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Lu Sheng studied under Zhang Xun for three days, fully memorizing the moves and essence of the Heart-Rending Palm.
Afterward, he moved on to the second master.
Introduced by Uncle Zhao, this master was named Du and was well-known in Jiulian City. He had once been the top martial arts instructor in the prefectural government, a contemporary of Zhang Xun.
Master Du was skilled in the Eighty-Four Swallow Chasing Wind Blade, a technique renowned for its lightning-fast strikes.
Unfortunately, his tendons had been mysteriously injured, leaving him disabled. He was introverted and never married, so he had no descendants.
Lu Sheng trained with Master Du for four days.
In his eyes, the Eighty-Four Swallow Chasing Wind Blade was actually weaker than the Black Tiger Saber Technique. Still, learning an additional skill was always valuable.
He then asked Uncle Zhao to take him to meet other famous masters in Jiulian City—especially the older, more experienced ones.
With his father Lu Quanan’s approval, Lu Sheng spent money to open doors one by one.
From two other masters, he learned the Eight Treasures Step and the Twin Rhombus Blades—both martial arts less powerful than the Black Tiger Saber Technique.
Through this, Lu Sheng realized that Uncle Zhao’s Black Tiger Saber Technique was truly a top-tier skill in Jiulian City; very few could match his level.
For two whole months, Lu Sheng practiced diligently, mastering various martial arts while also carefully tending to his health.
He took plenty of Yin-nourishing and blood-tonifying prescriptions to strengthen his body.
The cost of tonics and medicines soared, exceeding a thousand taels a month—an astronomical sum for an ordinary family.
Fortunately, Lu Quanan approved the expenses. Without his support, Lu Sheng would never have dared to spend so recklessly, no matter how wealthy he was.
In the blink of an eye, summer passed, and September arrived.
It had been nearly three months since Lu Sheng came to this world.
“Brother Sheng has been really hardworking these days,” Uncle Zhao said, stroking his beard as he watched Lu Sheng practice the Swallow Chasing Wind Blade on the training ground.
Lu Sheng hadn’t used the modifier to enhance this set of swordsmanship. During this time, he chose to explore it on his own. After all, the modifier was an external force. He wanted to test the difference between martial arts he practiced diligently and those enhanced by the modifier.
Luckily, the Swallow Chasing Wind Blade was not difficult to learn—the moves were simple and perfect for slow, steady practice.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several crisp sounds echoed as Lu Sheng’s blade sliced through the straw piles surrounding him, severing them in an instant.
He held a small Guandao, just over a meter long, gripping it with one arm. Slowly, he flipped the blade over his shoulder and secured it on his back—a finishing gesture.
“Starting martial arts this late. how can I catch up with others if I don’t work harder?” Lu Sheng smiled.
“Thank you, Uncle Zhao, for all your help these past days.”
Uncle Zhao waved his hand dismissively.
“I know you, Brother Sheng, plan to collect secret martial arts to expand the family’s strength, but only a few people in Jiulian City can offer such techniques. The chances of others giving you anything are very slim. What’s your next move?”
Lu Sheng paused to think, then motioned for Xiaoqiao to come over and wipe the sweat from his face with a wet towel.
“Since Jiulian City—”
Suddenly, a servant rushed toward the training ground, his face pale as he shouted, “Bad news! Bad news!!”
“What’s going on? Why are you yelling?” a guard stepped forward, scolding him. He pulled the servant aside and questioned him carefully.
After hearing the details, the guard’s expression darkened, and he hurried back toward Lu Sheng and the others.
“Young Master, the Second Lady had a fight with someone, and now we can’t find her!” the guard shouted urgently.
“What?!” Lu Sheng was stunned.
He had expected something might happen when Lu Qingqing returned, but he didn’t anticipate it would be so soon.
“Where is she? Who did she fight with?” Uncle Zhao asked solemnly.
“On Hualiu Street, with several caravan guards passing through the city!”
“Does the master know about this?”
“I don’t know, but the servant just received the news. It was the second lady’s personal maid who came to report it. He came to you, the eldest master, as soon as possible,” the guard hurriedly explained.
They were all orphans adopted and raised by Lu Quanan from childhood, loyal through and through to the Lu Mansion.
"Good work. No need to report this to Father just yet—I’ll go take a look first" Lu Sheng said firmly.
“The Second Lady was investigating the tragedy of the Xu family. How could she have fought with the caravan guards?” Uncle Zhao asked, confused.
“Let’s go see for ourselves first” Lu Sheng replied calmly.
He quickly summoned the servants and guards of the mansion, gathered ten of them, and headed straight for Hualiu Street.
Hualiu Street was a well-known brothel district in Jiulian City. No one knew how Lu Qingqing had ended up there.
Lu Sheng rushed forward without hesitation.
When he arrived, the street was in chaos. Two shopkeepers near the Lu family’s property were trying to calm down the affected vendors.
“Compensate what must be compensated, apologize where apologies are due—don’t let others look down on our Lu Family!” Lu Sheng ordered.
“Yes!”
The ten men from the Lu family responded immediately.
Everyone dispersed to handle the aftermath.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhnykBMsTL
Lu Sheng and Uncle Zhao moved to the sidewalk, searching for any signs of the fight.
“It hasn’t been long since we left. Qingqing has a fiery temper—it’s normal for her to clash with a few gangsters in a place like this,” Lu Sheng said as he carefully examined the bloodstains on the ground.
There wasn’t much blood, and he wasn’t worried it belonged to Qingqing. With her skills, dealing with two caravan guards would be no problem.
On the gray-white stone slab, a pool of dark red blood stood out sharply under the sunlight.
Lu Sheng squatted down, gently dipped his hand in the blood, and sniffed it. His brows furrowed.
“What’s wrong? Did you find something?” Uncle Zhao asked as he came over and did the same, dipping his finger into the blood and smelling it.
“Normal human blood. Nothing unusual,” Lu Sheng replied.
“Then what are you wondering about?”
Lu Sheng shook his head.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGjX4RMBrG
“What puzzles me is the amount of blood. Although Qingqing is hot-headed, she usually controls her strength. She wouldn’t be so reckless as to cause such heavy bleeding.”
Just then, the guards who had gone to clean the surrounding area returned.
“Young Master, there’s news. Someone saw the second lady fighting with two people wielding swords and chasing them all the way out of the city! Some say those two aren’t caravan guards at all—they’re government-wanted murderers!”
“I see,” Lu Sheng nodded.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHsjBrONz7
“Let’s head to the city gate. The closest one is the west gate—they must have gone out that way.”
The group, led by Uncle Zhao, quickly rushed toward the city’s west gate.
About ten minutes later, they arrived at the west gate. A garrison officer stationed there approached and greeted one of the Lu family guards—clearly, they knew each other well.
“Miss Lu chased them all the way out toward Black Wind Ridge,” the officer reported.
Lu Sheng was about to lead everyone out to follow when, just a few steps outside the gate, he spotted Lu Qingqing riding toward them. She dragged two tied-up figures behind her, galloping swiftly toward the city gate.
The moment she saw Lu Sheng, a smug smile spread across her face.
“Brother, what’s the rush? They’re just two little thieves. Don’t you trust my ability?” she teased.
Dressed in a white, chivalrous outfit, Lu Qingqing held a long sword with a silver scabbard in one hand, a silver-edged belt cinching her slender waist. Her long hair was tied high, giving her a heroic and confident appearance.
Lu Sheng stood firm at the gate, waiting for her to pull up and dismount before letting out a relieved sigh.
“Don’t be so reckless next time,” he warned gently.
Though this wasn’t the original Lu Sheng, thanks to Second Mother’s sincere care during this time, he wasn’t heartless and could tell genuine concern from pretense. Because of Second Mother, he felt a bit protective of Lu Qingqing.
“Don’t worry, I don’t bother with these petty thieves in Jiulian City!” Lu Qingqing said coolly.
Lu Sheng’s eyes shifted to the two men tied up on the ground. Both looked pale and weak, as if they had lost a lot of blood. Unconscious, it was unclear whether they were still alive or not.
What struck Lu Sheng as strange was the faint arc at the corners of the two men’s mouths — as if they were… smiling.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8FcoqDQXk
He quietly stored this odd detail in his mind.
Seeing that Lu Qingqing was unharmed, he didn’t press further. Perhaps she was just making a fuss.
After giving her a few more instructions, Lu Sheng and Uncle Zhao led everyone back to the mansion.
Life quickly settled back into its usual rhythm.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHR2PWaLJB7
Every morning, he woke early to practice swordsmanship for three hours. In the afternoon, after lunch, he focused on footwork and the Heart-Rending Palm.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgf19rocbgS
At night, he retired to his room to practice Jade Crane Art.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuULldPVJql
As for the Black Fiend Art, he still set it aside.
Uncle Zhao advised him once again to concentrate on mastering a single skill first, but Lu Sheng had his own plan.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMijalYpvM6
He left all martial arts open on the modifier but began to steadily improve the Jade Crane Art once more.
At midnight, Lu Sheng lay on his back in bed, his eyes slowly opening.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEUs2F3328
He sat up straight and gazed out the paper window.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMB8aPabri
The faint moonlight filtered in, casting a clear white line across the bedroom floor.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQwq87BUq5
Outside, the guards’ soft snores mingled with the rustling leaves stirred by a strong wind.
Slowly, Lu Sheng settled into a cross-legged position on the bed.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatfCz12hQc
“It’s about time.”
He listened carefully to the quiet surroundings, detecting no sign of disturbance.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXop1SaIu6t
“After such a long period of cultivation, my body and spirit have reached their peak. It’s time to improve the Jade Crane Art.”
Lately, Lu Qingqing had been performing chivalrous deeds everywhere—capturing murderers, beating up thieves and rapists—causing quite a stir.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26kLbzhPCY
But Lu Sheng felt a strange urgency in his heart. A few days ago, Master Zhang Xun told him about some mysterious cases he encountered as head of police—cases that remained unresolved but left a lasting impression.
Focusing his thoughts, Lu Sheng silently murmured,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJigqCpEkp
“Deep blue.”
Suddenly, a light blue interface appeared before him.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxB33cxC9y
He pressed the modify key and focused on the Jade Crane Art option.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQn0fyQhwFq
“Upgrade one level!”
The status instantly jumped, leaping effortlessly from the first level to the second.
A hollow sensation suddenly welled up inside his body, as if he had overexerted himself many times in a very short span.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9NtVBUfpn
His vision blurred slightly, and the hot flashes he had felt earlier surged again.
