Lu Sheng shook his head and said nothing more. Gathering his belongings, he stepped off the boat in haste, summoning Ning San and Xu Chui as he rushed back toward Golden Jade Greenhouse.
The moment he returned, he sought out Jade Lotus to arrange their prompt relocation to Mountain-Edge City. With its dense population and the Court’s presence, the Scarlet District would think twice before acting recklessly and drawing the ire of every other Noble Family. Out here in the wilderness, far from civilization, they would have no such restraint.
“The Liu sisters are nowhere to be found? What’s that supposed to mean?” Lu Sheng stared, stunned, at the empty-handed men he had sent to fetch the sisters.
“External Head, there was no response no matter how hard your subordinate knocked,” the man explained, bowing. “So I had a fellow female sect member climb in through the window. Inside, we found only this letter on the table and this small box.” He presented the items with both hands.
In the silence of the main hall, Lu Sheng received the letter and the box. The box surprised him—it was carved from jadeite, cold and smooth beneath his fingers. It must have been something valuable the Liu sisters had brought from their home.
“You may go. Withdraw ten taels of silver from the accounts room for yourself.” Prices had risen sharply in recent days; a single tael of silver now held only eighty percent of its former value. Even so, ten taels amounted to a respectable sum—roughly equivalent to eight thousand dollars, an average person’s monthly income.
“Many thanks, My Lord.” With a grateful bow, the subordinate departed.
Left alone in the hall, Lu Sheng unfolded the letter.
‘We sisters cannot properly repay Young Master Lu’s great kindness. All we have is this Floral Enhancement Pill, capable of gathering essence and Qi to aid Young Master in his advancement.
For many days, we have sensed the omen of a great disaster approaching. To avoid harming others, we have no choice but to depart first. Should fate allow us to meet again, we will certainly repay this debt. —Liu Caiyun, Liu Qin.’
Lu Sheng set the letter aside and let out a quiet sigh. Given their limited abilities, leaving now might give the Liu sisters a chance to escape the looming danger. Perhaps this was the best outcome for them.
If they had managed to travel thousands of miles from Yun Province unharmed despite their meager skills, then they must have been carrying a significant secret—or possessed a powerful backing. But he had no time to dwell on that now.
‘I must upgrade my hard body skills as soon as possible. I still have those Yin Qi items I gathered. I can push myself further.’
That night, Lu Sheng and Jade Lotus led more than a hundred sect members who had been staying at Golden Jade Greenhouse—along with Ning San, Xu Chui, and Duan Meng’an—back to Mountain-Edge City. They took lodging at the Rich & Brilliant Casino, the grandest establishment of its kind.
Lu Sheng made a brief return home. There, he warned Lu Quanan once more, “Do not leave the city under any circumstances during this period.” Only after emphasizing this did he head back to the casino.
Heeding Lu Sheng’s earlier warning, Lu Quanan had already stocked up a large supply of rations. Mobilizing all his men, he had secured enough food to sustain the more than one hundred people under him for a full year. They could have prepared even more if the time had allowed, but this much at least formed a solid contingency.
Afterward, Lu Sheng ordered every sect member in the city—including the Soaring Eagle Squad—to double their efforts and hasten their stockpiling of food. At the same time, he instructed Headquarters to monitor any news emerging from the other sects and clans outside the city.
As for himself, he entrusted all administrative duties to Jade Lotus, reminding her, “Do not leave the city.” With that, he announced that he would be entering seclusion.
…………
Within the sanctuary, Lu Sheng sat cross-legged at its center. Behind him, a single immense character—Silence—loomed on the wall. The pitch-black stone walls enclosing the room had cost a small fortune to construct.
Before him sat a small vial filled with golden-yellow ointment, radiating a warm glow and releasing a rich medicinal fragrance.
‘This newly concocted ointment is truly remarkable. No wonder a single portion costs over a thousand taels.’ Lu Sheng studied the vial, deeply impressed.
Such a tiny bottle held only enough for three doses, yet its price reached an astonishing one thousand taels of silver. In his previous life, it would have been worth millions. Without his current status, power, and connections, he might not have been able to obtain the necessary ingredients even with money in hand.
‘This is the unparalleled holy medicine for cultivating hard body skills—Golden Fragrance Cream. A single mouthful taken during training can be refined into Qi essence, nourishing Yin and strengthening the entire body.’
He had spent a long time searching through the dispensary before finally securing the last remaining bottle of Golden Fragrance Cream—on credit, no less.
It was meant to be diluted and divided into a hundred portions for a hundred men. Instead, Lu Sheng had claimed the entire bottle for himself.
After completing his preparations, he withdrew the first manual on hard body skills from the pocket at his chest.
‘I’ve already mastered both Nine Lakes Steel Chain Skill and Bear-Wrestling Arm. The latter may be common, but Nine Lakes Steel Chain Skill is a Strength Proficiency hard body skill. Fully mastered, it’s strong enough to withstand a blunt strike from an ordinary person. In that case, I should move on to Golden Veil Skill, which focuses on defending against stabbing and slashing attacks.’
With that thought, Lu Sheng rose and rang the bell.
Soon enough, according to his instructions, someone entered carrying a large tub filled with a rich, pitch-black medicinal bath. The liquid filled more than half the bathtub.
Lu Sheng waited for the attendant to withdraw before quickly stripping off his clothes and plunging into the bath.
Szzz…
A surge of scalding heat seeped through his skin, rushing through every fiber of his body. Instinctively, the Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies Skill activated within him, circulating to resist the burning temperature. His skin flushed a vivid red, making him resemble a fully boiled shrimp. Wisps of white steam drifted endlessly from his pores—it was blisteringly hot.
Golden Veil Skill was also a Strength Proficiency hard body technique, consisting of two levels: Silver Veil and Golden Veil. Its focus lay on tempering the outer layer of skin. Once mastered, the skin would toughen like leather, able to withstand slashes and cuts from sharp weapons, though it offered less protection against blunt force.
It was precisely its defense against blades that Lu Sheng sought.
Submerged in the heavy, herbal-infused water, he reached for the metal brush that had been soaking alongside him and began to gently scrape it across his skin, following the method prescribed in the Golden Veil manual.
The brush resembled an ordinary bathing tool, but every bristle was forged from black steel, its tips razor-sharp. It was an essential instrument for cultivating this particular skill.
Sitting in the tub, Lu Sheng moved the metal brush steadily across his chest and back. His strokes were light at first, but as time passed, they grew faster, heavier. His skin deepened from red to an even fiercer shade.
Having already mastered two hard body skills, his physique was exceptionally robust. Now, cultivating another Strength Proficiency skill came far more naturally—it demanded only half the effort.
Before long, a cool sensation surged upward from his abdomen, spreading through his body. His pores tightened abruptly, instinctively responding to the stimulation of the brush and drinking in the medicinal essence of the bath.
…………
“Put out the fire! Quick, put out the fire!”
“FIRE! Where’s the wooden tub? Where are the firefighters!?”
“Here—quick, quick, QUICK!”
From the tower, Chen Yunxi watched the chaos unfolding in the distance, her brows drawing together in a subtle frown.
The sky was beginning to pale. A ribbon of blue rose in the east, contrasting against the waning vermilion glow.
Dressed in a flowing white gown, Chen Yunxi had been standing on the balcony for some time. Behind her lay her study room—where she spent her days drinking tea, practicing calligraphy, and reading in quiet leisure.
This was Moon Reflection Tower, a five-story pavilion her father had built especially for her. Every floor, from top to bottom, was adorned with her treasured belongings.
“Yunxi, you’re still watching the fire?” A deep, aged voice sounded behind her. As she turned, a white-haired old man stepped slowly into the room.
“I noticed the door was open, so I came in to take a look,” he said with a warm smile. He wore embroidered robes, a string of jade pearls carved with fish motifs at his waist, and a pair of shimmering gloves—not made of gold or silver, but of silk.
“Daddy… that fire is really frightening. How long has it been since Mountain-Edge City had a blaze that big?”
“That’s not a great fire… though, I suppose it’s turning into one now,” the old man replied. “From what I’ve heard, one of the underworld sects got themselves into trouble. Those mafia types are never up to any good—extortion, blackmail, bleeding the common folk dry. It’s better for everyone if they burn.”
This old man was none other than Chen Yunxi’s father—Chen Daozao, the famed Old Master whose wealth stretched across the streets of Mountain-Edge City.
His life was a legend in itself. Starting from nothing, he had clawed his way upward through relentless effort and iron determination, building his fortune piece by piece.
His original name was also Chen Daozao, but written with a different character for Dao. Later in life, he changed it—the original character implied he had been born too early, a meaning he wished to cast aside.
He had been born into a poor household, where both parents resented him, blaming his existence for hindering his elder brother’s path to success.
Yet no one could have foreseen that decades later, he would be the only member of the Chen family to rise to prominence. Though merely a businessman, his wealth and influence far exceeded anything his parents had ever imagined possible.
Even more precious was the family he built—after having his firstborn son, he was blessed with a daughter, Chen Yunxi. With two filial children, it seemed all his years of toil had finally borne fruit.
“Tomorrow, Young Master Wang will be visiting. Make sure you dress properly—you’ll need to host him,” Chen Daozao instructed.
“I don’t like Wang Shunyong,” Chen Yunxi murmured.
“That can’t be helped. We’re businessmen, and our livelihood depends on families like his. My child… in times as chaotic as these, our lives aren’t always our own…” Chen Daozao said, his tone heavy.
He didn’t want his daughter to become the concubine of Wang Shunyong—the only son of the Deputy Army Superintendent—but his options had dwindled. In the past, negotiating such matters would have been simpler. Now, with turmoil spreading and trade routes collapsing, Mountain-Edge City faced severe shortages. Fear rose daily, and the resource-rich Chen family had become prime prey for the powerful.
They had spent years cultivating connections, yet relationships forged solely with money evaporated in moments of crisis.
Thus, even if it meant sacrificing his daughter’s happiness, he would push forward with this plan—whether she agreed or not.
Once Wang Shunyong arrived, all he needed to do was drug the man… allow nature to take its course… and afterward send generous amounts of gold, silver, and food as dowry. By then, the Wang family would have no choice but to accept Yunxi as his concubine.
Chen Yunxi felt a wave of helplessness wash over her. She didn’t fully know her father’s plans, but as father and daughter, she had long been able to guess at his intentions.
Her elder brother, Chen Jiaorong, had only just arranged a marriage with the daughter of the Minister of Prisons. The Minister oversaw all prisons under the Prefect’s yamen and was considered one of the top ten most influential figures in Mountain-Edge City. For the Chen family to secure ties with such a powerful household meant they had successfully climbed another rung up the social ladder.
Yet despite the Chen family’s appearance of wealth and prestige, much of it rested upon favors accumulated when Chen Daozao once aided the Prefect many years ago. Those favors had slowly dwindled over time—they would run out eventually. Now that Mountain-Edge City had fallen into disaster, the family desperately needed a new backer or everything would fall apart.
“Xixi, Daddy has no other choice. Do you know what conditions the other party set when your elder brother Jiaorong proposed?” Chen Daozao’s expression was weary, a mixture of helplessness and resignation.
“What conditions? Wasn’t it just ten thousand taels of gold and silver, ten sets of jewelry, and original works by famous scholars?” Chen Yunxi asked, puzzled.
Chen Daozao looked at his naïve, innocent daughter and shook his head, a strained smile tugging at his lips. “That was only on the surface. What the Minister truly demanded… was half of our family’s assets.”
“WHAT!?” Chen Yunxi froze, stunned. Half their assets—how could anyone accept such a thing?
“If you succeed this time, we may be able to keep twenty percent of what remains,” Chen Daozao said with a bitter smile. “But if you fail…” Others saw only his wealth and glory, never the predators circling him from every side.
Chen Yunxi fell silent. She lowered her head, stayed still for a moment, then slowly raised it again. “I understand…”
“It’s good that you understand…” Chen Daozao nodded, relief and sorrow mixed in his gaze. After all, wasn’t raising children meant for moments like this?
“I think… I’ll go to the Institution for a final look…” Chen Yunxi whispered.
“You’re going to look for that Lu Sheng again? He doesn’t even want you—what’s the point?” Chen Daozao’s temper flared instantly. “He’s just the wastrel son of a small family! So he knows a bit of martial arts—he still doesn’t know what’s good for him!”
Despite his booming business, Chen Daozao was no man of the martial world. He knew nothing of the recent changes in the Crimson Whale Sect’s upper ranks. Naturally, he had never heard of Lu Sheng’s rising reputation—and even if he had, he would have dismissed it as someone else with the same name.
Yet when he saw his daughter fall silent and cling to her resolve, his fury gradually melted away.
Even if the plan succeeded—drugging Wang Shunyong, letting matters take their natural course, and forcing the Wang family to acknowledge responsibility—Yunxi would still face hardship. She had clearly rejected Wang Shunyong, and as his concubine, her future would be filled with grievances and humiliation. Her life would become one long struggle.
Thinking of this, Chen Daozao let out a deep, weary sigh.
“Go, then. Go. But don’t let your emotions control you… don’t act impulsively, or our Chen family will truly…” His words faded into another sigh. Without speaking further, he turned and walked away.
Watching her father’s retreating figure, Chen Yunxi could no longer hold back. Her legs gave way as she sank to the floor, tears streaming silently down her face.
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