“In other words, this place is the source of that thing we’re looking for?” Duan Rongrong asked softly.
“With Yin Qi of this density… it’s not certain,” Yan Kai replied, shaking his head slightly.
Meanwhile, Lu Sheng had begun inviting these extraordinary men to display their skills.
The Taoist who had spoken earlier chuckled, a glint of confidence in his eyes. “This is this humble Taoist’s expertise.”
He reached into the air and, as if conjured by magic, a stone appeared in his hand. Then, he clenched his fist suddenly.
A faint swoosh cut through the air. Fine dust trickled down between his fingers, scattering instantly into the wind.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Even the strongest experts of Nine Links City could not perform such a feat. The travelling adventurer—who was, in truth, a woman in disguise—watched with uncharacteristic solemnity. Yan Kai, too, regarded the Taoist with newfound respect.
To crush stone into dust with bare hands required immense inner force. None of them had expected to encounter such an expert here.
Low murmurs of astonishment rose among the guards, servants, and housemen.
Lu Sheng, however, only frowned, his gaze fixed coldly on the Taoist.
The man chuckled again. “How’s that, Young Master? Does my ability meet your standards?”
Lu Sheng exhaled slowly, his expression darkening. His eyes turned sharp and cold.
“This is clearly the scent of Stone-Congealing Powder! You swindler! Where are you from, and how dare you make a fool of me! Arrest him!”
The words struck like thunder. For a heartbeat, everyone stood frozen.
Then, two burly guards leapt forward and pinned the Taoist to the ground. The man screamed and struggled, but under their weight, he was helpless—no trace remained of the so-called strength that could crush stone into dust.
He was nothing more than an ordinary man.
“Young Master, how shall we deal with him? Should we inform the yamen authorities?” asked one of the muscular guards.
He was among those who had personally witnessed Young Master Lu Sheng’s divine might when he annihilated the female ghost the previous night. From that moment on, his loyalty to Lu Sheng was absolute.
Lu Sheng cast a look of disgust at the Taoist writhing on the ground.
“No need for that. Just pull him out and behead him.”
“NO, DON’T! Young Master, I only fell into a moment’s folly! I just wanted to earn a little extra money! I was out of my mind!”
The Taoist’s voice cracked in terror. His entire body trembled like a reed in a storm, his face as pale as paper and slick with cold sweat.
“Young Master, spare my life!!!”
“Yes, sir!”
The guard ignored the desperate pleas. He and his men seized the Taoist and dragged him out of the courtyard.
Beside the training arena stood a small execution room—built for moments exactly like this. With the Lu Family’s vast influence and wealth, the local yamen often turned a blind eye when they chose to execute offenders within their own walls.
Yan Kai and the others stood frozen, their faces drained of color as they watched the man being dragged away. Moments later, a faint, pitiful scream echoed from beyond the courtyard.
“Alright, gentlemen,” Lu Sheng said calmly, the gentle smile returning to his lips. “Now that we’ve dealt with the phony, may I please have the next person demonstrate his ability?”
The few remaining practitioners exchanged uneasy glances. In that instant, they truly grasped the temperament of the Lu Family’s Young Master.
Though his appearance was frail and sickly, he could transform into something monstrous in the blink of an eye—decisive, ruthless, and utterly without mercy.
After a long silence, the next person to step forward was Master True Depths of the Red Lotus Temple. His hands trembled as he gathered his courage.
“I… this humble monk suddenly remembered there are urgent matters to attend to at the temple…”
Beads of cold sweat rolled down his face as he spoke.
To everyone’s astonishment, he had stepped forward not to demonstrate his ability—but to retreat.
The younger monk behind Master True Depths fared even worse. Cold sweat streamed down his temples, his face pale as chalk, and his knees trembled uncontrollably.
“Since Master has matters to attend to, please take your leave first.”
Lu Sheng smiled courteously, his tone warm and polite. He gestured to a servant-maid to escort Master True Depths and his disciple to the exit, making no attempt to embarrass them.
Moments later, the two monks were gone.
Only three remained—the travelling adventurer and the duo of Yan Kai and Duan Rongrong.
“Let me go next.”
The adventurer, still disguised as a man, stepped forward and unsheathed the twin sabers at her waist.
“My forte is qinggong, short- and long-range pursuit, as well as tracking and investigation. I should be of help when searching for missing persons.”
Lu Sheng’s eyes glimmered with mild interest. “Oh? In that case, may I know how to address you, Miss?”
“Zhuan Feng.”
“Chuan Feng?” Lu Sheng blinked in surprise.
The woman immediately bent down and traced two characters onto the stone desk with her finger. Only then did everyone understand—her surname was Zhuan.
Lu Sheng smiled. “So, Miss Zhuan Feng, may I know how you intend to demonstrate your expertise?”
Curiosity flickered in his expression as he watched her closely.
Zhuan Feng gave a soft sniff, then crouched to the ground, studying the earth’s surface with keen precision. She pressed her ear against it, listening intently to the faint vibrations beneath.
After a few moments, she rose gracefully to her feet.
“I can determine that you and your men, Young Master Lu, have been in this side yard for no more than four hours,” she said steadily. “From beginning to end, two groups of guards and servant-maids entered to clean the area—fewer than ten people in total, and that happened about two hours ago. Only afterward did Young Master arrive. Moreover, neither you nor your attendants have entered any of the rooms. Clearly, this yard was arranged specifically for testing us. Not even you had time to step inside.”
The words struck like lightning.
Lu Sheng and the others widened their eyes in disbelief. Even the guards and servant-maids nearby looked as though they had just seen a ghost.
Merely by bending down to observe, listen, and sniff the ground, she had unraveled so many details with uncanny precision.
This Miss Zhuan Feng was indeed an extraordinary talent.
“Impressive.” Lu Sheng clapped his hands lightly, a smile tugging at his lips.
“Miss Zhuan Feng, regardless of how you reached those conclusions, you’ve passed. Next will be the two of you…” His gaze shifted toward Yan Kai and Duan Rongrong.
Yan Kai met his eyes calmly, but Duan Rongrong stiffened the instant Lu Sheng’s attention swept over her.
Just moments ago, this young master had been all smiles. In the blink of an eye, that same smile had vanished—replaced by the cold cruelty of a man who could order another’s beheading without hesitation.
Even if he smiled again now, who could be sure that smile wouldn’t precede death?
In her mind, Duan Rongrong had already marked Lu Sheng as a man of terrifying danger.
Yan Kai, however, stepped forward with steady composure.
“If I’m not mistaken,” he said, his sharp gaze fixed on Lu Sheng, “Young Master Lu’s injuries were caused by an invasion of Yin Qi, am I correct?”
“Oh?”
Lu Sheng arched a brow, intrigued. At last, someone who seemed to know what he was talking about.
“Your wound should be around your abdomen,” Yan Kai continued confidently. “Fortunately, it hasn’t reached your internal organs. But the Yin Qi festering inside you—if left unpurged—will erode your Yang Qi over time. This,” he reached into his sleeve and drew out a small black porcelain bottle, “is a bit of Yang Returning Potion, concocted by this humble Taoist. If Young Master dares, you may try it and see its effects for yourself.”
He handed the bottle forward.
A servant-maid quickly stepped up, receiving it with both hands and placing it carefully on a plate before presenting it to Lu Sheng.
“Remember to return me the bottle after drinking,” Yan Kai added with a faint smile.
Lu Sheng lifted the porcelain container, pulled out the wooden cork, and brought it to his nose.
At once, a surge of heat coursed through him. Just from a single breath, he could feel the icy Yin energy within his body retreating. The fiery scent rising from the potion burned warmly in his nostrils, spreading a wave of heat through every vein.
It was true—ever since Lu Sheng had returned to his room after suffering the blow to his abdomen, his body had been plagued by uncontrollable chills. The external wounds were trivial; what troubled him most was the thread of Yin coldness that had invaded his body.
No matter how many Yang-tonics he consumed or how long he trained beneath the blazing sun, it made no difference. The warmth would linger only briefly before the chill crept back the moment he rested.
Now, staring at the porcelain bottle before him, Lu Sheng gave a faint smile and drank it down without hesitation.
A metallic tang spread across his tongue, followed by a sharp, spicy heat. The liquid coursed down his throat, igniting a surge of warmth that spread through every limb.
He exhaled slowly, feeling as though he were standing beneath the scorching summer sun at its zenith. The warmth flooded his veins, driving out the cold from within. The Yin chill that had haunted him melted away, dissipating like snow under fierce sunlight—until not a trace remained.
“Taoist-sir, you’re indeed impressive,” Lu Sheng said, his voice calm but sincere. “This bottle of Yang Returning Potion will be included in your compensation.”
“Does that count as a pass?” Yan Kai asked evenly.
“Of course. The three of you, please follow me.”
Lu Sheng rose to his feet, supported by his guards, and led the three of them toward the inner chambers of the Yellow Crane Courtyard.
The servant-maids and other guards withdrew, leaving only the muscular guard by his side.
Ka-cha.
The heavy door closed behind them with a solid thud.
Only five people remained in the room.
“Here are the specifics of what happened…”
Lu Sheng began his account, calmly describing the sequence of events starting from the first disappearance.
Yan Kai and the others listened intently, occasionally interjecting with questions for clarification. Lu Sheng answered everything he could, and for the rest, the muscular guard filled in the missing details.
Their discussion stretched on, steady and meticulous, lasting for a full hour.
Yan Kai bowed his head, sinking into thought as the room hummed with a tense quiet. After a long moment he lifted his eyes again.
“The supernatural beings Young Master encountered — this humble Taoist calls them Demonic Ghosts.”
“Demonic Ghosts?” Lu Sheng echoed, the word probing a side of the world he had only just begun to touch.
Yan Kai’s face grew solemn as he explained. “Demonic Ghosts are not, strictly speaking, the souls of the dead. They are born from human emotions — bitterness, jealousy, hatred, injustice — emotions that, over time, siphon some strange power from the environment and coalesce into spirits. A single Demonic Ghost can be handled, but if left to fester they spread like a contagion: they kill, create new ghosts, and grow stronger. Judging from the density of Yin Qi on you, Young Master, the ghosts you encountered have been neglected for a long time.”
“For a long time?” Lu Sheng’s jaw tightened. “Then there could be more of them in Nine Links City.”
“Highly possible.” Yan Kai nodded once. “Leave this to me. Young Master should rest and recover at home. I will deal with the Demonic Ghosts. As for locating the missing—”
“I’ll find the missing persons,” Zhuan Feng said. “I’ve faced similar phenomena before.”
Lu Sheng inclined his head in assent.
“Taoist-sir, what else can I do to help?” he asked, now fully convinced Yan Kai was one of those rare professionals the rumors spoke of.
Yan Kai’s expression hardened. “Demonic Ghosts are not something for ordinary people to tackle. First priority: you must leave Nine Links City at once. Once you’ve made contact, you become potential prey. We also came to investigate the Xu family massacre.”
“I want to help in any way I can,” Lu Sheng replied earnestly.
Yan Kai cut him off with a frown. “I told you, it’s unnecessary. More bodies won’t help — ordinary men, even those skilled in martial arts, will only slow us down. Martial techniques mean nothing against ghosts.”
Duan Rongrong stood beside him, a cold sweat pricking her brow; she feared Lu Sheng’s temper would flare. Lu Sheng opened his mouth to answer, but Yan Kai raised a hand.
“Enough. This is not something ordinary men should join.”
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.