The end of Ku Rong Street marked the beginning of the wealthy district, where the grand Lu Manor stood among other stately homes.
The horse carriage rumbled down the snow-dusted street, its wheels creaking as it entered a secluded garden area enclosed by greyish-white stone walls shaped like a great oval.
To the left lay the Lu Manor—serene and stately. Its black doors stood tall beneath the glow of twin red lanterns, guarded by two stone chimeras, both blanketed in a soft layer of snow.
The carriage came to a halt at the entrance. Lu Sheng stepped down, and the mansion doors swung open in welcome; those within had long heard his arrival. A chamberlain stood waiting, bowing slightly as he approached.
As Lu Sheng and Little Qiao passed through the doors, their eyes fell upon a man and a woman standing together on a stone bridge to the right.
The man was strikingly handsome, exuding confidence and grace. His sharp brows and bright eyes radiated intelligence, and the calm, dignified air around him spoke of a scholar’s upbringing. The woman beside him was the image of gentleness—her beauty seemed painted from silk and ink, her slender waist and graceful poise revealing the upbringing of a refined lady.
For a brief moment, Lu Sheng’s thoughts scattered. His mood lifted, and he stepped forward with a smile.
“Elder Brother Xu, why are you here only today? My little cousin has missed you these past few days,” he said warmly as he crossed the stone bridge.
The man turned toward him with an easy smile. “So it’s Young Master Sheng. Earlier, I had to follow orders to investigate a case that only just concluded. I came to see Yiyi as soon as I could. Don’t blame me—I couldn’t disobey the higher-ups.”
“A case? Has there recently been one so serious that Elder Brother Xu needed to handle it personally?” Lu Sheng asked, knowing well that Xu Daoran held a prominent position.
Xu Daoran was the County Lord, responsible for law and order across all the counties within the Nine Links City region.
The position of County Lord stood just beneath that of the County Magistrate—comparable to a Police Commissioner’s authority.
“Just some incidents in the fishing villages, but they’ve been resolved,” Xu Daoran said with a warm smile. “Although, Little Sheng, when will you come and lend me a hand? You promised before that you’d help me with the city’s law and order plans.”
How could Lu Sheng possibly remember everything the body’s original owner had promised? He let out a polite laugh, quickly steering the conversation elsewhere.
“Fishing villages? Don’t tell me it’s about that rumored water ghost?”
“Water ghost? Nonsense,” Xu Daoran replied with a faint chuckle. “Just a lunatic consumed by vengeance who went on a killing spree. I beheaded him at the scene myself. The case is closed—no need to spoil our mood over grim matters. Little Sheng, do you still recall what I promised Yiyi before?”
“To offer joss sticks at Red Lotus Temple—and take a little hike while you’re at it?” Lu Sheng answered swiftly, smiling.
“You certainly remember the leisurely things,” Xu Daoran said helplessly, then added, “You’re not getting any younger, you know—nineteen this year, isn’t it? You should start finding something meaningful to do. You can’t expect to idle your life away forever.”
He had watched Lu Sheng grow up. Their families had been close for generations, and he had always regarded Lu Sheng as a younger brother. Now, he couldn’t help but offer a few words of advice.
Lu Sheng chuckled. “Elder Brother Xu, do you want me to become an official—or a businessman?”
“An official, of course. That’s your father’s wish as well. Both your maternal and paternal uncles hope you’ll join them soon. After all, you’re the eldest son of the Lu family,” Xu Daoran urged.
“Let’s not talk about that just yet. There’s no rush—none at all! I’m still young. Why the hurry to push the eldest son out of the nest?” Lu Sheng replied lightly, his tone carefree.
Xu Daoran and Lu Yiyi could only exchange helpless glances and drop the subject.
Lu Sheng had no desire to linger on the topic of officialdom. He changed the subject and walked off with Little Qiao toward his sleeping quarters.
Once there, he changed his clothes. Without even stopping to greet his father, he took the piece of cobblestone and made his way alone to the rear garden.
The Xu family, like the Lu family, was among the most illustrious in Nine Links City. Their influence stretched far, their members holding positions of power across the region.
Lu Sheng had always held a fond regard for Xu Daoran. The man was sincere, honest, and free of self-interest—his feelings toward Yiyi genuine and unfeigned. To Lu Sheng, he was as close as an elder brother.
Except…
Lu Sheng tightened his grip on the cobblestone, his mind replaying what he had heard at the city gates about the so-called water ghost’s death.
In this world… are there truly ghosts and immortals?
He stood in silence, gazing at the snow swirling through the garden. A faint, indescribable gloom stirred in his chest.
Perhaps it’s just as Elder Brother Xu said… merely a rumor spread by the fearful, he thought, shaking his head and clinging to that thread of wishful doubt.
As dusk fell, he returned to his room to wash and rest. The day’s events had left him weary and confused. Thoughts tangled in his mind until exhaustion overtook him. He soon drifted into sleep and did not stir again until dawn.
“DONG DONG DONG! DONG DONG DONG!”
Frantic knocking shattered the morning calm.
Lu Sheng’s eyes flew open. He shot up from his bed and turned toward the door.
“Who is it?!”
“Young Master…! There’s been trouble…!” It was Little Qiao’s voice, trembling and strained.
Lu Sheng hurried to open the door. Outside stood Little Qiao, her face drained of color, fat cheeks quivering uncontrollably.
“Xu… Xu… Xu…”
An ominous chill crawled up Lu Sheng’s spine.
“What happened? Take a deep breath first!” He stepped forward, patting her back firmly.
Only then did Little Qiao begin to breathe normally again.
“The Xu family… Lord Xu’s family— they’re all gone!!” Little Qiao gasped out in one trembling breath before breaking into sobs.
Lu Sheng froze, his mind blank.
Little Qiao quickly helped him into his outer robes. Without another word, the two hurried toward the outer manor.
Outside the gate, the patriarch of the Lu family, Lu Fang, stood motionless. His hands were clasped behind his back, his face pale and drawn, a faint tremor running through his shoulders.
Three large, black double-horse carriages waited silently beside him.
Lu Sheng and his cousins arrived, bowing respectfully to Lu Fang before swiftly boarding the carriages.
Inside, father and son sat opposite each other. Neither spoke. The silence pressed heavily between them.
Lu Fang, now past sixty, had a slender frame and a white beard that framed his still-handsome face. With his calm bearing and scholarly air, he looked more like a learned gentleman than the head of a merchant clan.
The carriages rolled onward, wheels crunching through the snow. Before long, they reached the gates of Nine Links City.
When Lu Sheng stepped down, the sight that met his eyes rooted him to the spot.
To the left of the road, ten bodies lay arranged neatly upon the snow—men and women, young and old—all from the Xu family.
Their fine robes, stitched with the Xu family crest, fluttered faintly in the cold wind. At the center of the third row lay Xu Daoran.
His face was pale, his body stiff, eyes shut tight. Yet his expression bore the frozen imprint of terror— as though he had witnessed something unspeakable in his final moments.
Constables moved about, maintaining order, their faces grim. Nearby, Lu Fang stood silently before an elderly corpse, fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles whitened.
The Prefect had arrived as well, his complexion as pale as the snow blanketing the ground.
Lu Sheng drew in a deep breath and stepped toward one of the constables. “How did they die?”
The constable recognized him and sighed. “All of them were found in their own manor… hanging from the beams, strangled by seaweed. No one knows where it came from…”
“Yiyi! Yiyi!!”
A shrill cry broke through the murmuring crowd—Lu Sheng turned just in time to see his little cousin collapse to the ground, unconscious.
Lu Sheng let out a deep sigh, Xu Daoran’s words from the day before echoing in his mind.
He had just returned from solving cases in the fishing villages… Fishing villages… Water ghost…375Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdShu5abqPz
That strange piece of cobblestone… Countless thoughts tangled together in Lu Sheng’s mind.
In truth, he had only been in this world for a few days. He felt regret and shock at Xu Daoran’s death, but not the kind of sorrow others might expect. There was no deep bond between them—only a faint sense of loss.
It wasn’t as if he had never seen a corpse before. It was just that he had never seen so many at once.
“Where is Priest Chi Ling of the Xu household?” he heard Lu Fang ask the senior constable.
“In another area,” the constable replied softly. “His body… has been cut into pieces. One part looks like it was gnawed by some kind of beast…”
A heavy silence fell.
Whether it was the Lu family, the Prefect, or the onlookers gathered outside the city gates, none dared speak a word.
“Priest Chi Ling was quick with his sword… even stronger than Uncle Zhao,” Lu Fang muttered under his breath.
Uncle Zhao was the Lu family’s foremost martial expert—if Chi Ling had been even stronger, and still met such a gruesome end, then this was no ordinary crime.
This was a threat that could shake them all.
Among everyone present, who could claim to surpass the might of the Xu family?375Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiPtFP37Sj
Not a single person. Not even the Prefect.
Lu Sheng stood quietly at the roadside. Until now, he had thought this world was safe—merely a peaceful echo of ancient China, with only minor peculiarities.
But now, that illusion was gone.
He slipped a hand into his sleeve and touched the cobblestone. It was burning hot.
He took it out, hesitated for a moment, then flicked it away.
This thing… might bring calamity upon him.
The Xu family had been as powerful and deeply rooted as the Lu family—yet they had been erased overnight.
The sight before him sent a sharp tremor through Lu Sheng’s heart.
He hesitated for a moment, then stepped to the right of where the cobblestone had fallen, bent down, and picked it up.
“Psss.”
Without realizing it, his forefinger brushed against a stalk of wild grass protruding from beneath the snow. It was a peculiar kind—its edges fine and sharp as a blade.
A sudden sting. A thin cut split open on his finger, and several drops of blood fell onto the cobblestone.
“Young Master?” Little Qiao’s voice came trembling from behind. She hurried over, her small face streaked with tears, eyes red from crying. Xu Daoran’s death had clearly shaken her deeply.
Lu Sheng, however, stood frozen.
Then—
A string of strange, mechanical syllables echoed in his mind.
“Welcome to the Deep Blue Skills Cheating Device.”
His vision blurred. For several long moments, his mind went blank. When he finally regained his senses, a translucent, bluish square frame was hovering before his eyes.
Inside it, clear as day, were his name—and every skill he possessed.
This… isn’t this the little cheat program I wrote for that mobile game?!
A wave of disbelief hit him. First reincarnation into the frail young master of a wealthy clan, and now hallucinations? It was absurd.
In his past life, he had once downloaded a game called Chronicles of Flying Swords and Heroes out of boredom. The game had been maddeningly difficult, so he had created a simple cheating tool to modify martial arts stats.
He had called it the Deep Blue Cheating Device. And that voice earlier—it was his own, recorded through a voice modulator.
He never imagined he would hear it again here.
Lu Sheng stared intently at the glowing frame before him.
The interface was simple—minimalist. Countless small boxes filled the display, each lined up neatly.
On one of them, glowing faintly, were the words:
Lu Sheng —
Martial Arts: None.
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.