Chapter 231 Bai Xuefeng's Supernatural Abilities (Exclusively Published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Because Lu Xuan had taken a detour to Jiangnan and was delayed for a few days, all the grain in Luochuan had already been harvested.
Without the troublemaker Zhao Tongpan and without so many local tyrants in Jiangnan, the first round of accounts and the new round of transactions were completed smoothly without any setbacks.
It's just that the young and strong men in the village were about to harvest from the small gathering places they had visited before, and Li Jing and the others would go straight back after completing their transactions in Licheng, so they wouldn't have time to come to Luochuan, including Fengxian later.
Therefore, Lu Xuan increased the volume of the new batch of transactions so that the people of Luochuan who had just received their grain could exchange it for more good things and have a more comfortable time during the hot season.
Salt, being a spoil of war from the Jiangnan region, was basically sold or given away for free.
The holographic helmet trade was also added.
Lu Xuan also traded out a batch of goods in Licheng this time. He will ask the villagers to trade some for Yangshan as well, so that Yangshan will not fall behind.
In addition, as agreed last time, Lu Xuan provided the government office with five vials of evolution fluid.
The government has re-established contact with the capital. The ownership of these evolution fluids is not something that Liu Wenchi can decide alone; it will likely involve some distribution of benefits.
These are things that Lu Xuan cannot concern himself with.
Liu Wenchi also ordered an additional 10,000 mu of greenhouses this time to expand the scale of the greenhouses.
As a result, Luochuan had repaid 4.5 million jin of grain, but its total debt was more than 3 million yuan higher than before.
Of course, none of that matters.
The more they owed, the more Lu Xuan earned.
Even after deducting expenses for heating materials and other supplies, Lu Xuan's total assets still reached 5.2 billion yuan, including debt repayments and transactions.
The increase is much smaller than in Licheng, but that's okay, the big gains are yet to come.
Lu Xuan only slept in Luochuan for one night, and the next morning he went to Feng County.
[The host got to this show really fast!]
Other gathering places aren't as foolish as Licheng to try and renege on their debts, so there's no need for the streamer to be in such a hurry.
Lu Xuan, piloting the aircraft, said calmly, "It's not easy to be out here in this heat. Let's finish this quickly and go home."
·
After more than a month away, I returned to Fengxian County, and the changes were enormous compared to my last visit.
Just as initially suspected, Ye Feiluan, who was involved with the leaders of the five major forces, quickly integrated the forces in the city after recovering his health.
The five major powers and dozens of smaller powers are a thing of the past; Feng County has now become Ye Feiluan's one-man show.
Yu Niangzi, Hua San, and others stepped down to become deputies, assisting Ye Feiluan in managing some affairs of Feng County according to their respective abilities.
They deliberately didn't reveal too many changes in Fengxian to Lu Xuan in the holographic world, just to give him a shock when he arrived.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xuan's expression didn't change at all after learning all this, and he instead brought them even more astonishing news.
For example, the Third Prince has already ascended the throne and been granted the title of Marquis of Yunxian. He has also mobilized the Huo family army to gradually recover lost territories.
For example, a few days ago, Lu Xuan wiped out several century-old aristocratic families in Licheng, Jiangnan.
Ye Feiluan and the others: "!!!"
Hua San clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "Boss Lu's experience is just too fascinating."
Lady Yu sighed and said reproachfully, "You still call him Boss Lu? You should call him Lord Marquis."
Before Ye Feiluan's restoration, they had each built their own forces with great success and felt that they had achieved remarkable things. However, compared with Lu Xuan, and looking back at their previous misdeeds, they inevitably seemed a bit petty.
Lady Yu wasn't so self-deprecating as to think that what she had done in the past was meaningless.
It's true that comparisons are odious; a huge gap can be discouraging.
Lu Xuan didn't have much interest in the title.
"Whatever you call me won't interfere with our transaction. Besides collecting debts and handling regular transactions, I also have an additional deal I plan to do with you all."
Having recovered to his peak condition, Ye Feiluan showed a willingness to hear more. "What kind of deal? As long as it's within our capabilities, Mr. Lu, just name your price."
The new business is actually quite simple: it's a pay-to-win business in the holographic world.
The more people enter the holographic world, the more people will spend money on in-game purchases every day. Currently, out of the 20,000 to 30,000 people, there are about a few hundred who are willing to spend money.
Although these people don't spend money every day, but rather spend enough at once to play for ten or fifteen days, even just a few dozen people a day is enough to annoy Lu Xuan.
Not to mention that this number will continue to increase in the future.
But it would be a shame not to make money off these supplies, so it would be better to outsource this business.
Lu Xuan said, "I can give you transaction points at a 20% discount. You can use these points to recharge other players' accounts at the same price as I set before. The extra 20% is a service fee."
Ye Feiluan and the others were instantly invigorated.
A glint of light flashed in Du Chenghai's eyes as he quickly confirmed, "Is it an exclusive offer just for us, or...?"
Lu Xuan glanced at him. "I'll give you an exclusive deal. Can you go to other settlements to collect supplies?"
Du Chenghai opened his mouth, "Oh right, there's still the issue of collecting debts."
Ye Feiluan, on the other hand, was quite optimistic, saying, "It's already very good that I'm only in charge of Feng County."
Although this will definitely reduce the number of customers, this business is not something that can be done for just a year or two.
As long as their relationship with Lu Xuan doesn't deteriorate, this deal can continue for a long time.
There is no risk involved; all they need to do is buy and sell points. They will never lose money. What more could they want?
Even if their influence in the real world is affected after the cataclysm, they can still have a safe way out by cooperating with Lu Xuan on the holographic pay-to-win business.
Du Chenghai, Qiu Qi, and the others didn't understand this principle at first, but they were able to figure it out after a little thought.
Even if you can't understand it, they're the ones who benefit from it anyway, so there's no reason to refuse.
The two sides quickly reached an agreement, and Lu Xuan immediately traded a sum of points to Ye Feiluan.
The amount isn't that much, only fifty million.
But this still startled the former leaders of the five major powers.
Fifty million!
As one of the most willing people in the city to spend money on these non-essential entertainments, they would only spend a maximum of one or two hundred thousand yuan a month.
If we give them all these points, how long will it take them to use them all?
Ignoring their astonishment, Lu Xuan began moving out a new batch of supplies after signing the new cooperation agreement.
Ye Feiluan also handed over the prepared grain for paying off the debt at the right time.
Feng County has become a unified entity, and the debts of other smaller factions have also been transferred to Ye Feiluan.
The total area of greenhouses in Fengxian County is 15,000 mu, and there is no need to expand it.
With the large expenditures reduced, the 750 jin of accounts and the million jin of grain obtained from the new transaction, after deducting the lottery portion, brought Lu Xuan a profit of 2 billion.
·
The capital city, the residence of Marquis Yunxian.
"The Marquis is back!" With a shout from the gatekeeper, the once quiet Yunxian Marquis's mansion welcomed its master back after more than a month of absence.
The viewers in the live stream were astonished as they watched the crowds standing on both sides of the courtyard respectfully shouting, "Welcome back, Lord Marquis!"
[This is amazing!]
Believe it or not, even though ancient feudal times had a lot of dross, the feeling of being a nobleman was absolutely amazing.
[Is it fun? To me, it looks so exaggerated and awkward. It's like I've scooped out an entire agricultural planet with my toes.]
[It was both awkward and exhilarating, hahaha.]
[Some planets in the Star Alliance still retain an aristocratic system with a strict hierarchy. Nobles there also have multiple wives and concubines, and are not much better off than in ancient times.]
[What a pity for this streamer, this lonely king. He has a huge manor that can hold hundreds of servants, but he doesn't even have a wife. Sigh.]
While the audience sighed and lamented, Lu Xuan was welcomed into the mansion as if nothing had happened.
The spies from various powerful families in the capital who were keeping watch outside the Marquis's residence quickly returned to report.
The other servants were quickly dismissed by the steward, leaving only two guard captains, two head maids, and the steward—a total of five people.
To be precise, there were five robots.
There are butler robots with certain management skills, nanny robots that can do all kinds of housework, and bodyguard robots that are proficient in all kinds of fighting skills.
The five people were specially left behind by Lu Xuan to manage the entire Marquis's residence.
Lu Xuan inquired about the situation at the Marquis's residence during the month or so since he returned to the village.
The steward said, "With the master away, apart from the Bai family and the Marquis of Weiyuan's residence sending people twice to inquire if we need anything, no other guests have come to visit. In addition, we occasionally go to check on the crops growing in the greenhouses managed by the Marquis of Weiyuan's residence and the Bai family."
I have reported these things to Lu Xuan in my usual communications.
Besides that, they would spend their free time catching up on the gossip of the servants in the mansion.
These servants claimed to be sent by the new emperor, but in reality, they had spies from both sides, and they had tried to build relationships with them and extract information from them in private.
Unfortunately, as intelligent robots that had already recognized their master, they not only refused to reveal any information they shouldn't, but also reported all the servants' little tricks to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan was already aware of these things and didn't take them to heart.
Just then, someone came to announce that Bai Xuefeng and Xie Yun had arrived.
As soon as the two entered the room, they felt the cool air conditioning and then drank the chilled plum juice served by the maid. They couldn't help but sigh with satisfaction.
"happy!"
Xie Yun sighed, "It's a good thing we have air conditioning, otherwise with the weather getting worse, we really wouldn't survive."
Although summers weren't as hot as they have been in the last two years, and the manor had ice chests, having experienced the convenience of air conditioning, he felt he could never go back to those days.
Bai Xuefeng nodded in agreement, "If there were no air conditioning one day, I'm afraid I would really die in agony."
Lu Xuan said, "As long as there are enough energy stones, the air conditioner will last for decades without breaking down." Perhaps the air conditioner will even outlive their lives.
Bai Xuefeng smiled and said, "That would be perfect."
Although the two sides hadn't seen each other for over a month, they ran into each other frequently in the game, so they didn't seem estranged.
After briefly greeting Lu Xuan, Xie Yun took out the harvest that she had been temporarily managing at the Marquis's residence a couple of days ago.
Xie Yun said, "With the dry ice you provided and the blackout cloth, the crops in the field have grown smoothly. However, I asked about the yield of the greenhouse in the royal estate, and the yield is still about 20% less compared to the greenhouse."
Lu Xuan nodded, "It's alright, it's an extra gain anyway, a little more or less won't make a difference."
Seeing that he really didn't care, Xie Yun handed over the packed grain to him.
After deducting the reduced production and the dividends from the Marquis of Weiyuan's mansion and the Bai family, the remaining amount totaled 7.2 million jin.
Lu Xuan glanced at the items briefly to make sure the quantity was correct, then casually put them away.
Then, his gaze fell on Bai Xuefeng.
"Not confirmed yet?"
When the topic turned to business, Bai Xuefeng's face showed a hint of distress, and he quickly nodded and said, "I can feel that there is a certain power in my body that I didn't have before, but I tried to condense a fireball or a waterball but I got nothing."
After trying the conventional system, he also thought that maybe he had awakened the special system that Lu Xuan mentioned.
However, no matter how he tried to fly like Lu Xuan did, or tried to control someone's mind by looking into their eyes, or tried to treat the injured person, there was no response.
After numerous unsuccessful attempts, Bai Xuefeng began to feel anxious and doubtful, wondering if his perception of power was merely a delusion.
Perhaps he was just like other people who hadn't awakened, whose bodies had been strengthened to some extent?
Lu Xuan wasn't entirely familiar with all special abilities, so he didn't say much more and simply took out the ability detector, saying, "Whether you have an ability or what type, we'll know after the test."
Xie Yun had long known that Bai Xuefeng had received the evolution fluid from Lu Xuan. While envious, he was also quite curious about what rare ability his cousin had acquired that he himself couldn't even detect.
The detector scanned Bai Xuefeng, capturing and analyzing the fluctuations of his supernatural abilities.
The analysis results came out quickly.
Bai Xuefeng did indeed awaken a special type of ability, the category of which is—Reflection.
[It's a rebound ability!!!]
[I'm so envious! This is the ability I wanted most when I was a kid—to reflect trash talk back! Anyone who dares to hit me will be reflected back, all of them! Unfortunately, without superpowers, reflecting trash talk is just empty talk and completely useless.]
[How come the guy surnamed Bai is so lucky? He was able to prepare in advance for the earthquake and save his family when he met the streamer, and now he's awakened a special ability. Is he a protagonist in a novel!?]
Bai Xuefeng, feeling envious, blinked blankly. "Rebound? What does that mean?"
Lu Xuan glanced at the comments mentioning the ability of a reflective ability user that was recorded in the history of the Star Alliance, "It means that you can reflect the damage you suffer back to the person who attacked you."
The difference between different levels of rebound ability users lies in the proportion of power that can be rebounded.
A newly awakened Level 1 ability user may only be able to reflect back 10% or 20% of the power, and will still have to bear the rest of the damage themselves.
As the level increases, the percentage of damage reflected gradually increases, reaching 100% reflection, and can even be doubled or several times over.
Although the ability category is not considered offensive, it can become a powerful weapon if used well.
After hearing this, Xie Yun felt even more envious of Bai Xuefeng, and at the same time understood: "No wonder my cousin couldn't figure out what his abilities were before. I should have found someone to beat you up."
Live stream viewers: Pfft, what the hell, he's asking someone to beat him up? This is really his cousin.
Xie Yun laughed after she finished speaking, "But it's obviously impossible."
Although the Bai family still doesn't hold any real status in elite circles, their connection with Lu Xuan makes them more valuable in some ways than other noble families, and everyone is eager to curry favor with them.
Xie Yun chuckled and gossiped to Lu Xuan, "You have no idea how popular Jinzhi has been in the past month or so. The Bai family's doorstep has been worn down by suitors, all wanting to marry their daughters/granddaughters to him."
In the entire capital, apart from the new emperor and Lu Xuan who traded for five vials of evolution fluid, only Bai Xuefeng obtained one.
Who wouldn't be envious of such unique treatment? Wouldn't they want to get a piece of the action?
Unfortunately, the Bai family declined all offers, citing Bai Xuefeng's obligation to observe mourning for his grandmother.
The old lady of the Bai family passed away from illness six months before the disaster. Bai Xuefeng was indeed in mourning, but he was a grandson, not a son. A year of mourning was enough, and no one would say anything if he were to arrange a marriage.
Ultimately, the Bai family simply didn't want to get too involved with the powerful and influential people in the capital.
The Marquis of Weiyuan's mansion was already enough to protect them, and now with Lu Xuan added, it's already more than enough; too much is as bad as too little.
As a result, all those with ulterior motives returned empty-handed.
Speaking of Lu Xuan... Xie Yun looked around.
After they arrived, the steward and the two captains of the guard returned to their posts, leaving only two head maids quietly standing guard in the side hall.
Xie Yun said to Lu Xuan sarcastically, "It's not just Jinzhi, your housekeeper and head maid are also very popular."
Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What do you mean?"
The viewers in the live stream sensed the juicy gossip and perked up their ears.
Xie Yun spoke eloquently: "Jinzhi and you have a good relationship, so the Bai family has been won over by the powerful and influential people in the capital. You left these people behind to help you guard the Marquis's mansion. They must be trustworthy confidants. There will only be more people who want to win them over."
The methods used to win people over are nothing more than coercion and enticement.
After witnessing Lu Xuan's strength, no one would easily break the rules through coercion.
Lu Xuan was not short of money and resources, and he would treat his confidants well. In terms of status, Marquis Yunxian was the new emperor's favorite, and no one had a better future than him.
Besides, the dignitaries wanted to use Lu Xuan's subordinates to get in through connections, not to poach his men.
After much deliberation, seduction became the choice for most people.
Xie Yun said, "Because we didn't know the preferences of your subordinates, each family did a lot of probing. They tested the charming, the demure, the straightforward and feisty... and whether the maids preferred a fair-skinned pretty boy or a strong and muscular man. After the tests, the people sent over were mostly related to each other from different families."
For example, the steward's children/nephews, or the relatives of the mistress's head maid, brothers and sisters, young and capable stewards in the mansion, the son of the shopkeeper of a shop under her name, or even the shopkeeper herself, etc.
Even better, there are also distant relatives from the wife's/daughter's family.
Xie Yun's eyes gleamed with inexplicable excitement: "Among them, the one with the highest status is a concubine's daughter from the Earl's mansion."
Lu Xuan's eyelids twitched.
The daughter of a noble family? They'd be willing to arrange a marriage for one of their 'servants'?
In ordinary mansions, servants were all slaves. Leaving aside whether there was a law in this dynasty prohibiting marriage between people of different social classes, even if there wasn't, if a woman from a respectable family married a man of slave status, she would most likely also become a slave.
Are you willing to do this? Are you desperate to build connections?
Xie Yun said, "That Earl's family has no promising younger generation. Seeing that the next generation is about to be demoted, he will naturally do everything he can to climb the social ladder. If a mere concubine's daughter wanted to marry you, she might not even be a match for you as a concubine. But to become the wife of the steward of the Marquis's mansion, even if she is not favored, is still a great honor for your steward."
With such a good marriage arranged, how could the steward not speak up for the bride's family?
The benefits you gain in the end will definitely be far greater than marrying off a daughter you don't care about.
He was quite shrewd in his calculations.
However, this is the most interesting part of the whole thing.
While other noble families in the capital thought the other party was willing to spend a lot of money, the steward of the Marquis of Yunxian's mansion refused without hesitation!
He refused!
Xie Yun excitedly slapped her thigh and said, "You have no idea how angry the Earl of Qing'an was when this matter reached the Earl's Mansion. He made a scene in the mansion, smashing and beating things for a long time. Later, the people from the Earl's Mansion went out and said a lot of sarcastic things, saying that your steward didn't know what was good for him, and that the Marquis of Yunxian's Mansion looked down on their Earl's Mansion."
Bai Xuefeng curled his lip. "He can even come up with a scheme to marry his daughter to the butler. How can he expect others to respect him?"
Besides, without this incident, it's uncertain whether Lu Xuan would even know that his family had such a prominent figure in the capital. It would be too much for him to overestimate himself.
After this incident spread throughout the capital, countless people secretly laughed at the Earl of Qing'an, which also affected the marriage prospects of the other unmarried sons and daughters of the Earl's family.
Nobles have always valued their status, and they could not tolerate becoming brothers-in-law with a servant in the future; it would be a complete loss of face if word got out.
Even though the steward of the Yunxian Marquis's mansion had already refused, it didn't work.
What if I regret it later?
If they really want to build a relationship with Lu Xuan, they should find a more suitable candidate themselves and send them over, avoiding middlemen who would profit from the difference.
Bai Xuefeng asked Lu Xuan, "Did the butler refuse because you had instructed them beforehand?"
Lu Xuan shook his head: "I didn't give any instructions."
The viewers, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, burst into laughter.
[Why would the anchor need to remind us? Robots and humans are reproductively isolated. How can different species fall in love? Robots' 'moral standards' are much higher than humans', so of course they would refuse.]
If that Earl's Mansion had instead courted the Qingqu robot instead of a butler robot, perhaps they would have had a better chance of succeeding.
[Speaking of which, the streamer initially tried to keep a low profile by giving several bots unremarkable, ordinary appearances, but surprisingly, people still tried to flirt with them.]
Because appearance wasn't important to begin with; their status was what mattered. As long as they remained members of the Yunxian Marquis's household, even if they had a pig's face, someone would still marry a beautiful woman to them.
[Tsk tsk, these nobles are truly heartless.]
[If you ask me, this is the time to give them a real shock with Lu Miaomiao's skull; I guarantee they'd be scared out of their wits.]
You don't mind if I'm ugly, right?
If we were sleeping together in the middle of the night and I accidentally flipped your head off, wouldn't you be scared? Hehe.
In short, all these people's attempts to seduce the robot are simply throwing seductive glances at a fool; their efforts are destined to be futile.
However, continuing like this is not a solution.
Xie Yun told Lu Xuan these things not just to share gossip, but also to remind him that if there were many similar examples, it would be hard to guarantee that there wouldn't be more people like Qing'an Bo who would become angry and resentful towards Yunxian Hou.
It would be best to find a way to solve this once and for all.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thanks to "Changyushan" for throwing a landmine. (Time of throw: 2025-06-11 11:35:21)
"A skinny salted fish", irrigate with nutrient solution +18
"Changyushan", irrigate with nutrient solution +10
"Yan", irrigate with nutrient solution +3
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com