The magical earring required Huiwu as a medium to harvest emotions, and producing and releasing Huiwu consumed the negative emotions stored within the earring itself. It did not take long for the Demonic Master to figure out exactly how this odd item worked.
He could even sense the faint moods from the earring. It was not entirely willing to be in his hands, but it could be communicated with.
Ideally, the earring wanted Lu Zhentong as its host, with Gu Su as its second choice. If the earring had been able to resist, it would not have bothered with the Demonic Master at all.
The Demonic Master was not offended. He even smiled and asked, “So I’m not the Fate’s Son in your eyes, huh? You think your pearl has been thrown to swine, is that it?”
The earring did not reply, but he knew that was its tacit agreement.
Seizing the fortune of Fate’s Son... The Demonic Master was not well-versed at this, but as for sacrificing Fate’s Sons, the demonic path had done it countless times. They were experts already.
As far as he knew, there was never just one Fate’s Son. And for any Fate’s Son to grow, he would inevitably have to defeat the other Fate’s Sons. That was why, upon sensing a threat, Lu Zhentong had immediately crippled Lu Jiuxiao and had showed no mercy in stripping Gu Su of her golden finger the moment he sensed something was off—even though Gu Su was his pillow mate and the mother of his child.
That kind of decisiveness and cold-hearted ruthlessness was exactly to the Demonic Master’s liking. If, after the great affair was concluded, Lu Zhentong hadn’t messed up and was still alive, the Demonic Master wouldn’t mind letting him inherit his mantle.
He slipped the earring into his pocket. “Let’s go. Time to collect a round of emotions.” Then he smiled cheerfully and added, “You still have to eat, after all.”
A faint “Fine, whatever” came from the earring, clearly it had compromised.
Old Master Lu, Lu Zhentong, and Lu Zhentong’s son all had Huiwu put on them by Gu Su. But the first stop for the Demonic Master today wasn’t the Lu Family Estate, but a meeting with Xiang Feng—and that relative of Xiang Feng who still worked at the association.
The Xiang family lived nearby. The Demonic Master could simply walk there.
Ever since the earring had switched hands, Xiang Feng’s mind had slowly cleared. He no longer obsessed over Gu Su. In fact, his infatuation had turned into hatred.
While Xiang Feng was gnashing his teeth, pondering how to take revenge on Lu Zhentong and Gu Su, the pair of scumbags, a video of Lu Jiuxiao’s father hefting a young woman and vaulting over three stories was exploding on the internet. Realizing just how many wrongs he had done for Gu Su during that period he was in a daze, how many times he had offended Lu Jiuxiao, and even, without ever meeting him, managed to offend Cheng Jingzhou... He regretted it far too late!
He looked into it and discovered Cheng Jingzhou had the power to seriously hurt the Xiang family. He... desperately wished he could kill Gu Su with his own hands! After slapping himself a few times, he simply decided to confess everything to his elders, no more pretending.
The Xiang family elders were stunned.
After a moment of shock, they began brainstorming protection strategies. They worked in tandem to curry favor with master practitioners within the association and recruit practitioners from outside. Thus, the Demonic Master’s “appearance upon invitation” was nothing out of place at all.
Never forget, disguise was a required subject for a Demonic Master. The person who showed up at the Xiang residence was no longer the refined young man, but a man clad in Daoist robes, holding a compass, radiating a mysterious martial aura impossible to pin down.
Standing among the other “masters” and charlatans the Xiang family had invited, he paradoxically blended in perfectly. Only by focusing intently on him could one sense his unusual air.
Of course, the Demonic Master was not there to reassure the slightly uneasy Xiang family, but to make close contact with Xiang Feng and collect the abundance of negative emotions he had accumulated. Hmm, the earring, apparently attracted by the scent, was impatiently bouncing around in his pocket.
On another note, someone Gu Su fancied couldn’t be stupid. With his mind clear, Xiang Feng realized his obsession was unnatural and further deduced that Gu Su had some fateful encounter—and supernatural means.
Xiang Feng then contacted the relative of his who had also calmed down, confirming that Gu Su was now hiding in the association—clearly, Gu Su had lost the battle of magical arts!
As for whom Gu Su would run up against? Either Lu Jiuxiao or Lu Zhentong, obviously.
Lu Jiuxiao had a great father. He wouldn’t be foolishly stubborn. But as for dealing with Lu Zhentong, Xiang Feng had some tricks up his sleeve. He politely consulted the assembled masters: “Lin Baiming has stepped up to smack down the Lu clan. Do any of you have good suggestions... on how to fan the flames? Rewards... can be arranged.” As he finished, he offered an embarrassed smile.
The Demonic Master waited quietly for the earring to gorge itself, then made up an excuse and took his leave. He could tell, without even needing eyes in the back of his head, that Xiang Feng’s gaze lingered on him for a long time.
Leaving the Xiang residence, he got into his car, found a spot outside of surveillance, and “transformed” back into his refined young man appearance before heading to the Lu Family Estate.
At that moment, the Lu family was having an imperial meeting.
All Lu family members in the Capital, including Old Master Lu’s illegitimate children and their descendants, were present in person; those who were out of town joined via video conference.
To call it an imperial meeting was a stretch. The goal was perfectly clear to everyone, and there wasn’t much to actually discuss.
Lin Baiming’s public statement was damning, every word struck like a hammer. Old Master Lu didn’t mince words either, stating bluntly that someone needed to step up and take responsibility.
Old Master Lu definitely couldn’t take the fall himself. The moment he entered custody, Lu Corporation’s stock would immediately begin its downward spiral, and not just for one day—it would fall repeatedly. Most Lu family members had not received shares directly from the old man, but they had used the “separation allowance” he’d given them to buy plenty on the open market.
So a plunge in Lu Corporation’s stock price was a pain none of them could bear, and it was obvious to all that Old Master Lu intended to target his legitimate son.
After all, Old Master Lu’s displeasure with his legitimate sons had lasted more than a day or two. If the eldest legitimate son had shown any promise, Old Master Lu wouldn’t have bothered nurturing his youngest daughter and eldest grandson to set up rival factions.
As everyone expected, after a heavy silence, Old Master Lu called out the eldest son by name.
This eldest son, who was also Lu Zhentong’s grandfather, looked up and stated bluntly, “I can take the blame, but you must transfer the shares to my son and grandson first.”
Despite having mentally prepared, Old Master Lu was still infuriated by his unreliable eldest son. “I’m not dead yet!”
The eldest son dug in his ear. “I can't hear you.”
Old Master Lu drew a deep breath, steadied himself for a moment, and still compromised. “I’ll give up five percent.”
The eldest son shook his head. “What, sending off a beggar? It’s not as if you’re throwing the money into a river.” With the shares Lu Jiuxiao had returned, Old Master Lu held about 28 percent of Lu Corporation. If he couldn’t bargain away at least half, the eldest son would never take the fall. “Far too little.”
When the Demonic Master arrived outside the Lu Family Estate, Old Master Lu and his son were still quibbling over 0.1 percent. Using a demonic concealment technique, he walked in unnoticed. The earring quickly harvested vast quantities of negative emotion from Old Master Lu and Lu Zhentong. As he passed behind Lu Zhentong, he gave a little reminder to this closed-door disciple. “Let Lu Jiuxiao share the blame with you.”
His master's voice sounded inexplicably in his ear. Lu Zhentong jolted, suddenly struck by a sense of foreboding, like a dragon trapped in the shallows.
He realized he had been too overconfident, believing from online rumors that the supernatural power of a martial arts master could not pose any real threat to ordinary men. He rubbed his forehead, but dragging Lu Jiuxiao down with him—well, that could do no harm.
So, he, silent until now, made the suggestion to Old Master Lu, whose face was pale though his ears were red.
Old Master Lu took the advice.
Lu Jiuxiao didn’t need to take the fall for those disastrous projects that Lin Baiming had mentioned, since he had neither made nor implemented the decisions, but, with family connections being what they were, Lu Jiuxiao was officially made to “assist the investigation.”
Including Lu Jiuxiao would force Lin Baiming to face... Lu Jiuxiao’s own father. The very thought was deeply satisfying.
The Demonic Master lingered a while among the Lu clan, carefully selecting several “promising talents” and surreptitiously tossing strands of Huiwu their way—focusing especially on Lu Zhentong’s parents and Lu Liu.
On his way home, he considered how sweet the harvest would be when these fruits ripened.
Lin Baiming’s statement was immensely powerful. By Monday, official representatives had already moved in to oversee Lu Corporation.
That same day, Lu Corporation made an announcement claiming business as usual, everything unaffected, but in fact, the employees were nothing like as calm as the notice claimed.
Although they were well aware that the authorities would not allow such a massive mega-conglomerate, with hundreds of thousands of employees, to collapse overnight, changes in the upper management were inevitable and unstoppable. As a result, many employees gathered in the break room, gossiping non-stop.
Meanwhile, for the first time, Lu Zhentong was feeling genuinely unsettled.
No matter what, none of the problematic projects Lin Baiming cited could be connected to him personally. Yet, whether his grandfather liked it or not, in the end Old Master Lu would definitely have to take the fall... And if Old Master Lu fell, the seat of power likely would not end up with Lu Zhentong.
After all, Old Master Lu had a track record. Just look at Lu Jiuxiao—any promise from the old man was unreliable.
Lu Zhentong sat alone in the twenty-fourth floor office with its spectacular view, gazing thoughtfully at the giant “convenient waist patch” billboard across the street.
Honestly, he did not regret trading the earring for the cultivation manual; he had tried practicing it and found it quite to his liking.
Lu Jiuxiao had a martial arts master for a father. Even though he still needed a wheelchair, Lu Zhentong was the last person who would believe he had not learned anything. Just days ago, his assistant had told him that Qin Er could already walk briskly with just a cane!
Cheng Jingzhou’s medical skills were utterly terrifying. According to his bargain master, Cheng Jingzhou might not be much of a fighter, but with skills like that, he could easily recruit countless helpers.
So, even though he was not thrilled about it, Lu Zhentong decided to attempt the spell his master had taught him. His test subject would, naturally, be his great-grandfather, Old Master Lu.
Actually, Lu Liu, with his overseas supernatural connections, would have been a better target, but Lu Zhentong felt he was not so easy to mess with, while the old man likely lacked any countermeasures.
The very instant Lu Zhentong acted against Old Master Lu, the Demonic Master sensed it immediately. In the end, Fate’s Son could not resist taking the bait.
Feeling rather pleased with himself, the Demonic Master’s movements were a little less restrained as he went to his follow-up appointment with Qin Jingzhou. “The divine physician still underestimated human nature.”
Qin Jingzhou’s face was expressionless. “I am just a doctor.”
The Demonic Master smiled. “There is no turning back for Lu Zhentong now... He, your son, Gu Su, and Xiang Feng, it is as if an invisible fate is binding them all together.”
Qin Jingzhou frowned slightly. “Why can’t I see it? If you’re saying that without dealing with Lu Zhentong and Gu Su, my son will suffer a heart tribulation, well, that’s probably true.”
The Demonic Master replied, a touch gloatingly, “It’s too late, your son probably can’t take down Lu Zhentong anymore.”
Qin Jingzhou raised a hand and slapped the Demonic Master, sending him spinning in place two and a half times. “That’s all right, as long as I can deal with you.”