All across the city, the cries of women, children, and the elderly echoed through the streets. White cloth fluttered in the wind—some proper silk, others just torn scraps, hastily hung by families too poor to afford the customary fabric. Every corner felt soaked in grief.
The ground itself was scarred. Potholes cratered the streets, as if some unimaginable force had smashed into them from the heavens. Half of Nine Links City now lay in ruins, broken under the weight of the battle that had passed.
Lu Sheng took in the devastation in silence. When he was done surveying the destruction, he set off to visit the teachers who had once guided his training. Thankfully, they were cautious and capable people. None had fallen victim to the calamity. After offering each of them a respectful greeting and a generous amount of silver notes, he continued toward the Zheng Family estate.
A loud clap suddenly cut through the somber air.
“PAH!”
Zheng Xiangui slapped his palms together, eyes burning with conviction.
“Brother Sheng, let me go with you! Yu’er and I will join your family’s entourage—we’ll travel together, how about it? Damn it, this is the kind of escort only prefecture-level officials get!”
Lu Sheng stared at him, momentarily speechless. The Zheng residence behind them was blackened with soot and debris; they too had endured their share of chaos.
“Just you and Yu’er?” he asked, keeping his tone casual.
“Yep. Same as your family—we split up. The others have already headed toward different cities. My old man can tell that Nine Links City has truly become a land of danger. Even if things settle down later, if another disaster strikes, we might not be lucky enough to escape again.” Zheng Xiangui exhaled heavily. “If not for you introducing Taoist Huanyang-zi to us, the Zheng Family would’ve suffered a disaster too.”
He paused, his expression dimming.
“It’s just a pity about younger sis Qingqing…”
Lu Sheng had no words. Silence lingered between them. At last, he spoke.
“From what you’re saying, nothing happened to your house?”
Zheng Xiangui froze at the question. His eyes darted left and right before he leaned in close, voice barely above a whisper.
“My Big Bro is gone…”
Lu Sheng blinked, momentarily stunned. “Alright… this is really good news for you.” He exhaled, steadying himself. “Since you want to come along, I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning. Go prepare, and let Yu’er know as well.”
“Yes!” Zheng Xiangui nodded firmly.
After the disaster that had struck Nine Links City, both of them understood what their families now intended. If this had been a larger, more heavily defended city, those murderous martial artists would never have dared to charge in. And that inferno—the one that consumed the Pearl Manor—would never have raged uncontested in the heart of any true metropolis.
Departing the Zheng estate, Lu Sheng asked Little Qiao to prepare his luggage. The Eastern Mountain Institution—his next destination—was famed throughout Mountain-Edge City and its surrounding regions. Its rules were strict. Students were not permitted to bring servants or maidens. So Little Qiao would remain behind in Nine Links City, at least for now.
Once preparations were complete, Lu Quanan pressed ten thousand taels in gold notes into his son’s hands before sending him off alongside the hired escort.
Just as they were leaving, Lu Sheng overheard hushed whispers—Prefect Song Duanchi had fallen gravely ill days ago, unable to recover. Now, he was rumored to be on the brink of death.
Thinking back to the cataclysmic explosion that tore apart the Pearl Manor, Lu Sheng could easily guess the cause. Even Song Duanchi, for all his authority, was nothing more than another casualty of the madness that had overtaken the city.
The entourage moved out just before dawn, the first traces of light barely stretching across the sky.
Lu Sheng rode at the center, complexion still pale. Draped over his shoulders was a thick white fox-fur coat—so large and lush it seemed like an entire snow-fox enveloped him. Warmth and luxury clung to every strand of fur, and that cloak alone was worth over a thousand taels of silver.
He stared silently at the receding silhouette of Nine Links City. Perhaps he would never set foot here again. Before they parted, his father, Lu Quanan, had made his intentions clear—once settled, the entire family would leave this troubled land for a far larger city.
“Brother Sheng, what’s wrong?” Zheng Xiangui asked as he approached, Zheng Yu’er standing beside him with a faint blush on her face.
“Nothing, just thinking… cough, cough…” Lu Sheng’s chest tightened with each breath. His recent intense cultivation of the Black Fury Skill had damaged the Yang energy in his lungs, and an excessive intake of Yin-nourishing medicine had only worsened the imbalance.
Old Cow, the veteran guard leading the escort, stepped forward. “You should get back into the carriage, Brother Sheng. We’re about to move out.”
Lu Sheng nodded lightly. He cast one last glance toward the city—its ruins, its memories—then turned and became the first to climb into the waiting carriage.
“Let’s go, let’s go! Everyone, LET’S GO!” Zheng Xiangui hollered impatiently, unable to hide the eagerness in his voice.
............
Mountain-Edge City — February
Spring had reached its vibrant peak. Outside the walls of Nine Links City, the vast forest blazed with shades of crimson—like clouds of fire rolling over the treetops. Countless small red blossoms withered into fruit, then bloomed anew, dyeing the earth and forest canopy in sweeping strokes of red.
By the southern river, an elegant white octagonal pavilion stood amidst the scenery. Seated within it were several neatly dressed scholars from the Eastern Mountain Institution. Each wore a grayish-white long coat, long hair tied with a black scarf, and identical folding fans resting lightly in their hands—a picture of cultured refinement.
“Brother Lu? Brother Lu???”
A lively voice broke through Lu Sheng’s drifting thoughts.
He turned back from the expansive plains stretching before him and glanced around at the group gathered within the pavilion.
The caller was Song Zhenguo, a fellow student who had traveled from the northern regions to study here. Born into wealth and prestige, he was raised amid fine food, merriment, and social gatherings. With his pleasant looks and easy charm, he often led groups of friends on outings just like this.
Zheng Xiangui had introduced him to Lu Sheng, and most who sat here today hailed from the same general region as them. Naturally, the scholars from the eastern cities tended to cluster together.
“Brother Song, my apologies. My mind wandered for a moment,” Lu Sheng replied with a light smile.
Half a year had already passed since he last saw Yan Kai and the others.
In that time, he had journeyed from Nine Links City to Mountain-Edge City and stayed here for months—without encountering a single unusual incident.
Security here was impeccable. Winged Honor Guards patrolled tirelessly across a span of more than ten miles, day and night. People slept soundly with their doors unlatched. The contrast with Nine Links City was like heaven and earth.
There were no disasters here—no demonic shadows lurking in the night. Even murder was rare. Whether inside the city or beyond its walls, the common folk walked the streets decently clothed, unlike in Nine Links City where patched garments were a common sight among the poor.
Not long after arriving, he and the Zheng siblings located the Eastern Mountain Institution and completed their admissions. Three months had passed since they officially became students.
Throughout those three months, Lu Sheng had struggled to restore his body from the damage caused by forcibly advancing the Black Fury Skill. Only recently had he fully recovered.
Drawing himself back from his thoughts, Lu Sheng watched the others in the pavilion.
The scholars were engaged in a pastime similar to Feast on the River. A wine cup was filled to the brim, then gently set adrift along the winding stream beside the pavilion. Everyone waited as it floated downstream. Whomever it stopped before would drink the entire cup at once and answer a personal question agreed upon beforehand.
Besides Song Zhenguo, five or six other merchant-born scholars were taking part. Two women in white-and-blue skirts sat aside observing, occasionally covering their mouths to stifle laughter when the conversation turned amusing.
One of the girls hailed from the same region as most of the others—a pretty young lady with a calm demeanor. The other was Chen Yunxi, native to Mountain-Edge City, with soft cherry lips and a gentle expression that made her appear every bit a modest family’s daughter.
Her beauty wasn’t the striking sort, yet her fair skin, graceful figure, long legs, and slender waist drew the eye all the same.
To most people in this world, Chen Yunxi’s features were merely ordinary. But to Lu Sheng, she was stunning—especially those endlessly long legs, perfectly proportioned and elegant. A silhouette like hers was rare.
Unfortunately, the beauty standards here favored petite figures and shorter legs. Women like Chen Yunxi, whom Lu Sheng considered exquisite, were viewed as average—or even plain—by local eyes.
As that thought crossed his mind, he noticed her gaze drift toward him once again. He could only chuckle inwardly.
He had only spoken with her a few times, and even then, it was at Song Zhenguo’s insistence. But unexpectedly, they got along unusually well—conversation flowing naturally, as if they were old friends. Before long, they had become close… though of different genders. Yet good fortune rarely lasts. Somehow, her eyes began to look at him differently—brimming with a strange, unmistakable warmth.
Her gaze lingered on him now, bright sparks dancing in her eyes for all to see.
“Ahh, Brother Lu, Yunxi’s eyes are truly fixed on you.” one of the scholars joked.
“A beautiful maiden has taken a liking to you. Shouldn’t we punish him with a cup of wine?” another chimed in with laughter.
Song Zhenguo leaned close and whispered, “Miss Yunxi is lovely inside and out, and her family is wealthy. Her father’s a business tycoon in Mountain-Edge City—and in more than ten surrounding cities too! Brother Lu, if you don’t seize this chance, you might regret it!”
Lu Sheng merely shook his head. Amid their playful teasing, he plucked a drifting wine cup from the stream and downed it in a single smooth gulp.
Afterward, he lifted the empty cup to show them the clean bottom.
Lu Sheng carried himself with effortless confidence. His appearance held a distinction the other scholars lacked—a strong, well-balanced physique that spoke of rigorous martial training. Both his inner and outer strength had been honed, lending a subtle intensity to his gaze. A single glance could leave a person remembering him long after.
So despite his origins in a distant border city like Nine Links City—and despite a family background far less affluent than many here—his presence outshone them all.
With the crowd’s loud encouragement and Song Zhenguo fanning the flames, Lu Sheng soon found himself guided to sit beside Chen Yunxi. In this world, women were mostly open-minded; unless one dressed as boldly as Duanmu Wan, no one would raise an eyebrow.
Chen Yunxi had barely exchanged a few soft words with her close friend before the others gleefully urged her forward, effectively “chasing” the pair out of the pavilion.
Together, they walked slowly across the nearby lawn, finally granted a pocket of space for just the two of them.
Morning sunlight filtered through the blossoms. Birdsong danced through the air. Spring flowers cascaded over the hills like waves of red clouds brushing the mountain ridges.
“They… always like to fool around,” Chen Yunxi said, her large eyes meeting his head-on, unbothered and unafraid. This was hardly the first time they had been “escorted” out under teasing eyes.
Side by side, they crossed a small rise of crisp green grass, moving beyond the sight of the others—though the occasional curious glance still found its way toward them from afar.
Lu Sheng glanced at Chen Yunxi beside him. She wore a pristine white dress that reached just to her thighs, leaving her knees bare. Long shoes covered the slender calves that would otherwise draw even more attention. Her waist was graceful, her figure soft and well-shaped, her legs long and elegant, and her dark hair flowed down to her waist. With just a glance, words like flawless, fair, and pure came to his mind.
“They mean well,” Lu Sheng smiled. He wasn’t someone who pretended to be aloof or overly righteous. A beautiful maiden showed genuine interest, and he was unmarried—there was no need to overthink things. He would simply let matters unfold naturally.
What he admired most were those long, striking legs. Yet to others, that very feature was considered her flaw. The thought made him feel it was somewhat of a pity.
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