The Road Ahead

As soon as Lu Zhen returned to the house on Anping Street, he saw a black Ford sedan parked at the mouth of the alley.

Beside the car door, Gu Yanzhi wore a neatly tailored long gown. Holding a thick manila envelope, he paced back and forth.

When he saw Lu Zhen, Gu Yanzhi stopped abruptly, his face alight with an elation Lu Zhen had never seen before.

"Brother Lu!" He hurried over.

"Brother Gu, what brings you here so late? Is something urgent?" Lu Zhen asked.

Gu Yanzhi drew a deep breath and lowered his voice, but he could hardly contain his excitement.

"I broke through! Late Force Refining Realm!"

He snapped his folding fan shut and slapped it hard against his palm.

"And I've finished putting together those materials for you. Come on, let's go to Jufu Restaurant tonight. My treat—we'll have a couple of drinks!"

Looking at his excitement, Lu Zhen gave a slight nod.

Neither of them brought an attendant. They went straight to Jufu Restaurant by car.

In an elegant private room on the second floor, facing the street.

Once the door closed, it shut out the clamor outside and the river breeze entirely.

On the Eight Immortals table sat freshly sliced roast goose, a plate of soy-braised beef, two dishes of cold snacks to go with the drinks, and a pot of fine Huadiao wine kept warm.

There were only the two of them in the private room.

Gu Yanzhi personally filled Lu Zhen's cup, raised his own, and drained it in one go. Martial artists had vigorous qi and blood; to them, this strong liquor was like water.

"Now that's refreshing!" His face reddened slightly as he let out a long breath.

Lu Zhen raised his cup, took a sip, and set it down.

His gaze fell on the manila envelope on the table beside him.

"Everything you asked for is in there, Brother Lu." Gu Yanzhi wiped his mouth and pushed the envelope over.

Lu Zhen untied the string and pulled out a thick stack of letter paper.

Beneath the bright Ocean Lantern in the private room, he lowered his head and read in silence.

The pages were densely covered with detailed information about the various forces in Ocean City.

Ocean City was vast.

Its territory was divided into four districts: east, south, west, and north.

At the very center of the four districts lay the heavily guarded Inner City District.

Besides that, the most prosperous stretch along the river was divided into concessions belonging to foreigners from various nations.

The true overlords of all Ocean City were the Four Great Families.

Lu Zhen turned the pages one by one.

The Four Great Families had no real foothold in the outer four districts. They were all entrenched in the Inner City District and the concessions.

The materials made it perfectly clear.

In this day and age, Chinese people in the concessions of other major cities didn't even have the right to get involved. They could only languish at the bottom.

But Ocean City was different.

The Chinese forces in Ocean City were remarkably powerful.

Here, the Four Great Families and the foreigners jointly governed the concessions. This arrangement had been carved out through sheer force and deep-rooted influence. Even the foreigners didn't dare make trouble lightly.

"The Four Great Families..." Lu Zhen's gaze narrowed slightly.

According to the materials, the Four Great Families belonged to two opposing camps.

The strongest of them was the Xiao Family.

A traditional martial arts clan with unfathomable depth.

Another great traditional martial arts clan was the Huo Family, likewise teeming with experts.

The remaining two were newly risen upstarts.

The Zhou Family and the Zheng Family.

Both were "exotic weapon clans" that had thrown in their lot completely with the Westerners.

Relying on high-grade Beast Blood Serum and Western Steam Battle Gear, they had forced their way into the ranks of the Four Great Families in barely a dozen years, standing as equals against the Xiao and Huo Families.

The private room was quiet.

The only sound was the faint rustle of Lu Zhen turning the pages.

Holding his wine cup, Gu Yanzhi stuffed a piece of soy-braised beef into his mouth and spoke as he chewed.

"The East City District where we are now is actually within the Xiao Family's sphere of influence."

He glanced at Lu Zhen without trying to hide anything.

"To be honest, our Gu Family's Tongjiang Chamber of Commerce has been able to grow its business so large on the waterways and in East City because, behind the scenes... we rely on the Xiao Family."

Lu Zhen set down the page in his hand.

"So if I want to rise higher and get better martial arts resources, the best way is to join the Xiao Family?"

As he spoke, an aloof, unattainable figure surfaced involuntarily in his mind.

The Xiao Family's prodigy, Xiao Yuqing.

At his words, Gu Yanzhi's smile faded.

He put down his wine cup and grew serious.

"In theory, yes. The Xiao Family has the deepest roots and the most resources. But that road won't be easy."

"The Xiao Family is powerful and influential, with a host of retainers. You may have inborn strength and astonishing fighting ability, Brother Lu, but among such a colossal force, they might not even notice you. Or rather, they may not truly value you. At best, they'd give you some ordinary job guarding the gates or patrolling the grounds."

Better to be a chicken's head than a cow's tail.

Lu Zhen understood the principle.

Fall behind by one step, and you'd fall behind at every step. If he couldn't get his hands on core resources, going there would only waste his time.

"So I've prepared another path for you today, Brother Lu." Gu Yanzhi leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice.

"The Garrison Bureau, part of the National Government's military system in Ocean City."

His eyes burned as he stared at Lu Zhen.

"It handles the mutated ferocious beasts in the wilderness beyond the city, as well as local coordination during wartime. It's a genuinely dangerous place, where you stake your life to fight your way toward a future."

"But the benefits are obvious, too." A glint flashed in Gu Yanzhi's eyes. "As long as you reach Late Force Refining Realm, you can sit the exam to join.

"Everything there is decided by military merit and contributions. As long as you dare to fight and kill enough ferocious beasts, you can exchange your contributions for advanced internal training methods, rare medicinal treasures aged for years—anything you can think of. It's extraordinarily fair."

Lu Zhen picked up the dregs of wine in front of him and drained them in one gulp.

The liquor slid down his throat in a fiery line.

"A good place."

He set down his cup and looked across at Gu Yanzhi, his gaze clear.

"But, Brother Gu, this place operates under the banner of the National Government's military system. Yet in these turbulent times, the National Government's decrees probably can't even reach beyond this Ten-Mile Foreign Field."

"So, when all is said and done, isn't the Garrison Bureau still controlled behind the scenes by those few great families?"

Gu Yanzhi made no attempt to hide the truth.

He nodded and sighed.

"That's true. The National Government's system has long since become an arena where the various forces fight for dominance. The Xiao and Huo Families actually control most of the Garrison Bureau in Ocean City."

He dipped a fingertip in some spilled wine and drew a line on the table.

"If we join, our connection to the Tongjiang Chamber of Commerce will inevitably brand us as part of the Xiao Family faction. We'll have to take their side. There's no avoiding it."

"But that's fundamentally different from going straight to the Xiao Family as a retainer."

"Under the guise of the military system, we're still public servants. There's always room to maneuver; we won't have to sign one of those blood contracts binding us to sell our lives to them. If something changes in the future, it'll be much easier to retreat and walk away than if we were their household slaves."

Lu Zhen understood.

He could obtain the most important resources while retaining as much independence as possible.

"I understand."

Lu Zhen rolled the manila envelope back up and tucked it inside his robe.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll go together."

Gu Yanzhi flicked open his folding fan and rose with a pleased smile.

"It's a deal."

Anping Street was very quiet at night.

Lu Zhen arrived at the gate of his own courtyard.

Hearing the noise, Shen Yun immediately set down her work and stood up.

Ever since that night.

Though the two of them hadn't held a proper wedding ceremony, in her heart, she was already a member of the Lu household.

"You're back?" She came over and naturally reached out to help Lu Zhen out of his coat, damp with evening dew.

"Mm. I had a little wine with the Gu family's young master and we talked for a while."

Lu Zhen replied.

"You're cold all over. There's still warm water in the pot. I'll bring you a basin to soak your feet."

Shen Yun moved briskly and went to the kitchen.

Before long, she came out carrying a wooden basin of steaming water. She tested the temperature with her hand and set it by Lu Zhen's feet.

She made no effort to keep her distance. Instead, she crouched down quite naturally and reached for Lu Zhen's muddy black cloth shoes.

The curtain to the inner room lifted.

His younger sister, Lu Wan, poked her head out. Her bright, dark eyes darted between the two of them, and she secretly grinned.

"Brother, you're finally back. Sister-in-law was just saying she was worried you'd drink too much and catch a chill out there."

Lu Wan said "sister-in-law" as naturally as could be, her voice clear and sweet.

At the words, Shen Yun's already flushed cheeks turned red to the roots of her ears. She shot Lu Wan an annoyed look.

"You little brat, with those sharp ears of yours. Hurry back to bed."

That was what she said, but she couldn't hide the smile at the corners of her eyes and brows.

Lu Wan stuck out her tongue, grinned, then let the curtain fall and slipped back into the room.

Lu Zhen sank both feet into the scalding water.

Bliss.