“Scholar?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡks6LbHVauE
Lu Sheng paused, genuinely taken aback.
“Yea… that scholar seems wealthy. Both of them behaved very affectionately toward each other…” Qiao’er lowered her voice, clearly conflicted. This matter had weighed on her heart for quite some time, but as it concerned the Lu family, she dared not speak unless asked.
“A wealthy, scholarly Young Master? I knew that brat was extravagant. How could a store’s earnings possibly cover her spending? So that’s how it is…” Lu Sheng instantly pieced it together. “Now I have to see for myself who dares to meddle with my Lu Family.” His eyes grew cold, a sharp glint flickering within.
“No… it’s not like that, Young Master. It looked to me like Fifth Young Miss and he are genuinely close… it doesn’t seem like… like that kind of situation,” Qiao’er hurriedly waved her hands. “That Young Master behaves very gentlemanly and chivalrous. He agrees to anything Fifth Young Miss wants. They look… very blissful together.”
“Hmm? Blissful?” Lu Sheng stared at her, startled. Lu Yingying’s infamously fiery temper flashed through his mind. How could that brat possibly find a wealthy, chivalrous, gentle scholar? “Qiao’er, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
“I’m… I’m sure,” Qiao’er replied quickly. “At first, I thought I might be wrong. But after tailing them for some distance, Qiao’er doesn’t think so anymore.”
Lu Sheng fell silent. He knew Lu Yingying’s personality inside out. If the two were genuinely in love, he could accept it. But if the man was merely trying to take advantage of her… then Lu Sheng would have to dig deeper.
“Forget it, I’ll handle this. Go rest, Qiao’er.”
Qiao’er hesitated. “Would Young Master like to bathe and change?”
“No need. I’ll do it tomorrow morning.” Lu Sheng stretched, popping his neck lightly.
“Yes, sir.” Qiao’er bowed and quietly withdrew, leaving Lu Sheng alone by the round table. He picked up a wine cup with a loose grip, poured himself a measure of almond wine, and took a slow sip.
‘Since killing Gongsun Zhanglan… something in my body feels off.’ His brows knit tightly together. Setting aside his thoughts, he closed his eyes and sank into deep contemplation.
He combed through his memories carefully. Lately, his temper had been growing hotter by the day. Each morning upon waking, he felt his skin burning with heat, his Qi and blood surging through his veins at an unnaturally rapid pace.
‘When exactly did this begin?’
He pressed deeper into his recollection.
‘It seems… it started gradually after I began cultivating the Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill.’
Retrieving the Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill manual, he opened it again and examined every sentence with meticulous care. Before long, his eyes caught a faint line of small characters on page three, slightly below the midpoint.
‘Cultivators must make their bodies hot and oily, without any moisture, accompanied by medicinal oil applied to the entire body. Abstain from contact with water for three hours. Only then can Qi be sensed.’
Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill was, in truth, a hard body skill built atop the foundation of inner Qi—an exceedingly rare art that used inner force to temper bones, muscles, and skin. In essence, it was closer to an inner force discipline than a purely external one.
That was precisely why Lu Sheng had chosen it.
‘Make my body hot and oily, without moisture… avoid water for three hours… isn’t that the same as forcing the body into extreme heatiness?’ Realization dawned sharply in his mind.
“Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill functions to balance Yin and Yang, stabilizing the body between heat and cold. Could it be… the Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill is the reason I haven’t been able to enter the Initiation stage of Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill?” He pondered deeply. “Next time, I’ll try practicing Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill only after fully exhausting the Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill.”
The next morning, he rose early, devoured his breakfast, and tidied himself in preparation to leave.
Thump-thump-thump.
Before he could fasten his belt, a series of knocks sounded at the door.
Qiao’er hurried over and opened it. “Who’s this?”
“Is Brother Lu in?” Song Zhenguo’s familiar voice drifted in. “Miss Qiao’er, it’s been a few days since we last met. How have you been?”
“Oh, Young Master Song. Our Young Master is in,” Qiao’er replied brightly. She had grown rather fond of this polite Young Master Song, who had been visiting almost every day.
“Brother Song, long time no see,” Lu Sheng said as he finished adjusting his robes and stepped out of the bedroom with a grin.
The door swung open. A haggard-looking Song Zhenguo entered—only to freeze at the sight of Lu Sheng’s gleaming bald head and arms as thick as a grown man’s thighs. His jaw nearly fell off.
“You… you’re Brother Lu!?”
Lu Sheng could only laugh helplessly. Ever since he began cultivating hard body skills, his entire frame had expanded like a steadily inflated balloon. These days, even the black robes he wore could no longer hide the dense, ox-like muscles beneath.
“My bad. I haven’t been paying attention to my diet recently, and before I knew it… I turned into this,” Lu Sheng chuckled bitterly. “Come, come. Sit and talk.”
He guided Song Zhenguo into the room and toward a seat.
But Song Zhenguo refused to sit, anxiety etched across his features. “Brother Lu, may I know when you can test Zhenguo? I really can’t wait any longer.”
“Test…” Lu Sheng could see clearly that Song Zhenguo had reached the end of his rope. The Red Decks pleasure boat incident had shaken him deeply—so much so that the shadow of that day still clung to him like damp fog.
“Brother Lu, to be honest… I’ve also visited many martial arts dojos in the city these past days. But… although they can make one fit and strong, none of them have real skill. Nothing like Brother Lu’s,” Song Zhenguo said with a helpless smile.
Lu Sheng sighed softly, gazing at the distressed young man before him.
“Alright. We’ll do it today. Let’s test Brother Song’s innate talent. But I’ll be blunt—don’t get your hopes too high.”
Song Zhenguo’s expression firmed with resolve. “Even so, I’d like to try.”
Lu Sheng rose. “Follow me then.”
He instructed Qiao’er to prepare her own meal and check on the household’s migration arrangements. Then he took Song Zhenguo with him, leaving Mountain-Edge City behind. Riding along the main official road, the two soon arrived at the familiar clearing within the forest—the place where Lu Sheng had always practiced his martial arts.
Morning mist clung softly to the forest, the air crisp and cool after a light drizzle. Dewdrops trembled on leaves and blades of grass, catching the pale morning light.
“Right here will do.”
Lu Sheng stopped at the small clearing, tied the horses to a low branch, and turned toward Song Zhenguo.
Song Zhenguo swallowed hard. “How will I be tested?” Excitement and anxiety flickered together in his eyes. He had faced one setback after another. Every dojo he visited had dismissed him as delusional the moment they heard what he aimed for. The standard he sought was beyond even the dojo masters themselves.
Only then had he fully realized what kind of world Lu Sheng stood in—far above the ordinary martial realm.
“Honestly speaking, I don’t have a fixed method of testing,” Lu Sheng said with calm ease. “But I have a few skills in my repertoire. I can impart a basic mantra to you and gauge your aptitude from that.”
“A mantra? You mean… an inner force skill?!” Song Zhenguo’s voice shook. After visiting so many dojos, he understood all too well how jealously martial artists guarded such knowledge. Inner force mantras were priceless treasures—yet now, an inner force expert was offering to teach him one personally.
“Don’t be too worked up. This is just a basic mantra—only one level to it,” Lu Sheng replied casually. “As long as you don’t pass it on to anyone else, there won’t be any issues.”
He had already decided what to impart.
Among the inner force skills he possessed were: Green Pine One Thought Formula, Yin-Yang Attraction, Black Fury Skill, Jade Crane Skill, and the Ultimate Crimson Mantra.
The Ultimate Crimson Mantra was, of course, out of the question. Black Fury Skill demanded an exceptionally long cultivation period—nearly ten times longer than other arts. He remembered clearly how long it had taken just to sense a faint thread of Qi back then. Its entry barrier was simply too high.
Thus, the only suitable choices were the remaining life-force skills.
He also possessed several integrated inner force skills—results of his own deductions and extrapolations. But Lu Sheng had long decided never to reveal those until the day he fully mastered every art he practiced and was qualified to create his own martial path. Only then would he consider whether they could be passed down.
“Before I impart this mantra to you, you must promise me a few things,” Lu Sheng said evenly. “First, you must never teach it to anyone else. Second, if you feel any discomfort during cultivation, you must stop immediately. Third, the sect I belong to is the Crimson Sun Sect. If you fail to learn this inner force mantra, I can still teach you outer force martial arts—but you must first join my Crimson Sun Sect.”
To him, the Crimson Sun Sect was pitifully small. Expansion was necessary. A sect could not survive on scattered strength like the Crimson Whale Sect's old model; it needed organization, unity, and manpower.
Besides—Lu Sheng required a faction of his own. Teaching Song Zhenguo was merely the first step toward that future.
“I accept all three conditions!” Song Zhenguo said without hesitation. He knew very well how rare and precious this chance was. One did not simply encounter a powerhouse like Lu Sheng in one’s lifetime.
“You’ve thought it through? Unless you achieve the pinnacle—mastery of both inner and outer force—you will only ever be an outer disciple of my Crimson Sun Sect,” Lu Sheng added, creating the sect hierarchy on the spot.
“I’ve thought it through long ago,” Song Zhenguo replied firmly. “Should I address you as Master, or…”
“If you can generate inner Qi, then you may take me as your Master. If not…” Lu Sheng shook his head slightly. There was no need to finish the sentence. Without inner Qi, there was no foundation. Lu Sheng’s own strength came from the unity of inner and outer cultivation—without one, the other alone would never amount to much.
“I understand,” Song Zhenguo said with a solemn nod.
“Well then, let’s begin. Learn from me,” Lu Sheng said calmly.
He spread two pieces of gray cloth on the ground and sat cross-legged on one of them. Song Zhenguo immediately mirrored him, settling down across from him.
“Quiet the mind and still the heart.”
“Quiet the mind and still the heart,” Song Zhenguo repeated with deep solemnity.
“Close your eyes.”
“Close your eyes.” He obeyed at once.
“Empty your mind. Don’t think of anything. Relax your body. Don’t tense your muscles…” Lu Sheng guided him step by step, his voice steady. Together, they began cultivating the Green Pine One Thought Formula.
He already knew the Red Decks pleasure boat incident had occurred because Song Zhenguo possessed an extremely rare constitution—born in the Yin hour, during the Yin month, in the Yin year.
What exactly made such people special enough to be pursued by ghosts, Lu Sheng had no clue. But he was sure of one thing: Song Zhenguo was no ordinary mortal.
Lu Sheng finished imparting the initial portion of the Green Pine One Thought Formula—the section that led directly to Initiation.
Clearing the mind of all thoughts was, under normal circumstances, incredibly difficult. Human minds churned endlessly, thoughts tumbling one after another. Other than infants, what adult could truly empty their heart and silence their mind so easily?
Yet, to Lu Sheng’s surprise, Song Zhenguo slipped into a meditative trance after barely an hour.
‘Even if this life force skill is one of the easiest—capable of producing Qi sense within a single day—isn’t this pace a little too fast?’
Once someone entered true meditative stillness, generating Qi sense became far more likely.
“Teacher Lu, I sense a fine thread circulating between my chest and abdomen… forming a cycle,” Song Zhenguo said just as Lu Sheng’s thought concluded.
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