While they were talking, Lu Sheng introduced Zheng Xiangui to Chen Jiaorong. However, Chen Jiaorong clearly didn’t think much of the Zheng family.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxStxGkgJFK
To him, the son of a rural landlord from some obscure little town wasn’t even worth acknowledging—certainly not someone who belonged in his social circle.
Honestly, if it hadn’t been for his sister constantly bragging about Lu Sheng, Chen probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to him either. But things were different now—Lu Sheng had saved his life.
Later, when Chen asked around, he heard that the fire on the pleasure boat had been visible from over ten miles away.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvT7ZE4epYJ
When he finally learned the full story, cold sweat broke out on his back. The memory still haunted him. To this day, he couldn’t bring himself to step onto any boat, and the fear left a lingering shadow in his heart.
When Zheng Xiangui realized who Chen Jiaorong was, his attitude changed entirely. He was clearly eager to curry favor, which made both Zheng Yuer and Lu Sheng feel a little uncomfortable. But they knew that was just how he was.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0XllhuFeq
As Zheng once said himself, "A real man knows when to bend and when to stand tall."
As the others kept chatting, Lu Sheng quietly listened and only responded occasionally. Everyone was familiar with his reserved nature, so no one took offense.
While his ears caught bits of the conversation, Lu Sheng's gaze swept across the crowd—and then stopped.
In the corner, huddled against a wall, sat an old beggar who stood out from the rest.
It was midsummer, but Dongshan College lay at the foot of Dongshan Mountain, where it remained cold and damp year-round. Even in this season, the ground held a chill.
Next to the old beggar was a tattered cotton jacket, but strangely, he wore only a thin, hole-ridden shirt—and not the jacket.
What truly caught Lu Sheng’s attention, however, were the fine beads of sweat forming on the man’s forehead.
The old beggar mumbled to himself, his gaze distant and unfocused. Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes. Something about the man felt... familiar.
It was strange—uncanny, even.
As Lu Sheng watched him closely, a strange feeling stirred within.
It was as if...54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVp6a0qQdUB
As if that beggar was somehow... like him.
"He looks sixty or seventy years old. His build and appearance are nothing like mine... so why does he feel so familiar to me?" Lu Sheng was puzzled.
While Chen Jiaorong struck up a conversation with Zheng Yuer, clearly interested in her, Lu Sheng quietly made his way toward the old beggar.
He had always been someone who acted on instinct—once he had a thought, he followed it without hesitation.
As he approached, his shadow fell over the old man, covering most of his frail body.
"Old man, it's cold here. You're wearing so little—are you not freezing? Or... are you feeling hot?"
The old beggar looked up slowly, his eyes clouded and dull.
"Hot... hot... not hot? Hot? Not hot? Hot..." he murmured, repeating the words as if stuck in a loop. He seemed mentally unstable.
Lu Sheng frowned, shook his head, and turned to leave.
Suddenly, the beggar’s voice rose sharply.
"Have you ever met a ghost!!" he barked. "Half-yin body, half-yin body... I’m the same—I’ve seen ghosts, I’ve been possessed... Just like you, just like you... Ha... hahaha..." He burst into eerie laughter.
"Half-yin body?" Lu Sheng froze. He turned back and studied the old man more carefully.
Despite his current state, his clothes and appearance hinted at a better past—not rich, perhaps, but from a solid, middle-class background. How had he ended up like this?
"What is a half-yin body?" Lu Sheng asked, his voice low and serious. A strange curiosity had begun to stir within him.
The old beggar paused, then started mumbling incoherently again. After a while, the cloudiness in his eyes seemed to fade slightly. He stared at Lu Sheng, his voice slow and fragmented.
"You and I... we're both half-yin... People possessed by ghosts when young... who’ve seen too many ghosts... develop this kind of body... Will attract ghosts... will die..."
Lu Sheng couldn’t make complete sense of it, but the feeling lingered. He looked at the beggar and again felt that strange connection—one that had nothing to do with outward appearances.
It was something deeper. Something internal. Could this be the “half-yin physique” the old man mentioned?
The idea unsettled him.
The beggar chuckled again, his laughter creeping into madness.
"Hehehe... Half-yin... attract ghosts... half-yin... half-yin..." he giggled, pointing at Lu Sheng and repeating the words like a chant.
Lu Sheng frowned and asked the old beggar a few more questions in quick succession, but the man just kept muttering the same word: "Half-yin..." After that, he fell completely silent.
Ding...!
The sound of the bell signaled the start of the entrance exam.
Lu Sheng had no choice but to turn away and head toward the gate of the college. The exam had officially begun.
The annual entrance examination consisted of three grueling parts, taken consecutively. All meals, drinks, and even bodily needs were handled within the exam room—no one was allowed to leave.
By the time Lu Sheng finally emerged, it was already the afternoon of the second day.
Groups of examinees staggered out of the college gate, exhausted both mentally and physically.
Lu Sheng, however, looked relatively calm and composed. As a grandmaster of both internal and external cultivation, such exertion was nothing to him.
The moment he stepped out, his eyes instinctively scanned the area where the old beggar had been. Just as he expected, the man was gone.
"Half-yin body..." The words echoed in Lu Sheng’s mind. "If what that old beggar said is true, and a half-yin body is formed from encountering too many ghosts... then maybe I really do have this kind of physique."
He thought it over carefully. This wasn’t something he could ignore. He might need to seek someone who truly understood this kind of condition.
"Who would be most familiar with people who often encounter ghosts?" Lu Sheng pondered. Soon, a certain place came to mind.
Just then, Zheng Xiangui and the others also walked out, their faces bitter with frustration. Judging from their expressions, the exam questions must have been exceptionally difficult this year.
Chen Jiaorong followed shortly after, his brows furrowed in a scowl. His sister, Chen Yunxi, was with him. When she caught sight of Lu Sheng, she quickly hid behind her brother, her expression awkward and a little shy.
Lu Sheng touched the scorched patch of hair near his eyebrow and gave a helpless smile. He secretly hoped this would make Chen Yunxi give up on him.
Then, Song Zhenguo also exited the exam hall.
Lu Sheng exchanged a few words with Chen Jiaorong and Chen Yunxi before seeing them off. Afterward, he joined the Zheng family and Song Zhenguo for a meal at a restaurant in the city.
The meal lasted well into the evening. After parting ways with the others, Lu Sheng headed straight for a secluded area outside the city, near the mountains.
To the city's left lay a vast, undulating range known as Lurong Mountain—named for its shape, which resembled a pair of deer antlers.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSfOekKqxz
At the foot of that mountain sat the largest cemetery in the region: Wanfeng Garden.
Taking advantage of the darkness, Lu Sheng made his way toward Wanfeng Garden and soon arrived at the main gate, where the gravekeeper stood watch.
The gravekeeper was an elderly man with a limp. His clothes were neat but threadbare, and his face carried a constant bluish tint—whether from lack of sunlight or something else was unclear.
"Half-yin body?" the old man echoed after hearing Lu Sheng’s question. He gave the wine pouch in his hand a shake, then looked Lu Sheng up and down while absently flipping a large copper coin in his palm.
"Kid, did you run into something... unclean? There’s a saying like that, sure—but regular folks don’t call it ‘half-yin body.’ We have another name for it: people who attract ghosts are called ‘Yang Bun.’"
"Yang Bun?" Lu Sheng repeated, frowning. "Is that... really a thing?"
The old man gave him a curious glance.
"Of course it is. I’ve lived a long time and seen all kinds of people. I’ve met quite a few Yang Bun, too—but none of them lived long. Every single one died early."54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbygCCTisD
"You, young master, seem like a fresh one. A newly born Yang Bun. I’d guess it hasn’t been long since you first started encountering... strange things, right?"
Lu Sheng was stunned. He hadn’t expected the gravekeeper to be this knowledgeable. He nodded.
"Yes, I did come across something unclean not too long ago. Tell me, old man—does being a Yang Bun bring any real danger?"
The old man shrugged.
"Who knows? But they say Yang Bun draw ghosts like moths to a flame, and that's why they never live long. Then again, that’s just what people say." He waved a hand dismissively.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEh21gdc1RU
"Don’t let it get in your head. Go on living like normal. If you’re worried, find a Taoist priest and have him perform a cleansing ritual. That should help keep the bad stuff away."
Invite a priest?
Lu Sheng inwardly shook his head. He had already visited several nearby temples in search of so-called priests, but they had all turned out to be frauds, charlatans with no real ability.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhnUVr4wV5
If those kinds of people could exorcise ghosts, then with his strength, he could crush thousands of demons with a single slap.
"I wonder if there are any other ways, old man?" Lu Sheng asked, frowning. He wanted to see what methods ordinary people might use to protect themselves—without relying on force.
The gravekeeper chuckled darkly and gave Lu Sheng a shadowy glance.
"Another way, huh? Well... it’s not that there isn’t one. Since you’ve been generous with the coin, I’ll let you in on something."
"What way?"
The old man grinned, raised his head, and took a swig of cheap wine before blowing out a heavy puff of alcohol.
"In Yanshan City, there’s a saying: one gang, two societies, three sects. I had a nephew who once joined one of them—the Red Whale Gang. Unfortunately, there was a falling out later, and he died. But at least the connections remained…"
He trailed off meaningfully, casting Lu Sheng a look full of implied expectation.
This was the first time Lu Sheng had heard of the so-called one gang, two associations, three sects during his time in Yanshan City. But the moment the gravekeeper mentioned the Red Whale Gang, his heart trembled slightly.
Wasn’t that the same Red Whale Gang Duanmu Wan had mentioned?
That woman was mysterious and unpredictable. If she claimed the Red Whale Gang's martial arts were the most powerful in the region, then it was likely true. And right now, Lu Sheng wasn’t lacking for martial arts in general—he was lacking something strong enough.
Ordinary internal arts no longer offered him much benefit. At his current level, he needed a superior technique—one powerful enough to replace the Black Fiend Art. That way, he could raise his realm and strength directly, without relying on the consumption of Yin Qi.
After all, the Black Fiend Art only had a few levels. And as for Yin Qi... he was beginning to suspect that absorbing too much of it might come with hidden consequences.
"But old man, I’ve been in Yanshan City for quite a while. How come I’ve never heard of the Red Whale Gang? Are you pulling my leg?" Lu Sheng questioned, his eyes narrowing.
The gravekeeper let out a low, sinister laugh.
"They're gangsters, lad. You know what ‘gangsters’ really means? It means they operate in the shadows—where common folks can't see. In Yanshan City, their reach extends into every corner: gambling houses, brothels, black markets, ghost markets—you name it."54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEePHTNEBp
He took another swig of wine, then pointed at Lu Sheng with a crooked finger.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKuEL1bdg7
"You look wealthy. People like you rarely notice them. But for regular folks? Theft, robbery, high-interest loans, protection fees, murder, fraud—anything shady, they’re behind it."
Lu Sheng immediately understood. The Red Whale Gang wasn’t some openly flaunted name—they were a hidden criminal syndicate embedded deeply into the city’s underworld.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a tael of silver and handed it to the old man in thanks.
"Young master, you’re on the right path!" the gravekeeper said with a sudden grin.54Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQlXauwCK6
"There are many powerful figures in the Red Whale Gang. Some even say they help the government manage Yanshan City’s underworld. If anyone can deal with your... peculiar physique, it’s someone from that group."
Lu Sheng wasn’t interested in their dealings with the government. What truly stirred his thoughts was martial arts.
If he could find a way into the Red Whale Gang, perhaps he could obtain a technique stronger than the Black Fiend Art—one that didn’t rely on Yin Qi, yet could elevate his power to a whole new level.
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