Lying Low in the Black Market

After completing fifty rounds of the Mystic Eagle Stance, another two hours had passed.

The sun had fully shown its face in the sky.

Myriad rays of dawn pierced the gray clouds and spilled over the Training Ground.

Lu Cheng slowly opened his eyes.

The blood-red haze in his pupils receded, and clarity returned.

A scorching breath streamed from his mouth and nose.

In the still-chilly early spring, it shot straight out more than a foot before finally dispersing.

Only then had Lu Cheng completely digested the medicinal power and stabilized the strength and blood qi throughout his body.

"Hmph, you truly don't know the difference between life and death."

In Feng Zhan's room in the rear courtyard of the Long Wind Escort Agency.

Looking at Lu Cheng's slightly pale face, Feng Zhan's anger immediately flared:

"Nonsense, utter nonsense."

"That was two doses of Blood-Activating Powder! One misstep, and you would have exploded to death!"

With the effects of the two doses of Blood-Activating Powder, Lu Cheng's proficiency in the Mystic Eagle Stance had surged by forty points.

It had reached fifty-eight in one stroke.

Even during the initial stage when he had first entered the stance technique, his progress had never been this outrageous.

Such progress looked terrifying.

But after giving it careful thought, Lu Cheng realized it was not actually worthwhile.

Although digesting the medicinal power of two doses took roughly the same amount of time.

The subsequent nurturing had taken another hour and a half.

All told, in the same amount of time, it only gave him ten more proficiency points than a single dose of Blood-Activating Powder.

Yet the risks had multiplied severalfold.

Even though Lu Cheng had gone through it once, he still felt lingering fear.

Unless he needed to break through a realm in the future, Lu Cheng did not intend to take such risks again.

Even if he slowed down somewhat, another eight days would be enough for his stance training to reach mastery and enter the Refining Strength Mid-Stage.

"Rest assured, Third Chief Escort. Lu Cheng will not be so rash again."

Hearing Lu Cheng say this, Feng Zhan's mood eased somewhat.

He sighed, picked up his tea bowl, and said as he brushed aside the tea froth:

"I already told you that, at your previous pace, you could completely stabilize your Early Stage of Strength Refining realm within three months."

"With the Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk as well, preserving your life would not be a problem. Why did you have to fight so desperately?"

Lu Cheng fell silent for a moment.

If all he wanted was to preserve his life in the contest three months from now.

Then as Feng Zhan said, cultivating steadily would be enough.

But what Lu Cheng needed to do could not afford such slackness.

This was a world where martial arts reigned supreme.

Individual strength stood above all superficial rules.

If someone truly could not take it anymore and flipped the table in the end.

Then with his current meager Refining Strength Mid-Stage cultivation, he would not even have the right to speak.

But he could not reveal this matter to Feng Zhan.

Still, there was another matter he could tell him:

"I killed Zhang Rensheng's son."

Clang. Feng Zhan had just been about to bring the tea to his lips when his hand froze at those words.

The lid and the bowl fell together, and tea splashed all over him.

Feng Zhan shot to his feet. Without bothering to wipe himself off, he pointed at Lu Cheng for a long while, yet in the end did not know what to say.

"What exactly happened here? Who else knows?"

Feng Qi's voice came from outside the door.

Turning his head, Lu Cheng saw Feng Qi and Feng Ji enter one after the other.

Lu Cheng immediately bowed in greeting.

"Chief Escort, Second Chief Escort."

The two men passed Lu Cheng and sat down directly.

Feng Qi said nothing.

Feng Ji, however, smiled at Lu Cheng.

"Good lad, you really are a master at stirring up trouble."

Hearing this, Lu Cheng scratched his head sheepishly.

"This time, it truly was not this disciple causing trouble. Zhang Yuchuan came to assassinate me in the middle of the night..."

Lu Cheng then recounted everything: how Zhang Yuchuan had accepted the Fish Gang leader Yang Biao's commission, how Lu Cheng had gone looking for the Fish Gang leader, only to find the place empty and its occupants gone.

He only omitted the matter of the seventeen families worrying over pills, as well as his later discussion with Old Pi about the plan.

After listening to Lu Cheng's account, Feng Zhan shook his head.

"Even if Zhang Rensheng does not yet know that you killed Zhang Yuchuan, this matter cannot be concealed forever."

"And we cannot remain by your side forever to guard against him."

"At present, there is only one solution."

Lu Cheng had never expected to hide it for long.

His main reason for returning to the Escort Agency this time was to arrange the subsequent plan, so others could better cooperate with him.

But hearing that Feng Zhan actually had a solution piqued his curiosity.

Feng Zhan gave a smug, cold laugh and said:

"The contest has not begun yet, so the three slots are still in our hands."

"You can go directly to the East Sun Sect. If Zhang Rensheng has the guts, let him go to the East Sun Sect and demand your surrender."

"Your innate blood qi may be deficient, but that will only affect you once you reach the Qi Refining Realm."

"With your current condition, you will certainly cultivate to the Body Refining Realm within three years."

"With the East Sun Sect's cultivation methods and martial techniques as well, even if the four old geezers of the Four Symbols Martial Arts Hall joined forces, they would not be your match."

Lu Cheng had not expected Feng Zhan to come up with such an idea.

Feng Qi shook his head.

"That will not do. Since we have already promised to put the slots up as the stakes, how can we go back on our word?"

"Besides, the seventeen families alone are not enough to fear. The key is that Shen Yi will not let this go."

Feng Ji, however, agreed with Feng Zhan's suggestion.

"Ah, Senior Brother, that is where you are wrong. Whether it is Shen Yi or those seventeen families, is there even one among them who speaks of honor and faith?"

"The seventeen families fear that our Long Wind Escort Agency will surpass them. Over this past year, they have racked their brains to make things difficult for us."

"Shen Yi is even more wolf-hearted and ambitious. He needs powers like ours to keep the four families of Heavenly Spring Temple in check, yet he also fears that these three slots will turn four families into five someday."

"That is why he forced us into this contest."

"Since that is the case, we will take only one of the three slots and give the other two to him."

"With the enormous stakes from the seventeen families added in, it will be enough for the Martial Suppression Battalion to continue suppressing Yang City."

"Besides, does Shen Yi really dare to make a move against our Long Wind Escort Agency?"

"If we cannot beat them, we can still run."

"If Yang City produces three bandits in the Body Refining Realm, then even if he saves up merit for the rest of his life, he can forget about getting a Qi Condensation Pill."

After hearing Feng Ji's analysis, Feng Qi could not help feeling tempted.

Yet in Lu Cheng's view, Feng Zhan's idea was workable, but it could not be considered at all.

Zhang Rensheng's threat was nothing. What Lu Cheng cared about was time and resources.

Three years was far too long.

In three years, Du Ruo would already have reached the Qi Refining Realm.

Moreover, once he went to the East Sun Sect, obtaining such a vast amount of resources would be nothing more than a dream.

Whether Lu Cheng could achieve Qi Refinement within three years depended entirely on whether his upcoming plan could be successfully carried out.

Therefore, Lu Cheng rejected it without a second thought.

"Please hear this disciple out, three Chief Escorts."

Lu Cheng bowed to the three men and spoke earnestly.

"The three Chief Escorts have considered this disciple at every turn. This disciple truly has no way to repay such kindness."

"But it would be improper to let the Escort Agency and the three Chief Escorts fall into difficulty for this disciple alone."

"As for Zhang Rensheng, this disciple already has a solution."

Before Feng Zhan could ask, Lu Cheng continued:

"This disciple has decided to spend these three months cultivating diligently in the Black Market."

"With this disciple's talent, after three months, I will certainly break through to the Late Stage of Strength Refining. Combined with the Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk, I may not be unable to seize back the three slots."

"Then we can go to the East Sun Sect openly and honorably."

"It is only a journey of a thousand li. Could it be that the three Chief Escorts cannot protect this disciple?"

"When the time comes, if Zhang Rensheng has the guts, let him follow us to the East Sun Sect and demand my surrender."

These had originally been Feng Zhan's words, and now Lu Cheng repeated them back to him word for word.

Seeing Feng Zhan about to refuse, Lu Cheng hurriedly said:

"It is only three months. Please give this disciple a chance. If it truly does not work out, it will not be too late to go to the East Sun Sect then."

Feng Zhan looked at Feng Qi.

Feng Qi nodded, then added:

"Besides reaching the Late Stage of Strength Refining, your Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk must also reach at least minor accomplishment. Otherwise, you will certainly be no match for the three Centurions of the Martial Suppression Battalion."

Lu Cheng naturally had no objection and bowed to the three men again.

"Many thanks, three Chief Escorts."

After straightening, he grinned at Feng Zhan.

"Besides that, there is one more matter in which I need to trouble the Third Chief Escort."