The Martial Lord of the Troubled World

Chapter 64 Means
"boom!"

Gunshots startled birds into flight, and accompanied by the sound of ropes being pulled, a dozen targets moved rapidly from both sides of the horizontally laid track.

Some men grabbed sandbags filled with lime, swung their arms, and threw them high into the air.

Fu Juemin stood at his own shooting range, holding a Han-made long-barreled rifle in both hands, his eyes blindfolded, and kept firing at the moving and flying targets.

He fired, pulled the bolt, and chambered the gun methodically.

With each shot, a target was hit; the posture was composed, and the movements flowed with an indescribable naturalness and fluidity.

A moment later, after the entire box of ammunition had been used up, Fu Juemin pulled off the black cloth covering his face and casually tossed the rifle in his hand to someone nearby.

"Young master is amazing, he only missed three out of fifty targets."

"His marksmanship is unmatched by many in the entire Luanhe Police Station."

Wang Shuisheng, who was waiting to the side, showed a hint of sincere awe and admiration on his face and exclaimed in amazement, "And the young master has only practiced for three to five days. If this were to get out, who would believe it?"

Despite Wang Shuisheng's flattery and praise, Fu Juemin remained expressionless, seemingly not very satisfied with the result.

He activated the talent [Hidden Listener], so whether he was blindfolded or not made no difference when firing. During this period, he mainly practiced his proficiency with the gun and his so-called "gun feel".

With his Blood Refining Realm martial artist's body control and the extraordinary perception brought by [Nether Listening], his marksmanship skills would inevitably improve by leaps and bounds, and there was nothing to brag about.

"Next time we practice, let's use live targets like pigeons or sparrows."

Fu Juemin gave the order in a calm tone, then looked at Cao Tian on the other side.

"How's the injury?"

Cao Tian was wearing a light gray short jacket and newly sewn cloth shoes with multi-layered soles. His face was slightly pale, and he looked a few inches thinner than before.

"He's mostly recovered."

Cao Tian replied that he was shot in the abdomen that night, but fortunately he was taken to the hospital in time. In addition, the Blood Cultivation Martial Master had a strong physique, and after the bullet was removed, he was able to walk on his own within two days.

"You still need to rest more. During this time, do not get into fights with anyone."

Fu Juemin thought for a moment and asked, "What news is there from the Black Shark Gang?"

Cao Tian replied: "On October 23, Song Lin hosted a banquet at Fu Rui Lou, inviting many wealthy families in the city. He forced them to donate more than 200,000 silver dollars, but in the end, instead of paying, he killed two of Fu Rui Lou's employees."

"On the 25th, a man surnamed Song led a patrol outside the city, destroyed two soup kitchens, and killed more than twenty innocent refugees..."

October 26th.

"...This man surnamed Song is now holding court in the county government office, and in just two days, he has killed quite a few people for 'theft,' 'adultery,' and 'smuggling.' As long as it's a case he deems guilty of, regardless of whether the evidence is conclusive or not, the ringleader and his accomplices are all executed by firing squad."

Cao Tian paused, then added, "Also, the Chen family, the owners of the Xiguan Rice Shop, who disappeared that night, are still missing."

Fu Juemin listened quietly, and after Cao Tian finished speaking, he made no comment, but simply walked straight across the shooting range toward the mansion.

He had seen the piece of paper that Fu Guosheng had collected about Song Lin's crimes. Compared to what was recorded on the paper, Song Lin's actions in Luanhe during this period were child's play.

'Luanhe is not like an ordinary small county. It is traversed by the Grand Canal, connecting Shenghai and Jinhai upstream, and Shuangguang Tianfu downstream. There are many wealthy and powerful families in Luanhe County, and even Song Lin has to be careful.'

As Fu Juemin was thinking, he unknowingly arrived at the front yard, only to see a person walking quickly out of his house.

He got into a car and left in a hurry.

Fu Juemin watched the car disappear into the distance, his eyes flashing slightly. He then went to his study and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Fu Juemin pushed open the door and entered, and saw Fu Guosheng sitting behind the executive desk, on which sat a carved nanmu pipe inlaid with gold.

A faint smell of smoke lingered in the room.

Fu Guosheng has never smoked.

"father."

Fu Juemin stepped forward a few paces and asked in a low voice, "What brings County Chief Hu here?"

Fu Guosheng, who was behind the executive desk, looked up. Although his demeanor remained unchanged, a deep weariness was evident in his eyes.

“They’ve brought us a generous gift…” Fu Guosheng casually tossed him a document.

Fu Juemin picked it up to examine it, and his brows slowly furrowed.

"Fusheng Trading Company? Didn't it go bankrupt three years ago?"

"Special Commissioner Song decided to reopen the business and specifically designated that our Fu family should take over the business."

"It says 'Investigate past accounts' here..."

Fu Juemin pointed to the document in his hand and frowned, saying, "Song Lin means that we should first pay to cover the millions of silver dollars in deficit in Fusheng Foreign Firm's bad debts?"

"if not?"

Fu Guosheng's reaction was calm, as if he had expected this to happen, or perhaps he had already gotten over his anger.

"What are Father's plans now? If we don't make up for the losses within ten days, Song Lin will send people to arrest us and throw us in jail..."

As Fu Juemin was speaking, his gaze suddenly fell on another document or official letter on the table.

He paused slightly, picked it up casually, and his pupils contracted sharply when he saw what was written on the paper.

"Military service bonds? Five hundred thousand silver dollars per person?"

Fu Juemin felt an urge to burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. "How did he come up with this name?"

The document issued by the county government is even more interesting. It describes how Second Uncle Fu Guoping recruited private soldiers and privately built earthen fortresses.

The county's meaning is that everything in the Civil Affairs Department under Fu Guoping's jurisdiction is against the rules, and every single member currently registered in the Civil Affairs Department must pay 500,000 silver dollars as "military service debt".

If the missing funds are not handed over, they will all be treated as members of a rebellious party and punished accordingly.

How many men are there in the Civil Affairs Department?

Three or four hundred, or four or five hundred? Fu Juemin didn't know, but he knew that even if he emptied the entire Fu family's coffers, he would never be able to raise that amount.

"I might as well have my second uncle burn the roster."

“Your second uncle is capable of doing this, so they sent the documents to me.”

Fu Guosheng picked up his pipe, tapped it lightly on the corner of the table, and said calmly, "But even if it's burned, it won't help. The register is in the county; it's just a matter of adding as many names as Song Lin wants with a single stroke of the pen."

"father."

Fu Juemin put down the documents in his hand, his brows gradually turning cold. "Are we just going to let ourselves be slaughtered like mermaids?"

"I have my own plans for these matters."

Fu Juemin wanted to say something more, but Fu Guosheng was already rubbing his temples and waved him away.

Fu Juemin left the study with a slightly gloomy expression and immediately summoned his butler, Uncle Chen.

Only after careful questioning did he learn that the actual situation was far worse than he had imagined.

According to Uncle Chen, the Fu family's business has been hampered at every turn during this period. Not only have their goods been repeatedly inspected and seized at the docks, but they have also been subtly ostracized and squeezed out by several rival businesses in the industry. Furthermore, it's not just the Fu family; other businesses that are on good terms with them, such as Xu Shirong's Xu family, have also been affected.
"Are they planning to take over the Fu family?"

Fu Juemin's eyes flickered, his gaze gradually turning cold.

He originally thought that Song Lin had restrained his temper after arriving at Luanhe.

Now I understand that he simply changed his methods, replacing open violence with a blunt knife.

Fu Juemin stood in front of the door, flanked by two stone lions guarding the Fu family's residence.

After a long while, he took a deep breath, and his expression slowly returned to calm.

"Uncle Chen."

Fu Juemin turned to look at the butler, Uncle Chen, who was standing to the side, and asked, "Have all the things for my medicinal bath been prepared?"

Butler Chen Bo immediately nodded in response: "The water in the hot spring is already heated... Young Master can have someone administer the medicine at any time."

(End of this chapter)