first control this underground world in secret. How could the fate of Lord Lu be determined by the likes of you?

By the time he rushed home through the rain, Lu Liao and Zhou Liuzi were both drenched like drowned rats.

Inside the house, Tang Xiaoqi ignored how wet Lu Liao was from head to toe, flung herself straight into his arms, and, with excitement and shyness mingled together, took his hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. Tears of joy streamed down her face.

“Liao Liao, I have it. At last, I have our child.”

Lu Liao looked at Tang Xiaoqi in disbelief, his voice trembling slightly. “You’re telling the truth?”

“This afternoon I felt a little dizzy. Lord Weng checked my pulse and personally told me I was carrying. It’s been more than a month,” Tang Xiaoqi said, overwhelmed with delight.

Lu Liao pulled Tang Xiaoqi tightly into his arms. Tears could not help but fall as he murmured, “I, Lu Liao, have a son again. I have a son again.”

More delighted than the young couple was old Master Lu Manman, who happily wrote invitation cards in the study, intending to hold a belated wedding for this granddaughter-in-law who had finally conceived the Lu family’s heir.

Lu Liao, having discovered this in time, secretly sighed and stopped the old man from making a grand affair of it. Lu Manman, wise as any old fox, instantly understood that this beautiful granddaughter-in-law’s origins were probably not entirely aboveboard, and so abandoned the idea.

In this much larger new residence, the courtyard where Lu Liao and Tang Xiaoqi lived was more than spacious enough to host a simple wedding with a few friends and relatives.

Among the outside guests, aside from Aunt Xi Lin and Hu Yun’s family, there was only the uninvited Li Sheng. As for Princess Yuzhen’s residence, the young couple had personally gone to pay their respects and were bestowed with lavish gifts, but she did not attend the wedding.

Luo Luo supported Tang Xiaoqi as she came out, radiant in wedding crimson. She and Lu Liao bowed to heaven and earth, then paid respect to their parents and elders. Xi Lin, serving as Lu Liao’s mother, took the tea from her daughter-in-law and cried until she was a mess. Only after a long while did she wipe away her tears and fish out the treasured jewelry she had kept hidden away, placing it upon Tang Xiaoqi’s head.

After the bow between husband and wife, the wedding, with many formalities omitted, was considered complete.

The assembled friends and relatives seated around the tables began raising their cups in blessing. The monk Wuhua, wearing a cap and looking gloomy and unhappy, was just about to rise with obvious reluctance.

“Lu Liao, it’s your wedding day, and you didn’t even invite an old friend like me. Isn’t that a bit too much?”

Xilian emerged elegantly in men’s attire, carrying four kinds of gifts, every inch the graceful gentleman.

Lu Liao went pale and stood frozen there, unable to say a word.

“Should I call you Little Sister Xilian, or should I call you Little Sister Yelai? How is it that you’re so eager to come and serve me tea?” Tang Xiaoqi, by contrast, sat there with a solemn expression, speaking with grand dignity.

“Serve you tea? You, Tang Xiaoqi, were not brought in by an eight-man bridal sedan or properly married as the legitimate wife. On what grounds?”

Xilian’s beautiful eyes flashed, and she met Tang Xiaoqi’s gaze without yielding.

Tang Xiaoqi was left speechless. She could only turn to Lu Liao with a desolate look. “Lu Liao, when exactly do you plan to bring home a legitimate wife in a grand sedan chair to sit over my head?”

Lu Liao was utterly panicked now and waved his hands repeatedly. “Besides the two of you, I absolutely have no other woman. How could there be any question of taking another legitimate wife or not?”

“Really?” Tang Xiaoqi and Xilian asked almost at the same time.

Lu Liao declared earnestly, “Of course it’s true.”

“Heh.” Xilian smiled, fixing her bright eyes on Lu Liao as she asked teasingly, “Then when will you marry me into the house?”

Lu Liao knew he could not retreat now. He straightened at once. “Whenever you say.”

“Haha! I, the famed Yelai of the capital, and you dare to marry me? Can you even afford it?” Xilian laughed, laughing until tears nearly spilled from her eyes.

“You’re already my woman. What’s this about daring or not daring to marry you?” Lu Liao threw caution to the wind as well.

Xilian was stunned for a moment, then silently picked up a cup of tea and offered it to Tang Xiaoqi.

“Tang Xiaoqi, I, Gu Xianhua, am used to living freely. I don’t like being locked in the back courtyard like a bird in a cage. But that does not mean there is no place or standing for me in the Lu family.”

Tang Xiaoqi said nothing. For this woman, who was several years older than herself yet bold and unrestrained in her manner, she found herself holding a few threads of respect. She took the cup and drank it down in one gulp.

Xilian then took another cup, knelt before the bewildered Lu Manman and Xi Lin, and offered it to them. The two elders, still half-dazed, accepted the cups and took a sip. Only then did Xilian slowly rise, humming a tune of the Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix, her figure lonely and desolate as she drifted away.