I Dodge His Edge?

Late at night, Lu Yun lay on his bed, contemplating the road ahead.

Chen Family Fort was too small; it simply could not support a martial artist. If he wanted to obtain resources quickly, he could only go to a nearby major city.

And as the capital of Guangning Prefecture, Clear Distance City had the richest resources.

On the other hand, Sister Qing'er's disappearance had a great deal to do with the Canal Gang, and that gang was also based in Clear Distance City.

Therefore, Lu Yun planned to go to Clear Distance City to make his way, while secretly looking into news of her disappearance.

As early as three years ago, he had learned that the Red Flame Army recruited new personnel at the end of every year.

There were just over half a month left until this round of recruitment.

As for why he had chosen to join the Red Flame Army, that required mentioning the origins of this force.

The Red Flame Army had been founded when the Great Yu Dynasty was established. It had existed for over a thousand years and was one of the dynasty's most powerful instruments of violence.

As long as he could gain a firm foothold in the army, investigating the Canal Gang would be as easy as turning his hand over.

Since ancient times, the common folk had never fought officials. Gang forces were naturally a notch below the army.

Besides, it was good to enjoy the shade beneath a great tree. With the army looking after him, he would be able to grow better as well.

This was the path Lu Yun had long planned for himself.

The next day, at dawn.

The rising sun had just emerged.

Early in the morning, everyone from Chen Family Fort gathered in the open ground outside, watching Lu Yun, who was about to leave, with sincere expressions.

"Brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, take care."

Holding a long spear, Lu Yun cupped his fists in salute, a faint smile on his face.

Then he turned his gaze toward Old Chen. "Uncle Chen, take good care of yourself. Wait until I bring Sister Qing'er back, and I'll drink with you..."

"Haha... Brother Lu, may your martial fortune soar like a rainbow! Chen Family Fort will always be your home. Come back and visit whenever you have the time."

Zhao Hu laughed loudly and offered his blessing.

"Boy Lu, live well. Don't try to act tough in everything you do."

A trace of hope shone in Old Chen's eyes.

The others also spoke their blessings one after another, making for a rather warm scene.

Lu Yun turned around, slung his long spear over his shoulder, and strode toward the road ahead beneath the warm morning sun.

Golden radiance scattered over Lu Yun's shoulders, as though draping him in robes of gold-threaded jade, splendid with dazzling colors.

He stepped across the grass and gradually vanished from everyone's sight.

The martial path was vast and boundless; I walk it alone!

Once gone, a dragon plunges into the great sea!

Ten days later.

On a broad road, Lu Yun carried his long spear over his shoulder and strolled down the middle of the road with a relaxed expression.

Over these ten days, he had crossed mountains and ridges, sightseeing along the way, and had finally reached the vicinity of the Cang River.

Once he crossed this great river, he would reach Clear Distance City.

During this time, he had not encountered any ambushes from bandits or outlaws. The journey had been exceedingly smooth.

Several groups of bandits had immediately fled the instant they saw him.

Lu Yun could not be bothered to pay them any mind.

Those people were all shrewd. Seeing him travel alone, they did not dare stop him at all.

The bandits who survived understood that anyone who dared travel alone was either a fool or possessed absolute confidence.

Lu Yun looked like someone not to be trifled with, so naturally no one dared seek bad luck.

As Lu Yun neared the riverside ferry, quite a few martial artists gradually gathered there as well.

These people were clearly headed for Clear Distance City too.

Lu Yun swept his gaze over them. There were around thirty people in total, most of them in the Qi-Nurturing Realm, each carrying sabers, spears, swords, or halberds.

He turned to look over the river, yet could not see its far bank at a glance.

The surging river waters rushed straight eastward, vast and majestic in their momentum.

"What a Cang River. It must be over thirty li wide."

Lu Yun could not help but sigh.

"This isn't even its widest stretch. Near Ji County by the river mouth, it exceeds eighty li across. Now that's truly a mighty, rolling expanse."

At that moment, a man in white walked over with a smile.

"Are you here for the Red Flame Army selection as well? I'm Ye Quan."

Ye Quan cupped his fists in greeting, his face full of amiability.

"I'm Lu Yun."

Lu Yun returned the gesture, then asked somewhat puzzled, "Are all those martial artists also here for the Red Flame Army selection?"

As he spoke, he pointed at the group of martial artists by the ferry crossing.

"Of course. This is Clear Distance City's grand event held once a year."

"The Red Flame Army wields towering authority. If one could become a hundred-man commander, how prestigious would that be?"

Ye Quan's eyes brimmed with longing.

"A hundred-man commander?"

Lu Yun's gaze flickered. He turned toward Ye Quan, adopting an attentive posture.

Seeing this, Ye Quan grew rather pleased with himself and said in a showy tone, "Brother Lu, you may not know this, but the Red Flame Army recruits six thousand soldiers every year. By custom, the top ten recruits are promoted directly to hundred-man commanders. It's an opportunity to soar to the heavens in a single step."

"Not only do hundred-man commanders have the authority to lead their own teams on missions, but their benefits and待遇 are beyond anything squad leaders, ten-man leaders, and hundred-household leaders can compare with."

"It could be said that becoming a hundred-man commander means stepping one foot across the threshold of mid-ranking military officers."

"There's only this one chance during the recruit period. Miss it, and you can only slowly grind away accumulating seniority."

He spoke at length, words pouring forth like a rushing river, quickly laying bare all the key points.

Lu Yun's eyes lit up at once.

For him, this was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.

There were ten hundred-man commander positions. He had to seize one.

As long as he became a hundred-man commander, investigating the Canal Gang would no longer be so troublesome.

As though he had seen through Lu Yun's thoughts, Ye Quan poured a basin of cold water over him.

"You should forget about that position. Guangning Prefecture has several hundred county towns, and there are already several hundred geniuses who rank first in their respective towns. Fighting for one of those positions is harder than climbing to heaven."

It was not that he thought poorly of Lu Yun. What could a martial artist from the countryside possibly use to compete?

One glance at Lu Yun's coarse hemp clothes told him that the other man likely came from some small place.

Still, he saw through it without exposing it, deliberately leaving Brother Lu a shred of dignity.

As a martial artist from a county town himself, he also carried a faint sense of superiority.

Lu Yun merely smiled lightly and offered no rebuttal.

In his eyes, what were these so-called geniuses who ranked first in their county towns? They were nothing more than the threshold he would cross.

He had relied on his own bitter efforts to climb step by step into the Inner Strength realm. His foundation far surpassed those geniuses who cultivated by swallowing pills.

Just then, a wooden ship seven or eight zhang long sped over from the opposite shore.

Six or seven men in matching fitted uniforms stood aboard it.

The man at the front was tall and powerfully built, with a rough face. A long scar ran from his forehead straight down to his neck like a winding centipede, making him look rather terrifying.

"That's the Canal Gang's treasure ship. The leader is Zhou Yong. He's extremely strong—rumor has it that he's even killed two Inner Strength martial artists."

Ye Quan's expression turned grave.

"Come on. Let's board."

With that, he headed toward the riverbank.

Lu Yun sneered inwardly. What a narrow road for enemies to meet—he had not expected to run into Canal Gang members here.

That Zhou Yong was also in the Inner Strength realm, but Lu Yun had no reason to fear him.

Without revealing anything, he followed behind Ye Quan. The two soon reached the riverbank.

More and more martial artists gathered. By the time the wooden ship docked, over forty martial artists had assembled on the shore.

Yet Lu Yun was the only one in the Inner Strength realm.

"All of you, board in order."

Zhou Yong shouted at the crowd, his sharp gaze sweeping across the scene.

The martial artists boarded the ship one after another and gathered on the deck.

"The ferry fare this time is ten taels of silver per person."

Zhou Yong spoke as if it were nothing, showing no regard for anyone present.

"What? Wasn't it five taels last year?"

Though the group was deeply displeased and grumbled under their breath, they still obediently took out their silver.

It was no wonder these ordinary martial artists submitted. The Canal Gang and the Black Tiger Gang monopolized Clear Distance City's river transport trade, and with their tangled web of connections, they were not easy to provoke.

Ye Quan did not resist either. He took out his silver and tossed it over.

At the same time, he did not forget to advise Lu Yun, "Brother Lu, bear with it. They're the stronger side—best to avoid their edge."

In his eyes, ten taels of silver was nothing much.

Take a small loss and let it pass.

"Bear with it? Take a small loss?"

Lu Yun's gaze turned icy, and a cold smile curled across his lips.

Before activating the panel, he had endured for three years. If he still had to endure after activating it, then wouldn't he have activated it for nothing?

And avoid his edge?

If I don't beat him to a pulp today, then all my martial training has been for nothing.

A viciousness rose in his heart.

To him, money was life. Even ten taels of silver could buy several hours of lifespan.

They were after my life already. If I still don't make a move, wouldn't that make me a turtle that's lived ten thousand years?

As for the Canal Gang's retaliation?

He was about to join the Red Flame Army. If they had the guts, they could come to the military camp and cause him trouble.