Chapter 244: Unjust Encounter
Chapter 244
Xiao Changning administered acupuncture to the two and gave them medicine for relief. He let them sleep comfortably.
When Lu XuanNing returned, all three at home were asleep. After confirming with Qiushui that everyone was fine, he felt relieved. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Lu XuanNing came to organize naval training, and the emperor had issued an order allocating troops for him to train. Having soldiers wasn't enough; they also needed ships. Currently, there were only small boats, no large vessels. However, in his dreams, Lu XuanNing had seen Li Xia organizing research to develop ships suitable for naval warfare.
Li Xia shared her knowledge about the ocean with Lu XuanNing. However, what Li Xia described were mutated sea monsters from the post-apocalyptic world, which were more than ten times larger than their original counterparts. Hearing about such creatures left Lu XuanNing in awe.
After the general's mansion was put in order, Liu Ping's wife came to pay her respects. Lu XuanNing was a high-ranking official in the court. Liu Ping's wife, Madam Xia, was a very talkative lady.
Madam Xia brought her daughter, Liu Ting, with her. Liu Ting was twelve years old, innocent and lively. It was clear that she was adored at home.
Sitting next to Madam Xia, Liu Ting's eyes wandered around, obviously curious about the general's mansion.
"Lady Lu, I'm afraid I've spoiled this child," Madam Xia said humbly to Li Xia, lightly kicking Liu Ting to make her pay attention when she noticed her behavior.
"Madam Liu is blessed to have such a beautiful daughter," Li Xia said, taking a liking to Liu Ting. If not for her physical condition, she would have liked to have another daughter herself.
"Your son is truly a young hero. The news has spread throughout Hai City," Madam Xia said, referring to the events of the past two days.
After recovering, Lu Liucheng and Lu Xuanyu had toured the general's mansion but found it boring. They went to Li Xia, wanting to go out. "Mother, can we go out for a stroll?" they asked.
The new medicine made Li Xia more lethargic than before, and she didn't have the energy to go out. Seeing the hopeful looks in Lu Liucheng and Lu Xuanyu's eyes, she instructed Qiu Chan to accompany them, "You two must listen to Qiu Chan. If you misbehave, you won't be allowed out next time."
"Don't worry, Mother. Uncle and I will definitely listen to Aunt Qiu Chan," Lu Liucheng promised, patting his chest.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry. We won't misbehave. I'll keep an eye on Chengcheng," Lu Xuanyu, also happy to be able to leave the mansion, repeatedly assured Li Xia.
"Off you go then," Li Xia said, giving Qiu Chan some silver to take with them as they went out.
Qiu Chan and her people accompanied Lu Liucheng and Lu Xuanyu out. They first went to several main streets, but the two weren't interested in the goods on display.
"Yu, is there nothing interesting to see here?" The items sold on these streets were far inferior to those in the Capital City, with nothing novel.
"Is there anything worth seeing? Something we haven't seen before, something unique to Hai City?" Lu Xuanyu also asked from the side.
Yu was a local servant from Hai City who understood the official language. Qiu Chan had specifically brought him along as a guide.
"Young masters, the fish market should have late-returning fishermen coming back now. If you don't mind the fishy smell, I can take you there to have a look," Yu suggested after some thought.
"Great, let's go quickly!" Lu Liucheng pulled Lu Xuanyu along, asking Yu to lead the way.
Under Yu's guidance, they arrived at the fish market. They arrived just as a wave of fishing boats was returning. The boats were laden with various sea fish caught from the ocean. These were species unseen in inland areas, such as yellow croaker, sea bass, mackerel, horsehead fish, hairtail, and more, along with enormous lobsters and other creatures.
These were sights Lu Liucheng and Lu Xuanyu had never seen before. Everyone listened as Yu eloquently introduced the various fish and their different cooking methods.
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With each introduction, Lu Liucheng and Lu Xuanyu bought one of each. Seeing that they were buying every type of fish, the vendors, realizing they were wealthy, all came to promote their wares. Lu Liucheng, with a wave of his hand, bought them all and had them sent back to the mansion.
Yu then led the group to eat seafood, where fresh fish were killed and sold on the spot, offering a unique taste. They sat on the second floor, eating while watching the bustling crowd below and the distant sea.
"Uncle, when can we go to the ocean?" Lu Liucheng wanted to sail on a ship in the open sea.
"It depends on your sister-in-law's arrangements," Lu Xuanyu had already discovered throughout their trip that his brother, Lu XuanNing, listened to everything his wife said. As long as Li Xia agreed to something, Lu XuanNing would never object. If they wanted to go to sea, they just needed Li Xia's approval.
"I'll beg Mother when we get back, to let us go out to sea," Lu Liucheng understood.
As they were eating, they noticed a commotion below. Three brightly dressed young men were bullying a little girl. The girl looked angry, clutching her basket tightly.
"Little miss, stop selling fish and come home with me," said one in purple clothes, who looked young but spoke in a distasteful manner.
"That's right, how much can these fish be worth? Follow my third brother, and you'll live a life of luxury," another youth in blue clothes chimed in.
"Go away!" The little girl hugged her basket to her chest for protection, trying to back away. The three young men blocked her path.
The youth in purple reached out to grab the girl's basket but felt a pain in his hand. His hand turned red.
"Who was that? Who hit me?" the youth shouted angrily.
"I did." Lu Liucheng, seeing injustice, decided to intervene with his long staff.
The three youths laughed at Lu Liucheng, seeing him as just a child. "Little brat, trying to play hero? Go home and drink your milk!"
"Yeah, you haven't even grown hair yet."
"Do you dare to fight me one-on-one?" Lu Liucheng pointed his staff at the youth in purple.
"What's there to be afraid of?" The purple-clad youth waved his hand, telling the other two to step back, as he stepped forward to face his opponent.
The youth in purple thought Lu Liucheng would be easy to bully due to his small size. Little did he know that since being defeated by Qing Niang, Lu Liucheng had been practicing the Lu Family Spear Technique even harder.
As Lu Liucheng demonstrated the Lu Family Spear Technique, the purple-clad youth found himself utterly outmatched. Seeing their companion at a disadvantage, the other two youths abandoned any pretense of fairness. They grabbed nearby sticks and joined the fray.
"Aunt Qiu Chan, shouldn't we go help?" Lu Xuanyu was very worried about Lu Liucheng and wanted to assist, but Qiu Chan held him back, not allowing him to intervene.
"These three are no match for the young master," Qiu Chan could see that Lu Liucheng could handle all three without issue.
These three spoiled young masters had often bullied the common people. Seeing them being beaten, the onlookers secretly cheered, thinking "Well done!" and "Serve them right!"
"Make way! What's going on here?" The commotion had attracted the attention of the patrolling constables. Zhao Hai, leading two subordinates, squeezed through the crowd. He immediately recognized the three young men as the sons of the Wang family, the second-ranking family in Hai City.
Zhao Hai inwardly cursed his bad luck, wondering why he had to encounter these troublemakers.
"Zhao Hai, you've come at the right time. This person dares to beat people in the street. Arrest him!" the purple-clad Wang San shouted.
Zhao Hai surveyed the chaotic scene, noting that all four combatants were armed. "Young Master Wang San, fighting in the streets leaves a bad impression. How about we resolve this quietly?" he suggested.
"Zhao Hai, do you want to keep your job in Hai City? How dare you speak to me like that? Be careful, or I'll have my father strip you of your constable position," Wang San threatened. His father, Wang Chao, was the patrol inspector of Hai City, in charge of public security.
Zhao Hai inwardly cursed Wang San for abusing his power. He turned to look at Lu Liucheng, recognizing from his attire that he was no ordinary person. "Young master, I apologize for the inconvenience," he said.