After sending Li Shunxi off, Lu Sheng turned to make his way toward the Pharmacy—only to pause when he spotted his senior apprentice brother, Hong Mingzi, walking side by side with an unfamiliar middle-aged man toward the sect master’s study.
The man’s posture was upright and steady, his frame tall and straight. At first glance he did not seem old, yet the pale roots spreading through his hair and the weary depth in his eyes hinted at years far exceeding thirty or forty.
Lu Sheng stepped forward to greet them.
“Senior Apprentice Brother, what brings you here? This is…?” he asked, glancing toward the stranger.
As the man approached, his gaze swept over Lu Sheng with an odd brilliance—like someone appraising a rare, priceless treasure.
“This is none other than Nine-Strokes Sword and Palm Wang Yuanshan, the elder brother of Elder Wang whom you’ve met before,” Hong Mingzi introduced. “The original, complete version of the Heart-Shattering Palm you learned is actually Brother Wang’s family heirloom.”
“Wang Yuanshan?” Lu Sheng searched his memory and nodded. “Please, come in. Let’s speak inside.”
He led the two into the study, closed the doors behind them, and ordered someone to bring tea.
Once they were seated, Wang Yuanshan spoke without preamble. “Sect Master Lu, you truly live up to your reputation. You’re a man who has mastered both inner and outer force, possessing both hardened physique and cultivated Qi. You’ve reached the pinnacle of martial attainment. Compared to you, this old man…” His tone was frank, his praise elaborate yet strangely plain, leaving an odd impression.
“Senior Wang, you flatter me. May I know the purpose of your visit today?” Lu Sheng replied with a smile.
Now that his hair had begun growing back, the shiny bald look had faded; though still ruggedly muscled, he had regained some semblance of a youthful noble.
Wang Yuanshan did not answer. Instead, Hong Mingzi spoke up first.
“Junior Apprentice Brother…” He glanced around the room, his expression turning grave.
Lu Sheng understood his intention and waved his hand lightly, dismissing the attendants. The doors closed, and the guards took their positions outside the study.
With the room now quiet, Hong Mingzi lifted the teacup at his side. His expression slowly darkened into solemnity.
“I came here today to ask Junior Apprentice Brother about a matter. I hope you will answer me truthfully.”
Lu Sheng blinked, then offered a calm smile. “Senior Apprentice Brother, please speak your mind.”
Hong Mingzi took a measured sip, placed the teacup down gently, and traced a finger along its rim in thought.
“May I be so bold as to ask—just which Noble Family does your mother’s lineage descend from?”
Lu Sheng’s brows lifted ever so slightly. He almost didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. These two actually believed he hailed from some hidden branch of a Noble bloodline.
Before he could say anything, Hong Mingzi continued.
“To be honest, I didn’t have the chance to ask before, with all the urgent matters demanding our attention. But ever since witnessing Junior Apprentice Brother repel the ghost from Scarlet District, I’ve had my suspicions,” Hong Mingzi said, his tone grave. “Ordinary sect members may think all ghosts are alike, undefeatable and mysterious. But those of us who have dealt with Noble Families know better. The gap between ghosts and Anomalies is as vast as heaven and earth. For Junior Apprentice Brother to force the Deputy District Mistress of the Scarlet District to retreat—there can be no doubt about your true strength.”
Wang Yuanshan added, voice low and firm, “More importantly, power of this level… even if we searched the entire Northern Lands, we wouldn’t find another like you. Not even in the Central Plains.”
In that moment, Lu Sheng finally understood the reason behind their visit. No wonder the sect’s upper echelon—Chen Ying included—had been treating him with increasing reverence. It all stemmed from their mistaken belief that he possessed the bloodline of a Noble Family.
Someone like that swordsman Xiao Hongye had arranged to test him—one of those scattered remnants of a declining Noble Family—was rare, but not unheard of in the world.
Lu Sheng paused in thought before lifting his gaze.
“Actually, the answer Senior Apprentice Brother seeks isn’t important. What matters is whether I can lead Crimson Whale Sect and Crimson Sun Sect toward a better future.”
His reply neither confirmed nor denied anything directly.
Hong Mingzi and Wang Yuanshan exchanged looks, a faint glimmer of realization passing between them, as though they had reached some unspoken conclusion.
Lu Sheng, however, had no idea what they believed they had just verified.
“That’s fine as well. We can set that aside,” Hong Mingzi said, nodding. “It is truly our fortune to have someone like Junior Apprentice Brother guiding Crimson Sun Sect. But there is still another matter—the question of how to strengthen the sect’s disciples.”
Only then did Lu Sheng recall Song Zhenguo, whom he had left behind in the city like an abandoned lamb. He had taught the boy a few martial arts basics and the initiation mantra for the Green Pine One-Thought Formula, then paid him no further attention. How far the lad had progressed was anyone’s guess.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Sheng spoke solemnly. “The key to building a strong sect lies in recruiting disciples and making some of our mantras public.”
“Make public our mantras!? Absolutely not!” Hong Mingzi nearly leaped to his feet, horrified.
“Senior Apprentice Brother, hear me out,” Lu Sheng said calmly. “When I say make them public, I don’t mean everything. Only the most basic mantras—just enough to identify geniuses and those with true talent in cultivation. Only by doing so can we sift gold from sand and find the disciples worth nurturing.”
He had considered this long ago.
Even if he released every original version of the martial arts he practiced, no one could surpass him. With Yin Qi in his grasp, he could advance countless times faster than ordinary people, mastering entire techniques in a mere instant.
“That won’t do either! These martial arts skills are the blood, sweat, and tears of our sect’s pioneers. They paid a heavy price to forge this legacy. To expose them so lightly would be a grave dishonor to our founders. Junior Apprentice Brother, you must think of another solution.” Hong Mingzi remained unyielding.
Lu Sheng tried to persuade him further, but the man refused to budge. In the end, Lu Sheng could only set the matter aside. The original method of recruiting disciples—observing character first, then slowly testing aptitude—was painfully inefficient. Crimson Sun Sect would never grow strong at that pace.
Having received the answer they came for, Hong Mingzi and Wang Yuanshan rose before long, their expressions heavy with disappointment. Since they now believed Lu Sheng belonged to some Noble Family lineage, they assumed the only reason he could withstand the Scarlet District’s Deputy District Mistress—who was at the Bind realm—was because his bloodline must have countered the Anomaly’s black membrane. Only a Noble Family’s inherited Bind power, they reasoned, could have allowed him to hold his ground in such a battle.
This realization extinguished the hope they had brought with them. Though accustomed to disappointment, they had seen unprecedented potential in Lu Sheng. Yet even so…
Lu Sheng escorted the two out, then let out a quiet sigh.
‘The fewer who know I’m just an ordinary mortal, the better. Otherwise, who knows how the Noble Families might react…’
After a brief rest, he left the study and headed toward the Pharmacy to pick up some Golden Fragrance Cream.
He had barely stepped inside when he spotted his senior apprentice brother’s two disciples—Lin Honglian and Yuan Zhong—standing outside, chatting in low voices.
“Master Uncle!” The moment they noticed Lu Sheng, they straightened and bowed respectfully, faces full of admiration.
Lu Sheng returned a light nod. “You’re here to get medicine as well?”
“Yes. We’re retrieving the Heavy Talisman Pill for Master,” Lin Honglian replied.
“Heavy Talisman Pill?” Lu Sheng frowned in surprise. That pill was used to treat the most severe internal injuries. Although Hong Mingzi’s body wasn’t in great condition, he hadn’t fought anyone recently. Why would he suddenly need such a potent remedy?
Then, he suddenly recalled Wang Yuanshan, whom he had seen earlier, and immediately understood what must have happened.
“Alright, you two go ahead,” he said with a wave, striding into the Pharmacy.
Behind him, Lin Honglian and Yuan Zhong exhaled in relief before hurrying off.
Inside the Pharmacy, after receiving the Golden Fragrance Cream, Lu Sheng instructed the Pharmacist to gather several pills suitable for cultivating inner Qi. Not long after, he received a letter from Jade Lotus, informing him that preparations for the Officiator were nearly complete and that the name list had arrived.
Lu Sheng convened a brief sect meeting and issued the appropriate instructions. Then he sent Duan Meng’an to deliver the name list to Xiao Manor.
Afterward, he returned to his room and began cultivating Aquarius Qi.
But less than four hours later, a breathless subordinate under Duan Meng’an came running back with alarming news: Duan Meng’an was dead.
“DEAD?!”
Lu Sheng shot to his feet, eyes widening in disbelief. A burst of inner Qi slipped from his control, scorching the edge of the mattress into a brittle yellow patch.
“What happened!?” His voice was low, dark with fury. Duan Meng’an might have been timid, but he was diligent and dependable. Lu Sheng had purposely entrusted him only with minor tasks—this time, merely delivering a letter. How could such a simple errand end in death?
He had only recently risen to power in Crimson Whale Sect, and Duan Meng’an was one of his most trusted aides. When dispatched, he represented Lu Sheng’s authority. Now he had died without cause, and it was nothing less than a slap to Lu Sheng’s face. If he didn’t handle this matter decisively, who would dare serve him faithfully in the future? Who would work under him without fear?
“Sect Master, in response… Elder Duan has already gone to handle the situation. He says he cannot make the final decision and requests that you come in person…” the sect member reported from outside the door.
Lu Sheng’s expression hardened. He rose, dressed swiftly, and pulled open the door.
“Men! Prepare my horse. Get Elder Chen and Elder Duan to come with me.”
“Yes, Sir!”
The guards on duty scattered at once to summon the two elders. Both were Intent Proficiency experts Lu Sheng had recently selected—one a master of concealed weapons, the other formidable with twin hammers. Neither was old; both were fierce and unafraid to stake their lives in battle.
Clad in the metal armor he had commissioned and carrying two massive choppers at his side, Lu Sheng vaulted onto his horse. With the two elders and more than ten of his personal bodyguards following, he charged toward Mountain-Edge City.
They did not stop once, galloping straight to Xiao Manor.
The streets were sparse and quiet, a shadow of the bustling scene they once held. The air was heavy, emptied of its usual life.
By the time they arrived at the Manor, a dense crowd had already formed outside its gates, hemming the place in from all sides.
As the dominant force of Mountain-Edge City, Crimson Whale Sect’s presence easily dwarfed that of Xiao Manor. Not far off, the city guards—Crimson Whale Sect members stationed locally—were arriving in formation. Though not Winged Honor Guards, they were still elite defenders of the city gates, armed with crossbows and other weapons befitting a major city like Mountain-Edge.
By evening, Xiao Manor was sealed entirely, surrounded by a mass of bodies that allowed no gap to slip through.
Elder Duan stood at the entrance, magistrate’s pen in hand, his expression deeply unpleasant. The moment he spotted Lu Sheng, he hurried over, visibly shaken.
“Sect Master! Earlier, Brother Duan Meng’an entered to deliver the letter, and shortly after, we heard a miserable scream. When we arrived and tried to force our way in, we were blocked.”
“Oh?” Lu Sheng turned his gaze toward the manor’s heavy wooden doors.
Through the narrow slit between them stood a hunched, single-eyed old man, watching silently from the shadows.
Even faced with the uproar outside, the elderly man did not so much as twitch. He stood unmoving behind the cracked doors, utterly composed.
Several skilled sect members were crouched nearby, clutching their arms as though freshly injured. Though they carried sabers, not one dared to step forward.
“Step aside—let me.” Lu Sheng’s voice cut through the air like steel, his eyes cold as frost as he strode toward the entrance.
The disciples immediately parted, opening a path for him.
Lu Sheng placed his right hand behind his back, the center of his palm slowly flushing a deep, molten crimson. He advanced straight toward the old man.
“Oh? The current Sect Master of Crimson Whale Sect has come in person,” the hunchbacked elder murmured, sensing the tidal force gathering before him. At last, a flicker of emotion stirred in his single eye as he fixed his gaze on Lu Sheng. “I’ve long heard of Sect Master Lu’s peerless might… the so-called Number One Expert of the Northern Lands. I would very much like to witness it today.”
“After I beat you to death, you won’t be seeing anything anymore.”
Lu Sheng’s arm swelled with power, muscles coiling like iron cables. The Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies Skill surged through his meridians, igniting the Heart-Shattering Palm. In an instant, the air around him shimmered and warped under the heat, thin wisps of scorching red Qi burning at the space between them.
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