Swish.
The Modifier screen trembled, and the selection for Ultimate Crimson Mantra warped out of focus. This time, the blur lingered—two whole seconds—before the interface slowly sharpened again.
Lu Sheng’s gaze locked onto the hazy characters. His pulse throbbed in his ears as the words finally snapped into clarity:
Unnamed Mantra: Level Eight. Special Effect(s): Blood Web, High-Magnitude Tremor, Incendiary.
He exhaled softly. His cultivation did not feel significantly deeper, yet something subtle and profound pulsed within his inner Qi. A faint heat rolled beneath his skin, making his scalp and arms tingle—an itch like new growth waiting beneath the surface.
“According to senior apprentice brother, once one steps into Divine Prime, the body enters a new stage of maturity. Perhaps my hair will grow back again then,” Lu Sheng breathed out in relief. Remaining bald forever was not a future he desired.
His attention returned inward. The Qi circulating through his meridians now carried traces reminiscent of Blood Fury Skill—yet also held the reinforcing, hardening qualities of Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill.
He carefully compared the flow with what he remembered.
“I wonder if I’ve actually surpassed my previous realm. As for this new skill… since it merges Blood Fury with Nine Lakes Steel Chains, I’ll just call it Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies Skill.”
The name settled in his mind, and as always, the Modifier responded. A new line appeared:
Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies Skill: Level Eight. Special Effect(s): Blood Web, High-Magnitude Tremor, Incendiary.
“Let’s test it out first. After so much effort and such a long wait, I’m sure the upgrade will be substantial.”
After a brief rest, he pushed himself to his feet.
“To fully test my current strength without attracting attention… I’ll need an opponent.” He pondered silently.
Across the Northern Lands, no expert surpassed his senior apprentice brother, Hong Mingzi. Everyone else fell far behind. Beyond them, only ghosts and Anomalies possessed enough power to serve as true benchmarks—but clashing with those would instantly attract the scrutiny of Scarlet District and the Zhen Family.
Lu Sheng tapped his fingers lightly as he weighed his options.
‘Perhaps I should look for Li Shunxi. He’s traveled far and seen much—he might know where I can find a suitable opponent. And Zhuo Wenyu as well. As a non-human, she should understand ghosts and demons better than anyone.’
After a moment of deliberation, he settled on Li Shunxi first. Zhuo Wenyu, being of a different species, was far harder to deceive. If she sensed that he only intended to test his newfound strength, it could lead to complications he would rather avoid.
Revealing too much of himself to others was a perilous thing.
Knowing one’s enemy ensured victory; exposing one’s own secrets merely provided others with an effortless way to gain leverage. Those who acted carelessly in a world like this often died the quickest.
With his mind made up, he moved swiftly. After packing his things, dusk had already begun creeping across the sky. He ordered a subordinate to bring him a horse and rode straight toward Mountain-Edge City.
Once inside the city, he followed the address Li Shunxi had given him—and soon discovered the man slumped in a corner of a small winery, dead drunk.
Li Shunxi’s face was as pale as paper. A foul pool of vomit lay beside him, and the stench made the nearby patrons arc away in disgust. His robes were wrinkled, stained, and clearly unwashed for days. As Lu Sheng stepped closer, a sour odor pricked sharply at his nose.
“Drink… a drink… isn’t it just some coins… after this… I’ll definitely… give you!” Li Shunxi muttered incoherently, swaying on his stool, a wine flask clutched tight in one hand. Each time he tipped it toward his mouth, most of the liquid dribbled down his chin, soaking his neck and clothes until they clung wetly to his skin.
Lu Sheng frowned, his expression darkening, and took the seat opposite him.
Seeing this, the shop owner hurried over, relief and exasperation written all over his face.
“Sir… would you, erm… would you please take your friend away? We can’t keep doing business with him like this…”
This drunkard had been occupying the same spot for three full days. He had paid for every drink, true—but the sheer amount he consumed was far from healthy. Worse, he had splattered vomit across the table and floor more than once. Even after the waiters cleaned up repeatedly, the lingering stench drove customers away.
This scholarly young master clearly could not handle alcohol; yet, despite the retching, he kept forcing more wine into his mouth.
“Leave it to me,” Lu Sheng said with a nod.
He reached out, seized the wine flask from Li Shunxi’s slackened grip, and set it firmly on the table.
“Brother Li, you’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk!” Li Shunxi hiccupped with a crooked grin. “Eh… isn’t this… isn’t this Brother Lu? Why are… why are you here?” His words came out in broken fragments, his eyes unfocused yet stubbornly insistent.
Lu Sheng sighed lightly.
“This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s find somewhere quieter and have a proper conversation. There’s a Sky Blue Restaurant nearby. It’s been a while since we met, Brother Li, and I was starting to miss you—so I came to see you.”
Without another word, he grabbed Li Shunxi by the collar and hoisted him up like a chicken.
“Come on, Brother Li. We’ll get you washed up first. I still have a few things I need to consult you about.”
“Wine! I still want more wine!!!”
Lu Sheng ignored the desperate wail and dragged him out of the winery under a chorus of shocked stares. They made their way swiftly into the Sky Blue Restaurant nearby.
The establishment was an asset under Lu Sheng’s authority. Once owned by Wu San, it became his after Wu San’s death. Technically, it was a public property of the sect—he was free to manage it, enjoy its earnings, and use its resources, though he had no right to sell or transfer it.
He ordered a private room. Before long, members of Crimson Whale Sect’s Soaring Eagle Squad arrived to guard the entrance, ensuring no one approached.
After setting Li Shunxi into a chair, Lu Sheng took the seat opposite him.
“Brother Li, what happened? What brought you to such a pitiful state?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.
Compared to the handsome, refined young master he once was, the Li Shunxi before him now looked no different from a beggar.
His hair hung in tangled clumps, his eyes were bloodshot, and his body had grown thin from exhaustion. It was impossible to tell when he last had proper rest. Dried sweat and mud streaked his arms, neck, and face, leaving him looking utterly disheveled.
“A toast~~?” Li Shunxi slurred, lifting his cup toward Lu Sheng with unfocused, wandering eyes.
Lu Sheng leaned forward, his expression turning solemn.
“Brother Li, what on earth happened? There’s no hardship in life that can’t be faced. If you’re in trouble, tell me. Perhaps I can help.” He truly believed Li Shunxi was someone worth investing in—upright, talented, and reliable. If the matter wasn’t overwhelmingly troublesome, he would not mind offering assistance.
Hearing those words, Li Shunxi seemed to sober slightly. He lowered his head onto the table and muttered, voice weak and trembling, “Brother Lu… you can’t help me… no one can…”20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtmFqknJW0
He looked utterly pitiful as he reached for the teapot and began gulping tea as though it were wine.
Lu Sheng’s gaze drifted over his tattered robe.
“Did something happen at home?” He vaguely recalled Li Shunxi mentioning that he had a relative holding high court office. Yet seeing him reduced to such a state with no one coming to bring him back, Lu Sheng reasoned it could only be one of two things: heartbreak, or calamity.
Li Shunxi’s shoulders shook. He raised his head, face flushed and eyes glassy.
“My dad… he’s dead…”
Lu Sheng froze, the cup in his hand tightening as his brows drew together.
At last finding someone to confide in, Li Shunxi let out a bitter, broken laugh.
“You’re here to arrest me too, aren’t you? Hahahah… even the person closest to me… the woman I loved for so many years… even she could poison my wine. What can’t happen in this world…”
After several cups of cooling tea, clarity returned slowly to his expression. His breathing steadied, and his muddled gaze sharpened.
Lu Sheng spoke carefully.
“Did some mishap happen to your family?”
“Yeah… my dad was framed and executed not long ago… the house was confiscated. Everyone scattered—some fled, some disappeared. I was the only one who wasn’t home, so I narrowly escaped…” Li Shunxi recounted his misery with a hollow voice. “Brother Lu, if you’re here to arrest me on behalf of the authorities, then just do it. I’m done running. I’m tired… completely exhausted…”
Lu Sheng’s brows furrowed.
“What good would it do for me to arrest you and hand you over? Money? That tiny reward they offer isn’t even enough to fill the gap between my teeth. Power? I’m already third-in-command of Crimson Whale Sect—practically a big shot in Mountain-Edge City.”
He leaned forward, voice steady.
“Brother Li, don’t throw yourself away like this. I didn’t come to arrest you. Your family suffered a tragedy, and though we’re not exactly close, we’re at least half-friends. If you need help, just say the word. Anything within my ability, I’ll do. But I do have one small condition.”
Li Shunxi blinked in astonishment. By all accounts, he and Lu Sheng were barely acquaintances—men who met by chance in Song Manor. They weren’t friends. They weren’t allies. Yet this man showed no intention of turning him in.
“You… you’re really not here to arrest me!?” he managed, disbelief clouding his face. “Do you understand who my father offended? The court’s Secretary of the Army! A Grade-One official!”
Lu Sheng waved a hand dismissively.
“I don’t care what grade he is. That’s none of my concern. Enough nonsense. I’m here to buy intelligence from you. Anything you know about notorious ghosts, Anomalies, demons—whatever lurks in the vicinity.”
He spoke plainly, cutting straight to his purpose. Crimson Whale Sect had its own information networks, but they only monitored from afar. Li Shunxi, on the other hand, had directly encountered the supernatural.
Li Shunxi froze, his jaw slack.
“Huh??? You… you’re really not arresting me?”
“I don’t gain anything from arresting you, so why would I?” Lu Sheng said, exasperation slipping into his tone. “Your family suffered a tragedy, and I sympathize. But as long as you’re alive, there’s still a chance for vengeance one day. What good does crying and wallowing do for a man like you?”
Li Shunxi stared at him, dumbfounded.
In the past weeks, betrayal after betrayal had crushed him. Every friend he had grown up with—his companions, his so-called brothers, even the woman he had sworn eternal love with—each one had turned their back on him. They had thrown him into the abyss without hesitation. Again and again he barely escaped death by a hair’s breadth. The final blow, the arrow embedded in his back, had broken something deep within him. If not for the life-saving tool his Master left behind, he would already be a corpse.
Stumbling from place to place, hunted and desperate, he had eventually reached Mountain-Edge City. But his heart was hollow, extinguished; he had given up completely. All he wanted was to drown himself to death in cheap wine.
What he never expected was to run into Lu Sheng.
And what stunned him even more was that this man—this stranger he had met only once—had not come to arrest him. Right now, he possessed nothing: no weapons, no strength, no will. Drunk and weakened, he was at his most vulnerable. Anyone could simply drag him to the yamen where the warrant for his arrest hung in plain sight.
Yet Lu Sheng did not even consider it. Instead, he offered help. Any help he needed.
ns216.73.216.134da2
and then Add to home screen.