Understanding the World

The oil lamp inside the room cast a dim, yellow glow.

Shen Yun held a bowl of steaming, soothing soup in her hands. Even the thin silk nightgown she wore trembled slightly.

"Zhen... Zhen Ge, I saw that your room was still lit, so I went to the kitchen and made you a bowl of soup." Her voice was as faint as a silken thread, colored with the shyness she was desperately trying to suppress.

Lu Zhen sat in a hardwood chair without moving.

He quietly watched Shen Yun.

There was no denying it: a beauty beneath the lamplight—especially a mature, married woman who had let down her guard and seemed ready to be plucked—was an enormous temptation for his Pure Yang Body, which had just entered the Blood-Qi Like a Furnace realm.

But the restlessness that had just stirred in his heart was quickly suppressed by reason.

This world was too chaotic.

Outside, warlords fought one another and foreigners had weapons of war; within, there were river bandits, tyrants, and vendettas between practitioners of strange martial arts.

Although he, Lu Zhen, had entered Bright Force, in front of those true behemoths, he was still no more than a slightly stronger ant.

The path of martial arts was like rowing upstream; the slightest distraction could send one plummeting into eternal ruin.

Love and longing were too extravagant and too heavy a burden in this chaotic age, where human lives were cheap as grass.

Right now, he simply had no room in his heart for such things.

"Sister Shen, you went to a lot of trouble. Just put the soup down."

"It's late, and the wind outside is cold. Go back and get some rest."

His words were polite, but they carried a chill that kept people at arm's length.

Shen Yun's hands stiffened around the bowl.

She had never been a frivolous woman. Coming here dressed like this tonight had already taken more courage than she'd ever mustered in her life, after Lu Fang had gently nudged her toward it.

But Lu Zhen's indifferent reaction was like a basin of ice water filled with shards, dumped over her head.

"Oh... all right."

Shen Yun forced a smile and gently set the porcelain bowl down on the corner of the table.

The hope in her eyes dimmed in an instant.

Of course. She was just a widow whose husband had died. Being able to earn her keep in the Lu household and have a place to live was already a great kindness.

What right did she have to harbor such an unrealistic fantasy?

She bit her lower lip hard, her eyes reddening. She didn't dare look at Lu Zhen again.

Turning away with her head lowered, she hurried toward the door as if fleeing.

The night wind slipped through the crack outside.

It pressed her silk nightgown tight against her body, tracing the astonishingly full curves of her waist and hips.

Her uniquely mature, womanly fragrance, mingled with a trace of sorrow, wafted straight into Lu Zhen's nose.

Lu Zhen watched her slight, trembling figure.

The surging qi and blood that had just been suppressed within him suddenly burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam.

What did it matter if the world was chaotic? What did martial arts matter?

He was a vigorous young martial artist, not a clay bodhisattva in a temple who had severed all worldly desires!

Shen Yun's hand was already on the door latch.

"Wait."

Lu Zhen suddenly called out.

Shen Yun's body trembled. She stopped by the door but didn't turn around; only her shoulders shook faintly.

"Is Wan'er asleep?"

Lu Zhen asked.

He hadn't asked anything else. He'd chosen to ask just that.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the room took on a different cast.

Shen Yun first froze, then seemed to understand what he meant. Her formerly pale neck and ears flushed a startling red.

"F-Fast asleep."

The string of reason snapped.

The searing heat of "Blood-Qi Like a Furnace" finally overwhelmed his concerns about the chaotic world.

Lu Zhen couldn't hold back any longer.

He sprang to his feet.

"Whoosh—!"

Before Shen Yun could even gasp, a pair of hands like iron pincers had already locked around her full waist.

Then Lu Zhen flexed both arms and lifted her long, shapely legs off the ground.

"Bang—!"

The tremendous force slammed the wooden door with a dull boom, then held it firmly shut.

The beauty was in his arms, pinned hard against the door.

Her fragrance filled the room as the candlelight flickered.

The next day

Lu Zhen pushed open the heavy jujube-wood courtyard gate and exhaled a long stream of white breath.

The night's passion had been swept away by the cold morning wind. Dressed in the martial arts hall's black silk training clothes, he tucked his hands into his sleeves and strode toward the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall.

He crossed two streets and passed a stall selling hot noodle soup.

A few burly men stood at the mouth of the alley ahead.

Their leader was a bald man wearing a gray leather vest. His qi and blood were vigorous, his flesh taut; he was clearly a Late Force Refining Realm expert.

Lu Zhen recognized him.

He was a hall leader under the Green Snake Gang in Ocean City's southern district, Zhao Heihu.

He ran the opium dens and brothels hidden across several streets in the southern district.

When he saw Lu Zhen approaching, Zhao Heihu stopped rolling the iron balls in his hand, forced a smile, and stepped forward.

"Morning, Brother Lu."

Lu Zhen glanced at him. "Is something the matter, Hall Leader Zhao?"

Zhao Heihu moved a few steps closer and lowered his voice.

"Brother Lu, you smashed the Black Dragon Water Stronghold's young master to pieces with a single blow of your staff on the Soul-Falling Gorge river. With skills like that, being an ordinary Inner Sect disciple at the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall is a waste."

"The Gu Family Chamber of Commerce is stingy, paying you little more than scraps to risk your life for. If you're willing to join our Green Snake Gang, I'll give you a tenth of the profits from the southern district's businesses. I guarantee you'll make at least twice what the Gu Family offers, and you'll get your share of high-quality medicinal treasures every month, too."

Looking at Zhao Heihu's beaming face, Lu Zhen considered that his martial arts resources had indeed run dry lately.

The Red Scale Treasure Fish and Old Mountain Ginseng had been used up, and he urgently needed to replenish his body's stores.

More importantly, after entering Bright Force, he had faintly sensed the limits of his cultivation method.

The Coiling Dragon Stake, his stance-training method, seemed unable to further strengthen the Bright Force within him.

Though practicing the stance every day still slowly increased his strength over time, the fundamental breakthrough that could transform his qi and blood and reach deep into his internal organs had come to a complete stop.

The Coiling Dragon Stake probably only goes as far as the Force Refining Realm, Lu Zhen knew clearly.

Now that he had reached Bright Force, if he wanted to continue advancing, he needed more profound internal martial arts and more advanced stance-training methods.

He wondered whether the old Master Yan at the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall had any such treasures tucked away.

If not, then for the sake of his martial future, he could change masters and go to a stronger faction. That wasn't out of the question.

But the so-called Green Snake Gang was absolutely out of consideration.

The gang might swagger and throw its weight around in Ocean City's southern district, but in terms of foundations and top-tier fighters, it wasn't much stronger than the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall or the wealthy Gu Family.

At most, it was a gang fighting over scraps in the mud at the bottom.

Joining them would only leave him covered in a stench of trouble he couldn't wash off. He'd never get his hands on higher-level martial arts techniques.

"I appreciate the offer, Hall Leader Zhao."

Lu Zhen's expression didn't change.

"But I'm a creature of habit. Life at the martial arts hall is peaceful, and for now, I have no plans to move."

With that, he paid no attention to Zhao Heihu's stiffening expression.

He strode past the men and quickly headed for the end of the street.

Lu Zhen soon reached the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall.

His keen senses told him something was very wrong with the atmosphere today.

At this time of day, the courtyard would usually echo with dull shouts as people practiced on wooden dummies and lifted stone locks.

But today, it was unusually quiet.

Several Inner Sect disciples had gathered together. None of them were practicing their forms; they only exchanged complicated glances.

Under the eaves near the main hall, Yan Tieqiao was still seated in his armchair, holding a purple clay teapot.

But his weather-beaten old face was so dark it looked ready to drip water. His cloudy eyes smoldered with anger he was struggling to contain.

At one corner of the Training Ground, Yan Shanshan wore a tight-fitting training outfit. Her pretty face was taut as she spoke angrily in a low voice to a small group.

"What does Zhang Lei think he's doing? He takes our family's precious medicine, then turns around and starts flirting with outsiders!"

"Does he really think the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall is a stepping stone anyone can trample on?!"

Dakui and several other senior disciples exchanged glances, looking awkward. Not one of them dared to respond.

As Lu Zhen drew closer, his keen hearing quickly picked up the details.

It turned out that Zhang Lei had gotten into trouble.

The previous evening, someone had seen Zhang Lei having dinner with a female disciple from the White Family in a high-end Western restaurant in the foreign concession.

The White Family was a wealthy clan in Ocean City that dealt in medicinal herbs.

The young lady of the White Family was herself a Late Force Refining Realm expert, and more importantly, she was an only child.

The White Family patriarch had long ago announced that he intended to recruit a skilled young man from Ocean City's rising generation as a live-in son-in-law.

For an ordinary martial artist, it would have been a wonderful chance to leap into a whole new life.

But when it came to Zhang Lei, things were entirely different.

Yan Tieqiao had just given him the treasured Earth Dragon Blood Vine, which he had kept for over a decade, and regarded him as the heir to his legacy.

And now Zhang Lei had gone behind his back and started a secret romance with the young lady of the White Family, the very family seeking a live-in son-in-law.

He had taken the martial arts hall's treasured resource, yet seemed to have his eye on marrying into another family.

It was hard to know what to make of it.

Lu Zhen began warming up without a word.

He hadn't practiced for long when Gu Yanzhi came over, quietly fanning himself.

"Brother Lu," he greeted him in a low voice.

"Brother Gu, is something the matter?" Lu Zhen stopped what he was doing.

"Everyone saw your strength at the Soul-Falling Gorge. Your abilities have soared, and it's no longer appropriate—or worthy of you—to keep risking your life hauling cargo by boat."

Gu Yanzhi's expression grew more serious.

"My father wants to invite you to join the Gu Family as a Guest Elder."

Lu Zhen looked at Gu Yanzhi.

He didn't beat around the bush. After a brief pause, he spoke frankly.

"Brother Gu, I'll be direct."

"I've reached a bottleneck in my current realm."

"What I need is an internal martial arts method that can truly reach Bright Force, or even a higher realm, as well as a vast supply of high-quality medicinal treasures."

Gu Yanzhi was taken aback, then seemed to understand. A look of realization crossed his face.

He wasn't angry. Instead, he nodded in understanding.

"Brother Lu, you're refreshingly frank."

Gu Yanzhi lowered his voice and leaned closer.

"If you truly want to seek out more powerful techniques, there are probably only two options in all of Ocean City."

"One is the top families in Ocean City. They definitely have secret manuals that point directly to Dark Force."

"The other is certain official institutions. Their foundations run very deep."

Lu Zhen's expression shifted.

"If I went to one of those places, what would I tell Master Yan?"

After all, he was still officially an Inner Sect disciple of the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall.

Gu Yanzhi laughed at that.

He glanced at Yan Tieqiao, whose face was still livid beneath the eaves of the main hall, then looked back at Lu Zhen.

"Brother Lu, you're worrying too much."

"That won't be a problem. You're not Zhang Lei."

"Zhang Lei accepted the rarest medicinal treasure his master risked his life to obtain and was personally chosen as heir to his legacy. That makes this entirely different. If he dares to change masters, it would be a betrayal of his teacher."

Gu Yanzhi gestured toward the gate with his folding fan.

"But you're different."

"And if you join one of those official institutions or another powerful faction, your own strength will grow. Wherever you go, you'll still carry the name of someone trained by the Iron Arm Martial Arts Hall. That helps the hall, too."

Gu Yanzhi smiled.

"Our hall has had some formidable senior disciples in the past who went to serve other great families. When Master heard about it, he was delighted."

Lu Zhen nodded thoughtfully.

Since those were the rules of the martial world, he no longer had any misgivings.

Water flowed downhill, and people climbed toward higher ground. The contest for the martial path had always been a struggle for that single thread of opportunity.