“An invitation to a gathering in the city?” Lu Sheng raised a brow as he examined the letter Jade Lotus had delivered personally.
The invitation was crafted from black embossed gold. Strange characters shimmered across its surface, and the ink carried a faint blood-red sheen. Lu Sheng couldn’t even guess what material it was made of.
“Er… Squire Xiao Sheng brought it in person to the branch,” Jade Lotus whispered. “I thought it seemed urgent, so I delivered it here immediately.”
He knew well that Squire Xiao was no trivial figure. Anything sent personally by Xiao Hongye demanded serious attention.
Seated in his study, Lu Sheng gently opened the invitation.
“To Sect Master Lu: It’s been a long time. A senior from my house has arrived and wishes to meet Sect Master. —Xiao Hongye.”
The message was brief, direct, and unmistakable.
Lu Sheng folded the invitation neatly.
“Alright. Carry on with your duties. I understand.”
“Yes, sir.” Jade Lotus bowed and retreated.
As he stepped out, his eyes flicked—just for a moment—to a woman dressed entirely in black standing behind Lu Sheng.
Her pitch-black robes concealed her figure entirely. Only her gloved hands and the fall of her long hair—pinned with a single ornament—hinted at her gender.
‘Perhaps a new expert the Sect Master recruited,’ he guessed silently before exiting.
Once Jade Lotus was gone, Lu Sheng set the invitation back onto his desk.
‘Ashoka Manor has sent someone… and they’re even requesting my presence. Are they suspicious? Or merely looking to borrow my sect’s strength for their investigation?’
With two Officiators dead, Ashoka Manor couldn’t possibly cover it up—especially with Bai Jiang being a top expert at the peak of Seven-Vein Level. Losing someone of that caliber was a monumental blow, no matter the faction.
Lu Sheng’s eyes shifted to the umbrella girl beside him.
The Yin Crane Web inside her writhed and expanded, burrowing deeper, rooting itself further—draining her strength like a parasitic entity growing ever more robust.
If earlier it might have been possible to remove the Yin Crane Web by cutting off a portion of the umbrella girl’s body, now it was impossible—even if her entire form were blown apart. This stage was Assimilation.
“When night falls, stay at home. Don’t go wandering around.”
The umbrella girl shrank into herself, nodding frantically in fear.
Lu Sheng shook his head and closed his eyes to meditate. Since returning, he had repeatedly attempted to accelerate the incubation of his body—but to no effect. Yin Qi could strengthen other martial arts, but it could not hasten the Yin–Yang fusion taking place within him.
All he could do was wait.
After handling a few remaining sect matters, he meditated until night settled completely.
Then, accompanied by Xu Chui and Ning San, he boarded a horse carriage and quietly departed the Crimson Whale toward Mountain-Edge City.
“Recently, Miss Yunxi has been visiting the painting wall by the lake,” Xu Chui reported softly inside the carriage. “She often admires the paintings there… and asks Old Hei if he has any news about you.”
Ning San continued driving, expression blank, pretending not to hear a thing. Though uneducated, he was exceptionally street-smart.
“Painting wall by the lake? And who’s Old Hei?” Lu Sheng asked lazily.
Xu Chui glanced carefully at his Sect Master to make sure he wasn’t displeased before answering.
“Old Hei is the retired father of a former Internal Affairs Emissary. He used to work as an accountant for the sect, so he still holds some influence and is privy to many internal secrets.”
“Since Yunxi wants news about me, and I’ve got nothing to hide, let her be,” Lu Sheng said casually.
“Understood, sir. I’ll have the Soaring Eagle Squad make sure Young Miss Chen Yunxi remains safe,” Xu Chui responded respectfully.
The longer he served this Sect Master, the more he realized just how unfathomable Lu Sheng truly was.
Even Intent Proficiency experts were no longer his match—and those in the higher realm of Spirit Focus had long ceased to be threats in his eyes.
At that thought, a flicker of excitement lit Xu Chui’s eyes. To follow such a formidable Sect Master—what greater fortune could he ask for?
Lu Sheng glanced at him, and a thought stirred. Yin Crane Web… If he could test its effectiveness on Song Zhenguo, then why not on this loyal subordinate as well?
These past few days had been relentless.
Li Shunxi’s departure.
The acquisition of the Martial League map and rare herb locations.
The killing of the second Officiator.
The annihilation of Scarlet District.
He had experienced more in a handful of days than in all his years combined.
To prevent the Noble Families from discovering that he was merely a mortal martial arts practitioner, he had been forced to leave no survivors in Scarlet District. But he still wasn’t certain how many people had witnessed him killing the Officiator back in Twin Eagle City.
Though the Shangyang Family could shield him from Ashoka Manor’s retaliation, Lu Sheng despised unnecessary complications. If he could erase problems before they grew, all the better.
“My Lord, we’ve arrived at Xiao Manor.” Ning San’s voice drifted into the carriage.
Lu Sheng lifted the curtain and stepped out. Xu Chui followed closely behind. Under the overly enthusiastic greetings of the doorkeeper, the two made their way into Xiao Manor.
“Welcome, Sect Master Lu.” Xiao Hongye strode out with a broad grin, cupping his fists. His red-and-gold squire robes gave him the air of a wealthy merchant rather than a representative of Ashoka Manor.
“Let’s cut to the chase, Old Xiao. Where’s this senior of yours? I’ve got duties piling up, but I rushed over the moment your letter arrived,” Lu Sheng said, speaking as though to an old friend.
“My senior is inside. Brother Lu, you’ll see him once you enter.” Xiao Hongye’s grin widened.
Lu Sheng nodded with equal ease and followed him into the main hall, leaving Xu Chui waiting respectfully outside.
Seated in the center of the main hall was a middle-aged man who bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Hongye. He too wore merchant’s robes and carried a gentle demeanor—but unlike Xiao Hongye, there was a depth to him, an unfathomable weight that did not match his outward warmth.
The moment Lu Sheng saw him, his heart tightened. A faint, fishy odor seemed to permeate the hall, subtly wrong. Even more unsettling was the invisible pressure in the air, as though every slight shift of the man’s posture warped the space around him.
“I am Ye Moling, Deputy Manor Lord of Ashoka Manor.” The man’s calm gaze locked onto Lu Sheng as he entered.
That gaze pierced like a thousand needles. Lu Sheng felt his expression twitch, but he quickly masked it with a polite smile and bowed.
“Shangyang Family, Crimson Whale Sect—Sect Master Lu Sheng. Greetings to Manor Lord Ye.”
“No need for formality.” Ye Moling waved a hand. “I invited you because I wish to borrow the authority of the Crimson Whale Sect, the local hegemon, to investigate a certain matter.” He wasted no time, explaining the disappearance of the first Officiator with absolute bluntness. “I hear you were one of the eyewitnesses that night. Tell me exactly what happened.”
Lu Sheng recounted what he “knew”—half truth, half carefully constructed lies.
“So, you only heard the sounds of the battle from afar, without seeing it directly? And you were injured by the aftershocks?” Ye Moling did not question it. Bai Jiang, being half a step into Seven-Vein Level, could injure a Three-Vein practitioner with even an idle palm strike. It was nothing strange.
“That’s right.” Lu Sheng lowered his head.
“And afterward—did you send anyone to investigate?” Ye Moling asked, though his tone held little expectation.
“I did. Young Miss Jiuli personally instructed us to look into it. Aside from traces of a fierce battle, we found no leads. We still have no idea who the murderer is or what their motive might be,” Lu Sheng replied with due respect.
Ye Moling studied Lu Sheng for a long moment, his gaze sharpening—then his brows drew together.
“Your aura… why has it gotten weaker?” This was no aura of a Three-Vein expert. It barely resembled that of a Single-Vein. It was faint—far too faint. Practically indistinguishable from an ordinary martial arts practitioner.
Lu Sheng immediately twisted his expression into a mask of pain. “My previous injuries haven’t healed…”
He hadn’t expected the Yin Crane Web’s side effect to be so potent that it could even conceal his cultivation from such a powerful expert.
“An injury to your black membrane? I see. You’ve suffered greatly. Be sure to convey my greetings to Young Miss Jiuli.” Ye Moling pressed no further. After all, the Sect Master of Crimson Whale Sect was a member of the Shangyang Family—and a Three-Vein asset at that. The fact that he had been injured by Ashoka Manor’s own Officiator put the blame squarely on their side.
Shangyang Family was already showing great restraint by not pursuing accountability for the incident.
“I will certainly pass on your greetings, Manor Lord. This subordinate will take his leave now,” Lu Sheng said with a respectful bow.
“Mm. Go on.” Ye Moling nodded. He hadn’t expected much from this meeting anyway—Lu Sheng was merely one possible lead. He had questioned many already, and many still awaited their turn.
Lu Sheng exited the main hall just as he had entered, calm and composed.
Only after his presence faded completely did Ye Moling straighten in his seat and glance toward his right.
“Who’s next?”
Xiao Hongye stepped forward to whisper, “Men from Yun Xiu Hall, from another city.”
“Mm.” Ye Moling lifted his teacup and took a slow sip. He disliked this task, but as Deputy Manor Lord, he had no choice but to handle the interrogations personally. Not only because of his status—but because he alone possessed the ability to see through the cultivation of others.
Just like Lu Sheng, for example. Although he was the Sect Master of Crimson Whale Sect and supposedly a Three-Vein expert on par with the umbrella girl, one glance earlier had revealed an aura that was sluggish and dim, his black membrane barely detectable. He seemed no different from a Nobleman on the brink of death.
Even so, Ye Moling could tell that this man’s original strength must have been formidable—likely at the pinnacle of the Three-Vein Level.
He took another calm sip of tea.
“Send the next one in. Let’s take a look first.”
…………
Leaving the main hall with his head lowered, Lu Sheng’s eyes gleamed sharply.
‘A Manor Lord from Ashoka Manor has come…’
Though he appeared calm and composed, a creeping sense of crisis had begun to rise within him.
Ye Moling carried the appearance of an easygoing, amicable man—one who did not exert pressure openly. But that was only because Lu Sheng stood under the banner of the Shangyang Family.
Without Shangyang Jiuli behind him, Lu Sheng knew Ye Moling would not have spoken to him with such politeness.
‘I wonder if I can match him as I am now…’ Without crossing fists, he could not be certain. But judging from aura alone, Ye Moling far surpassed Bai Jiang—and not by a small margin.
‘If I were to face Bai Jiang again…’ Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes, measuring the gap. ‘I’d be only somewhat stronger than he was.’
Feeling the weight of dual threats pressing down on him, Lu Sheng strode out of Xiao Manor in large, decisive steps—only to encounter several extraordinary-looking middle-aged men entering the estate.
The leader among them immediately cupped his fists.
“This lowly man, Huang Qiuyuan, greets Sect Master Lu.”
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