Cannon Fodder’s Guide to Getting Rich

Chapter 97

The Lu family owned a magnificent private mansion in Dizhou City.

When the servant arrived, Lu Ying was sharing a drink with Bai Lijue in the Moon-Viewing Pavilion.

Though they still hadn’t found Yu Xiaoxiao, the fact that they had dug up Wen Feng to spite Qingling Mountain brought Lu Ying considerable satisfaction.

"Young Master, Lord Bai," the servant hurried over and reported the matter of Wen Feng to the two men.

"Outrageous!" Lu Ying flew into a rage, smashing his wine cup to the ground. The servant trembled and dropped to his knees in fear.

Bai Lijue, sitting across from him, set down his cup. "Brother Lu, calm yourself. It’s just a hundred thousand spirit stones—pay him off and be done with it."

"Brother Bai, you’re far too naive." Lu Ying’s tone carried the natural authority of someone in power. "You were once a disciple of Qingling Mountain’s Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion—you should know Wen Feng’s nature better than I do. Do you really think that if I pay this sum, my Lu family will ever know peace again?"

Bai Lijue lowered his head, masking the loathing in his eyes, and merely smiled. "Then what does Brother Lu plan to do?"

Lu Ying stood and paced the pavilion, sneering. "That Wen Feng is nothing but a rabid dog who bites anyone he can sink his teeth into. As long as my family isn’t in Dizhou, he’ll have no choice but to turn on his own daughter and disciple. And then..."

A triumphant smirk spread across Lu Ying’s face.

He was eager to see how long Wen Shuangbai and Yin Xuan could endure such a disgraceful father and master.

Either they would tolerate it forever, forever dragged into the mud by Wen Feng, never able to rise again.

Or they would reach their limit—and kill him.

Lu Ying was waiting for Qingling Mountain to make a move against Wen Feng.

He had left something on Wen Feng—something that would ensure evidence remained if Qingling Mountain acted.

Wen Feng had once participated in the Xuantian Grand Competition. If he died, the Purple Flame Realm would undoubtedly intervene.

With a murder charge hanging over them, Qingling Mountain would be disqualified from the Sacred Tower competition. Even if they waited until after the event to act, their ranking would be voided, all Sacred Stones confiscated, and they would still have to pay with their lives.

Lu Ying could wait.

The grudge from the self-destruction of the Spirit Bone in Zhuoguang City—he would have his vengeance. He would never let this go.

Lu Ying ordered the servant, "We leave tonight."

Bai Lijue frowned. "Brother Lu, aren’t you afraid Wen Feng might spread rumors if he doesn’t get the money?"

"Empty words mean nothing. Let him talk." Lu Ying had already prepared for this. "At worst, the Lu family’s reputation takes a small hit."

But ever since he had abandoned Qingling Mountain for the Ten Thousand Saints Palace, Qingling’s disciples had already ruined most of the Lu family’s standing. Lu Ying no longer cared.

---

Some distance away, in a secluded grove, Wen Shuangbai leaned lazily against a tree, squinting at the distant, gilded Lu mansion. "Tch. So it’s that nuisance Lu Ying."

Beside her, Xie Ziyin slowly leaned against the same tree. The branches swayed as his weight settled. "What’s your plan?" he asked.

Wen Shuangbai hummed in thought.

The tree wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small either—and it currently supported more than just two people. High up in the branches stood another figure.

Li Zhuohua perched precariously, swaying slightly as she stared at the distant mansion. "How does Lu Ying, that loser, still dare to stay in Dizhou?" she wondered aloud.

If it were her, she’d be too ashamed to show her face. She’d lock herself away to train for years, then return to settle the score properly!

That’s how it should be!

Lu Jiayao, ever the eager explainer, piped up. "He’s recovering from his injuries. Bai Lijue hasn’t left either. Besides, eliminated contestants often stay to see who wins in the end!"

Li Zhuohua straightened, radiating confidence. "Then it’ll definitely be us!"

With that, she leaped down from the tree, landing right in front of Wen Shuangbai. "Shimei," she asked cheerfully, "do you still want this father of yours? If not, I’ll take care of him for you!"

She was ready to storm the inn right now and run Wen Feng through with her sword.

"I don’t want him," Wen Shuangbai admitted, her expression pained. "But he can’t die."

Li Zhuohua blinked. "Why not?"

Lu Jiayao looked at Wen Shuangbai with sympathy, projecting his own filial piety onto her. "No matter how terrible Elder Wen is, he’s still your father. Someone as kind-hearted as you couldn’t bear to see him die, right?"

He moved to give his tragic shimei a comforting hug—only for Xie Ziyin’s long leg to block his path.

"Did you just meet her yesterday?" Xie Ziyin glanced at Wen Shuangbai, who was now staring dramatically at the sky, then back at Li Zhuohua. "If Wen Feng dies, she inherits his debts."

Wen Shuangbai sighed. "Exactly."

Such was the law of the Nine Provinces.

If someone died naturally, debts passed to their children or disciples.

If they were murdered, the killer faced justice, and the victim’s family settled the debts.

If there were no direct relatives, the sect took responsibility.

And if the deceased was a rogue cultivator with no ties? The creditors were out of luck.

Shen Hefeng stroked his beard. "Then find a scapegoat. That Lu Ying seems like a fine candidate."

"I agree." Wen Shuangbai rubbed her temples. "But I haven’t figured out how to frame him yet. Any ideas?"

Lu Ying was arrogant and self-assured, but he wasn’t stupid.

He wouldn’t lift a finger against her worthless father. More likely, he’d distance himself and watch the chaos unfold.

Sure enough, as they brainstormed ways to pin this on Lu Ying, Lu Jiayao suddenly gasped. "Oh no! Lu Ying’s leaving Dizhou tonight!"

Everyone turned to stare at him.

Li Zhuohua gaped. "How do you even know this?!"

Wen Shuangbai knew Lu Jiayao was well-connected, a master of gossip—but this was ridiculous. The servant had only just entered the Lu mansion! Had Lu Ying’s decision reached Lu Jiayao the moment it was made?

Wen Shuangbai frowned. "Who told you?"

Xie Ziyin shook his head. "You’re wasted as a music cultivator." Lu Jiayao was born in the wrong world—he should have been a tabloid reporter.

Shen Hefeng studied Lu Jiayao for a long moment before speaking ominously. "Out with it. What’s your connection to the Lu family? You know their business too well—are you one of them?"

Wen Shuangbai, recalling every cliché from novels and dramas, blurted, "Are you Lu Ying’s secret half-brother?"

Li Zhuohua leaned in, scrutinizing Lu Jiayao’s face. "Nah, doesn’t look like it."

"......" Lu Jiayao groaned. "You’re all ridiculous! Lu is a common surname! Just because I’m a Lu doesn’t mean I’m related to that family! The only connection is that my parents used to work for them, that’s it!"

Nearly all the families in their area shared the surname Lu, and among them, the most prosperous was the Lu household.

Lu Jiayao’s parents had been poor in their youth and had gone to work for the wealthy Lu family as servants. Later, they claimed the Lus were too difficult to serve—too many rules, too much temper—so they returned to the village to farm and raise children.

Lu Jiayao showed the Mystic Heaven Mirror to the group. "Bai Lijue told me."

The others: "???"

Wen Shuangbai was shocked. "Why are you friends with Bai Lijue?"

Li Zhuohua cursed, "Traitor!"

Shen Hefeng immediately smacked Lu Jiayao on the head with his turtle shell. "You little brat! You’ve been secretly colluding with the enemy behind our backs!"

Xie Ziyin, recalling something, fell silent for a moment before asking, "So when Bai Lijue sent you a friend request before, you actually accepted?"

Lu Jiayao rubbed his head, glaring at Shen Hefeng, then nodded indignantly. "Yeah. He said he sent requests to all of us, but I was the only one who accepted."

The others: "…………"

Xie Ziyin remembered very clearly—Bai Lijue’s request had come just before they entered the Star-Moon Valley secret realm.

He had rejected it immediately.

The others had no memory of it, so they checked their records and, after some searching, found the request.

Well, during that time, the newly opened Caiyuan Tower had brought them countless friend requests, and Bai Lijue’s had been lost in the flood, unnoticed by anyone.

Xie Ziyin only remembered because he had a compulsive habit of rejecting every request daily.

As for Lu Jiayao, he accepted everyone—he liked randomly picking people to chat with, gathering gossip to spice up his meals or lull him to sleep.

Thus, his friends were scattered all across the Xuantian Continent!

"Bai Lijue says the aftereffects on his spirit bones are all because of Lu Ying. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' so he wants to team up with us," Lu Jiayao relayed. "He says Lu Ying plans to hide in Wuzhou first. Should we stop him?"

Shen Hefeng spat in disgust. "That rat’s scurrying away fast."

Li Zhuohua perked up. "I’m great at catching rats!"

Wen Shuangbai thought for a moment. "Let’s not intercept him yet—no need to startle the snake. Just knowing his location is enough for now. Let me think this through."

After all, on the Xuantian Continent, with teleportation arrays, distance didn’t matter as long as they knew where he was.

Her father’s situation required careful planning—they had to ensure absolute success in one strike, or the consequences would be endless.

The five of them chatted idly as they made their way back to Qingling Academy under the cover of night.

Along the way, her teammates offered plenty of terrible ideas, all of which Wen Shuangbai dismissed as either impractical or too risky.

Shen Hefeng, feeling generous after Wen Shuangbai gifted him a jug of Drunken Immortal wine, used his newly upgraded turtle shell—now fused with a Spirit-Devouring Banner, Divine Wood Sticks, and an ancient tortoise shell—to divine her fortune.

"Ah. No killing."

Wen Shuangbai: "What?"

Shen Hefeng elaborated on the divination’s meaning. "If you kill, you’ll face imprisonment. You’d lose more than you gain. The best resolution for this is to avoid bloodshed."

Xie Ziyin: "What about poison?"

"Then you go administer it," Shen Hefeng said gleefully, putting away his turtle shell. "And when Poison Master Xie rots in prison, this old man won’t have to see you for the rest of his life. How wonderful."

"If this won’t work and that won’t work, what should we do?" Lu Jiayao fretted. "If Lu Ying leaves by morning and Elder Wen can’t find him to get money, won’t he come bothering Shuangbai for it instead?"

"He will," Wen Shuangbai confirmed.

Wen Feng had first gone after Lu Ying because, after Wen Shuangbai claimed she’d borrowed money for business, Wen Feng decided the Lu family was richer and easier to extort. If he failed there, he wouldn’t care how much she owed—he’d come straight for her.

In fact, he might even drag her along to borrow from moneylenders in her name.

After all, Wen Feng was blacklisted by every lender. Wen Shuangbai, on the other hand, was now famous, with her thriving Caiyuan Tower improving her credit—she’d be an easy borrower.

This wasn’t new. He’d done it before, forcing the original owner to take out loans, which her senior brother and junior sister later helped repay.

"But don’t worry," Wen Shuangbai said, seeing the concern in her teammates’ eyes. "I can handle this myself. Wen Feng’s brain’s pickled in alcohol—he’s no match for me."

What annoyed her was that her time was too precious to waste playing mind games with a scumbag father.

To truly break free from Wen Feng, she either had to kill him or find him a stable, long-term meal ticket.

But the divination forbade bloodshed—no killing. So, find him a meal ticket?

If someone else could foot the bill for his entire life, he’d be content drinking and spending without bothering his daughter or disciples.

In other words—could she just package her scumbag dad and gift-wrap him for a wealthy lady?

But would any rich sister even want him? The Xuantian Continent was full of pretty young cultivators.

Then again, it didn’t have to be a lady—any rich fool would do.

Hmm… the Lu family was loaded. Just look at how lavish Lu Ying’s estate in Dizhou was! Supporting her father and paying off debts would be child’s play for them.

Perfect!

Wen Shuangbai’s eyes lit up. She grabbed Xie Ziyin’s sleeve and asked eagerly, "Hey, do you know of any gu that could make Lu Ying treat my dad like his own father—devoted, filial, and utterly infatuated?"