Black Bodhisattva

He stripped off his outer robe, shoes, and socks, leaving only his water-slick undergarment. With a flicker of intent, the [Phantom] talent activated, and his entire aura instantly merged with the dark river water.

Like a silent black fish, he slipped into the Fu River.

The underwater world was utterly different from the day.

Moonlight could only penetrate the shallows; deeper down lay a chaotic gloom.

But Luo Bin's vision was hardly impaired beneath the surface—the [Phantom] talent let him see in water as if on land. Following the faint, ever-clearer fragrance, he dove downward, aiming straight for the spot where the Water Mountain Ghoul had leaped out last time.

Before long, a cramped lair abruptly appeared in his blurry sight.

Luo Bin pushed aside some collapsed stones and crawled inside. A faint, fishy stench filled the den, but beneath that odor, the crisp, cool fragrance became even more distinct to his skin, which was attuned to his surging Qi and blood. The source was unmistakably under the rock wall at the deepest part of the lair.

There, a small pit covered in silt and gravel.

Luo Bin cleared away the debris, revealing a palm-sized object shaped like a feather. It was a dark crimson, faintly metallic, and still slightly warm to the touch despite being buried at the river bottom for who knows how long. Barely visible reddish-gold patterns traced its edges.

The cool fragrance emanated from this dark crimson feather, but under the long-term cover of the lair's lingering yin and foul Qi from the Water Mountain Ghoul, it had become extremely faint. If not for Luo Bin's achievements in the Pure Yang Body-Forging Technique and his deliberate probing with that technique's aura today, he would never have detected it.

[Discovered an item containing special Spirit Charm: "Luo Fire Mourning Feather." Can be absorbed and refined. Absorb?]

The prompt from "Crimson" surfaced in his mind, confirming the item's extraordinary nature along with the faint fragrance.

Luo Bin hesitated no longer. Gripping the dark crimson feather, he silently intoned, "Absorb."

The feather suddenly blazed hot. The reddish-gold patterns flared bright, then shattered inch by inch into countless flowing sparks that surged into his body along the meridians of his arm!

"Mm!"

Luo Bin grunted, feeling a violent, scorching heat explode through his limbs and bones. It clashed instinctively with the cool, water-attribute energy of [Phantom], sending tearing, swelling pain through his meridians.

He immediately activated the Pure Yang Body-Forging Technique. His Qi and blood, perfected at the Golden Skin Pass, roiled like a blazing furnace as he focused on guiding, suppressing, and refining this foreign, searing power.

The murky water in the riverbed lair was churned by invisible force.

Fine beads of blood seeped from Luo Bin's pores, quickly dispersing and fading into the river.

He gritted his teeth and persisted, sinking his awareness into his body to guide the vast energy into his dantian, where it was greedily devoured by the "Crimson" modifier.

This Spirit Charm was blazing and pure, far surpassing any precious medicine he had consumed before. It also contained a unique "fire" intent, as if it could scorch the soul itself.

After an unknown span of time, the violent heat within gradually subsided, turning into a gentle, rich warmth that nourished every inch of sinew, bone, and flesh. His meridians, torn and healed, seemed to have widened slightly and grown tougher.

And that unique "fire" intent subtly merged with the Pure Yang Qi and blood of the Pure Yang Body-Forging Technique, elevating the "quality" of his Qi and blood in some delicate way, making it more condensed and scorching.

[Absorption complete. Spirit Charm gained: 472 points.]

[Special insight fragment gained: Burning Breath of Fire (Faint).]

Luo Bin opened his eyes. A sharp glint flashed through the water.

Holy shit, I hit the jackpot!

With this much Spirit Charm, he'd have more than enough for a while.

And on top of that, the insight into "Burning Breath of Fire"!

But this place wasn't safe to linger. He didn't pause, silently rising to the surface, his figure melting into the night like a ghost.

It was already deep night when Luo Bin and Liang Shuisheng returned from Yingshui Ferry.

He had Liang Shuisheng drop him off near Stone Slab Alley, handed over another thirty silver dollars, and vanished around the corner.

Luo Bin drifted over the high wall of the Pei Family's old residence like a falling leaf.

The lamp in Wen Li's room was still lit. On the paper window, the slender silhouette of a woman was bent over, doing needlework.

A warmth surged in Luo Bin's chest, stirring a burning restlessness. He tapped lightly on the window frame.

The movement inside paused, followed by soft footsteps.

The door bolt clicked. A crack opened, and Wen Li's face appeared in the gap, lit by the dim yellow lamp, her expression wary. When she recognized him, it instantly turned into disbelief and joy, then flushed with red.

"You... why are you here at this hour?" she whispered, hurriedly pulling him inside and quickly shutting the door. She leaned back against it, her chest rising and falling.

Luo Bin looked at her.

She wore only a plain white sleeping gown, with a worn, lotus-root-colored sleeveless vest over it. Her black hair was loosely pinned up, a few strands falling by her neck. The faint scent of soap clung to her.

"I missed you," Luo Bin said simply, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her cheek.

Wen Li's face reddened further. She lowered her eyes, her long lashes trembling. "Smooth talker... Have you eaten? Let me heat up some soup..."

Before she could finish, Luo Bin swept her up in his arms.

She let out a soft gasp, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder, her ears burning red.

"No soup," Luo Bin said, carrying her toward the inner room's bed, his voice low. "I'll eat you."

The red bed curtains fell, concealing a room full of swaying spring.

Gasps and soft moans intertwined, carrying the urgency and lingering passion of a long-awaited reunion.

Wen Li had initially tried to muffle her sounds, but soon she could no longer care. Her fingertips dug deep into his back as she sobbed and whispered his name by his ear.

When the clouds dispersed and the rain ceased, Wen Li's sweat-damp hair clung to her flushed cheeks. Exhausted yet content, she curled up in Luo Bin's arms. Luo Bin absently stroked her smooth back, feeling the abundant Spirit Charm within his body slowly settle as the Pure Yang Body-Forging Technique circulated, merging with his blood and qi. The barrier of the Golden Skin Pass seemed to loosen by another thread.

At the same moment, in the Jiang Family's grand estate, Pine Wave Garden.

The study blazed with light. Jiang Lin, the head of the Jiang Family, sat on a rosewood armchair, his face as heavy as water.

Several people sat below him, one of whom was Shao Yancheng.

"So you're saying that Luo Bin has truly reached the peak of the Golden Skin Pass? Even you couldn't keep him there?" Jiang Lin spoke slowly.

Shao Yancheng lowered his head: "Reporting to the family head, this kid's blood and qi are indeed at the extreme of the Golden Skin Pass in terms of vigor and condensed power.

Moreover, his movement technique is bizarre, and he seems to have a hidden ability. In battle, he sometimes strikes like a blazing fire, sometimes moves like a ghostly shadow—his methods are unpredictable."

An old man with a goatee and shrewd eyes spoke up. He was the Jiang Family's strategist, Du Wenyuan: "According to our investigation, this kid comes from a lowly background. He was originally a servant in the Pei Mansion. After the Pei Family fell, he joined the Green Bamboo Gang. Because of his talent in cultivating a strange technique, Chen Tianren took a liking to him and brought him into the Chen Family. In less than two months, he has repeatedly accomplished major feats.

Now, in the Shunzhi District, especially among the bottom-tier laborers and dock workers, his reputation is extremely loud. Many say the Chen Family has gained a fierce dragon."

"A fierce dragon?" Jiang Lin sneered. "A loach slips into golden scales and thinks it can become a dragon? Chen Tianren has a fine scheme—relying on a mud-legged who stumbled into a lucky break to prop up his face and wrestle with my Jiang Family?"

Another middle-aged Martial Master with a cold, hard face and bulging temples spoke in a deep voice: "Family head, this kid is growing too fast. If we leave him be, he'll be a disaster. Why not let me take a few good men, find an opportunity..."

"Fool!" Jiang Lin scolded. "He's Chen Tianren's golden boy now. Chen Tianren is surely keeping an eye on him. In Ping City territory, if we make a move, it's tearing off the mask and handing Chen Tianren a knife! With Commissioner Cao's people arriving from the south soon, we can't act openly at this critical juncture."

Du Wenyuan stroked his beard: "A spear in the open is easy to dodge, but an arrow in the dark is hard to guard against.

Isn't Luo Bin capable and famous? That fame is sometimes a double-edged sword. The Shunzhi District is a mix of fish and dragons. Those who want him dead may be no fewer than those who want to lift him up."

Jiang Lin looked at him: "Wenyuan, do you have a clever plan?"

"I've heard that the 'Black Bodhisattva's' people have been very active in the Shunzhi District lately," Du Wenyuan said slowly. "These desperadoes will do anything for the right price. And they seem especially 'interested' in young experts with 'potential.'"

Shao Yancheng frowned: "The Black Bodhisattva?"