Steam wreathed the bathing room.
Lu Sui reclined in the waist-high bathtub, his eyes half closed, seemingly resting his mind.
With Lu Yulin's brains and Deng Yun's corpse as evidence, he would naturally trace the trail down to Zhou Qing.
Asking Master Chai to step in would be enough to settle the matter.
Within Changle County's little patch of land, a Half-Step Fetus Embracing expert carried tremendous weight. Most of the time, it was like blasting fish in a barrel; worthy opponents were hard to find.
With Father taking Zhou Qing to task, he should be able to make something of this and secure some benefits for the Lu Family.
Evil calamities... Calamity Artifacts... I really want to see them for myself.
Lu Sui was filled with regret.
There was no helping it. He had to strictly follow his sixteen-character policy.
-Seek strength through stability, consolidate stability through strength, combine stability and strength, and put stability first.
If stability comes first, I'd best stay out of it and let Father handle everything, so I don't make a mess.
Lu Sui suppressed his wandering thoughts and firmed his resolve.
Lu Yulin's scheming depths and ability to turn clouds into rain were just like his own talent for martial arts.
Both were well worth trusting!
Ultimately, I'm still not strong enough. Whenever something happens, I have to watch my every step and plan before acting...
Soaking in his medicinal bath, Lu Sui sighed helplessly.
The Land Beyond the Pass was plagued by disasters. Unless one was as formidable as Master Chai and had reached Half-Step Fetus Embracing...
Otherwise, one always had to live on tenterhooks, afraid that a streak of bad luck would bring one face-to-face with some monstrous evil and cost one's life.
Everyone says the people beyond the pass are fierce. The way I see it, they were forced to be.
So Lu Sui thought.
Day in and day out, they dealt with wolf demons as large as hills, weasels seeking a title, and uncanny, unfathomable evil entities and Calamity Artifacts.
Every so often, droughts, blizzards, and flash floods struck as well.
Damn it, it was only thanks to the tenacity of the people beyond the pass that they could keep living!
After silently grumbling for a while, Lu Sui began considering his subsequent training:
After Unifying the Six Harmonies, I'll have to keep replacing my blood and nurture gold or jade bones.
This step is the most likely to slow progress and waste years.
Inner-court disciples at the Hundred Victories Martial Arts School, for instance, have to put in years of bitter effort to gradually polish their Bone Aspect to a "fine grade."
But with the two marks provided by the Panwu Great Strength True Art, it shouldn't be difficult for me.
The corners of Lu Sui's lips rose slightly.
It was nothing more than combining boxing practice with nourishing supplements-grasping both with both hands, and making sure both hands were strong!
Through training and eating, his Qi and Blood would advance by leaps and bounds, and his physique would grow sturdier by the day.
Besides, he also had the Leopard Fetus Sinew-Changing Pill Master Tan had given him to help break through the barrier.
That should guarantee at least seven or eight blood replacements, with a chance at superior Gold Bones...
At that thought, Lu Sui's heavy mood eased a little.
He exhaled a breath of turbid air and let the hot water rise over his neck:
Once my Qi and Blood reach great perfection, I can temper my force.
In martial circles, that's enough to be called a "trained practitioner" or an "internal martial master." I could open a school and teach disciples, or enter the ring to make a name for myself.
Lu Sui reckoned that he would probably complete seven to eight "blood replacements" after the New Year.
He just did not know whether he could nurture supreme-grade "Jade Bones."
In martial aptitude, comprehension came first, and sinews and bones second.
The foundation laid during "Internal Nourishment" was crucial to one's future achievements.
As Lu Sui pondered, Xiaotang entered the bathing room carrying a lacquered tray and set out a cloth, soap, and a wooden comb, one by one.
She stood beside the bathtub, rolled up her sleeves, and gently drew the wooden comb through Lu Sui's long hair:
"Young Master, your hair has grown so much."
Lu Sui smiled and said:
"That's because my training has borne fruit and my Qi and Blood are flourishing."
Advanced martial theory divided the human body into four extremities.
Hair was the extremity of blood.
Thus, abundant Qi and Blood made one's hair thick and black.
When he had read that passage, Lu Sui had been unable to resist grumbling inwardly:
Does that mean baldness and hair loss are signs of weakness?
Xiaotang said softly:
"Let this servant trim it for you in a little while."
Lu Sui nodded. Through training and stance practice, he had originally swept away every trace of effeminacy from this body's appearance.
Yet after Unifying the Six Harmonies, with Qi reaching all four extremities, his black hair flowed like a waterfall and his skin grew fine and smooth. He had turned back into that handsome young fellow with red lips and white teeth.
This left Lu Sui quite frustrated. He would much rather look like a manly hunk!
"Refreshed through and through!"
After soaking in the medicinal bath for about an incense stick's worth of time, Lu Sui rose and stepped out of the tub.
Water splashed, revealing his lean, muscular body.
Her pretty face flushed with embarrassment, Xiaotang fetched the cloth to wipe her young master's body, dried his long hair, then draped an inner robe over him.
She stole glances at Lu Sui, thinking to herself:
Young Master has more and more of an "immortal" air about him.
The Lu Sui of the past had certainly possessed a handsome exterior, but after spending so much time tumbling amid rouge and powder, he had inevitably acquired something cloying about him.
Now, even when Young Master merely stood quietly without saying a word, an imposing air naturally emanated from his brow.
A little coldness, mingled with a little charm-he really was like a celebrated performer onstage.
Having bathed and changed, he looked in the mirror and felt there had not been much change after all.
In excellent spirits, Lu Sui recited aloud:
"Wash away a body's killing air, train the courage in my breast to grow bold."
With his shoes slipping at his heels, he hummed a tune, passed through the corridor, and returned to his room.
He had only just sat down at his desk when Xiaohuan used tongs to set a copper basin at his feet.
Silver-bone charcoal burned inside, radiating warmth.
This charcoal had a faint scent and produced no smoke, so it did not sting the nose. Only wealthy households could afford to use it.
"It really has turned cold."
Lu Sui closed his eyes slightly, and his consciousness slipped into the ancient temple.
Four shrines had been lit in all, three on the right and one on the left.
The dark tortoise and azure horned dragon, the little six-eared monkey, the gray cicada, the baby silkworm...
Like an animal keeper, Lu Sui checked their "development" one by one.
Without question, the "Panwu Great Strength True Art" had grown the best.
It also brought Lu Sui the most tangible benefits to his training.
Next came the "Cicada-Chasing Steps." With Tan Jingzong personally teaching him, followed by his kicking Deng Yun to death in that narrow alley...
That stick of white incense had actually burned to its end, reaching perfection outright.
The "Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Great Art" and the "Complete Record of the High Shaman's Ghost Capturing" were both incomplete fragments.
Their methods of gaining "growth" were also rather unconventional, and both sticks of blue incense still had quite a bit left.
If I can feast on another big melon and fill this little six-eared monkey's belly, perhaps it'll reach perfection soon.
Lu Sui considered.
Undercurrents surged through Changle County. The Five Great Trades maintained a facade of harmony while remaining divided at heart, scheming against one another.
On top of that, evil calamities lurked, old grudges remained unsettled, and descendants of the Yu Family were seeking repayment and revenge...
Eavesdropping on a few secrets should not be difficult.
Zhou Qing, Father, the Yu Family members... all of them could be targets for Sound Listening.
Lu Sui deliberately passed over great experts such as Uncle Wen, Master Chai, and Tan Jingzong.
He was worried that they might possess the ability to detect it, exposing him instead.
As for the "Complete Record of the High Shaman's Ghost Capturing"...
Lu Sui looked toward the baby silkworm. Its plump body arched again and again as it wriggled incessantly, making little chirping sounds.
Acting cute won't help. Where am I supposed to find so many evil presences and so much Yao Qi for you to discover?
And those shamanic arts and gu arts are all sinister things, troublesome to practice.
After repeated consideration, Lu Sui still decided to set it aside for now.
He could not become a jack of all trades and master of none.
Having finished his inspection, Lu Sui turned his gaze back to the main shrine.
The writing blurred as though weathered away, then condensed anew.
[Lu Sui] [Arts: "Panwu Great Strength True Art," "Incomplete Heavenly Sight and Earthly Hearing Great Art," "Cicada-Chasing Steps"] [Methods: "Incomplete Grand Shaman Ghost-Capturing Compendium"] [Talent: Hibernation]
The "Cicada-Chasing Steps" reaching great perfection seems to have provided a talent...
Lu Sui shifted his gaze and raised a hand to summon the gray cicada.
Its thin wings vibrated, spreading and folding. It became a blur, then zipped into his palm.
Its two glossy black compound eyes blinked, its lower abdomen bulged slightly, and its cries rang out clear and bright.
It's grown a little.
Judging by his perception, Lu Sui found it a couple of sizes plumper than when it had first been recorded.
After he studied it intently for a moment, tiny, tadpole-like characters flickered into view before his eyes.
[Cicada-Chasing Steps (Mortal)] [Perfection attained] [Available talents are as follows] [Molt and Rebirth, Forewarning, Cloud Leaping]
Another choice of three.
Lu Sui looked closer.