Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes and suppressed his thoughts.
"It's okay." He straightened up and responded calmly.
"Young Master... Mr. Xu, they are such good people and such good officials, how could they...?"
Xiaoqiao's eyes were filled with tears and she was about to start crying again.
Lu Sheng looked at the corpses all over the Xu family in silence.
The corpses were all blue-gray in color, with a strangulation mark on the neck.
The prefect took a few glances and left in a hurry, handing over the matter to the chief criminal in charge of the case.
Several other government officials responsible for investigating the case were also discussing the case with the chief catcher.
"Sir, I want you to come over here." A servant ran over and whispered to Lu Sheng.
As he spoke, he looked at the bodies of the Xu family on the ground with regret.
"I'll go right away." Lu Sheng glanced at the servant. "Aren't you afraid?"
"I'm afraid." This servant was only eighteen or nineteen years old, but his temperament and expression showed a maturity that was inconsistent with his age.
"It's just a small one. He fled from Jurong Kingdom in the east. There is a famine there right now. Corpses are everywhere, and many people even exchange their children for food. We have seen many such tragic situations...
well...."
He sighed and immediately realized that the other person was not his usual friend, so he quickly lowered his head.
"How many have you seen? Are there many similar things like this in Jurong Kingdom to the east?"
Lu Sheng asked casually.
The servant was silent for a moment.
"Quite a few."
Lu Sheng's heart tightened.
But he didn't stop, and he quickly walked to the father Lu Fang in this life.
Lu Fang, whose courtesy name is Quan'an and whose nickname is Jin Yuanweng.
Lu Quan'an's money is also famous in the entire Jiulian City. The news that the Lu family and the Xu family are about to get married has already spread throughout the city, and even people from the nearby Zihua City to the west came to send congratulatory gifts.
Such a big and exciting event has now turned into this.
Lu Quan'an's face looked very ugly at this time, and his eyes showed deep fatigue and worry.
"Haosheng, tell Capt. Zhao about yesterday's situation."
He turned around and gave his place to a bearded man approaching.
What Xu Daoran heard yesterday was echoing in Lu Sheng's mind. He felt that the case of the water ghost must be related to the death of the Xu family.
At that moment, he told everything about what he had talked to Xu Daoran yesterday.
There is nothing to hide.
Mr. Zhao frowned and couldn't see any clue.
Seeing that he had nothing to ask, Lu Sheng also left.
Before leaving, people from the yamen began to collect the bodies.
Lu Sheng stood and watched for a while. When he saw Xu Daoran being lifted directly onto the shelf, he sighed, walked closer to find an agent, and asked.
"Brother, are there any remnants of the Xu family left?"
He thought to himself that if there were survivors in the Xu family, he would take care of them and maybe get something useful from them.
"It's gone...it's all over. Even the relatives' family members are also implicated. Maybe there are a few distant relatives in Zihua City."
The detective shook his head and whispered.
Lu Sheng quietly handed him a dime of broken silver, and he and his family got into the carriage with Liao Qiao.
The carriages came home one after another.
But the tragic situation of the Xu family is still in everyone's mind.
As the head of the family, Lu Fang and Lu Quan'an convened a family meeting and announced that the engagement with the Xu family was over. He asked the female relatives to comfort Yiyi, and then he went back to his room to rest sadly.
The young people in the family went out one after another, either to wine shops, brothels, or music shops in the city. When they were frightened, they often narcotized themselves in this way.
The female relatives went out one after another to the nearby Honglian Temple to burn incense and worship Buddha, praying for peace and blessing.
It is best to ask for a spiritual talisman from the Red Lotus Taoist Priest to protect your home from external evil.
The entire Lu family was in panic.
Lu Sheng didn't go out to fool around.
He took Xiaoqiao all the way to the big study room at home where the books were stored.
It was quiet in the study room.
He pushed the door open and saw a plump woman cleaning and wiping the bookshelves inside.
The vermilion bookshelves, furniture, and dim light outside the window make the place look a little gloomy.
Lu Sheng entered the door, bypassed the round wooden screen with flower and bird pictures blocking the door, and smelled the faint aroma of wood in the study.
"You guys go out first, I'll read a book by myself and take a rest."
He ordered.
"yes."
Xiaoqiao responded obediently, and then took the fat woman who was cleaning out the door.
Lu Sheng stood alone in the study room, looking at the rows of bookshelves in front of him, and sighed slightly.
He began to search the bookshelves one by one.
Soon, I found record books such as local county annals.
Then he took out all these books and started to read them one by one.
With the dim light outside the window, he quickly flipped through the book.
"In the seventy-second year of the Song Dynasty, a man appeared on the outskirts of Jiulian City. He went crazy and killed twelve people with a knife. He was rounded up and attacked by the Yamen."
"In the eighty-fifth year of the Song Dynasty, in the downtown area of Jiulian City, there was a man on the street whose head suddenly separated from his body. The cause of death is unknown."
'In the 91st year of the Song Dynasty, travelers disappeared from a ruined temple outside the city. The number of people reached fifteen, and the case has not yet been solved.'
'In the 95th year of the Song Dynasty, the owner of Lefangfang in Jiulian City disappeared. His limbs were found in four different places outside the city. Only four days after his death, his body had rotted into bones.'
‘In the 116th year of the Song Dynasty, children crying appeared outside the city at night, and all those who went to investigate disappeared. The crying lasted for three days and then disappeared on its own.’
........
Looking at the records of major events, big and small.
The more Lu Sheng watched, the more frightened he became, and the more he watched, the more uneasy he felt.
In such a world, such a world that is almost in crisis, it is not easy for the people here to live well without breaking down and going crazy.
He opened another booklet.
This booklet is more exaggerated than the previous one.
'In the 119th year of the Song Dynasty, there was a blizzard for nine consecutive days. It was said that the Dragon King appeared in a certain place. The heavy snow stopped within three days. Three days later, the blizzard that lasted for dozens of days suddenly stopped.'
'In the year 128 of the Song Dynasty, fog appeared on the road leading to Zihua City. Those who entered the road lost their direction and would inexplicably appear on the shore of the white ice ocean dozens of miles away. Ten days later, the fog disappeared.'
When Lu Sheng saw this, he could almost confirm that this world was not as simple as he thought. There might be monsters and monsters.
At least according to the class he is in now, there is no way in this world that can sound the weather.
He moved his chair, picked up the flint, and lit the candlestick on the table.
The bright yellow candlelight illuminated his face in a gloomy and uncertain manner.
"If this world is really as dangerous as I guessed, then what do I need to protect myself? What can I use to protect myself?"
he asked himself.
I thought about it for a while at the table.
Lu Sheng stood up slowly, blew out the candlestick, and returned all the books on the table to their original places.
Then he pushed open the door and walked out.
"Sir, have you finished reading?"
Xiaoqiao was dozing off by the door. She was startled when Lu Sheng suddenly went out, but she reacted quickly.
"Well, where is Uncle Zhao now? Do you know?"
Lu Sheng asked casually.
There are many older people named Zhao in Lu Mansion, but there is only one person who can really be called Uncle Zhao.
That was Zhao Dahu, the number one master of the Lu family and the most powerful martial artist whom Lu Fang called Uncle Zhao.
"Um...Uncle Zhao usually spends this time in the martial arts field exercising his muscles and training his servants." Xiaoqiao has a good relationship with other handymen and is fairly well-informed.
"Let's go find him."
Lu Sheng thought carefully for a long time and knew that Uncle Zhao should be the easiest person for him to contact and might be the key to gaining the power to protect himself.
Following the path of the mansion, Lu Sheng quickly passed through two bedroom areas and arrived at the rear of the mansion.
On a large school ground, an old man with gray hair was practicing boxing with a dozen servants.
The early morning sun shone down, gradually diluting the tragic things I heard that morning.
Martial arts master Zhao Dahu is dressed in a short fighting uniform, a black top and gray trousers, and carries a thick-backed sword on his back that never leaves his body.
Lu Sheng was waiting to watch.
Over there, Zhao Dahu trained the servants for a while and then let them practice in pairs.
He himself walked towards Lu Sheng. He had already seen Lu Sheng.
"Eldest Young Master, why are you free to come to the school today? Do you need help from the old man for something?"
Zhao Dahu's status in the mansion is almost the same as that of the master.
There are several other martial arts masters, all of whom are of high status. Compared with young masters like them, they mostly communicate on an equal footing.
Lu Sheng looked at the servants not far away who were still practicing boxing.
"Uncle Zhao, I want to practice martial arts."
When he said these words, the smile on Zhao Dahu's face suddenly stopped.
"Brother Sheng, aren't you here to joke with the old man?"
"I'm not kidding." Lu Sheng shook his head.
He has thought about it for a long time, and now the only place where he can learn the power of self-protection most easily is to practice martial arts with his own martial arts master.
The family's martial arts master, Zhao Dahu and Zhao Bo, had swordsmanship skills that only a few people in the entire Jiulian City could surpass him.
Zhao Dahu looked at Lu Sheng seriously and shook his head.
"If Brother Sheng really wants to learn martial arts, it's not impossible to pass on this old man's skills to you. It's just... you're too old now, your bones are fixed, and you can't practice many moves well.
If this skill is not practiced properly, its power will be greatly reduced..."
"It's okay. Uncle Zhao, just teach me."
Lu Sheng not only wanted to find some way to protect himself, but also wanted to confirm something in the experiment.
Zhao Dahu pondered for a while.
He also readily agreed.
"It doesn't matter, I have no heirs. I have stayed in the Lu family for so many years and it has been quite nourishing. The old man is also very kind to us. Logically speaking, according to the rules, if you learn from me, you must perform the apprenticeship ceremony.
But based on my relationship with the Lu family, it’s okay to become a disciple. As long as you don’t spread the word.”
Zhao Dahu waved his hand.
As the eldest son, Lu Sheng will take over all the business and property of Lu Mansion sooner or later.
He also had the idea in his heart of getting closer to him.
"However, Brother Sheng, there is something I need to make clear to you first."
"Say." Lu Sheng said seriously.
Zhao Dahu touched the beard on his chin and said in a deep voice.
"I know you were stimulated by the tragedy of the Xu family this morning and want to learn martial arts to protect yourself.
But I tell you clearly, even the strongest martial arts master cannot deal with those weird and weird things."
"......I see...."
Lu Sheng nodded.
"I just don't feel at ease, so I just do what I can do."
"As long as Brother Sheng understands." Zhao Dahu thought for a moment and took out a booklet from his arms. The booklet was wrapped in layers of yellow cloth.
He opened it slowly and carefully, revealing the innermost booklet.
There are several large characters written on the surface of the booklet.