“I’m supposed to know about you?” Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes, just as bewildered.
Zhuo Wenyu froze, disbelief washing over her swollen, battered face. This brute had pummeled her half-dead without even knowing who she was.
Fortunately, she was no amateur. She had survived countless perilous situations; quick thinking was second nature. Her gaze flicked sharply as she rasped, “Let me go, and I can gather intelligence on Scarlet District for you. The Zhen Family is in shambles right now, trust me. Letting me go benefits you more than killing me.”
Lu Sheng pointed at the old pearl necklace looped around her neck, its beads threaded by a thin metal string. “Give me the thing on your neck. If you’ve got more like it, I might consider letting you go.”
“Deal!” Zhuo Wenyu blurted out, genuinely blindsided. The necklace wasn’t a treasure—just an old, somewhat valuable trinket. She never imagined he would ask for something so trivial.
Lu Sheng’s voice remained calm. “And that thing in the corpse’s mouth. I want to see it before I decide.”
In truth, he had no wish to kill her. She was from Scarlet Tower, which meant she belonged to Scarlet District. Her knowledge of ghosts would surely eclipse anything the outsiders of Crimson Whale Sect possessed.
He needed answers—maybe even a breakthrough.
Zhuo Wenyu drew a ragged breath. “That thing is useless to you. Only demons like us can make use of it.” Strangely, despite her mangled state, her tone was steady, clear—untouched by pain.
“And even for us, absorbing that kind of corpse Qi takes time. We have to digest it slowly.”
“Corpse Qi?” Realization flickered in Lu Sheng’s eyes. He had sensed something odd inside the corpse’s mouth, but it was only a vague impression—no precise detection.
Without the Modifier, he would be nothing more than an ordinary mortal. Aside from Yin Qi and inner Qi, everything else remained beyond his perception.
Zhuo Wenyu’s voice steadied as she said, “You’re very strong. Among mortals, you’d be considered one of the few top experts. They call that realm Divine Prime. Most of them live in seclusion around the world. How is someone of your level still mixed up in a sect like this?”
Lu Sheng’s brows shot up. “My strength is at Divine Prime?” He had only relied on Level Five of the Ultimate Crimson Skill, coupled with Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill and his hard body technique. Even if his combat ability surpassed the old Sect Master’s, it shouldn’t be by much. Yet she claimed he was equal to a Divine Prime expert.
“Isn’t it?” Zhuo Wenyu countered calmly. “I’ve fought with a few Divine Prime experts before. Their power felt the same as yours.”
Lu Sheng exhaled slowly and shifted his focus. “Alright, let’s put that aside. Show me that toy first.” His gaze settled on the pearl necklace around her neck.
With a sharp yank, Zhuo Wenyu tore it free and tossed it toward him. “Honestly, I don’t know why you want this thing. It’s nothing special—just old, so it’s worth a few extra coins. If you like them, I can get you a dozen.”
“Naturally, I have my reasons,” Lu Sheng replied as he caught the necklace. He stepped toward the corpse lying on the bed. One clean strike of his saber split open its skull, revealing the object within its mouth.
A small black cauldron rolled into view—round, egg-sized, etched with intricate patterns, and encircled by six tiny handles. It appeared to be made of no metal or stone he recognized.
Using the tip of his saber, Lu Sheng carefully lifted it and glanced at Zhuo Wenyu. Her eyes were glowing faintly green, locked onto the tiny cauldron with naked hunger.
“You want this very much?” Lu Sheng’s lips curved faintly.
“Of course.” All pretense fell from her voice.
Lu Sheng felt the faint Yin Qi pulsing from the pearl necklace in his hand. “If you still have more objects like this necklace, I’ll give this thing to you.”
Zhuo Wenyu blinked, stunned. “For real? Are you sure you just want pearl necklaces like that?”
“No, it’s not the necklace I want. What I need are objects that are old like this—burial items, preferably ones worn directly by the dead or kept in close contact with them,” Lu Sheng clarified.
Zhuo Wenyu lowered her head, thinking.
“Objects like that… take a look and see if this counts?” She pulled a gold-threaded purse from her chest and handed it to him.
Lu Sheng took it, and a spark of joy lit his eyes as he felt faint strands of Yin Qi emanating from the purse. Working with this demoness had been the right choice.
“Yes! Ten more items like this, and I’ll give you that thing.”
“Okay.” Zhuo Wenyu agreed without the slightest hesitation.
Her quick consent stunned him. In that instant, Lu Sheng realized he had priced himself far too low.
“Er… no, I misspoke,” he said, eyes darting mischievously. “I want a hundred. Bring me a hundred items like this, and the treasure is yours!”
“You!” Zhuo Wenyu’s face twisted with fury as she glared at the bald man before her. “You cunning human! Don’t push it!!”
“I’m not pushing anything. I’m just selling at a high price,” Lu Sheng replied with a grin. “It’s hardly my fault that you urgently need this item.”
Zhuo Wenyu glowered at him for a long moment. In the end, the desperation in her eyes betrayed her. She needed that cauldron too badly to walk away.
“A few dozen at most,” she conceded. “These items are antiques worth a fortune, and most of them are cherished possessions. Any more than that and I won’t be able to gather them, no matter how hard I search.”
Seeing her expression, Lu Sheng understood she was being honest this time.
“Can you bring them to me all at once? Item for item. Any issues with that?”
“Absolutely not!” she snapped. “I need time to collect them. They won’t all come together. And many of them are treasured belongings of others. I’ll bring each one for you to examine first. If you truly want it, then I’ll hand it over.”
At first, Zhuo Wenyu had assumed his request was casual bargaining. But now, watching him, she realized he genuinely desired these items—and that gave her room to negotiate.
“However, if you have long-term demand for such items, I can find you a stable source and become your business partner. But you’ll have to help me acquire certain things that only someone like you can obtain.”
Lu Sheng raised a brow. “Oh? Are you serious?”
The Yin Qi inside the pearl necklace was faint—just a thin thread, like the powder left behind by the white-robed ghost he once killed. Enough to extrapolate a basic foundational skill, but far from sufficient for high-level martial arts. Still, if he could secure more such items—even a steady stream of them—that would change everything.
“I’m serious!” Zhuo Wenyu nodded firmly. Her life hung in the balance, and her open wounds burned with agony. She had no reason to lie.
“Fine, it’s a deal then.” Lu Sheng stooped, picked up a scrap of cloth from the ground, and lifted the tiny cauldron using the tip of his saber before wrapping it securely in the cloth. Once satisfied, he stored it away and looked at her. “How do we keep in touch from now on?”
“How about here?” Zhuo Wenyu suggested. “When I come, I’ll leave three stones under that withered tree by the perimeter wall—in a triangle. You can place a sentry nearby if you want.”
Then she reached behind her neck, tore off a small strip of flesh from the edge of her wound, and handed it to him. “This is for you. If you need to find me, just burn it.”
Lu Sheng accepted the bloody fragment with the tip of his saber and examined it closely. Once he confirmed it wasn’t poisoned, he wrapped it neatly in the same rag.
The necklace and purse he had taken earlier barely held any Yin Qi; from the moment he obtained them until now, both had nearly been drained dry. Combined with the Yin Qi harvested from the ghost he had slain, it was just enough for another upgrade of the Ultimate Crimson Mantra.
“Pleasure doing business with you. Oh, and you’d better leave soon. I’m going to raze this place to the ground.” Lu Sheng chuckled as he walked away with the wrapped cauldron in hand.
Lu Sheng didn’t spare a thought for how Zhuo Wenyu planned to escape. With long strides, he crossed the courtyard and stepped out through the main entrance. As he had instructed earlier, piles of dry wood soaked in oil were stacked along the perimeter walls.
Xu Chui waited outside, holding a burning torch.
“What method of cleanup beats razing it to the ground? I burned it once already—why not a second time?” Lu Sheng said as he took the torch from Xu Chui and flicked it casually onto the nearest heap of wood.
The moment the torch touched the oil-drenched timber, flames roared to life. Yellow fire surged upward, racing across the courtyard like a hungry beast. Within moments, thick black smoke rose in heavy columns, shrouding the entire Song Manor.
This time, Lu Sheng had arranged for far more wood than before—enough to ensure that this haunted place would be burned out of existence. He was much better prepared now than during the hurried blaze of the previous attempt.
Zhuo Wenyu undoubtedly harbored secrets. But as long as she delivered Yin Qi–laden items, Lu Sheng had no interest in prying into her affairs.
“Big Bro… is this enough?” Xu Chui asked softly. “That woman from before…”
“She ran,” Lu Sheng replied. “But she’s heavily injured by my hand. No need to worry about her. Let’s go. We’re done here—the men are waiting.”
“Yes, sir.” Xu Chui bowed and followed after him.
Lu Sheng led his men back to headquarters with swift efficiency. After reporting the details of the operation to the old Sect Master, Hong Mingzi, aboard the Crimson Whale, he immediately made haste toward the Golden Jade Greenhouse.
Most of the construction there was already completed. Built from a sturdy mix of wood and brick, progress had been fast, and the tower now stood ready to be lived in.
Without hesitation, Lu Sheng moved out of his cramped old quarters and into a spacious double-story apartment within the new building.
As soon as he entered, he headed straight for the quiet cultivation room. He shut the door, locked the windows, instructed that he was not to be disturbed, and finally settled onto a cushion in the center of the chamber.
Lu Sheng settled his breathing, excitement simmering beneath his calm exterior. ‘This time, I should be able to break through the limit of the Ultimate Crimson Mantra and push it to new heights!’ The thought alone sent a thrill through him.
Ultimate Crimson Mantra was terrifyingly powerful. Earlier, with only Level Five combined with Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill and his hard body technique, he had beaten Zhuo Wenyu—someone capable of standing against Divine Prime experts—until she was half dead.
If he had struck with full force—Level Seven—the result would have multiplied severalfold. Yet, even that level still fell short of the Bind realm.
Still, Lu Sheng could feel it. Day by day, step by step, he was drawing closer to that boundary separating mortals from Noblemen and Anomalies.
He drew a deep breath, then closed his eyes. “Deep Blue.”
Swish!
A soft light bloomed before him. The familiar pale-blue interface floated silently in the air.
A prompt appeared at once:
“Begin martial arts extrapolation?”
Lu Sheng steadied his racing heart. Only when he regained complete composure did he answer mentally,
“Yes.”
The dialogue box faded instantly.
Again, that wondrous sensation washed over him—the feeling that every martial art within the Modifier was ready to rise, merge, and evolve.
His gaze locked onto Ultimate Crimson Mantra.
Ultimate Crimson Mantra: Level Seven. Special Effect(s): Blood Web, Intensified Fire Poison, Six-Fold Tremor, Intensified Incendiary.
Sure enough, the extrapolation button glowed beneath it.
With a tremble of anticipation, Lu Sheng pressed it gently within his mind.
ns216.73.216.134da2
and then Add to home screen.