Dark Willows, Bright Flowers

When Lu Shaolin hurried back to his doorstep, he saw three men in black sitting outside his home.

Lu Shaolin frowned. With a bang, he tossed the two pheasants and one roe deer hanging from his left hand onto the ground.

The ones seeking revenge had come!

Murderous intent flashed in Lu Shaolin's eyes as he stepped forward with his spear in hand.

The three black-clad men also spotted Lu Shaolin. One of them, a round-faced man, cupped his hands and called out loudly, "Are you young master Lu of the Lu family?"

"That's me!" Lu Shaolin nodded, the killing intent in his eyes fading. Their manner did not seem like they had come for revenge.

"Young Master Lu, we are from the Blackwater Gang. The gang's steward heard of your accomplishments and greatly admires you. He sent us to ask whether you would be willing to join our gang. If you do, you will be directly appointed as a minor leader!" the round-faced man said respectfully.

"Hm?" Lu Shaolin's eyes widened. This truly was a new village beyond the dark willows and bright flowers!

"I am willing to join your gang!" Lu Shaolin nodded heavily.

"That's wonderful. Young Master Lu, simply come to Blackwater Wharf early tomorrow morning and find me. I'll take you to meet the steward then, and he will personally bring you into the gang."

"By the way, my name is Wang An. When you arrive at the wharf, just ask around and you'll find me," the round-faced man, Wang An, said with a smile.

"Alright, many thanks, Brother Wang!" Lu Shaolin cupped his hands.

"It is getting late. We still need to hurry back to the county town, so we shall take our leave. Young Master Lu, do not forget to come to Blackwater Wharf tomorrow morning!" Wang An likewise cupped his hands and bade farewell.

"I won't!" Lu Shaolin replied with absolute certainty.

"Good! Farewell, Young Master Lu." Wang An smiled, turned, and strode quickly toward the village entrance.

The other two followed close behind him.

Lu Shaolin grinned, turned around, picked up the game he had thrown on the ground, and entered the courtyard.

When joy came knocking, the spirit was refreshed!

Now that he had joined the gang, martial arts manuals were within reach.

He swiftly cleaned all three animals and chose one pheasant to stew.

Once the meal was ready, Lu Shaolin ate to his heart's content.

He had wandered around the mountain all afternoon and had long since become hungry.

After eating, he took a walk around the courtyard to aid digestion. Then he practiced with his long spear for a while before washing up and going to rest.

He needed to rise early tomorrow, so he had to make sure he was full of energy!

Early the next morning, at around the hour of the rabbit, Lu Shaolin opened his eyes.

He took a black martial outfit from the wardrobe and put it on.

It was his only martial outfit. Though it was also made of coarse cloth, it still looked a little more respectable than his other clothes.

Because his physique had changed, the martial outfit was somewhat tight on Lu Shaolin, perfectly outlining the contours of his muscles.

Lu Shaolin nodded in satisfaction, picked up his spear, entered the courtyard, and went into the kitchen to make breakfast.

After breakfast, he grabbed his long spear and headed straight for Blackwater Wharf.

An hour later, Lu Shaolin arrived at the wharf.

He had thought there would be few people there so early, but there were quite a number of them. Most were laborers waiting for work.

Lu Shaolin glanced at the tea stall. It had not opened yet, so he walked toward the nearest middle-aged man.

"Brother, pardon the interruption. May I ask if you know Wang An?" Lu Shaolin asked with cupped hands.

"Wang An? You mean Lord Wang from the Blackwater Gang?" The middle-aged man was startled and asked in return.

"Mm... he is indeed from the Blackwater Gang." Lu Shaolin nodded.

"Walk along the wharf. The ship with three ripples carved into its hull belongs to the Blackwater Gang. Lord Wang is usually aboard it." The man pointed toward the river.

"Thank you for telling me!" Lu Shaolin cupped his hands and headed down the wharf.

Once on the wharf, Lu Shaolin swept his gaze from side to side, searching for a vessel marked with three ripples.

At last, he found a black pleasure boat near the middle. Three ripples were carved into the middle of its hull, so faint that one would miss them without looking carefully.

Lu Shaolin walked toward the black pleasure boat. A black-clad man stood at its prow. Looking closely, Lu Shaolin recognized him as one of the men who had come to his home yesterday.

The man also saw Lu Shaolin and called into the cabin. Wang An then emerged from inside.

"Young Master Lu, you came quite early. The steward has not arrived yet, so come aboard and rest for a while!" Wang An said with a smile.

"Very well, then I'll trouble you." Lu Shaolin smiled in response. With a leap, he jumped onto the boat.

"Please come in!" Wang An extended a hand in invitation toward the cabin.

Lu Shaolin nodded and bent down to enter the cabin.

The cabin was quite spacious. There was a tea table inside, holding several plates of snacks, along with a teapot and teacups.

"Please sit, Young Master Lu." Wang An pointed at a chair.

Lu Shaolin smiled and sat down.

The two sat drinking tea and chatting as they waited for Steward Yu to arrive.

Through their conversation, Lu Shaolin learned that Wang An was also a minor leader, at the Early Skin Tempering stage.

He also learned that upon joining the gang, members would receive the Skin Tempering portion of the martial arts manual for Reckless Bull Force.

Martial arts manuals were divided into four grades by power: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow!

Reckless Bull Force was a Yellow-grade external tempering technique. At most, it could be cultivated to Perfected Muscle Tempering. Only after cultivating Reckless Bull Force to Perfected Skin Tempering could one claim the manual's Tendon Tempering portion.

By probing indirectly, Lu Shaolin also learned that the gang leader was named He Zhonglang. He was at the Intermediate Organ-Tempering Stage, and cultivated the Iron Chain Across the River Formula. It was also the only technique in the gang that could reach the Organ-Tempering Realm!

However, this technique was not passed on freely. Only those who made tremendous contributions to the gang might have a chance of receiving the technique from the gang leader.

After chatting for about an hour, the black-clad man standing guard outside poked his head in and said, "Leader Wang, Steward Yu has arrived!"

Wang An hurriedly stood and went out to greet him.

Lu Shaolin also rose and followed behind him.

The two arrived at the prow and saw a sturdy man in brocade robes standing on the shore, with a burly black-clad man behind him.

"Steward Yu!" Wang An called out with cupped hands.

Lu Shaolin followed suit and cupped his hands as well.

"So you are the young man of the Lu family! Truly, heroes emerge in their youth!" Yu Shan waved a hand, smiling as he looked at Lu Shaolin.

"That is indeed me! Many thanks for your patronage, Steward." Lu Shaolin replied solemnly.

"Patronage is too grand a term. I am merely recruiting talent for the gang." Yu Shan shook his head.

"It is getting late. Come with me now to the headquarters to complete the formalities for joining the gang!" Yu Shan continued.

"Alright, Steward." Lu Shaolin nodded, turned back into the cabin to retrieve his long spear, and leapt onto the shore.

"Wang An, we'll be going first." Yu Shan greeted Wang An, then turned and headed toward the Water Fortress.

"Brother Wang, we will speak again another day!" Lu Shaolin cupped his hands toward him, then followed behind Yu Shan and the burly black-clad man.

After the three had walked for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they reached the entrance to the Water Fortress.

Yu Shan nodded to the four burly men guarding the entrance and led the other two into the Water Fortress.

"The headquarters' Water Fortress has three levels. The first level contains the main hall, as well as the offices of the Internal Affairs Hall, External Affairs Hall, and Discipline Hall."

"The second level contains the Martial Arts Pavilion and the residences of each hall master and deputy hall master."

"The third level is where the gang leader and his family reside," Yu Shan introduced as they walked.