Lu Sheng sank into thought. Suddenly, a memory surfaced. The first time he had learned of Scarlet District was when Song Zhenguo had nearly fallen victim to them, when ghosts were dispatched to search for those born in the Yin hour, Yin month, and Yin year.
Could it be that the Scarlet District Mistress’ true agenda was…
Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed to slits.
He replayed every move the Scarlet District Mistress had made since her return. Because of the umbrella girl, nothing she did escaped his notice.
The moment she came back, she began rebuilding Scarlet District’s headquarters.
After that, she headed straight for Martial League and launched into indiscriminate slaughter. She had not behaved like someone seeking information or interrogating captives.
Then came Mountain-Edge City. Though she had yet to act boldly there, she would not have gone without a reason.
It was becoming clear.
It seemed he would need to visit Scarlet District’s headquarters once more. Perhaps there was something extraordinary hidden within the ruins he had destroyed.
With the pieces falling into place, Lu Sheng realized that the Scarlet District Mistress had been deliberately throwing out red herrings. In truth, she was preparing for a confrontation with the Wandering Heart Society.
Such preparation required the reconstruction of Scarlet District and demanded an enormous number of lives. And not merely the lives of ordinary mortals. Otherwise, she could have simply massacred the villages beyond the city walls instead of fabricating a reason to attack Martial League.
The need for an excuse spoke volumes.
It meant she did not want her true intentions exposed. At present, no force in the Northern Lands was capable of stopping her. Yet the fact that she still acted with caution meant her concern lay elsewhere.
With the Wandering Heart Society.
This deduction might not be flawless, but it was likely close to the truth. Unless he was mistaken, the Scarlet District Mistress would soon find another excuse to stir chaos within the city.
“News!!”
As the thought crossed his mind, a guard rushed to the doorway.
“Reporting to Sect Master, the Mountain-Edge City branch has sent an urgent memo!”
“Bring it up!” Lu Sheng’s heart lurched.
The guard entered at once, stepped up to the desk, and carefully set down a letter sealed with wax. He then dropped to one knee and waited in silence for Lu Sheng’s orders.
Lu Sheng tore the seal open and scanned the contents in a single glance.
Mountain-Edge City. Eastern Mountain Society assaulted. Twenty-eight members of the upper echelon massacred in succession by the Scarlet District Mistress. Eastern Mountain Society exists in name only. All experts eliminated.
As expected.
Lu Sheng’s heart sank.
The Scarlet District Mistress truly had been preparing to face the Wandering Heart Society. No wonder a figure of her stature, someone at the level of a Manor Lord, had been so unwilling to let go of her destroyed headquarters. It had never been about the headquarters at all. It was merely a smokescreen to conceal her real intentions.
Fortunately, he had the Shangyang Family at his back.
As long as he was not exposed as the true culprit beyond all doubt, he would remain safe. All he needed to do was wait another half a month and observe the coming clash from a distance.
With her true objective now clear, Lu Sheng finally let out a breath he had been holding. After all, her greatest enemy was the Wandering Heart Society.
The one truly targeting him was likely Ye Moling alone.
But with an imminent battle between the Scarlet District Mistress and the Deputy Leader of the Wandering Heart Society, Ye Moling would not act rashly. Any misstep could disrupt the broader situation.
Likewise, the Scarlet District Mistress would not seek additional conflicts. Dealing with the Wandering Heart Society alone was already enough of a burden.
That meant Lu Sheng was safe.
For now.
Whatever the case, all he needed to do was grow stronger. He would absorb inner Qi and consume precious herbs simultaneously. He wanted to see just how far his cultivation could go. He needed enough power to ensure his own survival.
Lu Sheng pressed his fingers lightly against the jade pendant resting on the desk.
He finished the remaining dishes swiftly, then left the dining hall and headed straight for the Crimson Whale Sect’s pill room.
Hong Mingzi happened to be seated there with two pharmacists, locked in a heated argument. Lu Sheng did not greet them.
He was in full control of the Crimson Whale Sect now.
Hong Mingzi had already retired.
After applying some Golden Fragrance Ointment, Lu Sheng walked to the window of the pill room and pushed it open. From his sleeve, he drew a small, exquisitely crafted bone flute and raised it to his lips.
He blew into it with force.
No sound emerged.
Standing in the corner, safely within the blind spot of Hong Mingzi and the two pharmacists, Lu Sheng continued blowing into the flute for several breaths before finally lowering it.
Moments later, a white homing pigeon with pitch-black eyes came flapping in from afar. It circled once, then settled gently on the windowsill.
Lu Sheng retrieved a charcoal pencil and a sheet of paper from the cabinet beside the window. He scribbled a few concise lines, rolled the paper up, and tied it to the pigeon’s leg together with the black jade pendant.
“Go.”
He tossed the pigeon into the air and watched as it shot toward the horizon like a released arrow. Only then did he turn and leave the pill room, heading for the study where the Sect Master handled official affairs.
When he entered the study, Jade Lotus was already waiting.
“Sect Master, all the name lists are ready. With Crimson Whale Sect’s intelligence network, it’s entirely possible to compile a ranking of all the experts in the Northern Lands, just as you described.” Her voice carried barely contained excitement.
Throughout history, only the strongest had ever been remembered. Everyone knew that the Sect Master of Crimson Whale Sect stood as the Number One expert of the Northern Lands. But who ranked second? Or third?
No one could say.
Yet anyone with even a shred of confidence in their own strength would yearn to know where they stood among their peers.
Lu Sheng had seized upon that very hunger for recognition, assigning Jade Lotus to compile a comprehensive list of renowned experts across the Northern Lands.
The Northern Lands’ experts ranking.
That was the surface purpose.
His true goal was far simpler. He was searching for suitable targets from which to siphon inner Qi.
Lu Sheng nodded in satisfaction. “Well done. Have you sorted out the experts above the Spirit Focus realm?”
“Yes, everything has been sorted out. The exact figures still need closer verification, but the rankings themselves should already be settled.”
Jade Lotus felt as though he were taking part in a historic undertaking within the pugilistic world. The creation of a ranking for the strongest experts of the Northern Lands was no small matter. The thought alone sent a surge of passion and fervor coursing through him.
“Let me see.” Lu Sheng extended his hand.
Jade Lotus hurriedly passed over the prepared name list.
Lu Sheng took it and skimmed through the contents. His gaze immediately locked onto the Spirit Focus experts. In a matter of breaths, he memorized the names at the top, along with their identities, affiliations, areas of expertise, and current locations.
“Alright. Next, we’ll dispatch experts to test them. For now, lie low and go get some rest.” He set the list aside.
“Yes, sir.” Jade Lotus bowed and withdrew.
Lu Sheng remained in the study for a while longer, silently committing the nearby experts to memory.
“Sect Master.” Xu Chui appeared at the doorway in a flash. He bowed deeply. “We’ve nabbed them.”
“All of them?”
“All of them.” Xu Chui’s reply was firm, without the slightest hesitation.
“Let’s go take a look.” Lu Sheng put down the name list and headed out, Xu Chui close behind.
The water dungeon was housed within a shoreline fortress rather than on the ship itself.
The moment Lu Sheng reached the third level, a deafening cacophony assaulted his ears.
The wardens assigned to watch over the prisoners were huddled near the entrance, cotton stuffed into their ears in a futile attempt to block out the noise.
“What’s going on?” Both Lu Sheng and Xu Chui frowned as they stepped onto the floor. The clamor was overwhelming, like the reverberation of a gong trapped inside a confined chamber.
“The prisoners we just locked up keep slamming the iron doors. There’s nothing we can do to stop them…” A warden spoke with helpless frustration.
These wardens were only at the Strength Proficiency level. Faced with prisoners at the Intent Proficiency realm, they were completely outmatched.
“The Mountain Tiger Clan’s experts are all trained in hard body techniques. Thick skin, dense muscles,” Xu Chui explained quietly.
Lu Sheng nodded and strode into the corridor of the third floor.
Rows of prison cells lined the corridor. Within them, prisoners slammed relentlessly against the iron doors, faces twisted with fury. Among them were middle-aged men clad in blood-soaked hunter’s garb. Every so often, Lu Sheng also caught sight of a few middle-aged women, though they were few in number.
“Sect Master Lu? Lu Sheng!?”
An elderly man with snow-white hair stepped forward inside one of the cells. Though his appearance was aged, his voice rang with undiminished vigor. He pressed himself against the iron bars as soon as he recognized Lu Sheng.
“It is indeed me. So you are the former Mountain Tiger Clan Chief, Old Mister Yang.”
Lu Sheng spoke courteously as he walked up to the cell.
This elder was Yang Sunlong, the undisputed number one expert of the Mountain Tiger Clan, a sect composed primarily of hunters.
It was a pity that he was now drenched in blood, his injuries severe. Xu Chui had clearly shown no restraint during the arrest.
“Sect Master Lu, what is the meaning of this!?” Yang Sunlong demanded, anger flaring in his eyes. “You attacked my Mountain Tiger Clan without warning or reason. I admit that Crimson Whale Sect is powerful beyond us, and that is precisely why we chose to go into hiding! Our strengths lie in hunting and gathering herbs in the mountain forests. If you required our services, all you had to do was ask. There was no need for such violence!”
Lu Sheng shook his head lightly. “You’ve been working against my Mountain-Edge City branch from the shadows all this time. A great deal of intelligence about my experts was leaked by your hand. Did you truly believe I was unaware?”
The old man’s expression stiffened, the color draining from his face.
Lu Sheng did not linger on him. He gestured for a guard to unlock the cell and stepped inside.
At once, the surrounding Mountain Tiger Clan members fell silent. Their eyes fixed on Lu Sheng without blinking. Yang Sunlong was their strongest pillar. As he stood facing Lu Sheng, he represented all of them.
“Sect Master Lu!” Yang Sunlong staggered back two steps, watching warily as Lu Sheng crossed the threshold of the cell.
“Let the Mountain Tiger Clan rest in this dungeon for a while, shall we?” Lu Sheng flashed him a grin. Then, in a blur, his palm lashed out. Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi whirled within his hand and slammed into the old man’s forehead.
Bam!
Streams of Aquarius Qi poured into the old man’s body, rapidly weaving themselves into an Yin Crane Web.
“Dad!!”
“Old Clan Chief!!”
“Master!!”
Furious roars erupted from the surrounding cells, one after another. It was all futile. Lu Sheng’s hand remained pressed against the old man’s chest, immovable as a mountain.
Xu Chui took the keys from the prison guard and ordered everyone else to withdraw from the third level.
Before long, only Lu Sheng, Xu Chui, and the prisoners remained.
More than a dozen breaths after Lu Sheng’s palm struck home—
“Thud!”—the old man collapsed backward, his face drained of color, as though every trace of vitality had been wrung from him.
Lu Sheng released a thin stream of inner Qi back into the old man’s body. It was Qi filtered through the Yin Crane Web, its nourishing effect on life force far surpassing the old man’s own cultivation.
The old man’s art was merely an Intent Proficiency technique known as Multi-Colored Black Feathers Hand. After absorption and conversion, his fifty years of painstaking cultivation amounted to only thirty years of Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi.
“Keep him alive. Feed him well and give him water. He’ll recover quickly. Don’t worry.”
With that, Lu Sheng moved on to the next cell.
Inside stood another elderly man clad in long white robes. A wine gourd hung at his waist, and one arm dangled uselessly at his side, clearly broken.
“Sect Master Lu, let’s talk!”
Panic colored his voice.
“I am Li Chong, the Chief of Mountain Tiger Clan. Whatever you want, just say the word. I, Li Chong, will offer it with both hands and without a single question. I will cooperate fully!”
He had plainly been terrified by what he had just witnessed.
Although the cells were separated, they were close enough that the prisoners could hear everything happening around them.
“What I want is for you to stand still.”
Lu Sheng flashed him a grin. The thirty years of Aquarius Qi he had just absorbed coursed through his body, leaving him in an excellent state. With the sheer strength of his physical form, he had no qualms about absorbing as much inner Qi as he pleased to elevate his power.
Compared to sitting in place and grinding through years of bitter meditation, such effortless gains were infinitely more satisfying.
“Sect Master Lu…!”
The old man’s face twisted in alarm. Before he could utter another word—
“Boom!”
A lightning-fast blur appeared at his side, and a palm slammed squarely into the center of his back.
A torrent of Aquarius Qi surged into his body, rapidly forming an Yin Crane Web before beginning to siphon away his cultivated inner Qi.
Everything unfolded precisely as intended.
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