'It's alright. Fortunately, I've focused on nourishing Yin during this period. The second level of Jade Crane Skill is the highest realm. Ordinary people would need five years. I've shortened five years to such a short amount of time. Naturally, the burden is much heavier than when I first started.'
He carefully felt the state of his body.
Although weak, it was much better than before.
It seemed that his recuperation during this period was indeed effective.
"Hoo …"
He let out a long breath.
Lu Sheng felt the circle of inner Qi in his chest and abdomen grow from a chopstick-thick stream to nine.
The nine streams combined were much thicker than before.
Jade Crane Skill's second level felt different from before.
Lu Sheng felt energized as he inhaled and exhaled. His reactions were also much faster than usual.
'According to the records of the second level of Jade Crane Skill, it should have the effect of prolonging life and quickly stopping bleeding.
'I'll try the inner force effect tomorrow. I'll contact Duanmu Wan and see if I can get some new inner force skills from her. '
Since Jade Crane Skill was real, then the other inner force skills might be real as well. He wanted to see what would happen if he cultivated several inner force skills together.
Logically speaking, as long as the inner force skills did not conflict with each other, they could be combined.
At this thought, Lu Sheng lay down again to rest.
Just as he lay down, he heard faint footsteps outside the courtyard, as if someone was walking away.
The rhythm was very similar to Lu Qingqing's footsteps.
Lu Sheng shook his head and ignored it. During this period, Lu Qingqing would go out for a stroll in the middle of the night almost every other day.
He did not know what clues she had found.
At first, he followed her carefully. But he realized that his footwork was far inferior to Lu Qingqing's, and he lost track of her after a while. After that, he did not waste any more energy.
Early the next morning, Lu Sheng took the prepared banknotes and headed straight for the Thousand Blessings Inn where Duanmu Wan was staying.
"What? She's checked out? "
Lu Sheng stared at the innkeeper and frowned.
"When did this happen?"
"About half a month ago, Miss Duanmu was invited by a few young masters to go sightseeing in Red Lotus Temple. After that, she sent someone back to say that she had checked out."
The shopkeeper was also very attentive towards Duanmu Wan.
After all, she was born beautiful and had many suitors. She also spent a lot of money, so she naturally left a deep impression on him.
"Red Lotus Temple …"
Lu Sheng frowned.
His instincts told him that Duanmu Wan was probably not at Red Lotus Temple.
Suddenly checking out was just an excuse.
"Forget it then."
He waved his folding fan and walked out of the inn. Two guards were waiting outside the door.
"Young Master, how is it? Have you found Miss Duanmu? " The bodyguard, Xiao Song, had a very close relationship with Lu Sheng. He was also the person who cleaned up the place for Lu Sheng's martial arts practice. Occasionally, he even sparred with Lu Sheng. His martial arts skills were not bad.
"No, she left." Lu Sheng shook his head.
"Where are we going now?"
"Where are you going? Let's go back. "
Lu Sheng was in a bad mood because he couldn't find the secret manuals.
The three of them boarded the carriage and hurried all the way back to the Lu Manor. When they arrived at the Manor, they saw a yellow carriage already parked at the main entrance.
On the side of the carriage, there was a large engraving of the word 'Zhang'.
"Zhang Family?"
Lu Sheng's expression changed. The Zhang Family had been on the run for so long, and now they finally came knocking.
He was not afraid. He let Xiao Song and the rest leave, and walked in alone.
Looking in from the main entrance, he could see Lu Quanan, accompanied by a martial arts master, greeting the person from the Zhang Family.
Only one person from the Zhang Family had come.
He was a man in his thirties with thick brows and thin eyes.
"… How could my son do such a thing? The Zhang Family must have been mistaken!" Lu Quanan sat on the main seat, his expression calm.
"Many people saw it with their own eyes! How could it be fake?! "
The man was so angry that his chest was burning.
"I don't care how powerful your Zhang Family is in Zi Hua City. This is Nine Links City, not your Zi Hua! Your Zhang Family may be powerful, but my Lu Family is not to be trifled with! If you continue to frame my son, don't blame me, Lu Quanan, for being impolite! "
Lu Quanan shouted coldly.
The man was so angry that he was trembling all over.
His finger pointed at Lu Quanan, no longer able to speak.
"Good, good, good!! Family Head Lu is very courageous. I will definitely convey your words, word for word, to Family Head Song Xi! Farewell!! "
He turned and strode towards the main entrance.
Lu Sheng met him on the way. This man did not recognize Lu Sheng, and continued walking out in a huff.
Lu Sheng was not surprised. Nowadays, the Song Dynasty was weak and divided. Not to mention this was far away in the Northern Lands, where the City Lord and the local powers were the local tyrants.
Even in the Central Plains, big families like the Lu Family mostly obeyed on the surface but opposed on the inside, and had even caused quite a bit of trouble.
This Zhang Family thought he was still in Zi Hua City, and dared to come knocking at his door to denounce him.
The man brushed past Lu Sheng, and left in a huff on the horse carriage.
Lu Sheng walked into the main hall, and saw his father, Lu Quanan, sitting on a chair, his expression blank.
"Dad, are you done with your business?"
He asked softly, motioning for the guards around him to leave. He wanted to speak to his father alone.
Lu Quanan sighed. Seeing that it was Lu Sheng, he could not help but smile.
"Little Sheng, take good care of your sister. Don't let her wander around the city all the time."
"I can't control her," Lu Sheng shook his head with a bitter smile. "Dad, did the higher-ups find what they wanted us to find? Are they looking for something or someone? "
"It could be something, or someone. It's hard to tell! "
Lu Quanan shook his head and lowered his voice.
"The Prefect's biggest headache right now is the Xu Family case, and the Wang Jia Village well case outside the city. Especially the well case, so many constables couldn't find any clues. What can your sister do alone? Tell her to stay at home obediently. "
"She went to investigate the Wang Jia Village case?" Lu Sheng was stunned.
"You don't know? The yamen constables even saw that girl Qingqing in the Wang Jia Village. She would catch a couple of wanted criminals or suspects every two or three days and send them to the yamen. Almost everyone in the yamen knows her. "
Lu Quanan said helplessly.
"So that's how it is …" Lu Sheng frowned. "I've been busy collecting martial arts recently and didn't have time to care about her."
"Collecting martial arts … you've already spent close to five thousand taels. How are the results?" Lu Quanan asked casually.
"I've already collected a few. I'll organize all the books and build a library in the house. That way, it'll be easier for our Lu Family to nurture experts in the future."
Lu Sheng said seriously.
"I can roughly guess what you're thinking. It's a chaotic world now. It's not enough to rely on just the few dozen people in the house. We need to nurture more experts that belong to our Lu Family. That's why I supported you wholeheartedly when I heard that you were collecting martial arts. "
Lu Quanan said seriously.
"There are a total of eighty-six guards and servants in the house. They can be mobilized at any time. But because we have to guard the mansion, we can only mobilize about forty people."
Lu Sheng calculated.
"These forty people are responsible for the safety of our Lu Family's thirteen manors and sixteen shops. That's not enough at all."
"Of course I know that. It's just that … trustworthy people are hard to find …" Lu Quanan sighed.
"What about adopting orphans? There are quite a number of street children in and out of the city, right? "Lu Sheng suggested.
"That … we still have to consider the opinions of the other families …"
Lu Quanan said hesitantly.
"We don't have enough people to begin with. Why do we have to worry about the other families? Can't we develop in secret? "Lu Sheng argued.
"This is a sensitive topic. If the other families find out, they'll definitely reprimand our Lu Family for being ambitious and too conspicuous."
Lu Quanan shook his head slightly.
Lu Sheng tried a few more words of persuasion, but to no avail.
He knew in his heart that Lu Quanan no longer had the drive he had when he was young. At that time, he had nothing and no worries. That was why he was decisive and responsible, building up the Lu Family's vast family business.
But now … he was overcautious and hesitant.
Lu Sheng could tell that Lu Quanan supported him in collecting martial arts because he wanted to expand.
But when it came time to do so, he was hesitant, unable to make up his mind.
After a few more words, he stopped persuading him, only mentioning the health of his family members.
Then, he took his leave.
Lu Quanan stood alone in the Great Hall, his brows furrowed, still hesitating.
Lu Sheng no longer wanted to rely on this old dad of his.
In such troubled times, if one's own strength was insufficient, one would sooner or later become a piece of juicy meat in the eyes of others.
He left the Great Hall and continued to train on the drill ground.
After Jade Crane Skill reached the peak of the second level, he was full of energy. Even if he worked from morning to night, he didn't feel too tired.
When he felt a little sleepy, he would sit down and rest for a while. Then, he would be as lively as a dragon and as lively as a tiger, exercising for a few hours at a time.
On the drill ground, he practiced his saber until evening.
Only then did he shower, drenched in sweat, and rush to dinner.
At the dining table, Lu Quanan, Second Mother, and Lu Sheng sat at one table, while the rest of the family members sat at another big table.
These were the rules.
Lu Quanan was the Family Head, Lu Sheng was the future Family Head, and Second Mother was an insider. Both Lu Quanan and Lu Sheng were very close to her. She was also in charge of the maidservants in the inner courtyard.
These three people were the three with the highest status in the entire Lu Family.
After them were Third Mother, Fourth Mother, Fifth Mother, Lu Qingqing, Lu Yingying, Lu Chenxin, and the rest of the family.
Although the Lu Family was a first-generation nouveau riche, they still followed the rules of the other big families.
One of them was not to speak when eating or sleeping.
As the two big tables ate, there was only the occasional clatter of chopsticks and bowls. Otherwise, there was no sound at all.
"Little Sheng."
Lu Quanan, who rarely spoke at the dining table, suddenly spoke.
The moment he spoke, the whole family slowly stopped eating and listened to him. This was also etiquette. After all, unless it was an extremely important matter, she usually wouldn't speak at the dining table.
"Dad, what's the matter?"
Lu Sheng put down his chopsticks and looked at Lu Quanan.
"You said that Nine Links City can no longer collect martial arts. Should we make a trip to Mountain-Edge City?"
Lu Quanan asked seriously.
"Mountain-Edge City?"
Lu Sheng was stunned. He didn't expect that his Old Father would actually want him to leave Nine Links City.
"Yes," Lu Quanan nodded. "An old friend of mine lives there. In his letter a few days ago, he mentioned that there are famed experts from the Central Plains in Mountain-Edge City who open their doors to teach martial arts. If you're willing, you can make a trip there. Who knows, you might even be able to bring back one or two sets of truly powerful martial arts from the Central Plains."
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