“Family Head is resting in the garden,” the servant hurriedly replied.
Lu Sheng nodded and stepped into the manor. But the moment he crossed the threshold, he halted in surprise.
In the very center of the courtyard, beneath the merciless blaze of the midday sun, knelt Lu Yingying—someone he hardly interacted with. She knelt on the bare ground without shade, her lips pressed tightly together as she endured the scorching heat in silence.
Her once fair and delicate appearance was now completely drenched in sweat. Her clothes clung to her skin, soaked through, and faint white streaks of salt marked her back where the sweat had dried.
“This is…?” Lu Sheng frowned. He waved over a nearby guard. “What’s the matter with Fifth Young Miss?”
The guard let out a helpless sigh. “Fifth Young Miss got involved with a scholar from the Institution…” He hesitated, then subtly gestured toward his stomach.
“She’s pregnant. But the scholar vanished. Rumor has it his family locked him away—they would sooner die than agree to the marriage. They also hurled all kinds of insults at Fifth Young Miss… When Old Master heard, he flew into a rage. He disowned her on the spot and told her to leave…”
Lu Sheng’s frown grew heavier. He had heard some time ago that Lu Yingying was seeing a scholar who came from a respectable background. He had assumed things would go smoothly—that she had at least found some happiness. Never had he expected it to end like this.
“Got it. Carry on.” Lu Sheng nodded and continued forward, crossing through the house. Exiting from the side corridor beneath the “Prosperous and Prominent” plaque hanging in the main hall, he made his way into the manor’s garden.
Lu Quanan sat alone in a corner, his expression dark. The iron orbs he often rolled between his palms lay motionless in his hands.
“Dad,” Lu Sheng approached and took a seat on the stone stool beside him. “What happened with Fifth Sis?”
“You’re here? Good. Little Sheng, your Fifth Sis got tangled up with some big family in the city—and she’s even carrying their seed!”
“Look at her! Look at her! A young lady in the prime of her life, pregnant before marriage. And I only realized it when her belly started to show. Yesterday, while out shopping, she suddenly vomited and fainted—only then did we learn about the baby. Now the whole city knows, and everyone is saying my Lu Family is a crude countryside clan with no manners, no upbringing. They even call the women of my house sluts!” Fire burned in Lu Quanan’s voice as the words tumbled out.
“How about that scholar?” Lu Sheng asked, brows furrowing. “Any idea which family he’s from?”
“I know the family, but not the exact person! She refuses to say! She’d sooner die than tell me—says she doesn’t want to tarnish his reputation!” That was what infuriated Lu Quanan the most. The honor of an outsider mattered more to her than the face of her own family. She hadn’t even married into that household, yet she was already taking their side.
“But she’s pregnant. It isn’t good to let her kneel under the sun like that, is it?” Lu Sheng asked softly.
“Little Sheng, you’ve grown capable by now. I’m not sure how strong you are in Mountain-Edge City, but at least your suggestion to stock grain proved your foresight. So you must be doing well. Help me find out which scoundrel brought this disgrace to Lu Quanan’s daughter! My Lu Family may be small, but we’re not a mat for others to trample on!” Lu Quanan’s anger surged once more.
“Leave it to me,” Lu Sheng replied with a nod.
This family truly was in disarray. Lu Yingying had always been selfish, apathetic, and driven by profit. Who would have imagined she’d give her heart away so easily—and even end up bearing a child?
After lunch, Lu Sheng returned to his room to meditate. With the help of some medicinal powder from the sect, he focused on cultivating his inner force.
His Yin Qi had been drained clean, and for now, cultivation could only stabilize what inner force remained.
As for hard body skills, after mastering the four fundamental techniques—Golden Veil Skill among them—he found no further progress from practicing others like Jewel Pillar Skill.
After examining himself carefully, Lu Sheng realized that the level of stimulation required by those other hard body skills no longer had any effect on him at his current cultivation level.
Take one technique, for example: to reach its peak, a cultivator needed to lash his own body with an iron whip. Yet an iron whip could no longer leave so much as a white mark on Lu Sheng’s skin—even if he struck himself with it until the whip snapped in half.
Another technique, Cloud-Piercing Hand, required practitioners to strike their palms against iron plates studded with spikes. At full mastery, one could shatter the spikes without harming the flesh. But for Lu Sheng, a single palm strike wouldn’t just break the spikes; it would dent the entire iron plate.
The supplementary benefits of hard body skills had long become meaningless to him.
His cultivation now was purely a matter of consolidation. In truth, most martial arts no longer offered him any room to advance.
Since hard body techniques were no longer useful, Lu Sheng turned his attention to the sect’s accumulated inner-force mantras, attempting to break through Level Nine of the Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies Skill.
Unfortunately, the amount of Yin Qi required to ascend to the next stage was immense. Ordinary Yin Qi items offered almost no help at all. This was why he was constantly searching for rare Yin Qi treasures.
After completing his daily cultivation regimen, Lu Sheng rose slowly to his feet.
Qiao’er entered and served him a bowl of chilled plum soup prepared specially for him.
“Is Fifth Young Miss still kneeling?” he asked.
“Yes, she’s still kneeling…” Qiao’er’s face filled with sympathy. “Old Master has given strict orders—no one is to approach her. If she dies kneeling out there, then so be it.”
Lu Sheng shook his head. “Give her some water. Say it’s from me.”
Qiao’er brightened instantly.
“Yes!” She had long been unable to bear watching the scene. For a pregnant woman to kneel under the scorching sun like that was practically a sentence to miscarriage.
With Lu Sheng’s word, even the Family Head would have to relent. After all, the one who held the most authority in the Lu Family was, in truth, none other than the Eldest Young Master himself.
Qiao’er set down the plum soup and hurried out. Lu Sheng simply shook his head and downed the entire bowl in one breath.
After resting for a moment, he left the manor and made his way to Xiao Hongye’s Xiao Manor.
Tonight, he attended as the representative of the Shangyang Family. Xiao Hongye stood for Ashoka Manor, while Taoist Bai Feng, in his capacity as Intelligence Agency Chief, spoke on behalf of the Royal Family in the shadows.
Together, the three of them bore the weight of stability across the Northern Lands. Meetings between them were not frequent, yet not rare—each one carried significance.
Before he even reached the manor gates, Lu Sheng could hear the gentle rustling of bamboo in the wind. At the entrance, Xiao Hongye appeared with one of his concubines, greeting him warmly.
“Brother Lu, come in, come in! Taoist Bai Feng and I have been waiting ages for you. The dishes are getting cold,” the plump man exclaimed with a wide grin.
“Squire Xiao must be jesting. How would I dare keep you and Taoist Bai waiting?” Lu Sheng laughed. “Let’s continue inside.”
They crossed the manor gates and followed the corridor lined with attentive housemen. After passing through several turns, they reached a small hall deep within the manor.
Taoist Bai Feng was already inside. Beside him sat a long-haired young man with sharp brows and eyes that gleamed like polished steel. Arrogance was etched plainly across his features. Even when Lu Sheng entered, he barely spared a glance. His attitude toward Xiao Hongye was no different—aloof, indifferent, as though their presence were beneath his notice.
“Please, please, have a seat,” Bai Feng said with a pleasant smile, rising to greet him.
“This is…?” Lu Sheng’s gaze landed on the unfamiliar youth. For someone outside their circle to be present, there must have been a reason.
“This is an expert of the Dao of the Sword who has traveled across many nations—Ling Feng, Young Master Ling,” Taoist Bai Feng introduced with a measured smile. “Though he hails from the Ling Family, famed for their saber arts, his Silver Veil Sword Technique is exceptionally formidable. He now journeys across the land to challenge renowned experts. Upon hearing that Brother Lu’s saber technique surpassed even the former Number One Expert in the Northern Lands—Hong Mingzi, Sect Master Hong—he came seeking an exchange of pointers.”
There was something concealed in Bai Feng’s smile—some intent he did not voice.
Lu Sheng’s heart sank slightly. He was no Nobleman by blood, merely an ordinary mortal who had clawed his way upward step by step. He had always feared the day his origins would be exposed. If people discovered that a man of mortal stock could stand toe-to-toe with Noblemen, the consequences would be unpredictable.
And now, Taoist Bai Feng had deliberately invited a challenger. Whether Bai Feng had grown suspicious or had discovered something, Lu Sheng could not dismiss the possibility.
“Sect Master Lu,” Ling Feng said as he rose slowly to his feet, one hand resting lightly on the hilt of the sword slung behind his back. “I have long heard of the Northern King of Swords. Though he was a mere mortal, he possessed some remarkable qualities. Yet he was replaced by you so swiftly. Since we are both of Nobleman lineage, it would be fair for us to exchange blows. What do you say?”
Lu Sheng studied him. Though Ling Feng’s face was filled with arrogance and disdain, his posture and breathing betrayed a restrained, deliberate focus. He was no fool—his arrogance was partly an act.
“Young Master Ling is a master of the sword. But it’s a pity… I don’t use the sword,” Lu Sheng replied evenly.
“Why refuse me, Sect Master Lu? This junior has traveled far and wide, challenging over a hundred famed experts. When I heard that Sect Master Lu’s black membrane is of the extremely rare colored variety, I came specifically to exchange pointers. Will you truly shy away from a duel? Such cowardice is unworthy of a sect master,” Ling Feng said. His aura sharpened with every word, like a sword slowly unsheathing—thick, heavy, and aggressive, difficult for anyone to face head-on.
“It’s just a friendly match. Brother Lu, why not let us witness the heroics from your last battle?” Xiao Hongye coaxed.
“Indeed, indeed. I’ve long heard of Brother Lu’s tyrannical and fearsome Changing the Heavens Saber Technique. I only caught a glimpse of it from afar last time and never had the chance to observe it again,” Taoist Bai Feng added eagerly.
“What say you, Sect Master Lu?” Ling Feng’s gaze was sharp enough to pierce steel as he locked his eyes on Lu Sheng.
Lu Sheng glanced first at Xiao Hongye and Bai Feng, then at the sword on Ling Feng’s back. After a moment of quiet thought, he nodded.
“Alright. Since everyone wishes to see the saber technique I’m familiar with, I’ll exchange a couple of pointers with Brother Ling.”
“In that case, let’s head to the underground arena! Beneath this manor, I’ve dug out a massive space specially for martial practice. Perfect for today,” Xiao Hongye suggested at once.
“No need.” Lu Sheng turned toward Ling Feng, a faint smile on his lips. “It’s only a single stroke. Here will do.”
“—!!!”
A jolt of primal terror shot up Ling Feng’s spine. Every hair on his body stood on end. It felt as though a monstrous predator had fixed its gaze upon him. Instinctively, he stomped hard on the ground and flung himself to the left.
KA-BOOM!
A massive black claw slammed down where his forehead had been a heartbeat earlier.
‘It’s over!’ The final thought flickered through Ling Feng’s mind.
BOOM!!!
The wall of the hall exploded outward as Lu Sheng hurled him into it. With a single hand, he seized Ling Feng’s head and smashed it into the stone wall. Blood and brain matter splattered across the hall.
SPLAT…
His right arm—swollen to twice its normal size and stripped of all human resemblance—slowly extracted Ling Feng’s body from the shattered wall.
“See? It’s over,” Lu Sheng said with a faint smile toward Taoist Bai Feng, licking a streak of blood from the corner of his lips.
Seated stiffly, Bai Feng gripped the armrest with whitening knuckles. The smile on his face froze, unable to mask the shock beneath it.
Ling Feng was dead.
Xiao Hongye’s grin vanished as well. For all Ling Feng’s arrogance, he was still a Nobleman—albeit a declining one who roamed about challenging others. Yet Lu Sheng had killed him casually, without hesitation, as if swatting a fly.
What chilled them even more was how the black membrane had offered no resistance at all. It was as though it had never been there. Lu Sheng had shattered it through sheer brute force, and without that protection, Ling Feng’s body was nothing but fragile flesh.
Most unsettling of all was how quickly he died. Xiao Hongye and Bai Feng hadn’t even gotten the chance to observe Lu Sheng’s techniques. The duel ended before it began.
“Sect Master Lu… is truly the Number One Expert of the Northern Lands, hohoho…” Xiao Hongye finally forced out, his odd laughter slicing through the heavy air.
“Let’s just keep that as a joke for the table. If word spreads, I’ll become the punchline of every tavern in the city,” Lu Sheng replied mildly. He retracted his swollen arm, wiping away the gore on Ling Feng’s robes as though cleaning a tool after use.
----
[Editor’s Note:] If you'd like to support the series and unlock more chapters, visit Patreon for early access and exclusive content.
https://www.patreon.com/taleriareads
ns216.73.216.23da2
and then Add to home screen.