From the old man, Lu Sheng understood a few of Crimson Whale Sect's strongholds and the characteristics of the sect's personnel structure. Then, he left the graveyard.
The next day, Lu Sheng went out for a stroll early in the morning, intending to check out Crimson Whale Sect's strongholds.
As he passed by a bustling street, a large shop in the city was holding a promotional event. The promotional event here was not called a promotional event, but rather, a generous one.
A large group of children gathered at the shop's entrance. A wooden platform had been set up there, and someone was speaking loudly on it, attracting the attention of many passersby.
Lu Sheng had initially planned to leave quickly after a quick glance.
But when he passed by the high platform, he noticed that there were many people in the crowd who were dressed in rags and had sallow complexions.
"The people of Mountain-Edge City have always led a good life. I've never seen so many refugee-like people walking on the streets before. Why are there so many of them all of a sudden?"
Lu Sheng ignored the shop owner who was talking loudly on the wooden platform. Instead, he observed these refugee-like people carefully.
Their faces were miserable and their eyes were devoid of hope. They stood by the wooden platform, hoping that the shop would give them something to sate their hunger.
Lu Sheng walked forward for a distance. Then, he heard another group of people gathering on his right. They were even whispering to each other, discussing animatedly.
He walked closer and parted the crowd to take a look.
A pair of starving, skinny couple was kneeling on the ground with a little girl who was only three or four years old in their arms. A piece of tree bark hung around their necks, and a simple pattern was drawn on it with crooked charcoal. It seemed to be a string of money.
"Everyone, please do me a favor. My daughter is only three years old this year. She's obedient and sensible, with good features. I beg you, kind-hearted people … to grant her a meal …" the kneeling woman wailed.
The little girl standing beside her was still in a daze, as if she didn't know anything.
Lu Sheng frowned and squeezed through the crowd. As he walked forward, he saw more people selling their daughters and sons. They were all very young children.
"Why are there so many refugees in this city?" Lu Sheng couldn't help but murmur.
As he strolled around, he saw no less than five families selling their children. This caused his heart to sink slightly, and he became even more puzzled.
After all, he'd never seen such a tragedy before he came to this world. For a family to go to the extent of selling their children, how bad must it be for them to have no choice but to make such a choice?
When it was almost time, Lu Sheng returned to the small building where he lived. There was also a young woman kneeling on the ground in front of the winery on the first floor, selling herself. He spoke with a foreign accent, so it was hard to hear him clearly.
Lu Sheng glanced over and saw that the waiter of the winery was also watching from the side, so he took a few steps forward and asked.
"Why are there so many refugees in the city recently? Is there a disaster outside? "
When the waiter saw that it was Lu Sheng, he knew that this was the noble who lived above his winery. He hurriedly nodded and bowed in reply.
"In reply to Young Master, isn't it because of the drought in Cloud Province? Who knows how many people have no food to eat and are on the run. The number of people who starved to death in the process is equivalent to a tenth of the population of Mountain-Edge City. It's been a terrible journey … "The waiter shook his head and sighed." At first, I heard that our city didn't allow these refugees to enter. Later on, seeing how terrible it was, the Old Master of the yamen couldn't bear to see it and ordered for the refugees to enter the city. Actually, our city is still fine. In the direction of the Central Plains, there are many cities that have been crowded by refugees, causing food prices to skyrocket. "
"Cloud Province …" Lu Sheng knew of this place. It was located to the west of the Central Plains, and was a general name for a region. He didn't expect the drought to be so severe. For so many ordinary people to travel from such a faraway place to here, who knew how many people would die along the way.
"That's right … I heard …" The waiter looked left and right, then lowered his voice. "I heard that Cloud Province has been ravaged by demons. Tell me, how can there be ten days of hail followed by several months of drought?"
"Ten days of hail? Several months of drought? "Lu Sheng asked doubtfully.
"It's said that the hail was as big as an egg. After that, there was eight to nine months of drought without a single drop of rain … Tsk tsk, it's too tragic. I heard that there are even cases of people eating people. "The waiter was also a chatterbox, and couldn't help but tell him everything he knew.
"Egg-sized hail, eight to nine months of drought …" Lu Sheng was also shocked. One must know that in his understanding, three consecutive months without rain was considered a drought. It was no wonder that the entire Cloud Province collapsed after eight to nine months of drought. The crops were probably all dead, and there might not even be any water to drink.
"I heard that every time it's about to rain, there are even dark clouds, but then something strange happens. For example, a cloud vortex appears, and there are sounds of thunder. Then, the dark clouds that just appeared disappear immediately." The waiter whispered again.
After hearing the news, Lu Sheng returned home. He was still a little surprised.
Such abnormal weather, ten days of hail, followed by a drought. It was completely against the laws of nature.
Having been in this world for so long, he had a general understanding that this world was probably not much different from ancient China. Apart from some differences in local customs and practices, there was no difference in the laws of nature.
The only difference was the addition of supernatural phenomena such as demons and ghosts.
'Such weather that is completely against the laws of nature must be caused by an external force.' Lu Sheng guessed. His intuition told him that this drought was most likely related to demons and ghosts.
When he returned home, Little Qiao was sewing something. Seeing Lu Sheng enter the door, she quickly stood up.
"Young Master, you're back? Do you want to take a bath? Little Qiao, go get some hot water. "
"No need. How much money do we have at home? "Lu Sheng asked casually.
"About twenty-one taels." Little Qiao quickly replied with a helpless figure.
Lu Sheng was speechless. He even wanted to borrow from Song Zhenguo and Chen Jiaorong, or sell the white jade Qilin that Chen Jiaorong had gifted him. That was an item worth tens of thousands of gold. It was extremely expensive. And that purple jade hairpin. Although its Yin Qi had been absorbed, it was made of purple jade and was extremely expensive.
'These are just temporary measures. I'll just follow my previous plan. Who knows, I might even be able to establish a foothold for my Lu Family in Mountain-Edge City,' Lu Sheng calculated in his mind as he began eating the dishes served by Little Qiao.
The dishes were bought from a nearby restaurant and tasted pretty good. Little Qiao stood by the side, pouring wine for Lu Sheng and chatting with him from time to time.
"How long will the results be released?" Lu Sheng asked casually.
"About a month later. The Academy will notify us then. Qiao 'er will pay attention," Little Qiao answered hurriedly.
"Just don't forget about it. I might be busy with some matters during this period of time. Stay home alone and be careful. When refugees enter the city, it's hard to avoid those with ulterior motives."
"Qiao 'er understands," Little Qiao replied obediently.
After lunch, Lu Sheng went out again. He had already figured out the various points of Crimson Whale Sect in the morning.
Noon passed. Now, it was time to see how he could get in.
Lu Sheng walked at a leisurely pace. He boarded a horse carriage and slowly made his way to the entrance of a casino.
Golden Seal Casino.
The name of this place was rather tacky, but it was also very apt. The entire entrance of the casino looked like a golden seal, square-shaped and very eye-catching.
Lu Sheng alighted from the carriage and took out a gold-threaded folding fan. With a swoosh, he opened it and squeezed his way through the crowd into the casino.
The moment he entered, he was greeted by a cacophony of raucous noises and the sound of gambling. Gambling tables of all sizes were placed in the hall. Every table was surrounded by groups of gamblers, all of them shouting loudly with bloodshot eyes, as if they could win money by shouting loudly enough.
Lu Sheng had no interest in gambling. Instead, his gaze swept across the place and he immediately spotted a red-faced middle-aged man standing in the innermost area of the Golden Seal Casino.
This man stood silently by a gambling table in the innermost part of the casino, watching the bustling scene. His face was expressionless and he was dressed no differently from the surrounding casino guards.
But Lu Sheng knew that this man was actually the ringleader of the Golden Seal Casino, red-faced Zhao Jie. He was also the caretaker of this place. If one wanted to join Crimson Whale Sect, it would be easiest to find him.
He slowly walked straight towards the red-faced Zhao Jie.
Very quickly, the other party noticed his approach and looked over with a strange expression.
"What are you doing here in this corner instead of having fun, Brother?" Zhao Jie asked casually. Although he was also leaning against a gambling table, it was not open for gambling and was merely being used as an ordinary table.
"I'm a student from Eastern Mountain Institution. I'd like to join Crimson Whale Sect. Can you recommend me?" Lu Sheng made his purpose clear with a smile.
"A student from Eastern Mountain Institution?" Zhao Jie was stunned.
In all his years in the sect, this was the first time he had seen an academy student voluntarily join Crimson Whale Sect.
Although the Crimson Whale Sect he belonged to was the number one sect, the students of the academy had always been self-righteous and virtuous. Apart from those who joined through connections with the higher-ups, or those who were forced to join through special circumstances, he had never seen any scholars voluntarily joining the sect.
After all, the ambitions of these scholars could not be restrained by a mere sect. They were people who were destined to become officials.
After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Jie sized up Lu Sheng from head to toe.
"You say that you're a student of the academy. Do you have proof?"
Lu Sheng smiled as he produced his academy's nameplate. On it was his surname and the name of the academy.
It was a large 'East' character with a very small 'Lu' character below it. The nameplate was made of brass and was rather heavy. Furthermore, it was covered with intricate patterns, making it difficult to forge.
Seeing the nameplate, Zhao Jie believed him. This nameplate was not something ordinary people could get their hands on. Even if they wanted to forge it, it would be difficult. All the craftsmen in the city did not take on private jobs. Moreover, if craftsmen from other families were to forge this item, it would be a serious crime, punishable by death.
"Why do you want to join us?" Zhao Jie asked again. Usually, those who wanted to join the sect were mostly poor people at the bottom of society, merchants, or skilled craftsmen. For a young master scholar from an academy like the one in front of him, who was obviously from a wealthy family, there was really no need for him to join a sect.
"I heard that Crimson Whale Sect is the number one sect in the Northern Lands. The sect is filled with experts and powerful martial arts. This young master wishes to learn the best martial arts, so I wish to join you. " Lu Sheng stated his objective directly. He could not be bothered to beat around the bush, and would rather be straightforward.
"Martial arts …" Zhao Jie finally understood. Indeed, Crimson Whale Sect's martial arts were the strongest in the Northern Lands. None of the other sects or sects could compare.
"Alright, please register your name, age, and expertise," he pointed to a small door on the right to Lu Sheng's side.
"Let me remind you in advance that if any disciple of our sect wishes to learn martial arts, they can only do so from the Martial Proclamation Library. To enter the library, we need to assess your level of strength and your level of contribution to the sect."
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