“Not sure about that. Yesterday, Old Master called all the heads of the businesses here, both minor and major, for a meeting. As they were leaving, I heard them say everyone would have to help find it together. I wonder what it could be, to go so far as to call all those big shots,” Little Eight said, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Lu Sheng remained silent, his expression darkening. He passed through the main door and stepped inside. As he walked, he asked another question. “Has anything strange happened lately?”
“Er… Young Master, although Little Eight is considered well-informed, how can strange things happen every day?” Little Eight shrugged helplessly.
“Although… I heard there was a big fire last night at the Goldfish Restaurant you frequent. Half the side street was burnt away! Even though we servants were far off, the flames were clearly visible from a distance.”
“A big fire…”
Lu Sheng’s chest tightened. A faint suspicion stirred within him.
“Are you talking about that street that often sells cosmetic powders during the day?”
“Exactly, just that!” Little Eight nodded vigorously. “I hear quite a number of people died. Some of them entire families, including young and old. It’s really awful… I wonder what kind of heartless creature could set fire to so many lives!”
‘A big fire…’ Lu Sheng remained silent. He swallowed the thought, pressing it deep within himself, and let it fade from his mind.
The Black Meeting was scheduled for three nights later, in a cellar outside the city.
During those days, Lu Sheng rested and ate as usual. He could feel his body growing sturdier, as though the Black Tiger Saber, altered by the Modifier, had enhanced his very physical state.
In those three days, he made his way back to the street near the Goldfish Restaurant. Sure enough, everything was charred and ruined. A few people were already busy rebuilding houses, carrying timber and bricks.
Lu Sheng retraced his steps along the familiar road. Everything looked exactly as it had before, down to the dead-end back alley, unchanged and silent.
He now had a few guesses, but fear and anxiety did not stir within him. If water ghosts could exist in this world, then surely other, stranger things could as well.
He had planned to initiate himself into the Jade Force using the torn manual he had bought over the past three days, then modify it. But thoughts of the Black Meeting made him hesitate. If he injured himself badly or spat blood after another modification, this opportunity would vanish.
Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, the day of the appointment had arrived. It was around seven or eight at night.
Lu Sheng changed into a set of black robes and strapped on a tiger mask—a crude, toy-like thing he had picked up casually on the streets.
At the entrance of Lu Manor, the Zheng Family’s horse carriage waited. He hurriedly climbed aboard. Inside, Zheng Xiangui was tearing huge chunks from a braised chicken thigh, devouring it with reckless enthusiasm.
The fat young man also wore black robes, but his exaggerated physique immediately revealed him as the Young Master of the faction hosting the Black Meeting.
“Good, you’re here. We’re just waiting for you. Brother Sheng, hurry, get on the carriage.”
Both men settled into the carriage as it began to move slowly.
Zheng Xiangui ran through a long list of dos and don’ts for the Black Meeting, a mess of small details that required careful attention. Lu Sheng memorized them all without complaint.
Soon, they left the city behind. They traveled along a main road, took a winding side street, and continued for some distance, moving ever farther into the outskirts.
After a while, the carriage reached a small village hidden deep within overgrown wilderness. It came to a stop in front of a solitary stone house at the village’s center.
“This is it,” Zheng Xiangui said, leaping from the carriage.
A black-robed guard stationed at the door stepped forward to greet him.
“Everybody’s present?”
“Everybody’s present. The first auction item is already being displayed.”
Zheng Xiangui nodded and urged anxiously, “Let’s hurry inside, it’s already started.”
He pulled Lu Sheng into the stone house and opened a wooden door set into the floor, revealing a flight of stairs leading underground.
Lu Sheng followed him and two guards down into a karst cave, its surface surprisingly spacious and carefully prepared.
A large hall stretched out in the center, while around its perimeter, small side rooms clung to the stone walls like little pockets. No firelight glowed from them; they were clearly unused.
“Wow, this place is huge,” Lu Sheng exclaimed, eyes sweeping over the cavern.
“Hehe, we discovered it by accident,” the fat young man replied with a laugh. He led Lu Sheng from the back of the hall toward the front row of seats.
Only a little over ten people attended the Black Meeting this time. They were scattered sparsely across the front row.
A tall, skinny man with a veiled face stood on the stage, his voice booming as he introduced the auction item.
Next to him, two dwarves stood stiffly, wearing bright, garish floral garments. Between them, they held a bronze plate, upon which lay a dagger—brown and pitted with rust.
“An ancient dagger passed down from Ju Rong Nation, likely forged by Duan Fengzi of old! Some words are carved on it in the national language of Ju Rong Nation. Even if… aye! Guest No. Four bids one thousand talents! Any higher bids? Any higher bids!?” the man on stage yelled, his expression wildly animated.
Lu Sheng and Zheng Xiangui took seats to the left. All the rows seemed carved from white stone, cold to the touch, radiating no warmth.
Fatso sat right beside him, tilting his head to whisper, “What you want is the fifth item, the second to last one.”
Lu Sheng nodded silently, keeping his gaze on the stage.
Clearly, the dagger on the stage had only recently been unearthed, likely dug up by a grave robber.
Several people below still competed fiercely for it. In a short span, the bid had already climbed to one thousand eight hundred talents.
Lu Sheng’s heart raced at the number. That was already twice his monthly allowance.
He tore his gaze away from the bidding on stage and began observing the guests around him.
Most of the attendees carried weapons, ranging from short blades to long swords. Many were dressed in black and wore disguises, though a few were exceptions.
Among the more than ten guests, three revealed their identities openly.
One was a man with striking red hair, clad in fitted yellow leather armor, a broadsword slung across his back.
Another was a very short, frail-looking youth, his cheeks sunken and his mouth beak-like. Two bulging black leather pouches were tied to his waist, their contents a mystery.
The third caught the eye immediately. Or rather, it was a pair—a man and a woman.
The man’s attire and the sword at his waist spoke of strength; he carried himself like a trained bodyguard. His expression was indifferent, softening only slightly when he glanced at the woman beside him.
The woman, however, drew attention in a way no one else could. She wore a black dress unlike the long, flowing gowns typical of women in ancient times. It was a tight, body-hugging garment with a hem cut short like a modern Earth miniskirt.
From head to toe, it clung to her slender form. Any slight movement lifted the skirt, revealing the contours beneath. Her long legs, narrow waist, and the pair of white weapons at her chest threatened to tear the dress apart, as if at any moment the fabric might burst at the seams.
Lu Sheng found himself drawn to her face, unable to look away.
She had a high, elegant nose bridge and a pair of glittering, charming eyes that seemed to be perpetually smiling. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, smooth and lustrous, catching the light with every subtle movement.
‘This is far more effective than any so-called Photoshop or makeup trick,’ Lu Sheng thought, quietly admiring her.
It was clear at a glance that this woman held influence. Only someone utterly confident in her own strength would dare display such beauty so freely at the Black Meeting.
“That’s Duanmu Wan,” Fatso leaned in, noticing Lu Sheng’s attention had been caught. “But I don’t recommend trying to pick her up. This woman is beyond fierce!”
“Fierce? How so?” Lu Sheng asked, mildly curious. He had no designs on her—he was simply assessing the woman who drew so many eyes.
Fatso smiled faintly and glanced toward the stage, where the second auction item had appeared.
“Duanmu Wan came to Nine Links City about two months ago. I heard she arrived with a merchant group. The two of them, master and servant, joined on their own. Walking such a long distance alone is already no small feat.”
“Indeed, that’s impressive,” Lu Sheng nodded.
“Moreover, because of her natural beauty, she has been extremely promiscuous since arriving. Quite a number of handsome young masters were seduced by her, and then… guess what happened?” Fatso shook his head with a sigh.
“What?” Lu Sheng asked, his curiosity sharpening.
“All those young masters were infatuated beyond reason. A massive melee broke out, leaving many injured, and even a few dead,” Fatso clicked his tongue. “Even so, those seriously wounded or handicapped still remained devoted to her—but she had already forgotten them in the blink of an eye!”
Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes, a shiver running through him. He had heard of these incidents, but never imagined that one woman could be the cause. For men to pine for her even after being crippled… this was more than mere beauty—it was something far more formidable.
In that moment, Lu Sheng labeled Duanmu Wan as extremely dangerous. To bend so many people to her will, she either possessed an extraordinary emotional intelligence or employed methods far beyond the ordinary. It was safest to keep a wide berth from such individuals.
He refocused on the stage, where the auction continued.
The fourth item was now on display: a yellow-bronze half-body leather armor.
“This leather armor is the Ice Wolf Armor, crafted from the tanned hides of nineteen white wolves from the Ice White Grasslands. After tanning, nineteen layers of hide have been compressed to the thickness of a copper coin. Its resistance against both blunt and edged weapons far exceeds ordinary leather armor. It is almost equivalent to wearing an extra layer of chainmail!” the black-robed host announced loudly.
“Starting bid: two hundred talents!”
A silence fell. No one moved.
The host seemed unfazed. He gestured for one of the dwarves to hold the armor while he took a dagger and drove it into its side.
“Thud!”
The dagger slid off with a muffled sound. Only a faint scratch marred the surface.
“Three hundred talents!” someone shouted immediately.
“Four hundred talents!”
“Six hundred talents!”
The bids climbed rapidly. Lu Sheng felt a spark of admiration. This armor was lightweight and flexible, far easier to move in than metal armor. If its defenses were truly as strong as claimed, it was indeed a rare and valuable item.
He considered bidding, but the price had already soared near one thousand talents in the blink of an eye. Restraining himself, he let it go—his true focus remained on the next item: the secret manual. He could not lose sight of the bigger prize for a lesser one.
In the end, the Ice Wolf Armor went to the red-haired man with the broadsword on his back. Moments later, the second-to-last item was brought forward: the inner force secret manual.
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and then Add to home screen.