Liu Qin drew a slow breath, hatred swirling in her eyes as memories surfaced. “Originally, we were daughters of a wealthy family in Yun Province. Both my sister and I studied in a private academy. One day, a group of bad people came to our house.”
Her voice trembled as she continued. “Those bad people were incredibly powerful. They killed Old Master and our house protector. Even the reinforcements we called from outside couldn’t escape the same fate. After slaughtering the main family, they turned their blades on the branch families.”
She lowered her gaze, her tone turning bitter. “Only later did we realize we were merely collateral damage. Our Liu Family was just a branch of a much larger clan. Those people were searching for an item. They carved their way through every branch family, destroying everything—including us.”
Liu Caiyun added softly, “It was only thanks to a kind Samaritan that we escaped, disguised as beggars. We wandered all the way to the Northern Lands after that.”
Lu Sheng frowned slightly. “Then, as for why you encountered attacks by ghosts…”
Liu Qin answered quickly, as though afraid he might doubt her. “That’s because of a special ability my sister and I were born with. We have a constitution that naturally attracts ghosts and spirits… and we can sense their presence and abilities.”
Beside her, Liu Caiyun nodded in confirmation.
Lu Sheng’s expression remained unreadable; neither sister could tell whether he believed them.
After a moment, he asked calmly, “I see… so, what plans do you have now?”
The sisters exchanged uneasy glances. Liu Qin spoke first. “Since those things have appeared again, we should leave this place.”
Lu Sheng’s frown deepened. He studied their thin, weary faces before asking, “How old are the two of you this year?”
Caught off guard, the sisters blinked in confusion but answered honestly.
“I’m eleven. My sister is ten.”
Lu Sheng let out a breath, his tone steady but heavy. “You’re so young… and both of you are sick. What’s the point of running? Sooner or later, you'd die of starvation or thirst. Or from illness. Or perhaps ghosts.”
He rose to his feet, a faint trace of compassion softening his eyes. After closing them briefly in thought, he finally spoke.
“Fine. I wouldn’t interfere if I hadn’t seen all this myself. But since it happened right before me… I can’t simply walk away.”
“Both of you can rest and recover under my care. I’m still missing two assistants. How about the two of you fill those vacancies?” Lu Sheng said.
Liu Qin hesitated, her voice cautious. “Thank you, Young Master Lu. But… assistant? What does that mean? What would we have to do?”
Lu Sheng smiled lightly. “Oh, basically just tidying up after me.”
Before her sister could react, Liu Caiyun blurted out, “Oh, like a maid? We can do that!”
Liu Qin opened her mouth to speak, but seeing her sister agree so swiftly, she swallowed her words and remained silent.
Lu Sheng continued, “Go look for Jade Lotus. Tell him this is my arrangement. Have the physician examine your condition and prepare a list of the medicinal herbs you’ll need.”
Liu Qin blinked, disbelief widening her eyes. “Is that really okay?”
“Of course it is,” Lu Sheng chuckled. “I have high hopes for both of you. The ability to sense ghosts is incredibly rare. There’s great potential for your future—don’t underestimate yourselves.”
Liu Caiyun’s voice wavered with emotion. “Really…?”
“Of course. And as for your constitution that attracts ghosts, don’t worry.” Lu Sheng grinned, revealing a row of sharp, pale teeth that gave him a savage, almost feral air. “I’ve been looking for an opportunity to practice my saber strokes anyway. The two of you will stay in the room above mine.”
Despite the frightening smile, both sisters felt a strange reassurance settle over them.
Moved beyond words, Liu Qin suddenly knelt before him, pulling her sister down with her. “Thank you, Young Master Lu…”
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing!” Lu Sheng quickly pulled them back to their feet. “You’ve suffered tremendous calamity at such a young age, yet you’ve preserved your hearts and integrity. It’s truly admirable. Since I can lend a hand, I naturally won’t turn away.”
The Liu sisters bowed their heads, overwhelmed by gratitude. After so many hardships, they understood better than anyone how precious it was to find a place where they could finally rest.
They had spent so long fleeing that the sensation of running had settled into their bones. Never staying in one place for more than a short while, they had been jolted awake countless times, fleeing in terror through the night. Again and again, they had brought misfortune upon kind souls who sheltered them. They had cried until no tears remained and watched their hopes shatter over and over.
Yet this time felt different.
The young man before them—Young Master Lu—stood tall, muscular, and bald, his presence commanding even without intent. His glare was fierce, his aura extraordinary, and most importantly, he showed not the slightest fear toward ghosts. Moments ago, he had dispatched the spirit drawn to them without so much as blinking. His strength was undeniable.
As Liu Qin walked away, something faint yet stubborn flickered to life in her chest—a fragile sliver of hope. Perhaps this time, they could remain here a little longer.
The sisters left the yard and returned to their room, preparing to change their clothes before seeking out Jade Lotus for their examination.
Liu Caiyun whispered, “Sis, do you think we can finally stop fleeing now?”
Liu Qin did not answer, her silence speaking volumes.
After a moment, Liu Caiyun murmured again, “Sis, why didn’t you tell Young Master Lu the truth? He’s a good man.”
Liu Qin’s voice tightened. “So what if I did? Our trouble is too great. Even if I told him, we’d only be able to stay here a little longer at best.”
“Even just one day more would be nice…” Liu Caiyun mumbled, her shoulders drooping.
Liu Qin sighed softly. “We can’t implicate Young Master Lu. He’s already been very kind to us.”
“I know…” Liu Caiyun murmured, crestfallen. “As long as a single day passes with the Giant Spirit Blood still unfound, they won’t leave us alone…”
“Shush!” Liu Qin pressed a finger against her sister’s lips, her eyes sharp.
But Caiyun’s frustration boiled over. “What’s there to be scared of? It’s not like we know where that thing is! We’re only a branch of the Liu Family. How is it fair that we have to pay for the main branch’s mistakes?” Her voice trembled with rage and grief. “Daddy… Mummy… what wrong did they do to be skinned alive?! What wrong did we do!? Living like this is worse than dying!”
“That’s enough, Caiyun!” Liu Qin snapped at last, her patience pushed to its limit.
Liu Caiyun fell silent. She bit her lip, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Hatred simmered beneath her trembling lashes.
“One day… if I become strong enough… everyone who hurt us, everyone who laughed at our suffering… I’ll make them all—” Her eyes flashed with venom.
“Caiyun!!!” Liu Qin pulled her into a tight embrace. “Have you forgotten what Dad and Mum taught us?!”
Liu Caiyun’s voice wavered, but her resolve did not. “Sis… if someone’s kind to me, I’ll be kind to them. But if they’re cruel to me, I’ll make them suffer a fate worse than death. Isn’t that fair?”
Liu Qin opened her mouth but found no words. The room fell into a heavy, suffocating quiet.
Outside, Lu Sheng stood motionless by the doorway, quietly absorbing every word. He had only intended to bring the sisters personally to the physician—but instead stumbled upon their hidden truth.
So the two of them didn’t possess any special constitution attracting spirits. It was far more likely that they were being hunted by a faction.
Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed, thoughtful. ‘Interesting.’
With that, he turned away, disappearing down the corridor in a swift, silent stride. If the ghost from earlier was any indication of the faction’s strength, then in his eyes… they were nothing more than small fry.
…………
BAM! BAM! BAM BAM BAM!!!
Thick cudgels slammed against Lu Sheng’s body—his back, chest, and shoulders—each strike heavy and unrelenting. His upper body was bare, every muscle sculpted like forged steel, gleaming faintly with sweat beneath the sun.
Surrounding him were the sturdy, cudgel-wielding men of Crimson Whale Sect. Though their arms trembled with exhaustion, they still forced themselves to continue swinging the iron cudgels at him.
In the open clearing of the greenhouse, Lu Sheng’s body swelled with power. Thick bands of muscle intertwined like braided steel cables, fine veins crawling across his skin like taut chains. It was one of the unmistakable signs of reaching Initiation in the Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill.
At last, Lu Sheng opened his eyes. “That’s enough. Where’s the medicinal tub?”
The men collapsed around him, barely able to hold their weapons anymore.
“It’s already prepared, Big Bro,” Duan Meng’an said hurriedly.
Lu Sheng nodded. These subordinates had endured much for him. Apart from the influence of Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill, another reason Initiation in this hard-body technique had been so difficult was that he had already mastered Bear Wrestling Arm.
To cultivate a second hard-body skill on top of the first required far greater levels of stimulation—enough to push the body to new thresholds of toughness. Naturally, this made achieving Initiation in Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill significantly harder.
‘But thankfully, it’s done.’ He accepted his top from Duan Meng’an, took a deep drink of water, wiped the sweat from his skin, and made his way back into his room.
A large round wooden tub sat in the center, filled to the brim with a purplish-black medicinal brew.
‘Martial arts really are for the rich… Just this single tub of medicinal bath costs at least ten taels of silver.’ Lu Sheng shook his head.
Without wasting another moment, he stripped off his remaining clothes and stepped into the tub.
Szzz…
A fierce, burning sensation spread instantly across his skin, seeping deeper and deeper into his organs and viscera.
Lu Sheng slid deeper into the medicinal bath until only his head remained above the surface. The purplish-black liquid swirled sluggishly around him.
‘Let’s begin.’ He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wooden tub. ‘Deep Blue.’
With a soft swish, the familiar Modifier screen materialized before him.
His finger moved instinctively toward the glowing prompt. ‘Begin Modification.’ Then his gaze settled on the entry for Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill.
‘Upgrade Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill to Level One,’ he commanded in his mind.
The Modifier flickered, its display blurring for a brief instant. The words beside the skill shifted from “Initiated” to “Level One.”
“Szzz…”
A faint sizzling sound reached his ears. Opening his eyes, Lu Sheng glanced down and watched the medicinal liquid rapidly losing its color, turning clear at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Heat surged violently through his body—sharp, aggressive—but it was suppressed almost as quickly as it arose. He endured the wave with his raw physical foundation alone, unfazed by what would have crippled an ordinary person.
‘Looks like preparing ten servings was the right call.’ Understanding dawned swiftly. The potency of the medicinal bath, combined with his own constitution, had allowed him to survive the leap to Level One in Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill.
He reflected calmly. “Normally, upgrading a hard-body skill requires relentless external stimulation—day after day, year after year—to gradually increase the body’s density, strength, and toughness. The transformation is far more extreme than that of an inner force technique. That explains why a skill like Nine Lakes Steel Chains consumes nearly as much as Ultimate Crimson Mantra.”
“But with enough medicinal liquid, the drain can be reduced… enough to allow continuous upgrading.”
He focused inward, feeling faint currents of numbness spreading across his skin and muscles. This was the inner Qi of Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill—traveling not through his organs, but across the outer layer of skin and muscle, forming a lattice over his entire body like interlocking steel chains.
Against external blows, especially blunt force, this Qi offered formidable protection.
Bear Wrestling Arm, in contrast, excelled at defending against sharp weapons.
Together, the two skills complemented one another perfectly.
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