Civil and Military, Challenge

"Brother Lu Chen, this new residence of yours is truly imposing!"

Liu Qi stood in the courtyard of Huaijiao Alley, looking left and right, his eyes filled with envy.

Huaijiao Alley was in a decent area of South City. Lu Chen had rented a series of adjoining courtyards, knocked down the dividing walls, and had them renovated and repainted. With their grey tiles and blue bricks, the premises were bright and orderly, a far cry from that cramped, dilapidated house in Sheep Dung Alley.

This place was not only Lu Chen's new home but also served as a daily meeting place for his core subordinates.

"Just trying to make a living," Lu Chen replied with a faint smile, then changed the subject: "Brother Liu, what brings you here today?"

"The Mistress sent me to find you; she says there is something to discuss," Liu Qi answered.

"Oh? I wonder what urgent matter could be so pressing?"

"Alas, I'm not entirely sure myself."

Lu Chen's heart sank. The Mistress rarely sought him out proactively. For her to send Liu Qi on a special trip, it likely wasn't a trivial matter.

He gave a few instructions to the brothers on guard duty in the courtyard and then hurried out of Huaijiao Alley with Liu Qi.

The journey was silent. Upon reaching the inner residence and passing through the courtyard, they found the doors to the main hall standing wide open.

Lu Chen walked inside to find the Mistress, Lin Wei'er, and Zhou Lan all waiting for him.

Lu Chen offered a formal greeting before asking, "What is so urgent?"

The Mistress's bright and cold face was etched with worry: "There has been a change in the martial arts circle. You must have heard about the disaster caused by the Knocking Ghost in Wenwu County, right?"

"Yes, I heard some talk at the lantern tower on the night of the Lantern Festival." Lu Chen nodded, then felt a tightening in his chest as he realized the two counties were adjacent. "Could it be that the thing has spread to our Wen'an?"

"Not yet, but the Magistrate of Wenwu County is dead, and nearly half the populace has fled. Several martial halls in that county that can no longer hold on are now looking to relocate to Wen'an," the Mistress replied.

Lu Chen was shocked. That Knocking Ghost had actually killed a magistrate; it was truly formidable.

Suppressing his surprise, he asked, "If they want to come, will the local martial arts circle in Wen'an agree?"

"Naturally, they won't," Lin Wei'er interjected. "In any given county, there are only so many talented youths willing to spend money to learn martial arts. If they come, how will the disciples be divided? The rice bowl is only so big; who would be willing to let others come and snatch a share?"

The Mistress nodded and added, "They know this is a difficult matter, so they have promised to cover the three extra portions of tribute money that Magistrate Chen has been demanding from the Wen'an martial arts circle."

"They want to open a hall and establish a sect in Wen'an just by offering three portions of tribute money? Did the martial arts circle agree?" Lu Chen asked.

The Mistress explained, "They asked for a chance to challenge. According to the old rules of the martial arts circle, if a new hall wishes to establish a foothold locally, they must first spar with the local halls. If they win, they may stay; if they lose, they must depart."

"And... what if the local martial hall loses?" Lu Chen asked.

The Mistress sighed softly: "If they lose, the new hall takes their place. The loser is out and will find it hard to establish themselves again."

"Is the Mistress worried that they might target us?"

The Mistress nodded.

Lu Chen offered comfort: "There are several martial halls in Wen'an weaker than ours; they might not necessarily choose to chew on a hard bone."

Zhou Lan fanned himself and said, "Let us hope so. However, the martial spirit in Wenwu County is fierce. The overall strength of the disciples trained in their halls is likely above ours."

Lin Wei'er curled her lip and mocked, "No matter how strong they are, didn't they still get scared away from their hometown by the Knocking Ghost and flee here? If they were truly capable, why didn't they get rid of that thing and guard their own territory?"

Zhou Lan laughed: "Wei'er, it's fine for us to say that among ourselves, but outside—especially in front of those people from Wenwu County—you must not be so reckless with your words. Those people have been driven from their homes and are in a foul mood; if they hear that, they will likely hold a grudge."

"Mind your own business!"

Lin Wei'er's pretty face hardened, her willow-leaf brows arching: "I know the gravity of the situation, unlike some people who spend all day waving a broken fan to act refined. And another thing, call me Senior Sister! Have some respect."

"What does my fanning have to do with you?" Zhou Lan closed his fan and pulled a long face.

"The wind is howling outside, yet you keep fanning yourself indoors. Who are you trying to impress, acting like a refined gentleman? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?" Lin Wei'er scoffed.

"What do you know? This is character, the demeanor of a martial gentleman." Zhou Lan struck a pose he deemed dashing and snapped his fan open again with a swish.

"What a show-off!" Lin Wei'er retorted.

Zhou Lan was left speechless, rolling his eyes dramatically on the spot, unable to maintain his dashing facade any longer.

"Enough," the Mistress interrupted with a smile. "Let's talk business. Lan'er, stop fanning. Wei'er, sit properly."

The two finally settled down.

Lu Chen seized the moment to steer the conversation back: "Mistress, which halls are looking to relocate? How strong are the masters? Are there any experts under them we should watch out for? How are the rules of the challenge defined? Is it a duel between masters, or a spar between disciples?"

The Mistress said, "It is not yet clear which ones exactly; we only received word this morning, and the martial arts circle is still negotiating."

She looked at the three of them and said solemnly: "I called you here to reach an agreement first. If the Plum Blossom Martial Hall is eventually chosen, I will need you to return and assist."

"Rest assured, Mistress," Zhou Lan said seriously. "If the hall is in trouble, this disciple will certainly assist."

"The Iron Sword Sect is not far from our county, so I can be here whenever called," Lin Wei'er promised immediately, though she frowned, "It's just that the other senior brothers... Senior Brother Zheng wanders the pugilistic world and his whereabouts are uncertain, Senior Brother Ji is in the military and it's hard to get leave, and the other three senior brothers and sisters are in other provinces; I fear they won't make it in time."

Hearing this, the Mistress smiled warmly, her gaze sweeping over the three of them with softness: "It is no matter. With the three of you here, it is enough to hold up our reputation."

After discussing a few more details, Zhou Lan and Lin Wei'er took their leave.

Lu Chen, however, remained where he was, showing no intention of leaving.

The Mistress looked at him: "Is there something else, Chen'er?"

"Mistress, this disciple sparred with a First-Seal martial artist yesterday, but no matter what I did, I couldn't pierce through the layer of qi defense on his body. Why is that?"

The mistress said calmly:

"You have yet to form a Seal, so the energy in your body is still scattered. A first-Seal martial artist, however, has already condensed their energy into a seed within their dantian. This energy can instantly envelop their entire body, like wearing a suit of invisible armor."

Lu Chen understood immediately:

"So, either I form a Seal as soon as possible to strengthen my energy, or I find a way to make my current meager energy more precise and concentrated, targeting the weak points in his energy armor?"

"That is exactly the point."

The mistress nodded and said: "For External Force martial artists, it is a contest of energy strength; one level suppresses the next. Trying to fight above your rank is incredibly difficult. Next time, do not go looking for trouble by challenging someone of a higher rank."

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then asked: "If the energy of an External Force martial artist is so formidable, why can they not defeat the Knocking Ghost?"

The mistress shook her head and said: "I am not sure about that. I only heard that those ghostly things tear through a martial artist's energy defense as if it were paper. There are also other monsters that hunt martial artists for sport. When you are out and about, you must be extremely careful."

Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat as an unsettling thought suddenly surfaced.