Biding His Time I

"Indeed." Lu Sheng touched his tiger mask, but his heart grew even more vigilant. "Could Wan'er have a way?"

"As for internal art manuals, Wan'er does have channels through which she can find some for you, Young Master. I simply wonder what you can offer in exchange?"

Duanmu Wan spoke in a soft, delicate voice.

What an enormous claim.

Find some? Not even the Prefect in the city would dare speak so boldly.

Lu Sheng became increasingly wary.

"What would Miss Wan like in exchange? Silver or gold?"

"The same price as the Black Fiend Skill today. How about it?" Duanmu Wan said with a smile.

"If Miss Wan can truly obtain manuals, then yes."

Lu Sheng answered seriously, giving the woman a deep look at the same time.

Duanmu Wan did not seem to care and merely smiled.

"You need not worry, Young Master. Wan'er simply saw that you are a man of fine appearance and extraordinary bearing, and wished to do you a favor in advance."

He would be damned if he believed her.

The carriage rolled slowly onward. Before long, it entered the city and soon stopped before the Ten Thousand Blessings Inn.

Duanmu Wan and the male guard stepped down from the carriage and headed into the inn under the eager welcome of its attendant.

Lu Sheng sat quietly in the carriage, watching their backs disappear into the inn. His expression did not change, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"Let's go. We're heading back."

He gave the order.

Only then did the driver seem to awaken from a dream. He viciously wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, came back to his senses, and began driving.

Even the three guards showed faint disappointment when Duanmu Wan departed.

After returning to the estate, Zheng Xianggui came to visit in person early the next morning.

He had clearly come to apologize for what had happened yesterday.

The two sat in the small garden in the rear courtyard. A small jug of wine and some drinking snacks lay on the stone table: a plate of peanuts and a plate of chilled pickled radish.

The weather was hot, making such food especially refreshing.

"I have to drink this cup of wine!"

Zheng Xianggui held up his cup and spoke earnestly.

"Yesterday, I failed to look after you properly. When I heard the news, I was scared half to death. If anything had happened to you, Brother Sheng, even if I gave up every pound of flesh on my body, I still wouldn't be able to answer to the Lu Family."

Lu Sheng shook his head.

"It had nothing to do with you. I was the one who insisted on having you arrange it."

He explained.

Zheng Xianggui drained the cup in one gulp and heavily set it down on the table.

Smack.

The cup struck the table with a soft sound.

"Brother Sheng, putting everything else aside, I'd been wondering before—how did you suddenly get such nerve that you even dared risk going to the Black Market Meeting to buy things?

"So that was it. You were hiding your light under a bushel? But don't do things like directly fighting people again in the future. Even if it's the Zhang Family, your Lu Family is a local tyrant in Nine Links City. Can the Zhang Family really stretch its hand all the way here? What if something happens to you?"

Lu Sheng smiled.

"I'd liked martial arts since I was young. I just hadn't achieved anything before, so I never mentioned it. Now that I've attained a little success, I couldn't resist anymore. Going to the Black Market Meeting was merely some practical experience."

"That wasn't practice, was it? You killed someone, and you still call it practice." Zheng Xianggui was speechless. "You need to inform Uncle Lu about this. If the Zhang Family comes looking for trouble, at least he'll be prepared."

"I know." Lu Sheng nodded. "Speaking of which, do you know any more about Duanmu Wan's background?"

"I really don't know much about Duanmu Wan. Want me to look into it for you?"

Zheng Xianggui hesitated. The Zheng Family dealt with all sorts of people, from dragons to snakes, so their intelligence network was far more informed than the Lu Estate's. This was one of their strengths.

"Fine."

Lu Sheng poured himself a cup of wine and took a light sip.

The wine here was very mild—so mild it was practically fruit juice.

"What? Did Duanmu Wan make contact with you?" Zheng Xianggui asked.

Lu Sheng was about to answer.

Suddenly, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from the arched entrance to the small garden.

A young girl in a goose-yellow short-sleeved blouse hurried through the gate.

She had an oval face, and her body swayed as she walked.

"Brother, Brother Sheng, you really were hiding here!"

The moment she saw Lu Sheng and Zheng Xianggui, she charged over indignantly and grabbed Zheng Xianggui.

"Come on, come on! You awful brother, you actually stood me up and made me wait at home for two extra hours!"

"Yu'er, long time no see. You don't seem to be in a very good mood?"

Lu Sheng greeted her with a smile.

"It's all because of my brother! He promised to take me to see the opera troupe north of the city. They're leaving the city this afternoon, and if we don't go now, it'll be too late.

"But I waited forever, and he never showed up."

Zheng Yu'er was Zheng Xianggui's younger sister, his full-blooded sister at that.

The two had been very close since childhood. Because of Lu Sheng's relationship with Zheng Xianggui, Zheng Yu'er was close to Lu Sheng as well.

"Yu'er, it was my fault."

Zheng Xianggui hurriedly apologized with a bitter expression.

"I'll make it up to you, I'll make it up to you! Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you right away!"

As the second son who managed part of the family business, Zheng Xianggui had funds and spending money far beyond what his sister could compare with.

"I want a Purple Cyan Brush, three sticks of Su Ink, ten boxes of Impression Red Moon face powder, five powder-needle buns every day, and one Coral Flower every day."

Zheng Yu'er rapidly began listing her demands. She had clearly prepared them in advance before coming.

But after saying only a few things, she suddenly remembered that Lu Sheng was beside them. Her little face immediately reddened, and she lowered her head.

Then she viciously stomped on Zheng Xianggui's foot.

"Ow!"

Zheng Xianggui let out a miserable cry.

"Good sister, good sister! Let's go home! We'll talk once we're home!"

Not long after.

Lu Sheng watched with amusement as Zheng Yu'er dragged Zheng Xianggui home by the ear.

He sat alone on the stone bench, watching the servants busily clear away the wine and food.

"The Black Fiend Skill can enhance physical attributes, but the art is incomplete. It isn't particularly suitable for me to cultivate. What a pity. I have no choice right now."

He closed his eyes and began following the route recorded in the Black Fiend Skill. With his mind, he imagined a wisp of breath rising from beneath his feet, flowing into his lower abdomen, then dispersing throughout his body.

This was the introductory method for the first level of the Black Fiend Skill.

It was very simple, but it was also the part that tested one's aptitude the most. According to the manual, it would take at least several days, or as long as a month, before one might develop a sense of qi.

It was not a particularly long period.

He first had to enter the art before he could find its corresponding entry in the Modifier and modify it.

Thus, Lu Sheng could not avoid this step.

"Young Master."

Xiao Qiao came out of the room and called to him cautiously.

"What is it?"

Xiao Qiao looked at Lu Sheng. She always felt that her young master had been somewhat absentminded lately, yet she did not know why.

"Does Young Master have something troubling you?" Xiao Qiao had always been considerate and understanding, and she asked carefully.

"Don't make wild guesses. It's my own problem."

Lu Sheng sat on the bench, closed his eyes, and gently swayed his body.

A deep-blue Modifier interface appeared before his eyes.

Lu Sheng looked from top to bottom. In the first row's blank space was written: Black Tiger Saber Technique—Fourth Level.

As for the Black Fiend Skill, there was not yet even a trace of it.

With a silent thought, Lu Sheng dismissed the Modifier and rose from the stone bench.

Now that he had obtained the Black Fiend Skill, he would keep practicing it for the time being. So long as there was even the slightest chance of entering the art, his hardship would not have been in vain.

Over the next few days.

Lu Sheng went nowhere and obediently remained at the Lu Estate, training hard.

His Black Tiger Saber Technique had been exposed, so he simply stopped concealing it. It was not some remarkable skill anyway.

Lu Sheng also began asking Uncle Zhao about joint techniques and practical combat experience. He mainly wanted to deliberately reveal that he had taught himself some of the Black Tiger Saber Technique.

Though he had mastered the saber technique, knowing when to strike, what sort of opponent required what move—these were all matters of experience that required detailed guidance.

Taking this opportunity, he also spread the story of his secretly practicing martial arts throughout the entire Lu Estate.

Three days later. Clang, clang clang clang!

Lu Sheng and Uncle Zhao each held a saber in the Training Ground, swiftly exchanging blows.

Two flashes of blade light rolled and collided from time to time.

Like two balls of silver.

Uncle Zhao suddenly shifted, slipping sideways out from the flashes of blade light.

His expression was solemn, his beard and hair fluttering. His eyes suddenly flew wide open.

"Tiger's Ferocity!"

Whoosh! A gust of wind carrying the sound of a tiger's roar spread outward. The long saber in Uncle Zhao's hand shot like a meteor toward Lu Sheng's wrist.

"Tiger's Ferocity!"

Almost at the same moment, Lu Sheng let out a low shout and unleashed Tiger's Ferocity as well.

The two had been locked in combat for quite some time before Lu Sheng pretended to react, "barely" adjusting and using this move, Tiger's Ferocity.

His rhythm was more than a beat slower.

Clang! The two blades crashed together viciously.

The two abruptly separated and stared at one another, both panting heavily.

Lu Sheng lowered his head and saw that a section of his right sleeve had been cut away. A look of admiration immediately appeared on his face.

"As expected of Uncle Zhao!"

He sheathed his saber, stood straight, and smiled.

"You're already very impressive. Very impressive indeed, to be able to use Tiger's Ferocity in such a short time. Even if Young Master had secretly practiced martial arts before, how long have you had this saber technique?

"Given time, Young Master will surely surpass this old fellow. You might even firmly claim a place among the top five in all of Nine Links City."

Uncle Zhao sighed with feeling.

"It's laughable that I thought Young Master had given up practicing the saber. Who would have thought..."

Lu Sheng smiled.

"You flatter me, Uncle Zhao. You are one of the Four Great Experts of Nine Links City. How could I possibly surpass you just because I wish to?"

"I couldn't accept that, I couldn't accept that. I'm old now, and I no longer possess the courage of my prime."

Uncle Zhao repeatedly waved his hands.

"Still, Young Master's talent is exceptional. Since you learned the first move of the Black Tiger Saber Technique in such a short time, you might consider learning several more martial arts."

"Several more martial arts? What do you mean, Uncle Zhao?"

Lu Sheng raised an eyebrow.

Uncle Zhao smiled.

"Old Zhao here has a modest bit of fame in Nine Links City, while your Lu Family has quite a reputation for wealth. With the two combined, we should be able to persuade quite a few old fellows to pass on the ultimate arts they keep at the bottom of their chests and teach them to you.

"Come to think of it, those so-called ultimate arts are all skills that rank among the third-rate, and most are no weaker than the Black Tiger Saber.

"If Young Master is interested, I can make some introductions for you."