Chapter 216: The Factory

I was stunned that he would say such a thing right to my face, and for a moment, I was at a loss for words. Lu Qianshan’s voice wasn’t loud, but the place was deathly quiet. It was clear this man was hell-bent on humiliating me in front of everyone.

However, I wasn’t someone who cared excessively about saving face. If it had been He Yu, he would have definitely traded three hundred rounds of insults with him. Sitting beside me, Old Qian heard it and wanted to step in to smooth things over. Without looking back, I made a gesture to him, signaling him not to act rashly.

Lu Qianshan was no He Yu. In just this short time, I had sensed a deep-seated arrogance in his bones. He wouldn’t fall for Qian Deli’s usual tactics either. I suspected that except for Lu Ayao, he felt entitled to kick anyone who crossed his path. Earlier, he had probably restrained himself because Lu Ayao was present, but now that Lu Ayao had stepped out, he wasn’t going to stop until he’d thoroughly trampled on me.

Being called a “useless waste” naturally sparked resentment in my heart. But considering my status and the fact that Lu Qianshan was, after all, of the same clan as the Lu family, I didn’t want to sour the relationship completely. I forced myself to suppress my anger and maintain a calm expression.

“Brother, we both belong to the Five Masters, and our ancestors had many dealings with one another,” I said, my words laced with subtle mockery. “I might have entered the trade a bit late and don’t know all the rules of the profession, but I haven’t offended you before. For you to start insulting me the moment we meet… if word gets out, I’m afraid it won’t reflect well on the Lu Clan’s reputation.”

Lu Qianshan was clearly provoked by my words. He let out a cold laugh. “People on the streets say the Young Master of the Gan Clan is a man of few words. It seems the rumors can’t be trusted. If I’d known you had such a silver tongue, I should have let that Man-Bear bite you to death earlier.”

“You brat, watch your mouth!” Old Qian started to push himself up, but then, fearing he might be blindsided by Lu Qianshan, he simply stayed on the ground and shouted an insult.

Seeing Lu Qianshan speak with such malice actually caused my anger to subside. It was as if I truly had some deep blood feud with him. Feeling puzzled, I asked, “Why do you loathe me so much? How have I offended you?”

Lu Qianshan threw down the bridle in his hand. It hit the ground with a loud clatter. He lunged toward me, his teeth gritted. “You haven’t offended me, but can you be sure your family hasn’t offended ours? You people of the Gan Clan are all liars! Who are you putting on this innocent act for? Gan Rukui was like this, and so are you!”

His temper flared so suddenly that I realized I must have said something wrong, stepping right into a minefield. He pressed forward step by step, forcing me back several paces until I stumbled, nearly tripping over my own feet.

“Lu Qianshan!”

I heard Lu Ayao’s voice. I didn’t even see how he descended the steps because he moved so fast. He seemed to appear before my eyes in an instant, extending an arm to block Lu Qianshan.

He Yu wasn’t as fast on his feet and arrived a bit after Lu Ayao, but he quickly ran to stand in front of me. In an instant, I was shielded behind both of them.

“What’s going on here? Old Lu, look at this guy from your family! He took advantage of a quick trip for firewood to bully our Xiao Yao. Do you not give a damn about your Uncle He?” As He Yu spoke, he kicked Old Qian, who was sitting nearby. “Old Qian! What are you just sitting there for? Why haven’t you gone over to bite him?”

“Me? Let me bite him?” Qian Deli was stunned for a moment. “Hey! Wait a minute, who are you calling a dog?”

I didn’t bother with those two. I tried to walk around them, but Lu Ayao reached out his other hand to stop me. I stood behind him and asked Lu Qianshan, “What did you mean by those words just now?”

Lu Qianshan’s ferocious aura had diminished significantly. He looked like he wanted to answer me, but Lu Ayao beat him to it. Lu Ayao looked at me and said, “I apologize for what he said. He spoke without thinking.”

“I didn’t speak without thinking! What I said was the truth!”

“He is the Young Master of the Gan Clan,” Lu Ayao snapped. “What kind of bullshit rules allow you to blacken the name of a deceased elder of the Gan Clan? If you can’t control your mouth, you’ll leave the moment the snow stops. Go back to wherever you came from. I remember everything that happened; I don’t need you traveling ten thousand li just to remind me.”

Because he had insulted my grandfather, I had intended to speak up, but Lu Ayao’s way of reprimanding someone was truly terrifying. It was the first time both He Yu and I had seen it, and it left us standing there, not daring to utter a word.

After being scolded so harshly by Lu Ayao, Lu Qianshan didn’t dare say another syllable. He shot me a vicious glare, clearly still defiant in his heart, but with Lu Ayao there, he could only find a corner to sit down.

Lu Ayao barked at him again, “Is this how the family taught you? You’ve forgotten everything the moment you stepped outside. Where is the apology?”

Lu Qianshan didn’t look very old. Being scolded like that and then forced to apologize, he looked like he was on the verge of tears. Since things had reached this point, I couldn’t be unreasonable, so I stepped forward and grabbed Lu Ayao’s arm.

“It’s fine, no need for an apology,” I said, pulling at him. Seeing that he was still staring at Lu Qianshan, who was wiping away tears, I quickly winked at He Yu. “What took you two so long? We’re about to freeze to death here. Can we get this fire started or what?”

He Yu took the hint and knelt down to start messing with the firewood on the ground. “Oh, you’re so high-maintenance every single day. Either you’re too hot or you’re too cold. Come on, Old Lu, get over here and help! Use that fire-starter of yours!”

Only then did Lu Ayao shift his gaze to the ground. He walked over and knelt down to help He Yu organize the freshly gathered wood. I took off my down jacket, bundled it up, and walked over to my backpack to stuff it inside.

Lu Qianshan was standing right next to me. I heard him whisper, “Does it feel good to be protected all the time? Don’t think I’ll be grateful to you just because of what you did.”

Squatting on the ground, I gave a helpless smile. I turned to look at the backs of He Yu and Lu Ayao, and a sudden thought struck me. I wanted to intentionally annoy this brat. I turned my head to Lu Qianshan and said, “Actually, there’s nothing wrong with being a useless waste.”

He turned to look at me, his face full of shock.

I stood up and patted his shoulder. “I suggest you just take a rest. Before you act, you should weigh your own importance in your master’s heart.”

Lu Qianshan looked at me. “How important do you think you are to him?”

Important? Was he joking? The three of us were brothers who had faced death together. During our most recent trip to the South China Sea, it was my silver tongue and relentless reasoning that finally convinced Lu Ayao to come back. He Yu and I had spent our time buying him medicine and bandaging his wounds. Damn it, our bond was practically legendary. What was there to question?

I figured he was only saying this to provoke me. After all, Lu Ayao had spent every New Year with us for years, and he always told me where he was going in advance. I wasn’t going to give Lu Qianshan the satisfaction, so I simply nodded in agreement.

Lu Qianshan laughed. “It seems you really don’t know him at all,” he said to me. “He has always been cold-blooded and ruthless. I’ll be bringing him back to the Lu Clan soon. When that happens, you’ll be stunned to realize just how laughable your words are right now.”

“Fine, we’ll see about that,” I said, rolling my eyes at him.

Chen Canghai watched our exchange from the side in total silence. It was impossible to tell if he was even listening. A moment later, He Yu got the fire going and called us all over.

We sat in a circle around the flames. I made a point of sitting right next to Chen Canghai. After everything that had happened, his past fascinated me. It felt as though he held the answers to many of my questions.

“With your connections, you must have uncovered a lot of information, right?” I asked him.

Chen Canghai looked at me with those clear eyes of his. “What do you want to know?”

I smiled. “Anything related to Northwest Outdoor. I came here for those black crates on the ship. As you probably know, we found some things inside them.”

Chen Canghai hesitated for a moment. “Actually, there isn’t much information about Northwest Outdoor circulating in the underworld. It started as a munitions factory in the last century, specializing in military supplies. After the wars ended, the original site was abandoned. Later, a company bought the property and turned it into a private factory, primarily manufacturing agricultural tools and outdoor climbing gear.”