Black Water Gang's Main Hall was decked out in festive decorations.
Though they had lost plenty of brothers, for those who had survived, this was a time to celebrate wildly.
The Red Fish Gang had been battered and was cowering in the Inner Dock, too afraid to show its face.
The entire Angry River Dock's business was now under Black Water Gang's control.
That meant more silver, more women, and more meat.
Inside the War Hall.
Zhao Tieshan sat at the head seat, rewarding those who had distinguished themselves.
"Lu Chen!"
"Here!"
Lu Chen stepped out of the crowd, dressed in a brand-new black outfit. The red sash at his waist stood out particularly sharply.
"During the night raid on Red Fish Dock, you led your men in burning down the granary and badly wounded Li Qingyi at a crucial moment. You've earned the greatest merit!"
Zhao Tieshan looked at Lu Chen, his eyes full of approval.
"With the gang leader's approval, you're awarded one hundred taels of silver, ten stalks of Bone Strengthening Grass, and a jar of Tiger Bone Wine!"
"In addition, each of your thirty brothers will receive ten taels of silver. You'll collect the money and distribute it to them."
A wave of envious gasps rang through the hall.
One hundred taels of silver was a fortune ordinary gang members wouldn't even dare dream of.
And that was without mentioning the Bone Strengthening Grass and Tiger Bone Wine—cultivation resources you couldn't buy even if you had the money.
"Thank you, Gang Leader! Thank you, Hall Master!"
Lu Chen accepted the rewards, his face suitably alight with excitement.
But inside, he was utterly calm.
He'd earned all of this with his life on the line.
When he returned to his little courtyard.
Wang Xiaoliu and the others were already waiting by the gate.
The moment they saw Lu Chen return, their eyes lit up.
"Boss, how'd it go?"
Without wasting words, Lu Chen tossed the bag full of silver to Wang Xiaoliu.
"Ten taels each. Divide it up."
"Use the rest to buy wine and meat. The brothers are having a feast tonight!"
"Long live Leader Lu!"
Their cheers nearly lifted the roof.
In times like these, having a generous boss who stood up for his men was like having smoke rise from your ancestors' graves—a stroke of incredible luck.
After sending his men off, Lu Chen shut the courtyard gate and slid the bolt into place.
The din was shut out beyond the gate.
He set the jar of Tiger Bone Wine and ten stalks of Bone Strengthening Grass on the table, then took out the book titled Iron Cloth Shirt.
"I've got the resources. Next, I just need to turn them into strength."
Lu Chen didn't hurry to begin cultivating.
First, he went to an apothecary in town.
Using the hundred taels of reward money, along with his savings, he followed the prescriptions in Iron Cloth Shirt and bought enough ingredients for fifty medicinal baths.
It nearly cleared out half the apothecary's stock, leaving the shopkeeper grinning from ear to ear.
Back at his courtyard, Lu Chen began a dull but frenzied regimen of cultivation.
By day, he handled gang affairs and patrolled the docks.
Now that the Red Fish Gang didn't dare show its face, the docks were calm. No one dared cause trouble on "Lu Iron Skin's" turf.
At night came his hour of hell.
Gurgle, gurgle...
The medicinal broth bubbled in the iron pot, giving off a pungent smell.
Lu Chen stood naked in the courtyard.
In his hand was a specially made ironwood cudgel.
It was harder and heavier than his old Jujube Wood Staff, and hurt more when it struck.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
The dull blows, accompanied by Lu Chen's suppressed grunts, echoed through the night.
Each strike tore his skin and flesh.
Then he leaped into the scalding medicinal broth, enduring the agony of ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart.
Over and over.
If anyone else had tried this kind of self-torture, they would have suffered a mental breakdown or ruined their body long ago.
But Lu Chen had the Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence panel and the Body Immunity trait.
He didn't have to worry about hidden injuries or Qi Deviation.
As long as it didn't kill him, he'd train until it did.
Half a month later.
Late at night.
Mist billowed through the courtyard.
Lu Chen sat cross-legged in the medicinal tub, eyes closed, his breathing deep and heavy.
With each breath, his chest heaved, making a sound like bellows being worked.
The broth in the tub had turned from dark brown to clear water.
His body had absorbed every last bit of the medicinal potency.
Suddenly.
Lu Chen's eyes snapped open.
A flash of light glinted in the darkness.
"Ha!"
He gave a low shout, and every muscle in his body shuddered.
Crack! Crackle!
A series of sharp pops, like beans frying in a pan, came from within him.
The dull, old layer of skin on his body began to peel away, revealing new skin beneath that gleamed with a blue-black metallic sheen.
The new skin didn't look rough. If anything, it was somewhat smooth.
But touching it revealed how frighteningly tough it was. It was like dense rubber, or a suit of armor no force could pierce.
Lu Chen rose from the tub and looked at his body.
His frame hadn't grown, but he seemed heavier and more dangerous.
Like a piece of iron refined by a thousand hammer blows.
With a thought, the panel appeared.
[Name: Lu Chen] [Realm: Body Tempering Realm (Flesh Refining Stage Peak)] [Martial Arts: Stone Crushing Palm (Stage 3, Mastery 15%), Mountain Splitting Saber Technique (Stage 2, Accomplished 50%), Iron Cloth Shirt (Stage 1, First Glimpse 1%)] [Traits: Bronze Skin (Intermediate), Iron Hand (Intermediate), Vibrating Force (Intermediate), Thick Skin (Intermediate > Stacked State)]
Iron Cloth Shirt—he'd finally mastered the basics!
And just as he'd expected.
The Thick Skin trait from Iron Cloth Shirt had stacked with the Bronze Skin trait from Stone Crushing Palm.
His defenses were now far more than the sum of their parts.
Lu Chen picked up a sharp dagger.
He'd bought it specifically to test his defenses.
He drew a deep breath and slashed hard at his left arm.
Screee—
A harsh scraping sound rang out.
The dagger slid across his skin like it was scraping over tough bull leather.
Not a drop of blood came out.
Only a faint white mark remained.
A moment later, the mark vanished, and his skin was whole again.
"Good!"
A surge of joy flashed through Lu Chen's eyes.
At this level of defense, ordinary blades could barely hurt him.
Even a Flesh Refining Realm expert would have to work hard to break through his defenses.
And if he added a counterattack with Vibrating Force...
"Even if I faced Li Qingyi again now, I wouldn't be completely helpless."
Lu Chen clenched his fist, feeling the surging strength within him.
Just then.
A faint knock sounded from outside the courtyard gate.
Knock, knock, knock.
Three long, two short.
It was the gang's signal.
Lu Chen frowned, put away the dagger, threw on an outer robe, and went to open the gate.
A figure wrapped head to toe in a black robe stood outside.
"Leader Lu."
The man lowered his voice and handed over a letter.
"This is a confidential letter from the Hall Master. Burn it after reading."
With that, he turned and vanished into the night.
Lu Chen shut the gate and opened the envelope by lamplight.
The letter contained only a few hurried lines, the scrawled writing steeped in a murderous air.
"The Red Fish Gang is at the end of its rope and has retreated into the Inner Dock, refusing to come out."
"Recent intelligence says someone inside the Red Fish Gang wants to defect and is willing to hand over a map to the gang's Treasure Vault."
"This person specifically requested to meet you."
"Tomorrow at noon, in an abandoned mine tunnel at Ten Mile Slope outside the city."
"Be wary of a trap, but don't let the opportunity slip away."
It was signed Zhao Tieshan.
Lu Chen looked at the letter in his hand, his fingers lightly rubbing the paper.
The Red Fish Gang's Treasure Vault?
A defector?
And they specifically asked to see me?
Lu Chen sneered.
Why did this smell so much like bait?
He held the letter to the candle flame and watched it turn to ash.
"Li Qingyi, couldn't you sit still after all?"
"If you want to play, I'll play along."
Lu Chen turned back inside and tossed his battered Mountain Splitting Saber aside.
Then he dragged a box out from under the bed.
Inside lay a thick, heavy Hundred Refinements Steel Saber.
He'd paid a fortune to have the finest blacksmith in town forge it.
It was made for one purpose: killing.
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