“Boss, BOSS!!!”
A cluster of Sect members sprinted toward the arena, dust trailing behind them. At their lead, someone waved a large vermilion sheepskin parchment, clearly an official notice of some kind.
Lu Sheng watched them approach, speechless—then lifted his palm and slapped each of them across the face in one sweeping motion.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Their heads snapped back. Shock flashed across their eyes as they realized their mistake. They scrambled to correct themselves.
“Young Master! External Head! High… Highest Honor!” cried the man holding the parchment—Ning San, of course. In his hands were the long-delayed results of the Annual Examinations.
“Highest Honor?” Lu Sheng snatched the parchment and unrolled it.
The first row was devoid of his name. His gaze sharpened into a deadly slit as he glared at Ning San.
“Not even in the top three—Highest Honor my ass!” He raised his hand again, ready to deliver another well-earned slap. Ning San was hopeless; competent in most matters, yes—but academically? Utterly useless.
Ning San flinched and backed away, bowing repeatedly. “Your subordinate heard others shouting that, and thought it sounded rather celebratory…”
Lu Sheng exhaled sharply and scanned the list again. There—thirty-fifth place.
“Mm. Honors, fine enough.” He waved the parchment. “When you return, withdraw ten taels of silver for your tip. And everyone else gets five taels each!”
The crowd instantly lit up with smiles.
“Oh—right, Bos… err… Young Master,” Ning San added quickly. “Those who put up the results also said you must attend the ceremony in person.”
“When?”
“At the height of the Wu hour—one in the afternoon—the day after.”
Lu Sheng nodded. “It’s been a while since I’ve visited the Institution. About time I went back to see some old friends.”
Ning San perked up. “Speaking of which, what a coincidence—Young Master Bian Su dropped by twice today looking for you. Probably with a favor to ask.”
“Bian Su… bring her here to see me then. Act fast.” Lu Sheng ordered.
“Yes, Young Master.” Ning San bowed and sprinted out of the arena.
By afternoon, Lu Sheng had reapplied a fresh layer of medicinal oil and pounded his body with routine strikes before meeting Young Master Bian Su again.
This time, Bian Su arrived alone. Her expression was weary, her posture drained of strength.
Lu Sheng changed into clean garments, then guided her to a quiet common room beside the greenhouse.
“Young Master Bian, what do you need? Just say the word. If it’s within my ability, I’ll help without hesitation.” His earnestness brought a flicker of gratitude to her tired face.
“To be honest… I do have a favor to ask.” Bian Su’s tone grew solemn.
“Please, go on.”
Bian Su drew a slow breath, then exhaled heavily. “I wonder if Young Master Lu has heard of the Blood Tree Flower.”
“Blood Tree Flower?” Lu Sheng tilted his head, intrigued. “Is it a type of flower?”
“More accurately, it’s a rare medicinal herb that blooms and withers over decades,” Bian Su explained. “A hundred-year Blood Tree Flower has tremendous Qi-replenishing effects, nourishing Yin and soothing internal heat. My Bian Family once possessed a seven-hundred-year-old Blood Tree Flower. Its potency far surpasses even a thousand-year-old mountain ginseng.”
“Oh? That powerful?” Lu Sheng’s eyes brightened. A herb that could surge his Qi and nourish his Yin was nothing short of a treasure for improving his inner cultivation.
“Yes, extremely powerful,” Bian Su affirmed. “If Young Master Lu is interested, I wish to propose a trade for that seven-hundred-year-old Blood Tree Flower.”
“What sort of trade?” Lu Sheng asked, fully aware of the herb’s value. If its potency was as described, then in these times—when thousand-year ginseng was fought over like gold—this Blood Tree Flower would easily fetch over ten thousand taels, perhaps even more, and still be nearly impossible to acquire.
Bian Su hesitated, then spoke with solemn clarity. “I wish to ask Young Master Lu to send someone to escort me back to the Central Plains.”
“Your Bian Family is an established name in the medicinal trade, isn’t it?” Lu Sheng had long investigated her background. Now, with mention of the Blood Tree Flower, his curiosity sharpened.
“Yes. My family has been in the herb business for over two centuries. We own numerous medicinal fields and mountains, and our farmers and merchants number in the thousands,” Bian Su replied with a hint of pride. Naturally, before coming here, she had also inquired into Lu Sheng’s identity. Yet even before a rising figure of the North’s number one Sect, she still held fast to the prestige her family once possessed.
“At the height of our prosperity, our name commanded respect everywhere.”
“In that case… my Crimson Whale Sect also trades in herbs, though not as extensively. And there are many herbs found only in the Central Plains. If Young Master Bian can regain authority over your household affairs and collaborate with me after returning, I can not only send you back—I can even lend you my support.” Lu Sheng’s tone was firm and straightforward.
“Is Young Master Lu serious!?” Bian Su’s eyes brightened with hope.
“Serious. But such assistance naturally comes with a price. I have many men depending on me, and overseeing a territory this vast is no simple matter,” Lu Sheng sighed, though not without meaning.
“I understand.” Bian Su gathered her thoughts, then continued, “If Young Master Lu can help me regain control of my household, then the Bian Family is willing to offer thirty percent of our annual profits as compensation.” She paused briefly before adding, “Even in these troubled times, our herb business still earns over a million taels a year. We have numerous branches spread across the major provinces of the Central Plains.”
Three hundred thousand taels a year. A staggering sum.
Lu Sheng immediately grasped her intention: she wanted to bind him tightly to the Bian Family’s interests. Still, he was indeed strapped for cash. The Sect paid a salary, yes—but for someone like him, who burned through medicinal herbs like firewood, it was nowhere near enough.
Judging by her words, the Bian Family was probably better off than his own Lu Family, but only marginally. A million taels sounded grand, yet Chen Yunxi’s Chen Family had offered over a million just as dowry—not exactly an indicator of overwhelming wealth.
All those “many small branches across big provinces” were likely just Bian Su inflating her family’s prestige. In truth, it was merely a modest herb business in the Central Plains.
“I want fifty percent. Thirty percent is peanuts.” Lu Sheng spoke casually, as though bargaining for vegetables at the market.
“Fifty percent…!” Bian Su’s expression twisted. A large chunk of their profits already went to local powers as protection money. Giving Lu Sheng fifty percent—and subtracting those obligatory payments—would leave the family with barely thirty percent. Practically crumbs.
But when she thought of the situation at home, of the business falling into an outsider’s hands, hesitation gave way to resolve.
“Fine! Fifty percent it is. Young Master Lu, when will you send someone to escort me back?”
“When do you want to leave?” Lu Sheng asked.
“As soon as possible.”
Lu Sheng nodded. He clapped his hands sharply and ordered someone to summon an expert from the Soaring Eagle Squad. “A moment, Young Master Bian.”
Before long, an experienced-looking man with a bristling crew cut and clad entirely in black strode inside. He cupped his fists toward Lu Sheng.
“Bronze Eagle greets External Head!”
All thirteen Soaring Eagles used aliases when dealing with outsiders.
“After resolving the Eastern Mountain Society matter, you and Silver Eagle will escort this Young Master Bian back to the Central Plains. Assist him in managing his household affairs. Bring fifty good men from the Sect with you.” Lu Sheng commanded.
“Yes!” Bronze Eagle responded without a flicker of emotion. Ever since the Soaring Eagle Squad had pledged allegiance, they no longer had the right to negotiate. Even if he disliked the thought of traveling all the way to the Central Plains, Lu Sheng’s order was absolute.
With a wave of his hand, Lu Sheng dismissed both Bronze Eagle and Bian Su, signaling for them to work out their travel arrangements on their own. Then he rose and made his way home.
By the time he arrived, night had already settled over the residence. Lately, he had been returning late almost every day—sometimes not returning at all.
Seeing him home for once, Qiao’er quickly seized the opportunity to share the cheerful news of his placement on the honor roll. Then she produced a letter from home.
“Relocate?” Lu Sheng murmured in surprise as he read through the letter. “We’re relocating now?”
“It seems everything has already been prepared. They even arranged contacts for the journey. Over ten large carriages have been rented,” Qiao’er explained softly. She had received word earlier from a close sister back home and thus knew a few details.
“Mm… They’ve been preparing for a long time. Even with horses at full speed, it takes at least two days to travel from Nine Links City to Mountain-Edge City. With all the bulky belongings they’ll be relocating, it may take longer—four or five days on the road alone,” Lu Sheng estimated. “Alright, I understand.”
Qiao’er hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “Also, Young Master… Young Miss Chen Yunxi has come by many times recently to see you. Each time, you weren’t home. Qiao’er could tell she was truly disappointed.”
“Chen Yunxi…” Lu Sheng felt a headache rising the moment the name came up. What kind of life was he living? One moment, fighting to the death; the next, wrestling with ghosts. Marriage was the last thing on his mind.
“Let’s not talk about that for now. Anyone else came looking for me?”
“Young Master Song Zhenguo came as well—several times. He wanted Qiao’er to ask when you plan to give him the test,” Qiao’er continued.
Only then did Lu Sheng recall Song Zhenguo’s request to learn martial arts. He had completely forgotten about it while handling more pressing matters.
“That’s not urgent. When I go to the Institution the day after, I’ll arrange for someone to look into it.” Knowing his father, Lu Quanan—cautious yet steady—Lu Sheng suspected the old man had long set his sights on Mountain-Edge City as their next home. He had probably even bought land already. But between martial arts training and stabilizing his new strength, Lu Sheng had barely spared a thought for family affairs.
“Also, there’s Lu Yingying. That lass followed me to Mountain-Edge City, yet after all this time at the Eastern Mountain Institution, I haven’t even caught a glimpse of her. Heaven knows where she’s been running around.”
Lu Yingying was a good-for-nothing, utterly self-indulgent girl who spent every day out playing with her little clique in Nine Links City. One day hiking, another day attending poetry recitals, another day admiring flowers… and worst of all, she and her friends chased after that pretty boy Wei Xing like frenzied fangirls. In short, she couldn’t sit still for a single moment.163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiWxIgoP2o
Yet here in Mountain-Edge City, she had somehow maintained a low profile—something that genuinely surprised Lu Sheng.
“Qiao’er did hear some things about Fifth Young Miss…” Qiao’er said cautiously.
“How is she now? If I’m not mistaken, the family set up a bookstore for her to cover her expenses, didn’t they?” Lu Sheng asked.
“Yes… when Qiao’er went to buy spices not long ago, I happened to see Fifth Young Miss on the street near the old Tang garden,” Qiao’er lowered her voice, “and… she was with a young master. A scholar…”
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