Setting Out IV

Setting Out IV

The heat came swiftly, and departed just as swiftly.

After only a few breaths, the hot current rapidly circulated through Lu Sheng's body several times, and his body slowly began to adapt.

Though Lu Sheng's body temperature was still high, it was no longer as scalding as before.

The internal energy of the Jade Crane Skill within him also began to circulate faster, naturally releasing countless fine threads to repair his damaged meridians and internal organs.

After another while.

The color gradually faded from Lu Sheng's skin, restoring its original fair complexion.

Huff. Even the breath he exhaled was scorching.

There was not a single part of his body that did not hurt. It felt as though every muscle and bone in his body had been pricked by needles.

This was completely different from the Jade Crane Skill. Now, it was as if his entire body had been hammered over and over by a great mallet.

"Fortunately, the Jade Crane Skill has accumulated quite a bit of internal energy during this time. It's just right for healing my injuries now."

Feeling the Jade Crane Skill's internal energy begin to heal his internal organs, Lu Sheng finally relaxed.

"I never expected the Black Fiend Skill to be so tyrannical just upon entry. If it reaches the higher levels later on, how powerful will it become?"

He did not quite dare imagine it.

"Xiao Qiao."

He called out loudly.

"I'm coming, Young Master!"

Xiao Qiao hurried over from the back, water droplets still clinging to her hands. She had likely been washing something.

"Bring me some medicinal tea."

Lu Sheng instructed her. His entire body ached, and the blazing heat within him had drained his yin. He was terribly thirsty.

Xiao Qiao quickly brought over the prepared medicinal tea. It contained many yin-nourishing herbs, such as jade bucket dendrobium, Southern Barbarian Turtle Shell, Snow Gardenia, Yin Winter, and other precious medicines unique to this world.

After downing a cup of medicinal tea, Lu Sheng immediately felt a coolness slide from his throat into his stomach, then spread from his stomach throughout every corner of his body.

That coolness slightly eased the blazing heat within him.

Lu Sheng drank an entire pot in succession.

One pot filled five cups.

He even chewed the herbs to pulp and swallowed them before finally exhaling in satisfaction.

He lay flat on the bed and rested for several hours. By the time the sky was nearly dark.

The pain throughout Lu Sheng's body had finally eased somewhat.

Xiao Qiao had no idea what was going on. Seeing that Lu Sheng displayed no unusual symptoms, she assumed he had merely suddenly wanted some tea. After taking away the medicine pot, she ran back to the stream to wash clothes.

After resting for a while, Lu Sheng carried his saber out into the courtyard again at dusk, intending to test the power of the Black Fiend Skill.

The Black Fiend Skill had caused such a far greater reaction than the Jade Crane Skill, making him all the more curious. Just how powerful was this internal art? As the pain eased slightly, the itch in Lu Sheng's heart became unbearable, and he got out of bed to practice.

Within the dimly lit woods.

Carrying his saber, Lu Sheng simply left the courtyard and moved away from the wooden house, finding a quieter open area.

Then he began trying to mobilize the Black Fiend Skill's internal energy.

The Black Fiend Skill's internal energy circulated from the two kidneys to the lower abdomen, as though it formed a belt around his waist. It was exceedingly strange.

This internal energy was already as thick as a chopstick despite only being at the entry level.

Lu Sheng controlled it with his mind. Sure enough, unlike the Jade Crane Skill, it could be directed and mobilized with the slightest effort.

He tried guiding a thread of internal energy upward from his lower abdomen. It quickly flowed to his right shoulder, right arm, and right hand, before finally reaching his saber.

The instant that thread of internal energy flowed into the blade.

Lu Sheng heard faint sizzling sounds.

His arm became searing hot, and an irresistible urge surged up in his heart. He abruptly swung his hand.

Hiss! The saber suddenly slashed out, striking the trunk of a tree in front of Lu Sheng.

Crash!! The large tree, thick enough for one man to encircle with his arms, shuddered violently. A great mass of leaves fell like rain.

The saber in Lu Sheng's hand had already sunk deeply into the trunk.

At the same time, the edges of the wound on the trunk had visibly turned faint black.

"Faint black?"

Lu Sheng yanked the saber free and frowned as he touched the blackened area.

"It looks as though it was scorched by fire. High heat? Or some other effect?"

After thinking for a moment, he glanced around before quickly running off and reaching into a clump of grass.

Cluck~~~~ A brilliantly colored pheasant was seized by the neck and caught in his hand. It had hidden in the grass, thinking Lu Sheng would not see it, but it had still been caught.

"Let's test it. If it really is as I think it is."

Lu Sheng carefully returned to the tree trunk and used his fingernail to scrape off some powder from the edge of the wound.

The faint black powder fell into his palm, and he carefully fed it to the pheasant.

After it swallowed the powder, Lu Sheng waited a while and saw the pheasant squawk wildly for a time, seeming somewhat listless.

He scraped off a little more powder and fed it to the pheasant.

This time, it did not take long. Once released, the pheasant staggered a few steps before toppling sideways onto the ground.

Lu Sheng walked over and touched it. The pheasant's body was scorching hot. It was still breathing, but it was weak and limp all over, as though it had a raging fever.

"Just as I thought! This is a poison art, and likely a poison art with fire poison properties."

Lu Sheng had preliminarily determined the nature of the Black Fiend Skill.

He took out the manual he carried close to his body and carefully examined its records.

'...The Black Fiend Skill's fiendish intent is scorching, fierce, and insidiously poisonous. Those struck by it will die within three days unless opposing internal energy neutralizes and washes it away.'

That was the only simple sentence recorded regarding the Black Fiend Skill's power.

Yet Lu Sheng could already discern the Black Fiend Skill's true nature from it.

It truly was the poison art he now wielded.

"Impressive."

Lu Sheng marveled inwardly.

The Black Fiend Skill was indeed unlike life-nurturing arts such as the Jade Crane Skill. It was an internal art created specifically for killing and battle.

The gap in power was simply too great.

He carefully sensed the Black Fiend Skill's internal energy within his body.

That single slash just now, with the internal energy activated, had consumed a trace of it. Comparing that with the total amount of internal energy remaining.

"At the entry level, I should be able to sustain around ten slashes. Any more, and my internal energy will be insufficient. The Black Fiend Skill's internal energy also seems to enhance explosive force. It truly is incredibly practical."

After testing its effects, Lu Sheng headed back. This was only the power of the entry level; once it was raised to a higher level, who knew what heights it could reach.

He was filled with anticipation.

When he returned to the courtyard of the small wooden house, he happened to see two Zheng Family guards delivering food.

Upon seeing Lu Sheng, the two hurried forward to greet him.

"Young Master Sheng, recent developments have all been placed in the food box. Please take your time reading them."

After greeting him, the two hurriedly left the woods.

Lu Sheng took the food box. Standing at the small courtyard gate, he opened it directly. Sure enough, inside was a wax-sealed letter.

He entered the courtyard and handed the food box to Xiao Qiao, who came hurrying over to take it. He then tore open the envelope and took out the letter inside.

'Brother Sheng, the Xu Family massacre in the city has been solved.

An expert invited by the yamen handled it. They arrested a large number of people in the city, and today at noon they chopped off more than ten heads at the Vegetable Market Entrance.'

Zheng Xianggui's opening words made Lu Sheng pause.

He continued reading.

It turned out that the string of cases over this period had left the city in a state of panic. A few days ago, unrest had even broken out. Many city residents and tenant farmers had fled toward Purple Splendor City.

The authorities suppressed a group of people and forcibly made them stay.

Then, in order to stabilize public sentiment, the yamen arrested dozens of people in one sweep, claiming they were all the culprits behind the previous cases.

Only then did the people settle down somewhat.

After reading the letter, a trace of coldness curled at Lu Sheng's lips.

"Looks like the yamen is about to run out of steam. The culprits? If culprits were so easy to catch, it would not have dragged on until now.

They likely just found some people at random to make up the numbers."

Fortunately, the letter mentioned that everything at the Lu Estate remained as usual, with no changes.

Lu Chenxin and the other young masters continued to play as they pleased, as though they had not been affected in the slightest.

The city's brothels and music halls had also been doing booming business recently.

Clearly, people were so frightened and under such immense pressure that they had nowhere to vent it.

Lu Sheng drew a deep breath.

"This method can keep things stable for a while. But it is only drinking poison to quench thirst. The cases have not truly been solved. If similar cases appear again..."

He put away the letter and steadied his mind.

The Lu Estate in Nine Links City had no more ability to resist those supernatural incidents than ordinary commoners.

If they truly encountered such a thing, the outcome was self-evident.

Therefore, the only thing he could do now was strengthen himself as much as possible, making himself stronger.

Only then might he have the ability to protect himself should he truly encounter such bizarre things in the future!

He did not know how strong he needed to become to handle those kinds of incidents, so he could only do everything possible to reach the utmost limit of his own potential.

After receiving the letter, Lu Sheng began consuming large amounts of the precious nourishing medicinal herbs he had brought with him.

After each of his three daily meals, he had Xiao Qiao brew him thick medicinal soup.

Supported by the powerful effects of the medicine, in only three days, the aftereffects of raising the Black Fiend Skill to the entry level had mostly disappeared.

Four days later. "Second enhancement!"

Lu Sheng stood before the trunk of that same large tree.

The saber wound from several days ago was nearly one-fifth as deep as the trunk, still remaining on its surface. Its edges had already dried out.

One of the thickest trees in this patch of forest now appeared sickly and withered.

Lu Sheng simply chose this place as the location for his second breakthrough.

He leaned against the tree and sat down, taking out the bowls of medicinal soup from the food box one by one before sitting cross-legged.

The Black Fiend Skill's internal energy flowed endlessly along the route between his lower abdomen and his two kidneys.

"Deep Blue."

Lu Sheng silently called out in his heart.

The blue Modifier appeared before him, and Lu Sheng looked toward the Black Fiend Skill entry.

With his thoughts, he pressed the modify button.

The box flashed.

Lu Sheng's expression immediately became solemn.

"Raise the Black Fiend Skill by one level!"

He silently recited in his heart.

Whoosh.

The Black Fiend Skill had originally been at entry level. At Lu Sheng's mental command, the words "entry level" flashed and swiftly changed to "Level One."

Before Lu Sheng could even feel joy, he sensed a current of heat, slightly weaker than before, instantly spread throughout his entire body.

Inside and out, his body seemed to be roasted by a furnace, and from close range at that.

In only a few breaths, Lu Sheng was drenched in sweat, and the skin over his entire body reddened once more.

Fortunately, his body seemed far more accustomed to it this time. It was not as difficult as the first time.

After only the time it took to drink a cup of tea, or around ten minutes.

Lu Sheng slowly caught his breath again.

His body still hurt, every part of it hurt. Some new meridians had been forced open by the Black Fiend Skill's internal energy and incorporated into its circulation network. Naturally, those newly opened meridians needed repair, and repair took time.

But right now, he felt.

As though his entire body was filled with air and on the verge of bursting apart.

"Let's try again!"

Lu Sheng stood and drew the saber from behind his waist.