plumnovel #259 - Batman Lintianfu
#259 - Batman Lintianfu
Jiang Yuanmao's face was no longer just pale, it was turning purplish.
He would never have dreamed that a birthday banquet would turn into this kind of situation.
The shady things he had done in the past were not only being dug up one by one and displayed before everyone, but some people who didn't have very close ties to him, or who knew that their dirty secrets had already been exposed, were even starting to fabricate his misdeeds in order to save themselves.
They were making it up more and more outrageously, with things like Guild Master Jiang and his eldest daughter-in-law engaging in impropriety even coming up, making Jiang Yuanmao so angry that he almost had a cerebral hemorrhage and died on the spot.
He glared with red eyes, wanting to find the person spreading the rumors, but after looking around, he saw that all of his former friends were now vying to say bad things about him, afraid that if they didn't act actively enough, that Feng Jiulang would take action against them.
Jiang Yuanmao suddenly realized that there was no point in trying to find the source of the rumors, because everyone in front of him looked the same.
And his heart was growing colder and colder.
It wasn't because he had seen through the fickleness of human relationships. In fact, after so many years of navigating the business world, how could he not know that almost everyone who came to celebrate his birthday tonight was just a sycophant?
These people could come to offer him warmth and concern when he was standing on the top of the mountain, and naturally they could also step on him when he fell into the valley.
So Jiang Yuanmao's heart wasn't cold because of these people's betrayal, but because he realized that even if he could survive tonight, he wouldn't be able to keep his position as the guild master.
Not only that, but most of the connections and relationships he had painstakingly built up over the decades would be useless, and these people would turn from his friends into his enemies.
If he wanted to make a comeback in the future, these people would not only not support him, but would also desperately try to stop him for fear of retaliation. So his best outcome would be to sell his assets and leave Kyoto forever, finding a place where no one knew him to live out his old age.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yuanmao couldn't help but look up at Gu Caiwei, who had remained silent all this time, like a pure spectator, watching coldly.
A sense of absurdity arose in Jiang Yuanmao's heart. Tonight, he had originally wanted to make this woman the target of public criticism, using the power of the Qian Yuan Chamber of Commerce to drive her out of the capital and fulfill Prince Yun's instructions, but he didn't expect that in the end, the positions of the two of them would be inexplicably reversed.
Jiang Yuanmao withdrew his gaze from Gu Caiwei and turned to Lu Jing beside her.
The latter seemed to be a little distracted at the moment, no longer listening to the clamor of the guests, but leisurely stroking the black cat in his arms.
Jiang Yuanmao moved his lips and said in an almost hoarse voice, "You… who exactly are you working for?"
Although the restaurant was very noisy at this time, Lu Jing still heard Jiang Yuanmao's words and shook his head.
"I don't work for anyone. I'm not like you. I don't have to take orders from anyone."
"You're lying… I have no grievances with you… If you weren't instructed by someone, why would you insist on making me… lose all my reputation?!" Jiang Yuanmao almost squeezed these words out from between his teeth.
"Let me correct you, it's not me who made you lose all your reputation, but the things you've done that made you lose all your reputation," Lu Jing said seriously, "As for me, just think of me as… your divine retribution."
After Lu Jing finished the last sentence, he felt that the chuunibyou level was a bit off the charts, but this sentence was not actually said to Jiang Yuanmao, but to the person on the roof.
The purpose was to separate himself from Gu Caiwei. Just like Jiang Yuanmao said, there had to be a reason for him to make such a scene here.
Since he couldn't say it was for Gu Caiwei, Lu Jing had no choice but to take the path of acting on behalf of Heaven, temporarily playing the role of the Batman of Lintian Prefecture.
The expression on Jiang Yuanmao's face was still somewhat doubtful, but before he could speak again, a voice came from his ear, "Enough, shut up."
Before the words were finished, a large hole was smashed in the roof with a knife hilt, and then a lithe figure wearing a flying horse uniform, with hair tied up and a waist belt, and black boots on his feet, jumped down from the hole.
Upon seeing that person, the guests in the restaurant immediately burst into tears as if they had seen a savior, and some even couldn't help but cheer.
This was because—the expert from the Imperial City Division had finally arrived.
But after seeing the appearance of the expert clearly, the people who had cheered before gradually quieted down.
Because the person who came was actually a woman, and she didn't look too old, only in her early twenties. Her eyes were curved like crescent moons, making people wonder if she had gotten into the Imperial City Division through some back door.
However, this crescent moon girl showed no fear in the face of Lu Jing, and raised her waist badge, saying, "Qi Yun of the Imperial City Division's Investigation Department is here. It's time for your farce to end."
Lu Jing nodded, "Yes, yes, I'm just a little tired from playing, and I'm about to leave."
Qi Yun shook her head, "You can't leave."
"Why?"
"Someone just reported that you trespassed on Guild Master Jiang's birthday banquet, defeated a group of bodyguards he hired, as well as a branch leader of the Chang Le Gang, and then detained a group of guests in the restaurant, violating the Da Chen law. I need to invite you to the Imperial City Division for a visit."
"Officer Qi has been here for a while, haven't you heard how everyone is talking about Guild Master Jiang? Instead of arresting such a bad person, you're making things difficult for someone who hasn't done anything? Don't you think you're putting the cart before the horse?"
"One thing is one thing. My Imperial City Division specializes in dealing with martial arts practitioners, while ordinary people are generally tried by the Dali Temple or the Lintian Prefecture Yamen."
Qi Yun paused here, and added, "Don't worry, I've already sent someone to report the dirty things Guild Master Jiang has done to the Prefect, but as for you, you still have to come back to the Imperial City Division with me. Don't worry, it's not a big deal, we won't make things difficult for you."
"What if I don't go?" Lu Jing sighed.
Qi Yun didn't seem surprised by this, and blinked her eyes, saying seriously, "No, you will definitely go."
After she finished this sentence, Lu Jing suddenly felt a long-lost sense of crisis.
This sense of crisis did not come from Qi Yun, but from the long street outside the window.
Lu Jing didn't hesitate, and immediately jumped out of the window to escape, but as soon as he stepped out, a fist flew out from his diagonal rear.
That fist didn't look fancy, nor was it very fast, but because the timing was so well grasped, it made Lu Jing unavoidable.
So Lu Jing turned around and also threw a punch.
In the next moment, the two fists collided together, and there was no earth-shattering noise, on the contrary, it was very quiet.
Lu Jing also encountered for the first time someone who could suppress him by half in terms of the strength of his internal energy, and the other party's internal breath was continuous and full of vitality.
A name immediately appeared in Lu Jing's mind.
So he couldn't help but start to itch.
This guy feels even more suitable for consuming internal energy than Yan Yun, but Lu Jing immediately had to suppress this very tempting thought.
No, he is still wearing Feng Jiulang's ID now. If he really fights with this guy in front of him, it is estimated that after a few moves, the other party will see through his true identity.
I can only come next time, Lu Jing thought regretfully, without any attachment to the fight, he suddenly circulated his internal energy to the extreme, shook off the other party's fist, and at the same time, the whole person took advantage of the force to fly to the roof, carrying the black cat and disappearing behind the eaves.
The man who fought with Lu Jing also stopped when he saw this, landed and stood there, without taking another step to chase.
Qi Yun also jumped down from the restaurant at this time, first cupping her hands at the man, "Gang Leader Li, how did he escape?"
"That man is also a first-rate expert," the man shrugged, "You know, lightness skill is not my forte."
"Gang Leader Li, you are too modest." Qi Yun smiled wryly. She was somewhat dissatisfied with the man's obviously perfunctory explanation, but she couldn't do anything about it. This man was just an expert she had invited to help, and she couldn't command him like she commanded her subordinates.
And no one in the world could command him.
Because he is Li Bufan, the gang leader of the world's number one gang, the Chang Le Gang, who was already a well-known first-rate expert in the martial arts world sixteen years ago.
Li Bufan said to Qi Yun, "Officer Qi doesn't need to take everything so seriously. That Feng Jiulang just fought off the group of bodyguards who attacked him and that branch leader from my gang, and then he didn't hurt anyone else. Why do you have to catch him?"
Qi Yun sighed, "Gang Leader Li, the first-rate experts in this world are all numbered. Suddenly a person who has never been heard of appears in Kyoto. How could the Imperial City Division not pay attention to this kind of thing? We don't intend to do anything to him, we just want to ask about his origin and purpose."
"Didn't you hear the purpose? Isn't he calling himself divine retribution?"
Qi Yun was a little speechless, "If he is divine retribution, then what are my Imperial City Division and Dali Temple?"
"This… anyway, it's always a good thing that he acts upright."
"That's not certain. I think he is arrogant and acts recklessly. It's hard to guarantee that he won't cause any trouble in the future. Forget it, he has already run away, so we can only talk about it next time." Although Qi Yun was a little unwilling, she could only say helplessly.