“Just as a reminder, Young Master, these three inner force skills are merely life force techniques that focus on strengthening one’s vitality. Even when mastered, they add little to your combat strength. They’re meant to be passed down within a family to improve life force, not used for fighting. Also, their highest level of mastery is only Level Two,” Duanmu Wan reminded gently.
“Life force skills… and only two levels?” Lu Sheng frowned slightly. “Don’t you have any legitimate inner force skills from the pugilistic world?”
“I do,” she said with a soft laugh, her beautiful eyes glimmering. “But those kinds of techniques mostly belong to sects and factions. Even if I handed them to you, would Young Master dare to cultivate them?”
Her gaze was teasing, yet there was a sharp edge beneath her smile.
Lu Sheng fell silent for a moment, then chuckled quietly. “Indeed. I wouldn’t dare. Cultivating leaked inner force skills from sects brings endless vendettas.”
“It’s good that Young Master understands.” Duanmu Wan’s lips curved faintly. “Of course, I do have a few low-end inner force manuals. But compared to these three, they’re far more time-consuming and not particularly powerful. These three are the better choice.”
Her tone was calm, but her eyes lingered on him with a trace of admiration. Most men, when faced with a beauty like her, would subconsciously try to impress—put on airs of confidence or heroism. Yet Lu Sheng had said those three words—I don’t dare—without hesitation. It was rare, and oddly genuine.
“These three inner force skills don’t match my requirements very well,” Lu Sheng said in a low, measured voice.
“Young Master Lu, don’t be so quick to reject them,” Duanmu Wan replied, smiling broadly. “Inner force manuals aren’t like cabbages you can buy at the market. You can’t expect them to appear whenever you please. It’s pure coincidence that I happen to have these three right now. Later on, I may not…”
Lu Sheng frowned slightly, unsure of her meaning. “Can’t you just make copies of these manuals and sell them again and again?”
“That may be so,” she said, confidence flashing in her eyes, “but the ones I sell are all sole copies—the original texts themselves.”
“Are you serious?” Lu Sheng’s interest was finally piqued.
“Of course I’m serious. As for that Black Fury Skill, Young Master Lu had best not cultivate it. Not only is it incomplete, it’s a relic from centuries ago. The chances of finding the remaining sections are virtually nil,” Duanmu Wan advised calmly.
Lu Sheng fell silent, his expression thoughtful for a moment.
“Does Miss Wan’er have any other secret manuals? I don’t need the originals—copies will do. How about one hundred talents for each?”
Duanmu Wan’s lips curved into a faint, knowing smile, though her face betrayed no surprise.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgSK7jZeih
“Is Young Master Lu truly that obsessed with martial arts?”
“Yeah, I’m basically nuts about them,” Lu Sheng said, his tone earnest.
For a brief moment, their gazes met—hers amused and assessing, his steady and unflinching. Then, Duanmu Wan suddenly let out a soft laugh.
“In that case, money for the goods.”
“And goods for the money. I’ll take the Jade Crane Skill.”
Lu Sheng picked one at random, pulling several silver notes from his chest pocket. It was all he had left—his final savings.
Without even glancing at the notes, Duanmu Wan slipped them into her sleeve and placed the Jade Crane Skill manual before him. “Then I wish Young Master swift mastery in his cultivation.”
“Thanks for your well-wishes,” Lu Sheng replied, rising to see her out.
He escorted Duanmu Wan to the gate and watched as she gracefully boarded her carriage. Only when the wheels began to turn and the sound of hooves faded into the distance did he finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
For some reason, he could never fully relax around her. Though she appeared delicate and harmless—clearly someone who knew no martial arts—something about her presence unsettled him.
He stood there, watching until the carriage disappeared down the street, before finally turning back inside.
With the Jade Crane Skill manual in his hands, Lu Sheng hesitated briefly, then decided to open it. It was better to see what kind of inner force technique he had spent the last of his money on.
…………
In the Nine Links City Prefect’s yamen.
The rectangular courtyard stretched before the main courtroom, its surface paved with white stone bricks that shimmered under the harsh sunlight. The glare bounced off the ground, casting sharp reflections against the crimson pillars that framed the space.
Over a dozen red columns held up the grand roof of the courtroom, solemn and imposing. On either side of the courtyard stood rows of Pride-Killing Cudgels, each one lacquered a deep red, their presence heavy with silent authority.
At the top of the courtroom sat the Old Master Prefect, Song Duanchi, his brows deeply furrowed as though carved that way by years of burden. Behind him hung a vast mural—an immortal crane soaring across blue skies beneath a blazing white sun.
Beneath him, two men stood on either side, while four others waited before the dais. They were none other than the heads of the Zhao, Li, Lu, and Zheng families—the four great pillars of Nine Links City, whose influence dominated more than half of its industries and businesses.
Among them stood Lu Quanan of the Lu family. Dressed in a mandarin robe embroidered with gold-threaded coin and talent motifs, and wearing a squire’s hat, he absently pinched his beard as he studied the Prefect seated above.
The air was thick with tension. No one spoke. Even Prefect Song remained silent, the only sound in the room the faint rustle of robes in the stagnant heat.
The first to break the silence was Zhao Shide, the head of the Zhao family—a burly, bald old man whose presence carried the weight of dominance. His family controlled every restaurant, brothel, casino, and entertainment plaza within Nine Links City. Of the four, he held the greatest sway.
“Old Master Song,” Zhao Shide began gruffly, “you asked us to search for that person and that thing. We did as you requested and sent our men out. It should’ve been a small matter. But now, more than ten of our men have gone missing—one after another. This has become a matter of life and death. If you still intend to keep the truth from us under such circumstances, then forgive us for not helping you any further.”
Lu Quanan kept his silence, resolving not to speak. The other two family heads exchanged glances and did the same.
Song Duanchi’s frown deepened, and after a long moment, he exhaled a weary sigh.
“Those are orders from above. Even I can’t do anything about it,” Prefect Song said heavily. “Strange incidents keep surfacing these days, both inside and outside the city. I even invited the abbot of Red Lotus Temple to perform rites, but it was useless. None of the wandering experts from the pugilistic world whom I hired have returned. Whether they ran off or met some misfortune, who can say? The Wang Villa case outside the city also remains unsolved. I’ve gathered the four of you here to see if you might have any ideas. After all, this is our Nine Links City.”
The trio—including Lu Quanan—remained silent. The oppressive stillness lingered until Zhao Shide let out a cold, derisive chuckle.
“Let’s set aside the search for that person for now and leave it on hold. As for the other matter, since Old Master himself has no solution, I’ve already hired a highly skilled expert to assist in the investigation. Of course, it wouldn’t be fair for the expenses to come solely from my family, would it?”
“Since this expert is as skilled as you say,” Prefect Song replied, “if he or she can truly crack the case, I’ll see that they’re fully rewarded.”
“My family will contribute a thousand talents,” Zhao Shide declared.
“Mine as well,” Lu Quanan added quickly.
“Mine too,” the last family head followed suit without hesitation.
“Good. Then the Xu family case is settled for now,” said Prefect Song, rubbing his temple. “But the Wang Villa case…” His voice trailed off, weariness showing in his eyes.
“Wang Villa—is that the case where the concubine supposedly threw herself into a well?” the Li family head asked flatly. “Why not just handle it according to Song laws?”
“If only it were that simple,” Prefect Song muttered. “The problem is, we can’t even find the concubine’s corpse. Not a single drop of blood at the bottom of the well, and yet, everyone in the villa swears they saw her jump in with their own eyes. We even found countless footprints surrounding the well…”
He shook his head slowly, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.
Lu Quanan stood silent, his thoughts drifting. What an eventful autumn… he lamented inwardly. The image of his old friend—the late Xu family head—flashed across his mind, the man’s terrified face seared into memory. A quiet ache settled in Lu Quanan’s chest.
…………
Lu Manor.
Within the quiet sleeping quarters, Lu Sheng sat cross-legged upon his bed, his breathing steady, his mind focused. Following the method described in the Jade Crane Skill manual, he began to visualize—an immortal crane spreading its wings within his chest, straining to soar. The crane flapped tirelessly, gathering strength, yet no matter how hard it tried, it could not take flight.
With eyes closed, he continued mustering his Qi, feeling it circulate faintly through his meridians. After a long while, he opened his eyes and withdrew the manual from his chest. The aged paper rustled softly as he turned to the first page.
There, a hand-drawn crane spread its wings wide against the heavens, poised as if ready to pierce through the skies. Even the sketch seemed to exude a faint, oppressive presence.
Lu Sheng stared at the image for a moment, then shut his eyes once more and returned to his visualization.
He repeated the cycle—concentration, imagination, and breath—three times.
The light filtering through the window gradually dimmed to amber and then to dusk. Little Qiao came knocking several times to summon him for dinner, but each time Lu Sheng refused, keeping the door tightly shut. He remained seated on the bed, unwavering in his meditation.
The crane in his chest grew clearer, its form more vivid—its feathers shimmering faintly, its movements graceful and alive.
Then, as darkness settled fully upon the manor, Lu Sheng’s eyes snapped open.
“Hoo…”
A stream of turbid air escaped his lips. He drew in a deep breath, and in that instant, he felt it—a faint thread within his chest, as thin as an ant’s leg, slowly circling to form an oval.
That oval spun clockwise, moving at a pace so sluggish it was almost imperceptible.
Relief washed over him. Though exhausted, he straightened his back slightly and called out silently in his mind.
‘Deep Blue.’
Instantly, a translucent Modifier screen appeared before his eyes, floating in the air.
Within the dark blue frame beneath Black Tiger Saber Technique, a new line of text appeared:
“Jade Crane Skill: Uninitiated.”
‘I need to hurry.’
Without hesitation, Lu Sheng focused his will and pressed the Modify button before the fragile thread of Qi vanished.
The entire Deep Blue interface pulsed once with light, and Lu Sheng’s concentration sharpened to a single point—wholly fixated on the Jade Crane Skill.
‘Upgrade one level!’ he commanded silently.
In an instant, the status display of the Jade Crane Skill shifted—259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqUVZPilzX
“Uninitiated → Initiated.”
Lu Sheng froze. Almost immediately, he sensed a faint stream of energy emerging within him. It flowed gently from his chest down to his abdomen, looping in an oval circuit. Cool, refreshing Qi coursed between the two points, unbroken and steady.
‘I’m initiated now… it doesn’t seem to have placed much strain on my body.’
Refocusing his thoughts, he visualized the Jade Crane Skill ascending another level.
“Cough! Cough!”
A sudden dryness clawed at his throat, forcing him into a fit of coughing. A wave of heat surged upward from his abdomen, flooding into his chest and heart. His breath grew parched, and his mouth burned with thirst.
‘Damn… my body’s too weak! The skill rose too quickly—it’s straining me again. Still, it’s not as bad as when I advanced the Black Tiger Saber Technique.’
He steadied his breathing, easing his mind as the Modifier’s glow dimmed and faded from sight.
‘So this is inner force…’
Lu Sheng stretched his legs and slowly climbed down from the bed. He focused inward again, sensing the gentle, cyclical motion of the Qi between his chest and abdomen. Astonishment flickered in his eyes.
‘It’s like there’s a new thread inside me…’
He tried directing it, but discovered the Qi refused to move beyond its fixed path, endlessly cycling in place. Yet as it did, his breathing grew smoother, his body lighter, and his mind clearer.
‘Initiated in inner force… let’s see what comes next,’ he murmured, flipping open the Jade Crane Skill manual and scanning through its written records.
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and then Add to home screen.